Ernst Mayr Library, MCZ

DUES FOR 1929

ANNUAL DUES FOR 1929 NOW PAYABLE

This is the Treasurer’s first notice to all members that dues for
1929 are now payable to the Treasurer,

Mr. J. W. Stack,

Michigan Agricultural College,

East Lansing, Michigan.

You are earnestly requested to remit at your earliest convenience,
thus saving postage expense to the Club, and much time and effort to
the Treasurer. A receipt will be returned only if requested.

Life Members $100.00

Sustaining Members 5.00

Active Members 2.50

Associate Members 1.50

The Club values the continued support of every member, and
every resignation is received with much regret. At the recent annual
meeting at Ann Arbor a very considerable list of delinquent members
was reported. Some of these members had been carried for a year or
longer. The number in this delinquent list was so great that the Club
considered it necessary to authorize and instruct the officers that the
Wilson Bulletin may be sent only to members not in arrears for
dues. Accordingly, this action will be put into effect with the mailing
of the March Bulletin. However, those who find it inconvenient to
remit by that time will be gladly allowed an extension of time if
they will merely communicate with the Treasurer to such effect.

The Wilson Bulletin again extends the season’s greetings to its
readers. The past year has been a reasonably prosperous one and we
trust that our membership feels a degree of satisfaction with our
numerical growth, at least. In spite of a considerable loss by resig-
nation and non-payment of dues our total membership is greater than
ever before. And for the first time in our history we close the fiscal
year with a comfortable bank balance. We hope, however, that this
showing may be merely a stimulus to greater effort.

1 5 1929

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

A Quarterly Magazine Devoted to the Study
of Birds in the Field
and the Official Organ of the

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

Edited by

T. C. Stephens, Editor-in-Chief

Myron FI. Swenk Albert F. Ganier

Alfred M. Bailey R. D. Hissong

Volume XLI

1929

Published Quarterly
by the

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

at

Sioux City, Iowa

i

PAST OFFICERS OF THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

President

J. B. Richards, 1888-1889.
Lynds Jones, 1890-1893.
*Willard N. Clute, 1894.

R. M. Strong, 1894-1901.
Lynds Jones, 1902-1908.

F. L. Burns, 1909-1911.

W. E. Saunders, 1912-1913.

T. C. Stephens, 1914-1916.

W. F. Henninger, 1917.

Myron H. Swenk, 1918-1919.

R. M. Strong, 1920-1921.

Thos. L. Hankinson, 1922-1923.
Albert F. Ganier, 1924-1927.
Lynds Jones, 1927-

V ice-President

C. C. Maxfield, 1893.

R. M. Strong, 1894.

Ned Hollister, 1895-1903.
W. L. Dawson, 1904-1905.
R. L. Baird, 1906-1908.
W. E. Saunders, 1909-1911
B. H. Swales, 1912-1913.

Secretary

Lynds Jones, 1888-1889.

J. Warren Jacobs, 1890-1891.
Willard N. Clute, 1892.

J. Warren Jacobs, 1893.

Wm. B. Caulk, 1894.

J. E. Dickinson, 1895-1897.

W. L. Dawson, 1898-1901.

John W. Daniel, Jr., 1902-1905.
Frank L. Burns, 1906.

T reasurer

R. M. Strong, 1892-1893.

Lynds Jones, 1894-1901.

F. L. Burns, 1902-1905.

B. H. Swales, 1906-1908.

W. F. Henninger, 1909-1913.

P. B. Coffin, 1914-1916.

Editor

Lynds Jones, 1888-1924.

T. C. Stephens,

Geo. L. Fordyce, 1914-1919.

II. C. Oberholser, 1920-1921.
Dayton Stoner, 1922-1923.
Wm. I. Lyon, 1924.

Thos. H. Whitney, 1925-1928.
George Miksch Sutton, 1929-

Benj. T. Gault, 1907-1911.

C. W. G. Eilrig, 1912-1913.
Orpheus M. Schantz, 1914.
Thos. L. Hankinson, 1915-1916.
G. A. Abbott, 1917.

Albert F. Ganier, 1918-1922.
Gordon Wilson, 1923-1925.
Howard K. Gloyd, 1926-1928. '
Jesse M. Shaver, 1929-

Frank M. Phelps, 1917-1919.
Geo. L. Fordyce, 1920-1922.
Wm. I. Lyon, 1923.

Ben J. Blincoe, 1924-1927.

J. W. Stack, 1927-

Frank L. Burns, 1901.

* Resigned.

APR 1 5 1929

Vol, XLI

MARCH, 1929

No. 1

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

A Magazine of Field Ornithology

Published by the

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

at

SIOUX CITY, IOWA

Entered as Second-class Mail Matter, July 13, 1916, at the Postoffice at
Sioux City, Iowa, under Act of March 3, 1879.

CONTENTS

Frontispiece

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

By George Miksch Sutton

By Ernest G. Holt 1-18

By Alvin R. Calm and A. Sidney Hyde 31-38

Editorial
General Notes
Bird Photography
Proceedings
Communications
Necrology

39-40

41-46

47-50

51-61

62-64

64

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published quarterly, in March, June, September, and December, as the official
organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club, at Sioux City, Iowa.

The current issue of the Wilson Bulletin is printed by the Verstegen Print-
ing Company, Sioux City, Iowa.

The Wilson Bulletin is sent to all members not in arrears for dues. The
subscription price is $1.50 a year, invariably in advance, in the United States.
Outside of the United States the subscription rate is $2.00. European Agents,
Dulau and Company, Ltd., 34-36 Margaret St., Oxford Circus, London, W. 1.,
England.

All articles and communications for publication, books and publications for
notice, and exchanges, should be addressed to the Editor.

New subscriptions, changes of address, and applications for membership
should be addressed to the Secretary. Personal items, news of events in the
scientific world, and other notes suitable for our “Notes Here and There” de-
partment may also be addressed to the Secretary.

Claims for lost and undelivered copies of the magazine may be addressed
to the Editor.

Founded December 3, 1888. Named after Alexander Wilson, the first Amer-
ican ornithologist.

The officers for the current year are:

President — Dr. Lynds Jones, Spear Laboratory, Oberlin, Ohio.

Vice-President — Mr. George Miksch Sutton, Harrisburg, Pa.

Treasurer — Prof. J. W. Stack, M. A. C., East Lansing, Mich.

Secretary — Prof. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn.

The membership dues are — Sustaining membership, $5.00; active membership,
$2.50; associate membership, $1.50 per year.

The following societies are affiliated organizations:

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.

The Iowa Ornithologists’ Union.

The Kentucky Ornithological Society.

The Tennessee Ornithological Society.

THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

An Impression of the Wood Ibises at ’Gator Lake

From a water-color by George Miksch Sutton

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ORNITHOLOGY
Published by the Wilson Ornithological Club

Vol. XLI (Old Series) No. 1 March. 1929

Vol. XXXVI (New Series) Whole Number 146

IN THE HAUNTS OF THE WOOD IRIS

BY ERNEST G. HOLT

Illustrated with Photographs by the Author and Frontispiece by

George Miksch Sutton

Southern Florida offers perhaps the nearest approach to a bird-
lover’s paradise to be found anywhere within the boundaries of the
continental United States. The extreme end of the peninsula is quite
tropical in its faunal and floral affinities, and here one may find many
organisms unknown elsewhere in the country. I had read, of course, of
the tropical nature of the region, and once, years ago, had even passed
by train over the Florida Keys from Key West northward; yet I was en-
tirely unprepared, when a recent field trip for the Cleveland Museum
of Natural History took me into the Cape Sable country, to find jungles
there that might well have been mislaid by Brazil. Mangroves, that in
other places scarcely attain the dignity of trees, here grow to a height
of more than sixty feet and form solid forests miles in extent, while the
strangling fig and gumbo-limbo abound, and even real mahogany is
not rare. Surely one might expect ornithological novelties too. There-
fore it was no great surprise to learn that on a small lake a few miles
hack from the coast a colony of Wood Ibis was nesting.

Until recently the traveler bound for Cape Sable had no choice of
means of transportation, at least for the last part of his journey.
Progress across country through the Everglades was practically impos-
sible no matter what equipment might be employed, and only a boat
of lightest draft was capable of negotiating the vast expanse of mud
and shallow water, known as Florida Bay, which guards all seaward
approaches to the Cape. Even with proper boats this voyage was not
an easy one. Scott journeyed hither many years ago, to he followed in
time by Bent and Chapman — pilgrims to an ornithological Mecca—
and each has digressed in his account of the bird wonders he beheld to
speak of the difficulties of navigation in these waters. Now, thanks to
the misguided activities of civilization, a drainage canal has been dug
from the western boundary of the Royal Palm State Park southwest-

4

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

ward to the coast, and on the mud and rock thrown out during its exca-
vation an automobile road called the Ingraham Highway has been con-
structed to the little fishing village of Flamingo, just nine miles east
of East Cape Sable.

Although we had barely established ourselves in the comfortable
lodge at the Royal Palm State Park, and were in no wise prepared for
camping out, when information of L‘the great ibis bird” reached us the
decision to visit the rookery was prompt. Through the kind offices of
the Park Warden and his family we were soon supplied with a huge
box of quilts and other bedding, another of provisions, and a big sack
of excelsior (in anticipation of the specimens we expected to stuff ) ;
and daybreak of January 25, 1924, found us in the warden's motor
truck jolting along through the mists enshrouding the Ingraham
Highway.

Leaving the Park, the road passes out at once into open country
possessing all the charm that wide-arching skies can lend a landscape.
On every side great expanses of grass, broken only by small hammocks
of green trees and shrubs, sweep away to a remote horizon — save to
the right where a long line of blue in the distance indicates the slash-
pine forest growing on the oolite outcrop of Long Pine Key. But we
sensed this through the experience of former excursions; on this morn-
ing we had covered many miles before the tardy sun finally swept
away the mists and made it possible to dispense with the headlights.

By that time we seemed to have passed into a colder climate, a
land of low hills, their slopes hoary with frost. But, strangely enough,
the very tops of the hills were green. Then, as we drew nearer, the
frost resolved itself into trees — stunted cypresses with naked limbs as
yet untouched by spring — and we found that it was the peculiar quality
of light reflected by the fretwork of pale trunks and branches that had
created the illusion. The verdant hilltops were only the higher cores
of evergreens about which the cypresses were clustered.

As we progressed, yet other changes came over the landscape. The
hoary cypresses were left behind; hammocks became smaller and in
them appeared a new character, the Paurotis wrightii, somewhat re-
sembling the cabbage palm but more slender and graceful; and clumps
of small mangroves became increasingly more evident. Coincidently
the ground-level became lower and the soil wetter. Scattered pools,
coalescing, assumed the proportions of small lakes, alluring to their
shallow waters scores of feathered fisherfolk. At length the road and
its mother the canal, turned due west and entered a veritable jungle
of huge mangroves, buttonwoods, and other trees of tropical origin,
upon whose branches flourish thousands of bromeliads and orchid-.

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

5

Slash-Pine Forest

An open growth of warm-tinted boles covering Long Pine Key, an oolite
outcrop in the Everglades. Saw palmetto is practically the only under-
growth. The rock underfoot — there is no soil — is jagged, and cruel in the
extreme.

Tropical Epiphytes

Bromeliads and orchids burden the hammock trees of southern Florida.
The live oak here shown supports a host of air pines.

6

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Here one unconsciously listens for the chatter of monkeys or the
screams of parrots, or casts a wary eye into the deep shadows of under-
growth that might well conceal a jaguar. But the truck bumps on with-
out incident. Then a final turn down an outlet canal, and we passed
out on the open flat of the Cape Sable prairies to behold before us the
hamlet of Flamingo. A mere glance at its half dozen nondescript
houses perched on stilts along the shore, and the appropriateness of
the name was at once apparent.

However, no favorite son returning from long exile could have
hailed the sight more joyously! For full three weary, bone-racking
hours we had been clinging to that plunging truck — had been jostled
and bruised and mauled until the Everglades themselves would have
seemed a haven of rest — while here a drowsy calm lay upon the land,
a somnific warmth was in the air, and goldenrod blossoming on the
shore gave the lie to January. Little wonder that the coconut palms
fringing the beach held a languorous appeal or that the rippling waters
of Florida Bay, flashing back the morning sun like a thousand small
heliographs, should have awakened memories of a less strenuous life
on more southern strands. But we had work to do and there was no
time to dream. We had reached the limit of utility of land vehicles
and yet many miles lay between us and the ibis colony.

At Flamingo lived a fisherman, known among his fellows as “K”,
who boasted the fastest launch on the Cape — a 12 m.p.h. boat. He was
induced to act in the combined capacity of guide, boatman, and camp-
man. Then ensued the bustle of stowing pots and pans, three five-
gallon bottles of amber-colored cistern water, gasoline, and all the
other impedimenta with which civilized man forever burdens himself ;
and, taking in tow a skiff, we put off toward the distant point of wav-
ing coconut fronds marking East Cape.

On the mud flats offshore stately Great White Herons stood like
immaculate sculptures, while their blue-gray congener, the Ward’s
Heron, stalked with slow measured tread upon some luckless fishlet —
an hors d' oeuvre , perhaps. Lines of Florida Cormorants in single hie
passed low over the water, the heavy birds maintaining an even height
by steady, laborious flapping; pelicans, solemn and grotesque, rode
the waves like yawls at anchor; and overhead Laughing Gulls and an
occasional Royal Tern pirouetted in the sunlight. For more than an
hour our boat plowed her nose along toward the palm-clad point, and
between the heat, the steady whir of the motor, and the glare from the
water we were almost asleep when our pilot eased his craft into the
mouth of a drainage canal and drew her up beside a bank of gray mud.

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

7

Aboriginal Americans

Chief Big Shirt and his family at breakfast. The Seminoles rank, with the
Wood Ibis, among the very “first families” of the Everglades.

An Everglade Hymmock

The Palm ( Paurotis wrighlii) seen in this picture is one of the most
beautiful plants of southern Florida, and is not found elsewhere in the
United States.

8

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Here we paused to lunch, surrounded by black mangroves, saltwort,
and myriads of bddler crabs.

Upon resumption of the journey, a cormorant intent upon bis own
affairs in the canal was surprised by the onrush of our launch and
foolishly tried to outswim it. It was not long though till he too real-
ized that we had the fastest craft on the Cape, dived, and reappeared
unharmed in our seething wake. Not so lucky, however, was a nice fat
mullet similarly surprised. Once past our propeller it made a wild
leap and landed in the skiff — and subsequently in the frying pan.

When a couple of miles due north and straight inland from the
coast we turned sharply to the right into the continuation of the main
canal down which we had followed in the motor truck, but here there
was no sign of road, however bad. In fact the canal itself furnished
the only evidence that human beings had ever penetrated to this wild
spot, excepting one thing. That loomed before us, startlingly gro-
tesque, suggesting a cross between one of the stilt-legged Flamingo
houses and a Dutch windmill! It proved to be an old ditching machine
that had been parked here at the scene of its last job, miles from any-
where, and we took possession of it for our camp. Then, as if pre-
saging the success of our quest, a flock of Wood Ibises, alternately
flapping and sailing, their long naked necks outstretched, and their
black pinions and snowy bodies in sharp contrast against the afternoon
sky, passed overhead.

However, the poetic thoughts thus stirred could not linger while
we were confronted with the necessity of establishing ourselves in our
new abode. Others, most likely coon hunters, had found the ditcher a
handy stopping place. All their lives these people have looked upon
water as merely a convenient medium upon which to travel, and
brooms — why a broom in the hands of a coon hunter would be unthink-
able! Anyway, the accumulated evidences of former tenants were great.
To make matters worse many of the windows were closed with sheets
of canvas. Choking with dust raised by our zealous broom, I tore These
away, the while making sage remarks about the hopelessness of a peo-
ple afraid of fresh air. < And, as usually happens to the newcomer who
looks upon the native and all his works in the light of his own supe-
rior intelligence, I paid for my folly that very night, shivering in my
drenched pajamas, frantically trying to tack back the canvas and shut
out a cold driving rain from the north.

The next morning (January 26), a twenty-minute run eastward
along the canal brought us opposite the south shore of our objective—
Gator Lake. But for the glint of water through a gap in the protecting
rim of trees we might easily have passed it by for just another of the

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

9

A Homestead Wrested from the Jungles

Note the barrel for catching rain water. The road builders who occupied
the tent satisfied their liquid requirements by distilling water from the canal.
No potable water is obtainable from wells.

Flamingo

A name suggested, perhaps, by the fact that the houses of this tiny
fishing village are mounted on stilts. This is a precautionary measure
rendered necessary by occasional terrific storms that drive the sea over vast
areas of this low coast.

10

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

many patches of wooded swamp that at frequent intervals dot the Ever-
glades. Through this gap we could see the mangroves, on what seemed
the northern shore, thickly covered with white specks, and across the
intervening three-quarters of a mile a strange din reached our ears.
With quickening pulses we leaped ashore to moor the launch, and with
eager hands dragged the skiff out of the canal, across a few yards of
switch-grass turf, and shoved it out on the lake.

Gator Lake is almost circular and very shallow, and the underly-
ing mud very deep. Every stroke of the oars stirred up a thick dark
soup. A fringe of big mangroves ( Rhizophora mangle) screens the
lake from the open Everglades which surround it, and, as we hugged
close to these while stealing cautiously toward the rookery, many birds
were started from the roots and branches. Water-turkeys with a great
commotion took wing or with but a single plop dived beneath the
murky water; Little Green Herons with nervously twitching tails
watched our approach for a moment and then darted away screaming
into the jumble of mangrove roots; Little Blue Herons, in both blue
and white garb, were surprised in the sheltered coves; and scores of
Black-crowned Night Herons, still clothed in the streaked dress of ado-
lescence, croaked hoarsely as they Hopped out of the shadows. Even a
couple of phlegmatic old Brown Pelicans reluctantly sought other
perches. But of all the birds we disturbed, none protested so ve-
hemently as the Louisiana Herons. Their explosive, shrieking squawks
were well calculated to warn every potential specimen in the neighbor-
hood that the collector was abroad, and we soon came to revile them
heartily.

As we drew nearer the northern shore the white-spotted trees de-
tached themselves from the shore line and became mangrove islets,
while the spots among the glossy green foliage were resolved into scores
upon scores of Wood Ibises ( Mycteria americana) — the bird we most
sought. The peculiar noise we had been hearing was the composite
cry of several hundred nestlings, and it now passed from din to
pandemonium.

Nearer and nearer crept our boat until the adult ibis watching in
idle curiosity decided that all was not well and began to pitch from
tree to tree. Though a huge, magnificent bird, the Wood Ibis, with its
naked black head and neck and long decurved bill, is a grotesque ob-
ject at best; when taking off it is superlatively so. As it springs from
its perch the wings sweep forward, almost meeting in front, while the
head and neck are bent sharply down toward the dangling legs. The
resultant posture suggests a small hoy who has suddenly realized the
inconvenience of green apples!

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

11

The Great Granddaddy of All the Crabs

Land crabs of this species, Cardisoma gunnhumi, are very abundant over
the southern Florida littoral and make themselves persona non grata with
their human neighbors by inroads upon the tomato fields.

The Coast at Flamingo

This point is about nine miles east of East Cape Sable. The indigenous
cabbage palm and the introduced coco palm are here seen together.

12

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Pushing the skiff well up under the shelter of a large mangrove,
we reverted to type for the time being and, like our primal ancestors,
took to the branches. Cautiously we crept from limb to limb up to a
point from which we could survey the rookery. What a sight to be-
hold! And what a racket!

From this elevated perch could be seen scores of rather flimsy,
shallow nests of twigs and vines, arranged in groups over the outer
branches of the mangroves, and harboring young in every stage of de-
velopment from unhatched embryos to nestlings with black pinfeathers
in the wings. Many of the latter were standing up boldly in the nests
but none had yet ventured out of them to explore the flora incognita
beyond. The parents, all except the more timid which had departed
entirely, had withdrawn to the tops of the highest mangroves and there
anxiously awaited the next move on the part of the intruders.

If the adult Wood Ibis is grotesque the young is a caricature! But
at least their necks are clothed, and they have good dispositions. When
approached too closely they opened their ludicrous mouths and pro-
tested, or tried to walk on their wabbly legs, but none ever showed the
pugnacity of young Ward’s and Great White Herons, which in similar
circumstances strike savagely with their formidable beaks.

The young alone were responsible for the outlandish uproar, for
the adults are almost voiceless birds. Noise seemed to be both the
vocation and avocation of these youngsters and their enthusiasm knew
no bounds. Of a clutch of three eggs near-by, one was pipped, and
although the chick within could get only the tip of its bill through the
orifice, it joined most lustily with its sturdier neighbors in ringing the
welkin. The combined efforts of these hundreds of nestlings is beyond
the power of pen to describe. An acquaintance who had been having
trouble with his radio, upon visiting such a rookery exclaimed, “Now
I know where static comes from!”

Our reconnaissance showed the rookery to be divided into two
unequal parts, a main division occupying most of a small aggregation
of islets just off the north shore of the lake, and a lesser section that
had overflowed to the nearest trees of a separate island immediately to
the west. All of these islands were little more than clumps of man-
groves growing out of the water. Soft muck was the only soil, but,
when present at all, it supported a luxuriant growth of giant “sea
ferns” { Acrostichum aureuni ) and vines. Gorgeous morning-glory
blossoms fell, like a benediction, over all. But this innocent vegetation
only served to give one a false sense of security and lead to his com-
plete undoing at the first step ashore, for only alligators and others
who travel on their stomachs could find support on such footing.

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

13

Our Camp in the Everglades

An old machine that was used to dig the lateral ditches into the drainage
canals. The two rooms built over the machinery served admirably as a camp.

Caiibage Hammock

Looking westward from the top of our ditching machine camp. The ham-
mock supplied us with fresh “cabbage,” a really delicious vegetable obtained
from the heart of the palm.

14

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Upon careful survey, the main section of the rookery was found
to be arranged in ten separate groups, the individual nests of which
were placed on the peripheral branches of the mangroves at elevations
varying from four or five feet above the water to twenty-five feet up in
the tops of the highest trees. The largest group contained thirty-three
nests (all in a single tree), the smallest, hut four; all ten totaled 230!

Mr. Bent has described1 the structures of a small rookery he ex-
amined years ago in the nearby Bear Lake as “large nests, about three
feet in diameter, made of large sticks, very much like the nests of the
larger herons.” These Gator Lake nests were decidedly smaller and
flimsier; certainly few attained a diameter of two feet and many were
even smaller, and they were rather carelessly constructed of twigs and
vines. Indeed, they failed utterly to accord with our preconceived
ideas, derived from picture-books, as to how a stork’s home should he
built. For after all the Wood Ibis is not an ibis, but a stork. This
fact is not generally recognized perhaps because our American stork
takes so little interest in the census reports.

The usual number of young to the nest was three, though some
held only one, while crowded into others there were as many as five.
Often there was considerable discrepancy in the sizes of nestlings of
the same brood, and in one nestful of four youngsters two were twice
the size of their fellows. This indicates that the parents do not wait
until all the eggs are laid before beginning to incubate them.

The 27th was cold and raw, with drizzling rain, and we shivered
all day in our ditcher camp and thanked our patron saints that we had
such a shelter. But the poor ibises were deserted by their saints. When
we next saw the rookery we were shocked to find that scores of nest-
lings, which on former visits had greeted us with such an uproar, now
lay cold and silent in their nests, victims of the elements. Other nests
contained egg shells and portions of embryos which bore mute witness
to the nefarious work of a skulking band of Florida Crows. Stili
other nests were entirely empty, cleaned out no doubt by the Turkey
Vultures which were in constant attendance upon the rookery. The
mortality in such a rookery is terrible, and one wonders bow a species
subject to such vicissitudes during its period of helplessness can pos-
sibly maintain its existence.

We had heard that Roseate Spoonbills — “pinks,” the natives call
them— roosted in the rookery with the Wood Ibis and as a specimen
was a great desideratum of the Museum we determined to try for one.
Accordingly, late one afternoon we set out to conceal ourselves at

iRent, A. C. Nesting Habits of the Herodiones in Florida. Auk, XXI, Janu-
ary, 1904, pp. 28-29.

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

15

The Everglades

View north from our camp. The numerous patches of black mangrove
that clot the open stretches of switch grass appear in the distance to form
a solid wall of woods.

The Gator Rookery

A general view of the red mangrove islets as seen from the east. The
trees are dotted with the while forms of Wood Ibises, both adults and
nestlings.

16

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

strategic points in the mangroves and1 see what strange bed-fellows the
Wood Ibises might make. As we approached the rookery a single
wary "pink took flight and though we waited until almost night not
another one was seen. However, herons and White Ibises came by
scores to roost in the rookery. Little Blue Herons in both blue and
white dress, and Louisiana Herons, came singly, by twos, by threes,
and by fours — in groups of a single species, and both species together
—in almost constant streams, flving with measured wing-beats low
over the lake at sunset. White Ibises came in small flocks, flying
higher. A few Snowy Herons and American Egrets also appeared.
And if the rookery had been noisy with just the nestling Wood Ibises,
now it was bedlam itself. Squawks, grunts, groans, whines — almost
every conceivable sort of noise — issued from those dark mangroves in
the gathering gloom. A romantic hour, an entrancing place! Then a
Ward's Heron, another desideratum, suddenly winged into view, sil-
houetted for a moment against the sunset reflections, and the spell was
broken. Motivated by the instinct of the collector, I automatically
pressed the trigger — with appalling results. The awful report crash-
ing upon that still atmosphere was terrifying and every one of the
hundreds of herons among the mangroves sought, panic-stricken, to
leave the rookery at the same instant. Wildest confusion reigned for
a moment; then we picked up our poor victim and slipped away into
the shadows.

That night aboard the ditcher we were troubled by mosquitoes
for tbe first time, although we were encamped in a land famed far
and wide for these friendly little insects. I remember yet the stories
my brother, who claims to have cleared the site for Miami while serv-
ing in the Spanish- American War, used to tell about the sun-darkening
clouds of mosquitoes that settled over his camp whenever the wind
blew from the Everglades. Naturally our conversation turned upon
mosquitoes, and “K” solemnly assured us that were it summer and we
placed the lantern outside of the screens, the mosquitoes would put
the light out in five minutes! He said that tbe natives simply do not
go into the Glades during the summer months, and that even at
Flamingo, on the coast, life is almost unbearable at times on account
of the pests. It is not remarkable then that residents of southern
Florida should be interested in the fact that small fish, especially
top minnows, play an important role in mosquito control. But I was
surprised to hear a drainage engineer demand the extinction of the
whole heron tribe (which includes the Wood Ibis) because these birds
feed upon small fish. One who is familiar with southern El orida must
know that, in spite of the combined depredations of the entire heron

In the Haunts of the Wood Ibis

17

A Group of Solemn Youngsters

Incipient flight feathers can he seen as jet hlack patches in their wings.

Not Mirth

But righteous indignation at our intrusion. Adult birds lose all vestige
of down from the head and upper neck and become absolutely bald.

18

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

and ibis population, myriads of minnows and other small fish perish
every year when the Everglade pools go dry. Next to mosquitoes,
the most abundant animals in Florida are fish!

Twenty-five years ago Mr. Bent wrote (op. cit.) , “The Wood Ibises
are not in need of protection: they are extremely shy and wary and
well able to take care of themselves;” and not long after. Dr. Chap-
man observed,2 “The marshes and swamps, river, lake and sea shore,
once animated by snowy plumaged herons, and ibises, and by Roseate
Spoonbills, still exist and will long continue to exist as they were
when the birds glorified them." But on the balmy January morning
when we turned the prow of our launch homeward up the canal, giving
the fright of his life to many a little Palm Warbler foraging in the
switch grass, our hearts were sad. When we stopped at Gator Lake
to pick up our skiff, and paused for a last look at the great white
birds perched in their mangrove retreat, I could not but think how
wretchedly wide of the mark are the statements of Messrs. Bent and
Chapman today. Even at that moment the roadway being extended
along the bank of the canal had almost reached the lake. Another
season will bring with it an endless stream of automobiles, and, for
the first time since its elevation above the waters of the Gulf, this
portion of the Everglades will know the taste of dust and the smell of
gasoline. After thirty years of continuous occupancy (so “K” in-
formed us), the Wood Ibis must abandon its ancestral home and pass
on to yet more remote regions — if there be such — for these strange
and interesting birds, spared by the plume hunter can not face the
encroachments of civilization.

It is the old, old story of human greed. While in the South
alone numberless thousands of acres of good arable land lie idle,
real estate speculators are draining the Everglades on the pretext of
need for more farm lands. Is it not possible to protect a few of the
remaining swamps from the over-zealous utilitarians and set them
aside as refuges for such birds as ibis and herons and spoonbills that
can not exist apart from these “waste places"? The Gator Lake rook-
ery is inevitably doomed, yet there is still time, though barely enough,
to save other rookeries if we act quickly. Let us for the moment
forget to ask. “What good is it?”, and, realizing our kinship with all
animate nature, make an earnest effort to save from extinction this
fellow organism.

Carnegie Museum,

Pittsburgh. Pa.

2Chapman, Frank M. Camps and Cruises oj an Ornithologist. 1908, p. 82.

Mechanical Execution of Wilson’s American Ornithology

19

THE MECHANICAL EXECUTION OF WILSON S “AMERICAN

ORNITHOLOGY”

BY FRANK L. BURNS

Though a little more than a perfunctory perusal of the original
edition of the “ American Ornithology ,” or of almost any one of the
better biographies of Alexander Wilson, might have saved more than
one well disposed commentator from erroneous impressions in ref-
erence to the personnel and incident in connection with the mechanical
execution of that much discussed work, a “rehash,’ as the petulant
critic might term it, seems inevitable especially in the light of some
unpublished data and a mass of undigested published notes and let-
ters. It is well known that Wilson’s real literary career began early
in 1806 when he became assistant editor of the American edition of
“ Rees's Cyclopaedia or L niversal Dictionary of Arts , Sciences , and
Literature ,” revised, corrected, enlarged and adapted to this country;
published by Samuel F. Bradford, bookseller, and Murry, Fairman
& Co., engravers. Wilson’s duties included a general supervision of
the mechanical department.

The exact terms of his later agreement with Bradford do not
appear but it seems that the latter was to furnish the funds for the
actual publication and advertisement of the “Ornithology,” and the
former at his own time and expense, the text, drawings, general super-
vision, and as it subsequently developed, a personal canvass for sub-
scriptions. This enterprise aimed to show the growing resources of
the infant Republic. The publisher determined to spare no expense
to attain mechanical excellence and to make the publication in the
highest degree creditable to bis country. Thomas Amies of the Dover
paper mills, carried his patriotism so far as to insist upon domestic
rags only in the manufacture of the stock. The much admired letter-
press was from new type cast in improved molds by the Scotch-
American typefounders, Archibold Binney and James Ronaldson, and
printed by the well known Second Street firm of Robert and William
Carr.

James Keim furnished the copper plates, and of the engravers,
George Murry, chief and best engraver of the natural history illustra-
tions in “Rees’s Cyclopaedia,” was responsible for Plates 3, 7, 9, 15
and 26, but the last had to be finished by Lawson, and Murry’s con-
nection ceased as soon as Wilson realized that he could no longer be
depended upon. Benjamin Tanner, a line and stipple engraver of
many fine pictures, signed Plate 32 of the fourth volume, and John
G. Warnicke, who was associated with Tanner, engraved twenty plates

20

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

for the last five volumes, his figure of the Ruffed Grouse being much
admired. Alexander Lawson signed fifty of the seventy-six plates
and was Wilson’s chief reliance, since he worked with equal fidelity
and facility from the finished drawing or from mere outline and the
actual specimen; in time of stress he was a most efficient and faithful
friend of Wilson.

Proofs were made as the engravings progressed, improvements
suggested in pencil by the artist, and as fast as John Vallance, noted
for the excellence of his script, had lettered the plates, they were
delivered to Joseph Brown, the plate printer. Wilson had some slight
knowledge of the latter trade through temporary employment with a
copperplate printer soon after his arrival in 1794, and now endeavored
to introduce printing in colors after the French method which was
thought to give the effect of softness to the plumage, and some of the
proofs were attempted in colors, but as Old has remarked, without
success. Impressions of the first two plates delivered on May 22,
1807, were intended for advertisement; well colored specimen prints
were to be delivered with the prospectus to Bradford’s agents in the
various cities on the Atlantic coast. It was with this object in view
as well as Wil son’s own failure to lay on the color smoothly, that
induced him to diffidently address his Quaker friend, William Bart-
ram, hoping to enlist his niece Ann in the process, suggesting as a
possible aid to lessen the drudgery, Mary Leech, a former pupil and
daughter of the “Sorrel Horse” blacksmith with whom he boarded
while teaching at the little schoolhouse across the way. His appeal
apparently was without success since there appears no further allusion
to the matter. A recent writer has stated: “In that day the hand

coloring of engravings was a common practice, and shops of colorists
were maintained by publishers.” In this country at least this art was
in its infancy; Bradford, “the most enterprising publisher in Amer-
ica,” had no such shop. There was not a single professional colorist
in Philadelphia at this time; indeed Ord relates that Wilson had great
difficulty at first in fixing the proper tints over the engravings and
that he had to experiment unaided by the council or example of
others.

Charles Robert Leslie, who became a celebrated painter as a
pupil of Benjamin West, was at this time an apprentice to Bradford
and Inskeep, and writes that he assisted Wilson to color some of his
first plates, working from specimens of birds. He further comments
upon the artist’s drawings and how carefully he had counted the
number of scales on the tiny tarsi and toes of his subjects.

Mechanical Execution of Wilson’s American Ornithology

21

Wilson has stated in the preface of his second volume that hith-
erto the whole materials and mechanical parts have been the produc-
tion of the United States, except the colors, for which he was indebted
to Europe. In that volume some beautiful native ochres were intro-
duced, and one of the richest yellows was from the laboratory of
Peale and Son of the Museum, and other tints of equal excellence
were confidently expected from the same quarter. Wilson certainly
became the expert colorist through his work on these early volumes.

Wilson’s success in his southern canvass was not great, yet the
edition of 200 sets was oversold (458 sets were eventually subscribed
for at $120 the set of ten volumes) and the publishers found it ex-
pedient to increase the edition to 500 although this necessitated the
resetting of the type for the first two volumes for the additional 300
copies, which, with the slight changes in the text, became actually a
second edition. Therefore, before Wilson’s departure for the Mis-
sissippi valley early in 1810, he employed Alexander Rider, John
H. Beck, and Prosper Martin, as colorists to finish a batch of 800
or more prints obviously of the initial volumes of the original edition.
This work was evidently done at the homes of the colorists, the rate
was fixed at twenty-five cents per sheet, and the whole submitted for
his approval early in January, when volume two was published.

Doubtless the mechanical work upon the “American Ornithology”
had not materially progressed beyond Lawson’s steady grind during
Wilson’s long absence in 1810, but soon after his return from New
Orleans, Lawson delivered all but two of the engravings for volume
III (Plates 19-22 on September 13, and Plates 24 and 23 on
October 8 and 15, for which he receipted to the amount of $339).
On September 14 Brown had made 3,208 additional impressions of
plates for volumes I and II (second edition) and 800 for volume III,
and October 10, 930 additional prints of the first four plates of the
latter volume, for which he was paid at the rate of $1.50 per hundred.
Evidently there was no delay in apportioning the sheets among the
colorists, Rider, Beck, Anna C. Peale, Eliza Leslie and Louise Adel-
ersterren; since some finished plates of the initial volume were re-
turned for binding by September 22. and ail of the first two volumes,
second edition, were finished by November 3 and the third volume well
under way. The last three colorists contributed no work to the latter
volume, Prosper Marlin and John H. Hopkins filling in up to January
15, 1811, when the plates of that number were about completed.

Tbe work of Alexander Rider probably occurs more or less in
every volume, he appears to have been the only professional “fancy
painter” of that time in Philadelphia, as well as the most rapid and

22

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

industrious. Dunlap's assertion that Rider came from Germany in
1810 in company with Krimmel, the portrait painter, has been copied
by all later biographers. In fact he worked for Wilson in 1809, and
doubtless came to America possibly prior to 1808 as assistant to A.
Enslen, botanical collector for the Austrian Emperor ( Cf . Ord, Am.
Orn., vol. ix. p. 71). Enslen died in Philadelphia about 1812. Rider
was later employed by C. L. Bonaparte, both as colorist and artist,
not always satisfactory in either capacity. Malvina Lawson refers to
him as the Swiss painter in oil who also understood water colors, but
in order to facilitate his work ruined a great many sheets by the in-
troduction of opaque colors. Prince Bonaparte in an outburst of im-
patience wrote Lawson: “That confounded Rider has enraged us to a
pretty considerable extent. Look at volume first, all the red and
orange tints have been obliterated! Shame on him for employing
such colors!’’

Among the talented amateur artist-colorists of the earlier volumes
of Wilson’s “Ornithology,” Anna Clavpoole Peale, niece of Charles
Willson Peale, became an excellent miniature painter. Eliza Le:lie
always sent her kid brother Tom with her modest output and he took
the brunt of Wilson’s criticism. She was only less talented than her
brother and upon a visit to London made excellent copies of many
of her brother’s and Sir Joshua Reynold's pictures. She however
gave up painting for literature and her writings were immensely popu-
lar for the time.

John Henry Hopkins, later Bishop of Vermont, resided with his
mother in Philadelphia where she conducted a fashionable school for
young girls. The young man of eighteen years was the drawing master
and was very glad to secure so lucrative and apparently congenial
employment as that of colorist; but after a few brief months of me-
chanical repetition, most gladly threw down the brush. Many years
later he intimated that Wilson took no chances on the fading of the
beautiful tints of life but whenever possible shot a fresh bird for his
colorist to match by. It is said that in water colors Hopkins had no
superior in this country and that Wilson was very much pleased with
his work. Later in life he wrote some humorous verses entitled “The
Colorist’s Lament,' after a somewhat similar experience.

In the preface of the fourth volume, written September 12, 1811,
Wil son announced that the correct execution of the plates would be
rendered more secure by the constant superintendance of the author
and by the coloring being done in his own room by two able assistants
whose skill and attention leave little to fear in this department.
Heretofore the great precision requisite in this last process and the

Mechanical Execution of Wilson’s American Ornithology

23

difficulty of impressing every one with similar ideas of neatness and
accuracy has been a constant source of anxiety, loss, and delay.

Volumes V and VI were probably colored by Rider and another,
probably Beck, under the conditions as set forth, but Volume VII
was colored chiefly by Wilson himself, for he writes Bartram, April
21, 1813, “I have been extremely busy these several months, my
colorists having all left me; so I have been obliged to do extra duty
this last winter.” This additional task meant the coloring of upward
of 4000-4500 sheets, of which his most rapid colorist had averaged
about thirty daily in the earlier volumes; nevertheless, the apparently
indefatigable author further contemplated coloring the chief part of
the eighth volume also. To the remonstrations of friends he said,
’'Life is short and without exertion nothing can be performed!” The
publisher, who long since had found the expense burdensome, was
glad to reduce the series from ten to nine volumes in agreement with
the author.

It is thought that Rider finished the coloring of the two post-
humous volumes edited by George Ord, and the latter’s significent re-
marks in substance tell the whole story. Independently of that part
of his work which was his particular province, viz, drawing his sub-
jects and writing their life histories, he was necessitated to occupy
much of his time in coloring the plates; his sole resource for support
being in that employment, as his duties as assistant editor of the
Cyclopaedia had ceased. If this work could have been done solely
by himself he would have been relieved of much anxiety, his mind
being daily ruffled by the negligence of his assistants and much of
his precious time was spent in the irksome employment of inspecting
and correcting the imperfections of others. This waste of his stated
periods of labor he felt himself constrained to supply by encroach-
ment on his hours of rest. But the true cause of this extraordinary
toil was his poverty. To support the heavy expense of procuring
materials and other unavoidable expenditures, his only resource, as
has been stated, was in coloring the plates.

Berwyn, Pa.

24

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

THE HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE IN NORTHWEST IOWA

BY CHAS. J. SPIKER

I believe the introduction of any species of bird or other animal
into an area to which it has not been indigenous is a more or less
questionable procedure. The importation of such may come about
through the most generous and altruistic of motives, but the results
may be more far-reaching than might be supposed on the face of the
matter. In this regard we have ever before us the shining example of
the English Sparrow, and more lately of the European Starling. In
the matter of game birds, with which this paper is strictly concerned,
we have also the example of the Ring-necked Pheasant, which should
be a warning as well. This bird is very easy to propagate, increases
rapidly, and once settled in a suitable habitat, holds its own; through
a period of adjustment and usually reaches a continued era of pros-
perity for itself.

On the other hand, there are cases of the introduction of exotic
forms which apparently have made little difference in the status of
the kiota of which Lhey became a part; their position becomes com-
plementary rather than antagonistic. Despite opinions to the contrary,
and which I shall make mention of later on, I believe this to be true
of the Hungarian Partridge ( Perdix perdix) . This species is now
and, I believe, will for some time to come, prove an interesting addi-
tion to our Middle Western avifauna wherever it is able to gain a
foothold. Its characteristic traits much more resemble those of the
American Quail or Bob-white, rather than those of the Ring-necked
Pheasant. More than either of these species, however, it requires
strictly open country for successful existence; consequently our Iowa
prairies are especially well adapted to the needs of this bird.

The center of observations from which the data included in this
paper were obtained, was Ashton, Iowa, when I was teaching in that
village from September, 1926, through May, 1928. Ashton is located
in the southwest corner of Osceola County, one of the two counties
in this section of the state into which the partridge was first intro-
duced. The burden of this paper, however, must be the present status
of the bird, as exact data regarding the purchase and introduction of
individuals were not available, due largely to an apparent laxity in
the keeping of the records of the State Fish and Game Department
at that time.

I am indebted for what information I was able to gather regard-
ing the first planting of the birds, to Mr. Fred Brown, a veteran tailor
of Sibley, Iowa, who was at the time of the introduction of these birds

The Hungarian Partridge in Northwest Iowa

25

deputy game warden for this area. Mr. Brown tells me that so far as
he was able to recall, the first planting of the birds took place in
the spring of 1913 when he liberated twelve pairs of Hungarian Part-
ridges several miles northeast of Sibley. Others were placed about
the same time and in similar numbers near Rock Rapids, in Lyon
County, but Mr. Brown could not furnish me exact information re-
garding the work done in that county. The two counties lie adjacent
to each other, and in the fifteen years since that time the birds have
spread to the following counties in Iowa: Dickinson, Emmet, Clay,
O’Brien and Sioux, and to Rock, Nobles, and Jackson Counties in

Map of northwest Iowa and a portion of southwest Minnesota, to show the
present range of the Hungarian Partridge. An X indicates an approximate
point of introduction. The small circles indicate the points where the birds
were actually seen. The dotted line indicates the approximate present range.

Minnesota. The importing of more individuals the next year was
considered, but the outbreak of the war in Europe prevented further
activity in that line, and it has not since been resumed.

There is no more charming bird on the Iowa landscape than the
Hungarian Partridge, nor one which better deserves protection at the
hands of those who have brought it from its native haunts to become
acclimated and adjusted to new environments. While it is not highly
colored, like the Ring-necked Pheasant, yet it is a beautiful bird and
merits a great deal of enthusiasm from an aesthetic point of view as
well as the more mercenary point of view of the sportsman. In size
it is somewhat larger than the Bob-white, and has some of the char-

26

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

acteristics of this species. Seen as it flies directly away from the
observer, especially as it first takes off from the ground or spreads its
tail in alighting, it presents its very distinguishing field mark. This
is the rich russet of the tail feathers, visible only in flight, and con-
cealed by the upper coverts when at rest, but greatly resembling the
sheen of that of the Red-tailed Hawk. If one be so fortunate as to
behold the bird on a bank about on a level with his eyes or slighlty
above him, as it has upon two or three occasions occurred with me,
he will note the black crescent just below the breast, practically in the
middle of the belly, but so located that the bird must be in just the
exact position for this mark to show itself.

Another striking characteristic of the Hungarian Partridge is its
call note. Not unmusical, and yet not conspicuous unless listened for,
it is especially noticeable on a still spring evening, when there is little
or no breeze, and the shadows of dusk follow the disappearance of
the sun. There is a single two-syllabled chuckling note which may be
represented somewhat by the syllables “kee-uck"’, the second syllable
being rather raspy or throaty as compared to the first which is high
pitched and nasal. Upon being flushed, the bird takes off with the
startling whirr of wings characteristic of this family, uttering the
while a rapid cackling which diminishes to the above given notes
repeated several times and with a gradually increasing interval be-
tween them. In the immediate vicinity of Ashton it is not unusual
to hear from four to eight of these birds calling at the same time and
from as many different directions.

From Rock Rapids east to Spirit Lake and from Worthington
south to within a few miles of Sheldon, the Hungarian Partridge may
be said to be a common resident, and there is probably in that area
hardly a square mile but supports several pairs. I recall a drive I
took one evening last spring (1928) from Ashton to Sibley, a distance
of eight miles, when I saw twelve pairs along the roadside during the
course of the drive.

The species is gregarious during the winter, beginning to flock
in October and continuing till the last of February. During this
season they frequent the stalk fields left after the picking of the corn.
When the gregarious spirit is upon them they are exceedingly wary
and are up and away almost as they see the hunter enter the field.
The startling noise with which they take flight and their extremely
rapid coursing across the field make them a very difficult target, and
although many attempts are made by poachers, few birds fall as vic-
tims. By the latter part of February, however, there comes a change,
when they begin breaking up and pairing off, and at this time they

The Hungarian Partridge in Northwest Iowa

27

appear to lose some of their wariness. They will be found more often
in the roads and along roadsides, and as automobiles speed up, the
birds simply squat at the side of the road and remain motionless,
seldom flying away unless there is immediate danger of their being
run over. Because of this trait they fall an easy victim to the speeding
car, and quite often I have found individuals lying dead in the road.

Referring to a phase intimated at the beginning of this essay, that
of the effect on native bird life of the introduction of these birds, I
have found a diversity of opinion regarding the ultimate value of the
species as game birds, also conflicting opinions regarding their ability

Mounted Hungarian Partridge Mounted Hungarian Partridge

Front View Side View

to adjust themselves to the presence of other birds of this nature.
Importations of the species have been carried on in Canada for the
past twenty years and observers there certainly must be in a position
to know whereof they speak when it comes to a discussion of the Grey
Partridge, as the bird is invariably referred to there. The Canadian
Field-Naturalist (Ottawa) has recently published some excellent ma-
terial on the subject of the introduction of foreign species of game
birds, and I should like to quote one or two of these articles relative
to the species’ ability to get along with other varieties.

In his “Birds of Western Canada" (Ottawa, 1926), Mr. P. A.
Taverner makes the following comment (p. 161) : “. . . there is one

28

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

thing to be borne in mind — - that we cannot have foreign species except
at the expense of competing native ones. It is notable that wherever
this [Hungarian Partridge] or other introduced species have increased
to any extent, the resident Grouse and Prairie Chicken have decreased
in a similar degree. Sportsmen and the game departments of the
various provinces should face this fact squarely and decide whether
they prefer foreign to native game; they cannot well have both in
the same area.”

Mr. William Rowan in the Canadian Field-Naturalist ( Vol. XLI.
1928, pages 98-101), makes reply to Mr. Taverner’s statement as fol-
lows: “Mr. Taverner puts his case much more forcibly and with seem-

ing conviction, but it would have materially added to the weight of
his views if he had adduced the evidence on which they are based. . . .
Some 16 pairs were liberated also at Alix in April, 1909, but, accord-
ing to Horsbrugh (Ibis, Oct., 1915, p. 681), these had disappeared
by 1911. . . . The few birds liberated at Alix (good chicken country)
apparently failed to establish themselves. Had they been the aggres-
sive birds they are so frequently represented to be, the story might
conceivably have been otherwise.”

Sportsmen in Alberta, where much of the Canadian work has been
done, are concerned chiefly with the manner in which the Hungarian
Partridge can adjust its relations to the Prairie Chicken. Since the
Prairie Chicken has been for so long a minus quantity in northwest
Iowa, it need not concern us so much, but we do need to think of the
partridge in its relation to the Ring-necked Pheasant. Northwestern
Iowa has not until fairly recently been afflicted with this pernicious
bird, but they are on the increase, and farmers have told me that
with the coming in of the Ring-necked Pheasant, the partridges are
departing. Perhaps a concrete example would be admissable here.
Mr. Raymond Rowe, a farmer living a few miles northwest of Sibley,
while plowing late last fall (1927), observed something of a com-
motion in a little swale a short distance from his plowing. Prompted
by curiosity he walked over to the place and flushed half a dozen
partridges and three Ring-necked Pheasants. On the ground before
him lay the bleeding bodies of three partridges newly killed. It was
just dusk, and doubtless the smaller species had crept into the long
grass to spend the night and had been fallen upon by the pheasants
who were already there. Stories are also told of the destruction of
the nests of the Hungarian Partridge by pheasants.

From an economic point of view, the Hungarian Partridge feeds
almost entirely upon insects during the summer, and in winter upon
the seeds of noxious weeds and upon gleanings from the picked fields.

Shorebird Records for the Miami Valley, Ohio

29

It does not have the corn-pulling proclivities evidenced by the Ring-
necked Pheasant in the spring planting season. Its economic status,
in fact, is practically that of the Bob-white, from which we have no
fear.

The characterization of the Hungarian Partridge given by Mr.
T. E. Randall, Canadian Field-Naturalist (Vol. XLI, 1927, pp. 86-87),
is a fine one and I append it here in closing: “Fast on the wing, clever
at hiding, hold to the point of rashness in defence of their young
brood, hardy during the extreme cold of our winter, he is, all-in-all, a
most desirable addition to the game list of our Western land.”

New Hampton, Iowa.

SOME SHOREBIRD RECORDS FOR THE MIAMI VALLEY, OHIO

BY BEN J. BLINCOE

Having near at hand a rather favorable locality for the study of
shorebirds during the autumn migration, I have had the good fortune
to observe several species apparently of rather rare occurrence in Ohio
except in the lake shore region. The species here mentioned were
observed at Englewood dam, located on the Stillwater River about
ten miles north of the city of Dayton and one of the five great dams
forming a system of flood prevention in the Miami Valley. During
the dryer parts of summer and early autumn, coinciding with the fall
migration of these birds, numerous mud flats and islets appear about
the small lake above the dam, offering to passing sandpipers and
plovers a wayside resting station. In identifying the following species
I have used 8x binoculars, and have consulted Chapman’s “Handbook,”
Dawson’s “Birds of Ohio,” and other hooks and literature in the orni-
thological periodicals pertaining to nearby localities.

Northern Phalarope. Lobipes lobatus. A single bird was ob-
served on September 7, 1924; the following note referring to this in-
dividual is extracted from my notebook: “It was extremely active,

even appearing nervous; swimming about rapidly it frequently took
wing, flying a short distance fa few feet or several yards), dropping
hack into the water, nearly always turning about suddenly after alight-
ing. Seemingly it pursued a course in one direction no longer than
a few seconds, then turning quickly proceeded in the opposite direc-
tion or, perhaps, took wing, but almost immediately returning to the
water. These actions I attributed to its oceanic habitat where obviously
the bird must act quickly to avoid an impending wave. It was not
seen running along the shore during about thirty minutes observation,

30

The Wilson Bulletin— March, 1929

though once it was seen on a small gravel-bar where it went to ar-
range its feathers after having bathed; here a Killdeer ran at it,
knocking down and walking over the phalarope. After this uncouth
reception it again took to the water nearby.” With half a dozen
shorebirds near the phalarope it was possible to compare its size,
length of bill, etc., and color markings were readily observable.

Dowitcher. Macrorhamphus lymnodromus griseus. One was
observed at close range on July 15, 1927, in company with Yellow-
legs, Pectoral and Semipalmated Sandpipers. It is probable that this
bird is referable to the subspecies scolopaceus; Dawson states that
both forms are rare migrants in Ohio, and Butler makes the same
statement for Indiana; however Butler states that “of all the references
to the Dowitcher only one refers to the short-billed form” (griseus).

Stilt Sandpiper. Micro pa-lama himanlopus. About sunset of
July 15, 1927. I discovered one of these birds in company with about
sixty individuals of several common species of shorebirds. It was in-
clined to associate mainly with a group of about fifteen Tellow-legs,
and while these fed principally in shallow water, the slightly smaller
and much darker sandpiper was singled out as confining its feeding
activities on the mud flat. As the bird tilted the tail upward in reach-
ing down to pick up food, the heavily barred underparts were very
noticeable and a decided contrast with the light underparts of the
Yellow-legs; there was a distinct line over the eye contrasting with
the dark crown; even the rufous coloring about the back of the head
was perceptible, while comparison of bill and legs with all species
present was easily accomplished. Its actions closely resembled no
other species present, the bird appearing less vivacious than its
associates.

Red-backed Sandpiper. Pelidna alpina sakhalina. A dock of five
was observed on October 18, 1924, and a single individual on Novem-
ber 16, 1924.

Sanderling. Crocethin alba. A single bird was observed on Sep-
tember 13, 1925.

Willet. Catopthrophorus sernipalmatus. While observing a
mixed flock of shorebirds on August 16, 1924, a Willet glided down
to the mud flat alighting within thirty feet of me. It appeared as a
giant beside the Yellow-legs, the largest birds present before its ar-
rival; in flight the broad white band through the wing was quite con-
spicuous. The bird quickly perceived that it was under observation
and flew to a small island about fifty yards distant. A local game

Easter Birds of Little Egypt

31

warden, who also saw this bird while I watched it, remarked that it
was the first “curlew” lie had ever seen here. The subspecific identity
of this bird is, of course, questionable; Dawson does not attempt to
designate the geographic race to which belongs the single specimen
mentioned in his “Birds of Ohio.”

Golden Plover. Pluvialis dominica dominica. Two observed
September 16, 1923. Although once common as an Ohio bird its
recent scarcity suggests publication of my only record for this locality.

Piping Plover. Aegialiiis meloda. A single bird observed
August 16, 1924; accompanied several other species on a mud flat;
a Semipalmated Plover near it rendered identification doubly certain.
Dawson remarks that this is a rare bird in the interior of Ohio.

In addition to the eight species above referred to, ten members
of the limicolae occur at Englewood Dam more or less regularly as
migrants and two species, the Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper, breed
quite regularly. Whatever may have been the effect on the land birds,
the building of this dam certainly has had a salubrious effect on
waterbird life.

Dayton, Ohio.

EASTER BIRDS OF LITTLE EGYPT*

BY ALVIN R. CAHN AND A. SIDNEY HYDE

The Easter vacation period of April 14 to 19, 1927, was spent
by the writers on an automobile field trip from Champaign in the
corn belt region of east central Illinois, southward to that part of
the state known as “Little Egypt” — the southernmost portion of Illi-
nois. The route lay through Dr. Ridgway’s Bird Haven near Olney,
and thence via Mt. Carmel, Carmi and Herrin to Alto PasS in northern
Union County, the southern tip of Illinois, and a few miles east of
the Mississippi River. The first night camp was made in the woods
south of Mt. Carmel; the remaining four days and nights were spent
at and about Alto Pass, the highest point in the state, and a portion
of the glorious Ozark highlands.

Observations on birds were made at all times possible — from
daylight to dark, daily. The list for the trip comprises 112 species,
and it is believed that enough intensive field work was accomplished
in Union County to warrant the publication of the results. The coun-

*Contribution from the Zoological Laboratory of the University of Illinois,
No. 337.

32

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

try is so wild and there has been so little contributed to a knowledge
of its fauna, that the writers feel that it is high time a beginning was
made. Though the dates involved in the present investigation may
seem a bit early for satisfactory bird study, yet it is only in the case
of some of the summer residents which arrive late in the season that
it was impossible to ascertain something as to the abundance of these
species during their breeding season.

An attempt was made to determine the ecological position which
the birds occupy in the various associations represented in this region.
In pursuance of this idea, four distinct associations are recognized,
and a description of each association precedes the list of birds which
characterize or breed in it. The names of species in each list are ar-
ranged in the order of decreasing abundance, in accordince with the
ever more prevalent recognition among field naturalists of the im-
portance of the ecological relations of organisms. Following this
ecological discussion, a list of all species seen is given in approved
A. 0. U. order.

Association I. Upland Oak-Hickory Forest

This is by far the most important and extensive association in-
cluded in the area studied, and comprises the wonderful old forests
which so beautifully clothe all of the Illinois Ozarks, excepting only
small cleared areas. It constitutes about 90 per cent of the area in-
vestigated. It is a region of steep, rolling hills, with numerous local
outcrops of great masses of rock bearing beautiful fossils of Lepi-
dodendron, and with streams numerous and full. The trees are of
reasonable size, the full grown forest trees averaging sixty feet in
height, one foot in diameter at breast height, and running about 2,700
board feet per acre.

The principal trees are as follows. Among the oaks, seven
species are found: black ( Quercus velutina) , Spanish (Q. falcala ),
red (Q. rubra), white (Q. alba), post ( Q . stellata) , scarlet (Q. coc-
cinea) , and blackjack (Q. marilandica) . Tiiree species of hickory:
pignut ( Carya glabra), mockemut ( C . alba), and shagbark (C. ovata) .
The beech (Fagus grandi folia caroliniana) constitutes from 14 to 40
per cent of the forests, varying with the locality, and occupies ravines
and north-facing slopes. Other characteristic trees are: butternut

( Juglans drier ea) , walnut (Juglans nigra), elm ( Ulmus americanus) ,
mulberry (Morus rubra), cucumber ( Magnolia acuminata), tulip
( Liriodendron tulipifera) , red gum (Liquidambar stryaci folia) , black
cherry (Prunus serotina) , coffee tree ( Gymnocladus dioica) , sugar
maple (Acer saccharum) , silver maple (Acer saccharinum) , black

Easter Birds of Little Egypt

33

Nesting site of the Carolina Wren. Union County, 111. The nest is at the
base of the oak tree, in the righthand corner. Photograph by Dr. H. L.
Schantz.

Nest and Eggs of ihe Carolina Wren. The nest contained three eggs well
along in incubation. Photograph by Dr. H. L. Schantz.

34

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

gum ( Nyssa sylvatica) , dogwood ( Cornus florida), American horn-
beam ( Ostrya virginiana ) and sassafras ( Sassafras varii. folium) . The
woods have but little shrubby undergrowth, and the herbage consists
of such typical woods flowers as the violet and may-apple.

The birds of the Oak-Hickory Association may be grouped as
follows:

Abundant Species

Breeders and Residents: Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Whip-

poor-will, Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Red-headed Woodpecker,
Mourning Dove, Towhee.

Migrants: Parula Warbler, Goldfinch. Some individuals breed

here, probably.

Common Species

Breeders and Residents: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay,

Downy Woodpecker, Cowbird, Turkey Vulture, Crow, Bob-white, Sum-
mer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager.

Migrants: Myrtle Warbler, Palm Warbler, Least Flycatcher,

White-throated Sparrow.

Uncommon Species

Breeders and Residents: Crested Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Red-

eyed Vireo, Tellow-throated Vireo, Wood Pewee, Hairy Woodpecker.
Pileated Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-tailed Hawk,
Barred Owl, Screech Owl, Cooper’s Hawk.

Migrants: Cedar Waxwing, Hermit Thrush, White-crowned Spar-

row, Junco (very late for the species), Song Sparrow, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler,
Blackburnian Warbler, Brown Creeper, Magnolia Warbler, Black and
White Warbler.

Ia. Bushy Clearings in Oak-Hickory Association

Scattered throughout the forest are bushy clearings covered with
a thick growth of blackberry* raspberry and young sassafras. Most
of the areas are on hillsides, though one rather extensive and important
one was found in a stream valley. These areas were found to have
certain very distinctive birds, found nowhere else:

White-eyed Vireo, Prairie Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Yellow-
breasted Chat. The Cardinal, Brown Thrasher, Catbird and Towhee
occur here also, but are less exclusive or selective.

Association II. Cypress Swamp

Typical swamp woods near large streams. From one inch to three
feet of water over much of the forest floor. The trees tend to be large,

Easter Birds of Little Egypt

35

and there is a rather luxuriant undergrowth and herbage where not
drowned out. The dominant trees are: bald cypress ( Taxodium dis-
tichum) , swamp white oak ( Quercus bicolor ), tupelo (Nyssa syl-
vatica) , sweet gum ( Liquidambar styraciflua) , sycamore ( Platanus
occidentalis) , beech ( Fagus grandifolia) , sugar maple ( Acer saccha-
rum ) and elm ( JJlmus americanus) . The predominant ground-cover
species are: poison ivy ( Rhus toxicodendron ), buttercup (Ranun-

culus sp.), Trillium spp., blue phlox ( Phlox divaricata) jewelweed
( Impatiens sp.) seedlings, and many varieties of ferns.

Breeding Birds: Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray

Gnatcatcher, Red-headed Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Crested Flycatcher.
Prothonotary Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Parula Warbler, Wood Thrush,
Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-shouldered Hawk, Green Heron, Cardinal,
Orchard Oriole, Broad-winged Hawk.

The Magnolia Warbler and Field Sparrow were found about the
edge of the dense swamp.

Association III. Open Fields

Pastures, hay fields, corn fields, and truck gardens all appeal to
those species of birds which prefer open situations, and hence these
have all been grouped together under a single heading.

Breeding Birds: Meadowlark, Prairie Horned Lark, Killdeer,

Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Marsh Hawk.

Migrant: Bobolink.

Association IV. Aquatic

Included under this heading we have such areas as flooded fields
and roadsides, as well as the streams and rivers proper. It will be
remembered that the dates included in this visit mark the early stages
of the greatest flood southern Illinois and states farther south have
ever experienced. Corn fields were actually lakes, roads often rivers,
and water was everywhere during our visit.

Breeding Species: Spotted Sandpiper, Green Heron, Pied-billed

Grebe, Virginia Rail, Sora.

Migrants: Solitary Sandpiper, Scaup Duck, White-fronted Goose.

V. Birds of General Distribution or of Local Situations

A number of species were so general in their distribution that it
is found impossible to class them as belonging to any one or two
associations:

Field Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Robin, Bluebird.

At the great cliffs bordering the Mississippi Bottoms the following
species were noted, and are possibly breeders:

36

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Turkey Vulture, Chimney Swift, Black Vulture, Mississippi Kite.

Other species, found in local situations too well known to need
special mention in most cases, follow:

Maryland Yellowthroat, Migrant Shrike, Flicker, Phoebe, Purple
Martin, Cedar Waxwing, Red-winged Blackbird, Mockingbird, House
Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Barn Swallow, Bank Swallow, Kingbird, King-
fisher, Rough-winged Swallow, Indigo Bunting, Sparrow Hawk, Balti-
more Oriole, Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

A list of all of the species observed, in the order of the A. 0. U.
check-list, follows. The number after the name of each species refers
to the association in which the bird was found. When more than one
number appears, the first represents the association most important to
the species in question. For reference, the numbers representing the
associations are repeated:

I. Upland Oak-Hickory.

Ia. Bushy Clearings in Oak-Hickory.

II. Cypress Swamp.

III. Open Fields.

IV. Aquatic.

V. General or Local Situations: Miscellaneous.

Podilymbus podiceps

Pied-billed Grebe

4

Marila affinis

Scaup Duck

4

Anser albifrons gambeli

White-fronted Goose

4

Ardea herodias herodias

Great Blue Heron

4

Butorides virescens virescens

Green Heron

2, 4

Rallus virginianus

Virginia Rail

4

Porzana Carolina

Sora

4

Actitis macularia

Spotted Sandpiper

4

Tringa solitaria solitaria

Solitary Sandpiper

4

Batramia longicauda

Upland Plover

3

Oxyechus vociferus

Killdeer

3

Colinus virginianus virginianus

Quail

1

Zenaidura macroura carolinensis

Mourning Dove

1.5

Cathartes aura septentrionalis

Turkey Vulture

1.5

Coragyps urubu

Black Vulture

5

Ictinia mississippiensis

Mississippi Kite

5

Circus hudsonius

Marsh Hawk

o

o

Accipiter cooperi

Cooper’s Hawk

1

Buteo borealis borealis

Red-tailed Hawk

1

Buteo lineatus lineatus

Red-shouldered Hawk

2, 1

Buteo platypterus

Broad-winged Hawk

2, 1

Cerchneis sparveria sparveria

Sparrow Hawk

5

Strix varia varia

Barred Owl

1

Otus asio asio

Screech Owl

1

Ceryle alcyon alcyon

Kingfisher

5

Easter Birds of Little Egypt

Dryobates villosus villosus

Dryobates pubescens medianus

Sphyrapicus varius varius

Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola

Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Colaptes auratus luteus

Antrostomus vociferus vociferus

Chaetura pelagica

Archilocus colubris

Tyrannus tyrannus

Myiarchus crinitus

Sayornis phoebe

Myiochanes virens

Empidonax minimus

Otocoris alpestris praticola

Cyanocitta cristata cristata

Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Molothrus ater ater

Agelaius phoenicius arctolegus

Sturnella magna magna

Icterus spurius

Icterus galbula

Astragalinus tristis tristis

Pooecetes gramineus gramineus

Ammodramus savannarum

Zonotrichia leucophrys leocophrys

Zonotrichia albicollis

Spizella passerina passerina

Spizella pusilla pusilla

junco hyemalis hyemalis

Peucaea aestivalis aestivalis

Melospiza melodia melodia

Melospiza georgiana

Pipilo erythropthalmus erytnropthalmus

Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis

Hedymeles ludovicianus

Passerina cyanea

Spiza americana

Piranga erythromelas

Piranga rubra rubra

Progne subis subis

Hirundo erythrogaster

Iridoprocne bicolor

Riparia riparia

Stelgidopteryx serripenis

Bombycilla cedrorum

Lanius ludovicianus migrans

Vireosylva olivacea

Vireosylva gilva gilva

Lanivireo flavifrons

Hairy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker ....

Northern Flicker

Whip-poor-will

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Kingbird

Crested Flycatcher

Phoebe

Wood Pewee

Least Flycatcher

Prairie Horned Lark

Blue Jay . —

Crow

Bobolink

Cowbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Goldfinch

Vesper Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow 3

Junco

Bachman’s Sparrow

Song Sparrow 1

Swamp Sparrow 5

Towhee

Cardinal 1

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Dickcissel

Scarlet Tanager

Summer Tanager

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Tree Swallow

Bank Swallow

Rough-winged Swallow

Cedar Waxwing

Migrant Shrike

Red-eyed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo ..

38

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Vireo griseus griseus White-eyed Vireo — la

Mniotilta varia Black and White Warbler 1

Protonotaria citrea Prothonotary Warbler 2

Vermivora pinus Blue-winged Warbler la, 1

Compsothlypis americana usneae Northern Parula Warbler 1

Dendroica aestiva aestiva Yellow Warbler 1, la

Dendroica caerulescens caerulescens Black-throated Green Warbler 1

Dendroica coronata Myrtle Warbler 1

Dendroica magnolia Magnolia Warbler 1

Dendroica fusca Blackburnian Warbler 1

Dendroica virens Black-throated Green Warbler 1

Dendroica palmarum Palm Warbler 1

Dendroica discolor Prairie Warbler la

Seirus noveboracensis noveboracensis Water-thrush 5

Oporornis formosus Kentucky Warbler la

Geothlypis trichas trichas Maryland Yellowthroat 5

Icteria virens virens Yellow-breasted Chat la

Setophaga ruticilla Redstart 1

Mimus polyglottos polyglottos Mockingbird 5

Toxostoma rufum Brown Thrasher 5

Dumetella carolinensis Catbird la, 1

Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus Carolina Wren 1

Thryomanes bewicki bewicki Bewick’s Wren 5

Troglodytes aedon aedon House Wren 5

Certhia familiaris americana Brown Creeper 1

Sitta carolinensis carolinensis White-breasted Nuthatch 1

Parus bicolor Tufted Titmouse 1

Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis Carolina Chickadee 1

Regulus satrapa satrapa Golden-crowned Kinglet 1

Regulus calendula calendula Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1

Polioptila caerulea caerulea Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1

Hylocichla mustelina Wood Thrush 1

Hylocichla guttata pallasi Hermit Thrush 1

Planesticus migratorius migratorius Robin la, 5

Sialia sialis sialis Bluebird 5

Zoological Laboratory,

University of Illinois,

Urbana, III.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published at Sioux City, Iowa, by the Wilson Ornithological Club.

The present editorial organization is as follows: T. C. Stephens, Editor-in-

Chief, Sioux City, Iowa; Myron H. Swenk, University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
Nebraska; Albert F. Ganier, Nashville, Tennessee; Alfred M. Bailey, Chicago
Academy of Sciences, Chicago, Illinois; R. D. Hissong, Sioux City, Iowa.

The subscription price in the United States is $1.50 a year, and 50 cents a
number; in all other countries of the International Postal Union the price is
$2.00 a year, and 60 cents a number. Subscriptions and orders for single copies
should be addressed to the Secretary, Dr. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College,
Nashville, Tennessee, U. S. A.

EDITORIAL

The Colored Plate in this issue recpiires some explanation and comment.
Mr. George Miksch Sutton has very kindly permitted us to reproduce his painting
to accompany the article by Mr. Holt. Our regular income does not permit us
to furnish illustrations by the costly 4-color process. But this picture of the
Wood Ibises is so beautiful and so appropriate in this issue that the Editor has
voluntarily taken a plunge in presenting it. A small part of the cost has already
been subscribed through correspondence. The Editor is trusting that enough
members, upon seeing the plate, will indicate their approval by sending a small
donation toward the expense. We realize that this sort of solicitation may be
undignified in a pretentious journal; but if it brings pleasing results our critics
may be mollified. We have on hand at the present time another equally beautiful
painting in color, to accompany an equally interesting article, which we shall
publish in the near future if it can be financed. If we should fortunately receive
more than enough money to pay for the plate in this issue, the excess will he
made the nucleus of a fund for the other plate. When our endowment fund
becomes a little larger and productive, the interest from it will help to furnish
these desirable illustrations.

The Annual Membership roll will be published as usual in the June issue.
Last year, for the first time, the date of beginning of membership was included
in the roll. Because of faulty records some mistakes were made in these dales.
In the next roll it is hoped to eliminate as many of these errors as possible.
The Secretary would be glad if members would notify him of any inaccuracies
as to date of joining, or in address.

Recent Newspaper Dispatches indicate that the people of Hawaii are
proposing to import song birds on a large scale, not for commercial purposes, but
purely for aesthetic reasons. In the long run bird protection will find its
strongest argument in the realm of sentiment.

Nevertheless, at almost the same time there appears an Associated Press
dispatch from the Black Hills of South Dakota (January 22, 1929) telling of
an irruption of rodents, which “are making life miserable for the Jones County
farmers.” It is said that 1,300 acres of corn has been destroyed in one county,
and that on one tract alone 2,154 field mice have been destroyed by poison.
This abnormal multiplication of rodents followed promptly a war on “vermin,”
including hawks, owls, crows, and snakes, just a short time ago.

40

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

And yet, within the past year we clipped the following item from the edi-
torial column of some newspaper: “When scientists of the present day get to

talking about scientific achievements, for public consumption, they probably im-
press themselves and others who do not know that professional scientists have
had little part in such developments. Practically all of the important new things
originate outside of recognized scientific circles.”

This should abate, somewhat, scientific conceit! Progress is slow. Just
when we think that beliefs in witchcraft and intolerance have been outgrown,
and that the open mind has become the rule of mankind, something happens to
shake our optimism. Progress is, however, pretty sure.

In Opening the New Year it becomes necessary to record some changes
in our official staff. Mr. Thos. H. Whitney has served in the capacity of Vice-
President for the past four years. During this time he has initiated the incor-
poration of the W. 0. C. and the establishment of a trust agreement, from which
it is hoped in the natural course of events may grow an appreciable endowment
fund. Mr. Whitney’s term of office marks a distinct service to the organization,
and his efforts are recognized and appreciated. He is succeeded by Mr. George
Miksch Sutton. Mr. Sutton needs no introduction, but we may say that at
present he is a member of the staff of the Pennsylvania State Board of Game
Commissioners, being in charge particularly of ornithological research and edu-
cational work. Mr. Sutton received his preliminary education in the middle
west, and later went east, as so many of our good men have done. He is now
spending some of his spare time in graduate work at Cornell University. While
he is a prolific writer, he is best known as a painter of birds. We will not
attempt to name all of the magazines or books in which Mr. Sutton’s work has
appeared in color; but we will notice that Outdoor Life and Recreation has
begun a series of bird paintings by Mr. Sutton. The first colored plate in, this
series was of the Prairie Chicken, and appeared in the February number. Mr.
Sutton has been especially kind to the Wilson Bulletin.

After three years of faithful service Mr. Gloyd insisted that he be relieved
of official duties in order that he might pursue his graduate research. Mr.
Gloyd’s pleasing personality was evident even in his correspondence, and while
the debt is all ours, yet we feel that Mr. Gloyd has a host of friends to his
credit as a result of the three terms of office. It takes an energetic secretary
to keep our membership roll at par, and in this respect Prof. Gloyd did his
duty well, and we thank him.

Prof. Gloyd is succeeded in the office of Secretary by Jesse M. Shaver,
Professor of Zoology at Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn. Many of us became
acquainted with Professor Shaver at our two Nashville meetings, and remember
him as a genial six-footer, who can make a good speech of welcome. During
the past year he received his doctorate from the University of Chicago; and it

has been said that Dr. Shaver’s degree was the first one ever granted by this

University in ornithology. Incidentally, for this is an interesting point, Dr.
Jones received his degree at Chicago years ago on a thesis on nestling down,

but we do not know that his major (or minor) was designated as ornithology.

We cordially welcome these new officers, with confidence in their determina-
tion to make this year one of progress and achievement.

General Notes

41

GENERAL NOTES

Conducted by M. H. Swenk

A Hybrid Field-Vesper Sparrow. — Several times during May I was within
a few feet, and studied with a glass as long as I chose, a bird that was evidently
a cross between the Field Sparrow and the Vesper Sparrow. The general appearance
was of the Field Sparrow wilh the typical head markings and flesh colored bill.
The wings were barred as in the Field Sparrow, but the lesser coverts were solid
bright bay as with the Vesper, while the tail was distinctly like that of the
Vesper Sparrow, having the outer feathers white. — E. A. Doolittle, Painesville ,
Ohio.

The Bald Eagle in Arkansas. — On the morning of August 29, 1928, a
friend of mine called me out of a local confectionery, and pointing up, wanted
to know* what kind of a bird that was, soaring over the valley. A glance was
sufficient to tell that it was a Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) , for the
white head and tail flashed in the sunlight like a mirror as he turned. A small
crowd soon gathered, and twenty or thirty people watched the bird as it circled
over the valley, at a rather low elevation, until after three or four minutes it
straightened away to the west, and was soon out of sight. This is the only record
for me, and the bird has been reported only three or four times from the Arkansas
Ozarks in the past ten years. — J. D. Black, Winslow, Ark.

Strangulation of Gulls. — While at Chase Lake, North Dakota, on an expe-
dition of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, during June, 1928, I found several
dead Ring-billed Gulls ( Larus delawarensis ) which seemed to have died of
strangulation. Upon further examination the deaths were found to have been
caused by the gulls attempting to swallow whole Richardson’s Spermophiles. In
all the specimens examined, the spermophiles were caught in the throat, head
first, with the hind feet and tail extending out of the mouth, as if the gulls had
tried to swallow the mammals head first.

The gulls probably picked up dead spermophiles, as the farmers had been
killing them with poisoned oats. The death of the gulls could not have been
caused by the poisoned rodents, as in no case was a spermophile even slightly
digested, so that undoubtedly the gulls died of strangulation. — E. V. Komarek,
Oak Park, III.

Trapping Juncos and White-throats. — Our yard, this last spring (1927),
had many Slate-colored Junco and White-throated Sparrow visitors, but we did
not succeed in trapping many until we began using the prepared bird seed
bought at the stores.

Even so, we were not securing as many! as we should until we began setting
the traps in the bottom of our fish pond, which had been drained for winter
and not yet filled again.

We found that a light litter drawn over some seed scattered over the bottom
of the pond enticed the little rascals, who enjoyed scratching like small chickens,
and the outside food did not prevent them from entering the traps. Some morn-
ings we had birds in every trap, without exception. — Edward A. Everett, Waseca,
Minn.

Tactics of the Domestic Pigeon in Evading the Duck Hawk.— On April
12, 1928, while stopping briefly to examine the cliffs at Dauphin, Dauphin
County, Pennsylvania, where Duck Hawks ( Rhynchodon peregrinus anatum) live.

42

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

and probably nest, I learned of an unusual method employed by pigeons in evad-
ing their dreaded foe, the Duck Hawk. The pigeons, upon seeing the hawk
towering above them, preparatory to striking, fly with teriffic haste down toward
the main highway. As the Duck Hawk poises before his plunge the pigeons
arrange themselves under the telegraph wires, and fly along one after the other,
just beneath the wires. The hawk swoops, but always veers off when it sees the
wires. Goshawks have been known to kill themselves by flying into mesh wire
while making their attack upon poultry; evidently the Duck Hawk does not
commit such folly. I understand from local residents that the pigeons which
pass the cliffs now regularly fly near the road, ready to dart to cover under the
wires at the first sight of their enemy. How different are these tactics from
those of the flocks of shore-birds in the North Country which swarm into the
sky and mill about in a confused mass, awaiting the dreaded plunge of their
pursuer.

Robins, Flickers, Meadowlarks, and Blue jays which fly by the cliffs are
struck down with comparative ease. These smaller birds apparently have not
learned of the protection the telegraph wires might afford. — George Miksch
Sutton, Game Commission, Harrisburg, Pa.

Some Cowbird Experiences in Columbus, Ohio. — On May 22, 1928, at
about 9:15 a. m., a male Cowbird ( Molothrus aler ater) alighted on an old shed
near our house, giving his high pitched call — “.seeee.” Soon a female Cowbird
arrived near by, whereupon a Field Sparrow and a male Indigo Bunting also
appeared, and scolded. The female Cowbird then disappeared, but shortly after-
wards returned with an egg in her bill, which she ate at leisure, contents and
shell, while an unfortunate Song Sparrow protested. With a satisfied air she
hopped on to the fence, wiped her bill and flew away.

On June 8, 1928, I discovered a nest of the Maryland Yellowthroat ( Geo -
thlypis trichas trichas) in a patch of weeds in the same vicinity. In it were two
warbler eggs and no less than four Cowbird’s eggs. All were warm. The warblers
did not show themselves at all. I unwisely removed all of the eggs of the
parasite, without thinking until later of the shock it would he to the warbler to
find such a radical change in her household. The unappreciative warbler promptly
deserted her own eggs. The Cowbird eggs remained in the house for five hours
at a temperature of 68°F. Then I cracked one, and the horrid little reptilian
creature inside waved its fore paw and opened its bill! The egg that closely
resembled this one in its markings was also nearly ready to hatch, but the others,
which were like each other but slightly different from the first two, were fresh. —
Margaret M. Nice, Columbus, Ohio.

The Hudsonian Chickadee in Michigan. — On July 28, 1928, in spruce
forest on a sandy plain south of the Huron Mountains, about fifteen miles from
the shore of Lake Superior and at an elevation of about 900 feet above the
lake, I came on a band of chickadees and kinglets which included both the
familiar Black-capped Chickadee ( Penlhestes atricapillus atricapillus) and the
Hudsonian Chickadee ( Penethestes hudsonicus) and both the Golden-crowned
Kinglet (Regulus satrapa satrapa ) and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet ( Regulus
calendula calendula). Walking in the clear and rather open stand of spruces,
and hearing chickadee notes which seemed not wholly familiar, I squeaked, and
presently the little coterie was all about me. There were two or three Black-
caps, but the majority of the chickadees, a half dozen, more or less, were Hud-

General Notes

43

sonian. And the latter- were the more confiding, for they flitted within a few
inches of my head. I noted each distinctive detail — the dusky chestnut crown,
the duller underparts and the wing feathers with no more than a suggestion of
white edgings. The kinglets were silent; there were only a few of them, but
the crown patch of one, the absence of crown patch of others, and the inter-
mittent iluttering of the wings as the birds hopped from twig to twig, made
identification sure. The occurrence of these two rare birds in July is, in the
case of the Hudsonian Chickadee at least (a species scarcely migratory at all),
little less than demonstration of nesting. Of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bar-
rows wrote (1912) that it probably was not to be found nesting within the state
of Michigan. — Bayard H. Christy, Sewickley, Pa.

Some Interesting Ohio Records. — Yellow Rail ( Coturnicops novebora-
censis) . — Westerville, May 16, 1928. Also, a specimen of this species was found
dead near the Huron Marshes south of Willard, on July 16, 1928.

Black Rail ( Creciscus jamaicensis) . — Bumgardner’s Pond, Franklin County,
April 4, 1927, and Alum Creek Swamp, Westerville, April 3, 1927. Probably a
considerable number of both of these species breed in favorable localities of the
state but are easily missed because of their small size and secretive habits.

Purple Gallinule ( Ionomis martinicus) . — On May 17, 1928, I collected a
perfect specimen of this gorgeously painted species at the Alum Creek Swamp,
Westerville. There are about a half dozen published Ohio records for this
casual migrant, and this seems to be the first specimen taken in the state since
1917. The skin is now in the Wheaton Club Collection of the Ohio State
Museum at Columbus.

Stilt Sandpiper ( Micropalama himantopus) . — Richard E. Durst and the
writer observed seven individuals on April 27 and 28, 1928, in company with a
fleck of sixty-eight Golden Plovers, feeding in a surface pond in western Madison
County. Spring records of this sandpiper are much rarer than records made in
the fall.

Prairie Hen ( Tympanuchus americanus) . — Richard E. Durst and myself re-
corded a female of this species at Bay Point, May 26, 1928. It was discovered
while sunning itself in the clearing of an old wagon road, and ran slowly ahead
of us for about 200 yards at a distance of from thirty to sixty feet, following the
deep rut formed by the wagon wheels. The bird seemed little frightened by our
presence and we did not succeed in flushing it until the distance between us was
cut to less than twenty feet. The head and neck, the barring of the heavy plump
body, the short feathered legs and the very short tail with prominent black bars
were all clearly observed, both with the naked eye and by the aid of 8x binocu-
lars, removing all possibility of confusion with any other species. This bird was
thought by many to have become extinct in Ohio a number of years ago, as
there have been no recent records. Evidently a few scattered individuals have
been able to survive in unusually favorable habitats, as it is unlikely that the
species would ever be able to reestablish itself in the stale once it had been
completely wiped out. Several rumors of birds resembling Prairie Hens have
come from the Huron Marshes region and it is altogether possible that they may
sometime be found there, or somewhere in the Oak Openings region west of
Toledo.

"Lawrence’s Warbler. — On May 27, 1928, I studied for some time a peculiar
hybrid warbler that I discovered along the northern edge of the Huron Marshes

44

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

southwest of Willard. The bird had the typical plumage of a Lawrence’s
Warbler (the black throat and ear patches of the Golden-winged Warbler and
the yellow crown and underparts and the two whitish wing bars of the Blue-
winged Warbler) with one exception. Between the two while wing bars was a solid
patch of gold, similar to the wing bar of the Golden-wing. The bird was singing
a song indistinguishable from those of a half dozen Blue-winged Warblers singing
nearby. Tbe occurrence of this hybrid is interesting in connection with the rec-
ord of a pair of typical Brewster’s Warblers feeding young at Neotoma, Hocking
County, on June 11 and 12, 1927. In 1928, only the male Brewster’s Warbler
returned, singing the same low pitched “sweive, eze, eze, eze'’ song of 1.8 seconds
duration, as that heard the previous year, or varying it with a “sweeze, sweeza,
zai-ze-e-e-e-e” song, lasting only 1.1 seconds. The first syllables were very rapid,
but the last was long drawn out and had somewhat of a plaintive quality. Sev-
eral Brewster’s Warblers, in addition to these records, were recorded near
Columbus during the summer months of 1928. — Lawrence E. Hicks, Frederick-
town, Ohio.

Birds in Western Texas. — During the months of July and August, 1928, I
was working in Uvalde, Texas, about ninety miles west of San Antonio. As the
flora, fauna and climate there were quite different from any I had formerly ex-
perienced, I made it part of my business to examine the various organisms found
there. Not the least of these were the birds. Unfortunately, I did not have time
to make a careful survey of the region. I was also handicapped by a lack of
books and keys for identification. Certain species were so conspicuous, however,
that they could not pass unnoticed. These I have listed as follows:

1. Killdeer ( Oxyechus vocijerus) . Very common. Strange to say, I never
saw one of these birds on the ground.

2. Scaled Quail ( Callipepla squamata) . Common. Often seen crossing the
road. Texans call these birds “blue quail.”

3. Mexican Ground Dove ( Chaemepelia passerina pallescens ). These little
birds are common even in the towns. The wings are conspicuously reddish.

4. White-winged Dove ( Melopelia asiatica asiatica) . Without doubt one of
the commonest birds in West Texas. It is as large as a domestic pigeon, and is
eaten by the people. Doves are common even in town. Their peculiar harsh
“coo” can be heard on all sides throughout the day.

5. Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes aura seplentrionalis) . Very common. This
is a bird of the country, and spends most of its time in the air. I have seen
them, however, on fence posts.

6. Black Vulture ( Coragyps uruhu) . Not as common as the last species.
The ranchmen, who claim that Black Vultures carry anthrax, make constant war
upon the1 birds. The only individuals that I saw close at hand were feeding on
a dead jack rabbit in the road.

7. Road-runner ( Geococcyx calif ornicus) . Very common. Often seen cross-
ing the road or seated on fence posts. One lived back of the Government station.

8. Red-bellied Woodpecker ( Centurus carolinus) . Common.

9. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ( Muscivora forficata). These birds are to be
seen at any time, especially on telegraph wires. When flying, the tail often re-
sembles a trailer or some foreign substance.

10. Arkansas Kingbird ( Tyrannus verticalis). Hardly common, although
some were seen near the Government station on several occasions.

General Notes

45

11. Vermilion Flycatcher ( Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus) . These beau-
tiful birds were common in the brush, but they were very timid, and could only
be studied at a distance.

12. Western Goldfinch ( Aslragalinus psaltria) . These pretty birds behaved
very much like their eastern relatives. Like them they were fond of bathing
under lawn sprinklers. They were very numerous.

13. Desert Sparrow ( Amphispiza bilineata deserticola) . I saw only one of
these birds. Itw as on a fence wire not fifty feet from me.

14. Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis) . Very common, even in town.

15. Western Blue Grosbeak ( Guiraca caerulea lazula) . A single flock of
these was seen in the valley of the Frio River.

16. Western Mockingbird ( Mimus polyglottos leucopterus) . Numerous
everywhere, but especially so in town. Often came to lawn sprinklers.

17. Verdin ( Auripurus tlaviceps) . One of these birds was seen near
Asherton.

18. Cactus Wren ( Heleodytes brunneicapillus couesi) . The only one seen
lived near the Government station, ft was often seen in company with a Texas
Bewick’s Wren.

19. Texas Bewick’s Wren (Thryoman.es bewickii cry plus). A single indi-
vidual was seen daily at the Government station. — Cyril E. Abbott, Elgin, 111.

Nesting of the Yellow-throated Warbler in Volusia County, Florida. —

While camping with William Leon Dawson, three miles west of Maytown, Volusia
County, Florida, I found three nests of the Yellow-throated Warbler in the
course of construction, between 8:00 a. m. and 10.00 A. M., April 1, 1927. We
had been there three days, photographing nests of the American Egret in the
dense, boggy cypress swamps, and, having the blinds set, I decided to go in
search of Prothonotary Warbler nests, as the birds were to he heard singing
from several points in the swamp. I had watched and listened to a singing male
for some time, but could never see the female, so searched every possible stub
for the nest, but without avail. 1 gave it up, as I figured it was too early for
this species to begin nesting. It might be well to here record one nest of the
Prothonotary Warbler, found May 15, 1923, with three well incubated eggs, too
far gone to save. The nest was placed in a rotten cypress stub four or five
feet above the water, in an open spot in the big cypress swamp about eight miles
southwest of Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida. This was discovered by Mr.
Fred W. Walker.

Coming back to my story, I sat down to rest and heard several male
Yellow-throated Warblers singing from the tall, moss-covered cypresses, and soon
saw a female alight on the moss-covered trunk of a tree quite close to me. She
fed for perhaps ten minutes and I saw her eat at least ten worms. At last she
flew away to a cypress, and 1 watched her. It was not long before she flew
rapidly, and in a straight line, to a point hack of me and I hastened over to
where I had last seen her, but I could not see anything of her. I sat quietly
a few minutes and then saw her coming towards me with nest-material in her
bill. She flew directly to the nest-tree, alighting on a limb, remaining about a
second, and flying into a clump of moss hanging from the under side of the lower
limb of a cypress about thirty feet up. The nest was three feet from the trunk of
the tree. Both birds brought nest-material, and the male placed his, soon flying
away in the same direction. Sometimes the birds would fly directly to the moss

46

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

clump, but more often they alighted on a limb near the nest before entering,
never hesitating but a few seconds. Once one of the birds alighted in a nearby
tree before flying to the nest. I watched for about fifteen minutes, and the trips
averaged about one minute apart.

Hearing a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher uttering its “tee tee tee ” or “zee zee ”
notes over and over again in song, I thought I would give them a glance, and in
five minutes I had seen a bird flying to a horizontal cypress limb about forty-
five feet up. I watched the bird adding material to her nest, which was nearly
built. Soon the male came and perched beside her, to inspect her work, uttering
his teasing little song. I watched them a few minutes and passed on to locate
other nests of the Yellow-throated Warbler, as I could hear several males singing.

In a little while I saw a small bird fly to a clump of hanging moss, in a
tall cypress, forty feet up, and six feet out from the trunk, on a lower limb. This
bird proved to be a female Parula Warbler. The male sang in the top of a
cypress tree not far away but did not assist in nest-building. I watched her for
a few minutes and her trips were every one or two minutes — not longer.

These three nests were all in the same little strand of cypress and within a
radius of not over 200 feel. Going to another strand, which was separated by
a small pool of open water, I soon found a second nest of the Yellow-throated
Warbler. This was located four feet from the trunk of a cypress on a lower
limb, in hanging moss suspended on the under side of the limb. This bird
worked faster than the other and sometimes made two trips a minute. The male
sang from thirty to sixty feet away, and once came to the nest while she was
there, but was not seen to assist in carrying materials. The female did not go
farther than 100 feet to gather material, and went in different directions, some-
times back to the same place, as if it was especially suited to her needs. She
would fly to the moss-covered trunk of a cypress and pull and tug at the fibers
until they were loosened, and then immediately fly to the nest, entering always
by the north entrance and leaving by the west side. This was not varied. I
stood in plain view of the tree fifty feet away, but it did not disturb the birds
in the least, and they paid not the slightest attention to me. Even nest-material
was gathered within forty feet of me.

About 300 feet beyond this nest I located another by seeing the bird fly to
a tall cypress, fully sixty feet up. T watched this tree for fifteen minutes before
she returned again. It was evident that towards the middle of the day the birds
cease their activities, as when I returned and passed by the other nests no birds
were to be seen moving about.

As we broke camp that day and left for Cape Sable, nearly 400 miles away,
and did not return until April 18, 1 did not get an opportunity to visit this
interesting place again. Yellow-throated Warblers are fairly common in the
cypress swamps in the pine woods and flat-woods country, in many Florida
counties, but I have never been able to locate their nests until this season, and
then only by accident.— Donald J. Nicholson, Orlando, Fla.

An Unusual Nesting Site of the Dickcissel. — On June 19, 1925, I noted a
Dickcissel (Spiza americana) flush from a cylindrical mass of vines of the Vir-
ginia Creeper and Wild Grape, covering a fence post. The nest was placed
on the top of the post, solidly anchored among the vines, and contained four eggs.
As my work caused me to pass the place many times, I had plenty of views of
the female leaving the nest. The eggs, which appeared to be well incubated,
were missing on June 24. — Oscar P. Allert, McGregor, Iowa.

Bird Photography

47

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

Conducted by Alfred M. Bailey

[Editor’s Note. We are proposing to have from time to time a department
on bird photography, and Mr. A. M. Bailey, Director of the Chicago Academy
of Sciences, has consented to take charge of it. Mr. Bailey has had very much
field experience in the Rocky Mountain region, in Alaska, and along the Gulf
Coast. We hope to make the department a useful medium of exchange of ideas
and experiences in matters of equipment, methods, subjects, results, etc. The
instalment in this issue is elementary, and intended for beginners; later on, there
should be plenty of material of interest to more experienced bird photographers.
The frequency and success of this department will depend entirely upon the re-
sponse ol our readers, ft is not intended that the Editor must furnish all of
the copy. We invite our readers to submit their ideas of various outfits, their
successes and failures with certain equipment, their special knowledge of un-
usual opportunities for bird photography, etc. Photographs which illustrate any
of these things are also desired, and will be published in limited numbers.]

Bird students have many fields of investigation before them. Some work
out the geographic boundaries of the different species, some the economic im-
portance of birds in their relation to man, and others study birds merely for the
enjoyment of being afield where they may, for the time being, be away from
the crowds of the cities. Louis Fuertes once told me that the real reason he
enjoyed being with birds was because he liked to paint them. Nagozruk, the
eskimo collector of the Chicago Academy of Sciences at Cape Prince of Wales,
said that he liked birds because he soon got tired of walrus meat! And so,
the most of us have some particular reason why we are interested in bird life,
and many have hobbies we like to ride. I think I receive more1 real enjoyment
in trying to secure pictures of birds than in any other out-door study, and it is
my desire to give the general methods employed, that others, if they wish, may
also have the pleasure of watching birds from a blind and photographing them
as they return to their nests.

The following notes are intended for nature lovers who have not attempted
to picture birds, or for those who have had poor success, and are not meant for
field men experienced in nature photography. I think most out-door photographers
will agree with me that they take pictures like the Irishman plays the fiddle —
to plagiarize a comparison I read somewhere or other — “neither by music nor
ear, but, be jabbers, by main strength.” Each species presents a different prob-
lem, and a good bit of hard work and tiresome waiting is often necessary before
the worth-while results are obtained, but on the whole, it is fairly simple to
photograph if one takes the time.

The equipment need not be expensive. The best camera to start with is
the one you have. I am not going to go into the matter of lenses, focal length,
exposure, and other details which may be obtained in any little handbook of
photography, or which may be explained, in so far as is necessary for practical
use, by a professional photographer. However, you may not have a machine
and are desirous of obtaining one, so there are two tilings to consider, (1) the
work you want to accomplish, and (2) the amount of money you have to spend.
There is no camera that will do all kinds of work. If you can havel just one
camera, and desire one to carry around at all times, then I should suggest a
hand machine of not over a 4x5 size. I find a SYz^A a very fine one, for it is
ideal to print contact lantern slides and you can make excellent enlargements.
The machine can be fitted with a direct view finder so that you can hold it at

48

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

arm’s length and take pictures. These cameras have the advantage of having
a good depth of focus; they usually work as fast as 1-250 of a second, and you
can have it with you at all times. There is nothing so discouarging as having
a camera too heavy to tote around.

If, however, you can afford only one camera, and desire it for the sole
purpose of photographing birds and mammals from a blind, I should recom-
mend that you purchase a graflex with a long focus lens. The 4x5 revolving
back auto graflex with Zeiss Tessar f.4.5 lens is an ideal outfit. It works to
1-1000 of a second and gives a much larger image than would be obtained with
the small hand camera with its lens of much shorter focal length. The graflex
has the advantages that you can watch your bird in the ground glass until it is
in a pleasing position, and you can be sure of having it in sharp focus.

Films are far better than plates for the nature photographer. They are
lighter and will not break. There are a few old stand-patters who insist on
using plates, but films have so many advantages that I would never carry plates
into the field. I have a friend who is at the head of one of the) large western
museums. He never felt as if he were out in the open unless he was carrying
forty or fifty pounds of photo glass around in the shape of negatives. For years
he insisted that you could not take pictures with films. Last spring, I met
him as he was leaving for South America. We discussed cameras, and when I
asked how many pounds of glass he was carrying, he shamefacedly admitted
he had fallen by the wayside — he was carrying a film camera. For the beginner,
I should recommend roll film, as they are convenient and safe. But when one
has had a little experience, I believe cut films, used in either film holders, or in
a magazine which will carry twelve, are ideal. They can be obtained in the
several grades, just as with plates.

Before attempting to photograph birds, it is necessary to know your camera;
it is essential to know how to secure a sharp negative — one in proper focus —
with a given object at any distance. With the average amateur equipment, the
closer the photographer can get to his bird, the better, and as most small cameras
focus to within six feet, it would be well to make a series of experimental ex-
posures at different distances. Note for instance, how sharp a picture you may
obtain with your camera set at ten feet at f .6.3. Then cut down the diaphragm
to f.ll and note the added depth obtained. If one is able to take good out-door
pictures, he will be able to photograph birds, for the problems involved are
identical.

There are three methods by which the photographer may get near his pros-
pective subject. One is to stalk the bird until he is close enough. This is not
practical, and in most cases is not recommended except when the bird can be
approached in no other way. Another method is to set the machine on a tripod
and take pictures from a distance, with a string to trip the camera. This toe
is unsatisfactory. To lake pictures from a blind is by far the best method. And
any kind of a blind will do, so long as the photographer remains concealed; it
must have a top as well as sides. The smaller the blind is, the better, of course,
but I have obtained very good results with big bulky tents made of burlap sacks.
The umbrella blind has been used with good success. It is merely a large
umbrella, with heavy curtains dropping around and the whole fastened up with
cords. The pole of the umbrella is always in the way, however, and I greatly
prefer my blind to be supported with a pole in each corner which will allow

Bird Photography

49

more elbow room. The walls of tiie blind should be dark in color, and of heavy
enough material that the birds cannot see through it, when the sun is at the
back.

Now, we will assume that the novice at bird photography has learned to use
his camera. If he has a 21/2x41/4 hand camera, with Zeiss Tessar lens, for in-
stance, he knows that he can set his camera for taking pictures at twenty-five
feet and cut the diaphragm down to f.ll, and that all objects from fifteen feet
in front of the machine, approximately, to infinity, will be in sharp focus. He
finds a place where shore birds work along the) edge of a pond and erects his
blind twenty-five to thirty feet from the water's edge, so the sun will be from
behind and to one side. He conceals himself and waits for the birds. A flock
of Dowitchers swirl in and alight twenty feet in front of him, and after probing
a bit in the soft mud, they rest quietly in a more or less compact band. There
is scarcely any motion, the birds are in a group, the light is right, so we have
bird photography in its simplest phase. Instead of taking one picture, however,
the photographer should take a dozen using different speeds. I make a practice
of cutting down the diaphragm of my camera from f.ll. to f . 16. whenever the
light is strong enough, but I rarely cut down farther. If the photographer will
make notes on the exposures, he will find what speeds will stop motion. In the
above example, even 1-25 of a second might catch the birds, but 1-50 of a second
would probably give better results. If the birds are running about 1-100 of a
second, or less, may be necessary. The secret of success is to take many pictures
and keep notes on your1 exposures; it is far better to know what results one may
obtain with his camera, to know what it will do under given conditions, than to
understand why. Good photographs are secured through trial and error. There
never was a photographer who did not make many mistakes. If, however, he
blunders on without attempting to solve his trouble, he will never succeed, and
the reason for failure can only be determined by keeping notes for each ex-
posure, until the technical troubles are at an end.

Most beginners make the mistake of giving too short an exposure. Just
because the camera will work at a speed of 1-1000 of a second is no reason for
using that speed; in fact, it should never be used except for fast moving objects
fairly close to the camera. A good rule is to give the longest exposure possible
which will stop motion. The best nesting pictures are made with an exposure of
from 1-50 to 1-100 of a second. Birds in flight require from 1-250 to 1-500 of a
second, while if the birds are very near, the fastest exposure possible is necessary.
It must be remembered that the faster the exposure, the wider the diaphragm
should be opened, to allow more light, for otherwise, an unprintable negative will
result.

The necessity for knowing how the individual camera works was well illus-
trated to me one summer in Colorado. I had an old 5x7 graflex which had seen
its best days. I was unfamiliar with the camera, but as I had used a graflex
for several seasons, I was sure of good results. I found a nest of Horned Larks,
and the young were just hatching, so the mother was very solicitous and re
turned time and again, although I was seated within three feet of the nest. 1
was not in a blind, but the little mother came back without much hesitation.
She stood over the nest, sheltering the young with wide spread wings, and she
was so close I could, make out every feather in the ground glass. There was no
doubt that conditions were ideal for, except for a slight movement of the head,
the lark was motionless. I made an exposure at 1-25 of a second, with the

50

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

diaphragm cut down so I would have as great depth of focus as possible. The
mirror of the graflex flew up with a bang and the curtain rolled back. The
noise caused the mother to jump from the nest, but she returned within a few
minutes. Thinking that she might have moved slightly, 1 made several other
exposures, up to 1-100 of a second, and finally, just to test the speed of the film,
I made one at approximately 1-300 of a second with the diaphragm at f .4.5. I
returned to the laboratory and developed my films, confident of having some
wonderful Horned Lark pictures. I had a beautiful picture of young larks in
each case except the last, which was under-exposed, but no adult bird. There
had been just enough hang-up between the rising of the mirror and the roll of
the shutter across the film that the lark had time to jump clear out of the
picture before the exposure was made !

With most machines, the rise of the mirror and the exposure is simultaneous,
but the one I was using was too antiquated for photographing such a nervous
bird as that Horned Lark.

The amateur bird photographer will have many interesting things brought
to his attention. The difference in temperament of individuals of the same
species is amazing; some birds absolutely refuse to pose, while others return
to their nests time and again. The nesting season is the best time to secure
pictures, and if one can be on hand when the eggs are hatching, he will be sure
of good results. One time at Cape Prince of Wales, in northwestern Alaska,
I found a nest of Aleutian Sandpipers. It wa^ in a hollow on the ground, sur-
rounded with light-colored reindeer moss. I dropped my hat over the young,
that I might find the nest quickly, and then I backtracked a few hundred yards
where I had cached my camera. Imagine my surprise, ten minutes later, on
my return to the nest, to find that the adult sandpiper had crawled under my
hat to shelter her newly-hatched babies!

Birds which nest in colonies are, as a rule, very easy to photograph, and
they will return to their nests within half an hour after the photographer has
concealed himself. Birds preferring to be alone during their nesting period, on
the other hand, are apt to be shy. Oftentimes they will not return to their nests
for hours, and so it is often a good plan to erect a blind at some distance from
the nest, and allow it to remain a day or so, gradually moving it nearer, that the
parents may become accustomed to it. I have had my blind within three feet
of nesting birds, but the distance is usually about six feet.

The above has been written more with the idea of interesting other students
in bird photography, than in giving information. Each individual has to work
out his own salvation, but I am sure that anyone who has not attempted to take
bird pictures, will find it a very enjoyable experience.

If, this coming season, the members of the W. O. C. will go afield wtih their
cameras, I am sure that the combined results will total hundreds of excellent
studies, and I know of no better place to publish them than in the Wilson
Bulletin. There is one sure way to secure a reputation as a good bird photog-
rapher, and it is a formula used by all experienced field men — take many pictures
of each subject, throw the poor ones away, and show only your best!

Proceedings

51

PROCEEDINGS OF THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL

CLUB

Fifteenth Annual Meeting

The Fifteenth Annual Meeting of the Wilson Ornithological Club was held
at Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 30 and December 1, 1928. The Inland
Bird Banding Association, which held its meeting at the same time, merged its
program with that of the W. 0. C. The University of Michigan Museum of
Zoology, whose invitation had been accepted at the last annual meeting, was host
for the metings of the two organizations. The quarters, facilities, and arrange-
ments provided, did much to make the meeting a highly successful one. The new
Museum, whose building was completed only a few months before our meeting,
is being rapidly organized to exhibit the wealth of material already on hand,
and the visitors availed themselves of the opportunity to inspect the various
departments. The present meeting was the first one to be held in the new
building by a national organization. It was an interesting coincidence that the
American Ornithologists' Union was holding its annual meeting at about the
same time in the oldest museum in America, al Charleston, South Carolina. The
program was carried out as announced, and all sessions were held in the Museum
Building.

Friday Morning, November 30, 1928

Address of Welcome by Dr. Alexander G. Ruthven, Director, University of Michi-
gan Museums.

Response in behalf of the Wilson Ornithological Club and the Inland Bird Band-
ing Association by William I. Lyon, Waukegan, Illinois.

1. The Ornithological Activities of the Michigan Department of Conservation.
Miles D. Pirnie, Ornithologist, Michigan Department of Conservation. (Lan-
tern Slides).

A brief sketch showing what the Department is doing to protect her breed-
ing colonies of water birds and toward educating the public to an apprecia-
tion of bird life in general.

2. Methods in a Bird Research Laboratory. S. Prentiss Baldwin, Cleveland
Ohio. (Lantern Slides).

A description by Mr. Baldwin of the work he is conducting at his country
place near Cleveland, particularly with the aid of bird banding methods. The
speaker mentioned finding 160 nests of the House Wren about his grounds
during the past year, from which between five and six hundred young were
reared. He has not found them to be guilty of nest robbing to any great
extent. Considerable work has been done the past year to learn the body
temperatures of nestlings, from birth to flight. At intervals, during the first
two or three days, nestlings were found to be almost cold-blooded.

Friday Afternoon, November 30, 1928

Trip through the New Museum Building. Guides were provided for members
and friends who wished to inspect the plan and exhibits of tbe new building.

3. Nesting of the Common Tern. Walter E. Hastings, Michigan Department
of Conservation. (Motion Pictures).

Mr. Hastings mentioned particularly the breeding colonies of Common
Terns on Lone Tree Island in Saginaw Bay, where some 2,000 pairs of this
species nest. Both birds were found to incubate, relieving each other periodi-
cally. The eggs vary much in color and markings. Incubation usually starts
with the deposition of the first egg, but not always, and eggs hatch on suc-
ceeding days. Frequently three days elapse from the time the egg is pipped

52

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

until the young bird frees itself from the shell. Nests are usually well made,
although sometimes an absence of nest material suggests that the wind may
have blown it away.

4. The Family of Alexander Wilson. Mrs. Nettie Purdy Moore, Plymouth,
Michigan.

Mrs. Moore read several old letters signed by Andrew Wilson, which were
written just prior to the coming of Alexander Wilson to America, and which
may give information on the early history of the pioneer ornithologist. The
relationship has not yet been clearly established.

5. Variations in Migration. William I. Lyon, Waukegan, Illinois. (Lantern
Slides) .

In support of the “wave theory” it was shown that no two migrations are
alike. It would appear that either migration routes change, due perhaps to
weather and food conditions, or that birds change their routes for the sake
of variety. Harris’s Sparrow and the Brown Creeper were cited as examples
of species common some years and nearly absent during several subsequent
years. Each banding station has its own peculiarities, and species taken may
differ radically from those taken at nearby stations. The speaker slated that
400,000 birds are now wearing bands.

6. A Research Library in Ornithology. Frank C. Pellett, Hamilton, Illinois.

The paper, read in the absence of the author by T. C. Stephens, advocates
a movement for the establishment of one or more ornithological libraries by
the Wilson Ornithological Club, for which books may be solicited. Such a
library is to be left in the custody of some permanent and centrally located
institution, and the books are to be subject to withdrawal by bird students
under terms to be worked out. Consideration of the suggestions was deferred
to the Business Sessions.

7. Some Studies of the Dipper, or Water Ouzel. Dr. C. E. , Ehinger, Keokuk.
Iowa.

Dr. Ehinger made his observations in the Slate of Washington, and
throughout the winter months. This bird frequently sings in mid-winter and
mates very early. The song is wild and ringing, “every note seems born of
running water.” It was observed swimming on the surface as well as under
water, and was occasionally seen eating salmon eggs.

8. In the Haunts of Cairns’s Warbler. C. W. Eifrig, Oak Park, Illinois.

A description of the bird life among the mountains of Western Maryland,
where the' altitude goes to 2400 feet above sea level — a rough, heavily-wooded,
well watered region. Among the breeding warblers observed were the Cairns’s,
Canada, and both the Northern and Louisiana Water-Thrushes. On subse-
quent visits here the author found the various species to vary considerably in
numbers.

Saturday Morning, December 1, 1928

9. Bird Photography on the Pearl Islands, Panama. Walter E. Hastings, Michi-
gan Department of Conservation. (Motion Pictures).

Excellent motion pictures, principally of seabird colonies which had been
visited during the breeding season.

10. My Barn Swallows. Lynds Jones, Oberlin College, Ohio.

Dr. Jones described the spring and summer habits and yearly variations in
a colony of Barn Swallows which nested near his home.

11. The Future of Wild Birds. Clarence Bretsch, Gary, Indiana.

Mr. Bretsch made a plea for further conservation, and for more popular
interest in bird life. Among the many possible ways for accomplishing this
result Mr. Bretsch suggested the establishment of a trust fund for the benefit
of the Wfl.son Bulletin. Such an additional income would make possible a
larger magazine, more and better illustrations, and a wider distribution. As
a result of this plea several life memberships were subscribed at this meeting.

Proceedings

53

12. Methods of Expressing Relative Abundance. L. II. Dice, Museum of Zoology,
Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Dr. Dice called attention to the general lack of uniformity in the terms
now being used for the purpose of denoting the relative abundance of birds
in a given geographical area, and to the great possible variance of interpreta-
tion of the various terms which are in use. Some authors may object to
standardizing a few terms because of the possible result of monotony in read-
ing the annotated lists. Ele suggested consideration of the method in use
by plant ecologists of counting numbers on a given series of uniform areas
and of Linsdale’s method of averaging the results of a number of days’
observations. The paper elicited considerable discussion and the suggestion
of placing the matter in the hands of a committee for further study was
referred to the Business Sessions.

13. Results from Banding Harris’s Sparrows. O. A. Stevens, Fargo, N. D.

For the past three years Prof. Stevens has had a good deal of experience
in trapping and banding this species. In the fall of 1926 he trapped and
banded forty-four of the birds, and a larger number in each succeeding season.
Further studies are in progress, and a full report is contemplated within the
next year or two. In the absence of Prof. Stevens the paper was read by
T. C. Stephens.

14. The Systematic Status of the Gyrfalcons. Walter Koelz, University of Michi
gan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Demonstrations).

The author described the known status of the various subspecies of this
little-known falcon, and exhibited numerous skins, explaining the differences
between them. These specimens were collected along the coasts of Labrador,
Greenland, and about Baffin’s Bay. Specimens are difficult to get, and nests
more so, being located usually in inaccessible places among the coastal cliffs.
Two sets of eggs, which were exhibited, resembled those of the Duck Hawk,
but were much larger. The nearly white birds were Falco candicans, breeding
in northwest Greenland, while the very dark and quite rare Falco rusticollis
obsoletus is from Labrador.

15. Sea Birds from the South Atlantic. George Finlay Simmons, Cleveland
Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio. (Lantern Slides).

This narrative of the two-year cruise of the Blossom through the South
Atlantic was sufficiently varied from the author’s account at our Chicago
meeting to make it fully interesting to those who had heard him before. The
lecturer’s beautifully colored slides and his interesting experiences held his
hearers’ attention from beginning to end. Plenty of ornithology is included.

Saturday Afternoon, December 1, 1929

16. Notes on the Mockingbird. Albert F. Ganier, Nashville, Tennessee. (Motion
Pictures) .

Mr. Ganier gave an account of the life history of this species based upon
years of close association. The Mockingbird is one of the most prominent
of our native birds, with such outstanding characteristics as its vocal ability,
pugnacity, grace, domesticity, and hardiness. It holds its own in numbers
and enjoys complete protection from man. It is non-migratory. Its chief
enemies are jays and grackles, which puncture the eggs, curious small boys,
and cats, which catch the young. The motion pictures showed a Mockingbird
putting to rout a cat which had attempted to capture the young.

17. Pet Birds. Ned Dearborn, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
(Lantern Slides).

The speaker gave interesting sketches of birds which he has, at one time
or another, made pets of, including the Crow, Blue Jay, Screech Owl, Brown
Creeper, Flicker, Ruffed Grouse, Sora Rail, and others. Dr. Dearborn has
never caged any of his pets.

18. Bird Banding in Luce County, Michigan. Oscar M. Bryens, McMillan,
Michigan. Read by title.

54

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

19. The Fortunes of a Pair of Beli’s Vireos. Margaret M. Nice, Columbus, Ohio.

This paper dealt with three nests built by a pair during one season in
Oklahoma. Young from the first nest were reared, but the next two broods
met disaster. No further attempts were made to nest after July 5. These
birds sing all summer, and well into September. They are much imposed
upon by Cowbirds, the young of which, however-, are not often raised.

20. A Veteran European Bird Bander. C. W. Eifrig, Oak Park, Illinois.

Prof. Eifrig here described the efforts of one of the early German bird
banders who, encouraged by an ornithological society, banded many gulls,
starlings, storks, and other species.

21. Dr. Elliott Coues — A Sketch. Mrs. H. J. Taylor, Sioux City, Iowa.

Mrs. Taylor presented a resume of the life of this vigorous figure in
American ornithology, witli many sidelights on his personality. The paper-
included some facts relative to his work as historian of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition which have not been presented in his previous ornithological biog-
raphies. Because of his interest in the history of this expedition. Dr. Coues
was invited, as one of the guests of honor, to he present at the reinterment
of the hones of Sergeant Floyd, at Sioux City, in 1895. Dr. Coues attended
and spoke, and was also a guest in Mrs* Taylor’s home.

22. Bird Banding Operations. Frank W. Robl, Ellinwood, Kansas. Read by title.

23. Migration Routes as Indicated by Specific Returns. F. E. Ludwig, Michigan
State College, East Lansing, Michigan. (Lantern Slides).

By operating a number of traps in varied situations a greater variety of
birds was secured. By co-operation with other banders nearby a number of
interesting facts were ascertained in regard to the direction of flight. Grackles,
for instance, were found to follow an east and west direction at times.

24. Comments on the Bird Life of Southeastern Michigan. T. L. Hankinson,
State Normal School, Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Lantern Slides).

Prof. Hankinson gave a description of the bird life found in various
habitats in this area, such as open marsh, wooded swamp, upland woods,
open fields, sand dunes, etc. Excellent slides showing breeding colonies of
Black-crowned and Great Blue Herons, Black Terns, and individual nests
of many other species were shown.

BUSINESS SESSIONS

Several Business Sessions were held at different times during the meeting.
Miss Marjorie Ruth Ross and Mr. P. B. Coffin each acted as Secretary pro
tempore, in the absence of the Secretary. The minutes of the last annual meet-
ing were read and approved. The Secretary’s report for the past year was read
and approved. A letter from the Secretary was also read tendering his resigna-
tion, owing to the pressure of professional duties. This resignation was accepted
with much regret, because of the efficient and faithful services of Secretary
Gloyd during the past three years. Treasurer J. W. Stack read his official report,
which indicated that the organization is solvent. The Treasurer’s report was
referred to an Auditing Committee (consisting of Messrs. Ganier and Bretsch
and Miss Ross) and was later adopted by motion. The reports of the Secretary
and of the Treasurer are printed further on in, these proceedings.

The Editor discussed the affairs of the Wilson Bulletin, and mentioned
some improvements which might be made when more funds are available. The
amount of unpublished material on hand at present will justify an increased
number of pages. More income will also make possible more and better
illustration.

Mr. Bretsch, for the Endowment Fund Committee, outlined the work which
has been accomplished to date, and announced that several Life Memberships

Proceedings

55

George Miksch Sutton
Newly Elected Vice-President

The matter of delinquent members
was discussed. There seemed to be a
general desire to show as much leni-
ency as is consistent with good busi-
ness procedure. It was brought out,
however, that members frequently drop
out without the formality of a resigna-
tion, and that it is useless to continue
to send the Bulletin to them. It was
finally decided that the mailing list should be checked up quite strictly before
the March issue is mailed, and that the June issue should not be sent to delin-
quent members, unless they have made
request for extension of time.

The matter of ornithological libraries
was briefly discussed and was referred
to a committee of which T. C. Stephens
was made Chairman.

The matter of abundance terms was
referred by motion to a Committee
consisting of Dr. Lynds Jones, Mr. A.

F. Gather, and Dr. L. R. Dice, with
hope that a report would be made at
the next annual meeting.

General approval was expressed for
holding the next annual meeting, in
1929, at Des Moines in conjunction
with the A. A. A. S. (Since the meet-
ing the Executive Committee has taken
definite action fixing this meeting at
Des Moines during the last week in
December, 1929). No action has yet
been taken concerning the place of the

Dr. Jesse M. Shaver
Newly Elected Secretary-

had been subscribed at one hundred
dollars each. The matter of the En-
dowment Fund will shortly be placed
before the membership by the Com-
mittee. (The details of the trust fund
agreement will he found on page 58 of
the Bulletin for March, 1927).

The suggestion was made that our
present Constitution is becoming more
or less obsolete in many respects. The
President was authorized to appoint a
committee to make a study of the Con-
stitution and By-laws, and to recom-
mend such revisions as the Committee
may think necessary. Mr. Percival
Brooks Coffin was appointed Chairman
of this Committee.

56

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

meeting in 1930, but the A. A. A. S. meets in Cleveland, while in 1931 it
meets in New Orleans.

The President was authorized to appoint a committee to carry on efforts to
raise the Endowment Fund, by whatever plan may seem best in their judgment.
Mr. A. F. Ganier was made Chairman of this Committee.

A Committee on Resolutions consisting of Mrs. H. J. Taylor, Chairman,
Mrs. Margaret M. Nice, and Frol. C. W. G. Eifrig, was appointed. Resolutions
were later adopted thanking the hosts for their part in making the meeting so
great a success. Appreciation was especially expressed to Dr. Alexander G.
Ruthven, Director of the Museum of Zoology, in which the meetings were held;
to Dr. J. Van Tyne, who acted as a most efficient and painstaking Local Com-
mittee Chairman: and to the Officers of the Michigan Union, for their very
great kindness in extending hospitality to our visiting members. Appreciation
was expressed to all of the W. 0. C. officers for their loyal and sacrificing
services during the past year.

The Nominating Committee, which had been appointed early in the meeting,
consisted of Mr. P. B. Coffin, Chairman, Prof. T. L. Hankinson, and T. C.
Stephens. This committee presented a report recommending the following per-
sons as officers for the ensuing year.

For President — Lynds Jones, Obei'lin, Ohio.

For Vice-President — George Miksch Sutton, Harrisburg, Pa.

For Secretary — Jesse M. Shaver, Nashville, Tenn.

For Treasurer — J. W. Stack, East Lansing, Mich.

For Councillors — Thos. H. Whitney, Atlantic, Iowa: Wm. G. Fargo, Jackson,
Michigan; Myron H. Swenk, Lincoln, Nebraska; Mrs. Margaret M. Nice, Colum-
bus, Ohio; C. W. G. Eifrig, Oak Park, Illinois.

By motion the report of the Committee was adopted and the persons named
as above were declared elected to serve as officers for 1929.

One of the most interesting features of the Ann Arbor meeting was an exhibit
of bird paintings, secured and arranged by the Muesum of Zoology. The pictures
were displayed in an attractive way, and drew large numbers of interested per-
sons, not only among the visitors, but from the local community. A number of
the pictures exhibited were for sale and a number were sold for as much as
SHOO. The amount of effort and responsibility necessary to successfully hold an
exhibit of this kind will probably be understood and appreciated only by those
who have undertaken the task. While the exhibit was not as large as those
held by the A. 0. U., it was nevertheless a splendid one and very much ap-
preciated. Ihe Wilson Ornithological Club wishes to thank the Museum ot
Zoology for this unusual and unexpected contribution to the success of the meet-
ing. Following is given a complete list of the artists and their exhibits:

Brasher, Rex: Chickadee.

Brooks, Allan: Goshawk, Prairie Falcon, Kirtland Warbler.

Bull, Charles L.: Eider Ducks, Wood Ducks, White Owl, Courage of Wild

Eagle and Kingbird.

Danaher, Dave: Mallard.

Dingle, E. von S.: Phoebe and Purple Magnolia, Summer T onager and Mag-

nolia Grandiflora, Purple Gallinule and Nest and Young, Green-winged Teal.

Proceedings

57

Horsfall, R. Bruce: Robin, Violet-green Swallow, China Pheasant, Stellar Jay,

Towhee, ll hip-poor-will, Nighthawk, fVater Ouzel, Killdeer, Cardinal, Tree
Sparrows, Coivbirds, Y ellowthroat, Black-headed Grosbeak.

Hunt, Lynn Bocue: Sharp-shinned Hawk and Woodcock, Ruffed Grouse Flush-

ing from the Mountainside, Jumping Mallards ± Old Squaws Out of the Mist.
Jaques, F. L.: Grey Geese and Cedars, Tropic Sea.

Murie, 0. J.: Early Spring on Hudson Bay, Old Squaw, Downy Young Emperor

Goose, Downy Young Wandering Tattler, Red-faced Cormorant, Canada Jay,
Pacific Eider.

Plath, Carl: Wood Duck Family, Florida Pelicans, Impeyan Pheasant, Ber-

muda Tropic Bird.

Poole, E. L.: Long-eared Owl, Duck Hawk, American Oystercatcher.

Sutton, George Miksch: White-eared Hummingbirds and Scarlet Delphinium ,

Screech Owl, Flint-heads, or Wood Ibises, Blue-winged Tanager, Young Pied-
billed Grebe, Avocet.

Taverner, P. A.: Dendroica Kirtlandi.

Thorburn, A.: Black Cock.

Wing, George S.: Common Tern, Herring Gull, Black-crowned Night Heron.

We understand that the Museum is endeavoring to build up a collection of
bird paintings for its own archives, in which it is desired to have every bird
artist represented. Besides paintings the Museum exhibited a number of rare
ornithological books, many of which contained old color plates. A similar collec-
tion of rare ornithological books has been under way for some time.

The Annual Dinner was held on Friday evening at the Michigan Union, and
was attended by approximately fifty persons. Following the dinner Mr. Walter E.
Hastings showed several reels of motion pictures of bird life, and gave many
interesting incidents connected with them. The noon luncheon of each day was
taken at the Michigan Union, where there was opportunity for informal social
intercourse. At noon on Friday a group photograph was made in front of the
Museum ; the attendance was considerably larger on Saturday. Between sessions
and on Saturday evening many members availed themselves of the opportunity
to examine the collections of bird skins and eggs in the Museum, and to browse
about in the very excellent ornithological library gathered largely through the
efforts of Mr. Norman A. Wood, of the Museum Staff.

On Sunday those who remained over were conducted over the campus and
through such buildings as they wished to visit. The University of Michigan is
now one of the largest and most important among the institutions of higher
learning in the world. Unless we are mistaken in our information the annual
income of the University is about five million dollars. At the close of the meet-
ing the general feeling prevailed that it had been as successful as any held
previously, and there was also a general feeling of regret that more of our
members can not participate. We have a standing invitation to return to Ann
Arbor at any future time.

rrwr

58

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

GROUP AT THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL W. 0. C. MEETING, AT ANN ARBOR

Proceedings

59

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FOR 1928

* November 26, 1928.

To the Officers and Members of the Wilson Ornithological Club:

I wish to submit the following report on the activities of the Secretary’s
office for the current year to date.

A continuous effort has been made on the part of the Secretary and other
officers, especially the Editor, to add to the membership roll throughout the year.
As the result of these endeavors 112 new members have been secured. This total
classified according to rank is as follows: sustaining 5, active 22, associate 85.

The distribution of new members by states: Alabama 1, Arkansas 1, Cali-
fornia 7, Florida 2, Georgia 2, Idaho 1, Illinois 9, Indiana 1, Iowa 6, Kentucky

I, Kansas 4, Massachusetts 6, Maryland 1, Michigan 13, Minnesota 3, Missouri 1,
Nebraska 1, New Mexico 1, New Jersey 2, New York 6, North Carolina 2, Ohio
6, Pennsylvania 13, South Dakota 1, Tennessee 7, Texas 1, Washington 1, Wiscon-
sin 4, District of Columbia 2, Canada 6.

The various officers and members responsible for the applications of new
members are as follows: H. K. Gloyd 55, T. , C, Stephens 18, A. F. Ganier 8,

J. W. Stack 4, J. Van Tyne 4, W. I. Lyon 3, Marjorie Ruth Ross 2, and fourteen
others one each.

At present the total membership is 702; honorary 4, life members 3, sus-
taining 64, active 248, associate 383. Of this number 39 are in arrears for the
payment of two years’ dues and forty are in arrears for the current year. All of
these have been sent four notices by the Treasurer and a special letter from the
Secretary, a copy of which is attached hereto. Action on these delinquent mem-
bers will be taken in accordance with the policy adopted at the Ann Arbor
meeting.

During the past year 31 members have resigned, 7 are deceased, and 28 have
been dropped for long-standing delinquency in payment of dues, making a loss
of 66 from the roll of the organization.

Very truly yours,

Howard K. Gloyd, Secretary.

*The statistics in the report are corrected to the end of the calendar year.

KEY TO THE GROUP PHOTOGRAPH. (A long dash after a number indicates
that the person could not be named by the local Committee). 1, George Finlay Sim-
mons. 2, Canuto G. Manuel. 3, Russell Lee Walp. 4, Clark H. Gleason, Jr. 5, .

6 .Milton B. Trautman. 7, Lawrence E. Hicks. 8, Prof. T. L. Hankinson. 9, C. E.
Holcombe. 10, Dr. Lynds Jones. 11, — — . 12, Percival Brooks Coffin. 13, Prof. T. C.

Stephens. 14, Prof. C. W. G. Eifrig. 15, Albert F. Ganier. 16, Charles F. Walker.
17, S. Prentiss Baldwin. 18, George S. Wing. 19, Prof. J. W. Stack. 20, F. E.

Ludwig. 21. Clarence Bretsch. 22, William I. Lyon. 23, . 24, Dr. Josselyn

Van Tyne. 25, Harold F. Wing. 26, Louis W. Campbell. 27, Walter E. Hastings.

28, Leonard W. Wing. 29, . 30, Mrs. H. J. Taylor. 31, Mrs. Lucy Baxter

Coffin. 32, Mrs. Margaret M. Nice. 33, Mrs. T. C. Stephens. 34, Mrs. Nettie Purdy
Moore. 35, . 36, Mrs. Clarence Bretsch. 37, Mrs. Lynds Jones. 38, Miss Mar-

jorie Ruth Ross. 39. Mrs. Ada S. Murray. 40, Mrs. Walter E. Hastings. 41, Prof.
Norman A. Wood. 42, Mrs. Etta S. Wilson. 43, Dr. Miles D. Pirnie. 44, Oscar P.
Allert. (Addresses may be obtained from the register).

60

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

Register of Attendance at the Ann Arbor Meeting

From Tennessee: Albert F. Ganier, Nashville. From Indiana: Mr. and

Mrs. Clarence Bretsch, Gary. From Wisconsin: Aldo Leopold, Madison. From

Iowa: Dr. C. E. Ehinger, Keokuk; Oscar P. Allert, McGregor; Mrs. H. J.

Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Stephens, Sioux City. From Illinois: Wm. I.

Lyon, Waukegan; A. B. Winslow, Clarence E. Holcombe, Zion; Lucy Baxter
Coffin, Percival Brooks Coffin, H. D. Davis, Chicago; Prof. G. Eifrig, River
Forest. From Ohio: Dr. and Mrs. Lynds Jones, Clark H. Gleason, Oberlin;

S. Prentiss Baldwin, George Finlay Simmons, Cleveland; Lawrence E. Hicks,
Charles F. Walker, Mrs. Margaret M. Nice, Columbus; Prof. E. L. Moseley,
Bowling Green; Russell Lee Walp, Youngstown; Edward Carroll Arnos, J. A.
Sweeny, Lew Klewer, Nevin 0. Winter, Lewis W. Campbell, Ethel Atkinson,
Velma Roltenstein, Toledo. From Pennsylvania: Marjorie Ruth Ross, Helen B.

Gere, Stale College; Warren F. Jacobs, Waynesburg. From Michigan (outside
of Ann Arbor): Mrs. Nettie Purdy Moore, Ada S. Murray, Plymouth; Mrs.
Edith C. Munger, Hart: Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Hastings, Howell; Harry Grant,
Birmingham; Victor L. Smith, Royal Oak; Dr. W. A. Wellemeyer, Vassar; Harvey
Swanebeck, Fenton; Prof. Wm. E. Praeger, Kalamazoo; Prof. Frank Smith,
Bertram Barber, Hillsdale; Prof, and Mrs. Thos. L. Hankinson, Janet Hankinson,
Wm. C. Prewitt, Helen Dolman, Geneva Smilhe, Mr. and Mrs. F. R. Gorton,
Ypsilanti; W. B. Purdy, Milton; P. S. Lovejoy, Dr. Miles D. Pirnie, J. W. Stack,
F. E. Ludwig, Lansing; Helen McCain, Harold Wing, Geo. S. Wing, Leonard W.
Wing, Wm. G. Fargo, Jackson; Mrs. Etta S. Wilson, Dr. A. W. Blain, W. Bryant
Tynell, William P. Harris, Jr., Detroit; Mildred Adams, Emily Butterfield, Mrs.
C. Wilbur, Katherine Sprague, Mrs. W. D. Irish, Farmington. From Ann
Arbor: Dr. J. Van Tyne, Mr. and Mrs. Norman A. Wood, Adolph Murie, Dr.

and Mrs. A. G. Ruthven, Dr. Frank N. Blanchard, James Wood, M. Graham
Netting, Dr. Lee R. Dice, Victor A. Cahalane, Paul D. Dalhe, Elgin R. Hall,
Robert M. Bradley, Canuto G. Manuel, Dr. Carl R. Hubbs, Arthur Svihla, Charles

V. Green, Randall McCain, LeRoy C. Stegman, L. C. Stuart, Dr. Walter N. Koelz,
Dr. Ned Dearborn, H. M. Wright, Prof. Alvin G. Whitney, A. D. Tinker, W. W.
Newcomb, Lawrence H. Walkinshaw, Dr. Peter Okkelberg, Mrs. Calvin Goodrich,

W. B. Hinsdale, O. E. Hunt.

Summary of Attendance: Tennessee, 1; Indiana, 2; Wisconsin, 1; Iowa, 5;

Illinois, 7; Ohio, 17; Pennsylvania, 3; Michigan (outside of Ann Arbor), 38:
Ann Arbor, 31. Total, 106. Total outside of Ann Arbor, 75.

Proceedings

61

REPORT OF THE TREASURER FOR 1928

East Lansing, Mich., November 23, 1928.

Receipts for 1928

Cash in bank, November 1, 1927 $ 339.33

Dues from Sustaining Members 300.00

Dues from Active Members 550.37

Dues from Associate Members.. 604.34

Subscriptions from Organizations 60.00

Foreign subscriptions 4.00

Total excess on checks 1.52

Additional Bulletins to members 19.75

Reprints 44.25

Contribution to the March Bulletin 38.00

Contribution to the June Bulletin 20.00

Total income $1,981.56

Disbursements for 1928

Printing four issues, Wilson Bulletin $1,034.00

Halftones and zinc plates 96.74

Addressing envelopes for Bulletin 11.80

Cost of mailing Bulletins for 19271 29.15

Authors’ reprints2 6.25

Cost of publication $1,177.94

Secretary’s expense, postage, mimeographing, etc 145.54

Treasurer’s expense, postage, printing, etc 53.15

Printing of general stationery 21.00

Printing of Nashville programs 9.00

Corporation seal 5.75

Refund 2.00

Transferred to Endowment Fund 40.00

Total disbursements $1,454.38

Cash balance on hand 527.18

$1,981.56

Endowment Fund, November 23, 1928 $325.00

Endowment Fund, January 1, 1920 534.08

J. W. Stack, Treasurer.

IThe corresponding item in last year’s report was for the year 1926, not for
1927 as printed. This item includes cost of mailing the Bulletin at second class
rate, foreign postage, postage due on returned copies, postage on each local de-
livery, parcel postage on manuscripts, photographs, etc.

2The author remitted through the Club treasury.

62

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

COMMUNICATIONS

Editor, Wilson Bulletin: Owing to the widespread popular interest in the

westward advance of the European Starling in America, as shown by the frequent
news items in the daily papers, the suggestion has been made that an up-to-date
map, prepared from information supplied by members of the Wilson Orni-
thological Club, should be published in the Bulletin. From time to time this
map may he revised and re-published as new information is sent in. Present in-
formation indicates that a rapid movement of these birds to the westward and
southwestward across the Mississippi River is being exhibited. Reports of the
appearance of these birds in new localities should be sent promptly to the Editor.

E. C. Hoffman.

Lakewood, Ohio, February 5, 1929.

[We will be glad to receive such reports, and will count on Mr. Hoffman’s
draughtsmanship in preparing the map. — Ed.]

Editor, Wilson Bulletin: Referring hack to the Wilson Bulletin for

September, 1928 (page 207), and to a short note on “Catbirds Remain Mated,”
by Mr. Perkins, I notice that Mr. Perkins’ authority for the expression “remain
mated” seems to be based on the fact that the birds were no doubt mated in
June and July, 1926, and that both were taken together nesting nearby on June
24, 1927. But why “remain mated”? Really so able a lawyer as Mr. Perkins
can hardly claim that as good evidence that they have been mated during the
entire year intervening.

Sometimes my House Wrens conic back to the same spot, and have the same
mate a second season; hut does it mean any more than that the male having
come back to the same box and territory and taken possession of it, is discovered
there by the female upon her return, and both being fit and ready they become
re-mated.

The same question arises in the note of Dr. Hayes on the previous page (206)
in the case of his Towhees taken together again after a period of two years.
Why assume that they have been together all of the two years? The fact is
very interesting and we need far more actual observation, but must not attribute
to the birds an idealism in love, which does not even prevail so very well in
the human family.

We know that a considerable proportion of adult birds of these species re-
turn to the same place at the, same time of year, so the chances are very good
that the same two birds will re-mate.

We are not even sure what is good morals for the bird, as good morals
means for them what is best for the race; and we are not sure that it is best
for their health and self preservation and best for the race that the mates try to
keep near each other all the year.

S. Prentiss Baldwin.

Gates Mills, Ohio, January 10, 1929.

Communications

63

Editor, Wilson Bulletin: The comment of my good friend, Mr. Baldwin,

on the Catbird item is at hand. It is the raising of pertinent questions, such as
this one, so characteristic of Mr. Baldwin, that opens a continually enlarging
field of research.

Of course, birds may not stay in the same balewick during the winter. Each
may have a different winter resort, learned of before either was old enough to
think of mating. Each would naturally return there for succeeding winters.
There would be no demonstrations of love by these or other birds during the
winter even if together in the south on migration. There would be difficulty in
producing proof that they were paired between breeding seasons. Such facts do
not militate against their remaining mated for they surely are not taking another
mate. We may be able to produce evidence, Mr. Hayes and myself and others
interested in this question, that these mated birds start south at the same time in
the fall and return together in the spring, or that they even keep in each others’
company after the brood is able to look after itself.

As bits of additional evidence come to hand let us write of them so as to
fortify the presumption with proof.

Samuel E. Perkins, III.

Indianapolis, Ind., January 14, 1929.

To the Editor: It is only fair that the original Heath Hen Committee should
be given a chance to correct some unfortunate and incorrect impressions which are
likely to be circulated among ornithologists through your review of Dr. Gross’s
monograph on the Heath Hen, published in the December, 1928. Wilson
Bulletin.

The State Division of Fisheries and Game long ago realized the great hazards
surrounding this bird, and in spite of some adverse pressure has expended a very
large sum of money on its welfare over a period of nearly thirty years. After
the great fire in 1916, there was a loss of birds followed by a rapid recovery.
This, again, was followed by a steady decline, as Dr. Gross’s tables will show,
which continues, until today we find the species at the vanishing point.

A special warden was placed on the island in the late spring of 1925, largely
through the efforts of the Federation of the Bird Clubs of New England, with
various other conservation bodies and many individuals contributing. This warden
was kept on duty for two years. The State then felt able to place a regular
warden, Mr. Karl A. Eckert, on the island, who, with Mr. Allan Keniston, long
in charge of the Heath Hen Reservation, made two wardens for this small island.
It was the best policed area in Massachusetts, so far as fish and game matters
were concerned.

By this time (spring of 1927) the birds, as revealed by our census, were at
such a low ebb that we decided to drop the services of our special warden. We
felt that we were no longer justified in asking our contributors to give to a
cause which was hopeless. Also, we felt that the State had the situation well in
hand, and that our special warden could render no further aid to the cause we
had so deeply at heart.

At this moment a local committee was formed on the island, which continued
to finance our special warden, with the help later of the journal, National Sports-

64

The Wilson Bulletin — March, 1929

man. The Heath Hen, as has happened before, became an innocent football of
local jealousies of the bitterest sort, and some very extravagant articles appeared
in the Martha's Vineyard Gazette and the National Sportsman, and also in Boston
newspapers. The special warden was discontinued by the new committee in the
summer of 1928.

It is not true that our special warden was hindered in the performance of
his duty by lack of permits for the killing of predatory birds and mammals,
either while under our orders or afterwards. He was given adequate authority
from the State covering all species of hawks and owls which could by any
stretch of the imagination be considered a source of danger to the Heath Hen.
But long before this warden ended his period of duty with this committee we
felt certain that the decline of the Heath Henl had not been caused primarily by
predatory birds or mammals. All these were under good control.

We shall never know for certain the exact cause or causes which have
brought about the decline of this interesting species. The factors involved are
too many and too subtle to yield to our present) crude methods of approaching a
complex ecological problem. But, no matter how the decline was brought about,
we feel that the State, the conservation organizations, and the many individuals
who contributed have all done their part in this attempt to save the Heath Hen
from extinction.

Heath Hen Committee,

Charles B. Floyd.
Francis H. Allen.
John C. Phillips.
William C. Adams,
Robert Walcott.

Boston, Mass., January 31, 1929.

NECROLOGY

Many members of the Wilson Ornithological Club will regret to hear of the
death of Rev. W. F. IJenninger, for many years a resident of Ohio, an active
student of birds, and a loyal member of the W. O. C.

Walther F. Henninger was born at Herman, Mo., on December 2, 1873.
He died at Manchester, Mich., on February 2, 1929, being a little over fifty-five
years of age. When eleven years old his father died, and his mother took him
to Europe, where he was placed in a school for boys maintained by the Moravian
Church. It was here that his interest in nature was first developed. After
graduation from this school he returned to America and prepared to become a
minister in the Evangelical Synod, serving chiefly in Ohio. From 1922-1927 he
represented his Church in Brazil, but impaired health compelled him to re-
linquish this work. After spending nearly a year at the health resorts of Ger-
many he returned to Ohio, and later took up pastoral work in Michigan. Inter-
ment was at Tiffin, Ohio. For some years Mr. Henninger was active in the
W. 0. C., and held the offices of Treasurer and President.

TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Our members are urged to submit articles for publication in the Bulletin
Short items are desired for the department of General Notes, as well as longer
contributions, especially pertaining to life-history, migration, ecology, behavior,
song, economic ornithology, field equipment and methods, etc. Local faunal lists
are also desired, but they should be annotated, at least briefly, and should be
based upon sufficient study to be reasonably complete. Authors are asked to
include the common name, the scientific name (from the A. 0. U. check-list), and
annotations, and they should be arranged in this order. The annotations should
include explicit data concerning unusual species. Omit serial numbering.

The Manuscript. The manuscript, or copy, should be prepared with due
regard for literary style, correct spelling and punctuation. Use sheets of paper of
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wide margins; if at all possible manuscript should be prepared with a type-
writer, using double spacing and a reasonably fresh, black ribbon.

The title should be carefully constructed so as to indicate most clearly the
nature of the subject matter of the contribution. Where the paper deals with a
single species it is desirable to include in the title both the common and the
scientific names, or, to include the scientific name in the introductory paragraph.
Contributors are requested to mark at the top of the first page of the manu-
script the number of words contained. This will save the editor’s time and will
be appreciated.

Manuscripts intended for publication in any particular issue should be in the
hands of the editor sixty to ninety days prior to the date of publication.

Illustrations. To reproduce well prints should have good contrast with
detail. In sending prints the author should attach to each one an adequate
description or legend.

Bibliography. The scientific value of some contributions is enhanced by
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author’s name, full title of the paper, both the year and volume of the periodical,
and pages, first and last.

Proof. Galley proof will be regularly submitted to authors. Page proofs
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Separates. The Club is unable, under present financial conditions, to fur-
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[■JiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiimiiiimiimimmiiiiimiiiimiiiiiiiiiiimfT]

Annual Meetings of the Wilson Ornithological Club

Retiring

1914 — Chicago. February 5. President

Chicago Academy of Sciences.

1914 — Chicago. December 29-30.

New Morrison Hotel T. C. Stephens

1915 — Columbus. December 28-29.

With the A. A. A. S T. C. Stephens

1916 — Chicago December 27-28.

New Morrison Hotel. T. C. Stephens

1917 — Pittsburgh. January 1-2, 1918.

With the A. A. A. S W. F. Henninger

1918 — No meeting on account of the

exigencies of war M. H. Swenk

1919 — St. Louis. December 29-30.

With the A. A. A. S M. H. Swenk

1920 — Chicago. December 27-28.

With the A. A. A. S R. M. Strong

1921 — Chicago. December 26-27.

The Field Museum R. M. Strong

1922 — Chicago. October 26 T. L. Hankinson

1923 — Cincinnati. Dec. 31, 1923-Jan. 1, 1924.

With the A. A. A. S T. L. Hankinson

1924 — Nashville. November 28-29-30.

Peabody College A. F. Ganier

1925 — Kansas City. December 28-29.

With the A. A. A. S A. F. Ganier

1926 — Chicago. November 26-27.

Chicago Academy of Sciences.— A. F. Ganier

1927 — Nashville. Dec. 30, 1927-Jan. 1, 1928.

With the A. A. A. S Lynds Jones

1928 — Ann Arbor. Nov. 31-Dec. 1, 1928.

Museum of Zoology ..Lynds Jones

[•jiiitiiiiiiHHiiiimiiiiiHiimiimiiiimtiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiitiimiHiiHiiiiiimmiiiHtiiiiiiimiiiiiHiiiiiiQ

JUL 1 - 1929

Vol. XLI (Old Series) No. 2 June, 1929

A Magazine of Field Ornithology

Published by the

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

at

SIOUX CITY, IOWA

THE

Entered as Second-class Mail Matter, July 13, 1916, at the PostofHco at
Sioux City, Iowa, under Act of March 3, 1879.

CONTENTS

Frontispiece Photograph of a Heath Hen

The Heath Hen Census for 1929 By Alfred 0. Gross 67-71

Nesting of the Pine Siskin in North Dakota

By Russell Reid 72-74

Nesting of the Pine Siskin in Iowa with Remarks on
Regurgitative Feeding

By Marie Dales and Walter W. Bennett 74-77

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska: Its Seasonal Abundance

and Nesting By Myron H. Swenk 74-77

Notes on Bird Mimicry with Special Reference to the

Mockingbird (Mimus Polyglottos) By Frank F. Gander 93-95
Some Unusual Water Bird Visitors to Tennessee

By Albert F. Ganier 96-100

Editorial 101

General Notes ■ 102-107

Communications 107

Bird Photography 108-109

Ornithological Literature 110-115

Membership Roll 116-128

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published quarterly, in March, June, September, and December, as the official
organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club, at Sioux City, Iowa.

The current issue of the Wilson Bulletin is printed by the Verstegen Print-
ing Company, Sioux City, Iowa.

The Wilson Bulletin is sent to all members not in arrears for dues. The
subscription price is $1.50 a year, invariably in advance, in the United States.
Outside, of the United States the subscription rate is $2.00. European Agents,
Dulau and Company, Ltd., 34-36 Margaret St., Oxford Circus, London, W. 1.,
England.

All articles and communications for publication, books and publications for
notice, and exchanges, should be addressed to the Editor.

New subscriptions, changes of address, and applications for membership
should be addressed to the Secretary. Personal items, news of events in the
scientific world, and other notes suitable for our “Notes Here and There” de-
partment may also be addressed to the Secretary.

Claims for lost and undelivered copies of the magazine may be addressed
to the Editor.

THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

Founded December 3, 1888. Named after Alexander Wilson, the first Amer-
ican ornithologist.

The officers for the current year are:

President — Dr. Lynds Jones, Spear Laboratory, Oberlin, Ohio.

Vice-President — Mr. George Miksch Sutton, Harrisburg, Pa.

Treasurer — Prof. J. W. Stack, M. A. C., East Lansing, Mich.

Secretary — Prof. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn.

The membership dues are — Sustaining membership, $5.00; active membership,
$2.50; associate membership, $150 per year.

The following societies are affiliated organizations :

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.

The Iowa Ornithologists’ Union.

The Kentucky Ornithological Society.

The Tennessee Ornithological Society.

The Last Living Heath Hen on Earth?

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ORNITHOLOGY
Published by the Wilson Ornithological Club

Vol. XVI JUNE, 1929 No. 2

Vol. XXXVI (New Series) Whole Number 147

THE HEATH HEN CENSUS FOR 1929*

BY ALFRED O. GROSS

With Photographs and Frontispiece by the Author
The annual Heath Hen census on Martha’s Vineyard Island,
Massachusetts, was taken March 30 to April 3, 1929, under the auspices
of the Division of Fisheries and Game. The weather conditions were
ideal during the entire period of the census. Since the last annual
census taken for the Federation of the Bird Clubs of New England,
Inc., in April, 1928, all active protection of the Heath Hen has been
conducted by the State Department. Mr. Allan Keniston, Superin-
tendent of the Heath Hen Reservation, lias continued his trapping
operations and vermin control and has thoroughly patrolled the entire
region occupied by the Heath Hen. The last birds have been more oi
less restricted to the vicinity of the farm owned by James Green,
located near West Tisbury about four miles from the Heath Hen
Reservation.

The recent history of the Heath Hen is well known, but a review
of the numbers of birds seen during the past two years will assist us
in understanding the present status of the birds. In the 1927 spring
census we were able to account for thirteen birds, two of which were
females. In the autumn of that year only seven birds made their ap-
pearance. This flock appeared regularly on the open meadow at the
Green farm, but during the course of the winter it dwindled one by
one until only three males remained at the time of the annual census
in April, 1928. At the approach of summer the three birds dispersed,
as usual, to the scrub oaks where in the course of their wanderings
one more bird was lost, as only two Heath Hens returned to the Green
farm last fall. Special attention was given to these two birds and an
effort was made to locate them each day. According to Mr. Keniston’s
daily reports they were both at the Green farm until December 8,
]928. Since that date only one bird has been seen.

* The official Report of Dr. Gross to the State Division of Fisheries an Game.

Department of Conservation, Massachusetts.

68

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

The Heath Hen

The two figures shown above are from photographs, taken in the wild, ol
the last surviving individual of the race. The photographs were made
from a blind by Dr. Gross on April 2, 1929. The three pictures shown
on this page and in the frontispiece were taken during a period ol ten
minutes, after which the wary creature left the field and went into the
scrub oaks. In one of the pictures the bird was within three feet of

the camera.

The Heath Hen Census for 1929

69

The Heath Hen

The two pictures shown above are from photographs made in the spring
of 1924 by Dr. Gross, on Martha’s Vineyard Island. The upper pic-
ture shows the bird in a characteristic attitude of repose.

70

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

The entire region formerly occupied by the Heath Hen has been
thoroughly combed again and again in the hope that other individuals
would be located. Many interested persons of Martha’s Vineyard
aided in the search, and every place which could possibly harbor a
few birds was visited. To stimulate further efforts to find birds a
reward of $100 was offered jointly by Mr. Thornton W. Burgess, Mr.
Francis A. Foster, and Mr. John E. Howland, to anyone who would
locate three Heath Hen, including a female, in any part of the Island.
Later an offer was made by Mr. Burgess to anyone who would locate

Heath Hein Environment

A sample of the scrub oak on Martha’s Vineyard Island, in which the
Heath Hen has made its last stand, although the one surviving bird
known to exist is not on the Reservation.

a single bird other than the one known to be on the Green Farm.
These rewards have never been claimed, and therefore it is reasonable
to infer that the lone bird at West Tisbury is the very last of bis race.

During the census the observers saw the bird each day in the
open field near the buildings of the farm. It came out of the scrub
oaks bordering the field soon after daylight in the morning, and again
late in the afternoon of each day. The bird was wary and seemed
constantly alert for any impending danger. It was quick to squat
in the grass when a hawk chanced to fly over the field, and at one
lime the swoop of a Marsh Hawk caused the Heath Hen to fly into
its retreat in the scrub oaks. The bird though wary came very near

The Heath Hen Census for 1929

71

to our blind at times to feed on the grain and seeds scattered there to
attract it. Fortunately, this gave the observers excellent opportunities
to make photographs and moving picturing at very close range of the
last Heath Hen living a normal life under natural conditions. This
last bird is a plump male, and its plumage is in perfect condition;
it has every outward appearance of being a perfectly healthy
individual.

We did not see the bird “boom ’ while it was on the field, nor has
it been seen or heard to boom by those who have been keeping it
under daily observation throughout the spring. One morning, how-
ever, we saw it fly to the top of an oak tree, and there it went through
a series of characteristic performances. It erected its tail, threw its
pinnate feathers forward, spread its primaries firmly against the sides
of its body and inflated the orange-colored sacs in the true nuptial
dance style. Even from that vantage point there were no fellow
Heath Hen to admire or to challenge him. It is unusual to see a
Heath Hen perched in a tree, and the “booming” in such a situation
is a real departure from the customary performance. But a bird
bereft of all of its companions might well lie expected to do that
which is unusual.

How long th is bird will continue to live, whether a day or a
year or longer, only time can answer. The death of this bird will
also mean the death of its race. It is the intention of the Massa-
chusetts State Division of Fisheries and Game to allow the last Heath
Hen to live its remaining days in a normal way among the scrub oaks
of its ancestral home on Martha’s Vineyard Island. As long as it
lives it will he carefully observed and protected by the Superintendent
of the Heath Hen Reservation. Never in the history of ornithology
has a species been watched in its normal environment down to the
very last individual.

Bowdoin College,

Brunswick, Maine.

72

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

NESTING OF THE PINE SISKIN IN NORTH DAKOTA

BY RUSSELL REID

Tlie Pine Siskin ( Spinus pinus ) appears to be a fairly common
summer resident in the . vicinity of Bismarck, and a few are found
during the winter months. Migration records for several years indicate
that they arrive in this latitude about the first week in April, in fair
numbers. They commence nest building soon after their arrival. After
the young have left the nest my records show that none are seen nutii
the latter part of September. I do not know where they go, hut pre-

The Pine Siskin on Its Nest
Photographed by Russell Reid at Bismarck, N. D., in 1925

sumably they wander farther north. I have seen siskins every month
in the year, except during the hot summer period of July and August.
When they again arrive in the fall, the majority of them soon depart
for the south. However, they are so erratic that their absence or
occurrence can not he depended upon. I have seen them at Bismarck
in the latter part of January, during our coldest weather, and again
none were seen during the spring of 1927.

Anyone acquainted with the nesting habits of the Pine Siskin can
imagine my surprise on finding my first nest at Bismarck. Bismarck

Nesting of the Pine Siskin in North Dakota

73

is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, on a semi-arid rolling
plain. The elevation is approximately 1650 feet. Trees of any de-
scription are rare, except along the course of streams, and there are
no native coniferous trees. In Bismarck quite a number of spruce
and pine trees have been planted for ornamental purposes.

Nest and Eccs of the Pine Siskin
Photographed by Russell Reid at Bismarck, N. D., in 1925

On April 10, 1925, the first nest was found, well concealed in a
small spruce tree about five feet from the f round. It was made of
dead spruce twigs, bits of cotton, and rootlets, and lined with horse
hair. The nest was rather poorly constructed and loosely placed on
the branches. The outside diameter measured three and one-eighth
inches and the inside diameter one and one-eighth inches.

74

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

The female was not very shy, so I was able to take a photograph
ot her on the nest. As the owner of the tree was afraid that the tree
would be broken down by curious small boys, the nest was removed
and given to me. Upon blowing tbe eggs I found them only slightly
incubated.

During April and May of 1925, five other nests were found in
Bismarck. The height from the ground ranged from five to twenty-five
feet. All were in spruce trees with the exception of one which was
in a small boxelder, nearly dead. All of the nests contained three or
four eggs or young.

The male is very solicitous as to the welfare of the female, and in
all of the nests watched, he was seen feeding her while she sat on the
nest. She, in turn, acted like a dependent nestling and greeted his
approach with food with a shrill twittering and with fluttering wings.
On one occasion he was observed to feed a female on the nest before
any eggs were laid. Withal they were extremely interesting birds, and
if sufficient time were available an interesting study could be made
of them.

I believe the above data comprise the first nesting records for
North Dakota.

North Dakota State Historical Society,

Bismarck, N. Dak.

NESTING OF THE PINE SISKIN IN IOWA WITH REMARKS ON

REGURGITATIVE FEEDING

BY MRS. MARIE DALES AND WALTER W. BENNETT
This paper records two nestings of the Pine Siskin ( Spinus pinus )
at Sioux City, Iowa. 1 he first nest was found by the senior author
while walking through Grandview Park on April 3, 1926. A Pine
Siskin was observed to be busily engaged in tearing up an old Gold-
finch nest, and carrying the salvaged material to a nearby balsam fir
tree, where a new nest was being built on the outer branches about
ten feet up. This nest building was continued for several days, but
the nest was finally blown down in a heavy storm. A few days later
the birds, probably the same pair, came to the senior author’s trapping
station, about two hundred vards south of the first nest, and gathered
cotton. For two days they were seen gathering cotton; then another
storm raged and the birds were not seen again.

On May 20, 1928, the senior author was called to see a nest in a
small cedar tree on the front lawn of a neighbor. Mrs. Geo. Jepson.
Three feet up in an evergreen tree not over four and a half feet high
was a Pine Siskin’s nest containing four remarkably large eggs lor so

Nesting of the Pine Siskin in Iowa

75

small a nest. The female
bird was incubating at
this time. Two days later
one egg hatched, and the
following day another
egg hatched. The other
two eggs disappeared
from the nest. As the
young birds grew one
either fell out, or was
crowded out of the nest.
On May 30 the nest was
empty.

The junior author first
visited this nest at 6:30
A. M. on May 23, and
found two eggs and two
young. One egg was
broken. Tbe size of one
of the young led to the
suspicion that it may have
been a Cowbird. The nest
was made of weed stems
and hair, and was lined
with what appeared to be
cotton and hair.

Pine Siskin on Its Nest, at Sioux City, Iowa. The tameness of tbe

Photographed by W. W. Bennett. , . , . . .

adult birds was remark-
able. On ibis occasion the female remained on the nest until the ob-
server came within five feet. Again the female would return to feed
or brood the young while the junior author stood within two and a half
feet from the nest. She returned to the nest during the placement of
the camera twelve feet away, and once when a white card was put up
on the edge of the nest for focusing she remained brooding fearlessly
behind it. She insisted on brooding the young on this slightly chilly
morning.

After a series of motion pictures had been obtained at a distance
of twelve feet, tbe camera was moved to seven feet. While tbe camera
was being focused the male siskin alighted in a nearby elm tree. As he
gave the characteristic siskin call there was no muffling of the sound,
as might have been expected if the mouth had been fid I of food. The

76

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

male presently Hew to the nest, and in order to have some movie pic-
tures of the exchange of places the camera was started. However,
the bird on the nest did not leave, and in, a moment she had been fed
by the male, and by what was undoubtedly a regurgitative method.

The feeding process was a comparatively long one. As the male
came near, the female turned her head, both of her mandibles began
quivering, just as can be seen when a hen lifts her head after taking
a drink. Then the male gave an evident gulp, shown by the movement
of the throat feathers, and something whitish and soft appeared at the
sides of the beak. The female’s bill was opened and the male pushed
the regurgitated food into it, the female also doing her part in re-
ceiving the food. Then the male’s beak was withdrawn, and after
another gulp more food appeared, and was fed in the same manner
as before. This performance was repeated five times altogether, the
female brooding continuously. Toward the end of the feeding as the
male withdrew his beak from the female’s mouth a string of saliva-
like substance stretched between the two bills; this was immediately
sucked in by the female. There must have been considerable of it,
for there seemed to be a How of it for nearly fifteen seconds. Then
the male Hew away.

The junior author believes there is little possibility of his being
mistaken in interpreting this as regurgitative feeding. At a distance
of a very few feet the male bird's bill was seen open and empty,
then followed distinct throat gulps and soft food appeared each time
between the mandibles. The female took about all of the food at
each feeding that could have been contained within the mouth of the
male, and the junior author clearly saw a several -times larger quan-
tity of food pass between the two birds than could have been held
in the mouth at one time. It is believed that these facts describe
regurgitation.

Our time permitted observation on only this one feeding act on
that morning, but we visited the nest again on the morning of May 27.
and more motion pictures were made of the birds at the nest. At
6:30 A. M. the nest contained one young bird, which proved to be a
Cowbird, and one egg. The female was brooding and did not fly
until Mr. Bennett’s hand was within a foot of her. We could not
determine what had become of the other egg and young bird. The
female returned to the nest while the camera was being set up six
feet away, then she (lew away again.

She did not return again to the nest for twenty-five minutes, and
then fed the young Cowbird six or seven times by regurgitation, after

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

77

which she carried away the excreta. Thirty minutes later she reap-
peared and fed the same way again.

On this morning we were impressed by the length of the interval
between feedings. Most small birds which bring solid and undigested
food to the young make feeding visits every few minutes. With the
Pine Siskin the average interval between feeding visits seemed to be
twenty-five or thirty minutes.

The young Cowbird is perhaps hereditarily accustomed to more
frequent feedings; but when the feedings do come they are volumi-
nous, and the young Cowbird seemed to thrive in spite of the infre-
quent visits of the foster mother.

Sioux City, Iowa.

THE PINE SISKIN IN NEBRASKA: ITS SEASONAL
ABUNDANCE AND NESTING

BY MYRON H. SWENK

Our commonly consulted authorities on bird ranges agree that
the Pine Siskin rarely breeds outside of the coniferous forests of the
Canadian zone of the North and of the higher mountain ranges. Ridg-
way in 1901 (Birds of North and Middle America, Part I. p. 98)
gave its breeding range as the “northern coniferous forest districts of
North America, south to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, parts of New
England, lower Hudson Valiev, mountains of Pennsylvania and south-
ward to high mountains of North Carolina, Minnesota, etc., and on
the high western ranges quite to the southern boundary of the United
States.' The American Ornithologists’ Union Committee in 1910
(Check-List of North American Birds, third edition, revised, p. 250)
stated that the species “breeds mainly in Canadian zone from central
Alaska, southern Mackenzie, southern Keewatin, and southern Ungava
south through the higher mountains of western United States to San
Pedro Martir, Lower California, and southern New Mexico, and to
northern Minnesota, northern Michigan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
and in mountains to North Carolina, and casually in the lower Hudson
Valley and Massachusetts.” As a matter of fact, however, the Pine
Siskin is a rather common breeder, at least in certain years, in eastern
Nebraska and other parts of the upper Missouri Valley, in purely
Upper Austral zone territory. There are over twenty well-authenti-
cated records of the nesting of the Pine Siskin in Nebraska.

It is well known that the Pine Siskin is one of our most irregular
birds in its migratory movements. Here in southeastern Nebraska,

78

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

as elsewhere in its winter range, in some winters this bird is present
in abundance, while in other winters very few or none are seen in the
same localities. Also it may be plentiful in one locality and scarce or
absent in another locality a hundred miles or even less away. In most
years the siskins appear in October and November, first in small num-
bers and later in larger flocks, and remain in suitable localities in
greater or less numbers through the winter. They usually increase in
numbers, often markedly, and in many seasons nest to a limited extent,
during March, April or May. Then sometime between March and late
May or early June they disappear, not to return before the following
fall. The Pine Siskin is thus unlike our other winter residents in that it
is also a breeder, and unlike our other breeders in that it is not a sum-
mer resident, thus making its status rather anomalous. It may perhaps
best be described as an uncommon to abundant, irregular winter visitor
and an irregular but sometimes common breeder over most of
Nebraska.

The students of Nebraska birds prior to 1900 noted the presence
of the Pine Siskin in the state, but apparently did not suspect that it
might be a breeder here. Professor Bruner noted the presence of this
bird in the vicinity of West Point during the season of 1881-82, and
later on observed it at Omaha. Mr. D. Id. Talbot reported its pres-
ence in the state in the fall of 1884, when a male was collected by
him at Genoa on September 30, and a female at Wood River on
November 24. Mr. W. E. Taylor in 1888 recorded two specimens
taken in December, 1887, at Peru, Nebraska. Both Mr. L. Skow and
Mr. I. S. Trostler reported its occurrence at Omaha prior to 1896.
the latter referring to it as “an irregular migrant and winter resident —
earliest seen October 10.” During February, 1897, there apparently
was quite an abundance of the Pine Siskin in the vicinity of Lincoln.
Mr. J. S. Hunter first reported the presence of these birds on the 6th
of that month, when he collected several specimens. Other specimens
were collected on the 13th by Mr. Hunter, but we have no further
evidence as to how long the birds remained about that year.

There are no 1897-1898 records of the Pine Siskin from Nebraska,
but the birds again appeared in abundance in 1898-1899. They were
first reported from Long Pine, in north-central Nebraska, on February
15, 1899, by Mr. William Smith. Mr. Merritt Cary found them at Ne-
ligh during the same winter, and wrote of them as “a common but ir-
regular migrant and winter resident” in that locality. At Beatrice dur-
ing the spring of 1899 the writer found Pine Siskins in abundance. The
first ones were seen on April 23 — a pair of them — but by early May

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

79

they were very abundant in the vicinity, and remained so through most
of the month. Mr. J. S. Hunter reports that there were large numbers
of Pine Siskins near Lincoln during the winter of 1898. They were
common during the spring of 1899 and remained until after the middle
of May. Pine Siskins were apparently absent in southeastern Nebraska
during the seasons of 1899-1900, 1900-1901, 1901-1902 and 1902-1903.

In the Pine Ridge of northwestern Nebraska Pine Siskins are
probably to be found in greater or less numbers the year around,
though there are no actual records of their having been either seen
or taken there in the winter, either by Bruner and Hunter in 1895-1896
or Zimmer in 1910-1911. Cary and Carriker noted them at intervals
among the pines during July, 1901, and thought they might breed
there, and the same surmise was made by Bruner, Wolcott and Swenk
in 1904 (Preliminary Review of Nebraska Birds, p. 84).

Hardly had the surmise that the Pine Siskin might nest in the
Pine Ridge been published in 1904 before the bird was actually found
nesting in the state, but, surprisingly enough, in its extreme other end.
These birds were quite common in southeastern Nebraska during April
and' early May of 1904. This first record of the breeding of the Pine
Siskin in Nebraska was made by J. E. Wallace of Omaha, on May 7,
1904. On that day he was exploring the lowlands at Child’s Point
south of Omaha, when between the railroad tracks and the Missouri
River, on the west side of Mosquito Lake, he found a nest of this
bird in a boxelder tree about twenty to twenty-four feet from the
ground. The birds were still building on that date, but they had the
nest nearly completed. They were very tame, and as Mr. Wallace
examined the nest they came within two or three feet of him and dis-
played considerable excitement over his presence. This excellent view
of the birds made the identification very positive.

Immediately upon Ins return to Omaha, Mr. Wallace w'rote to
Prof. L. Bruner concerning his find, and on May 9 Prof. Bruner
replied, advising Wallace to secure the nest and eggs with the birds
to definitely establish this seemingly extraordinary record. Mr. Wal-
lace waited for a few days, and upon1 about May 13 he revisited the
nest, but did not find the old birds there. The nest contained three
eggs of the siskin and one Cowbird’s egg. The eggs were not taken
at the time, but Mr. Wallace returned the next day and found the nest
yet deserted and the eggs cold. Evidently the presence of the Cowr-
bird’s egg or some other disturbing factor had caused the birds to
desert their nest. On this third trip Mr. Wallace took the nest and
eggs and sent them to Dr. R. H. Wolcott, of Lincoln, but unfortunately

80

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

the eggs were broken in transit. The nest is in Dr. Wolcott’s
possession.

The seasons of 1904-1905 and 1905-1906 were not marked by the
presence of Pine Siskins in numbers in southeastern Nebraska. Rev-
erend J. M. Bates found these birds at Red Cloud on March 25, 1905.
but no evidence of nesting was seen. None at all were reported for

1905- 1906. But in the spring of 1907 they reappeared in abundance
all over southeastern Nebraska. Mrs. H. C. Johnston reports that in
March, 1907, a pair of Pine Siskins built a nest in a cedar tree in her
mother's yard at Superior. The tree was close by the walk and was
passed every time anyone went to the house. It was only about three
feet above the ground. The bird was so tame that she would stay
on the nest while being observed. Eggs were laid in this nest, but
before they hatched they were destroyed by a bad sleet storm, which
broke down the nest. Pine Siskins were abundant all over Superior
in the spring of 1907, and probably there were other unobserved cases
of their nesting there. These birds were very common during that
spring, in A p ri 1 and May, on the State Capitol Square at Lincoln, and
elsewhere in town. The writer noted them as especially common from
April 20 to May 12. On May 28, 1907. Prof. L. Bruner was walking
across Capitol Square when he saw a Pine Siskin, probably a female,
carrying a long thread. He watched it and found that a nest platform
had been formed, indicating a well-developed start of a nest. The other
bird, probably the male, was flying about and on the ground. This
nest was watched daily, without in any way disturbing the birds, but
on May 31 the partially constructed nest was found lying upside down
upon the ground and the birds were nowhere to he seen. No other
nests were found, although the locality was carefully watched by the
local ornithologists. Several writers have noted that the Pine Siskin
was particularly abundant over its wintering range in the winter of

1906- 1907 and remained unusually late during the cold spring of 1907.

Pine Siskins were not plentiful in southeastern Nebraska in the
season of 1907-1908. They appeared at Lincoln on October 18, 1907.
but were not seen during the winter nor during the spring of 1908.
They were more plentiful in 1908-1909. In the fall of 1908 they
were first noted on October 12 and were present until December 12.
They were not seen during the winter, but reappeared in May, 1909,
when they were common from May 13 to 23. No nests were found,
however, in the spring of 1909. The season of 1909-1910 was one
marked by the apparent absence of Pine Siskins over all of south-
eastern Nebraska. At least no one reported seeing them.

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

81

In the fall of 1910 the first Pine Siskin was noted by the writer
at Halsey, Thomas County, in the center of the sandhill region of
Nebraska, on October 28, when one individual was noted and collected.
By November 20 they were present as far east as Lincoln. The fol-
lowing spring they became very numerous in the vicinity of Lincoln.
The writer noted them on March 13, 18, 19, 22 and 30, and on the
latter date they were distributed in pairs. The same was true on April
11 and May 3, 6 and 7. On May 6, 1911, on the ninth annual field
day of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, the fourth nest of the Pine
Siskin, with a sitting bird upon it, was found in a pine tree about
twenty feet up at Capitol Beach, west of Lincoln, by Mr. F. H. Shoe-
maker. Mr. J. T. Zimmer climbed the tree and found that the nest
contained one egg, which, it was finally decided, would be collected,
but unfortunately in returning to the ground the egg was crushed.
It was perfectly fresh. Mr. Zimmer has the nest in his collection at
the present time. Later in the same month. Dr. R. H. Wolcott found
three nests of the Pine Siskin within the city limits of Lincoln near
21st and A Streets, one in an elm tree and the other two in pine trees.
None of these nests or their eggs were collected. Mr. C. S. Ludlow
reports that Pine Siskins were present at Red Cloud from April 20
to May 21, 1911, but there is no evidence that they nested there that
spring.

Pine Siskins were present, but not common, during the season of
1911-1912. They appeared at Lincoln on November 4, 1911, and the
writer saw them in the spring of 1912 on April 5 and again on May
11. Mr. C. S. Ludlow reports them at Red Cloud on January 4, 1912.
There are no records of the presence of there birds in this region dur-
ing 1912-1913. In the season of 1913-1914 they were fairly plentiful
at Lincoln in the fall of 1913, on various dates — October 25, December
13 and 28 — and a few of them apparently wintered — February 28.
1914 — but early in March of 1914' they appeared in abundance and
continued so until well toward the middle of May. Dates on which
they were seen at Lincoln are March 5, 6, 22, 25. 29 and 31. April 1,
4, 7, 11, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29 and 30, May 3, 5, 6, 7, 10. 11.
13, 15 and 16. In spite of this abundance all through the spring of
1914 at Lincoln, no one reported finding a nest. Mr. C. S. Ludlow
reported Pine Siskins at Red Cloud on April 2, 1914.

Pine Siskins were not seen in southeastern Nebraska in the fall
of 1914, according to our records, hut they appeared in January at
Lincoln — January 10, 1915 — and another spring tide of abundance of
siskins appeared late in March and continued until the end of May.

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The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

The writer noted the first ones on March 28 and the last ones on May
30, 1915. Others noted them on March 30 and 31 and April 3, 10,
13, 15, 16, 22, 25 and 27. On May 16, 1915, the fifth Nebraska nest
of the Pine Siskin was found, this time in Wyuka Cemetery at Lincoln,
by Mr. R. W. Dawson. At the time of discovery the nest had one
young siskin in it and a Cowbird was on the ground under the nest.
Both old siskins were about and were observed to feed both the siskin
in the nest and the Cowbird on the ground. The nest was later col-
lected. This was the same year that the nest was found at Sioux City,
Iowa (Wilson Bulletin, xxvi, pp. 140-146). Mrs. C. S. Ludlow
found the Pine Siskin at Red Cloud on February 26, 1915, and Mr.
L. M. Gates noted these birds at Haigler, Dundy County, extreme
southwestern Nebraska, on May 18 and 20, 1915.

The season of 1915-1916 was a poor one for Pine Siskins. None
were seen in the fall of 1915. A few were seen in the winter of
1915-1916 — January 2, 1916, at Lincoln — and a few during early May
- — May 2, 1916, at Lincoln. Mr. C. S. Ludlow noted them at Red
Cloud on March 15, 1916.

But the season of 1916-1917 was the banner year for all years
so far, for Pine Siskins in southeastern Nebraska and for Pine Siskin
nests. At Lincoln the birds appeared about the middle of November
- — November 14 — and remained in fair numbers on through the fall
and following winter. Thev were reported by various observers on
November 19, 26, 29, December 2, 3, 30, January 1, 7 and 31. About
the middle of March there was a great spring influx of Pine Siskins,
and the birds remained until early in June. Dates on which they were
reported in the spring of 1917 are March 15, 18, 25, 28 and 31, April
8, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 24 and 29, May 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 13, 15 and 22. The
last ones were seen on June 3. During March and April seven nests
were found in Wyuka Cemetery at Lincoln. These records may be
summarized as follows:

1. March 15. Mr. C. E. Mickel found a nest yet in process of
construction, but nearly completed, in an Austrian pine about eighteen
feet up. The birds were about the nest on March 18 and 25, but had
deserted it on the 28th, and were not subsequently seen.

2. March 18. Messrs. C. E. Mickel and R. W. Dawson found a
nest well started, but it was never completed.

3. March 31. Messrs. C. E. Mickel and (4. B. Lowry found a ful-
ly built nest in a cedar tree with the birds hovering about. Later they
were unable to relocate the nest and probably it had been destroyed.

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

83

4. April 18. Mr. C. E. Mickel found a nest in a cedar tree ten
feet up. The female was on the nest when it was found. It contained
four very slightly incubated eggs. The nest was made of pine and
cedar twigs, weed stems and cord, and was lined with rootlets and
horse hair.

5. April 19. Mr. C. E. Mickel found a partially constructed
nest, about two-thirds completed.

6. April 22. Mr. C. E. Mickel found a nest with a sitting bird
on it in a spruce tree about twenty feet up. It contained three eggs.
The nest was similar in construction to the one found on April 18.

7. April 24. Mr. C. E. Mickel found a nest about half finished.
The birds deserted this nest after its discovery.

Pine Siskins, in pairs, continued very common in Wyuka Ceme-
tery through the rest of April and the first half of May, 1917. With-
out a doubt other nests could have been found if searched for, but
the finding of Pine Siskin nests was losing something of its novelty
and in the pressure of other things the search for them languished.
Paired Pine Siskins were common in other parts of Lincoln aside
from Wyuka Cemetery, and no doubt were breeding. Mr. C. S. Lud-
low reports that Pine Siskins were present at Red Cloud through the
winter of 1916-1917, from December 2 to February 25, even in
January.

The seasons of 1917-1918 and 1918-1919 were not Pine Siskin sea-
sons. None of them were seen at Lincoln during these seasons. At
Red Cloud Mr. C. S. Ludlow observed them on April 12, 1918. The
season of 1919-1920 witnessed a return of the siskins. At Lincoln
they were first noted on February 8, 1920, and were last noted on
April 7. The species was noted on the eighteenth annual field day of
the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union at Ashland on May 15. Mr. C. S.
LudI ow found them at Red Cloud on May 13, 1920. In the spring
of 1920 they were common around Hastings, where in May of that
spring Mr. J. E. Wallace found a nest with two young birds in it,
constituting the thirteenth definitely known nesting in the state. This
nest is now No. 2676 in the A. M. Brooking collection at Hastings.

The seasons of 1920-1921 and 1921-1922 were seasons of Pine
Siskin scarcity. Mrs. H. F. Hole noted this bird at Eairbury on
February 23, 1921, and Mr. C. S. Ludlow noted it at Red Cloud on
March 11 and April 4, 1922, but there do not seem to be any Lincoln
records of it during either of these seasons.

Then the siskins returned again in 1922-1923. They were very
numerous around town at Fairbury during the winter of 1922-1923,

84

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Nest of ihe Pine Siskin found at Lincoln, Nebraska, by Mr. C. E.
Mickel, on April 22, 1917, in a spruce tree about twenty feet up. Side
view (upper figure) and top view (lower figure).

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

85

according to Mrs. H. F. Hole, and remained at least until March 27,
1923. At Superior, Mrs. H. C. Johnston found a pair of Pine Siskins
in her father’s yard early in April of 1923, and on April 11 they
started to build a nest about ten feet up in a Scotch pine tree. They
were noted flying to this place in the tree with grass in their beaks,
which activity seemed to stir the resentment of the Bronzed Crackles,
and the siskins were driven away, thus preventing the realization of
another nesting record. However, Pine Siskin nests were found at
Lincoln in the spring of 1923 by Mr. Leonard Worley, one late in
April and the other early in May of that year, these constituting the
fourteenth and fifteenth breeding records. Mr. Ludlow found the
siskins at Red Cloud on April 12, 1923.

Siskins were again plentiful during the season of 1923-1924.
They were again numerous around town in Fairbury during the winter
of 1923-1924 according to Mrs. H. F. Hole. They appeared there on
January 28, 1924, and during the following spring a flock of them
came nearly every day, and often twice a day, to eat seeds from the
pine cones in Mrs. Hole’s yard. As spring progressed the Hock gradu-
ally grew smaller until only one pair was left. For a period of about
two weeks in the latter part of April only one bird came to feed in
Mrs. Hole’s yard, but in May there were again two of them, and they
remained through most of the month. Mrs. Hole was not able to find
any nest of this pair nor did she see any young that spring at Fair-
bury. However, on May 10, 1924, while birding in Wyuka Cemetery
at Lincoln, Mrs. Hole, accompanied by Mrs. Cropsey and Mrs. McCoy
of Fairbury, found a nest of the Pine Siskin about eight feet up in a

small pine tree. The female bird was on the nest, while the male bird

chirped and called and tried to frighten the observers away when he
realized that the nest had been discovered. This nest was not dis-
turbed, but it constitutes the sixteenth breeding record for the state.
Mrs. A. H. Jones reports that Pine Siskins were present in unusual
numbers at Hastings during the spring of 1924, and one pair that

made her home their headquarters remained until June 2, under con-

ditions that pointed to possible breeding. Mr. Ludlow reports Pine
Siskins at Red Cloud on January 13, 1924.

The Pine Siskin remained in small numbers during the winter of
1924-1925 at Lincoln, Hastings, and other localities in southeastern
Nebraska, but for its nesting operations in the spring of 1925 chose
south-central Nebraska along the Republican River, in the vicinity of
Superior and Red Cloud. On March 26, 1925, at Red Cloud, Mr. C. S.
Ludlow observed a Pine Siskin gathering nesting material, as if pre-

86

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

paring to build, but no nests were actually found by him. A littie
earlier in March, on the 15th, these birds had appeared in the vicinity
of Superior, and they remained there through the spring. On April
8 Mrs. King of Superior, found a crippled female Pine Siskin in her
yard. She put it in a cage and it laid an egg there. Later on in the
same month the siskins were found actually nesting in several places
around Superior. The twenty-third annual field day of the Nebraska
Ornithologists' Union was held at Superior on May 9, and the birds
were still common in that vicinity on that date. A few remained about
Omaha until early April but were not observed nesting in that locality
in 1925. The same was true at Lincoln.

The fall, winter and spring season of 1925-1926 was marked by a
general plentitude of the Pine Siskin in southeastern Nebraska. At
Omaha they were first seen on October 4, 1925 (L. 0. Horsky) . Some
remained through the winter, five or six being seen by Dr. C. A.
Mitchell on January 14, 1926, and four by Dr. Mitchell and the Misses
Mary and Emma Ellsworth on January 17. They were common by
middle April, and even as late as May 16, on the occasion of the
twenty-fourth N. 0. U. field day, they were still present around Omaha.
The Fairbury Bird Club reported a large dock of them as appearing
in that locality on October 6, 1925, some remaining during the winter,
while at least until early in April they were to be found in the Fair-
bury vicinity. At Hastings they made their first appearance October
15, 1925, and some were observed during the winter, while during the
week of February 21, 1926, large numbers of them appeared about
town, and they were still numerous on March 23. Mrs. L. R. Button
noted them on December 23, 1925, and January 18, 1926, at Fremont.
At Red Cloud they were first seen that winter on January 20, 1926 —
eight of them — then again on February 2 — six of them — while by
March 10 a flock of forty-eight was present, according to Mr. C. S.
Ludlow. The Superior Bird Club reported them as plentiful at that
place by March 10, 1926. At Lincoln they began to be noted early
in February of 1926, and by about the middle of March had become
conspicuously numerous. There is little doubt but that there were
some Pine Siskins nesting around Omaha, Lincoln. Fairbury, Superior,
Red Cloud and Hastings in the early spring of 1926, but no nests were
actually discovered at any of these places that spring. The only case
of the nest of the Pine Siskin actually being found was at Wahoo,
Saunders County, north of Lincoln.

On or about March 15, 1926, a pair of Pine Siskins appeared in
the yard of Miss Mary St. Martin of Wahoo. On March 22 she dis-

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

87

covered that they were building a nest in a cedar tree about ten or
twelve feet from her porch. When discovered, the nest was all ready
to be lined. The nest was finished on March 27. Late on the evening
of March 27 a heavy snowfall came, and the nest was not sufficiently
protected by the cedar twigs but that it became filled with snow. By
March 29 the snow had all thawed out and the female Pine Siskin
was back in the nest, repairing the damage that had been done as well
as she could. Before 3 o’clock in the afternoon of that same day,
March 29, the first egg had been laid. Another egg was laid on March
30 and a third one on March 31. On the morning of April 1 Miss
St. Martin heard excited bird calls in her yard, and on investigating
found the Pine Siskin nest tipped over and the eggs on the ground.
One of the eggs was broken and the other two were frozen and cracked,
so that they could not be saved. The nest seemed to have a defect
in construction that prevented its being fastened tightly enough to
withstand the stormy weather of the period. The siskins stayed around
the place most of the day on April 1, but at last they left and did not
return. This constitutes the eighteenth nesting record for Nebraska.

The season of 1926-1927 was one of Pine Siskin scarcity, much
in contrast with 1925-1926. The species was wholly wanting in the
Lincoln and Fairhury vicinities during the entire fall, winter and
spring. At blastings not a single siskin was seen by any of the num-
erous local observers during the entire fall of 1926 and the following
winter, the first observation of the species for the entire season being
on March 10, 1927, by Mr. A. M. Brooking. At Omaha, Dr. C. A.
Mitchell observed four siskins on March 14, 1927, and that was all.
The Superior Bird Club noted the siskin once — on April 6. No one
reported it from Red Cloud. Naturally, there were no nesting records
for 1927. Near Mitchell, in Scottsbluff County, extreme western
Nebraska, however, Mrs. J. W. Hall noted eight of them on March
27, 1927, and by May 22 they were abundant in that locality, feednig
on the dandelion seeds along with the Pale Goldfinches.

But in the season of 1927-1928 the siskins returned in force. They
were first reported from Hastings, in the fall of 1927, Miss Margaret
Diemer noting ten of them on November 20. Mrs. A. H. Jones noted
more of them there on November 25, and on November 29 she saw a
flock of at least fifty siskins. They were also present along the Blue
River south of Hastings, where members of the Brooking Bird Club
saw eleven of them on December 23. Pine Siskins were numerous at
Hastings, about town, all through the winter of 1927-1928, being seen
in the yards and about the bird baths in various parts of the city

88

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

every day — a very different condition than had obtained the preceding
winter. On April 21, 1928, Mrs. A. H. Jones found a young Pine
Siskin, recently out of the nest, in her back yard. The following day
it was rescued from the eaves pipe, where it had been imprisoned for
a couple of hours, and, after being photographed by Miss Diemer,
was restored to its parents. This forms the nineteenth nesting record
for Nebraska. Pine Siskins were common and in pairs at Hastings
up to May 19, and practically without doubt there were other, and
undiscovered, cases of nesting by these birds there during that spring.

At Fremont, Mrs. L. R. Button found Pine Siskins from December
26, 1927, when twenty-five of them were noted, very numerously all
through the winter of 1927-1928. At Lincoln Mr. L. H. Watson ob-
served a single Pine Siskin on December 26, 1927, but the species was
not again observed during the winter. However, about March 20,
1928, Pine Siskins suddenly appeared in numbers in east Lincoln —
at the College of Agriculture campus, in Wyuka Cemetery, and else-
where—and remained very common until well along in May. They
were still common on May 12, on the twenty-sixth annual field day of
the N. 0. U. A pair of them appeared in my pine trees on March 22,
the male in full song, and between then and April 3 Mrs. Swenk
secured numerous records of the song of the species. They remained
for several weeks, and I have no doubt they nested in the immediate
neighborhood but lack of time prevented my exactly locating the nest.
Mrs. C. W. McCaskill noted several of them wintering at Beatrice.
January 9, 1928.

In the Omaha vicinity Pine Siskins were first noted by Dr. C. A.
Mitchell on January 27, 1928. On February 25 the Misses Ellsworth
saw a flock of thirty in Forest Lawn Cemetery. They increased in
commonness during March and April, and on May 13, Mr. L. 0.
Horsky had the pleasure of examining a nest of this bird in a cedar
tree west of the residence of Mr. Leonard Nicholas, 6218 Spencer
Street, Benson. On May 21 three young siskins left this nest, and as
they did so they were banded by Mr. Horsky. This constitutes the
twentieth definite breeding record for the state.

At Red Cloud Mr. C. S. Ludlow noted his first Pine Siskins of
the season on February 7, 1928 — a flock of thirty-eight of them — and
Mrs. George W. Trine saw a small flock as late as April 14, but no
definite nesting records were made. The siskins appeared at Fairbury
on February 15, 1928, and were seen from then on. A pair of them

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

89

located in the yard of Mrs. H. F. Hole of Fairbury, and were seen
every day, the male in full song early in May. Mrs. Hole was sure
the birds were nesting in the neighborhood but could not find the
nest. However, on May 30 and 31 and June 1 and 2, young birds
were seen with the old pair of Pine Siskins, thus definitely demon-
strating that the birds had been nesting in the vicinity and constituting
the twenty-first record. Thus in the spring of 1928 the Pine Siskin
was proved to have nested at Omaha, Fairbury and Hastings, and
probably did so also at Lincoln.

Summarizing the above records, it is seen that the Pine Siskin
nested in southeastern Nebraska in the springs of 1904, 1907, 1911,
1915, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1928. In addition,
it was common during the springs of 1899, 1909 and 1914. During
the seasons of 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912,
1913, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1921, 1922 and 1927 these birds were either
uncommon or absent in southeastern Nebraska. The question at once
arises why should the Pine Siskin be common, linger late and fre-
quently nest in some springs, in southeastern Nebraska, while in other
springs it is uncommon or not present. Can this be due to the char-
acter of the spring itself?

As a step in answering this inquiry the writer tabulated tempera-
ture records for Lincoln for the months of March, April and May
of the thirty-year period from 1899 to 1928, inclusive, from the rec-
ords of the Lincoln Station of the Weather Bureau of the U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, located at the University of Nebraska, with the
following results:

Table 1. Monthly mean temperature for the months of March, April and
May, and for these three months combined, for the thirty-year period from 1899
to 1928, inclusive.

1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908

March 28 37 38 42 39 39 46 29 44 42

April 51 54 51 52 52 45 49 56 44 54

May 62 65 61 65 61 61 60 63 56 60

Average 47 52 50 53 51 48 52 49 48 52

1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918

March 36 53 43 26 36 37 29 41 39 47

April 46 56 51 53 54 52 59 49 49 47

May 60 57 65 66 63 64 59 62 57 68

Average 47 55 53 48 51 51 49 51 48 54

1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928

March 41 43 46 41 34 34 43 37 41 43

April 49 44 54 53 51 54 59 50 52 48

May 61 61 65 64 60 56 61 66 61 65

Average 50 49 55 53 48 48 54 51 51 52

90

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Graph below shows the monthly mean temperatures for the months
of March, April and May, and the average monthly mean temperature
for Lhese three months combined, for the fifty-seven-year period Irom
1881 to 1928, inclusive, as recorded by the Lincoln Station of the
Weather Bureau of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, located at
the University of Nebraska, in relation to the springs in which the
Pine Siskin nested (*) or was common (c), or both, in southeastern
Nebraska.

Q

O

c

O

Cl

lo K ®

o o O o

O) Cl C)

Q O v Kt 4- ^

O' c> ci ci c> C6 a &

N ft ff) O

— . fVi

o> c> & 01

•*. r4 fO *•

<M in i\J

Cl d 01 Ol

tO '■S
ru N
01 01

{v Co

Aj N

Ci Cl

The significance of these records is brought out when they are
compared with the fact that the average monthly mean temperature
at Lincoln for the forty-seven year period from 1881 to 1928, inclu-
sive, is 37.5 for March, 51.5 for April and 61.7 for May, and 50.2 for
these three spring months. It will be seen that during the springs of
1899, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, 1923 and 1924
the mean temperature for the months of March, April and May was
distinctly lower than the forty-seven year average, or normal, for
these months, and during nine of these eleven springs the Pine Siskin
was either common or nesting, or both, at Lincoln, the exceptions being
the springs of 1906 and 1912. However, the Pine Siskin nested in
southeastern Nebraska in tbe springs of 1911, 1925, 1926 and 1928,

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska

91

and was common in the spring of 1914, all of which, as a whole,
were springs of higher than normal average temperature. Comparing
next the mean temperature at Lincoln for the month of April for the
thirty years under consideration, we find that during each of the
fourteen springs in which the Pine Siskin nested or was common, or
both, in southeastern Nebraska, the mean temperature for the month
of April was more or less subnormal except in four Aprils — 1914
and 1915 and 1924 and 1925. In April 1904, 1907, 1909, 1917, 1920
and 1928, in all of which springs the Pine Siskin bred in southeastern
Nebraska, except in 1909 when they were common but not found
nesting, the temperature of the month was considerably subnormal.
In two of the exceptional springs — 1915 and 1924 — although April
temperatures were above normal, those for both March and May were
decidedly subnormal, especially in March, 1915, and May, 1924, so
that the mean temperature for the entire spring was subnormal in both
of those years. The spring of 1914 had very slightly subnormal tem-
perature in March but slightly supernormal temperature in April and
distinctly supernormal temperature in May, making the temperature
for the entire spring slightly above normal, and it is perhaps signifi-
cant that although the Pine Siskins were common at Lincoln until
the middle of May there was no evidence of their nesting there that
spring. In March and April of 1925 temperatures at Lincoln were
strongly above normal (+5.5 and +7.5, respectively), and only
slightly helow normal (—.7) in May. However, these birds were not
common around Lincoln or elsewhere in eastern Nebraska in the
spring of 1925, but were common and breeding along the Republican
River in the vicinity of Superior, and probably of Red Cloud, twenty-
five miles to the west. At Red Cloud, interestingly enough, unlike
at Lincoln, temperatures for March and April of 1925 were only
slightly above normal ( + .57 and +.72, respectively), and were slightly
below normal (-.09 in May). Probably this difference in April and
May mean temperatures between Lincoln and Red Cloud explains
wby the Pine Siskins were absent at Lincoln but nested at Superior.

Another point of interest in this study is that the Pine Siskin
nested at Superior in March, 1907, at Lincoln in March, 1917, at
Superior in March, 1925, and at Wahoo in March, 1926, and that in
three of these years — 1907, 1917 and 1925 — the temperature of the
month was distinctly above normal, while in 1926 it was practical!)
at normal.

From these data it seems apparent that when, in any locality in
southeastern Nebraska, March temperatures are normal or above and

92

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

the birds are common, there may be sporadic nesting, or attempts to
nest, by the Pine Siskins. If the mean temperature for the month of
April is subnormal the siskins will probably linger and frequently
will nest and succesfully rear their young. They may do this also
in May if supernormal April temperatures are followed by decidedly
subnormal May temperatures, as they did in 1915 and 1924. If
March and April have about normal temperatures and in May the
temperature rises above the normal, the Pine Siskins may linger but
not nest. In years like 1900, 1902, 1906, 1912, 1921, and 1922, when
both April and May temperatures are above normal, the Pine Siskins
do not linger commonly, nor nest. This may also be true when only
April has a mean temperature above normal, as in 1903, 1908, 1910
and 1927, or when May temperatures are above normal, as in 1913,
1916 and especially 1918. In other words, the available evidence
seems to the writer to make a quite clear case that the lingering and
nesting of the Pine Siskin in southeastern Nebraska during some sea-
sons may be accounted for wholly on the basis of its response to
prevailing temperatures during the spring months.

Judging from the fact that in the various falls that they have
occurred in Nebraska the Pine Siskins usually have been seen first
in the more westerly and northerly parts of the state, and later in
the more southeastern localities, and also from the further fact that
they may reach western or central Nebraska commonly in seasons when
they are uncommon or absent in extreme southeastern Nebraska, it is
probable our Pine Siskin winter visitors are birds that summer in the
Black Hills and those parts of the Rocky Mountains at a corresponding
latitude, or northward.

College of Agriculture, University of Nebraska.

Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Mockingbird as a Mimic

93

NOTES ON BIRD MIMICRY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
THE MOCKINGBIRD (MIMUS POLYGLOTTOS )

BY FRANK F. GANDER

I have studied the songs of Mockingbirds throughout a large part
of their range and everywhere have found them to be exuberant song-
sters, bubbling over with the joy of life. But what variety of song
and what wide range in ability for mimicry I have found! Some indi-
viduals have been so limited in their repertoire as to almost weary one
with their endless repetition; others have caused me to marvel at the
excellence of their imitations of varied sounds, but the song which, I
remember above all others is the impassioned outburst which kept
myself and a number of others enthralled for many minutes one
spring morning in 1918, down in Bibh County, Georgia. This mocker
was a master artist and I was so thrilled by his wonderful melody
that I forgot to listen for imitated calls and if such there were, they
were so blended and woven into the beautiful harmony as not to be
noted by me.

I first heard the song of a Mockingbird in my early boyhood
days in Kansas. They were then just invading that region and were
not common, so that I was greatly enthused each time I heard one.
Later, in Escambia County, Florida, I found them abundant and en-
joyed their singing almost daily throughout the spring and summer
months. There is something very romantic about the night song of
these southern mockers. They seem to weave it from the witchery of
the moonlight, the fragrance of magnolia blossoms, the whispering of
the little breeze in the palms and pour it forth in a silvery flood of
vibrant notes. Their song seems to he the magic voice of the night
itself.

My most interesting experiences with Mockingbirds did not occur
where they are abundant. The first of these was in July, 1922, near
the head of Matagorda Bay on the Texas coast. I had been motoring
with relatives and in mid-afternoon we stopped near an old deserted
farmhouse where we expected to camp for the night. As we were
making camp, the song of a Mockingbird came faintly to our ears
from the direction of another farmhouse which we could see out on
the prairie. My first reaction to any bird call is to attempt an imita-
tion in answer, so I promptly called to this distant mocker, putting
more effort into the force of my whistling than into its quality. After
one or two attempts on my part I listened in vain for an answer and I
was rather chagrined, especially as smiles spread over the faces of
my fellow campers.

94

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

After a few minutes I was suddenly surprised to hear an out-
burst of Mockingbird music from the roof of the house at which we
had stopped. Without doubt this bird had flown in answer to my
call, across the quarter mile or so of prairie which had separated us.
I whistled my best imitations and call for call he followed me. As
we sat down under some trees in front of the house, the mocker (lew
into the top of the tallest tree and, as we called back and forth, he
gradually descended from limb to limb. As he came nearer his voice
grew softer and softer and I, too, softened my whistling until, when
he finally came to a perch directly over our heads and not five feet
from the ground, we were just whispering.

The effect was broken by conversation and the bird returned to
the housetop and later, as dusk drew on, winged his way hack to his
own rancho.

In the summer of 1923 I was staying on a farm north of Wichita,
Kansas, and a Mockingbird which lived in that neighborhood was the
master mimic of all I have heard. As the Arkansas River ran nearby
and great trees lined its course, birds were abundant and I believe this
mocker mimicked them all, although I have no actual list of the
species which I heard him imitate. What seemed to me his most
outstanding accomplishment was his imitation of a mechanical sound.
Red-headed Woodpeckers ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) were abun-
dant and the house in which I stayed had a tin-covered projection on
the roof upon which they would drum a long roll of taps and then
yell with delight. The Mockingbird would sit on a nearby telephone
pole and mimic the sound of their performance so perfectly that it
was only by watching the birds that one could tell the imitation from
the original.

One dav as I waited for an interurban electric car the mocker

J

was singing nearby and I whistled to him. He answered and we called
back and forth and then he, too, like the Texas bird, came nearer and
nearer and his calls became softer and softer. Finally he sat on a
low perch nearby and looked squarely at me as he followed note for
note every bird call which 1 could whistle. Then I began to improvise
calls of a few notes and he followed, in fact, surpassed me as he
added little thrills and tremulos which 1 could not hope to imitate.
The arrival of the car for which I waited frightened him away.

Most Mockingbirds around farms can imitate excellently the peep-
ing of little chicks and 1 have known of a mother hen becoming quite

I he Mockingbird as a Mimic

95

distracted in searching for a lost chick while a mocker was peeping
from a low perch in a fig tree. Eastern birds mimic the loud call
of the Boh -white ( Colinus virginianus ) and our California birds give
as clearly the three-note call of the Valley Quail ( Lophortyx californi-
cus vallicola) .

The Mockingbi rd is not the only feathered mimic who can give
an excellent rendition of this last call. On April 30, 1927, in a
canyon in East San Diego, California, I listened to a Califronia
Thrasher ( Toxo stoma redivivum) who started his song by repeating
twice this Valley Quail call. After singing a few stanzas this bird
would pause and seemingly with much effort, give one clear, bell-like
note. A line of cast iron pipes had recently been laid past this place
and I wondered if the thrasher had derived his unusual note from that
source as it reminded me of nothing more than of the clinking of two
pieces together. I have never heard this note given by any other
thrasher and never again by this bird.

On the same date and near the same place another thrasher was
singing and during a lull in his song a Black-headed Grosbeak
( Zamelodia melanocephala ) sang its sweet song. No sooner had the
grosbeak finished than the thrasher repeated the song note for note.

In May, 1927, a Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis) was observed
in Balboa Park. San Diego, and on the nineteenth of that month I w;as
in the taxidermist’s room of the Natural History Museum and heard
what I thought was this bird calling just outside the window. I
looked out but the oidy bird I could see was a San Diego Song Spar-
row ( Melospiza melodia coo peri ) perched in a nearby tree. As I
watched, he whistled a very good imitation of the call of the Cardinal.
At no other time have I been able to find a resemblance between the
call of the Cardinal and the song of the Song Sparrow.

From these experiences I am forced to believe that not only Mock-
ingbirds, but other species as well, do consciously mimic the calls of
other birds and even at times mechanical sounds.

O’Rourke Zoological Institute,

San Diego. California.

96

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

SOME UNUSUAL WATER BIRD VISITORS TO TENNESSEE

BY ALBERT F. GANIER

Although Tennessee has at one time or another during the year
about 275 species of birds, her quota of water birds is comparatively
small. 'This is due to the fact that, save for Reelfoot Lake, there are
no large lakes and that being far from the sea coast, few coastal birds
visit us even during the migration season. It is therefore of more
than passing interest when such birds pay us a visit and in some cases
is worthy of permanent record, such as the following notes on eleven
of the rarer species.

During the last week in January, 1925, the Tennessee River north
of Chattanooga had a most unusual and interesting visitation of Her-
ring Gulls (Larus argentatus) , some features of which cannot be fully
explained. The cause of this visitation was the presence of a vast
number of dead fish killed when a break in a dam at Saltville, above
Knoxville, released quantities of alkali into the river. Within a few
days Herring Gulls began to appear, and as though they had signaled
their fellows by wireless, they were quickly followed by others and
others until finally hundreds were to be seen meandering down the
river in the wake of the floating fish. Mr. H. P, Ijams, of Knoxville,
whose home overlooks the river, and who is a close observer, tells me
that he does not recall having seen these gulls at all in previous years.
I have seen them, however, on several occasions in early spring on
this river at Chattanooga, in singles, twos or threes.

The White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) breeds in the far
northwest and migrates southward through the Rockies and the Great
Plains to its winter home on the Gulf. Tennessee is not in the path
of ilsi travel and the three records we have are outstanding in interest.
Our first is that of a specimen killed on Reelfoot Lake in 1918 and
mounted by Mr. Seth Curlin, of Hickman, Kentucky, who placed it in
the Hickman Hotel, where he showed it to me a few months later.
On October 3, 1926, two White Pelicans were shot at Reelfoot Lake,
and one of these has been mounted for the new State Museum of Wild
Life at Nashville. These two birds had been on the lake for about a
month. The third and last record is based on a news dispatch from
Tullahoma. Tennessee, which states that on September 24, 1926, a
farmer found one in his barn lot and brought it to that town. This
big bird had probably mistaken the grey galvanized iron barn roof
for a pond of water and flew into it. The hurricane which wrecked
Miami occurred just six days previous to the visit of this Pelican. In
this connection, I am reliably informed that at about the same time.

Water Bird Visitors in Tennessee

97

a White Pelican was captured near Atlanta, Georgia. One old record
is also available, that of S. IN. Rhoads, who, writing in 1895, stated
that one he saw mounted in a hotel at Union City, was shot at Reel-
foot Lake. Howell, in his “Birds of Arkansas,' mentions three records
from the interior of that state.

The Whistling Swan ( Olor columbianus) was, in pioneer days, a
regular migrant in Tennessee and was so abundant on Reelfoot Lake
at times that they were killed and shipped in carload lots to Nashville,
Memphis, and Louisville. With the settling up of their breeding
grounds in the Northwest, this splendid game bird gradually decreased,
until it is now very rarely seen in the interior of the country. We
have four recent records for the State, as follows: I observed several

Hocks on the Mississippi River above Tiptonville in January, 1911.
On November 9, 1926, one was seen on Reelfoot Lake and was shot
by a native who was later prosecuted. It was procured for the Stale
Museum by the local warden, who states that this is the only swan he
has seen during his fifteen years on the lake. In Middle Tennessee,
near Manchester in Coffee Countv, a Hock of twelve settled themselves
on a small lake on December 18, 1919. They spent several days un-
molested, I am told, until some automobile tourists found them and
shot four of the flock, causing the rest to leave. One of the dead birds
was sent to Nashville where I identified it. I regret to record that
the guilty parties were not apprehended. The last record we have of
this species is that of two which were shot near Knoxville on Decem-
ber 8, 1926, on the Little Tennessee River south of that city. Vig-
orous action was brought against the culprits, and the case is still
pending.

Th e smaller forms of geese have been quite rare in the Mississippi
Valley for many years although a considerable number winter on the
Louisiana coast and must pass over in migration. I am giving below
the only records we have of the Blue Goose (Chen cacrulescens) and
for the Snow Goose (Chen h. hyperborea) .

Two of the latter species were wounded and captured on Reel-
foot Lake in the fall of 1927 and were kept by a local game warden
until they could recover. One died later but the other survived and
was sent to Nashville, to the Glendale Zoo, where I saw and identified
it on February 20. 1928. With it was a Blue Goose which had also
been taken in the same manner and about the same time at Reelfoot.
On March 8, 1928, both species were recorded on the Mississippi
River thirty miles north of Memphis, my informant being Dr. Louis
Leroy of that city, who was accompanied by Dr. Jno. C. Phillips of

98

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Massachusetts, and others. Half a dozen Hocks of the Blue Geese were
noted, their total number being 102. Mixed with them were probably
a dozen Snow Geese. One large (lock comprising fifty-one birds was
approached to within one hundred yards. Dr. Leroy writes further,
“During the last twenty years I have been on the Mississippi River in
this district a good deal and believe that I have seen not more than a
half dozen Snow Geese and perhaps a similar number of Blue Geese
as individuals, traveling with Hocks of Canada Geese. About Novem-
ber 2. 1927, 1 killed a Snow Goose at long range out of a Hock of
about twenty of these birds. It was the Hrst one of this species 1 had
killed and was quite an object of curiosity among many old hunters
here who had never seen one before. I know of two more which
have been killed this year in this vicinity. Altogether, I have seen
about a hundred Blue Geese this year in addition to the 102 which
we counted on March 3. I am inclined to believe that last year’s
Hood caused a change in their food conditions and this led them to
spread over this territory this year.'

Tennessee is visited by about twenty species of the duck family,
come of which are common and others but rarely recorded. One of
the rarest is the White-winged Scoter ( Gidemia deglandi) , a duck
which usually migrates from its Canadian breeding grounds down the
two coasts, remaining in sea water through the winter. I am able to
record a flock of these on the thirty-five acre Radnor Lake in the hills
near Nashville, where from November 10-18, 1917. a flock of six re-
mained and were closely observed by myself and other students of
wild life.

The American Egret (Herodias egretta), while still a rarity, is
apparently showing a steady increase in the South, judging by its
occurrence in Tennessee. Each year, in late summer, along the rivers
the egrets are recorded in flocks of two to six, for at that season they
roam northward from their breeding grounds, which are chiefly in
the southern coastal swamps. We are now recording them several
times each July and August near Nashville. The most satisfactory
evidence of their comeback was furnished on Reel foot Lake during
July, 1926, when flocks of hundreds visited that fine body of water.
It is in order here to sav that most of the white herons seen in sum-
mer on our rivers are the immature of the Little Blue Heron, the
young of which are white during their first summer, and “egret” rec-
ords made by inexperienced observers usually refer to this species.

The Wood Ibis ( Mycleria americana) , locally called “Gourd
Head." breeds in rookeries along the gulf coastal swamps and when

Water Bird Visitors in Tennessee

99

nesting season is over, moves northward up the Mississippi Valley,
as far sometimes as Cairo. While it is regularly seen along the Mis-
sissippi River near Memphis and on Reelfoot Lake, we have but one
record for further east in the state, that of an individual seen on Rad-
nor Lake near Nashville, July 25, and on August 1, 1925, by Harry
C. Monk. A prolonged drouth had preceded this date, drying up
the customary feeding places of this species in Alabama and Missis-
sippi and it had evidently moved northward in search of water. Dur-
ing the five weeks following. Wood Ibises were reported north of Nash-
ville, in Kentucky, (Madisonville) and finally in central Illinois, far
beyond their u:ual range. Reference to this species is particularly
timely this year, for as though nature had made especial provision
for such emergencies, thousands of them will shortly move up into the
flooded Mississippi Valley and, following the receding waters, will
consume vast quantities of dead fish, left behind in the drying sloughs
and fields. I have many times, in Mississippi and Louisiana, watched
these splendid and timely scavengers, gorging themselves on these dead
and dying fish, and wondered how they marshalled their forces so
quickly and in such numbers.

On September 22, 1926, I was standing on the muddy banks of
the Tennessee River at Johnsonville, watching the mussel fisherman
reap their harvest of shells, when three large birds leisurely winged
their way by and furnished me the first and only record we have of
the beautiful Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) . These large terns make
their summer home from the Great Lakes into Western Canada, and
passing south apparently, from the dearth of records, make but few
stops. Observed at a distance of a hundred feet the large birds, with
their hlack caps and red bills pointed downward toward the water,
were readily identified. Another member of the tern family, however,
has furnished us a more remarkable record and one that may never
be duplicated for Tennessee. I refer to the Sooty Tern (Sterna fus-
cata) , a species which inhabits the islands of the West Indies and
is rarely seen north of Maimi, Florida. During the last week in July,
1926, a hurricane moved northward out of the Indies and spent itself
on the Carolina coast. On July 30 an exhausted Sooty Tern was
picked up at an altitude of 3,300 feel in the Great Smoky Mountains,
thirty miles southwest of Knoxville, Tennessee. This bird, apparently
unable to breast the gale or perhaps having lost its sense of direction,
had actually crossed a mountain range 6,000 feet above sea level and

100

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

had strayed nearly a thousand miles from its usual home. Miss Eliza-
beth Ijams who made the find, sketched and wrote down an accurate
description of ihe bird and furnished it to her father, H. P. Ijams,
a competent ornithologist of Knoxville, who in turn furnished it to
me. Additional records of this species were made during the week
which followed, from Charleston, South Carolina, Raleigh, North Caro-
lina, and as far north as Wheeling, West Virginia.

More than thirty years ago a Philadelphia ornithologist, S. N.
Rhoads, visited the vicinity of Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee and
in publishing a list of the birds, he included the name of the Black
Skimmer ( Rynchops nigra), whose usual habitat is along the Gulf
and south Atlantic Sea coasts. His notation was as follows: “A

specimen was found dead in Obion County, after a severe storm, by
Mr. J. A . Craig, who gave me an account of it.” Our local bird
students regarded the evidence as unfortunately scant and, knowing
that this species never voluntarily leaves the sea coast, we were in-
clined to cast it out as a state record. Some ten years ago, while at
Hickman, Kentucky, near Reelfoot Lake, 1 was invited by an elderly
gentleman there (Mr. Seth Curlin) to look over his old collection of
bird skins, which invitation I accepted with pleasure. One may
imagine my surprise and delight when, on unrolling the yellowed tis-
sue paper from one of the specimens, 1 looked upon the skin of a
Black Skimmer, labeled “Obion County, Tennessee, near Pierce,
November, 1890:” this is no doubt the one referred to by Mr. Rhoads
in his list, and clinches this species as a valid addition to our Stale
list. 1 now have this specimen in my collection.

It will he noted that little reference is made to records of water
birds on the Mississippi River, although it forms the west boundary
of the state. It is for the reason that the writer has been able to spend
hut little time there in migration seasons nor has he had the co-opera-
tion of anyone living in that vicinity. The great river, however, with
its succession of sandbars and “old river lakes, is well known to le
a popular thoroughfare tor migrating water birds and would doubtlc -
yield many surprising records over a period of year .

Nashville, Tenn.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published at Sioux City, Iowa, by the Wilson Ornithological Club.

The present editorial organization is as follows: T. C. Stephens, Editor-in-

Chief, Sioux City, Iowa; Myron H. Swenk, University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
Nebraska; Albert F. Ganier, Nashville, Tennessee; Alfred M. Bailey, Chicago
Academy ol Sciences, Chicago, Illinois; R. L). Hissong, Sioux City, Iowa.

The subscription price in the United States is $1.50 a year, and 50 cents a
number; in all other countries of the International Postal Union the price is
$2.00 a year, and 60 cents a number. Subscriptions and orders for single copies
should be addressed to the Secretary, Dr. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College,
Nashville, Tennessee, U. S. A.

EDITORIAL

The next Annual Meeting of the Wilson Ornithological Club will be held at
Des Moines, Iowa, during the last week in December, in conjunction with the
meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The
exact dates will be announced in due time. Reduced railroad fare of one and a
half tor the round trip is available to all who attend this meeting. It is not
too soon to plan to attend and present a paper on the program.

We know of two private collections of mounted Iowa birds which have been
put on the market within the last few years, because of the owner’s decease.
Both are rather large private collections, mounted by the old-style methods.
They may have some exhibition value, but probably their greatest value will lie
found in the data which they might furnish for locality records. This statement
is not made for the purpose of advertising these collections, but in deprecation
of the fact that such collections are usually so soon scattered and lost, and make
very little contribution to science. The heirs often have no interest in science,
but do have an exaggerated notion of the monetary value of the specimens.
No institution cares to pay the price, and the result is deterioration and loss.
In too many cases such '‘scientific” collecting makes no contribution to science.
If these private collections could finally land in some institution they might be
better justified. Would it be possible in granting permits for scientific collecting
to make a provision that the specimens collected under it shall eventually revert
legally to a certain institution to be agreed upon and named?

102

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

GENERAL NOTES.

Conducted by M. H. Swenk

The Black Tern Nesting in Calhoun County, Michigan. A nest of the
Black Tern ( Hydrochelidon nigra Surinam ensis) was discovered on a small inland
pond ten miles east of Battle Creek on June 10, 1928. There was only one egg at
the time of discovery, and when 1 returned the following week this and the nest
had been destroyed. The nest, built of small twigs and weed stalks neatly piled,
was located on a floating bog among the lily pads in the middle of the lake. —
Lawrence Walkinshaw, Battle Creek, Mich.

Henslow’s Sparrow in a City Yard. — On May 17, 1928, I caught and
banded a bird ol this species, which made my third record for the species in this
county. I recognized the bird by the yellow on the bend of the wing and the
heavy bill, and then took note of its other characteristics — the graduated pointed
tail feathers, olive head, head markings and streaked sides. My trap was under
cherry trees and quite surrounded by lower shrubbery — an unusual locality in
which to And this dry held bird. — E. A. Doolittle, Painesville, Ohio.

A Freak Junco. — A Slate-colored junco ( Junco hyemalis hyemalis ) ob-
served in shoulder-high bushes alongside an open field, near Harmarville, Penn-
sylvania, on May 1, 1926, was ol interest because ol a distinct grayish white ring,
about one-eighth of an inch wide, about its neck. The bird, studied at close
range with 12x glasses, had the usual plumage except lor the neck ring, the pink
bill and the characteristic white outer tail feathers showing plainly as it moved
about. — Sidney Eastwood, Pittsburg, Pa.

Unusual Nesting of the Barn Swallow. A Phoebe built its nest on an
iron girder under a low bridge, over a swamp and only five feet above the water,

and reared its young. On June 24, 1928, 1 was surprised to find that a Barn

Swallow had built a low rampart of mud pellets on the rim ol the Phoebe’s nest,
relined it with feathers, and was sitting on four very heavily incubated eggs. And
to make it still more interesting, the eggs were unusually long and so heavily
blotched that had it not been for the birds 1 would not have recognized them as
belonging to the Barn Swallow.- — E. A. Doolittle, Painesville, Ohio.

The Snowy Owl in Northwestern Iowa. In November, 1928, Mr. John
Homines wounded and captured a Snowy Owl (Nyctea nyctea ) about three and
one-half miles southeast ol Rock Rapids, Iowa. The bird is a beautiful specimen,
being snowy white, with a small amount of brown mottling on the back of the
head and neck and some brown on the back and upper side of the wings. The

bird was sold to F. .1. Vickerman, of Rock Rapids, who will keep it alive for

a while before having it mounted. — 0. S. Thomas, Rock Rapids. Iowa.

Another Snowy Owl Record from Iowa. -On January 3, 1929, Mr. E. W.
Sells of Paton, Greene County, in west-central Iowa, sent me a fine specimen of
Snowy Owl which had been shot near there a day or two before. It was a
female, measuring 25 inches in length and about 56 inches in wing spread and
weighing just 4 pounds and 6 ounces. I mailed il to Prof. Kubichek at the Coe
College museum, who has mounted it, and il will lie preserved in that museum.
Prof. Kubichek reported that there was not a particle of food to be found in the
stomach. Mr. Sells reported that there had been two of lliese birds seen there,
but only one had been shot. In eleven years’ observation of birds in this locality
this is my first record of the Snowy Owl, and I was very glad to secure this record

General Notes

103

and also very glad to present it to Prof. Kubichek for the Coe College museum. —
W. M. Rosen. Ogden, Iowa.

On the Scent of Vultures. — After reading the articles ol Mr. Lewis and
Mr. Taber on the scent of Vultures (Wilson Bulletin, XL, pp. 154-156 and 22 1 -
223), I am prompted to relate an incident bearing on this subject and one in
which 1 figured rather ludicrously.

It was on September 17, 1926, that I received from a friend a squirrel which
he wanted me to mount for him. The weather was very warm for so late in the
summer and the flesh of the squirrel was decidedly tainted. I managed to remove
the skin and then threw the carcass over into a stubble field.

On the following afternoon (September 18), the weather still being very

warm, I was lying on a log on the edge of a strip ol woods adjoining the field,
and watching the sky. Presently four Turkey Vultures came sailing along from

the east, in a line of flight that would take them directly over the spot where

the carcass of the squirrel lay. Upon reaching this place the four birds began
to lly around in short circles, peering intently at the ground. Of course the small
carcass was hidden by weeds and stubble. My position was about 100 yards away,
where I lay very still to observe the action of the birds. One of them, spying me
lying on the log, seemed to say to the others, “I see it. There it is,” and all four
were soon circling over my head. Lower they came with each circle until they
were not more than fifty feet above me, and as any moment might bring the gaunt
creatures down at close quarters, 1 jumped up and hurled a stick at them. They
then flew away. About five minutes later another vulture flew over the spot
where the carcass lay, and it too circled four or five times, hut seeing nothing
flew away.

I am persuaded that the scent of vultures for decayed llesh is remarkably
keen, hut for untainted llesh they may rely more upon sight than the sense of
smell. — Thomas M. Earl, Xenia, Ohio.

The Return of the House Wren. — During the summers of 1925-26-27 the
Eastern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon) steadily increased in migration
numbers in Hillsboro until it was rather common. In 1928, it extended its range
to the immediate vicinity of the town. No bird welcomes its return. The hos-
tility between this wren and the Bewick’s Wren ( Thryomanes bewicki, bewicki) is
most bitter, and begins at nesting time. Twice it has come to open warfare. In
1926, on the first of June, the House Wren came over and began to investigate
every available nesting place, spending several days at a Chickadee’s old nest. All
the time above the nest, in an apple tree, sat a Bewick’s Wren, singing. Suddenly
and viciously he darted at the House Wren, striking it on the back. He then
returned to the tree and continued his singing. The House Wren sneaked away
and nested in the neighbor’s box. In 1928, the House Wren invaded an old nest
of the Downy Woodpecker, carrying out the material a hit at a time. Three
Bewick’s Wrens sat on a wire fence, watching. Suddenly one darted after him
driving him off the place. With one exception ( cf . Wilson Bulletin, XXXVII,
p. 92) the House Wrens have nested in the wren boxes, while the Bewick’s Wren
nests in a neighbor’s coal-house. Our premises will always be a battle-ground.
Neither will ever give way for the other to nest here. The two will never occupy
the same territory. The House Wren has come to stay. At the present time the
Bewick’s Wren is rather common and is generally distributed. On a drive through
the country, we are never out of the hearing of his song. — Katie M. Roads,
Hillsboro, Ohio.

104

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

The Peculiar Suspiciousness of Nesting Southern Meadowlarks. The

suspiciousness ol the Southern Meadowlark ( Sturnella magna argutula) about the
nest is remarkable. On June 21, 1927, I found a nest of this bird that was all
ready but the lining. This nest was built on the ground, among short grass which
was bent over to conceal it. The bird was seen to alight on the ground,
and after waiting a few minutes to give the bird time to reach the nest, 1
started lor the spot where she had alighted. She did not Hush there, but was
finally Hushed directly from her nest about fifty yards away from the place where
she had alighted. 1 did not disturb the nest but returned on June 20, only to find
the nest in the same condition as when 1 first had found it. Believing that she
had built another nest 1 began to search, and was rewarded by finding another
nest forty or fifty leet away, fully built, and apparently ready for eggs. This was
in a similar situation. 1 did not come within five feet of this nest, in order to keep
her from leaving it, hut on returning on July 7, I found this one also was deserted,
and no birds were to be seen or heard. Not to be hoodwinked 1 began another
search, and soon found a third nest, not more than sixty feet away, in a very
open spot, that could be seen some distance away. This nest was about ready,
and was not touched. On July 16, 1927, I came back to see what had happened,
and going back of the nest within a few feet had seen nothing of the birds; but
moving to the entrance a bird hopped out, arose and flew a few feet, and then
sneaked off through the grass, and was not again seen nor heard while I was
there. The male was not in evidence. The nest contained four eggs, incubated
about five days. In two other cases where I have found their nests with partial
sets, I have returned only to find them broken or destroyed by these suspicions
birds. — Donalo J. Nicholson, Orlando, Fla.

The Starling Nesting in Luce County, Michigan. On April 22, 1928, 1
was in a woods about two miles south of McMillan, Luce County, Michigan, and
saw two Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris) pass over towards the east. This is about
one-half mile west of the place where 1 later found the species nesting. On the
following dates, within one-fourth of a mile of the nesting site, 1 saw Starlings as
follows: May 9, one; May 21, a Hock ol five were seen in the top of a beech
tree at the edge of the woods at evening, of which, upon departing, two flew
north and three flew east; May 22, a flock of three; May 23, one; May 24, two:
May 25, one was seen in a roadside maple at 5:40 A. M., which sang a few notes,
then flew westward over a barn and was joined by two others on its flight to the
woods; May 26, two were seen to go to a tree where some had been noticed a
few days before; and May 28, two were seen at the same place on a tree at the
edge of the woods. On this latter date, at 5:27 A. m., 1 saw a Starling in the
entrance to an old Flicker nesting cavity, that was deserted, I believe, by the
Flickers. The top of this tree had broken off years ago, and while the ten or
more feet of the trunk below the place where it had been broken off was dead
and decayed, much of its lower part was living. The old Flicker nest was about
forty-five feet up in the dead top of the tree.

As 1 had seen Starlings at that place on previous days, it may be that nesting
began before May 28. I first noticed them feeding young on June 15, and on
July 1 I noticed the young out of the nest for the first time. The Starling’s
nesting site is forty rods west of the lane where 1 have a number of bird houses,
and about sixty rods west of my Purple Martin houses. Starlings were noticed
only a few times feeding in the field near the houses. They usually took a course

General Notes

105

to the northeast from the nest tree until about north of the lane, then to the
east; and usually returned by the same course. On two occasions, 1 saw a Star-
ling alight on the windmill, which when not in use is ollen used as a resting
place by the Purple Martins. No attempt of attack was made by either species.
Towards the end of the period that the young were in the nest, one ol the Star-
lings was seen going to the potato patch, where it gathered potato bugs. To go
from the nesting site to the potato patch, the Starlings had to pass over some ol
the Tree Swallow colony, and once l saw a Tree Swallow force a Starling to
the ground.

After July 7, I did not see any Starlings until September 28, when two
were seen in the dead top of a maple near the nest tree. On October 12, 1 saw a
Starling on its usual course, and it went to one of the “lookout” trees where it
remained for four minutes (7:16 A. m. to 7:20 A. m.), then flew back over the old
trail to the east, the nesting site not being visited. It appears that this was one
of the birds that nested there. My last record is of one seen on October 14, 1928,
the bird having been seen one-fourth of a mile east of the nesting place. I shall
be on the lookout to see if the Starlings return there to nest again next season. —
0. M. Bryens, McMillan , Mich.

A City Robin Roost. — During the early part of October, 1928, Robins
( Planesticus migratorius) were seen Hying in a southeast direction late in the
afternoon. After observing several ol these flights, the writer decided to look for
a Robin roost.

On October 16, at 6:15 A. M. we were in an old orchard, ft was a dark
morning, and having heard only a few Robins we were becoming skeptical of
our course. Then suddenly a commotion arose ahead of us and in the dim
light we saw the birds rising from a plum thicket. They left in a steady stream,
without exception headed northwest. They flew into the wind at an angle of
about forty-five degrees and when they had gained an altitude of perhaps 200
feet they would strike out lor their destination.

Some of the birds seemed a little uncertain about leaving the roost and
would circle it a few times before following their fellows. The Robins con-
tinued to leave the thicket in an unbroken line until 6:55 a. m., by which time
all but about a dozen birds had left the vicinity.

The return flight of the Robins began at approximately 5:15 p. m. The birds
s arted to arrive at the roost in small flocks of twenty to fifty. By 5:30 p. m..
however, the main flight was on, but differed from the morning flight in that the
birds returned in flocks ol 150 to 200, thus showing that they had scattered
during the day. The general direction of the flight was from the north and
west. A very few Robins came from the southwest.

The birds came in, flying at a high altitude, and would quickly break com-
pany and dive down in zigzag fashion to the roost. Sometimes a flock would
fly in and light more gracefully in a nearby tree and then fly over to the roost.
At 5:45 p. m. the birds had practically stopped coming, and were for the most
part settled in the thicket, where they kept up an incessant calling and chirping.

The birds roosted about five feet from the ground and when they had once
perched seemed to have little fear and allowed close approach, while in the
morning they were quite wild. Fhe roosting place was a very dense growth of
wild plum trees about 150 yards long and 25 yards wide. The roost was located
several blocks from any populated district and the birds were probably not

106

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

molested by humans to any extent. The place showed that it had been occupied
for several weeks, and they remained there until October 20.

It was rather hard to count the number of Lite Robins, but after several
observations we concluded that there were between 4,000 and 5.000 birds spending
the nights in this roost. — William Youngworth, Sioux City, Iowa.

Bird Casualties on the Highways. On June 10, 1928, we left Chicago by
automobile for the Dakotas on an expedition for the Chicago Academy of
Sciences. Our records ol the birds and animals found dead in the road, which
were probably all killed by automobiles, are as follows:

From Chicago to Iowa City, which is a distance of about 260 miles, we found
eighteen birds and eleven mammals of the following species: Nine Red-headed

Woodpeckers, two Screech Owls, one Northern Flicker, one Cowbird, one Meadow-
lark, one Rusty Blackbird, one English Sparrow, two domestic fowls, three
thirteen-striped spermophiles, two squirrels, one cottontail rabbit, one mink
and four domestic cats.

From Iowa City to Hawarden, Iowa, a distance of about 360 miles, we
found dead thirty-five birds, three mammals, two reptiles and an amphibian,
which were of the following species: Thirteen Red-headed Woodpeckers, three

Mourning Doves, two Kingbirds, two Bronzed Crackles, one Northern Flicker,
one Meadowlark, one Cowbird, one Catbird, one Bluebird, one Bob-white, one
English Sparrow, one female Ring-necked Pheasant, seven domestic fowls, two
thirteen-striped spermophiles, one Franklin’s spermophile, two garter snakes
and one toad.

From Hawarden, Iowa, to Webster, South Dakota, a distance of about 280
miles, we found very few bird casualilies, and only one mammal, a plains
muskrat. The few bird and mammal deaths in this instance were probably due
to the scarcity of automobiles on the highways we traveled.

From Webster, South Dakota, to Chase Lake, North Dakota, a distance of
about 280 miles, very few dead birds were found. Several dead Richardson's
spermophiles were seen, which was not unusual, as they are very abundant in
the grass along the roadsides in North Dakota.

On the entire trip, which covered about 1180 miles of highway, we saw
about sixty birds, twenty mammals, a toad, and two snakes whose deaths were
probably caused by automobiles. — E. V. Komahek, Oak Park, and E. G. Wright,
Chicago , III.

Bird Casualties. I he accidental death of birds due to flying into wires,
poles, and other obstructions, is of common occurrence, especially during the
migration season. Weather conditions are often bad, with visibility poor, and it
is not strange that a few of the passing thousands should be killed. Hardly a
week passes but someone brings a specimen into the Chicago Academy of
Sciences, which was picked up dead in this vicinity, and on April 21, 1928, an
adult female Woodcock ( Philohela minor) was found by one of our staff. In
spite of it being not unusual for birds to lly into obstructions, it seems strange
that a Woodcock, which is an adept at flying in thick cover, and which migrates
at night to a great extent, should fly into a large building on a clear night.
Another, which had flown into a wire, was found near Lincoln Park on May 1st.
Both were breeding females, and had deposited their complement of eggs.

While on the subject of accidents, I saw a Black-footed Albatross ( Diomedia
nigripes) lly into the flag-staff of a lower on Laysan Island, H. T., in March,

General Notes

107

1913. The bird’s right wing was broken, and we found that it was blind in the
right eye. The albatross evidently circled, with the pole on its blind side. On
Laysan, I several times saw albatrosses collide with each other, and fall heavily
to the ground, but these birds waddled off unhurt. — Alfred M. Bailey, Chicago
Academy of Sciences, Chicago, III.

A Hybrid Canada Goose..

There is an interesting cross
between the Canada Goose
and the common, or domestic
Toulouse Goose, in Lincoln
Park, at Chicago. It is a
large sized bird, and is con-
siderably darker than the
average Canad Goose. While
the cheek patch is well de-
fined, it is rather dusky, and
there is a patch of white on
the forehead. When first ob-
served, the hybrid goose was
sitting with a small bunch of
Canada Geese, and did not
differ greatly from the others,
except for the white feathers
of the head, and the darker coloration. When the bird raised to its feet, how
ever, it was very conspicuous, for its legs and feet were yellow. — Alfred M
Bailey, Chicago Academy of Sciences, Chicago, III.

COMMUNICATIONS

April 17, 1929.

To the Editor: In running through the Wilson Bulletin for March,

1929, I find among the communications on page 63 a letter from the Heath
Hen Committee of Boston, Massachusetts, dated January 31, 1929. This com-
munication was very interesting to me, especially the reference to National
Sportsman.

While it would be farthest from our minds to resent the. publication of any
reference to our magazine, I want to say at this time that the statement that
we have published “extravagant” articles on the Heath Hen situation is not true.
The articles in question have been based on fact and no attempt was made to
exaggerate the deplorable situation that, existed.

Sincerely yours,

W. H. Foster,

Editor National Sportsman Magazine,

Hunting & Fishing Magazine.

108

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

Conducted hv Alfred M. Bailey

There are two kinds of nature photographers. One secures pictures wher-
ever no special eliort is involved, while the other searches out difficult subjects
and makes a serious attempt to obtain good results.

Many can not afford the time to picture very timid species or forms nest-
ing in inaccessible places. Birds of prey are difficult, as a rule, for most of
them nest in high trees or along precipitous cliffs. The photographer who takes
such subjects would be classed as one who goes out of his way to secure the
unusual.

There is much to be said for the man who totes a camera on a holiday trip,
however, for he will oiten stumble over a rare chance to film an interesting sub-
ject. This was emphasized to me last week when Mr. Fred Lodge of La Grange,
Illinois, telephoned me that he had a nest of the Killdeer with young just hatch-
ing. We loaded our motion picture camera in the car and worked our way
through the Sunday traffic to an estate ten miles south of La Grange. We found
the nest ol the Killdeer upon a gravel bed at the rear of a garage, where trash
had been burned.

Shrill cries of “killdee, killdee” greeted us and the beautiful little parent
bird fluttered and flopped, uttering cries of distress as she tried to decoy us
away. There were three gray-and-black, downy, long-legged youngsters crouch-
ed motionless in the little depression, while the remaining egg rocked slowly
back and forth as the last baby tried to free itself. Anyone will recognize this
as the chance of a lifetime, lor young Killdeers leave the nest as soon as the
down is dry, and then it is practically impossible to secure photographs.

We erected the blind within six feet of the nest, and I set up the motion
picture machine, while Mr. Lodge and his son retired to a distance to watch
operations. Within ten minutes the adult came swiftly across the gravel and
crouched over the young. At the same time, 1 noticed she pressed against the
remaining egg — possibly accidentally, and cracked it wide open. At least, she
hurried matters materially. I made thirty or forty feet of film as the youngsters
crouched under the wings ol the adult, and then, desiring to secure additional
pictures of her returning to the nest, I attempted to frighten her from the nest.

1 waved my hands, yelled, flapped the blind, and finally threw my hat in an ef-
fort to have her leave. All at no purpose. I finally crawled out of the blind,
and even then the Killdeer seemed reluctant to leave. The camera was set up
within four feet of the nest, without the use of the blind. The parent came
back with little hesitation and hovered over the young while I ground out film
in an extravagant manner for a museum man.

But we were not satisfied. The camera was moved to within two feet, and
photographs were made which nearly filled the film, and then, while Mr. Lodge
turned the crank, 1 slowly put my hand toward the Killdeer sitting with wings
drooping over her babies, ran my fingers under her and lifted her from the
nest. She showed little concern, even while l lilted her wings to show the con-
trast of the beautiful while feathers beneath with the brown of the upper parts.

We came away deepl\r grateful to the brave little Killdeer for the lesson in
parental devotion, well satisfied that we had been favored by fortune. The ac-
companying photographic reproductions are enlargements from the motion pic-
ture film.

Bird Photography

109

The Killdeek

An Interesting Study in Protective Coloration

KtLLDEER ON ITS NeST

Both Pictures are enlarged from Motion Picture Films

110

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

The Cowbirds. A Study in the Biology of Social Parasitism. By Herbert

Friedman. Published by Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois. 1929.

Pp. i-xviii—{— 1-421. Pis. 1-XXV111, figs. 1-13. Price, 36-00.

In 1893 Major Charles Bendire published a paper (in Report of U. S. Nat.
Mus.) on “The Cowbirds,” which summarized tiie knowledge of the subject in
thirty-five pages. Dr. Friedman’s monograph now collects and collates the vast
amount of material which has been published in all sources during the past
third of a century, and contributes a very considerable amount of new field
observation. The Preface states that “The present work is a complete report
on all the Cowhirds, based on five years of uninterrupted work; three breeding
seasons were spent in central New York State, one in Argentina, and one on the
Texan-Mexican border.”

There has been a good deal of rearrangement in the taxonomy and nomen-
clature of the Cowbirds since Bendire’ s time. Friedman recognizes three genera,
viz., Agelaioides, Tangavius, and Molothrus. The genus Agelaioides is South
American, and contains two species and three races. Tangavius with its two
species and four races occupies the coastal plains of Mexico and Central America,
barely extending over into southwestern United States. Molothrus with three
species and ten races spreads over the greater part of both North and South
America.

The author is able to give very complete information on many of the topics
concerning the various species, including distribution, migration, courtship, mat-
ing, eggs and egg-laying, young, food, plumages and molts, enemies, etc. Considera-
tion of the genus Molothrus occupies about four-fifths of the hook, with Molo-
ihrus ater receiving the lion’s share of treatment and M. bonariensis and M.
rufo-axillaris ranking second and third. We need not doubt, however, that all
the forms are adequately treated in the light of present knowledge.

In the discussion of the North American Cowbird we find a list of the species
which are known to have been victimized, including 195 species and subspecies —
undoubtedly the longest list ever compiled. Hereafter, bird students will look to
this list for the status of any species as a Cowbird victim.

The egg-laying habits of the Cowbird are very fully discussed, but these
problems still remain a splendid field for study; and the amateur ornithologist
is just as likely as anyone to make some important discovery at this point.

The last chapter in the book is a speculation on the origin of the parasitic
habit of the Cowbirds; it is a complete and critically prepared discussion, but can
hardly be said to solve the problem. Briefly told, the author believes that the
parasitic habit has arisen in Cowbirds as a result of a “lack of attunement
between the territorial instincts of the male and the egg-laying instincts of the
female” “This lack of attunement seems to have been caused by the diminu-
tion of the protecting territorial instincts of the male and this diminution seems
in turn to have been started by the reversal of the territorial and nest-building
instincts in the stock from which the Screaming Cowbird evolved,” viz., the
Agelaioides group. Parenthetically we may make note of a misplaced line, line
32 from the top on page 354, which destroys the meaning at a critical point.

An extensive bibliography and an index complete the volume. The illustra-
tions include various maps of distribution, numerous pictures of nests with

Ornithological Literature

111

Cowhirds’ eggs, and a very noteworthy series of photographs ol Molothrus ater
in courtship poses.

This volume covers a most interesting and important subject, and one which
for some time has needed just such an exposition. The author has succeeded
admirably in his task; wc willingly concede it to ire a “major contribution to
ornithology.” The publishers have succeeded no less in their task of mechanical
execution. On a back fly-leaf the publishers have made an interesting statement
concerning the workmanship, which we believe will be an appreciated innovation.

— ' T. C. S.

Birds of New Mexico. By Florence Merriam Bailey, with contributions by tbe
la‘e Wells Woodbridge Cooke. Published by the New Mexico Department
of Game and Fish, Santa Fe, 1928. Pp. i-xxiv-(- 1-807, pis. 1-79 (25 in color),
hgs. 1-136, maps 1-60. Price, $5, in buckram.

We look upon the present volume with admiration. The text is voluminous
and most carefully prepared. The illustrations are abundant, attractive, and
instructive. The work lias been published through the ger.ercsily and patronage
of Mr. and Mrs. George Deardorff McCreary, Jr., of Silver City, New Mexico,
ft is always a pleasure to express our appreciation to the patrons of science. The
volume is largely the outcome of the researches carried on by the United States
Biological Survey. The work apparently had its inception as far back asi 1889,
when Mr. Vernon Bailey was sent to New Mexico to make collections for the
(then) Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy. Mr. Bailey, accompanied by
Mrs. Bailey, later spent several seasons in the State on field work for the
Bureau. Before his death Prof. W. W. Cooke undertook to prepare the available
data for publication. Under the administration of Dr. Nelson the task of bring
ing the material up to date and making a complete state book was assigned to
Mrs. Bailey, whose experience in the study ol western bird life is well known.

A perusal of the acknowledgments convinces the reader of the vast amount
of effort which has helped to produce this very -complete and authoritative volume.
The “Introduction” contains, besides the acknowledgments, a discussion of the
zonal distribution of birds in the State, with lists for each of the six zones; an
enumeration of the Slate and Federal wild life refuges, and the State organiza-
tions concerned in the conservation of wild life; a list of birds first discovered
and described from New Mexico — a surprisingly large number; a list of the
bird collections from New Mexico.

A unique feature of this work is a chapter on itineraries and reports of field
work in the Stale (pp. 15-36), and another chapter giving an alphabetical list
of localities visited by all reliable observers (pp. 37-68) — both by W. W. Cooke.
Every field worker in ornithology from 1540 to the present time is mentioned; his
work is briefly described, with citation to his publications on New Mexico birds.

The descriptive catalogue proper, by Mrs. Bailey, is included within pages
73-762. Three hundred and eighty-one forms are credited to the State, while
fifteen additional hypothetical forms are listed, the latter being included in tbe
body of the catalogue and indicated by brackets. Typical treatment for each
species includes paragraphs on: Description, Range, State Records, Nest, Food,
General Habits. Numerous maps help very materially in showing the distribution
of species within the Stale.

112

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Of the many hrst-class bird books which have appeared in recent years only
a few approach the present one in the beauty, originality, and quantity of illus-
tration. The maps, while not especially attractive, are none the less desirable
and useful. Many of the halftones are from excellent original photographs by
various held photographers; a few others are photographs of habitat groups in
the Colorado Museum of Natural History. Most of the black and white plates
are reproduced from paintings by Fuertes, though the plate of the Bald Eagle
is by Robert Ridgw'ay. One colored map shows the life zones of the State, and
was prepared by Vernon Bailey. The colored plates by Allan Brooks form, of
course, the outstanding pictorial feature. We are unable to make any com-
ments that will do justice to these beautiful pictures. And as these gaily colored
pages embellish the work and fascinate the eye, awakening new aspirations and
bringing to us a new world of bird life, so with their mention we bring our
review to its climax.

At the close of nearly every specific account several references are given
to other important descriptions. Besides this a very full bibliography is given
at the end of the book. Unfortunately, this is more than a bibliography of New
Mexico ornithology, and seems to be an alphabetical assemblage of the ‘‘literature
cited" in the body of the book.

The avifauna of the great Southwest is so very different from that cf other
parts of our country, that this work, treating essentially of the desert life, will
supply a desideratum in many an ornithological library; it will be indispensable
to those who wish to do field work in the southwest country, and now becomes
the. most valuable reference work extant for the general area treated. A limited
edition bound in leather, and autographed by the author, was made available at
$10. Our sincere congratulations are offered to the author and all concerned in
the production of this work. — T. C. S.

A Guide to the Winter Biros of the North Carolina Sandhills. By Milton
P. Skinner and Dr. John Warren Achorn. Albany, N. Y., 1928. Sold by the
Science Press Distributing Company, Grand Central Terminal, New York.
Pp. i -x iv— (— 1-30 1 . Pis. 31 in black and 13 in color. Price, $4.00.

The Science Press Distributing Co. seems to be a new adjunct to the Scierce
Press Printing Co., of Lancaster, Pa., and it has a long list of scientific works.
The bonk here reviewed has been prepared by Mr. Milton P. Skinner, whose
recent papers in the Wilson Bulletin will be remembered. Mr. Skinner spent
two winters, 1925-26 and 1926-27, in the field in the Sandhills region in order
to procure first-hand information for this volume. Ninety-seven species are
described, including the English Sparrow, which comprise the winter avifauna
ol the North Carolina Sandhills. The account of each species is given under the
heads of “Field Identification,” “Description,” “Distribution,” and “Habits.”

The list of birds described looks almost like a spring migration list to us
of the north. Especially full accounts are given of the two vultures, Blue .lay,
White-throated Sparrow, and the Mockingbird. The Wild Turkey is still to be
found in many parts of this Stale, and it is stated that, “In the Sandhills there
are two or three groups totaling perhaps thirty birds in all.” The author thinks
that with adequate protection this grand bird would increase again over prac-
tically every suitable part of its old range.

Many of our own northern birds are found to have a sort of dual personality
when we come to know their behavior in their winter quarters. The Cowbirds,

Ornithological Literature

113

for example, in the Sandhills do not associate with cattle; they also flock to-
gether, and with other species, in a manner hardly characteristic of them in the
north.

The thirteen colored plates are by Mr. E. J. Sawyer, and each plate depicts
eight or ten birds. Mr. Sawyer is very skilful in producing these small-sized
bird portraits. The volume is presented as a memorial to the late Dr. John War-
ren Achorn, from whose pen the three last chapters of the hook were prepared.

— T..C. S.

Birds of Western Canada. By P. A. Taverner. Second Edition (Revised).
Bulletin No. 41, Biol. Series, No. 10, National Museum of Canada. Published
by the Canada Department of Mines, Ottawa, 1928. Pp. 1-379, 84 colored
plates, 315 text figures. Price, $2.00 in cloth.

The Wilson Bulletin carried a notice of this volume about two years ago
(XXXVIII, 1926, pp. 250-251). It is gratifying to see that a new edition is
needed so soon. The book contains no preface to inform the reader what changes
may have been made in the revised edition. Upon cursory examination it is
difficult to find a great deal of revision, except in the pagination in one or two
places. A slight revision is noted in the account of the Sprague’s Pipit. The
illustrations remain the same. We are disposed to be somewhat critical of the
plate of the common Bittern. Taking into account the perspective, the sedges
or cattails in the far background seem to project too far skyward, being almost
tree-like in height. There is the possibility of similar criticism in the Sora Rail
plate. This book deals especially with the Canadian birds to be found west of
Ontario, but probably also includes most of the birds of the northern states within
the same longitude. It is thus not only a regional manual, but a very useful
book of reference for ornithologists in general, being far more than a compilation.

— ' T. C. S.

What Constitutes a Record? By Frederick C. Lincoln. Reprinted from Bull.
Audubon Soc. of N. H., Vol. 8, No. 2, December, 1928.

Discussions of this matter of field identification can not he other than helpful
in developing greater scientific caution and discrimination on the part of all
who do field work. The author is satisfied with nothing less than a preserved
skin or a museum record of a skin. Years ago Chapman ( Bird-Lore , IV, 1902,
pp. 166-7) laid down certain rules for safe-guarding the accuracy of field identi-
fication. Griscom ( Bird-Lore , XXIV, 1922, p. 230) defends the possibility of
identifying birds by ear. Ganier (Wilson Bulletin, XXXV, 1923, pp. 216-9)
believes that birds may be safely identified by means of their mannerisms and
habits. Griscom (Auk. XXXIX, 1922, pp. 31-41) has also pretty thoroughly
considered the value of sight records, with the conclusion, we believe, that
field records may be valid under certain restrictions. There is no doubt that
certain species may be recognized in the field under certain conditions and by
certain observers, sometimes by color, sometimes by song, sometimes by attitude,
sometimes by habits; but credibility is probably established more by the personal
equation than by any rules of procedure. And, therefore, we can hardly favor
going so far as to discard all field records. The same field ornithologist might
make a worse mistake in handling the skins; and who will say that the laboratory
man is beyond error? Is not the fault with the observer rather than with the
method? — T. C. S.

114

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Birds of Illinois. By Orpheus Moyer Schantz. Conservation Publication No.
6 of the Department of Conservation, Springfield, Illinois, 1928. Pp. 1-132,
numerous figures, 1 colored pi. Free.

The Illinois Department of Conservation has put out this booklet for the
purpose of developing an interest in bird life — knowing that as knowledge is
acquired interest develops. In many respects few of the western states have
done more in developing a knowledge of bird life than has Illinois; we need
only to recall the work of Forbes, Ridgway, Cory, Nelson, Gault, and a host of
younger writers.

There seemed to be a need for such an abridged list. The state list by Mr.
Gault, published seven years ago by the Illinois Audubon Society, listed 339
birds, with brief critical annotations on each form, hut without description or
field marks. Mr. Schantz gives a list of 292 birds, with various common names,
length, distributional status within the State, and field marks. In a sense the
two lists are complementary. We do not attempt to critically appraise the list
under consideraion, but assume that the work has been carefully compiled. It
might have been more acceptable if the map showing the life zones could have
been shown in the conventional colors now generally used for this purpose. The
booklet may be obtained free of cost by applying to the Illinois Department of
Conservation, at Springfield. — T. C. S.

A Review of the Birds of the Islands of Siberut and Sipora, Mentawi
Group (Spolia Mentawiensis) . By J. H. Riley. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,
Vol. 75, Art. 4, pp. 1-45, pi. 1. Washington, D. C. 1929.

This paper is based on a collection of birds from several islands off the
west coast of Sumatra. A check-list of 95 forms is given. Descriptive remarks
are made on about 81 forms. The birds of these islands appear to be, for the
most part, non-migratory; and hence there is a tendency for each island to
have its own geographical race of a given species. For example, we find listed
on page 23 the following:

Hypothymis azurea consobrina Richmond, Simalur Island
Hypothymis azurea amelis Oberholser, Nias Island
Hypothymis azurea isocara Oberholser, Ranjak Islands
Hypothymis azurea ponera Oberholser, Batu Islands
Hypothymis azurea leucophila Oberholser, Mentawi Islands
Hypothymis azurea riclimondi Oberholser, Engano Island

Ability to see that non-migratory birds may become more quickly and defi-
nitely isolated into races on islands is not limited to taxonomists; and where
such races can be clearly recognized by constant variation, some of the objections
to trinomial designation will not apply with equal force. The same admission
might be made concerning non-migratory forms which inhabit mountain valleys.

But there seems to be uncertainty as to the validity (value?) of even these
island races among the experts themselves. Thus, the author (page 21) in
speaking of Calyptomena viridis siberu Chasen and Kloss, says, “This appears
to he a very good race. It is much darker, less yellowish green than C. v. con-
tinentis; it also appears to he somewhat larger." We may conclude that the
author is uncertain whether it is a good race, and whether it is in reality larger.
And while in this quotation the author merely comments on the work of others,
yet we are disposed to point to this uncertainty and indefiniteness as typical ol

Ornithological Literature

115

much oi the modern taxonomic work. This vagueness and indefiniteness is the
inevitable result of the subspecific refinement; to put it the other way around,
the subspecific concept and trinomialism lead to vagueness and careless work
which clutters up the literature, to the confusion of all who follow. On page
13 the author says, “ Loriculus galgulus lamprochlorus Oberholser from Nias is
not different enough to warrant recognition in my opinion.” Thus is one expert
guess offset by another expert opinion, and where are we? The fact of the
matter is that we are losing confidence in the taxonomic work of our time. —

T. C. S.

A Contribution to ouk Knowledge of the Nesting Habits of the Golden
Eagle. By Joseph R. Slevin. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 4th Series, Vol.
XVIII, No. 3, pp. 45-71, pis. 4-7. 1929.

This is a narrative account of a search for eagles’ nests, and the collection
of their eggs, through the years 1916 to 1922. Twenty-one sets were collected,
affording a very good opportunity for a comparative study which was not under-
taken. The eagles were found to replace a set of eggs when removed. They had
a peculiar habit of placing leafy branches of the eucalyptus tree in the nest,
possibly in an effort to conceal the eggs. — T. C. S.

A New Bird Family (Geospizidae) from the Galapagos Islands. By Harry
S. Swarth. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 4th Ser., Vol. XVIII, No. 2, pp. 29-43,
6 figs. 1929.

The California Academy of Science made a very large collection of birds
(over 8000 skins) in the Galapagos Islands in 1905-06. Most of the smaller birds
had not been studied until Mr. Swarth undertook the task in 1927. The author
proposes to unite the “ground finches” (genus Geospiza ) with the creepers
( Certhidea ) to form a new family to he known as Geospizidae, confined to the
Ga^pagos Archipelago and Cocos Island. — T. C. S.

1. A Preliminary Wild Life and Forest Survey of Southwestern Cattarau-

gus County, N. Y. By Victor H. Cahalane. Pp. 9-144.

2. A Preliminary Report on the Trout Streams of Southwestern Cattarau-

gus County, N. Y. By Wilford A. Dence. Pp. 145-210. Both articles in
the Roosevelt Wild Life Bull., V, No. 1, March, 1928.

The first paper by Mr. Cahalane presents a very full discussion of the bird
life of the area, with special attention to the ecological distribution of birds. The
local status of two game birds, Ruffed Grouse and pheasant ( P. torquatMjs?) , is
also considered. The second paper by Mr. Dence deals with fishes, hut makes
a very brief reference (p. 197) to birds as fish enemies. — T. C. S.

We have before us a few mimeographed pages constituting “The Flicker”
(Vol. I, No. 2, April, 1929), the official organ of the Minnesota Bird Club. We
learn that this Club was organized on March 15, 1929. The subscription price
of “The Flicker” is $1 per year (Mr. Charles Evans, 3250 47th Ave., S., Minne-
apolis). The present number contains an article by E. D. Swedenborg which
endeavors to determine what is the “typical winter bird of Minnesota.” We wish
prosperity to this young organization. With similar state organizations already
active in Nebraska and Iowa, we would he glad to see other neighboring states
lake a similar step.

116

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

MEMBERSHIP ROLL

MEMBERSHIP ROLL OF THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

Officers, 1929

President — Dr. Lynds Jones, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.

Vice-President — Mr. George Miksch Sutton, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Secretary — Dr. Jesse M. Shaver, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville,
Tennessee.

Treasurer — Professor J. W. Slack, Michigan State College, East Lansing, Michigan.
Councillors — Thomas H. Whitney, Atlantic, Iowa; W. G. Fargo, Jackson, Michi-
gan; Myron H. Swenk, Lincoln, Nebraska; C. W. G. Eifrig, Oak Park,
Illinois; Mrs. Margaret M. Nice, Columbus, Ohio.

Editor of the Wilson Bulletin — Professor T. C. Stephens, Morningside College
Sioux City, Iowa.

LIonorary Members

Ballard, Harlan Hoge, 247 South, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 1893

Nehrling, H., Gotha, Florida.. .1892

§Ridgway, Robert, 1030 South Morgan Street, OIney, Illinois 1899

Widmann, Otto, 5105 Enright Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 1897

Sustaining Members

Bailey, Harold H., 206 Exchange Building, Miami, Florida 1925

Baldwin, S. Prentiss, 11025 E. Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio .1920

Bales, Blenn R., M. D., 149 W. Main Street, Circleville, Ohio 1923

Barnes, Hon. R. M., Lacon, Illinois. ...1909

Bent, Arthur Cleveland, 140 High Street, Taunton, Massachusetts 1893

Bishop, Dr. Louis B.. 450 Bradford Street, Pasadena, California ....1903

Blain, Dr. Alexander W., 2201 Jefferson Avenue, East, Detroit, Michigan 1902

Boyce, James G., 422 West Ninth Street, Texarkana, Texas 1921

Brandt, Herbert W., 14507 Shaker Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio ..1914

*Bretsch, Clarence, 690 Broadway, Gary, Indiana 1925

Bruen, Frank, 52 B. Prospect Place, Bristol, Connecticut 1902

Cannon, Gabriel, 543 Otis Boulevard, Spartanburg, South Carolina ...1921

Chambers, W. Lee, P. O. Drawer 123, Eagle Rock Sta., Los Angeles, Calif 1909

Coffin, Lucy V. Baxter, care of Marie Baxter, 122 S. West Seventh Street,

Richmond, Indiana 1906

Coffin, Percival Brooks, 5708 Kenwood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1911

Colburn, Albert E., 716 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, California 1928

Conover, Henry Boardman, 6 Scott Street, Chicago, Illinois 1922

Crosby, Maunsell S., Grasmere Farms, Rhinebeck, New York 1901

Dickinson, Joseph Edward, 409 N. Horsman Street, Rockford, Illinois 1925

* Ellis, Ralph, Jr., Jericho, Long Island, New York 1926

Earl, Thomas M., R. D. No. 2, Xenia, Ohio 1925

Fordyce, George Lincoln, 40 Lincoln Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio 1914

Ganier, Albert Franklin, 2507 Ashwood Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 1915

Goodrich, Mrs. Calvin, care of University Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor,

Michigan 1914

Gray, I). R., Box 152, Mount Pleasant, Tennessee ....1914

*Jones, Dr. Lynds, 352 West College Street. Oberlin, Ohio Founder

Kennard, Frederic Hedge, 246 Dudley Road, Newton Center, Massachusetts.... 1922

Knickerbocker, C. K. 1214 McCormick Building, Chicago, Illinois 1916

Kuser, J. Dryden, Bernardsville, New Jersey 1913

Loesch, Frank J., 10 S. LaSalle Street, Room 1540, Chicago, Illinois.. 1928

Lyon, W. I., 124 Washington Street, Waukegan, Illinois 1921

fMcIlhenny, Edw. Avery, Avery Island, Louisiana 1921

Magee, Michael L, 603 South Street, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 1919

§ Deceased .

*Life Member.
f Rejoined.

Membership Roll

117

Mershon, Wm. Butts, Saginaw, Michigan ...1910

Mills, Weir R., Pierson, Iowa 1914

Mitchell, Dr. Walton I., 1644 Visalia Avenue, Berkeley, California - 1894

Monk, Harry C., Avoca Apartments, Nashville, Tennessee .. ...1920

Nelson, Miss Theodora, Hunter College, 66 Court Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 1928

Norris, Roy C., R. R. B., Richmond, Indiana ...1921

Osgood, Dr. Wilfred Hudson, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, 111. ..1910

fPearson, T. Gilbert, 1974 Broadway, New York, New York 1921

Perkins, Samuel E., 701 Inland Bank Building, Indianapolis, Indiana. 1924

Phelps, Frank M., 130 Cedar Street, Elyria, Ohio 1914

Phillip, Uhilip Bernard, 220 Broadway, St. Paul Building, New York, N. Y 1914

Pickwell, Gayle B., Department of Natural Science, San Jose State Teachers

College, San Jose, California. 1925

Rich, Waldo L., 15 Rock Street, Saratoga Springs, New York 1920

Richmond, Chas. Wallace, 1929 Park Road, N. W., Washington, D. C ..1922

Roberts, Thos. S., Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota 1914

Rogers, Charles Henry, Princeton Museum of Zoology, Princeton, N. J 1903

Saunders, W. E., 352 Clarence Street, London, Ontario, Canada 1902

Schaefer, Oscar Frederick, 724 Woodbine Avenue, Rochester, New York 1921

Shearer, Dr. Anion Robert, Mont Belvieu, Chambers County, Texas 1893

Sherman, Althea R., National via McGregor, Iowa 1902

Simons, Joseph, 231 S. LaSalle Street, Room 959, Chicago, Illinois 1928

Stephens, T. C., Morningside College, Sioux City 1911

Stoddard, H. L., Beachton, Grady County, Georgia 1917

Sutton, George Miksch, State Ornithologist, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 1920

Swenk, Myron H., 1410 North 37th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 1914

*Mrs. H. J. Taylor, 1711 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1916

Thayer, John Eliot, Box 98, George, Hill Road, Lancaster, Massachusetts 1903

Tucker, Mrs. Carl Penwood, Mount Kisco, New York 1928

Uhrig, Mrs. A. B., Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 1926

Von Lengerke, Justus, 257 Highland Avenue, Orange, New Jersey 1926

Wallace, Chas. R., 69 Columbus Avenue, Delaware, Ohio 1916

*Whitney, Thos. H., Atlantic, Iowa 1916

Willard, F. C., Farmingdale, Long Island, New York 1924

Wing, Leonard W., R. F. D. 3, Jackson, Michigan 1924

Young, Colonel John P., Renwick Drive, Ithaca, New York 1913

Active Members

Adams, Amy M., 6400 Kenwood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1927

Allen, Arthur A., McGraw Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y 1914

Anderson, Edward C., R. R. 4, Dell Rapids, South Dakota 1921

f Armstrong, Edward Elton, 2249 Calumet Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1921

Ayers, Douglas Jr., Ill Canah Street, Fort Plain, New York 1924

Bachmann, Dr. Harrold, 2340 Lincoln Park West, Chicago, Illinois 1928

Bailey, Alfred M., Chicago Academy of Science, Chicago, Illinois 1928

Bailey, Mrs. Florence Merriam, 1834 Kalorama Road, Washington, D. C 1911

Bailey, Mrs. Mary L., 2109 Nebraska Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1918

Baird, Robert L., 279 Oak Street, Oberlin, Ohio 1902

Bartsch, Paul, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C 1894

Bellah, L. P., Union Station, Nashville, Tennessee ..1926

fBennett, Walter W., 1629 West Palmer Avenue, Sioux City, Iowa 1925

Bergtold, William Harry, 1159 Race, Denver, Colorado 1916

Black, J. D., Winslow, Arkansas 1925

Bladholm, Geo. L., 381 Desplaines Street, Blue Island, Illinois 1929

Blincoe, Benj. J., Route 13, Dayton, Ohio 1920

Bowman, Paul W., George Washington University, Washington, D. C 1927

Bruun, Chas. A., 1510 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, Arkansas 1921

Bryens, Oscar McKinley, McMillan, Luce County, Michigan 1924

Burdick, Dr. George Merton, Box 176, Milton, Wisconsin 1921

Burgess, Mrs. E. A., 2826 Nebraska Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1925

118

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Burleigh, Thos. D., Division ol Forestry, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga 1923

Burleigh, Dr. W. J., 53 Aberdeen Place, Hillcrest, St. Louis, Mo 1927

Burns, Frank L., Berwyn, Pennsylvania Founder

Burtch, Verdi, Branchport, New York 1924

Butler, Amos W.. 52 Downey Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 1911

Butler, Rev. L. Ermil, First M. E. Church, Bidwell, Ohio 1926

Cahn, Dr. Alvin R., 902 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, Illinois 1917

Calhoun, Geo. R., 1 Memorial Building, Nashville, Tennessee 1928

Camp, R. D., Bex 495, Brownsville, Texas 1924

Carroll, J. J., Box 356, Houston, Texas 1926

Cavaness, Sail ie E., 600 North Main, Monticello, Arkansas . 1923

Chapman, Dr. Frank M., American Museum Natural History, 77th Street and

C. P. W., New York, New York 1910

Clay, Miss Marcia B., Bristolville, Ohio 1925

Cobh, Rev. P. L., Big Stone Gap, Virginia 1924

Coffel, Hal. H., Pennville, Gay County, Indiana 1929

Coffey, Ben, Tennessee Inspection Bureau, Memphis, Tennessee 1927

Cole, Dr. Leon J., Agricultural-Chemical Building, Madison, Wisconsin 1921

Commons, Frank W., 608 Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minnesota.... 1923

Cook, G. M., 39 Tod Lane, Youngstown, Ohio 1923

Cook, Mrs. Helen N., 210 Longwood Road, Roland Park, Baltomire, Md 1927

Cookman, Alfred, 517 McKinley Avenue, Pomona, California 1928

Coryell, Sherman, 1500 Hood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1921

Coursen, C. Blair, 651 East 69 Place, Chicago, Illinois 1927

Danforth, Stuart T., College of Agriculture, Mayaguez, Porto Rico 1925

Darling, A. B., 4501 Country Club Boulevard, Sioux City, Iowa 1925

Dean, Robert Henry, 720 Quintard Avenue, Anniston, Alabama 1921

Deane, Ruthven, 1222 N. Stale Street, Chicago, Illinois 1910

Deane, Walter, 29 Brewster Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1903

DeLury, Ralph E., Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Ontario Canada 1921

Dickey, Donald R., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.... 1912

Dolman, Helen, 1010 Washtenaw Avenue, Ypsilanti, Michigan 1929

Donaghho, Walter, Box 532, Parkersburg, West Virginia 1920

Doolittle, E. A., Box 44, Painesville, Ohio 1925

Dorsey, George A., 531 S. Washington Street, College Park, Georgia 1927

Dunkelberger, Harry W., P. O. Box 6, Flourtown, Montgomery County,

Pennsylvania 1922

Dunlap, M. Sigsbee, 1451 Hampshire Street, Quincy, Illinois 1926

§Dwight, Dr. Jonathan, 43 West 70th Street, New York, New York.. 1905

Earl, Thomas M., R. D. No. 2, Xenia, Ohio 1927

Eddy, Samuel, Vivarium Building, Corner Wright and Healey, Champaign,

Illinois 1925

Ehinger, Dr. C. E., 730 Grand Avenue, Keokuk, Iowa 1926

Eifrig, C. W. G., 1029 Monroe Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 1907

Ekblaw, George E., 233 West Orleans, Paxton, Illinois 1914

Ekblaw, W. Elmer, Box 431, North Grafton, Massachusetts 1910

Ericksen, W. J., 2311 Barnard Street, Savannah, Georgia 1921

Fargo, W. C., 506 1 nion Street, Jackson, Michigan 1923

Fetter, Dorothy, Winthrop College, Rock Hill, South Carolina 1927

Fields, E. A., 211 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa .1925

Fi field, Lewis E., 14 Beekman Street, Plattsburg, New York 1923

Fleming, James Henry, 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto 4, Ontario, Canada 1906

Floyd, Joseph L., 1009-11 Geo. D. Harter Bank Building, Canton, Ohio 1903

Ford, Edward Russell, 5521 Wayne Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1914

Gabrielson, Ira N., 516 Post Office Building, Portland, Oregon 1913

Gault, Benjamin True, 424 So. Main Street, Glenn Ellyn, DuPage Co., Ill 1895

Gilliam, R. A., 1123 Cedar Hill Avenue, Station A, Dallas, Texas 1924

Gleason, Jr., Clark H., 51 !4 S. Professor Street, Oberlin, Ohio 1929

Gleason, Louisa H. (Mrs. Clark H.), 700 Madison Avenue, S. E., Grand
Rapids, Michigan 1921

Membership Roll

119

Gloyd, Howard K., Department of Zoology, Kansas State Agricultural Col-
lege, Manhattan, Kansas 1925

Goddard, Henry N., Western Slate Normal School, Kalamazoo, Michigan 1926

Gowans, Ethel, 308 So. Lincoln Street, Kent, Ohio. 1924

Gregory, Stephen S. Jr., Box N., Winnetka, Illinois 1922

Grinnell, Dr. Joseph, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University ol Cali-
fornia, Berkeley, California 1914

Griscom, Ludlow, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass 1926

Guest, Marjorie Lee, State Hospital, Box 476, Jamestown, N. D 1924

Guthrie, Prof. Joseph E., 319 Lynn Avenue, Ames, Iowa 1922

Haecker, H. H., Logan School, Raymond, South Dakota 1926

Handley, C.has. 0., 407 East Jefferson Street, Thornasville, Georgia 1925

Hankinson, T. L., 96 Oakwood Avenue, Ypsilanti, Michigan ..1911

Harris, Harry, 5234 Hermosa Avenue, Eagle Rock, California 1924

Hastings, Walter E., 310 Maple Street, Howell, Michigan 1923

Haultain, Chas. Frederick, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.. 1924

Hayward, W. J., 2919 Jackson Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1913

Henderson, Archibald Douglas, Belvedere, Alberta, Canada 1922

Henderson, Hon. Junius, 1305 Euclid Avenue, Boulder, Colorado 1903

§Henninger, Rev. W. F., Manchester, Michigan 1902

Herrick, Dr. Francis H., Biological Laboratory, W'estern Reserve University,

Cleveland, Ohio 1916

Himmel, Walter J., Department of Botany, University of Nebraska, Lincoln,

Nebraska ..1916

Hine, Prof. James S., Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1910

Hinshaw, Thomas D., 1908 Scotlwood Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1926

Hoffman, E. C., 740 W. Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 1925

Holcombe, C. E., 2917 Ezra Avenue, Zion, Illinois 1927

Holt, Ernest Golsan, Legacion Americana, Caracas, Venezuela 1926

Honywill, Albert William, Jr., 17400 Wildemere Avenue, Detroit, Michigan... .1920
Horsky, L. O., Mailing Division, P. O., Burlington Postal Station, Omaha,

Nebraska 1924

Howell, Arthur Holmes, 2919 S. Dakota Avenue, Washington, D. C 1921

Hunt, Chreswell J., 810 S. 18th Avenue, Maywood, Illinois 1904

Hunt, J. Steger, 605 EasL 5th Street, Tuscumbia, Alabama 1926

Hyde, B. T. B., 558 Camino del Monte Sol, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1928

fjohns, Erwin W., 645 Remington, El. Collins, Colorado 1925

Johnson, John C., 402 N. Pine Street, Gunnison, Colorado 1926

Jung, Clarence S., 553 Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1921

Kahmann, Karl W., R. R. No. 2, Hayward, Wisconsin 1914

Kee, Hunter, 36 9th Avenue, Marlinton, West Virginia 1922

Keyes, Prof. Chas. R., Cornell College, Lock Box J, Mount Vernon, Iowa 1925

Kirn, Albert J., Box 157, Somerset, Texas 1918

Kretzmann, Dr. Paul E., 801 DeMun Avenue, St. Louis, Mo 1924

Lambert, Earl Logan, 237 N. 1st Street, Carthage, Illinois 1922

Lancaster, Esther A., Route 3, Hutchinson, Kansas 1927

Lang, Richard C., 319 West Side Avenue, Webster Groves, Missouri 1925

Larrabee, Austin P., Yankton College, Yankton, South Dakota 1921

Laskey, Mrs. F. C., Route 9, Graybar Lane, Nashville, Tennessee 1928

Law, J. Eugene, Box 247, Altadena, California 1911

Lee, George Frederick, M. D., Ph. D., Florence, South Carolina 1926

Leffingwell, Dana J., W. S. C., Pullman, Washington 1926

Leopold, Aldo, 222 Van Hise Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 1928

Lewis, John B., 304 Mitchell Street, Ithaca, New York ...1924

Lewy, Dr. Alfred, 2051 East 72nd Place, Windsor Park Station, Chicago, 111. ..1916

Lindsey, E. A., Tennessec-Hermitage National Bank, Nashville, Tennessee 1924

Little, Luther, 1400 Wayne Avenue, So. Pasadena, California 1914

Lodbell, Richard Nugent, Department of Zoology, A. & M. College, Miss 1921

Longstreet, Rubert James, Daytona Beach, Florida j 1924

Coring, J. Alden, Owego, Tioga County, New York 1926

Lowe, John N., Northern State Normal School, Marquette, Michigan 1927

120 The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Luther, Geo. W., DeTour, Michigan 1926

Lutz, Emelie, 4844 Kenniore Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1926

Lyon, Mary C., 811 N. Sheridan Road, Waukegan, Illinois 1925

fMcAtee, W. L., Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wash-
ington, D. C 1921

McCabe, T. T., Barkerville, British Columbia, Canada 1928

McGowan, Hamilton G. ,397 4th Street, N. E., Atlanta, Georgia 1928

McGregor, Richard C., Bureau of Science, Manila, Philippine Islands 1919

McNeil, Dr. Chas. A., Ill W. Fourth Street, Sedaiia, Missouri 1922

Madison, Allan A., Box 182, Flaxton, North Dakota 1927

Magann, J. Wilbur, 156 N. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 1927

Main, John Smith, 610 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin 1921

fMalcomson, R. 0., 1603 Ross Street, Sioux City 1926

Marsh, Mai, 1005 Lexington Avenue, Altoona, Pennsylvania 1927

Mayfield, Dr. George R., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 1917

Metcalf, Dr. Franklin P., Fukien Christian University, Foochow, China 1919

Metcalf, Zeno P., State College, West Raleigh, North Carolina 1909

Middleton, Raymond Jones, Marshall Street and Whitehall Road, Norris-
town Delivery, Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania 1922

Millard, Mrs. F. A., 1032 N. 4th Street, Burlington, Iowa 1926

Minich, Edward C., 1047 Fairview Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio 1923

Mitchell, Catharine Adams, 144 Fairbank Road, Riverside, Illinois 1915

Moore, Arthur David, 712 Phoenix Street, South Haven, Michigan 1922

M oore, Mrs. Nettie Purdy, 941 Starkweather Avenue, Plymouth Michigan 1925

M orris, C. H., McConnelsville, Ohio 1911

Morse, Harry G., Huron, Ohio 1923

M orse, Margarette E., Viroqua, Wisconsin 1922

Moseley, Edwin Lincoln, State Normal College, Bowling Green, Ohio 1921

Mounts, Mrs. Beryl Taylor (Mrs. Lewis H.), Ballard Normal School, Macon,

Georgia 1923

Mueller, Mrs. Hans, Willow Terrace, Apartment 81, Louisville, Kentucky 1923

Neff, Johnson A., Marionville, Missouri 1921

Nice, Mrs. Margaret M., 156 W. Patterson Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 1921

Nicholson, Nevin Good, 215 N. W. 3rd Street, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 1923

Norris, Joseph P., Jr., 2122 Pine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1911

Northup, Elizabeth A., 436 Warren Avenue, Voungstown, Ohio 1920

Oberholser, Dr. Harry Church, 2805 18th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C 1894

Ohern, D. W., 915 W. 14th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1921

Ortega, James L., Costa Mesa, California 1924

Palas, A. J., 663 49th Street, Des Moines, Iowa ....1923

Palmer, Dr. Theodore Sherman, 1939 Biltmore Street, N. W., Washington,

D. C 1914

Parker, Herbert, So. Lancaster, Massachusetts .'. 1928

Pemberton, John Roy, 525 N. Palm Drive, Beverly Hills, California 1922

Pennington, Leigh H., New York State College of Forestry, Syracuse Uni-
versity, Syracuse, New York 1921

Pennock, Charles John, Kennett Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania 1920

Phillips, Dr. John H., 2117 Blair Boulevard, Nashville, Tennessee 1921

Pindar, Dr. L. Otley, Versailles, Kentucky Founder

Plapp, Doris Anne, 4140 N. Keeler Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1927

Plath, Karl, 2847 Giddings Street, Ravenswood Station, Chicago, Illinois 1916

Porter, J.as. V., Box 394, Glenwood, Minnesota 1929

Pough. Richard H., 4 Lennox Place, St. Louis, Missouri 1924

Praeger, Wm. E., 2 College Grove, Kalamazoo, Michigan 1916

Prewitt, Wm. C., 409 Cross Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 1929

Prill, Dr. Albert G., Main Street, Scio, Oregon 1892

Quillian, Prof. Marvin C., Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia 1927

Randall, Mrs. W. S., 618 East 15th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1925

Reed, Mrs. C. 1. (Bessie P. ) , 1615 South Ninth Avenue, Maywood, Illinois.... 1924

Reid, Mrs. Bruce (Bessie M.), care of Gulf Refinery, Port Arthur, Texas 1921

Reid, Russell, 911 Sixth Streeet, Bismarck, North Dakota 1920

Membership Roll

121

Richardson, W. D., 4215 Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1918

Riley, Joseph Harvey, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C 1914

Roads, Katie M., 463 Vine Street, Hillsboro, Ohio 1914

Robins, Janies A., care of The Robins School, McKenzie, Tennessee 1927

Robinson, J. M., Box 264, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn Alabama... .1923

Rodock, Roy E., Lewistown State Normal School, Lewistown, Idaho 1928

Rosen, Walter M., Ogden, Iowa 1923

Ross, Marjorie Ruth, R. R. No. 5, Fairmount, West Virginia 1921

Rust, Henry J., Box 683, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 1921

Satterthwait, Elizabeth Allen, Webster Groves, Missouri 1925

Schantz, 0. M., 3219 Maple Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois 1903

Schorger, A. W., 2021 Kendall Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 1927

Severance, Mrs. J. J., 1612 Grand Avenue, Davenport, Iowa 1928

Sherwood, Jack W., P. 0. Box 264, Salinas, California 1929

Silliman, Oscar Peny, Corner Alisal and Riker Streets, Salinas, Monterey

County, California 1914

Simmons, Geo. Finlay, 2727 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 1928

Skinner, M. P., 44 Broadhead Avenue, Jamestown, New York 1926

Smith, Prof. Frank M., 79 Fayette Street, Hillsdale, Michigan 1910

Smith, Prof. Jesse L., 334 Vine Street, Highland Park, Illinois 1925

Smits, Lee J., 246 East Alexandrine Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 1927

Spear, James, Wallingford, Pennsylvania 1828

Spiker, Chas. J., New Hampton, Iowa 1916

Spofford, Walter R., Highland Road, Berlin, Massachusetts 1926

Stack, Prof. Joseph W., Department of Zoology, Michigan State College,

East Lansing, Michigan 1925

Stewart, Clare R. (Mrs. L. P.), 3475 Morrison Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 1923

Stickney, Gardner P., 864 Summit Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1922

Stoner, Dr. Dayton, U. S. Entomological Laboratory, Sanford, Florida ..1917

Strecker, John Kern, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 1929

Strong, R. M., 5840 Sioney Island Avenue, Chicago, Illinois Founder

Stuart, Anne, 1905 D. Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 1924

Stucker, Gus, 108 Bellaire Avenue, Springfield, Ohio ..1923

Sturgis, Mrs. S. D., 2400 16th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C 1928

Swarth, Harry S., 2800 Prince Street, Berkeley, California 1910

Taylor, Warner, 219 Clifford Court, Madison, Wisconsin ..1917

Teachenor, Dix, 1020 West 61st Street, Kansas City, Missouri 1923

Thomas, Edward S., 1116 Madison Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 1921

Thomas, H. H., 1124 E. Main Street, Pomeroy, Ohio 1924

Tinker, Almerin David, 519 Oswego, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1909

Todd, W. E. Clyde, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1911

Townsend, Dr. Chas. W., Ipswich, Massachusetts 1916

Travis, Florence G., 1458 Mars Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio 1921

Tyler, Dr. Winsor M., 112 Pinckney Street, Boston, Massachusetts 1914

Urner, Charles A., 596 Westminister Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey 1928

Van Tyne, Josselyn, 1942 Cambridge Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1922

Vlasnik, Mollie, 814 Nebraska Street, Wayne, Nebraska 1927

Warren, Edward R., 1511 Wood Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 1911

Weber, Alois J., 904 Grand Avenue, Keokuk, Iowa 1928

Wertz, Miss Vara M., 101 8th Avenue, Juniata, Pennsylvania 1928

Wetmore, Dr. Alexander, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C 1903

fWheeler, Rev. H. E., Alabama Museum of Natural History, University, Ala... 1924

White, Miss Betty, Teachers College, Greenville, N. C 1928

White, Francis Beach, St. Paul’s School, Concord, N. H 1926

Wilson, Mrs. Etta S., 9077 Clarendon Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 1928

Wilson, Frank Norman, 804 Lawrence Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1924

122

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Wilson, Gordon, 1434 Chestnut, Bowling Green, Kentucky 1920

Winter, Nevin 0., 805 Spitzer Building, Toledo, Ohio 1921

Wolcott, Robert H., University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 1924

Wright, Dr. Albert H., 113 E. Upland Road, Ithaca, New York 1921

Wright, Earl G., Chicago Academy of Science, Clark and Center Streets,

Chicago, Illinois 1925

Yoder, William H., Jr., 4510 N. Carlisle Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... 1926
Youngworth, William, 3119 E. 2nd Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1927

Associate Members

Abbey, G. F., Cottonwood, Minnesota 1924

Adams, Benjamin, Wethersfield, Connecticut 1920

Adkins, T. R., 421 Aztec Building, San Antonio, Texas 1926

Alexander, Frank M., Box 95, Wellington, Kansas 1928

Allen, A. F., 714 34th Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1925

Allert, Oscar P., R. R. 1, McGregor, Iowa 1923

Allison, C. W., Box 968, St. Louis, Missouri 1926

Appleman, Mrs. A. L., 2081 Lamar Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee 1929

Aspinwall, Mrs. Clarence, 2340 Kalorama Road, Washington, D. C 1923

Bachtel, Dorothy H., Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee 1928

Bachrach, Mrs. Benjamin, 1555 W. Macon Street, Decatur, Illinois 1926

Baerg, William J., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 1924

§Bailey, H. B., Box 112, Newport News, Virginia 1914

Baldwin, Mrs. Harry L., 7136 Ridgeland Avenue, Apartment 1, Chicago, 111 1926

Ball, William Howard, 1233 Irving Street, N. W., Washington, D. C 1924

Barber, Bertram Alpha, 350 West Street, Hillsdale, Michigan 1923

Baroody, Mrs. Nellie .]., 3130 Wenonah Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois 1927

Batchelder, C. F., 7 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1927

Bates, Rev. John Mallory, Red Cloud, Nebraska

fBaynard, Oscar E., P. O. Box 104, Plan! City, Florida 1924

Beal, Clarence Marvin, 184 Stowe Street, Jamestown, N. Y 1924

Beard, M iss Mary, 406 E. 5th Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 1928

Beebe, Ralph, 2920 Hillger Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 1924

Benedict, Prof. Harris M., University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 1925

Benedict, Mrs. Howard Smith, 418 Chester, 12th Building, Cleveland, Ohio.... 1926
Bergman, Miss Verna, 114 West Hittany Avenue, State College, Pennsylvania.. 1928

Birge, Miss Willie I., College of Industrial Arts, Denton, Texas 1925

Blanchard, Dr. Frank N., Department of Zoology, University of Michigan,

Ann Arbor, Michigan 1928

Blincoe, Mrs. Benjamin J., R. R. 13, Dayton, Ohio 1926

Bolen, Homer R., Victoria, Texas 1928

Bolt, Benj. F., 225 E. 46th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 1916

Bonesteel, V. C., American National Bank, Aurora, Illinois 1925

Borrer, Donald .)., 177 W. Park Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 1927

Bossier, John, Berks County, Hamburg, Pennsylvania 1928

Boulton, Wolfrid Rudyard, Jr., Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.... 1922

Bowdish, Beecher Scoville, Demarest, New Jersey 1924

Bowman, John G., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1928

Brady, Dr. John A., St. Augustine College, Lakewood, Ohio 1925

Braly, John Claude, 501 Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon 1927

Brasher, Rex, Chickadee Valley, Kent, Connecticut 1926

Brodkorb, Pierce, 711 Judson Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 1926

Brooks, Maurice, French Creek, West Virginia 1926

Broomhall, W. H., Stockport, Ohio 1926

Brown, F. Martin, Commissioner of the Palisades Interstate Park, Iona

Island, New York 1924

Membership Roll

123

Bryant, Lincoln, Jr., 149 Randolph Avenue, Milton, Massachusetts 1928

Buchner, Mrs. E. M., 2453 IN. Cenltal Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1914

Burcham, Frank W., 510 N. Church Street, Fayette, Missouri ..1929

Burket, Dr. Ivan R., Ashland, Kansas ....1926

Burkhard, Fred, Accident, Maryland... 1922

Burnett, Prof. W. L., State Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colorado 1926

Burt, W. H., Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berk-
eley, California 1928

Burton, Rev. Win. W., Alliance, Ohio - 1913

Campbell, Louis W., 304 Fearing Boulevard, Toledo, Ohio.. 1926

Carlson, Carl Olof, Department of Biology, Doane College, Crete, Nebraska.. ..1923

Case, Mrs. F. E., 1717 Market Avenue, N., Canton, Ohio 1928

Chamberlain, Chauncey W., Hotel Hemenway, Boston, Massachusetts 1921

Chilcott, Mrs. E. F., Woodward, Oklahoma 1923

Christianson, Anna, 1812 Jackson Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1925

Christy, Bayard H., Box 950, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1922

Clark, Mrs. C. C., 922 N. Third Street, Burlington, Iowa ....1925

Goad, Dwight S., 300 Alexander, Rochester, New York 1927

Coates, Louise Bell, Baldwin Cottage, Oberlin, Ohio. 1929

Cole, Arthur W., 735 North Main, West LaFayette, Indiana 1926

Coleman, Mrs. Thomas, Maple Bluff, Madison, Wisconsin 1928

Compton, Lawrence Verlyn, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 1923

Cook, Fannye A., Crystal Springs, Mississippi 1925

Cottam, Clarence, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.. ...1929

Coulter, Stanley G., Purdue University, LaFayette, Indianna 1916

Craig, Glenn C., 570 Trade Street, Florence, Alabama 1924

Cramer, Wm. G., Apartment 10, The Nelson, 2501 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati,

Ohio 1923

Dales, Mrs. Marie, 14 24th Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1925

Danner, Mrs. Mary S., 1646 Cleveland Avenue, N. W., Canton, Ohio 1921

Davis, Mrs. L. N., 2016 Lexington Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 1925

Davis, Russell S., Maple Lawn Stock Farm, Clayton, Illinois 1926

Davis, Tony, Marshall, Missouri 1927

Dellinger, Samuel C., 339 Gregg Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas 1926

DeMille, John B., 982 Cote des Neiges Road, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 1924

Dille, Fred M., Niobrara Reserve, Valentine, Nebraska 1912

fDingle, Edward von Seibold, Huger, South Carolina 1925

Dodson, Joseph H., Kankakee, Illinois 1914

Doudna, Wilbur, Ottawa, Kansas 1926

DuMont, Philip A., Wilton, Connecticutt 1928

Duncan, Mrs. Sanford, 207 Union Street, Nashville, Tennessee 1921

Dunlap, Mrs. Nellie M., 209 W. Main, Waukesha, Wisconsin... 1922

Durst, Richard E., R. F. D. No. 2, Willard, Ohio 1927

Duston, Mrs. A. W., 1744 S. Yorktown, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1926

Earle, Samuel L., 1223 Niazuma Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama 1928

Eastman, Mrs. E. P., 719 Columbia Street, Burlington, Iowa 1926

Eastman, Fred, 2628 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska 1925

Eastwood, Sidney K., 301 So. Winebiddle Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...1928

Edson, J. M., 90 Marietta Road, Bellingham, Washington 1928

Eheim, J. M., 236 S. Adams Street, Hutchinson, Minnesota .....1926

Eiffert, Paul, R. F. D. No. 1, St. Cloud, Minnesota 1927

Elrod, Mrs. Walter DeWitt, Box 103, Okmulgee, Oklahoma 1923

Emerson, William Otto, Box 39, R. F. D. No. 1, Palm Cottage, Hayward,

California - - - 1922

Emlen, John T., Jr., 36 W. School Lane, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa ..1926

Erwin, Mrs. Marjorie B., Williamsburg, Iowa 1926

124

The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Evans, Virgil, 555 Locust Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 1926

Everett, E. A., Waseca, Minnesota 1926

Evins, Samuel N., 38 E. 14th Street, Atlanta, Georgia 1922

Farley, Frank L., Camrose, Alberta, Canada 1928

Fekst, Henry, 1366 3rd Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1928

Feser, Mrs. A. L., 840 W. 66th Street, Chicago, Illinois .1926

Finfrock, C. M., 3186 Oak Road, Cleveland, Ohio 1926

Fischer, Donald, Shakopee, Minnesota 1926

Fisher, C. Clyde, American Museum Natural of History, New York, N. Y..— 1925

Fitzpatrick, Fred L., Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1924

Floyd, Charles B., 454 Wolcott Street, Auburndale, Masachusetts 1924

Foft, Samuel F., Lock Box 186, Waukee, Iowa rr 1916

Fondi, Charles H., 1726 Dandridge Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee 1928

Force, Edith R., 3021 E. 8lh Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1926

Ford, Louise P., Barnwell Avenue, Aiken, South Carolina 1921

Frankel, Mrs. Henry, 301 Tonawanda Drive, Des Moines, Iowa 1925

Franzen, A. J., Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois 1929

French, Mrs. Mena, Box 171, Wayland, Mass 1928

Friedrich, George Walter, 3029 Belmont Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 1914

Fryklund, P. 0., Roseau, Roseau County, Minnesota 1926

Fuchs, E. H., Alma, Missouri 1922

Funk, Mrs. A. B., 649 Harwood Drive, Des Moines, Iowa 1925

Funkhouser, William D., Department of Zoology, University of Kentucky,

Lexington, Kentucky 1918

Gander, Frank F., O'Rourke Zoological Institute, Balboa Park, San Diego,

California 1928

Gearhart, Edwin E., Route 7, Bucyrus, Ohio 1928

Geist, Robert Miller, 811 Euclaire Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 1923

Gettys, Mrs. B. M., 621 S. Minnesota Avenue ,Sioux Falls, South Dakota 1925

Gillette, Fredericka B., 1319 Forest Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1928

Glenn, Donald, Franklin, Pennsylvania 1928

Good, Henry G., Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Alabama 1926

Gorham, Dean B., 255 No. Fairview Avenue, Decatur, Illinois 1926

Grafton, James, 819 Third Street, Antioch, California 1928

Grange, Wallace Byron, Ladysmith, Wisconsin

Grant, C. P., Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois 1928

Grant, E. R., Hotel Roosevelt, Washington, D. C 1928

Grant, M artin Lee, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1926

Grasett, Frank Goodwin, 535 Green Bay Road, Glencoe, Illinois 1926

Green, Bess R., Zoology Department, Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis,

Oregon 1925

Green, Wyman R., University of Chattanooga, Department of Biology, Chat-
tanooga, Tennessee 1926

Gregory, C. E., Box 215, Morgantown, North Carolina ...1928

Gresham, C. L., Lamasco, Kentucky 1925

Grimes, S. A., 409 So. 6th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1924

Gromme, Owen J., Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1924

Gross, Alfred O., Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 1927

Grover, 11. Norris, 2731 Hartzell Street, Evanstown, Illinois 1927

Guernsey, Raymond G., Trust Company Building, Poughkeepsie, N. Y 1926

Hadeler, Edward William, 336 South Stale Street, Painesville, Ohio 1917

Hadley, Miss Theodosia, Western State Normal, Kalamazoo, Michigan 1923

Hall, Mrs. J. W., R. R. 1, Mitchell, Nebraska 1925

Hall, Watson, Athens, Illinois 1929

Hallinen, Joseph Edward, R. R. No. 1, Cooperton, Oklahoma 1922

Hallman, R. C., P. O. Box 847, St. Augustine, Florida 1928

Hamilton, Dr. B. A., Lock Box 423, Highland Park, Illinois 1916

Hanawalt, F. A., 65 West Broadway, Westerville, Ohio 1927

Hardisty, Arthur H., 1426 Irving Stieet, N. W., Washington, D. C 1927

Harkin, J. B., Commissioner, Dept, of Interior, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.. 1924

Harrington, Edith M., P. O. Box 308, Mason City, Iowa 1926

Membership Roll

125

Harris, C. L., 921 West Central, Eldorado, Kansas - 1928

Hayes, Samuel P., Jr., Amherst, Massachusetts 1928

Heft, Russell D., 47 W. Main Street, Westerville, Ohio — ....1928

Hemphill, Frederick A., 128 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J 1928

Henderson, W. C., 8 Magnolia Parkway, Chevy Chase, Maryland 1928

Henning, Carl F., Ledges State Park, Boone, Iowa — 1925

Herman, Mrs. E. Olney, Momencc, Illinois 1928

Hicks, Lawrence Emerson, Fredericktown, Ohio 1925

Hill, Mrs. Thomas R., 4011 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1928

Hillmet, Davis B., 435 Canfield Avenue, West, Detroit, Michigan 1926

Hilton, Dr. Davie C., 305 Richards Block, Lincoln, Nebraska 1918

Hissong, R. D., 1908 Ingleside Avenue, Sioux City, Iowa 1928

Hoag, Benjamin, Garfield, Rensselaer County, New York 1922

Hoffman, Paul Williams, 1573 12th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1925

Hoick, J. H., Peterson, Iowa ...1925

Holland, Harold May, Galesburg, Illinois 1915

Hollinger, Alma, Ward-Bclmont School, Nashville, Tennessee 1925

Hood, Miss Adah M., 1002 9lh Street, Sioux City, Iowa 1913

Howe, Philip W., Hampton, New Hampshire 1924

Huff, Prof. N. L., 1219 7th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1928

Hufford, G. N., 216 Seeser Street, Joliet, Illinois 1929

Hughes, George T., Box 153, Plainfield, New Jersey 1929

Hyde, A. Sidney, Vivarium Building, Wright and Healy Streets, Champaign,

Illinois 1926

Hyer, Edgar Allen, Kent Museum, Grand Rapids , Michigan ..1925

Ijams, H. P., 609 Empire Bldg., Knoxville, Tenn 1924

Ingersoll, Albert M., 908 F. Street, San Diego, Calif 1921

Jackson, Robert L., Box 112, Ohio, 111 1923

§Jay, William, 1 N. Westview Ave., Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa 1924

Jefferson, Mis. Edith H., 1381 Prairie Ave., Des Plaines, 111 1927

Jensen, J. P.. Box 364, Dassel, Minn. 1926

Johnson, I. H., Dept, of Agriculture, Charleston, W. Va._ 1923

Johnston, Laura Mildred, P. O. Box 32, Lexington, Okla 1925

Jones, Mrs. D. F., 425 No. Park St., Watertown, S. D. 1928

Jones, Geo. T., 322 W. College Street, Oberlin, Ohio 1923

Jones, Harold C., 352 W. College St., Oberlin, Ohio. 1929

Jones, S. Paul, 509 West Ave., N. Waukesha, Wise 1921

Josten, Erick, Klemme, Iowa 1928

Kalmbach, E. R., Biological Survey, U. S. Dept, of Agriculture, Washington,

D. C 1926

Kearby, Miss Vera, Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn.... 1927

Keck, Warren N., Milton, Wis 1927

Keim, Thomas Daniel, Glenndale, Prince George Co., Maryland 1921

Kendall, Miss S. Eva, 5610 Dorchester Ave., Hyde Park, Chicago, 111 1928

Kemsilt, Emerson, 37 Morgan St., Oberlin, Ohio 1929

Kendeigh, S. Charles, R. I). No. 2, Amherst, Ohio 1923

Kennedy, H. N., 16219 Wisconsin Ave., Detroit, Mich ...1925

Klinck, Norman, 38 W. Parade Ave., Buffalo, N. Y 1927

Knappen, Phoebe, 2925 Tilden St., N. W., Washington, D. C 1926

Knight, Harry H., Dept. Zoology & Entomology, Iowa State College, Ames

Iowa 1926

Koffel, Gerald L„ 1110 Sixth St., N. W„ Canton, Ohio 1928

Komarek, Edwin V., 835 North Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 111 1926

Kubichek, W. F., Coe College, Cedar Rapids, lowra 1926

Kutchin, Dr. Victor, Green Lake, Wis 1921

Lancaster, L. Y., State Normal School, Bowling Green, Ky 1923

Lapsley, Mrs. R. M., 307 Franklin St., Keokuk, Iowa 1926

Larson, Adrian, 611 E. 14th St., Sioux Falls, S. D ..1924

Jmwrence, A. G., City Health Dept., Winnipeg, Man., Canada ...1928

Lee, Mrs. Arthur, 14th & Locust Sts.. Atlantic, Iowa 1926

Leedy, Chas. A., c|o The Telegram, Youngstown, Ohio 1927

126 The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Lehman, Mrs. John R., 2720 Howard Blvd., Daylon, Ohio 1927

Letl, Frank H., Sublette, 111 1926

Lewis, Walter E., Gate, Okla 1927

Lincoln, Frederick C., Bureau Biol. Survey, Washington, D. C 1915

Linsdale, Jean M., Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University ol California,

Berkeley, Calif 1928

Lively, E. L., Hillcrest, Fairmont, W. Va._ 1924

Livingston, Philip Atlee, P. 0. Box 302, Narberth, Pa 1926

Lloyd, C. K., 12 N. Elm, Oxford, Ohio 1925

Lloyd, Hbyes, 285 Mariposa Ave., Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.. 1922

Lomax, Dr. Claude C„ Dale, Indiana 1921

Luce, George W'., R. F. D. No. 1, Hayward, Calif 1923

McBride, Mrs. C. E., 1106 So. Fourth St., Louisville, Ky 1927

McCabe, Olivia, 3516 Fifth St., Des Moines, Iowa 1925

McCann, Horace D., Valley Road, Paoli, Pa 1928

McCorkle, Eloise, c|o High School. Portage, Mich 1925

McKee, Madge, Goodland, Indiana 1926

MacLoghlin, Mrs. F. E., 43 Inglewood Drive, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 1928

McNish, E. M., Madison, Tenn 1921

Manuel, Canuto G., 203 S. Thayer St., Ann Arbor, Mich 1928

Marhurger, Clifford, Denver, Lancaster Co., Penn 1924

Mason, Robert F., Jr., P. O. Box 276, University, Va 1927

May, Dr. John B., Cohasset, Mass 1928

Michener, Harold, 418 N. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Calif 1926

Miller, Mrs. H. A., 820 W. 1st St., El Dorado, Kansas 1928

Miller, Mrs. H. C., 1110 Main St., Racine, Wis 1923

Miller, Miss Louise J., 2708 Elizabeth Ave., Zion, 111 1929

Miller, Lyle, Sharline, Ohio 1928

Moffatt, E. E., 146 Oak St., Winsted, Connecticutt 1927

Moon, Miss M’Della, Lincoln Hall, Blufton, Ohio 1927

Moore, Geo. A., Dept. Zoology, Okla. A. & M. College, Stillwater, Okla 1927

Morse, Frank E., Boston Bird Book Co., 162 Boylston St., Boston, Mass 1926

Morse, Geo. W., 318 East 9th, Tulsa, Okla 1920

Mossman, F. E. Pres., 3823 Garretson Ave., Sioux City, Iowa 1928

Mousley, H., 469 Harvard Ave., Notre Dame de Grace, Montreal, Que-
bec, Canada 1922

Murdoch, Thomas M., 2001 Douglas St., Sioux City, Iowa 1925

Musselman, T. E., 124 S. 2^ t h St., Quincy, 111 1923

Nauman, E. D., 420 S. Shuffleton St., Sigourney, Iowa 1923

Nelson, F. W., Sheldon, Iowa 1925

Nelson, James, Stephen, Minn 1929

Nelson, W. C, 4024 Grand Ave., Des' Moines, Iowa 1925

Newcomb, C. A. Jr., Bloomfield Hills, R. F. D. No. 3, Pontiac, Mich 1914

Newton, Thomas Dodd, 6826 Clyde Ave., Chicago, 111 1918

Nicholson, Donald L, Orlando, Florida 1927

Northrop, Ruby M., Okla. A. & M. College, Dept, of Zoology, Stillwater,

Okla 1926

Norton, Arthur Herbert, 22 Elm Ave., Portland, Maine 1921

O'Neal, Mrs. Merit, 2026 Easter Parkway, Louisville, Ky 1924

Paff, William A.. 916 Paxinosa Ave., Easton, Pa 1928

Palmer, Miss Mary C., 760 Midlothian Blvd., R. D. 2, Youngstown, Ohio.. ..1927

Paul, Dr. R. I)., 1358 E. 47th St., Chicago, 111 1928

Pel lef t, Frank C., Hamilton, 111 1926

Pellew, Miss Marion, Box 455, Aiken, S. C 1920

Peters, Harold S., Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C 1924

Pickens, A. L., Room 217 Zoology Bldg.. University of California, Berkeley,

Calif 1927

Pierce, Chas. W., Boynton, Florida 1926

Pierce, Fred J.. Winthrop, Iowa 1921

Pierce, Wright M., Box 343, Claremont, Calif 1926

Pike, Herbert, Whiting, Iowa 1926

Membership Roll

127

Pilquist, C. E., Dardanelle, Arkansas 1928

Pirnie, Dr. Miles D., Dept. Conservation, Lansing, Mich 1928

Potter, Julian K., 437 Park Ave., Collingswood, N. J 1916

Purcell, Miss Ethel, Bass Junior High School, Atlanta, Ga 1928

Ramsden, Charles Theodore, Apartado 146, Guantanamo, Cuba 1914

Rapp, F. W., Vicksburg, Mich 1926

Reed. Ervin E., Monticello, Iowa 1922

Reeder, J. T., 318 College Ave., Houghton, Mich 1926

Rich, Dr. Guy C., 1820 E. Cerrito Place, Hollywood, Calif 1914

Richardson, Carl, Altamont Auto Park, Klamath Falls, Ore. 1926

Rishel, John B., 1390 S. Josephine St., Denver, Colo 1924

Roark, Mrs. Louis, 926 N. Collins, Okmulgee, Okla 1926

Robar, James E., Walworth, Wis 1927

Roberts, Dr. Francis L. R., Spirit Lake, Iowa 1924

Robertson, John McB., Buena Park, Calif 1926

Robl., Frank W., Ellinwood, Kansas 1926

Rodger, Walter, Route 1, Charlevoix, Mich 1926

Rose, Frank H., Biological Survey, Moisse, Montana ....1927

Ross, Julia E., 921 13th St., Sioux City, Iowa 1923

Ross, Robert R., Route 6, Box 44, Wisconsin Rapids, Wise 1928

Rowan, Prof William, Alberta University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 1925

Ruffin, Winford A., Box 247, Auburn, Ala 1925

Ruhl, Harry D., 3I8V2 Albert Ave.. Fast Lansing, Mich 1926

Sampson, W. B., 1005 N. San Joaquin St., Stockton, Calif 1927

Saunders, George B., McGraw Hall, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N. Y 1926

Schafer, John L, Rt. 2, Port Byron, 111 ...1926

Scott, J. S., Dyersburg, Tenn 1926

Scott, Mrs. R. T., 603 N. Seventh, Cambridge, Ohio ....1909

Scudder, Dr. Walter P., Litchfield, Ohio 1921

Schaffer, Mrs. Alicia B., 2260 Park Ave., Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, Ohio 1923

Shankland, F. N., Box 522, Willoughby, Ohio 1908

Sharp, Vernon, 1908 Acklen Ave., Nashville, Tenn. 1924

Shaver, Dr. Jesse M., Peabody Teacher’s College, Nashville, Tenn 1922

Sherrill, Margaret L., Baldwin Cottage, Oberlin, Ohio 1929

Shilling, A. E., 3849 E. 62nd St., Kansas City, Mo 1924

Shull, Miss Mildred, 136 East Queen St., Chambersburg, Pa 1928

Simonds, Mrs. Ida K., Onawa, Iowa 1927

Simpson, Orval, 865 Auburn Road. Winnetka, 111 1928

Sloan, Dr. A. N., 1614 Morningside Ave., Sioux City, Iowa 1928

Sloanaker, J. L., W. 1117 Maxwell Ave., Spokane, Wash ..1926

Smith, Grace, 1310 S. Cornelia St., Sioux City, Iowa 1926

Smith, Luther Ely, Suite 1554 Bell Telephone Bldg., St. Louis, Mo 1928

Smith, Malcolm M., 309 Main St., Negaunee, Mich 1927

Smith, Napier, Bank of Montreal, Verdun, Quebec, Canada 1928

Smith, O. Warren, 120 Church St., Oconomowoc, Wis 1923

Smith, Roy H., 183 N. Prospect St., Kent, Ohio 1925

Smith, Wendell Phillips, Wells River, Vermont 1921

Smyth, Dr. L. C. R., 235 Acton Road, Columbus, Ohio ..1926

Sparks, Miss Marion Emiline, 1207 W. Oregon, Urbana ,111 1904

Speed, Mrs. James B., 505 West Ormsby Ave., Louisville, Ky 1925

Sprague, Isaac, Wellesley Hills, Mass 1928

Stansbury, Mrs. V. E., 508 St. George Hotel, 1435 E. 60th St., Chicago, II! 1926

Steedman, Mrs. A. B., 1447 So. Third St., Louisville, Ky 1927

Steunenberg, Florence A., 837 Omaha Nat’l Bank Rldg., Omaha, Nebarska..l928

Stevens, O. A., State College Station, Fargo, N. D ...1926

Stevens, Mrs. P. H., 4370 Adams St., Gary, Indiana 1926

Stevenson, George Ernest, Smithtown Branch, N. Y ...1927

Stewart, Paul A., Leetonia, Ohio 1925

Stiles, K. A., 919 West Michigan, Battle Creek, Mich 1928

Stockbridge, Chas. Augustine, 2323 Webster, Fort Wayne, Indiana 1914

Storer, Dr. Tracy I., Division of Zoology, University Farm, Davis, Calif 1928

128 The Wilson Bulletin — June, 1929

Strabala, Lon B., R. F. D. No. 1, Box 129, Leetonia, Ohio 1928

Straw, O. J., 1519 Spring Ave., Sioux Falls, S. D 1927

Strong, Wm. Abner, 247 Grand Ave., San Jose, Calif 1921

Stuart, L. C., Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, Mich 1928

Sullivan, Walter F., c|o U. S. Forest Service, Truckee, Calif 1925

Sundquist, Leona, State Normal, Bellingham, Wash 1926

Sutton, Charles F., 6543 Drexel St., Chicago, 111 1928

Swanebeck, Harvey, R. No. 1, Fenton, Mich 1926

Swanson, Gustav, 3305 47th Ave, S. Minneapolis, Minn 1927

Swenk, Mrs. Myron H., 1410 N. 37th St., Lincoln, Nebraska 1925

Taber, William Brewster, Jr., Greenwood Farm, Kansas, 111 1926

Tatum, Mary, 207 S. Wood St., Hominy, Okla 1926

Taverner, P. A., Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 1925

Taylor, L., McDermott, Ohio 1921

Thomas, Mrs. Arthur P., 818 East 54th St., Indianapolis, Ind 1928

Trescot, Edward Bacquet, R. No. 4, Box 357, Petaluma, Calif 1923

Turrell, Loring W., Smithtown Branch, Long Island, N. Y 1925

Tyrrell, Mr. W. Bryant, Bloomfield Hills School, Lone Pine Road, Birming-
ham, Michigan 1929

VanArsdale, Susan R., 984 Sheridan Road, Glencoe, 111 1926

VanCleve, M. R., 3115 Hopewell Place, Toledo, Ohio 1926

Vaughn, H. S., Arcade, Nashville, Tenn 1928

Visscher, Paul, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 1924

Wagner, Clifford, Tecumseh, Mich 1928

Walker, Mrs. Bell, Murray State Normal & Teachers College, Murray, Ky 1926

Walker, W. M., Jr., 415 25th Ave., South, Nashville, Tenn 1925

Walkinshaw, Lawrence, 911 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Mich 1928

Walp, Russell Lee, Boards Lane, R. F. D. No. 3, Youngstown, Ohio 1926

Warner, Willis H., R. No. 2, Canfield, Ohio 1926

Warthin, Alfred Scott, Jr., 1020 Ferdon Road, Ann Arbor, Mich 1921

Watson, Lucius Howard, 4123 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, Nebraska 1922

Weller, Lawrence L, R. F. D. No. 2, Jackson, Mich 1928

Welty, Carl, Parsons College, Fairfield, Iowa 1928

Wendelburg, Mrs. Toni R., 853 28th St., Des Moines, Iowa 1925

Wendle, Joseph, Bowren Lake, Barkerville, B. C., Canada 1928

Weston, Francis M., U. S. Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla 1928

Wevl, Edward Stern, 6506 Lincoln Drive, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa 1927

Wilcox, LeRov, Speonk, L. I., N. Y 1928

Williams, Owen I.., 1228 Garfield St., Lincoln, Nebraska 1927

Williams, Robert W., Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1926

Willis, Gertrude, 423 West Arch St., Madisonville, Ky 1925

Willis, Warren )., 24824 39th Ave., Queens Village, L. I., N. Y 1928

Wilson, Albert H., Haverford College, Haverford, Pa 1928

Wilson, Miss Belle. 6325 Kenwood Ave., Chicago, 111 1928

Wilson, Harold C., Ephraim, Wisconsin 1926

Wolfram, C°orge S., Canal Winchester, Ohio 1929

Wood, James, Museum of Zoology, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich 1928

Wood, Norman A., Museum of Zoology, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor,

Mich a 1925

Woodring, Goo. B., 1414 Stratton Ave., Nashville, Tenn 1928

Woolman, Edward, Box 128, Haverford, Pa 1928

Worthington, William A., Annville, Ky 1924

Wright, Carl F., 14 Cayuga St., Alburn, N. Y 1927

Wyatt, Grace, 344 Murray Normal Station, Murray, Ky 1927

Y linker, Emelie, 1140 Everett Street, Louisville, Ky 1925

TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS

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“From these barren and musty records, the author of the present
work has a thousand times turned with a delight bordering on adora-
tion, to the magnificent repository of the woods and fields — the Grand
Aviary of Nature. In this divine school he has studied from no vulgar
copy ; but from the works of the Great Master of Creation himself;
and has read with rapture the lessons of his wisdom, his goodness and
his love, in the conformation, the habitudes, melody and migrations of
this beautiful portion of the work of his hands. To communicate as
correct ideas of these as his feeble powers were capable of, and thus,
from objects, that, in our rural walks, almost everywhere present
themselves, to deduce not only amusement and instruction, but the
highest incitements to virtue and piety, have been the author’s most
anxious and ardent wish. On many of his subjects, indeed, it has not
been in his power to say much. The recent discovery of some, and
the solitary and secluded habits of others, have opposed great obstacles
to his endeavours in this respect. But a time is approaching when
these obstacles will no longer exist. When the population of this
immense western Republic will have diffused itself over every acre
of ground fit for the comfortable habitation of man — when farms,
villages, towns and glittering cities, thick as the stars in a winter’s
evening, overspread the face of our beloved country, and every hill,
valley and stream has its favourite name, its native flocks and rural
inhabitants; then, not a warbler shall flit through our thickets, but
its name, its notes and habits will be familiar to all; repeated in their
sayings, and celebrated in their village songs. At that happy period,
should any vestige or memory of the present publication exist, be it
known to our more enlightened posterity, as some apology for the
deficiencies of its author, that in the period in which he wrote, three-
fourths of our feathered tribes were altogether unknown even to the
proprietors of the woods which they frequented — that without patron,
fortune or recompense, he brought the greater part of these from the
obscurity of ages, gave to each ‘a local habitation and a name’ —
collected from personal observation whatever of their characters and
manners seemed deserving of attention; and delineated their forms
and features, in their native colours, as faithfully as he could, as
records, at least, of their existence.” — Alexander Wilson, in the preface
of the fifth volume of American Ornithology — these lines being quoted
from George Ord’s Sketch of the Life of Alexander Wilson, Author
of American Ornithology, Philadelphia, 1828.

OCT 5 1929

Vol. XLI SEPTEMBER, 1929 No. 3

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A Magazine of Field Ornithology

Published by the

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

• at

1 SIOUX CITY, IOWA

1

l . .

Entered as Second-class Mail Matter, July 13, 1916, at the Postoffice at
Sioux City, Iowa, under Act of March 3, 1879.

CONTENTS

Frontispiece Painting by George Miksch Sutton

Harris’s Sparrow and the Study of it by Trapping

Myron H. Swenk and O. A. Stevens

129-177

Bird Life of a Transient Lake in Kentucky

Gordon Wilson

177-185

Editorial

186-189

General Notes ' 1 . i 1 ■

190-196

Bird Photography

197-198

Proceedings

199-200

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published quarterly, in March, June, September, and December, as the official
organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club, at Sioux City, Iowa.

The current issue of the Wilson Bulletin is printed by the Verstegen Print-
ing Company, Sioux City, Iowa.

The Wilson Bulletin is sent to all members not in arrears for dues. The
subscription price is $1.50 a year, invariably in advance, in the United States.
Outside of the United States the subscription rate is $2.00. European Agents,
Dulau and Company, Ltd., 34-36 Margaret St., Oxford Circus, London, W. 1.,
England.

All articles and communications for publication, books and publications for
notice, and exchanges, should be addressed to the Editor.

New subscriptions, changes of address, and applications for membership
should be addressed to the Secretary. Personal items, news of events in the
scientific world, and other notes suitable for our “Notes Here and There” de-
partment may also be addressed to the Secretary.

Claims for lost and undelivered copies of the magazine may be addressed
to the Editor.

THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

Founded December 3, 1888. Named after Alexander Wilson, the first Amer-
ican ornithologist, and called the “Father of American Ornithology.”

The officers for the current year are:

President — Dr. Lynds Jones, Spear Laboratory, Oberlin, Ohio.

Vice-President — Mr. George Miksch Sutton, Bethany, W. Va.

Treasurer— Prof. J. W. Stack, M. S. C., East Lansing, Mich.

Secretary— Prof. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn.

The membership dues are — Sustaining membership, $5.00; active membership
$2 .50; associate membership, $1.50 per year.

The following societies are affiliated organizations:

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.

The Iowa Ornithologists’ Union.

The Kentucky Ornithological Society.

The T ennessee Ornithological Society.

HARRIS SPARROW

Adult in full breeding plumage .

Adult shortly after first postnuptial molt

Adult shortly before second prenuptial molt

Immature in first winter plumage

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ORNITHOLOGY
Published by the Wilson Ornithological Club

Vol. XLI SEPTEMBER, 1929 No. 3

Vol. XXXVI (New Series) Whole Number 148

HARRIS’S SPARROW AND THE STUDY OF IT BY TRAPPING

BY MYRON H. SWENK AND O. A. STEVENS*

With Colored Frontispiece by George Miksch Sutton
The Harris’s Sparrow ( Zonotrichia querula ) is a favorite with
many bird students within its limited range. “A bird of imposing
appearance (for a sparrow)”, wrote Coues (1903), thereby expressing
the situation quite well. Its large size, distinctive markings, vigorous
call notes, remarkable song, abundance in certain districts especially
during migrations, and the scientific interest in it that has been inspired
by its limited distribution and the mystery that so long surrounded
the location of its summer home, have combined to attract attention
to the species.

The earlier discoveries of this species, by Thomas Nuttall, Prince
Maximilian, and J. J. Audubon have been admirably and fully set
forth by Harry Harris (1919c), and therefore require no amplified
discussion here. Suffice to say that on April 28, 1834, while the
party under Captain Nathaniel J. Wyeth, bound for the Columbia

*In the fall of 1921 the senior author decided to attempt “A Brief Biography
of the Harris’s Sparrow,” in which the more important facts known concerning
the history, distribution, nesting, migrations, wintering, habitat, general habits,
food, voice, plumages and measurements of this interesting sparrow would con-
cisely be presented. Much progress was made oil this paper in 1922, including
a practically complete review of the literature concerning the species to that
year, but in 1923 pressure of other matters forced work on this incomplete
paper to be suspended. In the fall of 1927, the large number of Harris’s Spar-
rows taken by the junior author in his traps impressed upon him the unusual
opportunity offered by this species for study by the trapping method. Corres-
pondence was begun by him with the hope that some one in the winter range
of the bird would take the lead, but without success, so that it seemed desirable
to him also to prepare a summary of our knowledge of the species, together
with the banding results to date, in order to outline more definitely the lines of
study and to interest other students in the problem. This correspondence, how-
ever, had the result of making known to the co-authors their two planned papers,
and in June, 1928, the present joint paper was projected by agreement between
them. The junior author should, however, be given complete credit for the
pages devoted to the discussion of trapping and banding. The preliminary
manuscript has been examined by members of the Bureau of Biological Survey
of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The generous co-operation of many other
people is indicated through the text, and portions of the manuscript have been
submitted to several of these for correction or further suggestions. — The Authors.

130

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

River country, of which Thomas Nuttall and J. K. Townsend were
members, was a few miles west of Independence, Missouri, and ap-
proaching Westport, the probable type specimen of Nuttall’s ‘'Mourn-
ing Finch ( Fringilla querula )” was taken, within or close to the
present city limits of Kansas City, Missouri. A few days later, on
May 5, 1834, Nuttall (1840) again heard this bird’s “long, drawling,
monotonous and solemn note te de de de" near the Red Vermilion
River, a tributary of the Kansas River in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

At almost the same time that Nuttall discovered the species in
Missouri and Kansas, Prince Maximilian of Wied, in descending the
Missouri River, reached “Belle-Vue” (now Bellevue, the oldest town
in Nebraska, located in Sarpy County a few miles north of the mouth
of the Platte River) at noon on May 13, 1834, and there his hunters
collected this sparrow, which Maximilian (1841) named Fringilla
comata.

Nine years later, while J. J. Audubon and his party were ascend-
ing the Missouri River, when a little above Fort Leavenworth, on
May 4, 1843, Edward Harris shot a “new finch” which later in the
same year Audubon (1843) named “Harris’s Finch ( Fringilla har-
risii )”, in honor of his “excellent and constant friend,” its discoverer,
apparently all ignorant of the prior describing and naming of the
bird by both Nuttall and Maximilian. On May 6. 7 and 8, 1843,
farther up the river, Harris shot additional specimens of this bird,
and on the return trip shot an immature specimen at Fort Croghan
(below the present Omaha and a little above Bellevue, Nebraska) on
October 5, 1843, which Audubon figured with the adult male in his
plate.

Beginning with Gambel (1847) authors in technical nomenclature
mainly properly referred to the species as Zonotrichia querula (Nut-
tall), hut the vernacular name applied by Audubon has been the one
that has persisted to the present time.

General Distribution

The distribution of the Harris’s Sparrow in the United States,
except as more or less of a rarity, is oddly restricted to a narrow area
west of the Mis issippi River, lying between the meridians of 94°
and 100° north of Lhe 28th parallel. In winter it occupies an area
of only about 200 by 900 miles extending from southeastern Nebraska
to central Texas. During migrations it is abundant between these
same longitudes in the northern States. Eastward it is common
through northwestern Mis ouri and most of Iowa, occurring rather

Harris’s Sparrow

131

frequently in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, rarely in
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario, and accidentally in Massa-
chusetts. Westward the range in which it is common is somewhat
more restricted, and it is uncommon in the western parts of Kansas,
Nebraska and South Dakota. In Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana
it seems to be more or less rare. Through North Dakota and Canada
its path tends a little more to the west, and from North Dakota north-
ward it spreads decidedly westward, covering most of Saskatchewan
and a considerable part of Alberta. In the southward migration a
few of the birds turn westward and reach British Columbia or points
farther south, but these are probably to be regarded as straggling
individuals separated from the main flocks and traveling with other
species.

Summer Range

For many years the summer habitat of the Harris’s Sparrow was
much of a mystery. Lingering as it did in the Missouri Valley until
late in May or even early in June, it was thought for a long time that
it must nest at no great distance north of the United States, if it did
not actually do so within its boundaries. Maximilian (1841) and
Aughey (1878) both thought it nested along the Missouri River in
eastern Nebraska. Later writers suggested that it nested in Minne-
sota, Dakota, Montana, or Manitoba. In fact, Bendire (1889) de-
scribed the nest and eggs of a bird, supposed probably to be this
species, found June 24, 1885, on the Little Horn River near Fort
Custer, Montana. But as further explorations in these regions failed
to disclose nesting birds, the possibilities moved farther north.

It was not until 1900 that the true summer home of the Harris’s
Sparrow was finally discovered. In that year Preble (1902) found it
rather common near Fort Churchill on the western shore of Hudson
Bay (about lat. 57°), July 23 to 30, where he collected not only adult
birds of both sexes but young birds just from the nest. None of the
nests themselves were found by Preble, but he considered that the
birds nested among the scattered patches of dwarfed spruce growing
in the small valleys and ravines along the Churchill River, where they
were found commonly.

Again in 1903 Preble (1908) noted several Harris’s Sparrows
near McTavish Bay, the southeastern arm of Great Bear Lake, on
August 23, and four days later encountered them in small flocks
among the dwarfed spruces along the southern shore of the Lake
just west of McTavish Bay. Both adult and young of the species were

132

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

present “in a habital precisely similar to its chosen nesting ground on
Hudson Bay. All indications therefore point to the conclusion that
its principal breeding grounds are in the strip of stunted timber ex-
tending for 800 miles between Hudson Bay and Great Bear Lake,
along the northern border of the transcontinental forest.”

Seton (1908) in 1907 noted the Harris’s Sparrow, first on Kahi-
nouay Island in the eastern part of Great Slave Lake on July 20,
where it was evidently nesting, and later from there northwardly up
to the edge of the Barren Grounds, finding it abundant and evidently
nesting in every large thicket. On August 5, at the limit of tree
growth on Artillery Lake, a nest was found on the ground under a
dwarf birch. This nest was made of grass, resembled that of the
W hite-throated Sparrow, and contained three young nearly able to fly.

Fleming (1919) has given records of birds taken by Buchanan
at the end of July, 1914. These include both adults and young taken
on the Cochrane River. Mr. H. H. Mitchell (letter October 30, 1928)
writes that there is some doubt as to the locality, but that it probably
was twenty-five or thirty miles east of the Saskatchewan-Manitoba
boundary at about latitude 58°30\

When Preble (1908) was working down the Slave River and
northwestward as far as Fort Rae in May, 1900, he saw migrating
Harris’s Sparrows only at Fort Chipewyan. Following the same direc-
tion in 1903 he did not find these birds until he was nearly to Great
Bear Lake.

Thus through the discoveries of these ornithologists the mystery
of the breeding grounds of the Harris’s Sparrow largely has been
solved. Evidently it is in the strip of dwarfed timber margining the
northern edge of the forests of the Hudsonian Life Zone, from the
eastern shore of Great Bear Lake to the western shore of Hudson Bay,
and up to the very edge of the Arctic Barren Grounds. Here the bird
spends the period from June to September, nesting and rearing its
single brood of young in a seclusion from man that is almost absolute.
Nesting must take place in the latter part of June, July, and early
August. Further search may extend the known breeding range a
little more by disclosing nesting birds at other points in western
Canada.

Distribution During Migrations

In the following pages are given the detailed accounts of the
known distribution of the Harris’s Sparrow in the various parts of
its range outside of the breeding area. These will serve as a frame-

Harris’s Sparrow

133

work upon which to build a more nearly complete record. More
data are needed upon the comparative abundance of the species in
the western part of its migration range, especially in northern Minne-
sota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Central Canada

Our knowledge of the distribution of the Harris’s Sparrow in tht
northern part of its migration range is limited by the paucity of ob
servations from that region. Cooke (1913) reported it from the Arctic
Red River (probably at about long. 133°, lat. 68°) in June. Preble
(1908) found it in September, after the nesting season, near McVicar
Bay (120°, 65°), thirty miles west of there, near Manito Islands a
little farther west, and at Fort Franklin (124°, 65°), and recorded its
occurrence, as observed by H. W. Jones, at Willow River, near Fort
Providence (118°, 61°30') late in May, and at Hay River (about 117°,
60°), where a “large flock” was seen from May 26 to June 15. Cooke
(1913) also reported it from the latter locality in May.

The province of Manitoba must be well covered by the migration.
Preble (1902) found them on the upper Hayes River late in August,
and commonly near the Echimamish River, just northeast of Lake
Winnipeg. Cooke (1888) recorded its occurrence at the Shell River
(long. 101°, lat. 51-52°) and (1913) reported on six years of migra-
tion at Pilot Mound (99°, 49°15') and on sixteen years of migration
at Aweme, about fifty miles northwest of Pilot Mound (see also
Criddle, 1922). Seton (1886) reported it as an abundant migrant at
Red River (97°, 49-50°), Big Plain and Souris (100°, 49°30').
McDougal (1924) trapped thirteen at East Kildonan in 1923. Mr.
A. G. Lawrence supplies numerous additional records from southern
Manitoba, especially from Winnipeg (97°, 50°). From Saskatchewan,
Cooke (1913) reported on three years of migration at Indian Head
(104°, 50°30') and its occurrence at Osier (107°, 52°30') in mid-
May. Mr. L. B. Potter writes (letter December 17, 1928) that at
Eastend in southwestern Saskatchewan (109°, 49°30') these sparrows
occur quite regularly but usually in limited numbers. Cooke (1913) re-
ported its ocurrence at Brooks, Alberta (112°, 50°30 ) and on four
years of migration at Flagstaff (111°30', 52°30'). Preble (1908)
recorded them at Lily Lake (north of Edmonton, at about 113°30',
53°30'), at Athabasca Landing (113°30', 54°30'), and at Fort Chipe-
wyan (111°, 59°). Mr. H. M. Laing writes (letter July 30, 1928)
that the farthest west that he has taken them is at Belvedere, Alberta
(114°20', 54°). Apparently from central North Dakota the western

134

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

edge of the main migration path bends sharply westward, passing
through the general region of Regina and Saskatoon, and thence on
across northeastern Alberta.

Minnesota

The Minnesota localities reported on for migration dates of the
Harris’s Sparrow by Roberts (1879) and Cooke (1888 and 1913) —
Lanesboro, Fillmore County; Heron Lake, Jackson County; Minne-
apolis, Hennepin County; Elk River, Sherburne County; Lake Andrew,
Kandiyohi County; and Frazee City and White Earth, Becker County —
are all in the southern and western parts of the state, south of latitude
46° and west of longitude 95°. The same is true for Pipestone, Pipe-
stone County, where it is recorded by Mr. P. Lewis (Hatch, 1892)
and Mr. Alfred Peterson. These birds seem to occur quite regularly
in migrations in eastern Minnesota from Minneapolis southward, but
are much less common there than in the western part of the state (see
trapping records, p. 166). There is only one early winter record, from
Fairmont, Martin County (lat. 43°30') reported by Hagerty (1914).
The localities in the northern part of the state cited by Cooke (1888),
as well as those received from Dr. T. S. Roberts (letter April 19,
1929), are all west of longitude 95°, except one from St. Louis
County (92°). It seems possible that the main body of migrating
birds may be deflected westward by the forests. Dr. Roberts writes
that the absence of records from the northern part of the State may be
due only to lack of observers in that section and that he has recently
received a record of the occurrence of Harris’s Sparrows at Deer River

in Itasca County. ,T

1 North Dakota

Harris’s Sparrows are abundant in migrations through the eastern
part of North Dakota as far west as Jamestown (long. 99°), and,
probably less so, from there to Bismarck (long. 101°). Most of the
published records are from along the Red River and east of longitude
98° — Grafton. Walsh County (Wood, 1923, and Williams, 1926) ;
Grand Forks, Grand Forks County (Cooke, 1913) ; Fargo and Argus-
ville, Cass County (Cooke, 1888) ; and Anselm, Ransom County
(Wood, 1923). No records are available from the southwestern part
of the State. Mr. Russel Reid w'rites (letter March 16, 1928) from
Bismarck: “I see only scattered individuals in the spring, but some-

times large flocks in the fall.” Cones (1874) collected a series from
the Mouse (or Souris) River (long. 101-102°, lat. 49°) in 1873, and
Cooke (1913) reported it from Antler, Battineau County, in the same
region. Larson (1928) considered it “tolerably common” in eastern

Harris’s Sparrow

135

McKenize County (long. 103°30'). Mr. J. H. McClelland, located
at Arnegard, McKenzie County (farther from the river) writes (letter
March 28, 1928) that he sees a few birds at a time, never common.

South Dakota

In South Dakota the Harris's Sparrow is an abundant migrant in
the eastern part of the State. Agersborg (1885) lists it as one of the
most abundant migrants in southeastern South Dakota. Most of the
published records are from about longitude 99° or eastward — Fort
Sisseton (McChesney, 1880), Turtle River and Vermilion (Cooke,
1888), Fort Randall (Coues, 1874), Sanborn County (Visher, 1913),
Sioux Falls (Larson, 1925), Lennox (Mallory, 1924), etc. The migra-
tion range, however, extends west to about longitude 102°. Dr. F. V.
Hayden (Baird, 1858) collected one at Medicine Creek, Lyman
County, October 8, 1856. Visher (1909) noted that these brids were
reported by E. H. Sweet as common in 1907 and 1908 in Stanley
( now Jackson) County, between Interior and Kadoka and northward
(long. 102°). Tullsen (1911) recorded that he saw three birds at
Lake Creek (now Lacreek). Bennett County (also long. 102°), and
Visher (1912), on the authority of Tullsen, later reported the species
as ‘"common in migrations' on the old Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
(now Washabaugh, Bennett, Shannon, and Washington Counties). Mr.
W. H. Over writes (letter March 26, 1928) that he has no records
for the Black Hills (less than 100 miles west of the last cited locality).
There is one early winter record, from Dell Rapids, Minnehaha
County (lat. 43°45 ), reported by Anderson (1924).

Nebraska

Over that portion of Nebraska lying east of longitude 99° the
Harris’s Sparrow is, in general, a regular and common migrant. Actual
records of its occurrence are at hand from Richardson, Nemaha, Otoe,
Cass, Sarpy, Douglas, Gage, Lancaster, Saunders, Dodge, Cuming,
Dakota, Antelope, Holt, Nance, Seward, Saline, Jefferson, Nuckolls,
Webster, Adams, Hall, Kearney, and Buffalo Counties. These counties
all lie in about the eastern one-third of the State. There are but very
few records of the occurrence of this bird west of longitude 99° in
Nebraska. Rev. J. M. Bates has noted it on a few different occasions
at Kennedy and elsewhere in Cherry County. Mrs. Lulu K. Hudson
reports it as an uncommon migrant at Simeon, northeast of Kennedy,
and Mr. F. M. Dille reports having seen but a very few at Valentine,
Cherry County, during several years of residence there. The senior
author saw some along the Niobrara River south of Valentine in the

136

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

fall of 1910, and found them common at Halsey, Thomas County,
the same fall, as reported by Zimmer (1913), who saw the species
in the same locality in the spring of 1912. Childs (1908) saw Harris’s
Sparrows at the forks of the Dismal River in Hooker County. Mr.
Wilson Tout identified the species once from North Platte, Lincoln
County. Mr. Miles Maryott found the species to be a rare migrant
in the vicinity of Oshkosh, Garden County. Zimmer (1911) secured
a Harris’s Sparrow from a flock of Western Tree Sparrows in the
valley of the White River near Crawford, Dawes County. Dawson
(1921) saw a single bird in Monroe Canyon, Sioux County, in the
extreme northwestern part of the State.

Eastern Nebraska is at the northern limit of the wintering range
of the Harris’s Sparrow. Cary (1900) reported that a small flock
remained at Neligh, Antelope County, along the Elkhorn, throughout
the severe winter of 1898-99. At Omaha, Douglas County, along the
Missouri, and at Plattsmouth, Cass County and Fremont, Dodge
County, along the Platte, in spite of the presence of apparently good
winter cover, these birds leave for farther south late in December
and do not winter through at those places. They do winter through,
however, at least in some winters, at Dunbar (a little west of Nebraska
City in Otoe County) ; Lincoln, Lancaster County; Beatrice, Gage
County; Fairbury, Jefferson County; Superior, Nuckolls County; Red
Cloud, Webster County; and Hastings, Adams County — or in south-
eastern Nebraska south of latitude 41° and east of longitude 99°.
They are especially common during the winter at Fairbury, along the
Little Blue River, where the Misses Callaway have conducted their
banding operations for the past five years.

Iowa

This State is north of the regular winter range of the Harris’s
Sparrow. Mills (1928) reports one seen at Pierson, Woodbury County
(lat. 42o30'), December 27, 1927. The birds migrate commonly over
the western and middle portion' of the State but are comparatively un-
common in its eastern one-third. Tripp (1873) listed it as abundant
and described its season and song as observed in Decatur County
(long. 94°, lat. 40°30') ; Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1875) recorded
it being twice taken in Jasper County (93°, 41°30') ; and Cooke (1884)
recorded it from Mitchell. Mitchell County (92045,, 43°30 ) and later
(1888) from Iowa City, Johnson County (91°30', 41°30') and Des
Moines, Polk County (93°30', 41°30'). Jones (1895) gave it as a
regular migrant at Grinnell, Poweshiek County (92°45 ). Wilson
(1906) has recorded it as rare in Scott County 41°30 ).

H arris’s Sparrow

137

Anderson (1907) cited records of the species from Scott and Johnson
and from three additional counties between the Mississippi River and
about longitude 92° — Winneshiek, Lee (see also Widmann, 1907) and
Van Buren — the reporters of which all agreed that it is rare in thaL
part of Iowa. However, Mr. H. R. Dill (letter March 27, 1928)
rates it as “fairly common” in Johnson County in early winter, and
Miss Althea R. Sherman (1909) at National, Clayton County (91°15,
43°), six miles from the Mississippi River, considers it neither rare
nor irregular at that point, where she has kept exceptionally complete
records for the last twenty years. She writes (letter June 28, 1928)
that “some seasons it is seen here forty days or thereabout (in the
fall), in others only a few — 1907 (5 days), 1912 (11), 1913 (6),
1914 (1), 1917 (5), 1918 (7), 1926 (6). The largest number for
any one day is twelve on October 16, 1921. The years 1911, 1916,
1921, and 1924 are the only years when six or more birds were
counted on one day.” Records cited by Cooke (1913) indicate that
the species is a regular migrant in Poweshiek, Warren (OS^O') and
Woodbury (96°) Counties. Spurrell (1918) and Mrs. Battell (1924)
have reported its occurrence at Ames, Story County (93°30'). Ander-
son (1907) says that in Winnebago and Hancock Counties (long. 94° )
this sparrow is a common migrant, often abundant in the fall. Mr.
W. M. Rosen finds it a common migrant at Ogden, Boone County
(94°) and Spurrell (1921) reported it as a regular and abundant
migrant, both spring and fall, in Sac County (95°). Beck (1924)
reported it from Denison, Crawford County (95°30'). From latitude
95° to the western border of Iowa it is an abundant migrant.

Missouri

The Harris’s Sparrow is common during migrations through
western Missouri, and the eastern limits of the area in which it may
be called common are apparently about as in Iowa (from longitude
93° westward). Nuttall (1840) discovered the species near the pres-
ent Kansas City, as has been described. Hoy (1864) in May, 1854,
found it at Chillicothe, Livingston County (OS'-AO') and Lexington,
LaFayette County (94°). Scott (1879) described his observations of
the species at Warrensburg, Johnson County, where it was quite com-
mon. Wilson (1896) found it common at St. Joseph, Buchanan
County, in the fall of 1894. Widmann (1907) records it from south-
western Missouri at Jasper, Jasper County (Savage) and at Freistatt
and Pierce City, Lawrence County (Nehrling). He states that it is a
rare straggler in eastern Missouri, citing the records from Keokuk,
Iowa (Currier) ; Warsaw, Illinois (Worthen) ; Quincy, Illinois (Pol-

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THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

ing) ; and Lincoln County, Missouri, as well as the record from Mt.
Carmel, Audrain County, April 3. 1884 (Mrs. M. Musick), previously
given by Cooke (1884 and 1888). To these he adds (letter March 28,
1928) : Jefferson City, Cole County; Arcadia, Iron County; and Bon-
hls, Clayton and St. Louis, St. Louis County. These localities range
from longitude 90°20 to 92° 10' and are all north of latitude 37°30'.
The Christmas censuses published in Bird-Lore show that occasional
birds winter in the counties along the western edge of the State —
Tarkio, Atchison County (Salmon) ; Maryville, Nodaway County
(Cameron) ; Concordia, Lafayette County (Schreimann) ; and Marion-
ville, Lawrence County (Neff). Mrs. W. W. Holliway at Rockport,
Atchison County, in the extreme northwestern part of the State, writes
(letter November 19, 1928) that usually the birds are seen there from
the middle of October until the middle of December, but that in the
winter of 1927-28, which was very open, some were seen January 10
and one was trapped February 18. From Marionville, in Lawrence
County (93°45', 37°), Mr. J. A. Neff (letter April 1. 1928) writes:
“Some seasons they winter in large numbers, sometimes sparsely, and
occasionally none stay all winter.” From his (1923) paper on the
birds of the Ozark Region this seems also to be the status of the bird
through that region generally.

Kansas

In Kansas the Harris’s Sparrow is abundant during migrations
west to about longitude 98°, and especially between longitudes 96°
and 98°. The finding of it near the Red Vermillion River, Potta-
watomie County (long. 96°) by Nuttall (1840), and also near Fort
Leavenworth, Leavenworth County (95°), and above that place on
the Missouri River, by Harris and Audubon (1843), have already
been mentioned. It was again recorded from Fort Leavenworth by
Lieutenant D. N. Couch on October 21, 1854, and Dr. F. V. Hayden
on April 21, 1856 (Baird, 1858), and by J. A. Allen (1872) in May,
1871. Scott (1879) found it very abundant at Mound City, Linn
County (95°), March 8, 1874, and Coale (1894) secured specimens
from a small (lock at Fort Riley, Geary County, on March 18, 1890.
Iseley (1912) reported it as abundant during migrations at Wichita,
Sedgwick County. Cooke (1913) reported it from Onaga, Pottawato-
mie County (96°) and also (1888) from Emporia, Lyon County (96°
15') and Manhattan, Riley Counly (96°30'). The Christmas censuses
published in Bird-Lore record it in addition from Pittsburg, Crawford
County (Compton) ; Lawrence, Douglas County (also by Johnson,
1919, and Linsdale and Hall, 1927), and Independence, Montgomery

Harris’s Sparrow

139

County (Wetmore) ; Topeka, Shawnee County (Howard and Hyde) ;
Clay Center, Clay County, and Abilene, Dickinson County (Graves) ;
W oodbine, Dickinson County (Mitsch) ; Hesston, Harvey County
(Hesston Audubon Society) and McPherson, McPherson County
(Nininger), these localities all lying between about longitudes 95°15’
and 97u30'. From the Kansas City region Harris (1919b) summarizes
thus: "If the winter be exceptionally severe, as in 1916-17 and 1917-

18, only a few hardy birds remain to find shelter in the dense cover
of the Missouri bottom undergrowth. During open and mild winters
a few may he found in the hedges and weed patches of the prairie
country.” There are but little data on the westward range, but, as
in Nebraska, there are evidently very few records of its occurrence
west of longitude 99°. Cooke (1884 and 1888) quotes Dr. Watson of
Ellis, Ellis County (99°3(y) as reporting that they usually occur
there in the fall and spring and are sometimes abundant. Cooke and
Wooster (1929) report eight of them from Hays, a little to the east
in the same county, on December 22, 1928, and Prof. L. D. Wooster
(letter July 10, 1928) writes that he saw a few there on February 3,
1928, and thereafter.

Oklahoma

The distribution of the Harris’s Sparrow in Oklahoma is much
as it is in Kansas; that is, there is an abundance of the birds between
longitudes 96° and 98°. Cooke (1884) reported it as present all win-
ter at Caddo, Bryan County (96°), in southeastern Oklahoma, and at
Darlington, Canadian County (98°) in central Oklahoma. It is listed
by the Nices (1924) as a “common winter resident” in Washington
County (96°) (Kirn), as “abundant all winter’ in Cleveland County
(97°30'), and as “common along all timbered streams” in Comanche
County (98°30') (Lantz). The Christmas censuses published in Bird-
Lore record it from Muskogee, Muskogee County (Little) ; Tulsa,
Tulsa County (Neville) ; Okmulgee, Okmulgee County (Force) ; Sa-
pid pa, Creek County, and Tonkawa, Kay County (Beard) ; Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma County (Saunders), and Norman, Cleveland County
(Nice), these localities all lying between longitudes 95°15' and 9703(T,
as in Kansas. Prof. B. 0. Whitenton (letter April 16, 1928) reports it
from Stillwater, Payne County (97°). The Nices (1924) also report
it as a “common migrant” at Gate, Beaver County, in the Panhandle
just west of longitude 100°, on the authority of Mr. W. E. Lewis, who
writes (letter May 11, 1928) concerning this record: "In 1916 and

1920 they were quite abundant in migration the first week of March.
I do not find them recorded in other years.”

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THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Arkansas

The few records of the Harris’s Sparrow from Arkansas are
mostly from the northwestern corner of the State. Smith (1915) saw-
several in May and October, 1913, near Winslow, Washington County,
and Lano (1922-1926) also found small numbers of them at Fayette-
ville in that county at Christmas time. Howell (1911) had only one
specimen from Van Buren, Crawford County (Hanna). Mr. S. H.
Weakley of Fort Smith, Sebastian County, writes (letter April 16,
1929) that in February, 1929, he banded three of these sparrows, the
first which he had seen in that locality. In eastern Arkansas, Pindar
(1924) reported it common at Helena, Phillips County, in the fall
of 1888, but rare at Marked Tree, Poinsett County, early in 1889.
Mr. J. G. Boyce of Texarkana, Miller County, writes (letter April 28,
1928) : “My own field observations have been limited to three or

four counties in the southwestern part of the State, and I have never
seen it.”

Iexas

Harris’s Sparrows winter abundantly in central Texas, between
longitudes 97° and 99°, north of latitude 29°. Cooke (1884) reported
them abundant all winter at Gainesville (long. 97°, lat. 33°30'), near
the Oklahoma line. Mr. G. M. Sutton has kindly loaned manuscript
notes from Tarrant County (97°, 32°30') indicating that in January
and February he found them among the commonest birds in the wooded
sections. Ogilby (1882) reported them wintering in Navarro County
(97°, 32°). Simmons (1925) has discussed them as they occur at
Austin, Travis County (97°45', 30°30') in some detail. There are
reports from the region of San Antonio, Bexar County (98°30', 29°
20 ) by Dresser (1865) — the first record of the species for Texas —
and Griscom (1920). Attwater (1892) reported them there as “com-
mon winter residents but more abundant during migration.” This
suggests that some may winter south of latitude 29°. Beckham (1888)
found them “one of the most abundant and conspicuous inhabitants
of the luxurious fringe of vegetation that bordered the San’ Antonio
River,” but only once seen in the mesquite. He saw “only a small
party” at Beeville, Bee County (97°40', 28°20'), which is the farthest
south the species has been recorded, and none at Corpus Christi
(south of 28°) or Leon Springs. The latter place is only about ten
miles southeast of Boerne, Kendall County (98°45', 29°30'), where
Brown (1882) found them abundant in the winter of 1880, and Gris-
com (1920) found them from December 15, 1917, to January 10, 1918,
so their apparent absence there was probably merely an oversight.

Harris’s Sparrow

141

At Kerrville, Kerr County (99°, 30°), thirty miles northwest of
Boerne, Lacey (1911) reported them as occasional but not common,
and Smith (1916) found small flocks during the coldest weather. The
farthest west this bird has been reported from Texas is Concho County
(100°, 31°30') where Lloyd (1887) found them rare in the fall mi-
gration. The farthest east are the records of one each seen on an
island in Galveston Bay (94°45'), May 5, 1923, by Bent (1924) and
at Eagle Lake, Colorado County (96°20', 29°40'), by Wetmore (1918),
the latter having been reported in the Bird-Lore Christmas census for
1917. Other Christmas census records are from Dallas, Dallas County
(Reed); Fort Worth, Tarrant County (Iseley) ; Taylor, Williamson
County (Tullsen) ; and Austin, Travis County (Taylor) ; all between
longitudes 97° and 98°, and north of latitude 30°.

East of the Mississippi River

Wisconsin, as reviewed by Cahn (1915) has numerous records,
chiefly from the southern half of the State and mostly within seventy
miles of its southern boundary. The northern half of the State is
represented by four locality records (Marathon, Barron, Dunn, and
Trempealeau Counties) in the western part, and one each in the
northern and eastern parts. The first definite Wisconsin record is
that of Dr. Hoy, a specimen from Racine, Racine County, taken in
May, 1856 (Nelson, 1876). Coale (1884) reported the capture of
three specimens at Trempealeau, Trempealeau County, which accord-
ing to Cooke (1884) were taken in the fall of 1883, and are no doubt
the same three specimens referred to by Ridgway (1889) as taken at
LaCrosse (about eighteen miles farther down the Mississippi) by
Coale on October 3, 1883. Kumlien and Hollister (1903) report that
in Dunn County, J. N. Clark collected a pair of these sparrows on May
12, 1886, and three from a flock of four on October 5, 1890, after
which he saw a flock of six or eight near Meridian on October 19,
1892, and a few individuals each fall subsequently. They especially
mention a pair found by Mr. Clark on the late date of July 4, 1892,
and record a specimen from Iron County and three from Lake Kosh-
konong, Jefferson County, one in the spring and two in the fall.
Cooke (1913) records it from North Freedom, Sauk County, October
3, 1903, and Elkhorn, Walworth County, May 15, 1909. Cahn (1915)
records two birds seen May 20, 1912, five seen October 8, 1912, and
three seen October 5, 1914, all at Unity, Marathon County, by D. C.
Mahbot, and the following thirteen birds seen in May, 1914: One

taken by himself at Oconomowoc, Waukesha County (9th) ; one ceen
at Madison, Dane County (R. E. Kremers) ; owe seen at Barron, Barron

142

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

County (E. W. Meadows and L. S. Cheney) ; three seen at Neenah.
Winnebago County (D. C. Mabbot) (10th) ; three seen at Madison
(A. R. Cahn) ; one at Milwaukee, Milwaukee County (Mrs. M. L.
Simpson, 1914) ; one at Mineral Point, Iowa County (Emma E.
Padon) (12th) ; one seen at Unity (B. W. and D. C. Mabbot) ; and
one at South Wayne, Lafayette County (Rose B. Eastman) (13th).
Since 1914 the Harris’s Sparrow has been observed at Madison, May
11, 1916 (Schorger, 1917) ; October 21, 1917 (Schorger, 1926) ; May
21, 1921 (Taylor, 1922) ; September 9, 1922 (Schorger, 1926) ;
October 3, 1923 (Taylor, 1926), and May 16, 1926 (Schorger, 1926).

Ill inois has about the same number of records as Wisconsin, and
they are, in agreement with the Wisconsin ones, mostly scattered over
the northern half of the State. The first Illinois records are those
cited by Ridgway (1880), of specimens collected at Bloomington,
McLean County, in the spring of 1877, and at Normal, a few miles
to the north in the same county, on November 14, 1879, by W. H.
Garman. Poling (1890) collected two specimens, a male and a fe
male, in Adams County (near Quincy). According to Widmann
(1907) this bird has been collected at Warsaw, Hancock County, by
Mr. Chas. K. Worthen. Cooke (1913) recorded it from Canton, Pul-
ton County, March 14, 1894, and from Chicago, Cook County, May
19, 1897. Dunn (1895 I records the securing of a specimen at River-
dale, near Chicago, on October 6, 1894. Woodruff (1907) recorded
one seen by Mr. Ruthven Deane in Lincoln Park, Chicago, on May 11.
1904, and Daggett (1908) recorded a male collected from a flock of
Slate-colored Juncos by Mr. L. E. Wyman at Beach, Lake County,
October 13, 1907. Cahn (1915) recorded this species from the
Chicago region in Cook County, on the authority of Mr. G. A. Abbott,
on April 20, 1912; April 20, 1913; and April 17 and 20, 1914. In
the spring of 1914 the same unusual migration of Harris’s Sparrows
that passed through southern Wisconsin also passed through northern
Illinois. At Port Byron, Rock Island County, on the Mississippi
River in the northwestern part of the State, Schafer (1914) saw one
on March 15, another on April 26, two on May 3, and one each on
May 5 and 7, 1914. He (1915) saw one also on May 9, 1915. At
Rantoul, Champaign County, Ekblaw (1914) saw twelve on April 26,
1914. Leopold (1921) saw three in a large flock of White-throated
Sparrows near Chicago on September 26, 1920. Since 1920, Harris’s
Sparrows seem to have become more common in migration in the
Chicago region. According to Sanborn (1921) Mr. B. T. Gault saw
one in Humboldt Park on May 14<. 1921, and Mr. G. P. Lewis saw one

Harris’s Sparrow

143

near Jackson Park on September 22, 1921, and later the same writer
(1922) reported that Mr. W. I. Lyon trapped one at Waukegan. Lake
County, north of Chicago, on October 12, 1921, and retook it thirty-
two times before it left on October 30. Leopold (1923) recorded that
Mr. Lyon trapped and handed two in 1922 at Waukegan; that Mr.
C. J. Hunt saw one in Lincoln Park on September 23, 1922: and
that Leopold and G. P. Lewis saw two there on September 26, 1922.
on which date Mr. C. C. Sanborn collected one at Beach. Sanborn
(1923) also reported a specimen taken in the fall of 1922 on the lake
shore north of Chicago. Mr. William I. Lyon writes (letter November
13, 1928) that he has banded twenty-six Harris’s Sparrows at bis sta-
tion at Waukegan, eleven of them in the fall of 1928.

The first Indiana record was from Sheridan, Hamilton County
(long. 86°, lat. 40°), May 4, 1907, recorded by Cooke (1913). The
second was an immature female taken at Miller, Lake County, October
3, 1920, by Stoddard (1921). Later Stoddard took additional speci-
mens at Miller, according to Eif rig (1921), Leopold (1923) and
Bretsch (1926). Bretsch (1926) trapped and banded a male at Gary,
Lake County, Indiana, on May 17, 1926.

In Michigan there seems to be a very sparse but more or less
regular migration across the northern peninsula, especially in the
fall. Barrows (1912) recorded that Mr. 0. B. Warren noted the
species at Palmer, Marquette County (long. 87° 30'), in the falls
of 1893, 1894 (one collected on September 30) and 1895, tolerably
commonly in the two last-mentioned years, in flocks of White-throated
and White-crowned Sparrows, but that it was not seen in the spring.
Gregory (1920) reported it migrating rather commonly at Huron
Mountain, Marquette County, in the fall of 1919, he noting six birds
on September 26 (one taken) ; one on September 27; four on October
2: one on October 3 (taken) and one on October 6. He later (1928)
reported the taking of another at the same locality on October 13,
1924. Barrows (1912) also recorded a female specimen collected at
Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa County (long. 84°20'), February 22, 4900.
and a male taken at Battle Creek, Calhoun County, October 12, 1894,
by Edward Arnold. Magee (1927) reported that be and Dr. Christof-
ferson had seen this species at Sault Ste. Marie on October 13, 1918
(two), May 21 and 24, 1925 (one each day) and September 26, 1926
(one trapped and collected). In Luce County, at McMillan, about
fifty miles west of Saulte Ste. Marie, it was observed by Bryens (1925)
as common for a week following May 21, 1924. Herman (1924)
trapped one in 1923 at Laurium, Houghton County. The Wing

144

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

brothers (1927) recorded it from Jackson, Jackson County, on October
19, 1924, when one was taken in their traps at that place; this, with
the Battle Creek record, constituting the only ones from the southern
peninsula.

Ohio is represented by seven records. Davie (1898) reported that
Mr. J. E. Gould collected one of four or five individuals in a flock of
White-throated Sparrows at Columbus, Franklin County (long. 83°),
April 28, 1889. The supposed record of Cook (1913) for Columbus,
Ohio, April 27, 1889, is evidently a slightly misquoted repetition of
this same record, which, except for its recent accidental occurrence
in Massachusetts, is the easternmost known record for the species in
the United States. Thomas (1926) gives five additional records for
Columbus, as follows: November 11 and 12, 1921; April 1, 1923,
and April 15 (two) and 27, 1925. Blincoe (1925) recorded seeing a
Harris’s Sparrow near Dayton, Montgomery County, on October 5,
and taking it on October 12, 1924, while if was in company with sev-
eral White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows.

The first record of the Harris’s Sparrow for eastern Ontario is
that of Miller (1897) who noted its occurrence at Lake Nipigon,
Thunder Bay District (long. 88°-89°, lat. 50°), in September, 1896.
Twenty-six years later Koelz (1923) took it again at Lake Nipigon, on
July 27, 1922. Saunders (1913) recorded a specimen collected by
him March 18, 1907, from a mixed flock of Song Sparrows and Juncos,
near London, Middlesex District (81o20', 43°), and suggested that
this species was probably a regular migrant in the northwestern part
of the Province, but Taverner (1927) commented that it has not been
observed at Isle Royal (89°, 48°) where extended ornithological
observations have been made.

The extreme eastern record for this species is that of one that
appeared at the feeding station of Fred G. Floyd of Hingham.
Plymouth County, Massachusetts, on April 11, 1929, and remained
there until April 20, when it was collected by John B. May (1929).

Rocky Mountain Region

Montana has six records of the Harris’s Sparrow — four from the
Yellowstone Valley in the southeastern part of the State and two
from the west central part, but all east of the Continental Divide.
Bendire (1889) reported it as not uncommon in the fall migration
at Fort Custer, Rosebud County, in company with White-crowned
Sparrows and Arctic Towhees, and states that he shot one there as late
as October 21, 1885. Thorne (1895) reported it as uncommon at
Fort Keogh, Custer County, from September 22 to October 13, 1889.

Harris’s Sparrow

145

Cameron (1908) reported seeing one in company with White-crowned
Sparrows at Knowlton, Custer County, on May 24 and 25, 1907.
Saunders (1921) gave another record from southeastern Montana-
at Miles City, in Custer County a few miles from Fort Keogh — and
the two western records — from Great Falls, Cascade County, and Gal-
latin Valley, Gallatin County.

Wyoming seems to be represented by only two specimens, from
Douglas, Converse County, taken October 7 and 15, 1894, by Dr.
Jesurun of that place, and recorded by Knight (1902).

The earliest Colorado record is that of Beckham (1887) who shot
one at Pueblo, Pueblo County, on October 29, 1886, while it was in
company with Juncos and Tree Sparrows. Cooke (1894) reported
one from Colorado Springs, El Paso County, which later proved to
be an erroneous record and was corrected by him (1897). Later he
(1900) reported as the second State record one observed on May 10,
1898, at Holly, Prowers County, migrating with White-crowned Spar-
rows. Smith (1908) reported one shot by Mr, W. C. Ferril near Kit
Carson, Cheyenne County, on October 9, 1907, while in company with
Tree and Vesper Sparrows. This was cited as the third State record
by Cooke (1909) who reported as the fourth record one from New
Windsor, Weld County, October 22, 1907 (Osterhout). Warren (1910)
recorded a female specimen taken December 15, 1908, at Salida.
Chaffee County, by Mr. J. W. Frey. Sclater (1912) summarized the
above records and added that of one taken at Butte, El Paso County,
January 24, 1908, by Mr. C. E. Aiken. It was reported from Boulder,
Boulder County, by Betts (1913), who collected one there on Novem-
ber 5. 1912, and by Beard (1923), who saw twelve there on December
25, 1922. Lincoln (1920) reported it as an uncommon winter resident
in the Clear Creek district in Jefferson County just west of Denver,
in the winter of 1912-13, suggesting that they might be more common
than he had supposed, as he had difficulty in flushing them from the
dense thickets. Bergtold (1929) reported its occurrence in Cheese-
man Park in the city of Denver on October 14, 1928. Bergtold (1926 )
reported it from Fruita, Mesa County, west of the Continental Divide,
November 1, 1925, and writes (letter April 10, 1928) that another
was captured at that place in March, 1928.

The only record for New Mexico seems to be that recently pub-
lished by Mrs. Bailey (1928) who reported that Mr. George Willet
saw two or three of these sparrows on the Rio Grande Bird Reserve,
Sierra County, on December 1, 1916. Arizona, also, has but a single
record, reported by Cooke (1914) and Gilman (1914), of one taken

146

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

by the latter at Sacaton, Pinal County, from among a small flock of
Gambel’s Sparrows on March 16, 1913.

Pacific Coast Region

In a number of known instances the Harris’s Sparrow has wan-
dered west into British Columbia during its migration. The first
record for this Province seems to be that of Maynard, who collected
a specimen near Victoria, Vancouver Island, early in April, 1891,
according to Rhoads (1893a; 1893b).* Another record is that of
one taken at Comox, Vancouver Island, November 20, 1894, by W. B.
Anderson, published by Fannin (1895a; 1895b), who (1895b) re-
corded also that Mr. Anderson had seen others at the same place about
December 1, 1894, when he collected two additional specimens.
Brewster (1895) reported that two were taken and a third one seen
by Allan Brooks at Chilliwack, New Westminster District, January 9,
1895, which date was corrected by Brooks (1917) to January 8, and
a sight record for April, 1895, added. Brooks (1900) reported that
he collected two at Sumas, eight miles below Chilliwack on the Fraser
River, January 10, 1895. Later, he (1912) reported specimens taken
April 30, 1911, and December 1, 1911 (see also Cooke, 1913), by
himself and Mr. J. A. Munro, respectively, at Okanagan Landing,
Yale District. All of these localities are in the extreme southwestern
part of the Province. Mr. J. A. Munro (letters May 26, 1928, and
December 16, 1928) has kindly sent the records of four specimens
taken at Okanagan Landing and of two birds banded at Barkerville,
Cariboo District, about 200 miles farther north, September 24, 1926.
This latter record has recently been published by the McCabes (1929).

The place of Harris’s Sparrow on the bird list of Washington
State is based on two sight records made by Mrs. Lucy M. Ellis at
North Yakima, Yakima County, in November, 1912, and May 14,
1913, and recorded by W. L. Dawson (1914b). He (1914a) also
records the taking of two specimens at Medford, Jackson County,
Oregon, on February 1 and 2, 1912, by Mr. George L. Hamlin. The
report of Wyman (1911) of one taken at Nampa, Canyon County,
Idaho, January 1, 1911, from among several seen in a flock of Gam-
bel’s Sparrows, may he included with these.

There are six records of the Harris’s Sparrow from California,
four of them from the Berkeley vicinity. Emerson (1900) recorded

*Since the above was written the senior author has seen a mounted specimen
of a Harris’s Sparrow in immature plumage in the Provincial Museum at Vic-
toria, labeled “Female, October, 1894, Victoria, A. H. Maynard,” which is evi-
dently the second record for British Columbia.

Harris’s Sparrow

147

Figure 1. Distribution of the Harris’s Sparrow. A=summer range;
B=all-winter range; C^area in which it is a common to abundant,
more or less regular migrant (enclosed in the dash lines) ; D=area in
which it is an uncommon to rare, irregular migrant (enclosed in the
dotted lines). Each dot represents an actual record of its occurrence.
Those dots outside the dotted lines represent, sporadic or accidental oc.
currences. The recently made record from Hingham, Massachusetts (Auk
47:392), is not shown on this map.

148

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

the taking of one at Haywards, Alameda County, October 28, 1900,
while in company with some Golden-crowned Sparrows. Linton
(1908) recorded taking one at Smuggler’s Cove on the southwest
coast of San Clemente Island, October 15, 1907, from a flock of Gam-
bol's and Song Sparrows, and House Finches. Allen (1915) recorded
one repeatedly seen in Strawberry Canyon, near Berkeley, Alameda
County, during the winter of 1912-13- — according to Clabough (1928)
from December 25 to February 11 — in company with Gambel’s and
Nuttall’s Sparrows. The Fosters (1928) record one that was seen
daily for several weeks during the winter of 1924-25 with a mixed
flock of Golden-crowned and Gambel’s Sparrows and Juncos at their
house in Berkeley. Clabaugh (1928) recorded one trapped and banded
on November 21, 1927, also in his yard at Berkeley, and associated
with Golden-crowned Sparrows. Cozens (1928) recorded trapping
one from a flock of Golden-crowned and GambeFs Sparrows at Enci-
nitas, San Diego County, on December 21, 1927.

Fall Migration

The southward movement of the Harris’s Sparrow from its breed-
ing grounds probably begins by the last of August, and continues
through the greater part of September. Preble (1908) in 1903 ob-
served numbers of them daily from August 27 to September 7 on the
southern shore of Great Bear Lake, but after several cold nights early
in September they became less common, this probably marking the
beginning of their heavier departure southward. They were seen in
smaller numbers at various points on the southern shore of Great Bear
Lake on September 10, 13, and 14, and the last one was seen at fhe
site of Fort Franklin on September 26. The latest date on which this
sparrow was seen at Fort Resolution, according to Cooke (1913), was
September 27, 1907. Probably they have deserted the entire region
north of latitude 60° by the end of September.

Eastwardly, the vanguard has moved south to latitude 56° by
August 30, for on that date in 1900 Preble (1902) found several of
them on the upper Hayes River, Manitoba, and they were common near
the Echimamish River on September 14, 1900. On that same date,
and on September 21, in 1903, A. E. Preble and M. Cary noted indi-
viduals at Athabasca Landing, Alberta, according to Preble (1908),
while on September 24 three were seen at Lily Lake, all at about lati-
tude 54° to 55°. By the end of September they are common in south-
ern Manitoba and North Dakota. Their arrival at Fargo, North
Dakota (Iat. 47°), seems fairly uniform and they are common there
from about September 25 to October 15.

Harris’s Sparrow

149

Minnesota and South Dakota migration records show little dif-
ference. Roberts (1879) gives the season for southern Minnesota as
September 25 to October 15. Agersborg (1885) gives its season in
southeastern South Dakota as about October 1 to November 1. Abun-
dance in southern Nebraska and northern Kansas comes about October
15’, but wintering birds do not reach that point until the end of
October (see trapping records, p. 167). Harris (1920c and 1922) re-
fers to their presence near Kansas City, Missouri, in numbers on
October 10, 19, and 31. He (1919b) writes that they arrive in that
region “late in the first week of October and are present in varying
abundance until late in November.” Miss Edith R. Force (letter July
14, 1928) writes that they were seen at Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October
29 by W. H. Koons. Mrs. Nice (1929) states that they arrived at
Norman, Oklahoma, in six years on October 27, 1920; October 29,
1923 and 1925; October 31, 1926; and November 1, 1921 and 1922;
a variation of not more than six days. Prof. R. 0. Whitenton (letter
April 16, 1928) at Stillwater, Oklahoma, gives the earliest as Novem-
ber 4. Their arrival in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas is
early in November. Cooke (1884 and 1914b) reported the date of
arrival at Caddo, Bryan County, Oklahoma, as November 8, 1883,
and also (1913) the average date of arrival at Gainesville, Texas, as
November 7. By the close of November they have probably reached
the southern limits of their wintering range in Texas.

The migration of the Harris’s Sparrow has twice been reviewed
by Cooke (1884 and 1913). In the following table we have tried to
bring these records pertaining to the fall migration up to date, pre-
senting chiefly selected localities where the most extended records
are available:

Table 1. The Fall Migration of the Harris’s Sparrow.

First Seen Last Seen

No.Yrs. Average No.Yrs. Average

Place Record

Date

Record

Date

Authority

Athabasca Landing, Alta.

1

Sept.

14

E. A. Preble (1908)

Winnipeg, Man.

4

Sept.

18

4

Oct.

10

A. G. Lawrence*

Aweme, Man.

22

Sept.

19

22

Oct.

9

N. Criddle (1922)

McKenzie Co., N. D.

4

Sept.

23

4

Oct.

2

A. Larson (1928)

Fargo, N. D.

6

Sept.

23

6

Nov.

5

O. A. Stevens

Minneapolis, Minn.

10

Sept.

24

7

Oct.

23

T. S. Roberts*

Sioux Falls, S. D.

5

Sept.

25

4

Nov.

3

A. Larson (1925)

Lanesboro, Minn.

7

Sept.

27

8

Oct.

14

J. C. Hvoslef

Sioux City, Iowa

19

Oct.

6

17

Nov.

11

T. C. Stephens*

Lincoln, Nebr.

24

Oct.

7

12

Dec.

20

M. H. Swenk*

Ogden, Iowa

5

Oct.

12

5

Oct.

31

W. M. Rosen

Onaga, Kansas

25

Oct.

15

winters

F. F. Crevecoeur

Norman, Okla.

6

Oct.

30

winters

M. M. Nice (1929)

Gainesville, Texas

6

Nov.

7

winters

W.W. Cooke (1913)

"Data collected by

150

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

A universal comment is that this sparrow is more common in the
fall migration than in the spring. This seems to be connected with
the fact that the fall movement is slower — requiring three months to
pass from its breeding grounds to the southern extremity of its win-
tering range — the birds perhaps tarrying in attractive localities or
wandering somewhat to one side until urged on by colder weather.

Winter Range

It at first seemed feasible to largely outline the periphery of the
winter range of the Harris’s Sparrow from the reports given in the
Christmas censuses that for the past twenty-nine years have been ap-
pearing annually in Bird-Lore (volumes 3 to 31; 1901 to 1929, in-
clusive), usually in the January-February number. However, a more
careful study of the movements of this bird have indicated that late
December records of its presence in any locality do not necessarily
show that it winters through in that locality. In Nebraska, for ex-
ample, as has already been stated, in spite of the apparently good
winter cover for the species along the Missouri and Platte Rivers at
Omaha, Plattsmouth, and Fremont, it does not winter through at those
localities, but does often linger there until late in December, when
it retires farther south for the mid-winter period. The following de-
tails from the Bird-Lore censuses — each being the only report for the
State concerned — help broadly to indicate the extreme northern limits
of the early winter range of the bird.

Boulder, Colorado (40°) — twelve in 1922 (Beard, 1923).

Dell Rapids, South Dakota (43°45’) — two in 1923 (Anderson,
1924).

Fairmont, Minnesota (43°30 ) — two in 1913 (Hagerty, 1914).

Pierson, Iowa (42°30 ) — one in 1927 (Mills, 1928).

Springfield, Illinois (40°) — one in 1925 (Knapp, 1926).

These, with other December records published elsewhere, show
that in the main path of their migration, that is between longitudes
94° and 100°, a very few Harris’s Sparrows may linger well into
December north of latitude 40°, and up nearly to latitude 44°, but
that the true all-wintering range lies practically entirely south of lati-
tude 41°, and mainly south of 40°. East of longitude 94° and west
of longitude 100° even the early winter range of the bird lies at
latitude 40° or south of that. In southeastern Nebraska, between lati-
tudes 40° and 41°, and in northwestern Missouri, between latitudes
39° and 40°, is the line of tension of its all-winter range. In Nebraska,
at Nebraska City, Lincoln, Superior, Red Cloud, and Hastings, it win

Harris’s Sparrow

151

ters through in some winters only, while at Fairbury it is found in
greater or less numbers through every winter. In Missouri, at Kansas
City, Harris’s Sparrows were reported in eight of seventeen Christmas
lists, reaching 4 per cent of the census total in 1909 and 1918. At
Concordia they were reported once (1909) in six years, and in that
year were present to 1 per cent of the census total. In general, sea-
sons of heavy fall migration in any locality are apt to be correlated
with maximum numbers remaining through the winter following, es-
pecially if it is a mild one.

Extending southward from southeastern Nebraska and north-
western Missouri the all-winter range of the Harris’s Sparrow includes
western Missouri and eastern Kansas between longitudes 94° and
97°30'; the northwestern corner of Arkansas; Oklahoma east of 98°
30', except for its southeastern corner, and central Texas between about
longitudes 96° and 99°30', north of latitude 28°. This area is about
900 miles long, averages about 200 miles in width, and lies closely
along longitude 96° as a center, inclining very slightly toward the west
from north to south (Fig. 1). A study of the average per cent of
individual Harris’s Sparrows in relation to the total of all birds seen,
as reported from various localities in the Bird-Lore Christmas cen-
suses, after eliminating from the total all flocks of 1000 or more
Crows, blackbirds, etc., (but including large flocks of Slate-colored
Juncos, Song Sparrows, etc.), shows that at Christmas time the center
of population of the species is in east-central Kansas and central
Oklahoma (Fig. 2). The average per cent in six localities in east-
central Kansas varies from 9 to 42, averaging 22, while that in four
localities in central Oklahoma varies from 1 1 to 33, and also averages
22. At the same time in north-central Texas the average per cent in
four localities varies from 4 to 15, and averages only 8. The average
percentage of Harris’s Sparrows to total bird population drops rapidly
in eastern Kansas and Oklahoma to from 2 to 5, averaging 3, in six
localities. Probably later in the winter the center of population shifts
farther south, to central Oklahoma and north-central Texas.

Mrs. Nice (1929) has recently presented data from studies made
during the winters of 1925-26 and 1926-27 showing that at Norman,
in central Oklahoma, the Harris's Sparrow becomes common by the
first or second week in November, and reaches its greatest abundance
in December and early January. The abundance at Christmas time
varies much from season to season, the extreme variation amounting
to 82 per cent in the seven years 1919 to 1926, inclusive, on compari-
son of the seasons of minimum (1919) and maximum (1923)

152

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

abundance. There is a marked decrease during January (about 25
per cent) — probably from birds retiring farther south into Texas —
and a still more marked decrease during February (about 35 per cent),
when the northward movement starts. Cooke (1884 and 1914b) re-
ported similarly that at Caddo, Oklahoma, in the winter of 1883-84
these sparrows reached their greatest abundance about Christmas time.
They were the least numerous from about January 15 to February 23,
the return migration making them common again from February 26
to March 15.

Movements within the winter range seem to be subject to consid-
erable variation due to weather conditions and perhaps to food supply
or seasonal abundance of the birds. Harris (1919a and 1920a) noted
that they were scarce during the fall of 1918 and spring and fall of
1919, yet that the mild and open winter of 1918-19 was the first in
memory during which they had remained in the Kansas City region
through January and February. However, Johnson (1919) at Law-
rence, Kansas, only thirty miles west of Kansas City, found the birds
passing through in the usual numbers in the spring of 1919, there be-
ing many flocks from March 30 to May 11, with the greatest numbers
from April 29 to May 11. Mr. J. A. Neff at Marionville, Missouri,
writes (letter April 1, 1928) that these birds “generally begin to
arrive here some time after October 20 to 25. Some seasons it is
November or even December before they arrive. Some seasons they
winter in large numbers, sometimes more sparsely, and occasionally
none stay all winter.” Smith (1916) noted in Kerr County, Texas,
that their presence was coincident with the coldest weather, January
25 to February 5. Griscom (1920) noted in the San Antonio region
that they disappeared when the weather became cold (January 10,
1918).

Spring Migration

The northward movement of the Harris’s Sparrow begins within
its all-winter range about the end of February or the first of March,
and during March also spreads more or less into eastern Nebraska and
western Iowa. Cooke (1884 and 1888) recorded that at Gainesville,
Texas, the northward movement in 1884 began about March 1 and that
the bulk had left that place by March 12. He (1884 and 1914b) also
reported that at Caddo, Oklahoma, in 1884 an influx of birds from the
south from February 23 to 26 brought them from relative fewness
to commonness at that place. The bulk of those that had wintered at
Caddo moved northward on March 10, but their places were taken on
March 13 by another wave of migrants from Texas, which reached

Harris’s Sparrow

153

Figure 2. Early winter distribution of the Harris’s Sparrow, according
to the Christmas Censuses published in Bird-Lore. Numerals represent
the average per cent of individuals seen in relation to the total of all
birds seen, after eliminating all flocks of Crows or blackbirds of 1000
or more birds. Dots represent reports without Harris’s Sparrows. T=less
than one per cent. Circles represent localities with records of five or
more years.

154

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

the crest on March 15 and abruptly ended on March 25. Mrs. Nice
(1929) noted that at Norman, Oklahoma, the Harris’s Sparrows main-
tained about a stationary abundance during March — new arrivals ap-
parently about balancing departing birds — at 30 to 40 per cent of the
January abundance, but that in April, as the spring migration waxed,
there was a loss amounting to 10 to 20 per cent of the January
strength, with the last birds departing May 3 to 13. Cooke (1884)
says that in this movement the bulk of the birds are only four or five
days behind the van, and that in 1884 the bulk reached Pierce City,
Missouri, on March 17, and Manhattan, Kansas, on March 18. Harris
(1919b) writes of the Kansas City region: “The northward movement
begins late in February but is not marked by the characteristic waves,
when great numbers are here today and gone tomorrow until three
or four weeks later.” He mentions (1920b, 1921, 1922b) characteristic
waves there on April 3, 11, 12, 22, 23, and 29 and May 11.

In southeastern Nebraska, along the northern edge of the winter
range of the species, there is usually a moderate influx of Harris’s
Sparrows from March 2 to 18, averaging March 14, followed by a
stronger arrival from about March 21 to April 5. This movement in
many seasons extends up along the Missouri River as far as Omaha
(March 13, 1927) or Sioux City (March 14, 1910), and sometimes
over western Iowa. The data given by Spurrell (1921) show that
the first ones arrived in Sac County, Iowa, about April 1 in 1909,
1911 and 1914 (March 29, April 2, March 29) but not until about
May 1 in 1910, 1912, 1913, and 1915 (May 1, May 3, May 1 and
May 2). Mr. W. M. Rosen at Ogden, Iowa, sends (letter April 10,
1928) similar data — about May 1 in 1922-1925 and about April 1 in
1926-1928 — though the grouping here suggests that closer observations
may have been made in the latter years. Mr. J. A. Neff writes (letter
April 23, 1928) of northwestern Missouri: “We never see any great

numbers until at least March 1, and often not until late March or
April.” Cooke (1913) has suggested the possibility that the birds
seen along the Missouri River in northwestern Iowa soon after the
middle of March may have wintered in the bottom lands near by and
pushed out into the open country the first warm days of spring, but
the continued lack of winter records argues against this. The records
indicate rather that these birds are the vanguard of the first spring
advance. There is then a long wait, until about the first of May,
before the arrival of the birds in southeastern South Dakota (Agers-
borg, 1885) and southwestern Minnesota indicates the resumption of
the northward movement in the final great late wave.

Harris’s Sparrow

155

The great late wave of migration passes through southeastern
Nebraska between about April 19 and May 14, the latest dates seen
being Lincoln, May 21, 1913 and 1916; Peru, May 27, 1889, and Fair-
bury, June 4, 1928. The first ones of these birds pass on to north-
eastern Nebraska (Neligh, April 22; Badger, April 23), where there
is apparently a halt for about a week. The vanguard arrives with
remarkable uniformity during the first week in May or shortly there-
after at points over an area extending from the Dakotas to Minnesota
and Manitoba. The passage of the vanguard across Saskatchewan, Al-
berta and Northwest Territory to the breeding ground of the species
is made during the last half of May, though it is probably the middle
of June before the migration of all of the birds is completed.

The following table presents migration data on the spring migra-
tion, complementary to that given in the preceding table of the fall
migration :

Table 2. The Spring Migration of the Harris’s Sparrow.

First Seen Last Seen

No.Yrs.

Average

No.Yrs.

, Average

Place Record

Date

Record

Date

Authority

San Antonio, Texas

winters

2

Mch.

18

W.W. Cooke (1913)

Gainesville, Texas

winters

5

April

7

W.W. Cooke (1913)

Norman, Okla.

winters

5

May

8

M. M. Nice (1929)

Onaga, Kansas

winters

24

May

15

F. F. Creveeoeur

Lincoln, Nebr.

20

Mch.

14

20

May

14

M. H. Swenk*

Sioux City, Iowa (near)

17

Mch.

29

21

May

17

T. C. Stephens*

Lanesboro, Minn.

5

May

10

3

May

18

J. C. Hvoslef

Sioux Falls, S. D.

7

April

30

5

May

19

A. Larson (1925)

Pipestone, Minn.

4

May

3

2

May

30

A. Peterson

Minneapolis, Minn.

11

May

7

5

May

20

T. S. Roberts*

Fargo, N. D.

16

May

8

6

May

26

0. A. Stevens

McKenzie Co., N. D.

8

May

6

3

May

15

A. Larson (1928)

Aweme, Man.

27

May

8

27

May

22

N. Criddle (1922)

Winnipeg, Man.

11

May

8

5

May

21

A. G. Lawrence*

Indian Head, Sask.

3

May

11

W.W. Cooke (1913)

Osier, Sask.

1

May

14

1

June

2

W.W. Cooke (1913)

Eastend, Sask.

5

May

16

3

May

20

L. R. Potter

Flagstaff, Alta

4

May

19

W.W. Cooke (1913)

Hay River (near), Alta.

2

May

19

1

.1 une

15

Preble (1908);
Cooke (1913)

Fort Chipewyan, Alta.
Fort Providence (near),

1

May

23

E. A. Preble (1908)

N. W. T.

Arctic Red River (near)

1

May

24

E. A. Preble (1908)

N. W. T.

1

June

1

W.W. Cooke (1913)

*Data collected by

Casual Occurrences

A tabulation of the dates of those records which have been re-
ferred to in the paragraphs on distribution during migrations, shows
that they are about evenly divided between spring and fall. The most

156

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

notable of the eastern records are the group from northern Illinois
and southern Wisconsin in the spring of 1914 as reviewed by Cahn
(1915). Western records, especially in the coast region, contain many
winter dates.

There is an occasional United States record in the summer. Agers-
borg (1885) reported taking one in southeastern South Dakota in the
middle of June, which he found to be an old male with atrophied tes-
tes. Visher (1915) also reported one seen in Clay County, South
Dakota, June 18, 1912. Cooke (1888) reported one seen at Turtle
River, South Dakota, by Abbott in the latter part of July, 1891.
Mickel and Dawson (1920) collected a male bird at Lincoln, Nebraska,
on July 20, 1919. They found no evidence that the bird had been
detained by injuries.

Some of the casuals and late records are undoubtedly abnormal
birds. The numerous records of occasional birds somewhat outside
of the regular range appear to be individuals which have become
separated from their own flocks and attached to flocks of other species.
They are almost invariably found in company with White-crowned,
Gambel’s, White-throated, Golden-crowned, or Tree Sparrows, or with
j uncos, which are wintering in or migrating through the locality. The
gregariousness of the species is noteworthy. While consorting chiefly
with their kind, in flocks, they also associate more or less with several
other species of sparrows on their regular wintering grounds.

Habitat

The Harris’s Sparrows are closely associated with a certain type
of country, and this evidently is one of the dominant factors in their
distribution. Observers repeatedly comment that the birds are found
in brushy places, thickets, edges of groves, weed patches, etc. Ref-
erence to the map of plant distribution in the United States by Shantz
and Zon (1924) shows that their range corresponds remarkbaly to
the areas mapped as “tall grass" and “oak-hickory forest,” and es-
pecially the meeting place of these two types, where there is con-
siderable open ground and some small tree growth.

They do not range to any extent into the drier, “short grass”
country, nor into the more densely forested parts. Food supplies
would be less abundant in either of these. Their range in Texas cor-
responds in a general way to the invasion of the “tall grass” country.
In northwestern Missouri, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin
they follow a notable extension of a similar sort. The Colorado
localities are mostly grouped in an area near the upper Arkansas River

H arris’s Sparrow

157

along which another arm of this area extends from the east. In their
summer range, as already described, they are found in a region of
stunted timber interspersed with open areas.

Suggestions that the birds are extending their range in this or
that region must be considered very cautiously, as these appearances
are likely to be due to increased observation. It seems very probable,
however, that the planting of groves and hedges along their western
limits must have such an effect. Natural extensions of brush and
timber up the water courses due to control of prairie fires and prob-
ably the clearing of the land in forested areas would have a similar
effect.

In eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and northwestern Missouri
the Harris’s Sparrows frequent the same habitat and have the same
behavior as Goss (1890) has described for Kansas in the following
words: “The birds inhabit the thickets bordering streams and the

edges of low woodlands. They are usually met with in small flocks.
A favorite resort is in and about the brush heaps, where land is being
cleared. They seldom mount high in the trees, but keep near the
ground upon which they hunt and scratch among the leaves for seeds
and insect life.” Mrs. Nice (1929) reported the same habits in Okla-
homa, and noted their preference for trees covered with vines, which
is also characteristic of them elsewhere in the wintering range. She
also notes that “when alarmed they, like Tree Sparrows, fly up, instead
of diving into depths of cover like Song Sparrows or Fox Sparrows.”
Jones (1895) pointed out their fondness for hedgerows during migra-
tions. Poling (1890), Dunn (1895) and others have shown that mi-
grating stragglers in Illinois and elsewhere east of the Mississippi
frequent brush and bushy places. In southeastern South Dakota,
Agersborg (1885) found them during migrations in the brush along
the rivers and even out on the prairies in the plum and willow thickets
in the ravines. Roberts (1879) says that in Minnesota they frequent
open brushy places.

In the vicinity of the Agricultural College at Fargo, North Da-
kota, there is no natural woody growth and the trees and shrubs of
the gardens form a favorite haunt. The birds may be found on the
ground near the trees or bushes, on the ground in the road where it is
bordered by hedges and in patches of tall weeds (especially Iva xan-
thijolia and Ambrosia trifida) . When approached they fly up into
the lower branches of trees. At sundown they congregate noisily in
the spruces, hedges and thicket bushes for the night.

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THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Food

The food of the Harris's Sparrow, during the season that it is
in the United States (October to May, inclusive), has been found by
Judd (1901), through the examination of 100 stomachs taken in Sas-
katchewan, Kansas, and Texas, to consist chiefly of vegetable matter,
this constituting 92 per cent of the total food. Forty-eight per cent
of the food is weed seeds, the seeds of ragweeds and of Polygonum
(including smartweed, knotweed and black bindweed) constituting 42
per cent, and those of pigweed, lamb’s-quarters, gromwell, and sun-
flower 6 per cent. Twenty-five per cent of the food is the seeds of
wild fruits and of various miscellaneous plants; 10 per cent is grain,
chiefly waste corn, but also including wheat and oats; and 9 per cent
is grass seed, mainly that of blue-grass, bead-grass, crab-grass, foxtail-
grass, and Johnson-grass. The 8 per cent of animal matter consists of
insects, spiders, and snails, with a marked preference for leaf-hoppers
among the insects, these constituting 2 per cent of the total food.
Aughey (1878) found fourteen grasshoppers and five beetles, as well
as other insect larvae and seeds, in the stomach of one examined in
Nebraska in September, 1874. Calm (1915) found in the stomach
of one shot at Oeonomowoc, Wisconsin, May 9, 1914. only a small
amount of vegetable matter (less than 5 per cent), but numerous ants
(including eight large black carpenter ants and two small red ones),
two wireworms, a small soft-bodied larva, remains of moth wings,
one nearly entire ground spider and additional spider jaws, and one
small snail-shell. Nehrling (1896) found that captive birds ate grass-
hoppers, moths, beetles, millet, kafir, and canary seed.

Mrs. Nice (1929) reported that in Oklahoma they ate poison ivy
berries and elm blossoms, as well as weed seeds. At the feeding shelf
they were especially fond of canary and sunflower seeds, both of which
they cracked, holding the latter flat in their bills. Mary B. Salmon
(1928) reported that they ate millet, small grain and cracked corn at
feeding stations in the winter in northwestern Missouri. In trapping,
millet and chickfeed (mixture of ground grains) have been taken
freely. Several trap operators (Dales, Over. Stevens) have noted that
the birds are very fond of hemp seed. They did not take rape how-
ever (Stevens). In Nebraska they arc very fond of corn, taken from
the fallen ears, in the fall.

We know almost nothing regarding the food of the nestlings but
presumably it would be mostly inzects, the seeds and fruits of various
wild plants bein$ used later in the summer.

Harris’s Sparrow

159

Voice

On its breeding grounds the Harris’s Sparrow evidently does not
indulge in frequent or voluble song after the nerting duties are well
under way. Preble (1902) says that at Fort Churchill in latter July
he ’'heard no song, but they had a loud metallic chip which was audi-
ble and easily recognized at a distance of several rods.” Seton (1908),
after having repeatedly observed the species in the Great Slave Lake
region in latter July and August, notes that he “found the species
in full song September 3,” thus intimating that prior to that time the
birds were not singing. Coues (1874), noting the arrival of this
species in abundance on the Mouse River in north-central North
Dakota, September 18, 1873, wrote: “The birds came from the north,

just as the White-throat does, silently and unperceived. . . . They
had no song at this season, nor indeed any note excepting a weak
chirp.” He had noted them also at Fort Randall, Gregory County,
South Dakota, in October, 1872, and noted that “they uttered at in-
tervals the usual sparrow-like chirp, hut I heard no song.” Roberts
(1879) says that at Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the bird is a regu-
lar and at times a common migrant, he has “never heard any song
except on one occasion. That was in the fall when a bird in the
plumage of the year uttered a low, continuous warble as it sat on the
top of a brush pile. This was repeated many times, and reminded
one somewhat of the subdued singing of a Tree Sparrow, often heard
in the early spring.”

But when the region south of latitude 41° is reached by the
southbound Harris’s Sparrows, a region where the birds will linger
in abundance from late September to late October, and commonly even
to November or middle December, or else remain through the winter,
their whole vocal behavior changes. The autumn is ordinarily a sea-
son when bird songs are conspicuous by their absence, hut in the re-
gion mentioned the Harris’s Sparrow sings as sweetly, if not as fully
and volubly, in October as in May. It especially likes to sing in
chorus in the evening, shortly before nightfall. At this season the
song commonly consists of one or two drawling minor whistled notes
(1, 2), sometimes followed by a third note at a different pitch (3),
all relatively slow and subdued as compared to the spring song, and
very like the abbreviated songs of our other Zonotrichias at the same
season. On bright days during the entire winter its more or less
abbreviated song may be heard. As spring approaches the song be-
comes complete and more sustained. Goss (1890) wrote "they com-

160

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

mence singing early in the spring, and upon warm, sunshiny clays
their song can he heard almost continually.” Iseley (1912), regarding
southern Kansas writes: “About March 1 they begin to sing in

chorus.” Scott (1879) from Mound City, Kansas, writes of early
March: ‘‘On sunny days they were constantly singing in a strain

very like that of the White-throats but a little more prolonged and
perhaps louder.” The following notations show typical fall songs
(1, 2, 3) and spring songs (4, 5, 6) of the Harris’s Sparrow, taken
down by Mrs. Jane B. Swenk in October, 1925, and May 1929:

/ b -d- t b 3 b -(J- t j. A 4 j. j. j. i

J phot pHoe, phot, phoe, phot, (jiiee quee, quee, quee, q uee

rt,-J b J. A A t mL mL 1,-*L A A A A

°l :

/

t

y

(l

J

p hoe, phot., quee.quee phoe. , phot. , phoe , • ee, qwee, quee.quee.

The commonest note of the Harris's Sparrow is the one that has
been called an alarm note, though it seems to have a more general
use. It varies in intensity from weak to strong, according to the cir-
cumstances of its emission. It has been variously rendered as “a weak
chirp” (Coues, 1874) ; “a loud, metallic chip” (Preble, 1902) ; “try-
ing to say chink and peep at the same time” (Cooke, 1914) ; “a me-
tallic zink of rather coarse timbre” (Harris, 1920) and “a loud, stac-
cato tchip ” (Nice, 1929). To us it sounds like “spink” or “clink.”
This note is much like the parallel note given by most sparrows. It
is most commonly given when the birds are assembled in groups,
especially at night-fall, and may he given singly or repeated several
times. Then there are the very characteristic harsh notes — character-
ized as a “queer chuckle” (Cooke, 1914) ; a “grating, burring whistle
followed by a series of low, gutteral rattling notes impossible to ren-
der in words” (Harris, 1920) or “querulous exclamation or ‘scold’,
a curious, grating, chuckling series” of “absurd grumblings” (Nice,
1929). There is also “a gentle tseep, not often heard” (Nice, 1929),
and a more or less subdued, sociable “ku-ku-ku" note.

The primary song of the Harris’s Sparrow has the typical Zono-
trichia general quality, but is quite distinct in structure from that of
any of its congeners, and may have interpolated in it discordant notes

Harris’s Sparrow

161

that are absent in the songs of the White-crowned, Gambel’s, or White-
throated Sparrows. It especially lacks the definite form and even
rhythm of the White-throated Sparrow’s song. It consists of one to
five, usually two or three, whistled notes, usually minor tones of a
more or less quavering and plaintive character (5, 6) but sometimes
clear and full (4), all on the same high pitch (usually in the second
octave above middle C) — which may he syllabalized as “ phoe , phoe,
phoe' or quee, quee, quee ” or “whee, whee, whee ” — followed after a
very slight interval by one to four, commonly two or three, usually
natural notes at a different pitch, at an interval of a half-step to a
major third higher, but sometimes correspondingly lower, the last one
or two being sometimes intermediate in pitch between the two series
of notes. In the spring this song is repeated over and over, with
variations in the number and pitch of the notes, for minutes at a
time. Most singers during the winter and early spring “incongrously
intersperse” between many of the series of beautiful whistled notes
an occasional “low husky note repeated three or four times’’ and a
number of the characteristic harsh grating notes of the species, but
this tendency is diminished or lost during the late spring migration,
when the song becomes a thing of maximum sweetness and beauty,
and the singer exceedingly voluble. “When several birds are whistling
in concert, each individual may take a different pitch, or several may
be on the same pitch, hut the ensemble gives an impression of queru-
lous minors most unusual among birds and most delightful to hear”
(Harris, 1920).

Plumages and Molts

Preble (1902) reported the taking of young Harris’s Sparrows,
just from the nest, at Fort Churchill, on July 24 and 25, 1900, and
described them as follows:

“Upper parts dusky black, the feathers edged with deep huffy
and brown, the black predominating on crown, the brown on hind
neck, and the black and brown about equally divided on back; outer
wing quills edged with deep huffy, inner with brown; tail feathers
edged and tipped with whitish; sides of head and lower parts huffy;
chest and side streaked with black, which is most conspicuous on sides
of chest and forms a prominent malar stripe; upper throat grayish
white, with fine dusky markings.”

As has been mentioned, Seton (1908) and Preble found a nest
of the Harris’s Sparrow, containing three young birds nearly ready to
fly, in the Last Woods at Artillery Lake, on August 5, 1907. These

162

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

nestlings were preserved and are now in the American Museum of
Natural History. Mrs. Nice, who examined these specimens, referred
to them (letter. June, 1929) as “bobtailed and much striped.” Chap-
man (1913) says that they closely resemble the corresponding
(juvenal) plumage of the Song Sparrow, which latter is streaked
both above and below. This streaky juvenal plumage is molted, so
far as the body feathers and wing coverts are concerned, shortly after
the birds have left the nest, the quill-feathers of the wings and tail
being retained, according to Chapman, who further states that the
postjuvenal molt has been completed, and the first winter plumage
assumed, by the first week in September. Mrs. Nice (1929) reports
that of ten Harris’s Sparrows collected by Seton and Preble near
Great Slave Lake in September, 1907, and now in the American
Museum, one, taken on September 4, is a fully grown bird in the
nestling plumage, the other nine being in the first winter plumage.
The postjuvenal molt, obviously, takes place chiefly in August.

There are no important sexual differences in the plumage of the
Harris’s Sparrow, but the seasonal and age differences are consider-
able. When the species reaches the LInited States, in September, the
birds of the year are all in the first winter plumage, characterized by
the chin and throat being white, and the feathers of the crown being
black centrally and more or less broadly margined with grayish or pale
huffy, producing a conspicuous squamate or scale-like effect (Frontis-
piece, lower figure). During the following late fall and winter the pale
margins of the crown feathers gradually become worn, exposing more
and more the black feather centers and producing a gradual darkening
of the crown as a whole. A few black feathers may begin to appear
among the white ones on the chin and throat as early as October and
November. The assumption of the black hood by these birds is very
irregular, resulting in a great diversity in the appearance of individual
birds. Specimens at hand from Lincoln, Nebraska, show that the first
prenuptial molt of ihe immature birds begins about March 15 and
is well toward completion by April 23. At Warrensburg, Missouri,
Scott (1879) found these birds all molting on March 27 and they
had assumed the breeding plumage by April 27. This molt is only
a partial one, involving chiefly the feathers of the head, neck anci
breast.

Mrs. Nice (1929) has reported in detail the gradual development
of the black throat patch and crown in some banded Harris’s Spar-
rows under observation at Norman, Oklahoma, in March and April of

Harris’s Sparrow

163

1924. On January 19 three birds (65948, 65949 and 70465) were
plainly immature, with no black on the chin or throat and the chest
patch brownish. On March 19, 65949 had the chin and throat still
white, 65948 had the chin black and 70465 had the chin largely black,
two small black spots at the base of the throat, and the crown darker
than the other two. Another individual (65950) had the chin and
upper two-thirds of the throat black. By April 7, 65949 had the chin
black just below the bill and a black spot at the base of the throat.
By April 9, 65949 and 65948 had the crown nearly solid black in
front and 70465 had the chin wholly black and a black bar at the
base of the throat. By April 16, 65950 had the whole chin and throat
black, and the crown all black except for two small buffy spots above
the bill, and 65949 had black appearing on the sides of the throal
and the crown almost wholly black. By April 24, 70465 had all of
the black plumage assumed, but less on the left side than on the right,
and the cheeks were partly buffy and partly grayish. By May the
birds all had the black hoods, gray cheeks and dark brown or black
postauricular spot characteristic of the breeding plumage (Frontis-
piece, upper figure).

After the end of the first breeding season, and as a result of the
postnuptial molt, the black crown feathers become more or less tipped,
but not distinctly laterally margined, with grayish or grayish white,
especially posteriorly, the black throat often has white feathers inter-
mixed, while the cheeks are buffy and the postauricular spot brown
(Frontispiece, right median figure). This is the plumage that Ridg-
way (1901) correctly thought might be that of younger birds than
those with the wholly black crown. As the fall and winter progresses
the grayish tips of the crown feathers gradually wear off (Frontis-
piece, left median figure), so that by February, or at least by the
time of the second prenuptial molt, in March, the crown is prac-
tically entirely glossy black. The adult after the second prenuptial
molt, which is less extensive than the first prenuptial molt, and like
it chiefly involves the feathers of the head and neck, assumes a black
hood of the maximum extent, intensity and uniformity, and this is
largely maintained unchanged through the year for life, except for
the changes of the cheek color to buffy and the postauricular spot to
brown in August for the fall and winter, and the cheeks to grayish
white and the postauricular spot to deep brown or black in April
for the spring and summer.

164

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

The birds in the second winter having a less extended (second)
prenuptial molt than the first winter birds, assume their black hoods
earlier in the winter — in March rather than in April. Wilson (1896)
saw only one hooded bird in a large flock at St. Joseph, Missouri,
November 1, 1895. Cooke (1914b) has described how of two birds
seen at Caddo, Oklahoma, November 8, 1883, one had the black
hood (an old adult in third or following winter) and the other had
no black feathers (an immature bird in the first winter). By Decem-
ber 25, when they were present in the greatest numbers, about one
bird in a dozen had the black hood (old adults), while half of the
rest showed black feathers on the throat and breast (adults in tbe
second winter). By February 18 all were showing black feathers in
the crown, and by March 1 some were in the full plumage. Beckham
(1887) wrote that at San Antonio, Texas, “towards the end of Febru-
ary the specimens taken were almost in the adult spring plumage."’
Mrs. Nice (1929) has estimated that at Norman, Oklahoma, in the
fall, from one-tenth to one-twentieth of the birds have the black hoods
(third winter birds or older) ; one-third intermediate birds with some
black on the head and throat and darker crowns and chest patches
than immature birds (those in the second winter), while the rest are
of course immature, first winter birds. On March 1, 1926, she saw
a flock of sixteen in which two birds had black hoods while the other
fourteen had the crowns “in the speckle stage” of becoming black,
“each one different from everv other.”

The variations in the crown and throat markings of first and
second winter birds is very great, and they form a practically inter-
grading series. Of 412 birds banded at Fargo, North Dakota, in the
fall of 1928, 108 were classified as adults (including second winter
and older birds) and 306 as immature birds.* Of those classified as
adults, many had the crown largely black, one had the crown with
whitish corners on the feathers, five had the crown black in front
but with unusually heavy white tips on the rear crown feathers, five
had the crown heavily gray all over and six had the crown huffy. One
adult was unusually black on the upper parts and with black and
white sharply contrasted on the under parts. Nineteen “intermediate”
(= second winter) birds had only partially dark throats, and the
crown was either whitish, intermediate, or buffy. The intergradation
was so complete that the notes show that a few individuals were re-
corded differently at different times, within a period of a few days.

* Evidently in two cases there was duplication in the counting.

Harris’s Sparrow

165

Seventeen of the birds recorded as immature, because of their white
throats, had (usually heavily) whitish-tipped (not buffy-tipped)
crown feathers, much as in the second winter adults.

It might here be added that Mr. J. T. Zimmer collected an albes-
cent Harris’s Sparrow (an immature male) at Lincoln, Nebraska, on
November 4, 1911 (No. 572, collection of J. T. Zimmer).

Size

There is a small but distinct difference in the size of the sexes
of the Harris’s Sparrow, the adult males measuring consistently larger
than the adult females. Ridgway (1901) gave the following extreme
and average measurements, in millimeters, based on seven male and
seven female adults:

Table 3. The Principal Measurements of the Harris’s
Sparrow in Millimeters.

Wing: Tail: Tarsus: Culmen :

Males: 87.12-91.44 (89.15) 79.76-85.85 (83.57) 23.37-24.13 (23.02) 12.70-13.21 (12.95)

Females: 80.01-85.09 (82.80) 77.22-80.26 (78.99) 23.11-24.13 (23.62) 12.19-12.95 (12.70)

The following table gives the extremes and averages in milli-
meters of the same measurements, and also the total length, for thir-
teen adult and ten immature males and for six adult and one immature
female from Nebraska, chiefly from the vicinity of Lincoln:

Table 4. Measurements of Adult and Immature Harris’s
Sparrows in Millimeters.

Males: Length: Wing: Tail: Tarsus: Culmen:

Adult 175-196(189) 84.0-89.5(87.0) 81.5-88.0(84.3) 22.5-25.0(24.5) 11.25-13.00(12.09)

Imm. 171-193(181) 78.0-89.5(83.0) 74.0-88.5(81.1) 22.5-24.5(23.5) 11.50-12.50(11.70)

Females :

Adult 176-188(181) 78.0-86.0(82.7) 76.5-83.0(79.8) 23.0-25.0(23.8) 11.00-13.00(12.21)

Imm. 180 79.0 78.0 23.0 12.00

The above shows that the adult birds are usually larger than the
immature ones of the same sex. Adult birds are also usually heavier
and stouter than immature birds. A typical adult male was found to
weigh 36.45 grams, while a typical immature male weighed but 31.67
grams, both taken on the same day at Lincoln, Nebraska. Of thirty-
nine birds trapped at Fargo, North Dakota, thirty that were recorded
as “large” included seventeen adults and thirteen immature birds, and
nine that were listed as “small” included two adults and seven im-
mature birds.

Results from Trapping and Banding

The following table presents a brief summary of results to June,
1928, from the principal stations at which Harris’s Sparrows have
been banded. We are especially indebted to these operators for their
kindness in supplying data and detailed records upon which further
discus ion is based.

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THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Table 5. Summary of Results of Banding Harris’s Sparrows

at Seven Stations.

Operator

Locality

No. years
data

Total No.
banded

Per cent of
all sparrows

Per cent
which repeated

Misses Agness and
Susie Callaway

Fairbury, Nebr.

4

598

53

36

Mrs. Marie Dales

Sioux City, la.

4.5

104

39

11

W. B. Mallory

Lennox, S. D.

4.5

143

39?

19

Mr. and Mrs. F.
W. Commons

Minneapolis, Min.

5.5

67

1

34

0. A. Stevens

Fargo, N. D.

2

391

27

31

Mrs. A. W. Guest

Jamestown, N. D.

1.5

68

13

16

J. R. Morton

Winnipeg, Man.

3

43

12

7

Intensive trapping will make possible many statistical interpreta-
tions of the movements of this species. It would be highly desirable
that the trapping be carried on uniformly from season to season. This
has been subject to some variations on account of the brief period
covered and consequent changes in numbers and location of traps.
This has been especially true at the Fargo station. Other factors which
interfere are: Non-operation of traps due to bad weather and neces-
sary absence of the operator, variations in surrounding conditions, and
weather conditions during the principal season.

We believe that in respect to relative abundance of individuals
these factors have been taken care of to a large extent by calculating
the per cent of Harris’s Sparrows in the total number of sparrow
species banded. Fluctuations in the numbers of other species and con-
ditions attending their trapping still might affect the results materially.
That more birds are taken in the fall than in the spring is shown by
the following figures of the number banded at three stations. As
already suggested (page 150) this probably is due to the fact that
the fall movement is more deliberate.

Table 6. Number of Harris’s Sparrows Banded in the Fall
and Spring at Three Stations.

Station

Fall ’24

Spr.’25

Fall ’25

Spr.’26

Fall ’26

Spr.’27

Fall ’27

Spr.’28

Lennox

20

8

54

3

33

1

24

18

Sioux City

30

0

18

0

23

1

27

5

Minneapolis

6

5

16

0

12

5

5

0

Returns

The records of “returns” thus far are almost entirely limited to
the station at Fairbury, Nebraska. Their distribution according to
the month in which they were banded is shown in the following table:

Harris’s Sparrow

167

Table, 7. Return Records of Harris’s Sparrows

at Fairbury,

Nebraska.

Total No. banded

Return

Individual

Per cent banded

to May, 1927

records

Duplications*

birds returned

which returned

Oct.

124

1

0

1

0.8

Nov.

53

5

1

4

7.6

Dec.

20

7

1

6

30.0

Jan.

34

22

10

12

35.3

Feb.

13

10

4

6

46.1

March

100

8

0

8

8.0

April

69

6

1

5

7.2

May

37

0

0

0

0.0 ■

♦More than

one season’s

record on

an individual bird.

The

records of

returns

in the different

months

from

October to

May, inclusive, were 5, 9, 11, 5, 4, 16, 9, and 0, respectively (highest
in March). The last column shows that the wintering birds returned
to the same place to a remarkable extent. Two birds banded in 1924
and three in 1925 were taken in 1928. One of the former. No. 124778,
was recorded each year and killed by a shrike on the last date. All
of the three of the 1925 birds were recorded in 1927 as was also one
other banded in 1925. The records for the winter of 1928-29 show
1, 5, 6, 7, and 9 birds returning after one to five years respectively.

The one return from October banding, No. 356588, was banded
October 27, 1925, repeated December 15, 1925; March 2 and 15,
1926; returned November 14, 1926. The November birds which re-
turned were banded on the 1st, 4th, 9th and 13th. One of these has
a December record and another a February one, so that this group
appears to be wintering birds. The March returns were banded from
the 10th to 23rd. Two of them returned in January and February,
the others in March (4) and April (2). These may represent birds
which wintered in the vicinity or perhaps a short distance away,
moving in early in the spring and remaining for some time (though
there are no records to support this). The April returns were handed
from the 15th to 30th, returning in October, November, March, and
April. They may represent migrating birds, though one of them has
a December record also.

In the list of returns only those records have been included which
were separated by a migration season. In addition to these there are
thirty-seven which might be termed “short time returns,” where the
dates are separated by more than a month (an arbitrary limit). Three
of these. Nos. 42145, 42150 and 176051, have been included in the
published list of returns by Lincoln (1927). It is noteworthy that
thirty-one of this group were birds banded in January, February, and

168

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

March, reappearing in March, April, and May, suggesting again a
slight shift in winter and early spring quarters.

A single bird banded at Lennox, S. D., March 30, 1925, was taken
at the same place March 28, 1926. Mrs. Dales writes (letter April
24, 1929) that at Sioux City, Iowa, on April 8, 1929, she secured a
return on a bird banded October 19, 1928. We believe that the failure
to secure returns during migration with this as with other species is
largely a matter of mere dispersion. The birds banded are a very
small fraction of the total population and the chances that one of
them will reappear at the same place are very small. They might
pass within a few miles or less. The migration pauses of individuals
very likely occur at different localities in different seasons, and these
stop-overs are probably few, especially in the northern latitudes.

Leopold (1923) suggested that as the birds seemed to be becom-
ing more common in the Chicago region, that individuals might appear
from accidental causes and finding conditions favorable, return in
migration. Such an explanation seems doubtful. Migration ranges
have been established by ages of time during which these accidental
causes have been operating constantly. More or less permanent
changes are not likely to occur except through material alteration of
the biologic conditions.

It seems almost unquestionable that birds find their way back to
the same places in the same way that people find daily their own
streets and houses. The summer resident bird recognizes his own
valley, grove and tree, or town, block and tree, by memory impres-
sions received from continual association. On return from a winter’s
absence they may wander for some time before finding the place,
or they may fail to find it. During migration these associations are
too brief and the bird is not in a receptive condition. On the border
line, the edge of the winter range, intermediate conditions and short
time assocations may occur. This probably accounts in part for the
“short time returns” of the Harris’s Sparrow.

Repeats

The repeat records should show quite definitely how long indi-
vidual birds remain in a certain locality. We cannot say positively
whether a bird was present before the first record or after the last,
but a series of such records together with other observations will
yield strong evidence.

At Fargo, in the fall of 1926, the records of 16 birds averaged 8
days; in the fall of 1927, 63 birds again averaged 8 days. At Fair-

Harris’s Sparrow

169

bury, from October 1 to 29, 1925, 36 birds averaged 8.5 days. These
are the largest series available and show a remarkable agreement.
From Minneapolis, 17 birds in fall migrations averaged 7 days. At
Lennox, 22 birds in fall migrations averaged 6 days. The shorter
time for the last two localities may be due to the smaller numbers of
birds present or to less favorable conditions near the trapping station.
The latter circumstance would tend to reduce not only the number of
birds repeating but also the chances of long periods.

The data so far available are not sufficient to permit any conclu-
sion as to the most common period. In the one group of 63 birds
from Fargo, about two-thirds of them were quite evenly distributed
from 2 to 8 days. The longest period was 27 days at Fargo in each
fall and the longest considered at Fairbury was 17 days. One bird
at Minneapolis, No. 154489, had a record of 72 visits in 21 out of
25 days (September 27 to October 21, 1925). One at Fargo, No.
519682, came 99 times in 23 out of 27 days, being present nearly
every time the trap was visited. Another, No. 519684, came 42 times
in 11 out of 26 days. Whether or not such cases should be included
with the rest, remains to be decided from a larger series of records.
From the fall of 1928 at Fargo a still larger series of records is avail-
able where 214 out of 412 birds repeated. The average time registered
by these was 7.6 days. Grouping them into five day periods, 85 per
cent of the birds banded in the first period repeated and registered
an average of 10.8 days. The proportion repeating decreased to about
40 per cent at the close of the season and the days present to about 4.
Periods of 20 to 23 days were registered by 14 birds.

Repeats in the spring migration have been much fewer and of
short duration. From the Minneapolis series, 5 birds were recorded
over periods of 2 to 5 days. At Fargo in 1928, 34 birds repeated
over periods of from 1 to 5 days (average 1.5). In 1919, 45 birds
averaged 3 days. The other stations north of the winter range have
shown only an occasional spring repeat. The records from Fairbury
are more difficult to interpret on account of the fact that unless fairly
continuous records are available (which is rare), it is impossible to
tell whether the bird has remained without visiting the trap or whether
it may have moved away some distance on a more or less definite
migration. Most of the strictly fall records already have been dis-
cussed, and others as “short time returns,” using an arbitrary 30 day
limit. The rest may be tabulated as follows:

170

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Table 8. Repeats Records of Harris’s Sparrows at Fairbury,

Nebraska.

Time (first record) No. of birds

Winter — November 15 to March 10* 36

Spring — March 10 to 31 26

Spring — April 1 to 15 18

Spring — April 16 to May 10 25

Av. time (days)
13
12
12
8

* Several records fall on March 13 to 15.

These spring records are quite in contrast to those cited from
more northern points but this is not surprising when we recall that
there is no considerable migration beyond the winter range until
about May 1. The following records of birds which were recorded
frequently over a considerable period, are of interest:

No. 42150. February 14, March 3, 8, 21, April 13, 15.
March 22, April 17, 19, 24, May 8.

March 26, April 18, 23, 29, 30.

March 28, April 12, 15, 18.

April 2, 7, 11, 14, 17.

April 10, 27, 30, May 4.

April 23, May 5, 7, 9.

No. 176136.
No. 493745.
No. 137618.
No. 511181.
No. 511190.
No. 665718.

Trapping as a General Index of Migration

Methodical trapping offers a mathematical expression of the
migration apart from the study of individuals. Figure 3 shows the
period of movement at Fargo and Fairbury. The fall of 1925 is used
for the latter place because that was the only year when a large
number was banded there and the winter records are omitted also
because the numbers are small and scattered. Comparisons of the
results from the same season at different latitudes is not necessarily
more satisfactory than from different seasons, since different dates
are represented and weather conditions at the time may be different.

A further study of the fall movement at Fargo is given in Figure
4 where the number of birds banded and repeating each day in 1928
is shown. The weather was somewhat warmer than normal and there
seemed to be no very marked periods of arrival and departure. The
curve is more even than that for the same period for 1927, perhaps
due chiefly to the larger numbers represented. The 1927 records
showed a greater preponderance of repeating birds over new banded
ones at the close and a complete absence of birds on October 9, the
largest numbers being taken about September 25 to 27, October 6
and 17. The bulk of the birds seem to leave about October 10 and
this is about the date when the last are seen in southern Canada. It

Harris’s Sparrow

171

Figure 3. Graph showing the period of migration of the Harris’s
Sparrow at Fargo, North Dakota, and Fairbury, Nebraska. a=record
at Fargo in the fall of 1927; b— record at Fairbury in tbe fall of 1925;
b'=record at Fairbury in the spring of 1927; c=record at Fargo in the
spring of 1927; d— same for the spring of 1928.

Figure 4. Graph showing the number of Harris’s Sparrows banded and
repeating each day at Fargo, North Dakota, in the fall of 1928. a=num-
ber banded; b=number repeating; c=number repeating for the last
time. Dot and circle show number banded and repeating on October 13.

172

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

has been observed with other species as well as with this one that the
traps are visited most persistently, especially by the banded birds,
on the day before a departing flight. Thus the total number trapped
would not exactly represent the number of birds present, the figures
being relatively exaggerated on the eve of departure and probably
minimized on arrival because we cannot say how long it would take
the arrivals to find and enter the traps. The results should be studied
in connection with general observations on arrival and departure as
well as weather conditions.

The results at Fargo indicate that the adults move southward
more promptly than the immatures. About 90 per cent of the adults
arrived by October 5, but only 50 to 60 per cent of the immatures
(94 and 60 per cent in 1927, 88 and 48 per cent in 1928). From the
1928 data, 38 adults show an average stay of 2.4 days, 4 birds show-
ing 10 to 14 days. The rest of the records averaged 8.7 days for the
immatures. About 41 per cent of the adults repeated, compared with
57 per cent of the immatures. This difference may be due to the
shorter stay rather than greater hesitancy to enter traps.

It has occurred to one of us (Stevens) that it would be of interest
to make field counts on the number of banded birds. In the vicinity
of the traps this should give an index to the proportion banded, and
if taken at nearby places might give some suggestion on the local

range of individuals. One such attempt was made on May 16, 1928,

when 18 birds were counted, none of which were banded. Five others

of which none were banded, were in the traps so that a new group of

birds evidently was present. The fall season would be more favorable
for this study and the count would best be made a few days after the
arrival of a large group. Further attempts in the fall of 1928 were
not very successful due to shyness of the birds or lack of time on
suitable occasions. One count on September 30 within 40 rods of the
traps gave 6 banded and 7 unbanded. Casual observations also sug-
gested that perhaps as many as half of the birds about the traps were
handed.

Behavior

The handling of trapped birds and observations upon them in
the vicinity gives a good opportunity for notes on their behavior.
The Harris’s Sparrows are very pleasing birds to handle. They are
comparatively quiet in the traps and do not struggle in the hand.
Hardly ever will they offer to seize one’s hand and usually they will
lie quietly when released. Birds which have repeated frequently are
much more quiet in the traps and in some cases will cease fluttering

Harris’s Sparrow

173

in the gatheiing cage, allowing themselves to be picked up. They
are watchful for an opportunity for release, however, and usually
will not lie in the open hand. It has been noted also (Stevens) that
such birds often are very reluctant to enter the gathering cage. Usually
a handed bird can be recognized on approaching the trap by the more
quiet behavior, but in occasional individuals the indications are
reversed.

In the open, the birds seem rather domineering over smaller
species. Paucity of j uncos taken in the fall has been thought (Stevens)
to be due to their being kept away by the Harris’s Sparrow. In one
instance a Harris’s Sparrow was hesitating to enter a trap with a drop
front. A Tree Sparrow alighted at the rear, and the Harris’s Spar-
row promptly dove into the trap at the newcomer. A few observations
from a blind on the behavior of birds at the sparrow type traps sug-
gest that individual characters of trapped birds may determine the
number taken at one time. After entering and feeding for a short
time, they usually became restless, and a particularly restless bird
might prevent others from entering. Again, one bird would feed in
the funnel opening for some time, thus monoplizing the entrance. A
second bird, growing impatient, would tweak his tail only to he
chased away.

The repeats secured at Fargo in the fall of 1928 have been an-
alyzed with respect to the time elapsing between date of banding and
first repeat. This shows 31, 61, 37, 27, 15, 11, 10, 5, 4 and 4 birds
reappearing after 0 to 9 days, respectively. Nine more came after
intervals of 10 to 23 days, and this group at least may represent
birds which had been absent from the immediate vicinity in the in-
terim. There seems to be little relation between the length of this
period and the total number of repeats registered. Aside from a few
birds which form the trap habit v/e believe that captures are largely
a matter of chance, a random sampling of the birds as they move
about from hour to hour and day to day. Although they do
hesitate to enter a trap there seems to be no general fear of traps.
This is indicated by the data just cited, by the fact that they enter
freely into traps suitably located within the first hour or so after the
traps are placed, and that disturbance of traps by animals has caused
only a very temporary interruption of results.

More than one-fourth of the birds repeating in the fall of 1928
appeared at the two traps farthest apart (75 rods) and half of the
others appeared at one or the other pair of traps about half as far
apart. Only eight birds came only to one trap for four or more times

174

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Food habits have already been noted. The best location for traps
at Fargo has been close against plantings of bushes which furnish
dense cover close to the ground ( Ribes , Cornus , Spiraea, Viburnum ,
etc.). Weed patches also provide good cover. A trap on a post has
given good results when well surrounded by undergrowth, but on the
ground is probably the best. Mrs. Dales has contributed an inter-
esting suggestion. Her yard is rather open though there are a good
many trees near by. She writes that she cuts branches to stick in the
ground to offer temporary cover and this seems attractive to these
birds. Probably they are less cautious about entering traps when
good cover is close at hand.

Suggestions for Further Study

In common with other species, scarcely any returns have been
secured during migration. The winter range and main path of migra-
tion are so limited, however, that the establishment of a number of
stations along the route would have unusual advantages with this
species. Locations in the winter range have exceptional opportunities
to study plumage changes, local movements, etc. Several stations in
one locality should be able to learn much regarding the local range of
individuals.

Systematic trapping is necessary to secure quantitative data which
can be used in statistical studies. It is very desirable for the operator
to have an assistant so that work will not need to be suspended on
account of absence, illness, etc. The recording of repeating birds
from day to day is very important in determining whether they remain
in the locality. The number of visits registered each day by an indi-
vidual is of interest in the study of individual habits but perhaps of
little importance in generalizations. The operation of the same traps
from year to year would be necessary for careful comparison of dif-
ferent seasons. The surroundings, however, may be subject to uncon-
trollable changes which would affect the results.

There are some problems which seem difficult of approach. We
know that many of the birds repeat and that they seem to have little
fear of the traps. We do not know whether some of the banded birds
fail to re-enter on account of fear. Observations from a blind near
the trap and the use of special markings might help to answer this
question. It seems hardly possible to determine whether the feeding
has any effect in retaining birds in a locality longer than they would
remain otherwise. The general results would seem to indicate that
this is not a large factor, but that it may operate in the case of those
birds which form the trap habit.

Harris’s Sparrow

175

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Nat. Hist. 28:1-44.

Mills, W. R. 1928. Bird-Lore 30:59.
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Nehrling, H. 1896. Our Native Birds
2:105.

Nelson, E. W. 1876. Bull. Essex
Inst. 8.108.

Nice, M. M. and L. B. 1924. Univ. of
Okla. Bull. 20 N. S.:71.

Nice, M. M. 1929. Condor 31:57-61.
Nuttall, T. 1840. Manual Orn. U. S.

and Canada, 2nd ed.: 1:555.

Ogilby, J. D. 1882. Scientific Proc.
Royal Dublin Soc. 3:35.

Pindar,

L. O.

1924.

Wilson Bull.

36

206.

Poling,

O. S.

1890.

Auk 7:241.

Preble, E. A.
120-121.

1902.

N. A. Fauna

22

Preble,

E. A.

1908.

N. A. Fauna

27

430.

Rhoads,

S. N.

1893a.

Auk 10:16.

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Nat. Sci., Phila. :49.

Ridgway, R. 1880. Bull. Nutt. Orn.
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Ridgway, R. 1889. Nat. Hist. Surv.
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Nat. Mus. 1:331-333.

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331.

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Sanborn, C. C. 1922. Bird-Lore 24:
45-46.

Sanborn, C. C. 1923. Bird-Lore 25:
49.

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Bird Life in Kentucky

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College of Agriculture, University of Nebraska,
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North Dakota Agricultural College,

Fargo, North Dakota.

BIRD LIFE OF A TRANSIENT LAKE IN KENTUCKY

BY GORDON WILSON

Bowling Green, Kentucky, though on Barren River, has few water
and wading birds regularly. A depression in southern Warren
County, some ten miles from Bowling Green, filled with water during
the long-continued rainy season from August, 1926, to July, 1927, and
formed a lake 300 acres in extent, which lasted until the middle of
July, 1927. To this wet-weather lake came hosts of water and wading
birds, Mallards, Canvas-backs, Coots, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Solitary
Sandpipers being most numerous. During many years of bird study
in this region I have found only twenty-seven species of these families;
while during the months from February to July, 1927, I found tbirty-
two species on this lake alone. The following species were recorded
for the first time in my territory: Caspian Tern, Semipalmated Plover,

Green-winged Teal, Black Duck, Pintail, and Black Tern.

Species that remained until the lake dried up and probably or
certainly nested and not otherwise reported from this section of the
state were, Black Tern, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, King Rail, Coot.,

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THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Least Sandpiper, Lesser Yellow-legs, and, among birds that frequent
marshes, the Pipit. Many common land birds occurred in large num-
bers around the lake in the migration season and even in the summer.

Though I live within a mile of Barren River and four miles of
Drake’s Creek and spend most of my spare time on or along these
two streams, I have had few opportunities to study water and wading
birds. These streams flow through limestone and pebbly country and
have almost no muddy areas or marshes. During twelve years of bird
study here I recorded only twenty-eight species of water and wading
birds. Along the streams there are a few nesting Wood Ducks ( Aix
sponsa), a good number of Green Herons ( Butorides virescens) , a few
Spotted Sandpipers ( Actitis macularia) , and very rarely a pair of
Pied-billed Grebes ( Podilymbus podiceps) . The Killdeer ( Oxyechus
vociferus) is plentiful in summer and is to be found in small numbers
even in the hardest winters. The Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias)
was formerly a fairly common summer resident, but only on two occa-
sions have I found immature birds here in the summer. I have never
found the nest of this species and can list it as a summer resident
only because I have found young that were still too immature to
fly well.

With this as a background, it will be readily understood why the
changes in bird life due to this temporary natural lake are of interest.
Practically all my bird study for the first seven months of 1927 has
been devoted to the McElroy Farm, particularly to the large wet-
weather lake there. This farm lies on both sides of the Trinity Pike,
ten miles south of Bowling Green, and just beyond the village of
Rich Pond. All the surrounding country is underlaid with cavernous
limestone, there being no surface drainage ordinarily. When the
grandfather of Mr. C. U. McElroy, attorney of Bowling Green and
present owner, acquired this 600-acre farm in 1311, nearly all of it
was prairie, or a ‘‘barren,” as it was known locally. In the flat area
behind the barns there was then a small permanent pond of an acre
or so. Around this pond was a grove, some of which is still standing,
the roosting place for decades of Passenger Pigeons ( Ectopistes
migratorius) and the haunt of Wild Turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo
silvestris) . Where the road now runs there was a sort of pontoon
bridge, which rose and fell with the wet season.

In a field on the south side of the pike, on property belonging
to Mr. B. M. Wilson, there are numerous holes in the ground from
which water flows in wet weather but which are ordinarily dry. In

Bird Life in Kentucky

179

periods of great rain, the underground streams seem to get stopped
up. The water comes out at these holes, flows under the bridge and
into the broad, flat field behind the house and barns. A ditch, dug in
recent years, takes care of the water in ordinary rains, but long-
continued seasons of rains cause the water to spread over the field.
At the lower end of the depression are numerous sinkholes, the natural
outlets of this pond. From the source, in Mr. Wilson’s field, to the
farthest outlet sinks is a little more than a mile; the area of the
lake at its highest is approximately 300 acres. In ordinary years this
flat area is dry enough1 to be cultivated in corn and is the most fertile
field in this county. For seventy-five years it has produced a corn
crop, with no sign of diminishing fertility.

Nearly every year since the farm was settled there has been an
overflow, though usually it has come at such a time as not to interfere
with crops. The greatest previous overflow was in 1884, when it
covered the road east and north of the house. These overflows have
also come at times when most birds were gone south in the fall or
before any great migration in the spring. Besides, the water is per-
fectly clear and in ordinary years offers no food, as the corn and
other grain have been harvested. Occasionally enough water is left
in the spring to form a sort of stopping place for flocks of migrating
ducks, but they must find very “poor picking.” On two occasions I
have found thousands of ducks on the water for a short time, e. g.,
April 8, 1912, and April 11, 1922. Very soon afterwards the water
was gone, in plenty of time for1 putting in the regular corn crops.

Beginning in August, 1926, there was almost continuous rain
until the early days of July, 1927. Some of the earliest rains drowned
out some of the corn of this area. Only once did the water disappear
in the fall and that for only a few days. It was impossible for the
managers of the farm, Messrs. J. W. and Cecil Travelstead, to gather
some thousand bushels of the corn in the lowest area. There was
also a small acreage of sorghum which was lost after it had been cut
and shocked. As the rains continued, the water became deeper and
deeper, rising above the tassels of the corn in much of the area and
becoming as much as fifteen feet deep in the ravines and lowest places.

I regret to say that I did not realize the significance of the lake
this year until after Christmas, 1926. It was then I learned that
much of the corn could not be gathered. From then on until the
lake disappeared, in mid-July, I visited the place as frequently as my
work and the bad weather would allow. My early trips to the lake

180

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

were not rewarded with anything unusual, for I always came at the
wrong time to see the seventy-five Canada Geese ( Branta canadensis)
that wintered on the lake. During the day they fed in the extensive
fields of barley and wheat, returning to the lake to roost. My real
experiences began March 12, after which every trip brought surprises
at every turn of the eye.

The diagram* of the farm was made by Miss Ruth L. Cox,
director of art in the public schools of Madisonville, Kentucky, who
took an unusual interest in my studies during her teaching in the
1927 summer school of the Western Kentucky Teachers’ College,
Bowling Green.

Pied-billed Grebe. Podilymbus podiceps. The “Die-dapper,”
as it is called locally, breeds here in very small numbers and is
slightly more numerous in migrations. On the lake from early April
until the end of June there were literally dozens of grebes. At any
time in the day could he heard a few “kowing”; at sunset the sound
of these birds and others was almost deafening. On June 22 1
found five nests, with eggs as follows: 9, 6, 2, 0, and 7. The nests
had been built of cornstalks and weeds when the lake was temporarily
low in the middle of April. JJeavy rains had raised the water again
and had caused the birds to desert the nests. Every nest seemed to
have been covered with six or eight inches of water. The eggs had been
incubated only two or three days, it seemed. On July 9 I found two
more nests of this species, both of which had been robbed of their

eggs-

Herring Gull. Larus argentatus. On May 8 I saw three flying
low over the central part of the lake. In ordinary seasons I see one
or two during each migration season.

Caspian Tern. Sterna caspia. On April 30 four flew over the
lake and the adjoining fields for a whole afternoon, uttering their
harsh cries. Several times I studied them with glasses in the brilliant
sunlight only a few yards away.

Black Tern. Chlidonias nigra surinamensis. On June 19 I saw
seven at close range and six on June 22. On the latter date Professor
L. Y. Lancaster, who accompanied me, found on the bank of the
ravine an egg of this species. There was no nest near. I could not
detect any difference in the color of the birds seen, but some of them
gave the whining sound that I have noticed is characteristic of the

*The Editor is compelled to omit the diagram because of lack of space.

Bird Life in Kentucky

181

young of the Common Tern ( Sterna hirundo ) on Reelfoot Lake, in
western Tennessee. I have never recorded this species here before,
though I have often seen it, in company with the Common Tern, on
the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in this state.

Double-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus. I saw three
the whole afternoon of May 2, the first record I have for this species
here, though I have seen hundreds on Reelfoot Lake, where they are
known by the fishermen and hunters by the rather picturesque name of
‘‘Nigger Geese.”

Merganser. Mergus americanus. They were seen in large num-
bers on the lake from March 20 to May 8. I find a few in my territory
every year but never in such numbers as frequented the lake this year.

Mallard. Anas platyrhynchos. On the lake they constituted the
first great hordes, up until the end of April. On July 9 I flushed in
low grass in the area near the source of the lake a female Mallard and
ten young. The female made frantic efforts to decoy me. Two days
later some workmen on the farm flushed the same female, apparently,
and secured four of the young. Ordinarily I count myself fortunate
if I see a dozen Mallards in a single day, even in migrations. On a
single day at the lake I could have easily seen 500.

Black Duck. Anas rubripes. Plentiful at the same time that the
Mallards were so numerous, especially in March. I found more Black
Ducks on the similar lake on the Chaney Farm, about a mile and a
half away and apparently a part of the same underground river system.

Green-winged Teal. Nellion carolinense. It was seen rarely in
April. I had much better views of this species on Davis’s Marsh, a
small permanent pond of similar formation, some five miles nearer
Bowling Green.

Blue-winged Teal. Querquedula discors. Very plentiful in
March and April. On June 22 I flushed a female from a nest contain-
ing six eggs. She made no attempt to fly but could swim perfectly.
She circled around me within easy reach of her nest for the half hour
that I watched her. The female duck that I found on July 9 and that
could not fly might have been this same one. At that time the duck
concealed herself in weeds too soon for me to identify her for sure.

American Pintail. Dafila acuta tzitzihoa. Many that were sup-
posed to be of this species were seen on several occasions, but I identi-
fied them positively only on May 8.

182

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

Wood Duck. Aix sponsa. For some reason I failed to see this
species while the water was high but found a few, both males and
females, on June 22 and July 9.

Canvas-back. Marila valisineria. After the hordes of Mallards
left, the Canvas-backs took their places. Because of their brightness
of color these birds were the most conspicuous on the lake. Through-
out the month of April and the first half of May I saw thousands. The
la t two or three weeks of this time the Canvas-backs were mated. I ex-
plored the woods at the edge of the water for nests but in vain.

Ruddy Duck. Erismatura jamaicensis. I failed to identify posi-
tively this species on the lake proper but found a few on a neighboring
small pond. I have never seen this species in large flocks.

Canada Goose. Branta canadensis. The seventy-five that wintered
on the lake left early for the north, but a single one stayed oil until
the water was getting low, when it flew to a large lot adjoining the
barnyard proper and joined some others of its kind that have been in
captivity for several years. For weeks it would rise and fly daily and
attempt to induce the flock to follow. They could not fly because of
cropped wings and were soon joined again by their more fortunate
relative. Several farmers around Bowling Green have captured Can-
ada Geese and keep them by cropping their wings, but only rarely
have they been successful in getting them mated. Mr. H. C. Morris,
of near Woodburn, three miles beyond the McElroy Farm, has reared
a few Canada Geese in captivity, but none have ever been reared on
the McElroy Earm itself.

Bittern. Botaurus lentiginosus. Heard booming in the woods
beyond the lake every trip to the lake in April and May, sometimes in
large numbers. I was never able to see the birds themselves, though
I have seen them in my territory and elsewhere in the state.

Little Blue Heron. Florida caerulea. Not seen on the lake
while it was large but seen at that time on Davis’s Marsh. I saw two
Little Blue Herons on the small remnant of the lake July 9. Every
fall I find a few on the river in their fall plumage of white; on Sep-
tember 13, 1924, I saw ten at one time on Barren River.

Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias. This species probably
nests in small numbers along our rivers, for I see occasionally an im-
mature bird that is hardly old enough to fly. On the lake I saw one
occasionally in April. On June 22 T saw six adults feeding in the
shallow water between the woods and the ravine.

Bird Life in Kentucky

183

Green Heron. Butorides virescens. A fairly common summer
resident here. Very abundant on the lake after April 27. A great
many of those I saw in June and July were immature. At one time on
July 9 I counted twelve on the wing over the small remaining lake.

King Rail. Rallus elegans. It was seen during the spring migra-
tions of 1926 and 1927 on Davis’s Marsh but not found at the lake
until July 9, when I found a pair in the part of the lake on Mr. Wil-
son’s farm. A local hunter and bird student found the nest of this

species some years ago on Davis’s Marsh.

Sora. Porzana Carolina. This species has increased greatly in
my territory within the last three years. I saw from two to ten during

each trip to the lake in April but did not see any after May 2. At

sunset I often heard this little rail calling in its strange, weird way,
a sound that has always reminded me of the shriek of a frightened
woman.

Coot. Fulica americana. The Coot is ordinarily a rare bird here,
though I record a few each spring. All my records for twenty years
might be multiplied by a hundred without touching the number I
have seen this season. From April 4 until May 8 the lake was fairly
black with them, at the same time that so many Canvas-backs were
there in other areas. On June 22 I found four nests of almost fresh
eggs, all of which had been plundered by Crows. The most impressive
thing I remember about the Coots is their “taking off’’ in flight, pro-
pelling themselves with both wings and feet until above the reach of
the water. I have seen fully five hundred in flight, making a noise
like the rushing sound of a storm.

Wilson’s Snipe. Gallinago delicata. For some reason the Snipe
was never very common, though I saw as high as ten, two or three
times. I recorded the species for every trip during April but not be-
fore or after. I have several times seen more Snipe in other parts of
my territory.

Pectoral Sandpiper. Pisobia maculata. Fairly common some
years in my territory but not seen sometimes for three or four years at
a time. From April 16 to May I saw a great many of this species.
On April 30, at sunset, I saw twenty or thirty flocks of fifty to a hun-
dred each coming to the main lake from the extension on the Wilson
farm. On numerous occasions I studied this species with binoculars.

Least Sandpiper. Pisobia minutilla. Fairly common in April
and May; almost abundant on May 2. I was greatly surprised to find

184

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

two adults at the lake June 22. They seemed to be perfectly normal,
for they flew as usual, walked as usual, and uttered their pleasing
little note.

Semipalmated Sandpiper. Ereunetes pusillus. I saw this species
definitely on only one occasion, May 8. when I studied at close range
a flock of this species, the Least, the Pectoral, the Solitary, the Lesser
Yellow-legs, and the Semipalmated Plover, none of this strange flock
being over a hundred feet away and very fearless.

Greater Yellowlegs. Totanus melanoleucus. From April 4
to May 2 they were almost abundant, nearly always found in company
with the Lesser and related species.

Lesser Yellowlegs. Totanus flavipes. Very abundant, es-
pecially throughout April and May. I sawr one on June 18 and three
on June 22, all perfectly normal in appearance.

Solitary Sandpiper. Helodromas solitarius. The Solitary is al-
ways common here in the spring and in the fall, but during April and
May I saw more at the lake than I commonly see in my whole terri-
tory in five years.

Spotted Sandpiper. Actitis macularia. This species regularly
nests along our creeks and rivers. I saw it several times on the lake
but never in large numbers such as those of the Solitary and the Lesser
Yellowlegs.

Killdeer. Oxyechus vociferus. Though a very common resident
here, the Killdeer outdid itself on the lake this year. There were
times when there were so many Killdeer in the air over the adjoining
fields that their complaining notes were almost deafening. Evidently
they bred in large numbers around the lake, for the numbers were
quite as large in midsummer as during the spring migration.

Semipalmated Plover. Aegialitis semipalmata. Five or six of
these little waders were seen at very close range on April 30, an
equal number on May 2, and a host on May 8. I had a fine oppor-
tunity to compare and contrast them with the Killdeer and several
other members of the family.

Osprey. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. On April 16 I studied
this species at close range for an hour or more. On April 24 and 27
I saw two billing and expected to find a nest but was never able to
see more than one bird after that. May 2 was the last record of this
species, which has never been recorded here before by me.

Bird Life in Kentucky

185

Red-winged Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus. The woods at the
south end of the lake served as a roosting place for thousands of red-
wings during the migration season. Though this species is common
here in summer, I was unable to find any nests in this very favorable
place.

Bronzed Grackle. Quiscalus quiscula aeneus. If posible, the
Bronzed Grackles outnumbered the red-wings during the migration
season and remained plentiful on through the summer. This species
is one of our commonest summer residents.

Savannah Sparrow. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna. This
migrant, usually rare, was quite common at the edges of the lake in
late April and early May.

Henslow's Sparrow. Passerherbulus henslowi. I found a few of
these migrants around the lake, but no more than I usually find in the
spring migration.

Pipit. Anthus rubescens. This bird, quite common as a migrant,
is recorded nearly every season in several parts of my territory, but
I have always thought of it as a migrant. In June and July I found
small flocks of Pipits in the fields where the water had gone down;

I suppose that they had nested here.

Many other species of land birds were seen around the lake, but
their numbers were in every way normal. In July, even, I saw fully
a thousand Mourning Doves ( Zenaidura macroura carolinensis ) in the
sorghum fields. Barn Swallows ( Hirundo erythrogastra) nested in
great numbers in the largest barn and were always to be seen over the
lake and the fields. Down by the little bridge I could nearly always
hear the lively song of the Louisiana Water-Thrush ( Seiurus mota-
cilla) , a fairly common summer resident here. Every trip to the lake
brought a good record of species. May 8 was the best of all, for I
recorded fifty-seven species in a single afternoon.

I take this means of thanking Mr. McElroy, the owner, and the
Messrs. Travelstead, the managers, of the farm for their kindness to
me in my study. They put at my disposal their boats when the water
was high; they gave me minute directions as to how to find certain
things and places; and they told me all the general facts about the
lake before my acquaintance with it.

State Teachers College,

Bowling Green, Kentucky.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published at Sioux City, Iowa, by the Wilson Ornithological Club.

The present editorial organization is as follows: T. C. Stephens, Editor-in-

Chief, Sioux City, Iowa ; Myron H. Swenk, University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
Nebraska; Albert F. Ganier, Nashville, Tennessee; Alfred M. Bailey, Chicago
Academy of Sciences, Chicago, Illinois; R. D. Hissong, Sioux City, Iowa.

The subscription price in the United States is $1.50 a year, and 50 cents a
number; in all other countries of the International Postal Union the price is
$2.00 a year, and 60 cents a number. Subscriptions and orders for single copies
should be addressed to the Secretary, Dr. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College,
Nashville, Tennessee, U. S. A.

EDITORIAL

President Jones has just announced that the dates for the annual meeting
at Des Moines, Iowa, will be Friday and Saturday, December 27 and 28. This
will be the beginning of a week of scientific meetings in this city. About thirty
societies, representing all of the sciences, will hold sessions from the 27th to
January 2. Many public lectures will be given. Our W. O. C. meeting is a
very small affair in this big scientific gathering; but we draw our own crowd,
and our meeting is as large, or larger, than when held independently. We hope
for a full attendance of bird students from Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Ne-
braska, Kansas, and Missouri, and states still farther west. Plan to attend and
present something on the program, even if only five minutes long. Remember
that the trip back home from this meeting will cost only one-half the regular
fare if you secure the certificate from the agent at time of buying the one-way
ticket to Des Moines. Further details will be given in the Secretary's letter.

The Colored Plate of the Harris’s Sparrow in this issue is presented to
the Wilson Bulletin by the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, in part from its
treasury and in part through special contributions by its members for this pur-
pose. It may be interesting to note that this one page of color costs almost as
much as the other sixty-four pages of a regular issue. Our readers may also be
interested to know that this same plate is to be used as one of the illustrations
in the volume on the “Fringillidae of Nebraska,” which is to be issued as a
part of the “Birds of Nebraska.” The latter work is to be issued in parts, and
the first part on the Fringillidae will contain approximately 350 pages, will have
an edition of 500 copies, and is expected to be ready for publication in 1931.
The Union has accumulated money with which to finance the first part, and will
use the proceeds from its sale to finance the second part, and so on. And
finally, both organizations are deeply indebted to Mr. George Miksch Sutton, who
is rapidly taking a place in the front row of American bird artists. The Wilson
Bulletin is his admirer and debtor. Mr. Sutton is, probably, by this time settled
on South Hampton Island, at the north end of Hudson Bay, where he expects
to remain until the summer of 1930.

During the past year or so a number of members have allowed their mem-
berships to lapse, and they may have failed to receive certain numbers of the

Editorial

187

Wilson Bulletin. Where such members have re-instated themselves they may
receive any lacking numbers by making request to the Editor. The latter has no
means of knowing at the time of re-instatement how many Bulletins may have
been missed.

We would like to take a little space at this time to congratulate our col-
league, the Editor of the Oologist, on passing the twentieth year of service. We
are glad he told us about it in the August issue. Science is impersonal, but
scientists need not be wholly so. When a man remains twenty years on a’ job
for the good of the cause, he naturally would appreciate a little recognition—
and possibly, thanks. This little 24-page monthly magazine, the Oologist, has un-
doubtedly served a constituency that could not possibly have been satisfied by
any other current publication. The fact that it has survived is proof that it was
needed and appreciated. It has published to the world plenty of good orni-
thological matter, and we trust that it may long continue to do so. We con-
gratulate Editor Barnes on his loyalty and his record.

The Condor for July, 1929, contains an interesting general article by Pro-
fessor Wm. E. Ritter, of the University of California, entitled “An Untilled
Field for a Revised Kind of Research in Zoology.” Dr. Ritter’s plea, as we under-
stand it, is for more work on animal behavior, with special reference to birds.
He admits that some work along this line has been, and is being, done. He says,
“The truth is, a great deal of excellent research is being done of the general
sort I am longing to see more of. But here is the queer thing about it: What
is being done is done largely by amateurs — by persons, that is, who have little
or no standing among the scientifically elect.”

We regret that Dr. Ritter did not define more definitely the term “scien-
tifically elect.” We hope that the venerable professor has not inadvertently
fallen into the aristocratic belief that all scientific discoveries must be made by
the elect. We prefer to think of science as democratic; and that the discovery
of a new1 fact, if proved, will be willingly accepted no matter whether the dis-
coverer belongs to this or that research society. Perhaps, after all, Dr. Ritter
merely wishes to say that he would like to see a greater number of scientifically
trained men engaged in field work on the problems of animal behavior. To which
we can say, “Yes, indeed, Doctor.”

There is now under way a very powerful movement to plant Ring-necked
Pheasants, and possibly Hungarian Partridges, in suitable areas throughout the
country. This effort is being fostered by the manufacturers of arms and ammuni-
tion. They are working openly and above-hoard. They frankly wish to increase
the game in order to develop hunting for profit.

A survey has already been conducted or projected in a few mid-western
states (Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Mississippi) to determine 1) the
status of game birds, 2) the land practice affecting game environment, 3) public
sentiment and organization, 4) game administration, 5) game research. This
Game Survey program also includes some proposed study of the Bob-white prob-
lem. The important question for bird lovers to consider at the outset of this

188

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

program of game farming activity is whether it is desirable to supplant our
native birds with foreign ones.

Before any concerted effort in behalf of bird protection can he again under-
taken, new declarations and alignments will have to be made and appraised.
The last great piece of federal legislation in behalf of bird life, which was passed
by Congress early in 1929, was sponsored chiefly by Dr. Hornaday and a section
of sportsmen headed by Forest and Stream and Outdoor Life. It is our under-
standing and belief that the National Association of Audubon Societies had the
misfortune to be aligned with the opponents of this greatest piece of bird pro-
tection legislation ever enacted, with the possible exception of the Migratory Bird
Law. So we believe that a new alignment in bird protection leadership must
develop in the next few years.

During July of this year a small pamphlet entitled “A Crisis in Con-
servation” came to our desk. This pamphlet gives us a list of extinct birds
(merely as a starter), a list of those on the verge of extinction, and still others
that may yet be saved, etc. The pamphlet is a splendid one, and says many
things that need to be said. We hope that every one of our readers who is in-
terested in conservation of wild life, bird protection, etc., will secure one of
these pamphlets and read it. We believe, however, that this pamphlet is a little
too hard on the sportsman. Perhaps the sportsman is motivated in much of his
conservation work by the desire to have better hunting. While this is probably
true we should bear in mind that it was not the Audubon Societies that fought
and labored successfully for the passage in Congress of the Migratory Bird Refuge
Bill* with its appropriation of millions for bird protection. The Audubon Societies
were committed to a policy of public shooting grounds instead of inviolate sanctu-
aries. The men who fought the fight for inviolate sanctuaries for bird life would
probably be classified as sportsmen. Of course there was a division among
sportsmen — some wanted the public shooting grounds. And yet the federal
act for inviolate sanctuaries was pushed to a successful conclusion by a group of
sportsmen rather than by Audubonites, and we feel it our duty to pay our
respects to these men.

This pamphlet also takes a dig at the “prosperous ornithological clubs for
the scientific study of birds, and scientific institutions” for their indifference to
the cause of bird protection. Of course, if the word “prosperous” had been left
out we might have felt ourselves included in this arraignment. As it is we can
only wish more power to the critics. As we see it, it is the solemn duty of
zoologists and ornithologists (professionals and amateurs of course) to do the
utmost to save from extinction the materials upon which' their sciences are based.
If we are remiss in this obligation we deserve all the condemnation that will
come now and hereafter.

Reverting now to another point. We believe that prevention of extermina-
tion or close approach to extermination is the big principle in bird protection.
We do not shed tears over the death of a bird. We do not hold that every
last bird should be saved. We are perfectly well satisfied with the idea of

*Also called the “Migratory Bird Conservation Act,* or the “Norbeck-
Andresen Bird Sanctuary Bill.”

Editorial

189

conservation. We are perfectly willing that proper game birds should be hunted
for sport under proper restrictions that will insure the perpetuity or conservation
of the race. And we would much rather see sportsmen interested in the preserva-
tion of species for the sport of hunting than to have to witness the importation
of exotic birds to take the places of our native birds. These are, of course,
individual opinions. We think that every organization, scientific or otherwise,
which deals with any form of wild life, birds for instance, ought to adopt a
platform which would set forth to the world a statement of its beliefs and policies
toward, and with respect to, wild life, birds for instance. We wish the W. 0. C.
had such a platform. We would be glad to see a definite platform of the National
Association of Audubon Societies. Perhaps other ornithological societies have
such a statement of principles which we have overlooked. Agreement on a policy,
if it is a good one, will help much to make any organization a real force in wild
life conservation.

1. War is still a possibility.

2. Every nation is in danger of war.

3. The United States is in danger of war.

4. The United States should be prepared to defend herself in war.

5. Arms and ammunition are necessary in war and national defense.

6. The United States should maintain arms and ammunition resources for
national defense.

7. Since arms and ammunition are produced by private industry, these in-
dustries must be encouraged by the government and the people.

8. Such industries may be encouraged by the public use of arms and
ammunition.

9. The only legitimate public use of arms and ammunition is in hunting
and killing wild animals.

10. Therefore, it is a patriotic duty to encourage the hunting and killing of
wild animals; to oppose restrictive game laws; to encourage the impor-
tation of foreign species of game birds in substitution for the disappear-
ing native game birds, in order to provide abundance of hunting and
encourage the manufacture of ammunition, etc.

This is the gist of an informal argument we heard not long since, though
we may have stated the conclusions a little more broadly and emphatically.
Where is the fallacy in the logic? Our own belief is that we can have both
preparedness and wild life protection, and that there is no essential relation
between the two problems.

190

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

GENERAL NOTES

Conducted by M. H. Swenk

The White Pelican at Spirit Lake, Iowa. — A flock of more than 110
White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) spent several days on Little Spirit
Lake in April (1929). A large flock was reported here four years ago, also. —
F. L. R. and Mary Price Roberts, Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Some Notes from South Carolina. — I saw lour adults anti two half grown
young of the Florida Gallinule ( Gallinula chloropus cachinnans ) on Goose Creek,
near Otranto, November 24, 1928. A Duck Hawk ( Falco peregrinus anatum ) was
noted flying with a small rodent in its talons along the Cooper River, near the
city dump on the east side of Charleston, November 25, 1928. I collected an im-
mature Orange-crowned Warbler ( Vermivora ceiata celata) that was molting on
the throat, at Otranto, November 24, 1928. — William Howard Ball, Washington,
D. C.

The Lazuli Bunting in Iowa. — On May 20, 1929, on the edges of a ravine
within the limits of Sioux City, Iowa, the writer came upon a male Lazuli Bunt-
ing ( Passerina amoena) . The bird was in full breeding plumage and was feeding
among the tops of the low second growth trees. It was typical bunting territory,
as was evidenced by the presence of several Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) ,
which are summer residents in this particular spot. The bunting was carefully
studied with lOx glasses and the bright blue, rich buff, and white colorings were
seen in the best of light. The writer feels sure of his identification, having pre-
viously observed the bird and heard its fine song in the Killdeer Mountain region
of North Dakota, where it is a summer resident. — William Youngwortii, Sioux
City, Iowa.

Black Snakes as Bird Killers. — While in company with Messrs. Arthur H.
Howell and W. H. Ball, I had the unique experience of seeing a common Black
Snake in the very act of killing a young Florida Blue Jay.

Professor Howell wished to see a Bald Eagle's nest along the road, and, hav-
ing stopped the car about five minutes, I heard strange calls by some bird, as
if in distress, while the White-eyed Towhees were scolding as if excited about
something unusual. I ran over to the spot, which was not more than 100 feet
from our car, and came upon a Black Snake wound around the body and neck
of a fledgling Florida Blue Jay, which was crying loudly. The snake did not
appear to mind me in the least, but was striking viciously, with rapid strokes,
raining blows on the head, wings and body of the fledgling.

Wishing the others to witness this atrocity, I called for them to hurry over.
They were just in time to see what was taking place, when the reptile sensed
danger of interference and glided quickly out of sight. Picking up the bird, we
found its head bloody and also a wound upon its wing, and the head was soaked
with the saliva, appearing as if the reptile had actually attempted to swallow its
prey alive. The bird did not seem to be exhausted, and was very much alive,
thanks to our opportune arrival.

The parents did not appear, nor were they heard. Possibly they were off
feeding. Perhaps our car frightened them, as these jays in the woods are quite
shy, far different from the city birds. — Donald J. Nicholson, Orlando, Fla.

Nesting of the Purple Finch in Arkansas. -The various papers in the
June, 1929, issue of the Wilson Bulletin, on the erratic nesting habits of the Pine

General Notes

191

Siskin ( Spinus pinus), prompt me to report a strange case of the nesting of the
Purple Finch ( Carpodacus purpureus purpureus) , here during the summer of
1920.

On June 25, 1920, two boys came ta me, telling of the nesting of some “red
sparrows” in the Red Cedar trees ( Juniperus virginiana ) in their front yard.
I, of course, went with them, and found their report to he true, there being
four nests of the Purple Finch in the trees, three in one and the fourth in an-
other near by, all four nests containing four eggs each, and all being placed from
ten to sixteen feet high, some eighteen to thirty inches from the tree trunk, on the
smaller limbs. They successfully raised the first brood, in spite of the many
visitors coming to see these strange “sparrows,” which may be the reason they
vanished as soon as the young birds were old enough to fly well.

The nests, which are before me at this time, are very similar to those of the
Chipping Sparrow ( Spizella passerina passeriria) , only more frail than the usual
Chippy’s nest.

Locally the Red Cedars, as well as all other evergreens, are not native, and
these birds are only rarely seen here, although during the past winter, and occa-
sionally on other winter days, they appeared here in great numbers. As far as 1
can learn this is the only record of the bird nesting this far south, and it is the
only time that they have remained here during the breeding season. The latest
date at which they have ever been recorded here, with the exception of the 1920
season, was this year, when a large number of these birds were observed feeding
on buds of various trees on the 14th of April. — J. D. Black, Winslow, Ark.

The Holboell’s Grebe in Iowa in June. — As there apparently is only one
very late spring record of the occurrence of the Holboell's Grebe (Colymbus
holboelli ) in Iowa (Fenton, Wilson Bulletin, XXVIII, 1916, p. 131), and that
one, May 26, 1916, evidently doubted by Ira N. Gabrielson (Wilson Bulletin,
XXIX, 1917, p. 97), I would like to record two recent observations of this species
in central Iowa in June.

On June 6, 1928, Messrs. Arthur T. Watson and Kenneth Nelson of Des
Moines, and the writer saw a pair of “large Grebes” at Long Pond, seven miles
west of Perry, Dallas County. As the three of us are all familiar with this
species in life, having seen it many times on the Atlantic Coast in winter, we
recognized these birds immediately as Holboell’s Grebes. After circling the pond
to gain better light, we discovered that the first pair had joined with four others,
and the six birds continued to swim and dive repeatedly within range of our
glasses.

We were at a loss for an explanation of this late migration of a species
classed by R. M. Anderson (Birds of Iowa, 1907) as “very rare in Iowa.” One
year later to the day, on June 6, 1929, the same observers found a single fully
plumaged male of this species on Brenton’s Slough, four miles west of Camp
Dodge, Polk County. Do not these observations establish the Holboell's Grebe
as a casual late spring migrant through Iowa?

Details of the field characteristics of the bird at this time of year may be of
interest. The rufous throat patch is quite conspicuous and contrasts sharply with
the white of the belly, especially when seen in flight. While the bird is at rest on
the water, the long neck, the long pointed bill which is of a lighter shade than
that of a loon, and the white of the upper throat and cheeks sharply cut by the
black crown, can be seen plainly. The white on the secondaries is noticeable

192

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

only when the bird is flying and it is less extensive than in the female Red-
breasted Merganser, a species with which it might be confused. As Ludlow
Griscom (Birds of the New York City Region, 1923, p. 56) points out, this grebe
holds the head and neck bent downward slightly in flight. — Philip A. Dumont,
Wilton, Conn.

A Query About a Nest Habit of the Pine Siskin. — A point of special in-
terest arises in view of the observations recorded by Mrs. Dales and Mr. Bennett
in the June, 1929, number of the Wilson Bulletin.

In our yards here in California, if they are at all rustic, we have two frin-
gillids which nest commonly. They are the House Finch ( Carpodacus mexicanus
subsp.) and Arkansas Goldfinch ( Astragalinus psallria subsp.). Superficially,
these birds have little morphological resemblance.

In certain of their habits, however, they tie-in very closely. In both, with the
approach of the breeding season and during incubation, the male feeds the female
by regurgitation. The parents of both species feed their young by regurgitation.
The young of both appear to be raised entirely on seed food, mostly seeds “in the
milk." The nest of each species is apparently (I have not caught the parents in
the act) kept clean by the parents during the first days after the young emerge
from the eggs. By the time the young are half grown, such effort is abandoned,
and the rims of the nests become filthy with fecal matter. The feces of the
young of both at this stage are without membranous sacs and are, for this reason,
less readily eaten or carried off.

In the article above referred to on the nesting of the Pine Siskin, the program
was complicated by the introduction of the young of a species whose hereditary
habits and functional processes probably vary widely from those of the Pine
Siskin. The Cowbird is one of a group some, at least, of whose juvenals pass
feces in sacs during the nest period and of whose parents maintain clean nests.

The habits of the Pine Siskins are essentially the habits of goldfinches. In
other words, as the young Pine Siskins developed, the parents might be expected
to cease nest sanitation, with the result that feces deposited on the rim by the
young would remain there. The article in question states that the “excreta” were
carried away on about the fourth day after hatching, which might still be within
the period when these dainty fringillids keep their nests clean.

It would be of added interest, it seems to me, to have on record the behavior
of Pine Siskins and other fringillids, the feces of whose young are without sacs
in the late portion of the nest period, when these species are compelled to adopt
a youngster whose phylogenetic ancestors presumably carried away sacked feces
throughout the nest period.

Such sacked feces as I have seen have come from nestlings whose diet ap-
peared to he entirely insectivorous. Would the juvenal whose phylogenetic groove
called for insect food and feces in sacs, when forced to accept a granivorous diet,
fail to provide the membranous sac for its waste products, or, passing sacked
feces, would its foster parents become model housekeepers? Truly, the nestling
Cowbirds will bear watching. — J. Eugene Law, Altadena, Cal.

The Status of Certain East Coast Red-wing Blackbirds.— The Auk,
XLV, p. 155, April, 1928, carries the results of “A Study of the Red-winged
Blackbirds of the Southeastern United States,” by Howell and Van Rossem. Part
of the conclusions as there set forth I beg to differ with.

General Notes

193

The writer has also done a little work on these birds during his eight years
of residence in the state, especially in Dade and Monroe Counties, these being
the southmost part of the state; and much of it has been done since his “Birds
of Florida” came out, late in 1925, which will cause the areas as set lorth
therein to be slightly changed.

My views coincide with Mearns, that “ floridanus ” (or “ rnearnsi ”) is now
found on the east coast as far south as Brevard County (formerly given as New
Smyrna), and through the central part as far south as a lower Okeechobee-Fort
Lauderdale line. That “ phoeniceus ” breeds as far south as a Jacksonville-Gaines-
ville line, I agree with. I do not at the present time feel disposed to comment
on the west coast Red-wing ( littoralis ) as suggested by Howell and Van Rossem,
owing to a lack of material.

However, their placing of (Maynard’s) floridanus (p. 160) on the lower
keys and peninsula as far north as Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, is a gross
error, in my opinion; for “ bryant t” is found in most of that section, overlapping
with floridanus (or “rnearnsi”) . This is clearly shown by birds personally taken
in the Bahamas and compared with a series from the lower coastal areas of Dade
and Monroe Counties. These writers refrain from giving table measurements
or other comparisons taken from Bahaman specimens of bryanti, and typical
Dade and Monroe birds, which are identical.

It is not surprising, that “a female taken at Everglade March 12” (p. 161),
should have been typical “ floridanus for it was not a breeding bird, and also
was not far south of its regular breeding area.

When working along lines drawn so closely, or hair splitting, as these writers
have done, only fresh skins or skins of a few years of age should be used, and
not such as referred to as Museum of Comparative Zoology skins taken in 1870

(p. 161).

“ Bryanti ” would, therefore, be the breeding bird from about the Okeechobee-
Lauderdale line south; and around the Gulf certainly to Everglade. — Harold H.
Bailey, Miami, Fla.

The Fecundity of the English Sparrow in Utah. — On the afternoon of
January 1, 1929, a student called the writer on the telephone to say that he had
discovered a nest of English Sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) which were just
hatching. An examination revealed five naked little birds. The nest was a bulky
affair of feathers, rags, straw, etc., made inside a tightly constructed bird box,
placed about twenty-five feet from the ground in a crotch of a Carolina poplar
tree.

The day the eggs hatched the temperature was near the zero point and the
ground was well covered with snow. A minimum temperature of fourteen degrees
below zero was reached during January. The parent birds seemed to sense the
seriousness of the cold, and as a result during the first eighteen days one or both
parents were almost constantly on the nest. During the night both parents re-
mained within the bird house. Contrary to the usual custom of these birds, the
young were practically grown when they left the nest and began to fly. One of
these juveniles, collected late in February, disclosed a body that was fat and in
perfect physical condition.

Early in March parent birds were observed carrying more feathers and straw
into the nest and by the last of the month they were incubating a second set
of eggs. Inasmuch as the original tenants were not banded, one cannot be

194

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

absolutely sure that the second set of eggs was placed there by them. However,
this is thought to have been the case.

During the second incubation period the weather conditions in this vicinity
(Provo, Utah) seemed almost like winter. The temperature dropped far below
the freezing point and the snowfall was heavy. The lateness of this spring makes
these records all the more interesting and exceptional. Two other pairs ol nest-
ing sparrows were observed in March. When one considers that in this locality
juveniles are observed as late as October, it shows that the fecundity of this
importation is most amazing.

From W. B. Barrows’ bulletin “The English Sparrow in North America,” we
learn that eight pairs were first introduced to the Brooklyn Institute from England.
These did not thrive, and in 1852 two hundred dollars were raised to re-introduce
the species. After this, numerous other importations were made into the eastern
United States and Canada. In 1867, a colony was established at Galveston, Texas.
In 1869, the city government of Philadelphia made the largest single importation,
when it secured one thousand birds for the city. That same year twenty pairs
were released at Cleveland, Ohio. During the next few years additional European
specimens were liberated at San Francisco, Halifax, and at various places in
Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Barrows shows that in 1873 or 1874, a colony of thirty was imported from
England and liberated at Salt Lake City, Utah. Three years earlier than this,
however, Dr. J. A. Allen1, who made collections in the Salt Lake Valley from
September 1 to October 8, 1871, records that the English Sparrow had recently
been introduced and was apparently flourishing at Ogden. By 1886 this species
was fairly common through most of central and northern Utah. Today it is found
in every town and hamlet in the state. While it is normally a bird of the cities,
it has become so numerous that it is often found far removed from human habita-
tions. The writer has found it in the heart of the thirsty, sun-baked Escalante
Desert, twenty miles from the nearest farm house. It is fairly common throughout
the sparsely settled Monument Valley area of southeastern Utah, where no human
dwellings except a few Navajo “hogans” are to be found.

The bird is a pest chiefly because it is too prolific. Its gregarious nature,
along with its ability to adapt to almost any type of environment, makes it a

competitor and enemy to most of the other birds of a community. As a result

it is driving away many of our best birds. It is a nuisance and an enemy to most
agriculture. However, it has rendered valuable service in Utah in helping to hold
the alfalfa weevil in check.— Clarence Cottam, Provo, Utah.

Nesting of the Sparrow Hawk. — In April, 1925, a pair of Sparrow Hawks
( Cerchneis sparveria sparveria) were noticed trying to enter traps containing
birds captured for banding. The clamor of Blue Jays indicated the nest of the
hawks to be in a pin-oak tree, twenty inches in diameter, located about 300 feet
east of the banding station and about 100 feet from the south shore of Lake
Erie. On examining this tree the nest was found twenty feet up behind a strip

of tin that had evidently been put in place several years before to prevent further

decay of the trunk. The entrance was at an opening, about ten feet above the

^ee “Notes of an Ornithological Reconnaissance of Portion of Kansas, Colo-
rado, Wyoming, and Utah” — Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vol. 3, No. 6, pages 165 to 173.

General Notes

195

nest. As il was possible to move the tin to one side and replace it without
disturbing the nest, daily observations were made until the young hawks left
their home.

On April 26. when the nest was found, it contained four typical eggs, rufous
and blotched, agreeing well in color with the nest materials of reddish brown
oak leaves and bark. One egg was added the next day, making a total of five.
Hatching of the five eggs occurred on May 25, indicating an incubation period
of twenty-eight to twenty-nine days. Two of the nestlings were missing on
June third. The three remaining left the nest on June 25, bearing bands
293691-2-3. They were fed by the old birds for a week after having left the nest,
staying on one branch of a nearby dead tree while one of their parents, usually

the male, perched above them
to ward off repeated and de-
termined attacks of a pair of
Kingbirds that were nesting in
a small tree adjoining. When
forced to obtain their own food
the young hawks were ob-
served hunting mayflies, follow-
ing Robins that had learned
that these insects could be
found by jarring small branches
and twigs.

In the nest were found re-
mains of English Sparrows,
Blue Jays, Flickers, and other
birds. The tree had apparently
been used for many years by
hawks, Screech Owls, and Fox
Squirrels, as evidences of these
were included in a mass of ac-
cumulated rubbish several feet
in depth under the hawk’s
nest. It became necessary to
prevent the interference of the
hawks with banding operations,
so they have not again used this
nesting site; but a pair, perhaps the same, have nested a half mile east of this
location during the last three years.

Attempts were made to trap these Sparrow Hawks for banding, using decoy
English Sparrows attached to the support of a drop trap, but were unsuccessful,
the sparrows “freezing” on the approach of the hawks. On one occasion a
hawk and a house cat were observed on each side of the trap, each apparently
aware of the other, but both were intent only for a possible movement of the
sparrows. Their instinct for pursuing and capturing moving prey only doubtless
insures the practical result of fresh food for the young.

The nest has been made secure against the winter gales and is now (January,
1929) occupied as a winter home by a fox sfuirrel, which has made a nest,
about a foot in diameter, of oak leaves and twigs. There are comparatively few

196

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

records of a complete nesting of the Sparrow Hawk, as most of the previous
interest has been in collecting the eggs rather than in observing the life history.

The incubation period noted above together with that noted by Warren
('‘Birds of Pennsylvania,” 1890, p. 141 — 21-24 days), by Althea R. Sherman
(Auk, xxx, 1913, p. 406 — 29-30 days), and by Forbush (“Birds of Massachusetts,”
1927, p. 178 — 21 days or 29-30 days), indicates variation which may be due to
repeated or protracted absence
from the nest of the parent
birds. For instance, in the
nesting described above the
birds left the nest when a lad-
der was placed against the tree,
and would not return for fif-
teen minutes or more after the
intruder had gone.

That delay in development
from partial chilling of the
eggs may be possible, is indi-
cated by the observations of
Alfred R. Lee on the eggs of
the domestic fowl (see Farm-
ers’ Bulletin, No. 1363, p. 4).

Kendeigh and Baldwin (Arner.

Nat., lxii, 1928, p. 276) state
that a young House Wren just
out of the shell, and abandoned
by its parents, survived three
days. This may indicate that
an egg about to hatch could
endure a lengthening of the in-
cubation period due to en-
forced absence of the parent.

Just what effect prolonged cooling might have on development seems to be un-
known, and an interesting problem for experimental study is here suggested. With
the facts on the temperatures of birds now being collected by Mr. Baldwin, it
should be possible to set up an artificial incubator for the eggs of wild birds,
and to ascertain the effects of varying temperatures.— E. C. Hoffman, Lakewood,
Ohio.

Ten Minutes with a Kingbird. — The rapidity with which birds of the fly-
catcher family catch and devour winged insects is remarkable. On July 16, 1926,
the writer had the opportunity to observe an adult Kingbird ( Tyrannus tyrannus)
following his trade. The bird’s perch was a cross beam on a telephone pole near
the house. Both long and short sallies were made from here, with the bird
always returning to eat the prey and often to wipe the sides of its beak on the
edges of the beam. The smaller insects were eaten in a hurry but some of the
larger ones required more exertion. This observation started at 6:30 p. m. and
ended at 6:40 p. m., and in that time the bird made eighty-two successful catches,
with returns each lime. — William Youngworth, Sioux City, Iowa.

Bird Photography

197

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

Conducted by Alfred M. Bailey

“ Sac-a-plornb ” (sack ol lead) is the name the natives of the marsh country
of the Louisiana gulf coast give the Pied-billed Grebe. And he is well named.
Who has not seen a “hell diver” swimming quietly along, his body as buoyant
as a cork? Suddenly, as though pulled from below, the grebe sinks from sight,
and fortunate indeed is the observer who again sees that particular grebe — if
the diver desires to remain hidden.

I had long desired to photograph a grebe on its nest, and this spring I had a
good opportunity for there were many pairs nesting on a little reed grown lake a
few miles from my home at La Grange, Illinois. The lake is in a thickly settled
community and is bordered by the Lincoln Highway, so there is a continuous
procession of cars whirring by — and yet, so secretive are the marsh birds that I
found several species nesting within from fifty to one hundred yards of the road.
Among these birds might be listed the American and Least Bitterns, King, Sora,
and Virginia Rails, Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes.

I worked this pond last year — it is scarcely three hundred yards in length
by one hundred fifty, wide — but had never seen a grebe. I found several old nest-
ing platforms which I felt sure must have been the homes of grebes, so this year
I was early afield. The fore part of May I found eight nests with from six to
nine eggs, in a short time and did not half cover the field. At this time, the
vegetation was scant with the tides and cat-tails scarcely a foot in height, and as
there was a great deal of open water, the nests were easily found. But the
grebes were so shy that I failed to see a single bird on this trip, and my subse-
quent ones, except from blinds which I had erected near nests.

I chose a nest in shallow water which was surrounded by a low growth of
cat-tails. The grebe had covered her eggs with moss and dead vegetation, as is
characteristic of these divers. I watched carefully for an hour without seeing a
grebe, and had about given up hope when a rasping, throaty call was given from
a nearby stand of cat-tails. A few moments later, there was a slight ripple be-
hind the nest, and I saw, in line with tides, the head and neck of the grebe.
She appeared without a sound from beneath the surface, and remained absolutely
motionless behind the vegetation for minutes, and then, convinced that all was
well, she slid out of her place of concealment, and slowly swam toward the
nest. She paused for a moment, her colors blending with the drab surroundings,
and then, with little commotion, climbed upon the moundlike nest and started
to remove the moss which concealed the eggs. She worked around the nest,
keeping her beak in the center and her tail to the outside; a second time she
circled before the eggs were cleared to her satisfaction. Then she settled upon
them and eyed the blind continuously.

On subsequent trips, I added to my film until a good series was secured.
On one occasion the bird showed reluctance in returning to her nest, and the
whirring of the motion camera seemed to disturb her more than usual. The eggs
were not well concealed, and the grebe would climb out on the nest, rearrange
the moss with a few deft dabs of her beak, and quickly dive from sight. Finally,
however, she climbed out — within six feet of the camera, removed the vegetation
from the eggs, sat upon them, and then, when I scuffed the water, she very
obligingly re-covered her eggs, and disappeared over the side of the nest. — A. M. B.

198

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

The Pied-billed Grebe approaching her nest, and —

Settled.

Proceedings

199

PROCEEDINGS

The Joint Meeting of the N. O. U. and I. O. U. at Sioux City

One of the most important ornithological meetings ever held in the Middle
West occurred on May 10 and 11. 1929, when the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union
and the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union met in joint session at Sioux City, Iowa. A
total of ninety-two ornithologists were present at these meetings, of which forty
six were from Iowa, thirty-four from Nebraska, eleven from South Dakota and one
from Minnesota. All day Friday, May 10, was devoted to the program, and Satur
day to the field trips in connection with the joint meeting.

Following registration of the members of the two organizations and theii
guests in the lobby of the West Hotel, the morning session was called at about
9:30 o’clock with President A. J. Palas of the I. O. U., in the chair. During the
afternoon session President Mrs. A. H. Jones of the N. 0. U., presided The
program consisted of the following papers:

“Reviews of Authorities on the Origin of Bird Migration,” by Mr. A. J.
Palas, Des Moines, Iowa.

“Mishaps in Birdland,” by Mr. Fred J. Pierce, Winthrop, Iowa.

“Winter Boarders,” by Prof. W. H. Over, Curator of the Museum, University
of South Dakota, Vermillion.

“Ecology of Birds and Insects,” by Mr. C. N. Ainslie, Sioux City, Iowa.

“Some Water Birds and Their Homes,” illustrated with lantern slides, by
W. F. Kubichek, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“Birds of a Neglected Area,” by Mrs. Mary Price Roberts, Spirit Take, Iowa.

“Who-Who-Whoo-Whooa,” illustrated with lantern slides, by Mr. W. M.
Rosen, Ogden, Iowa.

“Studies of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Cardinal,” illustrated with
lantern slides, by Mrs. Addison E. Sheldon, Uincoln, Nebraska.

“The Colony of Great Blue Herons Opposite Fontenelle Forest,” illustrated
with lantern slides from photographs taken by Mr. W. W. Scott of Omaha, and
explained by Mrs. Florence A. Steunenberg of Omaha.

“Behavior Factors in the Nest Building of Birds,” illustrated with specimens,
by Dr. R. H. Wolcott, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

“The Present Status of the Fringillidae Volume of the Birds of Nebraska,”
by Prof. M. H. Swenk, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

“Glimpses of Bird Life,” illustrated with lantern slides and motion pictures,
by Mr. Walter W. Bennett, Sioux City, Iowa.

From Iowa there were present: Mrs. Della C. Cutter, Castana; Mr. and

Mrs. W. A. Kinnaird, Valley Junction; W. F. Kubichek, Cedar Rapids; Mr. J. P.
McGraw and Mr. W. R. Mills, Pierson; Mr. H. R. Moen, Onawa; Dr. F. L. R.
and Mrs. Mary Price Roberts, Spirit Lake; Mr. and Mrs W. M. Rosen, Ogden:
Mr. B. 0. Wolden, Estherville; Miss Kate E. LaMar, and Mr. and Mrs. A. J.
Palas, Des Moines; and a large number from Sioux City.

From Nebraska there were present: Mr. and Mrs. Adison Adams, Mrs. A. H.

Jones, and Miss Caryl Sylla, Hastings; Mr. Wilson Tout, North Platte; Mrs. Lilly
R. Button, Fremont; Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Hart, Prosser; Mrs. H. C. Johnston,
Superior; Mrs. L. H. McKellip, Seward; Miss Mary St. Martin, Wahoo; Dr.
J. B. Bostick, Mr. L. C. Denise, Mr. and Mrs. L O Horsky, Mr and Mrs. R.
Overing, Miss Elizabeth Rooney, Mr. W. W. Scott, Mrs. Florence A. Steunen-
berg, all of Omaha; Mr. and Mrs. O. D. Corey, Mr. and Mrs. M. 0. Dewey, Mrs.
Addison E. Sheldon, Mrs. G. E. Smith, Prof, and Mrs. Myron H. Swenk, Miss
Olive Wallace, and Dr. Robert H. Wolcott, all of Lincoln; Mrs. C. E. Murphy,
Mrs. W. V. Steuterville, Robert Murphy, Bertha D. Macomber, and Addie Milne,
of South Sioux City.

200

THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1929

From South Dakota there were present: Mrs. H. C. Abbott, Mr. Walter

Thietje, Miss Lillian Kearns, Prof, and Mrs. W. H. Over, Vermillion; Prof.
A. P. Larrabee, Yankton; Prof. Alexander P. Arlton, Prof, and Mrs. R. E. Dun-
bar, Mr. Bernie Glaus, Mr. Wilbur T. Reirson, all of Mitchell. Mr. William
Kilgore, of Minneapolis, represented the state of Minnesota.

The two societies held their respective business meetings independently from 4
to 5 p. M., and at 6:30 P. M. held a joint banquet at the Elks Club Building. Mem-
bers of the two societies and their guests to the number of about eighty attended
the banquet, after which a public program was held in the Lodge Room of the same
building. Mrs. Florence A. Steunenberg, of Omaha, first entertained the audience
with whistled solos, after which she gave imitations of the songs of a number of
Nebraska birds. This was followed by a lecture on “Minnesota Wild Life,”
by Mr. William Kilgore, Curator of the Museum of Natural History of the Uni-
versity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, which was illustrated by several reels of moving
pictures.

Saturday, May 11, was cloudy, raining early in the morning, hut not after
the time of the start on the field trips, which was at 6 a. m. The members divided
into three groups. One group, under the leadership of T. C. Stephens, visited
Crystal Lake, southwest of South Sioux City, in Nebraska ; a second group, under
the leadership of Mrs. Mary L. Bailey, worked in the McCook region of South
Dakota, and a third group, under the leadership of Mr. Walter W. Bennett,
worked in the Brown’s Lake region of Iowa. All three groups returned to the
Sioux City Country Club at noon for a one o’clock luncheon, as guests of the
Sioux City Bird Club, after which the composite list of the morning was compiled.
The Nebraska party listed eighty species, and the South Dakota and Iowa parties
noted respectively seventeen and twelve species that were not seen by the Nebraska
party, making a total composite list of all of the field parties of 109 birds. About
fifty persons were in the three field parties.

The N. 0. U. and I. O. U. voted to again meet in joint session in May, 1930,
at Omaha, the N. O. U. acting as host in conjunction with the Omaha Nature
Study Club.

TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Our members are urged to submit articles for publication in the Bulletih
Short items are desired for the department of General Notes, as well as longer
contributions, especially pertaining to life-history, migration, ecology, behavior,
song, economic ornithology, field equipment and methods, etc. Local faunal lists
are also desired, but they should be annotated, at least briefly, and should be
based upon sufficient study to be reasonably complete. Authors are asked to
include the common name, the scientific name (from the A. 0. U. check-list), and
annotations, and they should be arranged in this order. The annotations should
include explicit data concerning unusual species. Omit serial numbering.

The Manuscript. The manuscript, or copy, should be prepared with due
regard for literary style, correct spelling and punctuation. Use sheets of paper of
good quality and of letter size (8*4x11 inches) ; write on one side only, and leave
wide margins; if at all possible manuscript should be prepared with a type-
writer, using double spacing and a reasonably fresh, black ribbon.

The title should be carefully constructed so as to indicate most clearly the
nature of the subject matter of the contribution. Where the paper deals with a
single species it is desirable to include in the title both the common and the
scientific names, or, to include the scientific name in the introductory paragraph.
Contributors are requested to mark at the top of the first page of the manu-
script the number of words contained. This will save the editor’s time and will
be appreciated.

Manuscripts intended for publication in any particular issue should be in the
hands of the editor sixty to ninety days prior to the date of publication.

Illustrations. To reproduce well prints should have good contrast with
detail. In sending prints the author should attach to each one an adequate
description or legend.

Bibliography. The scientific value of some contributions is enhanced by
an accompanying list of works cited. Such citations should be complete, giving
author’s name, full title of the paper, both the year and volume of the periodical,
and pages, first and last.

Proof. Galley proof will be regularly submitted to authors. Page proofs
will be submitted only on request. Proof of notes and short articles will not be
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pensive changes in copy after the type has been set must be charged to tha
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Separates. The Club is unable, under present financial conditions, to fur-
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rflninnnnimiiiniiiiiHniimiiiniunniiiiiiniimiiniinniuiiiniiniinimnniHiniimiiiiiiiiiiminiimiinnimmnmlSl

A Plea

Sometimes prosperity hurts us. The Editor of the Wil-
son Bulletin is pleased to report that we are now receiv-
ing more manuscripts than we can publish promptly. This
state of affairs has existed for some time, but we have not
mentioned it publicly lest we might thereby lose some good
material. However, the situation can no longer be ignored.
Our authors have been very patient and considerate. But
when it comes to waiting two or three years for publication
we can not expect authors to submit. The question is now
before us whether we shall henceforth decline articles which
can not be given prompt publication, or accept them and
hold them indefinitely until the authors complain, or en-
large the Bulletin to better take care of the material
offered.

It is expected, of course, that the latter plan will be pre-
ferred. How, then, can it be accomplished? We can not
expect to continue to run along on small donations, much
as they are appreciated. We will not expand and incur a
deficit. The dues can not be increased. In the absence of
an endowment fund we will have to rely upon an increased
income from an increased membership. At the present
time our total membership is a little below par in numbers,
because of a rather large loss in delinquent members. If
we could make up this loss and still add 100 new members,
we would be able to add eight pages regularly. If we could
secure 200 new members, we could add sixteen pages. The
Editor believes that he can fill this additional space with
good ornithological matter. Does the problem interest
you? How many will try to secure the new members? If
you will even secure one new member, and a few others
do the same, we can succeed. Are we stationary or mov-
ing?— The Editor.

iiiiiMmiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiimiiimiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiii [7]

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Vol. XLI DECEMBER, 1929 No. 4

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THE !

V1LS0N BULLETIN i

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A Magazine of Field Ornithology

Published by the .

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

at

SIOUX CITY, IOWA

1

1

Entered as Second-class Mail Matter, July 13, 1916, at the Postoffice at
Sioux City, Iowa, under Act of March 3, 1879.

CONTENTS

Frontispiece By Dr. Frank N. Wilson

In Search of the Loon ( Gavia Immer) with Movie
Camera By Owen J. Gromme

On a Collection of Gyrfalcons from Greenland

By Dr. Walter Koelz
Dr. Elliot Coues — A Sketch By Mrs. H. J. Taylor

The Florida Cormorant as Observed in Pinellas County,
Florida By William G. Fargo

Spring Bird Notes from Randolph County, Georgia

By Francis Harper

Editorial
General Notes
Necrology

Ornithological Literature
Index

203-207

207-218

219-228

228-235

235-240

241-243

244-252

253-259

260-264

265-272

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published quarterly, in March, June, September, and December, as the official
organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club, at Sioux City, Iowa.

The current issue of the Wilson Bulletin is printed by the Verstegen Print-
ing Company, Sioux City, Iowa.

The Wilson Bulletin is sent to all members not in arrears for dues. The
subscription price is $1.50 a year, invariably in advance, in the United States.
Outside of the United States the subscription rate is $2.00. European Agents,
Dulau and Company, Ltd., 34-36 Margaret St., Oxford Circus, London, W. 1.,
England.

All articles and communications for publication, books and publications for
notice, and exchanges, should be addressed to the Editor.

New subscriptions, changes of address, and applications for membership
should be addressed to the Secretary. Personal items, news of events in the
scientific world, and other notes suitable for our “Notes Here and There” de-
partment may also be addressed to the Secretary.

Claims for lost and undelivered copies of the magazine may be addressed
to the Editor.

THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

Founded December 3. 1888. Named after Alexander Wilson, the first Amer-
ican ornithologist, and called the “Father of American Ornithology.”

The officers for the current year are:

President — Dr. Lynds Jones, Spear Laboratory, Oberlin, Ohio.

Vice-President — Mr. George Miksch Sutton, Bethany, W. Va.

Treasurer — Prof. J. W. Stack, M. S. C., East Lansing, Mich.

Secretary — Prof. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn.

The membership dues are — Sustaining membership, $5.00; active membership,
$2.50; associate membership, $1.50 per year.

The following societies are affiliated organizations:

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.

The Iowa Ornithologists’ Union.

The Kentucky Ornithological Society.

The Tennessee Ornithological Society.

The Loon on Its Nest in Northern Michigan

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ORNITHOLOGY
Published by the Wilson Ornithological Club

Vol. XLI DECEMBER, 1929 No. 4

Yol. XXXVI (New Series) Whole Number 149

IN SEARCH OF THE LOON (GAVIA IMMER) WITH MOVIE

CAMERA

BY OWEN J. GROMME*

Illustrated with Photographs by the Author and Frontispiece by
Dr. Frank N. IVilson.

In Northern Wisconsin the large area known as the Land O’Lakes
furnishes almost unparalleled opportunities for the naturalist and wild
life photographer. Many years ago the waters of the hundreds of
natural lakes were raised to facilitate logging operations; and the
resulting deep thoroughfares make it possible to travel for many miles
by canoe with few land portages.

In the spring of 1925, during the month of June, the Milwaukee
Public Museum party, while engaged in general field and movie work,
located the nest of a Loon in Bass Lake, Michigan, just across the
Wisconsin line. The nest was merely a heap of vegetation and con-
tained the usual two eggs. It was situated on the only cattail islet
in the lake, and a nearby clump of willows suggested itself as a
possible means of concealment from which a photographer could work.

Having had no previous experience with the Loon, a general dis-
cussion ensued as to just how to go about getting the movie camera
close enough without disturbing the subjects. An old unused scow
looked likely enough, so with the aid of hammer and nails and a few
boards it was made temporarily seaworthy. A rude, spacious canvas
blind was constructed over a light framework in the bow and built
to accommodate the cameras and operator.

Next morning the party started out with the clumsy barge in tow
of a canoe, propelled by a small outboard motor. A heavy head wind
brought progress to a snail’s pace, as the blind acted as an impedi-
ment which put us more or less at the mercy of the wind. Conse-
quently, our “rudder end" was continually pulled out of a straight
course. When out in the middle of Mamie Lake the barge began to
sink, so a member of the party was assigned to a one-man bucket
brigade. After an hour of hard work, the “Loon Island" was reached.

^Associate Taxidermist, Milwaukee, Public Museum.

204

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

The two Loons were observed out on the lake several hundred yards
from the nest, and seemed to manifest no apparent interest in our
activities.

As the nest island was nothing more than a floating bog, the scow
was easily towed up behind the willow bush and brought to a position
from which the front of the blind was but seven feet from the nest.
By filling the scow with water it was sunk to firm bottom, thus assur-
ing a rock steady footing for the camera tripods. A rude seat was
constructed for the operator and holes cut in the canvas through

Fig. 1. Blind from which Loons were photographed.

which the camera lens was to project. Everything was made in readi-
ness so that the camera outfit could move in without in any way dis-
turbing the surroundings. It was decided to give the birds several
days to acquaint themselves with the new surroundings before attempt-
ing any photographic work.

While maneuvering the blind into position, a faint peeping was
heard in the direction of the nest. Investigation proved the interior
of the eggs as the source of the sound, so we decided that the hatching
was soon to take place.

On the morning of the second day, three of us in a canoe quietly
paddled out to the “set up" and were encouraged by the sight of one

Hunting Loons with a Camera

205

ot the old birds as she left the island. She had at least accepted our
blind as part of the general order of things. The writer and camera
were quickly placed within the blind, and the two remaining men
paddled away. Immediately the cameras were focused and convenient
peep-holes cut in the canvas for observation. As is the general rule,
the writer prepared himself for the usual long vigil. Imagine his
surprise when upon trying out one of the peep-holes he beheld Mrs.
Loon there at the edge of the nest and almost within arm’s reach.
She had appeared as if by magic, but later observations proved that

Fic. 2. Young Loons.

this was the “submarine route” up a tiny waterway that led from the
open lake to the nest.

Perhaps from the Loon's point of view, the departure of the men
in the boat removed the human element and totally unsuspicious she
came straight to the nest before the departing boat was two hundred
yards away. Needless to say, this moment was for the movie operator,
an exciting one. So absorbed was he in admiration of the graceful
wild thing, that he almost forgot about the camera. Lest the Loon
frantically depart at the first click of the shutter, the "Akeley” was
very slowly brought into motion, and soon the normal speed of six-
teen pictures per second was attained. Ten — twenty — fifty feet of
film, and the bird remained motionless. Perhaps she associated the

206

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

low buzz of the shutter with the continual hum of boat motors going
up and down the lakes — at any rate she held her ground. In my
excitement, a board was accidentally rattled and the Loon disappeared
like a flash. In less than five minutes she was back again. Clumsily
she climbed aboard the nest, and while resting on her entire tarsus
and feet, she slowly turned over the eggs. This she did with the body
quite erect and with the shoulders of the wings slightly away from her
sides. The neck was bent downward at an angle of about forty-five
degrees, and the bill when brought in contact with the egg, was
slightly opened like a shears and the sides used to maneuver the eggs
into position. This gave the hill two points of contact, thus enabling
the egg to be moved in any desired position. Accompanying photo-
graphs show this action quite clearly.

Fig. 3. Loon approaching nest. Shifting egg with partly opened mandibles.

After a brief inspection, she pushed herself forward a few inches,
and very heavily flopped down. It seemed as if the eggs would he
broken, but the forward part of the breast only received the force of
the impact, and she carefully hacked over the eggs nestling them
under the breast well to the rear of the body. As she covered the
eggs completely, their exact position could not he observed from the
operator's limited point of vantage. She quietly settled to her brood-
ing, but kept an unfaltering gaze of her red eye on1 the source of the
sound in the blind, for every movement was being recorded on the
ribbon of film.

She remained on the nest for half an hour — left for five minutes,
and returned repeating the same performance described above. The
operator stayed in the blind for the remainder of the hours of light,
and the bird's several departures and returns were repetitions of al-
ready recorded performances. She always turned the eggs upon her

Gyrfalcons from Greenland

207

return. During the operator’s time in the blind, the other bird was
nowhere in evidence.

It was hoped that the following day would find us “sitting in'
on the hatching, but a driving cold rain discouraged any work from
the blind. As we had expected, upon our return the next bright day,
we found only an empty nest with the battened fragments of eggshells.
Our time was limited and it was impossible to await hatching from
other nests, so our “much movied” Loon family was soon located in
the shelter of a quiet cove on the opposite side of the lake. From the
bow of a canoe, both young were photographed as well as the frantic
maneuvers of the adults in their vain attempt to distract our attention
from their helpless offspring.

Considering our efforts well repaid, we postponed further work
with the Loons for a later date, and returned to Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Public Museum.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"ON A COLLECTION OF GYRFALCONS FROM GREENLAND

BY WALTER KOELZ

The bird collection of the University of Michigan contains eighty-
one Greenland gyrfalcons. All but nine are in juvenile plumage;
four are full fledged nestlings. Except for three specimens (two nest-
lings and one adult) taken by me along Smith Sound north of Cape
York (about lat. 78° N.) and five from the Lehn-Schioler collection,
Copenhagen, taken on the east coast at Carlshavn (lat. 72' 1 N.) and
Shannon Island (lat. 75° N.) all the rest are from the west coast
from Upernivik (about 73° N.) to Frederikshaab (about 62° N.).

The three Smith Sound birds were taken as follows: two nest-
lings (male, female), Etali, August 13, 1925; adult male, Iglooda-
hauny, August 20, 1925. The five east Greenland birds have the fol-
lowing data: Carlshavn, adult female, September 25, 1923; juvenile
female, September 2, 1921; juvenile male, September 28, 1923; juve-
nile female, September 19, 1921; Shannon Island, juvenile male, Sep-
tember 9, 1920. Of the other birds, listing the localities from north
to south, juveniles are present as follows: two from Upernivik,
“summer” and December 21, 1925; two from Godhavn, September,
1923; fifteen from Christianshaab District, September 12 to November
5, 1925, and one February 25, 1926; fourteen from Egedesminde Dis-
trict, August 23 to November 4, 1925, and 1926, and two nestlings
July 15, 1926; one from Holstenborg, fall, 1928; one from Kanga-

208

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

mint, March 12, 1918; four from Sukkertoppen, August 27 to Sep-
tember 27, 1923, and 1924; nineteen from Godthaab, August 15 to
May 2 over several years; seven from Frederikshaab, October 30,
1921 to January 26, 1922. The eight adults from the west coast were
taken as follows: Christianshaab District, male, September 30, 1925;
Egedesminde District, female, January 20, 1926; Sukkertoppen, fe-
male, February 28, 1926; Godthaab, female, December 7, 1896, male,
March 27, 1897, female, March 12, 1905, male, January 8, 1913;
Fiskenaesset, male, February 10, 1913.

It is now generally believed that there is but one species of
Arctic falcon, typically Falco rusticolus Linnaeus from Sweden. The
range of rusticolus is given as Scandinavia to N. Russia. The number
of forms accepted in this species group is variable, but no one would
probably find it necessary to recognize more than five variant?. Sub-
species candicans Gmel. is found in north Greenland and Arctic
America; islandus Brunn is variously attributed to South Greenland,
Iceland, and Arctic America; obsoletus Gmel., Labrador; alascanus
Swann, Alaska; and uralensis Sew. and Menzb.. Siberia.

Hartert in "Die Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna’' recognizes the
exigence of several forms in Greenland but designates them all as
candicans , probably because he believes that they all breed together.
He says (p. 1066) that certain Greenland birds cannot be distinguished
from Iceland birds and on page 1068 that some Greenland and Ice-
land birds cannot be separated by their plumage from Scandinavian
bird?. The differences in measurements between any of the forms
are slight.

Even if it should be found to be true that the:e morphological
forms are not segregated in breeding, it seems unfortunate that a sub-
specific name should be based rather on the population of a geographic
unit than on a morphological form. Under such a system three birds
of identical size and plumage have different names depending on
whether they originate in Scandinavia, in Greenland, or in Iceland!
Ornithologists in general are loathe to give up the geographical con-
notation of the subspecies concept, though botanists and some other
zoologists have come to realize its inadequacy. Circumstances that
contribute to retain it are connected with the ability of birds to move
over vast areas, but it will certainly he found when variation in birds
is intensively studied that geographical units have not so homogenous
a population as has been supposed.

Gyrfalcons from Greenland

209

Fic. 4. Falco rusticolus candicans Gm. Left to right, juvenile male and
juvenile female, taken from a nest at Etah, North Greenland, on August
13, 1925; adult male Igloodahouny, North Greenland, August 20. 1925.

Fic. 5. Falco rusticolus islandus Brunn. Left to right, juvenile male and
juvenile female, taken from a nest at Nivak, Egedesminde District, Green-
land, on July 15, 1926: adult male Godthaab, Greenland, March 27, 1897.

210

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

My collection shows the three forms of gyrfalcon that Hartert
assigns to Greenland. The two juveniles from Etah, North Greenland,
and the August adult from Igloodahouny, North Greenland, would
certainly be considered good examples of candicans, coming as they
do from the northern limits of the species range. The juveniles are
male and female, wings 330 mm. and 363 mm., respectively. (These
values are low and it is likely that the quills are not full grown. The
birds were still in the nest). A third was reared in the nest but fell
off the cliff earlier in the season, according to Nukapingwa, who
located the aerie.

The two birds are almost alike in color, (Fig. 4).* The under
parts are entirely white with a creamy cast, except for a band of
narrow streaking of brown on the feathers of the breast (the male
specimen has only the sides of the breast streaked), and broader
streaks of the same color on the feathers of the sides. The under tail
coverts and the tarsals are immaculate. The general tone is white
above. The top and the sides of the head are faintly lined along the
feather shafts with dark brown. The feathers of the back have a
streak of brown along the shaft of the feathers, which broadens as it
nears the tip to become rather pendant-shaped. On the shortest scapu-
lars the drop becomes broader so that the feathers here may be de-
scribed as brown with a broad border of white. The upper tail cov-
erts are streaked like the breast. The tail feathers are pure white.
The wing coverts are marked about like the scapulars; the short ones
with a central field of brown and the longest ones with broken v-
shaped crossbars. The wing feathers are white with dark shafts and
a few broken bands of dark brown, chiefly near the tips. The adult
has the entire under parts immaculate (Fig. 4). The back is chiefly
white. The crown, sides of head, and fore part of the hack are un-
spotted except for a few lines of black brown on the ear coverts and
on a few feathers of the occiput. The upper tail coverts, the rest of
the back, and the wing coverts are barred with arrow-shaped blotches
of black brown. The tail is virtually pure white.

The plumages of adult and juvenile are thus different. Young
birds have the markings paler, probably more numerous, and they
tend to run lengthwise of the feather, especially on the short feathers.

The two nestlings from Nivak, Egedesminde District, collected on
July 15, 1926, are also much alike (Fig. 5). They are marked male

*Two young birds which were given to the Boston Society of Natural History
by Capt. Donald MacMillan in 1924, were virtually like these. They also were
reared at Etah, possibly by the same parents.

Gyrfalcons from Greenland

211

and female, wing 317 mm. and 315 mm., respectively, indicating that
the feathers are not yet full grown. These birds are much darker
than the young candicans described above and would be considered
representatives of subspecies islandus.

The general tone of the under parts is buffy white. (The buff
apparently fades out with age, though old specimens that have been
blood-stained show local areas of such tone). All the feathers, in-
cluding the undertail coverts and tarsals, have heavy pendants of dark
brown at their tips, except the throat which is rather faintly streaked.
The back is dark. The top of the head is heavily streaked with dark
brown but the tone is decidedly lighter than that of the back. The
short feathers of the back are brown with a narrow border of buffy
white. An irregular V of whitish is cut out toward the free end.
though often only one branch of the V is present. The longer feathers
may have two or three such V"s while the longest of the scapulars
and tertials may be described as dark brown with notches of white
about 1 cm. wide extending from opposite sides of the feather almost
to the shaft, with intervening spaces of brown of about the same
width. The outer web of the primaries and secondaries is dark brown
with small islands of cloudy buff. The inner web is whitish with
saw teeth of brown extending into it from the shaft, with the free
border lined irregularly with pale brown. These saw teeth are short-
est on the first primary. On the secondaries they usually extend to
the margin of the web.

The two central rectrices of the tail are crossbarred with dark
brown. The dark bands are about 8 mm. wide, the light ones slightly
wider. The final band tends to be elongate. The outermost rectrices
are barred only on the outer web. The bars of the inner web are
broken into mottling which, however, still shows the position of the
bars. The intervening feathers are longitudinally striped and mottled
on the outer web with an occasional blotch or bar near the free border
of the inner web.

Fortunately, I have a young bird taken at Frederikshaab on Janu-
ary 26, 1922, very similar in color to these two birds, which is molt-
ing to adult plumage. Comparing the new feathers with those of my
fully adult specimens I find two birds which it would probably closely
resemble. Both were collected at Godthaab, one female on March 12,
1905, and one male March 27, 1897. These two birds are almost
identical in plumage. I shall describe the latter. (Fig. 5).

212

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

The under parts are white. The throat and breast are immaculate
except for a black shaft line on an occasional feather of the side of
the breast. The feathers of the belly and sides and the tarsals and the
shorter undertail coverts have irregular arrow-shaped blotches near
the tip; the longest feathers have one or more other blotches, chiefly
on the outer web, along the shaft. The color of the blotches is black
brown except on the long tarsals and on the under tail coverts where
they are greyish brown. The longest undertail coverts have usually
only a faint line of brown black along the shaft near its tip.

The general tone above is slaty. The top of the head is creamy,
broadly streaked with black brown, its tone distinctly lighter than
that of the back. The two spots of the hind neck are whitish with
faint streaks. The feathers of the lower back, rump and upper tail
coverts are slaty blue with darker transverse bands, the bands of light
and dark about equal in width. The rest of the back feathers and
those of the wings, exclusive of the primaries and secondaries are
grayish white with transverse bands of gray grown, darker than those
of the lower back.

The longest primaries are white on the inner web with saw teeth
in brown extending to or nearly to the web margin. The outer web
is brown with whitish notches along the free margin. The feathers
become darker as they decrease in length, the areas of brown becoming
greater and the while becoming mottled grey-brown.

The tail is whitish with narrow (5 mm.) gray brown crossbars,
the crossbars fading to a slaty blue. The dark areas are about half
the width of the light areas.

The collection contains specimens of every intermediate stage be-
tween the two types described and it also contains many examples
that are much darker. In Fig. 8 are shown three birds, an adult
(right) and two juveniles from East Greenland, all examples of
candicans. The bird to the left is as light as the Etah juveniles. The
central bird is about as dark as the form becomes. Darker birds show
spotting on the underlail coverts, which has been considered the char-
acteristic that separates islandus from candicans. The adult is com-
parable in plumage with this dark juvenile. In Fig. 6 (left) is shown
another such dark candicans in juvenile plumage, along with a juvenile
islandus and a light rusticolus.

The darkest of these Greenland birds (in juvenile plumage) may
he predominantly dark in tone on all surfaces. The throat in such
specimens is palest, being whitish, more or less heavily streaked with

Gyrfalcons from Greenland

213

Fig. 6. Left to right, juvenile specimens taken at Godthaab: Falco rusticolus
candicans Gni. (dark phase), female, April 2, 1926; Falco rusticolus
islandus Brunn, male, October 10, 1925; Falco rusticolus rusticolus, fe-
male, February 5, 1926.

Fig. 7. Falco rusticolus adults, left to right, islandus, male, Godthaab, Green-
land, January 8, 1913; rusticolus female, Karasanda, Lapland, April 14,
1896 (M. C. Z. No. 47845) ; obsoletus male, Stowe, Mass., 1881 (M. C.
Z. No. 13560).

214

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

dark brown. There are distinct moustache patches, i. e., the side of
the head from the crown to the throat is uniformly dark. The feathers
of the under parts are dark brown with streaks or longitudinal spots
of whitish, except those of the belly which are all brown with narrow
rims of paler. The upper surface is almost uniformly dark. The
feathers of the back are dark brown with narrow borders of lighter.
The crown is as dark as the back, the only light tones being1 in the
two nuchal “spots,” where the feathers are broadly edged on the sides
with whitish, and on the longest upper tail coverts where small scal-
lops of whitish to brownish white are cut out of the borders of the
feathers. All the tail feathers are broadly tipped with whitish. The
two innermost rectrices may be completely dark, but there are always
about twelve irregular lighter crossbars, 10x5 mm., usually indicated
only as slightly paler areas. The outermost rectrices are predomi-
nantly dark. The outer web is bordered with a very narrow band of
light brownish mottling, broadest as the base is approached. The
inner web has twelve or more narrow bands of mottled buff to light
brownish white invading the field from the border, not extending to
the shaft. These bands are narrower than the dark areas that they
separate. The intervening rectrices tend to have spots on the outer
web and the barring of the inner web becomes less mottled as the
central rectrices are approached. Fig. 9 shows the darkest bird of
the collection, a juvenile female, taken by me at Godthaab on Sep-
tember 15, 1925. Fig. 6 (right) shows a bird paler, especially below,
than the one described here. The other rusticolus l, from Sukker-
toppen, is a little paler below than Fig. 9.

Two of these dark juveniles, a male taken March 5, 1926,
and a female November 11, 1923, at Godthaab, are molting. The
adult feathers are darker than those of my darkest adult, a male taken
on January 8, 1913, at Godthaab (Fig. 7 left). This bird is in general
like the adult islandus previously described but the breast is heavily
streaked, the throat alone being immaculate. The entire upper surface
is darker, the light areas being reduced in intensity and area and the
dark areas being much darker, with no slaty blue except on the upper
tail coverts.

The darkest adult is in color much like a specimen from Lapland,
typical rusticolus (Fig. 7 center), except that the light color of the
feathers of the nuchal patches is more brownish than in the bird from

IThis is one of Lehn-Schioler’s birds and was identified by him as F. rusticolus
rusticolus.

Gyrfalcons from Greenland

215

Greenland and there is more white throughout. There is, however, a
molting young bird which shows the same brownish tone in the nuchal
feathers, so this may be no constant character. The darkest of the
juveniles from Greenland would undoubtedly assume an adult plum-
age indistinguishable from rusticolus or even obsoletus (Fig. 7 right),
as Hartert says.

Distribution

The specimens of the collection may be grouped according to
locality, beginning north, as follows:

Locality No. specimens Date Subspecies

East Greenland

5

September

candicans

West Greenland

Etah

3

August

candicans

Upernivik

2

Summer

islandus, rather dark

Dec. 21

Godhavn

2

September

one candicans, one rather

dark islandus

Christianshaab Dt.

16

Sept. 21-Nov.

5

9 candicans, 5 rather dark

Sept. 12-Eeb.

25

7 islandus, 1 very dark

Egedesminde

15

Sept. 26-Jan.

20

8 candicans, 2 dark

July 15-Nov.

1

7 islandus, 3 dark

Holstenborg

1

Fall 1928

islandus

Kangamiut

1

March 12

islandus

Sukkertoppen

5

Sept. 7, Feb.

28

2 candicans

Sept. 26, 27

2 islandus, 1 dark

Aug. 27

1 rusticolus

Godthaab

23

Aug. 15-April

5

10 candicans, all but 2 dark

Sept. 16-Mar.

27

11 islandus, 6 dark

Aug. 20, Mar

. 5

2 rusticolus

Fiskenaesset

1

Feb. 10

islandus

Frederikshaab

7

Oct. 30-Dec.

20

4 candicans, 1 dark

Dec. 2-Jan. 26

3 islandus, 1 dark

To these data may be added sight records made by me in August,
1925, while with the MacMillan ArcLic Expedition of 1925. On the
14th at Nawvardi, some five miles north of Etah, a gyrfalcon was ob-
served at close range. The Eskimos later pointed out the aerie on a
cliff about twenty feet high and said the young birds had just left
the nest a few days before. On the 20th a flock of four birds was
seen flying at Etah. Two juvenile birds were seen on the 25th on Eel!
Rock (about lat. 77° N.) where Captain MacMillan said they always
nested. All these birds were very white and were certainly referable
to the form candicans.

Mr. C. 0. Erlanson, of the University of Michigan, informs me
that he found a nest of gyrfalcons, located about 100 feet high on a
cliff on the Nakajanga Peninsula (West Coast), lat. 66° 50', in the
summer of 1927. Both adults came very close to the observer. Mr.

216

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Erlanson says these birds were certainly not white, but rather of a
grayish cast beneath with wings barred with dark and light. They
were undoubtedly islandus, the form I should expect to find in this
area.

It thus appears from these data that the breeding birds of the
west coast of Greenland as far south as lat. 76° N. and probably
from the east coast as far south or farther (the east coast is much
colder) are candicans. From this point southward birds of all three
types are known. Except for the two nestlings (islandus) from the
Egedesminde District and Mr. Erlanson’s two adults from Nakajanga
none of the rest of the specimens collected in this area were certainly
native to the areas in which the\? were taken. The adult male taken at
Godthaab on March 27, 1897, ( islandus ) and the two juvenile females
taken on April 2, 1926, and April 5, 1924, (dark candicans ) may or
may not have been breeding. (The young birds were just beginning
to molt to adult plumage).

The candicans type is represented from every locality from which
more than two specimens were taken. Beginning with Upernivik about
lat. 73° N. islandus specimens are represented from every locality.
One out of five birds from Sukkertoppen and two out of twenty-three
from Godthaab fabout lat. 66° to 64° N.) are very dark birds prob-
ably referable to rusticolus or obsoletus.

That the falcons may migrate extensively is true beyond doubt.
This migration, furthermore, probably may be either northward or
southward, so that birds bred in the south may be found far north
of their breeding range. This is certainly true of other hawks. The
candicans taken below lat. 76° N. all then are probably migrants. All
had abundant time to get so far away from the supposed breeding
range of the form except one young bird taken at Godthaab, August
15, 1926. If th is bird is a bird of the year and was bred north of
76°, it traversed some 700 miles from the time it left the nest. This
seems improbable inasmuch as the Etah birds were still in the nest
on August 13; the Nawyardi birds had flown about that time; the
Bell Rock birds still lingered at the site. Of course, the breeding
range of candicans may extend several hundred miles to the south,
in which case it would be more tenable to assume that this bird was a
migrant. It is also possible that the date of capture is incorrect or that
the bird is not of the year and not a breeder. It has further been
suggested that non-breeding gyrfalcons may linger during the year in
their winter quarters. We know this to be true in some birds.

Gyrfalcons from Greenland

217

Isiandus is probably the breeding bird south of the range of
candiccins. The nestlings from Egedesminde are rather light examples.
Their parents are said to have been light birds also, though how light
is not known. Mr. Erlanson s birds seem to have been typical birds
of the form. From this point southward I assume that the birds grow
darker, so that around Sukkertoppen and Godthaab the darkest ex-

Fig. 8. Falco rusticolus candieans Gm. from East Greenland. Left to right,
juvenile male, Shannon Island, September 9, 1920; juvenile female,
Carlshavn, September 19, 1921; adult female, Carlshavn, September 25,
1923.

Fig. 9. Falco rusticolus rusticolus L. juvenile female from Godthaab, Green-
land, September 15, 1925. This is the darkest bird in the entire collec-
tion, but unfortunately the high lights make the bird appear lighter than
it is. (Compare with Fig. 6, right).

amples occur, whether regularly or only sporadically. These are the
birds which seem close to the darkest forms known in the species
group. (The effect of the Gulf Stream is strongest in this area. It is
still felt somewhat north of Egedesminde, so that the southern flora
is found on parts of Disco Island).

The distribution of the gyrfalcon forms in Greenland is in general
like that of the redpolls. North of 76° (the range may be lower) is
the palest form, Acanthis hornemanni of American ornithologists.
Southward the birds grow darker until around Disco Island the dark
bird, Acanthis linaria rostrata is found. It ranges south all along

218

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

the west shore. I found it very abundant at Godthaab, even far into
the fiord. Two females in worn plumage taken by me at Etah in
August are practically indistinguishable from southern birds, due to
the abrasion of the lighter parts of the feathers. Some twenty-five ex-
amples in fresh fall plumage were also taken and these are of course
much paler than the birds of the south. I have no doubt (there being
no other differences in the two groups of specimens except that the
northern birds have a somewhat longer wing and tail) that the two
forms interarade and I consider them both races of Acanthis Unaria.
The ptarmigan ( Lagopus rupestris) in Greenland appears to vary in
the same way, as Lelm-Schioler has shown.

Size. The various forms appear to be of the same size. Ar-
ranged according to sex as indicated on the label, the wing length in
centimeters is given below for the individuals of the collection not in-
cluding the four nestlings:

Sex

34

35

36

37 38

39 40 41 42 43

Male

1

1

9

8 2

2 5 8 2

Female

1

0

3

3 2

3 9 13 3 1

Very probably the larger

“males*"

and the

smaller “females'* are im-

properly sexed.

Molt. It

has been

stated often that

the falcons did not moll

to adult plumage un

til several years old.

These observations have

been based mostly on

captive birds. In the following table are given

observations on

plumage

condition

of birds taken after January first:

Place

Date

Sex

Plumage condition

Godthaab

Jan.

5,

1926

male

no molt

Godthaab

Jan.

8,

1913

male

adult

Egedesminde

Jan.

20,

1926

female

adult

Godthaab

Jan.

18,

1926

male

no molt

Frederikshaab

Jan.

26,

1922

?

molting upper tail coverts

Godthaab

Feb.

5,

1926

female

no molt

Ikamiut

Feb.

25,

1926

male

no molt

Sukkertoppen

Feb.

28,

1926

female

adult

Godthaab

Mar.

5,

1926

male

molting upper tail coverts

on back and hind neck

Godthaab

Mar.

12,

1905

female

adult

Kangamiut

Mar.

12,

1905

female

no molt

Godthaab

Mar.

27,

1897

male

adult

Godthaab

Apr.

2,

1926

female

molting on the back

Godthaab

Apr.

5,

1924

female

molting upper tail coverts

Godthaab

May

2,

1910

female

no molt

In addition to these a female taken at Godthaab on November 23,
1923, had begun molting her upper tail coverts.

Of the fifteen birds collected after the first of the year five were
fully adult. Of the remaining ten, six showed no signs of molting.
It is possible then that the Greenland gyrfalcons retain juvenile plum-

Dr. Elliott Coues — A Sketch

219

age for at least a year. The upper tail coverts, and the feathers of
the back and hind neck seem to be changed first.

Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.

Ann Arbor. Michigan.

DR. ELLIOTT COUES— A SKETCH

BY MRS. H. J. TAYLOR

Elliott Coues was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, September
9, 1842. He died in Baltimore, Maryland, December 25, 1899, aged
57 years. He is buried in tbe National Cemetery at Arlington. When
he was 11 years old the family moved to Washington, D .C. Aside
from being stationed at various posts during his seventeen years of
Army service, Washington was home throughout his life. Here he
was graduated from Columbian University with the degree of A. B.,
in 1861. Two years later he received the degree of M. D. from
the same university. Some years later this institution conferred on
him the honorary degree of Ph.D.

While studying medicine Coues was a cadet in the United States
Army. On receiving his degree in 1863, he was appointed Assistant
Surgeon and ordered to duty in Arizona which .had, in February,
1863, been made a territory. The population was 581, exclu ive of
Indians and Mexicans. Arizona ranks fifth in size among the states,
having an area of 113,040 square miles; this gave about one white
person for every 200 square miles. No wonder the detachment took
with them eighty wagons laden with subsistence, twelve luggage wag-
ons, a herd of 300 beef cattle and 800 head of sheep, 560 mules to
draw the wagons, and 163 horses for cavalry and officers!1

Men sent to such a new country needed a good physician and they
had one in Dr. Coues. But a man with his energy, zeal and brain
could not express his life through a single channel and that one lim-
ited. His interest in birds began early; lie was fortunate to have been
under the tutelage of Profersor Baird with whom he w^as connected
in the Smithsonian Institution before he graduated from college. With
his friend, D. W. Prentis, he published a list of birds of the District
of Columbia, in 1861, and it was re-published in 1883.

Arizona with its wonderful rivers and incomparable canyons, its
mountains, plains, and mesas, lay before this eager student as a rich
and interesting field. “. . . Dr. Coues entered Arizona in 1864, and
spent nearly two years studying the natural history of the Tenitory.

tCurtis, Capt. C. A. Bird-Lore, IV, 1902, page 6.

220

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

While at Fort Randall in Dakota, in 1873, he was appointed
surgeon and naturalist of the Northern Boundary Commission, which
surveyed the line along the 49th parallel from Lake Of The Woods
westward. “In 1876 his services were secured as secretary and nat-
uralist of the United States Geological and Geographical survey of the
territories under Dr. F. V. Harden.”2 3 This furnished a wide field and
a rare opportunity for further study of birds. Dr. Hayden, referring
to "Birds of Colorado Valley," says: “Results of Dr. Coues’s con-

tinued studies of North American ornithology, in connection with the
Survey under my charge, are herewith presented as one of the series
of Miscellaneous Publications (No. 1 1 ) .”4

The main text in “Birds of Colorado Valley” is "life histories”
and it was the aim of Dr. Cones “. . . that this portion of the subject
should be so far divested of technicality as to meet the tastes and wants
of the public rather than the scientific requirements of the schoolmen
in ornithology.”5 Dr. Coues edited all the publications of the Survey
from 1876 to 1880, besides contributing several volumes from his
own pen during this time. Among these were “Furbearing Animals”
and “Monographs of the Rodentia,” both published in 1877. “Birds
of the Colorado Valley” was published in 1878. It extends over terri-
tory not covered in his “Birds of the Northwest,” which was published
in 1874. He also published several installments of “Bibliography of
Ornithology.” This attracted attention in Europe and placed him in
the front rank as a bibliographer. "Dr. Coues was signally compli-
mented by an invitation, signed by Huxley, Darwin, Flower, Newton,
Sclater, and about forty other leading British scientists, to take up his
re idence in London and identify himself with the British Museum.”6
His “Bibliography of Ornithology” is an immense work. Several in-
stallments were published in 1878-1880, “. . . the greater portion stili
remaining in manuscript.”7

The highest honor an American scientist can receive was bestowed
on Elliott Coues in 1877 when he was elected a member of the National
Academy of Science which had been incorporated by the 37th Congress
in 1863. In 1878-1880, he became a member of nearly all the scien-
tific societies in America and of several in Europe.

2F. V. Hayden in Prefatory Note, “Birds of the Colorado Valley,” 1878,
page x.

•^National Cyclopedia of American Biography, page 240.

4F. V. Hayden, op. cit., page v.

5F. V. Hayden, op. cit., page vi.

^National Cyclopedia of American Biography, page 240.

7Elliot„ D. G. Auk, XVII I, 1901, page 4.

Dr. Elliott Coues — A Sketch

221

The praclice of medicine seems never to have been an absorbing
interest with him, yet be was intensely interested in the subject of
anatomy, and after resigning from the army in 1881 be lectured for
ten years on this subject in the medical school from which he had
been graduated. The world knows him, not as a physician, but as a
naturalist, ornithologist, and historian. His ever widening horizon
and increasing interest, his knowledge, his accuracy, his energy, led
him into the field of Natural History till it became all absorbing,
when suddenly he was ordered to duty on the frontier. “He obeyed
the order and proceeded to Arizona.”8 Here he faced a situation that
called for decision. The Missouri River basin and the whole North-
west had been opened to him as a rich field of study. He realized
that he had outgrown routine medical duty. It was wearing on him
and distasteful to him. He returned to Washington November 17.
1881, resigned from the army to which he had given seventeen years
of service, and was free to follow the deep interests of his life. A
man with such varied interests, with strength and zeal to pursue them,
with rare ability to express them, could not and should not have his
tasks laid out for him. He returned to his desk in the Smithsonian
Institution. “New England Bird Life" came from his pen in 1881.
This was followed by “Dictionary and Check-list of North American
Birds” in 1882, also a new edition of “Key to North American Birds,"
of which Dr. Chapman savs: “It is, beyond comparison, the best book
on general and systematic ornithology ever published, and has con-
tributed more to the advance of American ornithology than any other
work since the time of Audubon.”9 In 1895, Coues began to prepare
the fifth edition of the “Key to North American Birds." This was
fortunately ready for publication several weeks before his death.

Of “The Key,” Dr. I). G. Elliot, one of the leading biographers
of Coues, says: “The work by which he (Coues) will probably be

best known and remembered, and wdiich has had above all other 3 the
most influence on ornithology in our own land, is his Key to North
American Birds,’ a work that in its conception and the masterly man-
ner in which it is carried out in all its details stands as one of the
best if not the best bird book ever written.”10 His “Key" is the work
of a rare student whose unbounded energy, undaunted perseverance,
unlimited ability and literary gift, bequeathed to ornithology a price-
less volume.

SNational Cyclopedia of American Biography, page 240.

9Chapman, F. M. Bird-Lore, II, 1900, page 4.

l°Elliot, D. G. Auk, XV11I, 1901, page 4.

222

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

In 1880 Coues became interested in the doctrines of theosophy,
and held important offices in the American branch of the Society.
He was eventually expelled from this organization.

Coues was a prolific writer. He had a marvelous command of
language, a style clear and concise. Time and labor mattered not to
him when investigating a subject. His ability and his vast store of
knowledge had no market value for him. He loved scientific work
and to it he gave all his talents. His papers, reviews, and criticisms
on scientific subjects numbered about one thousand. He was the author
or joint author of thirty-seven volumes — all in fifty-seven short years.
He edited the departments of Zoology, Biology, and Comparative
Anatomy for the Century Dictionary. To this he devoted seven years
of work and contributed some 40,000 entries.

As editor of the Osprey from the middle of 1898 till shortly be-
fore his death in 1899, we have a different and very interesting view
of this many-sided man. When he made a copy his statements were
unquestioned ; his mechanical structure was correct; his style un-
paralleled. Now he is on the other side of the desk. He is a mar-
velous critic, gives favorable comment where it is deserved, and when
not deserved he sends shafts direct and piercing as an arrow, all
clothed in delightful humor.

A few examples of his editorial style may be appreciated more
now than at the time.

First we may take the following quotations from his review of
D. G. Elliot’s ‘’The Wild Fowl of the United States and British
Possessions.” He says: “. . . Mr. Elliot shows that he has opinions

of bis own and is not afraid to express them; that is to say, he follows
the A. O. U. Code and Check-list when he thinks proper, and differs
from it when he thinks he can improve upon it. . . . Mr. Elliot dif-
fers from the Check-list in perhaps twenty cases . . . and we trust
that the committee which holds all this matter in the hollow of its
collective hand will reckon with Mr. Elliot, most of who e departures
from the Union’s nomenclature seem to us distinct improvements upon
it. We also note to our joy the outward signs of that inward grace
which makes Mr. Elliot try to spell right, instead of preferring to spell
wrong, as is done in so many cases by the distinguished impurists, or
advocates of illiteracy, who at present, we believe, have a majority of
four to one on the nomenclalural committee."11

11 Osprey, III, 1898, page 48.

Dr. Elliott Coues — A Sketch

223

In an editorial, Coues writes: “How to become a truly great

ornithological author is a question which seems to agitate the mind
of many a person. . . . The treatment we recommend to the patient is
simple and natural; it is warranted to kill or cure the worst case.
Here is our prescription:

“1. Learn to spell correctly.

“2. Learn to punctuate properly.

“3. Learn to construct sentences grammatically.

“When the patient has taken this medicine for a few years, he will
either be dead or in a fair way to recovery. In the latter event, the
rest is easy, as follows:

“4. Find out something that nobody else knows about birds.

“5. Write it legibly.

“6. And send it to The Osprey.

“If the Archangel Gabriel were to send us the glad tidings of
salvation on both sides of the paper we should decline his article
with thanks, and tell him that is no way to blow his horn. . . . One
trouble with Audubonians seems to he that there are too many inspired
idiots among them, who fancy they have a God-given mission not to
hide their light under a bushel. The shotgun people are mostly made
of sterner stuff; they are realistic and can he cultivated, educated, and
really helped in various ways. But the opera glass fiends! They
always live too near the great heart of nature to know anything of
her head or hands, or do a stroke of sensible work, even to protect
the birds. . . . One woman wrote to say she was so unhappy because

the cats in her neighborhood killed birds. We were going to write

hack and suggest that she collect the murderous felines and read the
Audubon circular to them; hut we restrained ourselves and advised
her to feed the cats.”12

In another editorial he takes up the much agitated question of
bird protection and destruction. He says: “We [7 he Osprey ] are

asked to . . . state whether we stand for the Protection of birds with

a big P, or the Destruction of birds with a big D. . . . We can put

the whole thing in a nutshell, which we leave to he cracked by our
readers according to their inclination or ability:

“1. Birds must and shall he destroyed by the acts of God, such
as stress of weather, snakes, monkeys, cats, foxes, skunks, weasels,
hawks, owls, jays, and numerous other destructive natural agencies
ordained bv Divine Providence.

12 Ibid., HI, 1899, page 106.

224

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

"‘2. Birds must and shall be destroyed and deprived of their
nests and eggs to any extent which may be necessary and proper for
ornithological and oological purposes.

“3. Birds must and shall be destroyed for legitimate sport. . . .

‘‘4. Birds must and shall be destroyed for economic and com-
mercial purposes, the llesh and eggs of some birds being among the
most important food products of the United States.

“On the other hand — -

“5. Birds must and shall be protected from wanton, cruel, need-
less, unreasonable or illegal destruction of themselves or their eggs.

“Regarding the first of these propositions, The Osprey does not
concern it elf particularly with the acts of God. They are beyond the
scope of this magazine . . . nor does The Osprey ever 11 y in the face
of Providence. We give God credit for knowing what He was about
when He made things, and for ability to mind His own business with-
out our assistance. . . .

“Proposition 2. . . . The Osprey advocates the killing of birds
and the taking of their eggs to any extent which may be found nece3-
sary for ornithological . . . purposes. . . .

“Our last proposition. No. 5 ... we shrink from inflicting pain,
even as we do from enduring it; we love birds with a love that sprang
up in the heart of our childhood, and is fostered in our mature years
as a precious posses ion . . . we applaud every ornithologist who
kills or otherwise acquires what specimens of the birds and their eggs
he needs for scientific purposes. . . .*'13

No sketch of Dr. Elliott Coues would be complete without men-
tion of his very valuable work in editing the journals of early ex-
plorers of the great west. It is due to him, more than to any other,
that the original sources of the early explorers west of the Mississippi
River are preserved. The ever-moving life of the Army acquainted
him with the west in an intimate and real way. He edited the manu-
script journals of Alexander Henry and David Thompson, written by
them 1799 to 1814, and giving the history of the great northwest.
Likewise the journals of Jacob Fowler giving his adventure from
Arkansas through Indian territory from 1821-1822. Also of Charles
Lapenteur, a fur trader on the Upper Missouri from 1833-1872. This
was published in 1898. I he account of Zebulon M. Pike’s explorations
through the Louisiana Territory to the head waters of the Mississippi
from 1805 to 1807 was published by Coues in 1895 with full notes

l%Ibid., Ill, 1899, page 123-4.

Dr. Elliott Coues — A Sketch

225

and a memorial to Pike. “On the Trail of a Spanish Pioneer.” de-
scribing the wanderings of Francisco Garces in the Southwest was pub-
lished after the death of Coues. Coues made many long and wearisome
journeys to know at first hand the wanderings of these explorers, and
to locate the places mentioned in their journals.

Of all his work in editing journals of western explorers, Coues’
new edition of Lewis and Clark Expedition stands first. Because of
his interest and invaluable work on the Lewis and Clark journals,
Dr. Coues was invited to he present at the reburial of the bones of
Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only man to die on this perilous under-
taking. The ceremony took place at Sioux City, Iowa, August 20,
1895. It was here that I first met Dr. Coues. During his brief stay
of three days he called at our home. I remember him as a tall, well
proportioned, scholarly looking man, straight as an arrow, and with
dark hair, a full beard, and deep gray eyes. He was dignified but
kindly. I felt at ease in his presence, but I didn’t understand how
he could refrain from comment on our beautiful three-months old
babe; it seemed worth a trip half way across the continent to see him.
He talked of the Lewis and Clark expedition like one who had been
a part of it — not of the hardships and dangers, but of the aim of the
expedition and its success.

On the afternoon of August 20, 1895, Dr. Coues spoke very
briefly at the grave of Sergeant Floyd, located on a high and sightly
bluff about two miles from Lhe city, closing with the lines that Captain
William Clark had written in his diary August 20, 1804, and prob-
ably on that very spot:

“Died with a great deal of composure, before he died he said to
me ‘I am going away I want you to write me a letter — We buried
him on the top of the bluff ]/2 mile below a small river to which we
gave his name, he was buried with the Honors of War much la-
mented, a seeder post with the Name Sergt. C. Floyd died here 20th
of August 1804 was fixed at the head of hist grave — This man at all
times gave us proofs of his firmness and Determined resolution to
doe service to his country and honor to himself after paying all the
honor to our Decesed brother we camped in the mouth of lloyd s
river about 30 yards wide, a butifull evening. 14

The Floyd Memorial Association arranged its evening program
to be held at an auditorium in the city. At this meeting Dr. Coues
and Prof. J. D. Butler, of the University of Wisconsin, were the
speakers. Dr. Coues spoke on the Lewis and ( lark expedition. He
called it our national epic of exploration. His personality, his voice,

14In Memoriam Sergeant Charles Floyd. Report of the Floyd Memorial
Association. Prepared on behalf of the Committee on Publication by Elliot
Coues. Sioux City, 1897, page 42.

226

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

his language, his knowledge, recited the epic and made it memorable
to all who heard him. He closed with these words: "‘Thus was

brought to a happy conclusion the most memorable expedition in the
history of our country — one accomplished at the utterly insignificant
expense of about $2500, which Congress had appropriated for the
purpose, and with the loss of but a single life — that of him whom we
honor today.”15

On May 30, 1901, Mrs. Coues again came to Sioux City. We
regretted that Dr. Coues could not have lived to be at the ceremony
and help to dedicate the monument erected to Sergeant Floyd. The
shaft commemorates not only the life of the brave soldier, but stands
also as a monument to the opening of the great west by the Lewis
and Clark expedition.

While in Sioux City on May 30, 1901, Mrs. Coues gave an inter-
view to the Sioux City Journal which I quote in part:

“. . . Dr. Coues had already been making some investigations
regarding the enterprise [Lewis and Clark Expedition] and was glad
to undertake the work of getting out the new book. . . . Papers and
documents were stored away in the vaults of the | Philosophical]
Society [of Philadelphia] which had not been looked at for nearly
one hundred years. . . . After a tedious search he found the official
data of the Lewis and Clark expedition as written by the men them-
selves. . . . There was not a work that Dr. Coues engaged in, in which
he became so interested as in this history of Lewis and Clark. The
following year, after he published the book (1893) he and I made a
trip over the route taken by Lewis and Clark in their famous expe-
dition of 1804. ”16

During his stay of three days in Sioux City in 1895, Dr. Coues
was the guest of our family physician and friend. Dr. Grant J. Ross,
who was in the army service for three and one-half years with Coues.
On October 31, 1928, I visited Dr. Ross in his home in1 Sioux City.
He is now 87 years old. He stands as straight as a soldier and is well
preserved in all his faculties. I asked him to give me his recollections
of Coues. Dr. Ross said: “Dr. Coues was, as I knew him in the army,

a quick, energetic, active man; forceful and competent; a good sol-
dier, not a very prudent man; a little rash, withal very methodical.
He spoke well, was a scholarly man, a fluent and interesting talker.
He was a man of ordinary size, weighing 162-4 pounds. Dark hair

15In Memoriam Sergeant Charles Floyd. Report of the Floyd Memorial
Association. Sioux City, 1897, page 49.

i*>Sioux City Journal, May 30, 1901.

Dr. Elliott Coues — A Sketch

227

and beard, gray eyes. He was very approachable. He enjoyed noth-
ing better than a conversation with a lone Indian. He picked up
Indian dialect readily and used it quite well. The three days he
spent in Sioux City he was a delightful guest in my home, and was
like a friend. As a thinker and investigator be bad a very active mind.
He seemed not particularly interested in medicine.”17*

After the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad came to Sioux City the
bluff on which Sergeant Charles Floyd was buried was eroded, the
soil being Missouri River loess. The coffin protruded and some of
the early settlers moved it back about six hundred feet, leaving a
complete record of the reburial which was in 1857. Sioux City grew
and was extending to the bluff where Floyd is buried, and it was de-
cided to take up the bones and preserve them in more permanent
burial. Among letters from interested men was one from Dr. Coues
who questioned the reburial of Floyd’s skull, which he thought would
be better preserved in some historical depository, but the Floyd
Memorial Association decided to bury it and did so on August 20,
1895. In my interview with Dr. Grant J. Ross on October 31, 1928,
I asked him about the casts of Floyd’s skull which I remembered be
had made at that time. The first one was placed in the museum of
the Sioux City Public Library. Dr. Ross said: “I made two addi-

tional ones. One I gave to Dr. Coues, the other I sent to the State
Historical Society of Iowa.’’

Prof. J. D. Butler, of the University of Wisconsin, attended both
the reburial in 1895 and the dedication of the monument in 1901.
On both occasions he brought with him the original diary of Sergeant
Floyd, which was discovered in the Historical Library at Madison,
Wisconsin, by Reuben Gold Tbwaites on February 3, 1893. Pro-
fessor Butler was a guest in our home. He told us that the American
Antiquarian Society of Worcester, Massachusetts, of which he was a
member, asked him to speak on Floyd’s Journal. On hearing the ad-
dress the society voted to print Floyd’s Journal verbatim et literatim
et punctuatim. Dr. Coues first saw this Journal when Prof. Butler
showed it at Floyd’s grave August 20, 1895. Coues was the latest
historian of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which he published
November, 1893. He regretted that be had no mention of the Floyd
Journal in his new edition, and he seemed somewhat annoyed by it.
It was unfortunate that it did not come to bis notice before be pub-
lished this edition.

Personal interview with Dr. Grant .1. Ross by this author, October 31, 1928.

*Dr. Grant J. Ross died in Sioux City on April 18, 1929.

228

The Wison Bulletin — December, 1929

Dr. Coues was a student and thorough investigator in diversified
fields. The fruits of his labors were prolific. He was a literary
man, brilliant in composition, and radiating an atmosphere of culture.
The world will know him best and longest as an ornithologist, but I
believe that dearest to his heart was his work as historian of the
Lewis and Clark Journals recording the greatest expedition of our
country.

Nowhere did I find reference to the personal or home life of
Elliott Coues save that ‘"Prof. Coues was twice married; once early
in life, and again in 1887 to Mrs. M. E. Bates who was well fitted to
aid him in his scientific work."18

9

Of deep warm friendships little is revealed and perhaps they were
not possible to one who had such a wealth of historical and scientific
knowledge to give to the world. No soul can wholly reveal it elf in
this life, and often what lies deepest in the human heart fails of ex-
pression and hides a warmth of personality that would draw men to-
gether as individuals. We know that back of varied and tremendous
expression through his writings stands the man Dr. Elliott Coues
greater than all his works.

Sioux City, Iowa.

THE FLORIDA CORMORANT AS OBSERVED IN PINELLAS

COUNTY, FLORIDA

BY WILLIAM C. FARGO

The following notes relative to that form of the Double-crested
Cormorant (P.halacrocorax auritus floridanus ) which inhabits the
southeastern portions of the United Stales are from observations made
during annual visits from January to May in the years 1923 to 1929.
While these particular notes pertain to the mid-section of the west
coast of the Florida peninsula, I have noticed no variation in the gen-
eral habits of this cormorant elsewhere on the Florida coasts.

Cormorants are occasionally seen on the fresh water lakes of
Florida, hut I have collected none there and am not aware whether
they represent the southern or the northern form. In general the
Florida Cormorant is a coastal species, a bird of the salt water. They
swarm throughout Tampa Bay and its tidal estuaries.

In the years 1924, 1925, and 1926 these cormorants roosted in
large numbers nightly during the winter and early spring months on

l8National Cyclopedia of American Biography, page 241.

The Florida Cormorant

229

exposed sand bars lying to the north of the entrance to Tampa Bay.
In 1925 the winter roost on the bar to the south of Pass-a-Grille
averaged about three thousand cormorants. About sunrise they would
leave this roost in single file, the individuals about eight or ten feet
apart, and separated into flocks of fifty to one hundred by longer gaps.

Fig. 10. 1. Pine tree on Ward’s Island containing thirty nests of the Florida

Cormorant. April 14, 1929. 2. Florida Cormorant with the crests raised.

3. A leafly nest of the Florida Cormorant in a Mangrove tree on Bird
Key.

The practically continuous flight of the cormorants nearly every morn-
ing of this period in 1925 lasted fifteen or twenty minutes and, pass-
ing a few hundred feet off shore of Boca Ciega Bay, enabled a fair
count of the birds to be made.

The time of leaving the roost varied with the weather and prob-
ably with the fishing conditions, for the cormorant does not fish much
in a rough sea. The winds are strong much of the time on this sec-

230

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

tion of the Gulf Coast and choppy seas result, both in Tampa Bay
and in the smaller Boca Ciega Bay. I recall one day in late winter
when the cormorants remained on the roost until early afternoon,
although the water was calm. Then nearly the whole roost in a dense
raft drifted into Boca Ciega Bay on the rising tide. The near side of
this raft of birds following the strongest tide past the town of Pass-a-
Grille was within fifty yards of shore. As they drifted past the popu-
lous part of the town they would rise in the air in detached flocks
and fly back beyond the rear of the raft to repeat the process. So far
as I was able to observe they did little feeding that day and returned
to the roost within an hour from the time they came in on the tide.

Due to encroaching civilization, and possibly other causes, the
number of cormorants roosting on the bars immediately south of
Pass-a-Grille has been much reduced since 1925. Only a few roosted
there in 1928 and 1929 compared with previous years; perhaps as
many as 800 or 1,000 on all the bars between Pass-a-Grille and Mullet
Key, a distance of two and one-half miles.

The cormorant feeds principally upon fish and, like the Mergan-
sers, can easily swallow fish that seem quite too large for its throat.
The fish are mostly taken while the birds are diving or swimming below
the surface. Fishermen in these waters using live bait not infrequently
hook cormorants and occasionally Brown Pelicans. Usually the peli-
can breaks the line and escapes but the cormorant often is landed.
The Ked-breasted Merganser common on this coast in winter is also
caught in this manner.

Various species of birds that feed on fish, and especially the
diving birds fly long distances daily from their roosting places to take
fish when food is scarce nearer by. Thus various gulls, terns, and
Florida Cormorants may be seen returning to the roosts a half hour
or more after dark at night. In these latitudes there is little twilight,
darkness following soon after sunset; consequently at sunset and
shortly before, the air near the roosting places is full of birds winging
their way home. In a stiff wind they fly as close to the crests of the
waves as possible, for the wind resistance is less there.

The "double-crest ' of this cormorant consisting of two pointed
tufts of feathers, one on each side of the head pointing upward and
backward, begins to appear upon the heads of the adults early in
March in the latitude of Tampa Bay. These tufts, in shape somewhat
resembling mule’s ears can be erected and lowered. The crests are
not seen after about the time when mating is over and the eggs are

The Florida Cormorant

231

laid. An unmated adult appears to carry the crests for a considerable
time.

Like the Brown Pelicans of the Tampa Bay region, the Florida
Cormorants leave their roosting places when the nesting season ar-
rives and when not fishing both males and females may be found in
the nesting colony. There appear to be but two breeding colonies of
Horida Cormorants on the Gulf side of Pinellas County, that is to
say in a distance of about forty miles of coast. If there are others
on the east side of the Pinellas Peninsula I have not discovered them.

The larger of ihese nesting colonies is on Bird Key (also called
Indian Key) a federal reservation in Tampa Bay southwest of St.
Petersburg. This low-lying key with only its shore rims above high
tide is a little more than a half mile in length and less than half as
wide. It has a central lagoon open to the north. The key is thickly
covered with mangrove trees, mostly the red and black varieties. Few
of the mangroves are over twenty feet in height. On this key several
thousand birds have nested each spring in recent years. Among the
species nesting there arc Florida Cormorants, Ward’s Herons, Little
Blue Herons, Louisiana Herons, Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned
Night Herons, American Egrets, Snowy Herons, White Ibises and
Brown Pelicans. In general each one of these different species has its
separate habitat although the Ward’s Herons are scattered about more,
as this species nests nearly throughout the year. My observations on
Bird Key were made in the early spring months of 1924-25-26-27 and
1928. Without disturbing the birds unduly it is most difficult to esti-
mate closely the number of any one species nesting there. However
in 1925 approximately 1,800 pairs of Florida Cormorants nested on
this key, in latter years a less number, but still large colonies.

The cormorant nests are in the upper slender branches of the
larger mangroves, eighteen to about twenty-two feet above ground, and
the colony has been in the years mentioned near the northwest side of
the key. Mating and nest building begin late in March or early in
April. The nests are rather fiat and fragile mostly composed of green
branches of the mangroves often with leaves attached. In the years
mentioned the whole colony appeared to begin nest building about the
same time, that is there was little evidence of late nesters nor have I
noticed any indications of more than one brood. However later visits
than those I have made in May would be necessary to determine this.
Three eggs seem to make the usual clutch.

232

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Adjoining this cormorant colony and to some extent overlapping
on the east has been the American Egret colony. To the north of the
egrets until 1928 has been the Ward’s Heron colony, but in that year
this species went to Tarpon or Bush Key lying two miles to the
southeast.

All of these different species of birds appear to dwell in harmony.

On Bird Key if one moves about slowly and quietly a blind is
unnecessary in studying and photographing the birds; that is if one
is satisfied by approaching them within about thirty or thirty-five feet.
Man y times I have watched the cormorants mating and constructing
nests at such distances and the birds hardly indicated that they were
aware of my presence but if one climbs a tree in the colony or other-
wise disturbs them they are likely to leave their nests with a rush and
raft for a long time on the waters of the bay near the key.

The cormorant is a bit awkward among the slender top branches
of the mangroves for the bird is web-footed and heavy but where they
nest in trees with branches strong enough to bear their weight without
bending, as in pines oi cypresses, they seem quite agile for such a bird.

For nest construction any sticks about a half to three-fourths of
an inch in diameter suffice. On Bird Key green mangrove branches
broken off and with leaves attached are mostly used. Some few leaves
are also laid in the rather flat nest bottom. One of the birds of a pair
remains on the nest platform as soon as the start at building is made
and the other brings a stick. Tbe pair sit side by side facing the same
direction, both grasp the stick and lay it in place after which they
often caress by rubbing bills, and one or the other goes for another
stick. If one of the pair did not remain on the nest during construc-
tion the neighboring birds would at once pilfer nest material.

Copulation lakes place in the trees at the nest site or near it,
apparently before the nest is begun. The male grasps the female by
the feathers at the back of the neck as in the case with dome tic fowl.

The other considerable breeding colony of Florida Cormorants in
Pinellas County is along or near the mainland shore of the Gulf of
Mexico about a mile south of the village of Ozona. In 1925 the cor-
morants nested in low mangroves on some small islands close to the
mainland. Early in April, 1929, Florida Cormorants were observed
nesting in large long leaf yellow pine trees on Ward’s Island which
lies some 500 feet off the mainland shore about a mile and a quarter
south of Ozona. This small island about an eighth of a mile in length
is in the general area where Florida Cormorants have nested and

The Florida Cormorant

233

roosted for many years. One large pine had thirty occupied nests on
April 7, 1929, and several other pines had as many as twelve nests
each. In all there were then about 125 nests in this colony. I visited
the colony again April 14 and made photographs from a boat as close
as fifty feet without causing any apparent uneasiness among the sitting
birds.

The nests of these cormorants in the pines are in most cases more
bulky, much deeper and in general better constructed than those in
the mangroves. The reasons are evident; the upper branches of the
mangroves afford a poor and unstable foundation, there are seldom
suitable crotches to receive a deep nest and nest material is less plenti-
ful in the mangrove areas. The cormorants in the pine colonies, how-

Fjg. 11. Florida Cormorant on nest of sticks at Ozona, Florida. April 24,
1929.

ever, exhibited the same habits in mating and nest building as de-
scribed above for the occupants of the Bird Key colony.

On April 14, 1929, I noticed from a distance about eighty cor-
morants apparently roosting late in the forenoon in tall yellow pine
trees on the mainland in the southwest part of the village of Ozona,
directly alongside the paved road that follows the shore. Upon going
there I found a few nests approaching completion and a dozen or
more being started. The cormorants would fly to the ground, grasp
sticks and twigs, often with the long gray moss (7 illandsia) attached
and fly back to the trees. Passing cars and people afoot within a
hundred feet caused little concern.

234

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

On April 24, 1929, I again visited this mainland cormorant col-
ony and found about twenty-five nests occupied and more under con-
struction. Numerous photographs were made at distances of forty or
fifty feet without recourse to a blind, using a 19-inch focus lens. The
ground beneath the pines, being nearly clear of under-growth and all
in bright sun light, made one far more conspicuous than in a densely
shaded mangrove colony. When I approached nearer than forty feet
a few birds left their nests without particular alarm and perched in
nearby trees. As I moved away after photographing, two Fish Crows
( Corvus ossijragus ) came into the colony and approached the unpro-
tected nests for the purpose of stealing eggs, hut by the time I had
reached the highway, a hundred feet off, these nests were again occu-
pied by the owners.

On Bird Key if visitors land in the company of the warden and
are not quiet and slow moving the birds of all sorts become frightened
and leave the nests. This is always a signal for several waiting Fish
Crows and vultures — both the Black Vulture and the Turkey Buzz-
ard— to start an egg hunt. In the Ozona colonies the birds are more
accustomed to seeing people nearby and, being unharmed by them,
have gained confidence.

This confidence of the birds of various species in the presence of
numerous people has become a common occurrence in Florida. Water
birds swarm along shores where traffic passes the nearest. Herons
and egrets alight on docks and take bait minnows from the wells of
anchored motor boats. Guns in the hands of hoys and idle men are
much scarcer than in even quite recent years and the birds are gaining
confidence.

The cormorants only frequent Bird Key during the nesting season
and the same is true of the herons and pelicans that nest there, hut
the cormorant rookeries near Ozona also serve as roosts at least during
the winter and spring months. I have not been there in summer. In
consequence of this more or less continual use of the trees by cor-
morants they become white-washed by the excrement and ultimately
are killed. I have observed no cormorants nesting in the dead trees.

Secluded bars and beaches are scarce in the vicinity of Ozona
which probably accounts for the tree roo:ting habit of the cormorants
of that colonv. The cormorant generally roosts in close formation,
whether it he on a bar, beach, or in trees. This close roosting habit
of cormorants and their liking for isolated roosting and resting places
off shore has been taken advantage of by collectors of guano along

235

Birds of Randolph County, Georgia

ihe gulf coast of Florida who have built tight plank platforms on
piles at intervals from, Tampa Bay to Cedar Keys, as 1 have observed,
and very likely beyond those limits.

The cormorant although heavy of body and short of wing is an
easy and swift flier. The flatness of the body, large tail area, and the
shape of the head and neck result in a good “stream-line” proportion,
all contributing to the ease of its flight. I never have seen a cor-
morant soar. The Anhinga whose body from the point of view of
flight characteristics much resembles that of the cormorant is both
swift in flight and accomplished in soaring. Anhingas often may be
seen one or two thousand feet in the air over their cypress swamp
retreats circling about on set wings as gracefully as any hawk or
vulture. Pelicans, especially the White Pelicans, do the same thing
occasionally.

In the cormorant nesting colonies the young, like young herons,
will disgorge partly digested fish when alarmed by the presence of
man, and the large size of such fish often is surprising.

Jackson, Michigan.

SPRING BIRD NOTES FROM RANDOLPH COUNTY, GEORGIA

BY FRANCIS HARPER

Ornithological literature for southwestern Georgia is so meager
that even such a slight contribution as the present one may be helpful
in filling some gaps in our knowledge of bird distribution in that part
of the state. As far as I am aware, there is no general bird list avail-
able for any part of the “Red Hills” region of Georgia. This is a
physiographic area or natural division extending across the state, a
little below the fall line, from Augusta to Fort Gaines (and also into
South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi). It averages about thirty
miles in width, and includes the greater part of Randolph County.1

1 happened to spend the period from March 16 to April 18, 1921,
on a farm about seven miles northeast of Cuthbert, the county seat.
Meanwhile, though the amount of time devoted to ornithological ob-
servations was rather limited, I kept a daily list of the birds found
in the dooryard and in the near-by fields and woods. This was a time
of year when some of the winter residents still remained, while tran-
sients and summer residents were arriving from the south.

iFor a map and a further description of this region, see R. M. Harper,
School Sci. and Math., vol. 18, no. 8, Nov., 1918, p. 704; also Georgia Hist.
Quart., vol. 6, no. 2, July, 1922, p. 101.

236

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

The following list of fifty-three forms is made up approximately
as follows: permanent residents, 29; winter residents, 9; summer resi-
dents, 13; transient visitants, 2.

Bob-white. Colinus virginianus virginianus. A flock of half a
dozen seen, April 4.

Mourning Dove. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Seen or heard
frequently, March 17 to April 16. Usually only one or two were noted
at a time, but on April 3 there were fifteen in a single pasture.

Turkey Vulture. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. A flock of half
a dozen on March 24 and 25, and a single bird on April 11.

Black Vulture. Coragyps urubu urubu. About five flocking
with half a dozen Turkey Vultures, March 25. One or two seen on
other days, up to April 17.

Marsh Hawk. Circus hudsonius. A single bird near Cuthbert,
April 18.

Florida Barred Owl. Strix varia alleni. One seen in a creek
swamp, March 20; one hooting, April 5.

Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon alcyon. Noted a few times,
March 22 to April 6.

Southern Hairy Woodpecker. Dryobates villosus auduboni.
One, April 6.

Southern Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens pubescens.
Several, March 20 and April 3.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varius varius. One
heard, March 26.

Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Single
birds seen fairly often, March 20 to April 14.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. Centurus carolinus. Only a few seen,
March 18 to April 16. One on the corner of a smokehouse gradually
hitched down to a hen’s nest in a box, where it pecked away at some-
thing, and was seen to “lick its chops.” On going to investigate, I
found in the nest a spoiled, broken egg. It may have been broken
originally by some other agency than the woodpecker, but the latter
was evidently feeding on it.

Flicker. Colaptes auratus subsp. One, March 18.

Kingbird. Tyrannus tyrannus. One or two seen frequently, April
5 to 16.

Wood Pewee. Myiochanes virens. Several, in song, April 17.

Birds of Randolph County, Georgia

237

Florida Blue Jay. Cyanocitta cristata cristata. These familiar
and noisy birds of the dooryard were seen in small numbers almost
daily, March 17 to April 17. One was carrying nesting material on
April 4. On one occasion several Blue Jays and English Sparrows
worried a half-tame young Gray Squirrel in an oak tree in the yard.
Two of the jays were collected.

Crow. Corvus brachyrhynchos subsp. Found in small numbers,
March 18 to April 15.

Southern Meadowlark. Sturnella magna argutula. Small num-
bers noted, March 20 to April 3; a flock of about twelve on March 21.

Orchard Oriole. Icterus spurius. A male in song noted nearly
every day, April 11 to 16.

House Sparrow. Passer domesiicus domesticus. Some nearly
always in evidence.

Vesper Sparrow. Pooecetes gramineus gramineus. Small num-
bers recorded, March 17 to April 2. Since these birds were apparently
not in song, is it not possible that the males had already departed
for the north, and that only females remained at this season?

White-throated Sparrow. Zonotrichia albicollis. Four or five
in a band noted on several occasions, March 22 to April 5.

Chipping Sparrow. Spizdlla passerina passeri,na. A few silent
birds seen from March 20 to April 7, including a flock of about ten
on April 6. Finally one in song on April 17. To judge hy the dis-
tribution of the species in Alabama (cf. Howell, “Birds of Alabama,”
p. 239), Randolph County is probably close to the southern limit of
its breeding range in Georgia.

Field Sparrow. Spizella pusilla pusilla. Single birds seen,
March 20 and April 6.

Bachman’s Sparrow. Peucaea aestivalis bachmani. A mile col-
lected on March 26 in an old field; another heard singing on April 6.

Chewink. Pipilo erythrophlhalrnus erythrophthalmus. A male
or two, with reddish eyes and with the call-note of northern birds,
found on April 5 among deciduous undergrowth in pine woods. Prob-
ably the form described by Howell ( Proc . Biol. Soc. Wash., vol. 26,
1913, p. 202) as cajiaster.

Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis. One or more noted
rather frequently, March 16 to April 10.

Summer Tanager. Piranga rubra rubra. A few noted, April 10
to 17.

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The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Purple Martin. Progne subis subis. Small numbers present,
March 25 to April 18.

Cedar Waxwing. Bombycilla cedrorum. Flocks of four to thirty
individuals seen rather commonly, March 30 to April 15.

Loggerhead Shrike. Lanius ludovicianus ludovicianus. One or
two were seen very frequently from March 18 to April 18. A song
heard on March 19 strangely suggested the Rusty Blackbird’s note.
On March 25 a nest in a pear tree in a garden contained four eggs.
It was situated near the trunk at a height of eight or ten feet above
the ground. It was composed in part of grass, and was lined with
chicken feathers. There was said to have been a nest in about the
same place the previous year. A sitting bird was noticed on March
30, but within a week thereafter the nest was empty — possibly rifled
by Blue Jays.

In flight the Loggerhead’s tail shakes vertically, reminding one
of some of the European wagtails ( Motacilla spp.).

Boys of the neighborhood called this species “French Mocker,”
being apparently quite unacquainted with the name of “Butcherbird.”

Y ellow-throated Vireo. Lanivireo flavifrons. Several noted in
song, April 3 and 7.

White-eyed Vireo. Vireo griseus griseus. Single birds seen,
March 20 and April 6.

Black and White Warbler. Mniotilta varia. A few birds, in
song, March 20 to April 6.

Parula Warbler. Compsothlypis americana americana. Single
birds, in song, March 20 and 27, and April 3.

Myrtle Warbler. Dejidroica coronata coronata. Noted from
March 17 to April 6, usually in very limited numbers, though about
twenty were seen on March 20 and again on April 3. Lip to March 20,
at least, no males in breeding dress were observed. A specimen was
collected on April 1.

Yellow-throated Warbler. Dendroica dominica dominica.
Single birds, in song, March 20 and 22, and April 3.

Pine Warbler. Dendroica vigorsi. Noted commonly from March
20 to April 17; in song throughout this period.

Palm Warbler. Dendroica palmarum palmarum. Individuals
and small bands of not more than five individuals, April 6 to 18.
Apparently all of those observed, including a specimen collected, were

Birds of Randolph County, Georgia

239

of the present subspecies. On April 27 one sang a sprightly, gurgling
lay from a perch about forty feet up in an oak.

Louisiana Water-thrush. Seiurus motacilla. One or two noted
on a number of days from March 20 to April 17; in song throughout
this period, and very likely nesting by the last-mentioned date. The
birds frequented a patch of lowland woods, with a small stream run-
ning through it. If they actually did breed here, it would probably
constitute the southernmost record for the state.

Florida Yellowthroat. Geothlypis trichas igriota. Song heard
on March 16 and 20. To judge by the migration dates in Alabama
(cf. Howell, “Birds of Alabama,” 1924, pp. 317-320), ignota would
be the form most likely to occur here in the middle of March.

Hooded Warbler. Wilsonia citrina. Present in small numbers,
and singing, March 27 to April 17.

Mockingbird. Mimus polyglottos polyglottos. Very common;
seen and heard singing practically every day, March 17 to April 18.

Brown Thrasher. Toxostoma rufum. A few observed, March
20 to April 18.

Carolina Wren. Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus. Com-
mon, March 17 to April 6.

Florida White-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta carolinensis athinsi.
One heard, March 20.

Brown-headed Nuthatch. Sitta pusilla. Noted a few times
from March 29 to April 17.

About 5 p. M. on April 10 I noticed a number of Brown-headed
Nuthatches among some pines in an old field. Presently three or four
of them huddled together a couple of feet from the tip of a long limb
thirty-five feet from the ground. The limb was well provided with
twigs and needles. Then a couple of others began visiting those lined
up on the limb, and feeding them. I was astounded to realize that
fledglings were abroad thus early in the season. Sometimes the adults
passed over the food from a perch on the same level, but about as
often as not they clung to the under side of the limb in acrobat
fashion and fed the youngsters from below.

By degrees several more came and lined up on the limb, till
there were finally six, if not seven, all touching each other in close
array. Some faced in one direction, some in the other. They kept
up a gentle, musical twittering. The adults often gave their loudest
call (a nasal, twanging knee-tnee; knee-tnee-tnee) as they searched

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The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

the pine cones, limbs, and trunks for food. They also gave, while so
engaged, a much lower, conversational note: pik. Once in a while
one of them would hammer some piece of food on a limb, in the man-
ner of one of the larger species of nuthatches.

Up to about 5:30 P. M. the old birds fed the youngsters assidu-
ously, returning every half minute or so. Then, when the latter were
pretty well quieted, though the sun had scarcely set, the old birds
disappeared for some minutes. Eventually they returned, but did not
go to the young ones, merely feeding industriously in the adjacent
trees. All this was so like a human family, where the babies are
given an early supper and put to bed, after which the parents can
attend to some of their own wants.

I waited till after six o’clock to see if the adults might not join
their brood, but apparently that was not their intention. Toward the
last one of them Hew to the same limb a couple of yards away, and
thereafter I lost sight of both of them, but felt quite certain that
neither joined the group of young ones. It was then after sunset, and
the birds were undoubtedly established for the night. It seemed
strange that a hole-nesting species should roost thus in the open.

Tufted Titmouse. Baeolophus bicolor. A few, March 20 to
April 17.

Carolina Chickadee. Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis. A
few, March 20 to April 3.

Ruby-crowned Kinclet. Regulus calendula calendula. Noted in
song on a number of days from March 20 to April 6.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Polioptila caerulea caerulea. Several
noted, March 17 to April 3; in song on the first-mentioned date.

Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata pallasi. One seen, March 26.

Bluebird. Sialia sialis sialis. Seen very frequently, but in small
numbers, March 17 to April 12. A nest in a fence-post contained four
eggs on March 30.

Natick, Mass.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Published at Sioux City, Iowa, by the Wilson Ornithological Club.

The present editorial organization is as follows: T. C. Stephens, Editor-in-

Chief, Sioux City, Iowa; Myron H. Swenk, University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
Nebraska; Albert F. Ganier, Nashville, Tennessee; Alfred M. Bailey, Chicago
Academy of Sciences, Chicago, Illinois; R. D. Hissong, Sioux City, Iowa.

The subscription price in the United States is $1.50 a year, and 50 cents a
number; in all other countries of the International Postal Union the price is
$2.00 a year, and 60 cents a number. Subscriptions and orders for single copies
should be addressed to the Secretary, Dr. Jesse M. Shaver, Peabody College,
Nashville, Tennessee, U. S. A.

EDITORIAL

Through some incident, now forgotten, we were led to speculate on the
selection of the ten “best” bird books for the private library of an American
amateur ornithologist. Just what is meant by the term “best” we may have to
leave undefined. It does not mean most scientific, for often the most scientific
papers are of the least use to the average bird student. It does not mean most
useful, for sometimes the bird student reads for pleasure as well as for instruc-
tion— at least he may wish to enjoy his reading. And yet, we are selecting the
books for the serious student of ornithology, and will overlook the works of the
literary interpreters of nature. What we probably want is a small collection of
bird books that will give the maximum amount of information about birds, and
the maximum amount of pleasure in reading it.

In selecting such a list of books we have found it necessary to establish
certain criteria — to make a sort of score card. After considerable alteration and
elimination we have settled on five points, or qualifications, upon which to score
the books. 1. Authorilativeness. The author must have professional standing in
order to assure confidence in his statements. 2. Readability. So many books
are poorly written, and so many are well written, that we may as well choose
on this score. 3. Availability. We should not select for this purpose books
that sell at a high price, nor out-of-print books that can not be easily obtained.
4. Variety. The ten books chosen should cover as many phases or branches of
ornithology as possible, and avoid duplication of authors. 5. Utility. This is a
relative term, and might not mean the same to every individual. Nevertheless,
each from his own standpoint must consider the value on this point.

The writer’s judgment may be in error, and he may be unacquainted with
better books for such a list; but such as it is, here is the list:

1. Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America. By Frank M. Chapman. For
classification and description.

2. A Popular Handbook of the Birds of the United States and Canada By
Thomas Nultall. For description of habits, especially of song. Rather ex-
pensive in the original, but a cheaper reprint in one volume is obtainable.

3. Michigan Bird Life. By Walter B. Barrows. For general information and
because of low cost. There are several other equally good state books, but
this one is selected because of the centrality of the region treated.

4. Territory in Bird Life. By H. Eliot Howard. Bird life is here interpreted
from a new angle, which will be enlightening to the average student of
birds. It is also an interesting example of logical thinking.

242

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

5. The Practical Value of Birds. By Junius Henderson. As a treatise on
economic ornithology. It is difficult to choose between this and Forbush’s
“Useful Birds and Their Protection.”

6. The Migrations of Birds. By Alexander Wetmore. As an account of this
important habit of birds.

7. Home Life of Wild Birds. By Francis H. Herrick. For information on the
domestic habits of birds.

8. Birds and Their Attributes. By Glover M. Allen. As a general discussion
of birds and their habits.

9. Game Birds, Wild Fowl and Shore Birds. By Edward Howe Forbush. Be-
sides giving information on many of the wild fowl and game birds, this book
gives a history of the most important extinct species and an excellent ex-
position of the principles of bird conservation.

10. The A. 0. U. Check-List. If the new edition of the Check-List is not pub-
lished within the next five or six years we may have to strike it from the
list. But when published it will be quite essential to every student of birds
in this country.

Of course, everyone can suggest changes in this list. And there are various
state publications, government publications, and periodicals which everyone
should have. There should be a history of ornithological science in such a list:
but unfortunately there is none in English.

Our readers will observe that this issue of the Bulletin contains an extra
eight pages. This is made possible by contributions from two authors amounting
to about forty-five dollars.

It is desired to compile a list of wild fruits and seeds which are eaten by
native birds. Any readers who have some random notes which they will wish to
put into a common pool will greatly oblige by sending to the Editor the data,
including the name of the plant (seed, berry, fruit, etc.), name of bird, place,
date, and name of observer. Such data should be repeated as many times as
different observations were made, even for the same species of bird.

Senator McNary has introduced Senate Bill 2015 which provides for a reduc-
tion in the bag-limit on game birds. The daily limit provided for ducks is
fifteen, and for geese, four, other game birds are reduced proportionately. Rep-
resentative Haugen will introduce the Bill in the House.

Those who wish to have a room at the Headquarters Hotel should secure a
reservation at least a week or ten days in advance of the meeting. The Des
Moines Audubon Society will hold the annual bird census on Thursday, the 26th.
They invite visitors to the W. O. C. meeting to come a day earlier and attend
the field trip. Notify Mrs. J. E. Stewart, 1245 37th Street, Des Moines, Iowa.

Editorial

243

THE DES MOINES MEETING

The Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Wilson Ornithological Club will con
vene in Des Moines,, Iowa, December 27-28, 1929, in conjunction with the Ameri-
can Association for the Advancement of Science.

The reading of papers will form a prominent feature of the meetings. All
members are earnestly requested to contribute, and to notify the Secrteary as to

a

the titles of their communications, the length of time required for thir presen-
tation, and whether they will he illustrated by lantern slides or films, in order
that complete arrangements may be made. Meetings will be held in the Lecture
Room of the City Library, (three blocks from our hotel headquarters) from 9:00
a. m. until 5:00 p. m.

The Des Moines Audubon Society has arranged an excellent exhibition of
bird paintings at the library for this meeting. The Brown Marine Museum, at
the Brown Hotel, two blocks from Savery Hotel, invites all members to visit
this museum and examine the Marine exhibits. These include water and shore
birds. The annual banquet of the Wilson Club will be held at Younker’s Tea
Room, Saturday evening, December 28, 1929.

The headquarters of the Wilson Club will be at Hotel Savery III, where
rooms may be secured at the following rates:

Single rooms with bath, $2.50, $3.00, $3.50, $4.00, or $5.00 per day. Single
rooms with bath and double bed, $4.00, $4.50, $5.00, $5.50, or $6.00 per day.
Rooms with bath and twin beds, $5.00 or $6.00 per day. Reservations should be
made well in advance.

Special Railroad Rates

A special railroad rate is made to all members of organizations affiliated
with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Since the Wilson
Club is thus affiliated, this special rate applies to its members. To secure this
special rate, purchase a one-way ticket to Des Moines, Iowa, and secure from the
agent a certificate to the annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. Do not purchase a ticket without securing this cer-
tificate. This certificate must be presented to the proper official at the conven-
tion for validation. After validation, the certificate entitles its holder to a return
ticket at one-half the regular rate.

Each member is requested to recommend to the Secretary the name of at

least one new member for election to the Wilson Club.

Jesse M. Shaver, Secretary.

George Peabody College for Teachers,

Nashville, Tenn., October 28, 1929.

244

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

GENERAL NOTES

Conducted by M. H. Swenk

The Starling in Michigan.- — In the March, 1929, number of the WlLSON
Bulletin (p. 62), Mr. E. C. Hoffman proposes to prepare a distribution map of
the Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris) and suggests that reports concerning the appear-
ance of these birds be sent in. I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from 1921
to 1928, and noted, from time to time, reports of the presence of the species in
the neighborhood of Detroit and, later, at Battle Creek. I do not recall any
report of a western extension in the Lower Peninsula beyond the point last
named. In February, 1927, about a dozen Starlings were present in East Grand
Rapids. The birds congregated at the water tower, the lower part of which
was encased with wood. The perforations in this casing made by woodpeckers
served as roosting places for the Starlings. I saw them again in this place in

1928, but do not know whether they resorted to the locality again this year. —
Edward R. Ford, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Nesting of the European Starling in Butler County, Ohio. — On April 4,

1929, I noted a pair of European Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) gathering material
for a nest. The nest was in an old catawba ( Catalpa bignonoides) tree five feet
from the ground. Both birds assisted in gathering the nesting material. The
birds were identified by their brownish black color and yellow bills. This is, I
believe, the first record of their nesting in this county. — C. K. Lloyd, Oxford
Ohio.

The European Starling at Urbana, Illinois. — In the March, 1928, issue
of the Wilson Bulletin I published a short note under the above title, in which
I offered sixteen new records for the European Starling at Urbana, Illinois, these
covering a period of two years. At the time of that publication a Starling was
to me a most interesting find, a bird rare enough to warrant enthusiasm. The
manuscript of the 1928 note left my hands the middle of December, 1927. Be-
ginning in February, 1928, the number of Starlings in this vicinity began to
increase, and I added twenty-two new records during February, March, and April
of 1928. Then the number of reports of Starlings dropped off materially until
November, when the increase resumed. Since November, 1928, I have lost all
track of Starling records in this vicinity, as there have been so very many of
them. Now (March, 1929), the species is so common here that I can not spend
two hours in the field without finding from ten to fifty Starlings. When 1 pub-
lished my first note just a year ago, I fully expected to publish a yearly account
of new central Illinois records. I hereby resign that intention. Central Illinois
is no longer “very close to the periphery of the range of the Starling.” The
vanguard of the westbound Starling army has passed me by. — A. R. Cahn, Uni-
versity of Illinois, Urbana. III.

The Starling at New Hampton, Iowa. — On March 31, 1928, a Starling
(Sturnus vulgaris ) was taken in a sparrow trap belonging to Louis Fliger. This
is the first record, so far as I know, for northeast Iowa, and follows very closely
on the taking of individuals! at Oxford, Iowa, by Prof. Kubichek, of Coe College,
Cedar Rapids. Last summer (1928) I drove from here to Columbus, Ohio, dur-
ing the last week in June, and the first Starlings seen as I went east were at
Greenfield, Indiana.— Chas. J. Spiker, New Hampton, Iowa.

General Notes

245

The European Starling at Des Moines, Iowa. — On March 21, 1929, a pair
of European Starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) were observed by Mr. and Mrs. A. W.
Lee of 4323 Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines, feeding in their backyard and around
the Purple Martin house. ’Although neither observer was familiar with the
Starling they were able to furnish such an accurate description of the pair to
Mr. A. J. Palas that he felt there could be no doubt as to their identity.

The Starlings remained only during the one day and were described by
Mr. I ..ee as “larger than Purple Martins, purple in color with their backs shaded
brownish and had very prominent bills, large at base, yellow in color. The notes
were different than I had ever heard, being loud, harsh whistles.” — Philip A.
DuMont, Wilton, Conn.

The Starling at Hillsboro, Ohio. — On November 15, 1928, the Starling
( Sternus vulgaris ) appeared at Hillsboro. In a few days the number increased
to seven, and on December 31 to thirty. This number remained until March 1.
The regularity of their movements was very marked. At 8:30 A. M. they ap-
peared in an oak tree and after chattering a few minutes, they flew to a clump
of locust trees and then off to their feeding ground, returning by the same route
about 4 P. m. and then to their roosting place. After March 1 the group varied
in numbers and in their movements.

On May 1 I noticed a pair in a maple tree. They were trying to gain
possession of an abandoned Downy Woodpecker's nest occupied by a Red-headed
Woodpecker. The male sat on a limb near by while the female explored the
cavity, passing in and out frequently. The Redhead sat in a nearby tree just
looking on. During the investigation a Flicker leaned into the opening and
gave the Starling two hard thrusts with his stout bill. The Starling slid out
and the Flicker left as suddenly as he had come. The Starlings gained possession
more by a continued persistence than by physical force. They spent several days
in carrying out the old material. They would go to a limb near by and drop it
very leisurely. On May 15, the nest was abandoned. Probably the eggs were
destroyed by squirrels. Several days afterward the female visited the nest.
I have found three nests in the cavities of trees about twelve feet from the
ground, and have seen several carrying food to their young. I hey stay in pairs
or groups of four to eight. They are general this summer but not common.
They do not seem to affect the bird life and the# other birds do not bother them.
The first one observed here was a stray one in early January of 1928. It stayed
in a neighbor’s garden and our yard for several days. Katie M. Roads, Hillsboro,
Ohio.

Additional Records of the Starling in Michigan.— As to records of ex-
tensions of the range of the Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris) asked foi in the Match,
1929, number of the Wilson Bulletin, I have the following to give: At Three

Rivers, St. Joseph County, I first saw a Starling on August 22, 1925. Fiom what
I have seen at this locality, it appears that they are a resident and very likely
nest there, as I found them during the months of March to October, inclusive.
The largest number seen at one time at this locality was seventeen on September
20, 1925. At Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo County, I first saw Starlings on October
13, 1925, three being seen. It is perhaps a resident and breeding bird at that
locality. I found them there during the months of July, October, and December
on my few visits at that locality. The largest number seen at one time was a

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The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

(lock of twenty-five on July 29, 1927. Although this species was reported from
Vicksburg, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, before I first saw them there on my
visits, I found Starlings there in February and saw some feeding young in
May. The first that I happened to see at that locality were three on February
2, 1926.

Here in Luce County, near McMillan, I first saw Starlings on April 22, 1928,
two being seen. A pair nested in an old Flicker cavity. They may not be a
resident yet, as I have only seen them during the months of March to July,
inclusive, and September and October. Very likely some were near this locality
in August, but I failed to find any. This year (1929) three pairs started nesting
in bird houses. Two were blown down by a strong west wind this month (May)
and of course left, and the other pair seems to have gone with them. The two
nests that were blown down contained eggs. My largest number seen in a day
at this locality is fourteen on March 27, 1929. — O. M. Bryens, McMillan, Mich.

The Snowy Egret in Stark County, Ohio. — On the afternoon of June 16,
1929, three observers noted a Snowy Egret ( Egretta candidissima candidissima)
in a small cat-tail pond near Wilmot, Ohio. Ae we stood near the edge of the
pond the beautiful white bird was clearly identified, both with and without our
6x binoculars. While we watched the bird it was constantly harried by two
Red-winged Blackbirds that followed as it circled above the pond, nipping it
many times. After its third flight the Egret flew away and did not return, as
we learned later. We inquired from the owner of the pond when the Egret had
arrived there and he told us it was the morning of our observation, June 16. —
May S. Danner, Canton, Ohio.

The Turkey Vulture in Iowa. — The Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes aura sep-
tentrionalis) is a rather rare rare species in the Sioux City, Iowa, region. On
a tour of the Iowa State Parks made during the latter part of August, 1928, we
usually found these birds in the vicinity of the heavy timber of the parks. The
largest number seen at one time was twelve, near Adel in the middle of the
state. The first record was August 21 at Dolliver State Park in Webster County.
Other records are: August 28 at Palisades State Park in Linn County; August
30 near Tracy in Marion County; August 31 near Winterset in Madison County;
September 1 at Adel in Dallas Country; and September 2 and 3 at Ledges State
Park in Boone County. — William Youncworth, Sioux City, Iowa.

An Early Nesting of the Killdeer. — On April 4, 1917, a nest of the Kill-
deer (Oxyechus vociferus) with four eggs was found, placed in the charred re-
mains of a burned brush-pile. So perfect was the blending of the color of the
eggs with the debris that had I not seen the bird on the nest, I would not have
found it. On March 29, 1921, a Killdeer was flushed on a small knoll in a
rocky pasture traversed by small spring-fed streams. She feigned dying for a
couple of minutes, and then suddenly flew to a near-by field. In searching for
the nest where she had risen we found four eggs, all disarranged. On April
13 and 15 there were only three eggs. — Katie M. Roads, Hillsboro, Ohio.

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska in 1928-29. — Following the commonness of
the Pine Siskins in southeastern Nebraska in the spring of 1928, when they nested
at Omaha, Fairbury, and Hastings, and probably did so also at Lincoln (see
Wilson Bulletin, XLf, pp. 88-89), they disappeared from this region late in
May or early in June. None were then seen until the following December. On

General Notes

247

December 6, 1928, Mrs. L. R. But ton found Pine Siskins numerous on McLain’s
Island in the Platte River near Fremont. Six of them were seen on the Island
as late as December 23, and an occasional one occurred in the city of Fremont
during the winter. On December 28, the Misses Ellsworth and others noted ten
of them in the Fontenelle Forest near Omaha. The Brooking Bird Club at
Hastings noted one there on January 1, 1929. Mr. C. S. Ludlow saw a flock
at Red Cloud on February 5, and the members of the Fairbury Nature Study
Club saw fifteen of them on February 22.

Late in February and early in March there was a reappearance, or an in-
crease in numbers, of the Pine Siskin in southeastern Nebraska. Mr. C. S.
Ludlow saw eight of them at Red Cloud on March 1, and by March 15 a flock
of twenty was present there. The first ones seen at Hastings were on March 4,
and they were still present there on May 18, according to the records of the
Brooking Bird Club. Mrs. H. C. Johnston reported the first ones at Superior
on March 16. At Fairbury Mrs. H. F. Hole reported them paired in her yard
on March 20.

At Lincoln, the first ones were seen — five of them — on February 28 by Miss
Louisa Wilson, who saw others on March 1 and 7. The writer first noted them
on the College of Agriculture campus on March 14, and Miss Wilson found them
commonly in another part of Lincoln on March 16. By April 27 they were
present in pairs in the vicinity of the College of Agriculture campus. The
monthly mean temperature for March, 1929, was 42.6°, or 5.1° above normal.
For April it was 54.2°, or 2.7° above normal. For May it was 60°, or 1.7°
below normal. According to the conclusions reached on pages 91 and 92 of my
paper in the June, 1929, Wilson Bulletin, there might have been attempts to
nest by the Pine Siskins in March, and probably would be nesting in May.
Surely enough, Mrs. Swenk and the writer found a nest about thirty feet up in
a spruce tree on the College of Agriculture campus on May 5. The birds were
seen at the nest on May 17 and May 19, but on May 26 had disappeared. This
constitutes the twenty-second breeding record of the Pine Siskin in Nebraska,
and further corroborates the relation between nesting and spring temperatures
pointed out in the paper above mentioned. — Myron H. Swenk, Lincoln , Neb.

Does the Great Horned Owl Have a Poor Memory? — During latter De-
cember, 1928, and early January, 1929, Mr. E. C. Rosenberry, of Enola, Cumber-
land County, Pennyslvania, lost chickens and guinea fowl almost every night.
He could not find the culprit, but inferred that a bird of prey was taking them,
since no footprints could be found. On the night of January 2 he placed a
steel trap on a post near the poultry yard. A few feathers had been found at
the base of this post, suggesting that the victims had been carried there. On
the following morning the trap was gone; evidently it had not been fastened
securely. Another trap was wired to the post and set. On the morning of
January 4, a large female Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus virginianus ) was
found in the trap, caught by its left foot. On the right foot was the other trap,
i:s chain dangling. The bird was brought to this office for identification.

According to my experience certain species of birds, Crows for instance,
would not have made the mistake of returning so promptly to a perch where
they had encountered a trap. But the owl, either poor of memory, or excessively
hungry, had returned within about twenty-four hours, though she bore upon her

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The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

foot a constant reminder of the disagreeable experience. It is probable that
hunger and the memory of source of sustenance are respectively stronger and
more accurate in this muscular, bold creature than any recollection of pain or
inconvenience which may have been caused at or near the source of food supply. —
George Miksch Sutton, Game Commission, Harrisburg, Pa.

The Breeding Range of the Black-necked Stilt. — The breeding range of
the Black-necked Stilt ( Himantopus mexicanus ) has been steadily increasing
throughout different parts of southern and central Florida during the last few
years. Where it was not found at all a few years ago it now breeds. In 1909
I found these birds nesting at Kissimmee and also at Lake Kissimmee on Rabbit
Island. In 1915 they bred in numbers at Lake Harney, Seminole County. These
places are still used as breeding places to the present date, May, 1929. They
breed at Marco Island, some of the Keys, Puzzle Lake, Seminole County, Mer-
ritt’s Island, along the St. John’s River between Sanford and Lake Harney, and
at Geneva Ferry.

The latest places discovered were at Turkey Hammock, Osceola County,
which is where the Kissimee River begins at the south end of Lake Kissimee.
About a dozen pairs were found evidently breeding, judging from their behavior,
by Messrs. Arthur H. Howell and W. H. Ball, and me, on May 12, 1929. We
also found four breeding pairs at Alligator Bluff, which is along the Kissimee
River, on May 11, 1929. In March, 1908, March, 1910, and in 1912, I had
covered this same territory and failed to see Black-necked Stilts in these two
places. I could not have overlooked them had they been here.

Since the lowering of Lake Okeechobee, the river has been far below its
normal level, thus leaving exposed mud flats, suitable to the needs of this bird
and it has taken advantage of conditions offered.

Three other new breeding places have been just discovered, and eggs col-
lected. A few pairs were found in May, 1929, and one nest with four eggs
collected five miles west of Indian River City, Brevard County, in a brackish
swale between St. John’s River and Indian River. On May 15, 1929, Mr. H.
Redding sent me two sets of three eggs and two sets of four eggs. Three sets
were collected from a small colony on the sandy shores of Lake Winder (part of
St. John’s River), Osceola County. 1 he eggs were slightly incubated, and some
\vere fresh. A fourth set was taken close to Lake Washington at the “Jams.”
1 he eggs of this set were half incubated. I be Indian River district and the
latter are both new breeding localities.

A wi de j ump was made when the birds were found breeding at Lake Con-
way, five miles south of Orlando, Orange County, in May, 1927, for the first
time. No eggs or young were seen, but their actions betrayed them, and it was
not until May, 1928, that Messrs. J. C. Howell, Jr. and Wray H. Nicholson found
two sets of three eggs each at this place. The author first saw them in 1927.
At the most the birds could not have come earlier than 1926. Again in 1929,
I saw the Stilts there on May 24, 1929. Only four pairs have ever been seen.
1 his is another instance of the lowering of the lake, and causing mud banks to
form. I he birds breed several hundred yards from a main highway, where a
meadow runs to the border ol a lake. This is the only breeding record for
Orange County.

General Notes

249

1 housands of acres of the old St. John’s marsh, which remained under
water practically all the year around, are now partially or completely dry, form-
ing excellent feeding grounds for the Stilts, and it is my prediction that this
species will most certainly congregate on this newly formed land, which was
caused by the drainage of this locality.

The only place where to my knowledge Stilts are to be found nesting in any
numbers is on the south end of Lake Harney. There are about 100 pairs. —
Donald J. Nichol.on, Orlando, Fla.

Additions to the List of Birds of the Douglas Lake Region. — The Uni-
versity of Michigan Biological Station is situated on Douglas Lake in Cheboygan
County, about midway between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan and about
seventeen miles south of the Straits of Mackinac. Two other extended lists of
the birds of this region have been published.1 Hence, in the present report it
is our intention to add only birds recorded since the publication of the) list by
Messrs. Wood, Smith and Gates. Some of the birds in the present list were seen
only at Burt Lake, a much larger body of water due south of Douglas Lake; but
since more or less field work is constantly being done on Burt Lake by members
of the Biological Station and since the two lakes are so near each other, it seems
advisable to add these birds to this list. We have also added certain species
observed by Dr. R. M. Strong in 1916 and certain other species observed by Dr.
Dayton Stoner in 1919 and 1920. so that the present list, together with the list
by Messrs. Wood, Smith and Gates, will give a complete record of the species
for the region. Messrs. Wood, Smith and Gates recorded 128 species. To this
list we add 18, making a total of 146 for the region.

Horned Grebe ( Colymbus auritus) . One seen on Burt Lake, August 9, 1921.

Black Tern ( Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis) . One seen on Burt Lake,
August 8, 1921.

Golden-eye ( Clangula clangula americana) . One found dead on the beach,
August 15, 1919, by Dr. Stoner.

Least Bittern ( Ixobrychus exilis) . Solitary individuals were seen on several
occasions on, Douglas Lake. One on Burt Lake, August 9, 1921.

Sora ( Porzana Carolina). One seen near the mouth of Maple River, Burt
Lake, August 9, 1921. We were able to approach to within about four or five
feet with a boat.

Florida Gallinule ( G allin ula galeata gale at a) . Apparently common in the
marshes at the mouth of Maple River, Burt Lake, August 9, 1921.

Least Sandpiper ( Pisobia minutilla) . One seen with the Semipalmated
Plovers on Fairy Island, August 13, 1921.

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Ereunel.es pusillus) . Douglas Lake, August 22,
1921.

Semipalmated Plover ( Aegialitis semipalm at a) . Three seen on Fairy Island,
August 13, 1921.

Pigeon Hawk ( Falco columbarius columbarius) . One taken Douglas Lake,
August 24, 1920, and another August 21, 1921.

!The Birds of the Douglas Lake Region. By J. S. Compton. Wilson Bul-
letin, XXVI, pp. 173-180 (1914). The Summer Birds of the Douglas Lake
Region, Cheboygan County, Michigan. By Norman A. Wood, Frank Smith, and
Frank C. Gates. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of
Michigan, XXVII. pp. 1-21 (1916).

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The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) . One taken at Burt
Lake, August 9, 1921. One seen near Biological Station, August 15, 1921.

White-winged Crossbill ( Loxia leucoptera). An immature female taken at
Douglas Lake, July 31, 1916, and two individuals seen in pines near North Fish-
tail Bay, August 21, 1916, by Dr. Strong.

Redpoll (Acanthis linaria linciria) . One seen near camp, August 11, 1919,
by Dr. Stoner.

Northern Parula Warbler ( Compsothlypis americana usneae) . One seen at
Reese's Bog, July 22, 1919, and one seen August 7, 1920, at Smith's Bog, by Dr.
Stoner.

Water-thrush ( Seiuriis noveboracensis noveboracensis) . Two in cedar bog
of Douglas Lake, August 14, 1920. by Dr. Stoner. One near mouth of Maple
River, August 9, 1921.

Connecticut Warbler ( Oporornis agilis) . Two seen near Burt Lake, July 12,
in cedar bog.

Short-billed Marsh Wren ( Cistothorus stellaris) . One taken July 14, 1921,
at Ingleside.

Long-billed Marsh Wren ( Telmato^ytes paiwstris palustris) . One seen at
Lancaster Lake, August 2, 1921. August 9, 1921. — Harry C. Fortner and Z. P.
Metcalf, University Biological Station, Mich.

A Foot Disease of the Chipping Sparrow in Eastern Ohio. Through
the operation of a drop trap, six by six feet in size, the writer was succecssfnl
in trapping for banding purposes during the summer of 1928, twenty-two Chipping
Sparrows (Spizella pa^serina passerina) . It was at once evident that a diseased
condition of the feet was prevalent among this species, thirteen individuals of
those trapped acting as a host for the malady.

Well advanced cases of the disease, resulting in the ultimate loss of the
nails were noted, as, for example, No. B62659, banded September 9, for which the
following entry in my records was then made: “Nails gone from middle toe of

both feet, hind toe of both feet also infected.'’ It would appear that infection
occurred at no great distance from the site of trapping operations. In one case
this was certain, No. 697819 being apparently healthy when banded, but when
taken twenty-eight days later had contracted the disease, the afflicted parts al-
ready being greatly distended. The following notation was then made: “Right

foot, middle and hind toes, and tarsus; middle tee left foot, infected.''

At the. suggestion of Mr. Frederick C. Lincoln, of the Biological Survey, 1
have concluded that this disease is apparently that known as “bird pox,” and is
probably identical with that affecting Chipping Sparrows at Thomasville, Georgia,
studied in detail in 1923, by Mr. T. 1 E. Musselman (The Auk, XLV, pp. 137-147,
April, 1928). It is apparent that essentially the same general conditions, in rela-
tion to cause and effect, are operative at both widely separated points.

In contrast to conditions at the Thomasville station, it is noted that instead
of forty-two per cent of infected birds, as at Thomasville during the year of
greatest abundance, there were but fifty-nine per cent found to be suffering ap-
parently from “bird pox," during 1928 at the writer’s eastern Ohio trapping
station. Preceding the time these birds were taken (August 5 to September 9)
the weather was marked by a period of abundant precipitation, which according
to Mr. M usselman, serves to “stimulate the activity of the disease.”

General Notes

251

In the writer’s opinion the distribution of “bird pox” is apparently more
widespread than is inferred by Mr. Musselman, possibly extending locally through-
out the range of the Chipping Sparrow. Its abundance is apparently governed
to a large degree by weather conditions during the season when the birds are not
taxed with domestic duties and when they are more or less gregarious in their
habits. By transmitting the disease from bird to bird, during their migratory
movement, it is apparent that new territories will continuously be invaded far
removed from the place of original inception.

Although the Chipping Sparrow is the chief subject of attack, the disease
is apparently not restricted to this species, but occasionally extends its scope
to include other members of the family Fringillidae. To give an idea of the
proportion thus afflicted, the total number trapped and banded by the writer,
of the species in which the disease was represented, is herewith given, one each
of the following having yielded to the attack of this malady. Field Sparrow
(13) ; White-crowned Sparrow (23) ; Song Sparrow (45) ; Slate-colored Junco
(55).

The writer is aware that the limited number of birds taken by him is in-
adequate to permit any definite deductions. This note is submitted to point out
that insofar as the writer’s limited experiences extends, the results of his observa-
tions approximately parallel the important findings obtained by Mr. Musselman,
and to suggest the probable existence of a more extensive distribution of the
disease under consideration. — Paul A. Stewart, Leetonia, Ohio.

New Cliff Swallow Colonies in South Dakota. — In the numbers of the
Wilson Bulletin for March and September, 1928, Dr. F. L. R. and Mary Roberts,
Alfred M. Bailey and T. C. Stephens (in Editor’s note), gave some information in
regard to the nesting of Cliff Swallows ( Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons) along
the “Dells,” and about one mile south of Dell Rapids, South Dakota.

Dells Creek leaves the Big Sioux River within the city limits of Dell Rapids
and again joins it some three and one-half miles down stream. The colony
along the gorge of Dells Creek is an old one, and while no accurate data have
been kept, it has seemed to the writer that the colony has been on the decrease
during the past few years. The English Sparrows have harrassed this colony for
years, and any decrease in numbers can probably be mainly attributed to them.

This summer (1929) it was evident that the colony was much smaller, and
on July 13 an attempt was made to count occupied nests. Glasses were used in
making observations from the opposite bank and the count showed there were
about sixty occupied nests. The English Sparrows were much in evidence and
had appropriated nests here and there throughout the colony. The colony had
moved a few rods south this year.

Some time previous to making this count 1 had noted Cliff Swallows gathering
mud at three points far removed from the old colony, and this led me to believe
that there were other colonies being started in the vicinity. During the period
from July 13 to 20 I found three other colonies within one and one-half miles of
the old colony, and this probably explains why the original colony was much
reduced in numbers this year. One of the new colonies was located along the
gorge of the Big Sioux River, near the western city limits, and contained about
twenty occupied nests. This is about three-fourths of a mile, in a bee line, from
the old colony.

252

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

There have been a few scattered nests here in previous years but last year
I could find only one nest, so while this probably is not strictly a new colony,
there is at least a good increase. The two other colonies, both entirely new,
were located under eaves of barns on farms, one containing thirty occupied nests
and located one and one-half miles southeast from the old colony, and the other
about the same distance northwest having about forty occupied nests. English
Sparrows had occupied three or four nests in the new colonies but on the whole
the Cliff Swallows seemed to be holding their own fairly well. On July 20
there were still quite a number of nests under construction, and this seems late
for nest building.

Some thirty or thirty-five years ago it was a common sight to see rows of
Cliff Swallow nests under eaves of farm buildings in this vicinity, but these were
entirely given up nesting sites probably some twenty or twenty-five years ago,
and I think this was mainly due to increase in English Sparrows at that time.
Of late years this pest seems rather on the decrease around here. It is to he
hoped that these new Cliff Swallow colonies will be able to maintain themselves
and that the birds will also spread to other farms in the neighborhood. — Edwin
C. Anderson, Dell Rapids , S. Dak.

Occurrence of the Russet-backed Thrush in Iowa. — In the Dwight Col-
lection, at the American Museum of Natural History, there is a specimen of the
Russet-backed Thrush ( Hylocichla ustulata ustulata ) from Keokuk, Iowa. It is
a male, collected May 20, 1907, formerly in the C. K. Worthen Collection, and
now No. 26745 in the Dwight Collection. The bird was identified by the late
Dr. Dwight and so noted in his catalog. A comparison of the specimen with a
series of H. u. ustulata shows it to he typical of that subspecies. The back and
rump are olive-brown and the upper breast is faintly spotted with a few triangular
marks. The tail is a slight shade grayer. Measurements in millimeters are:
Length, 172; wing, 99 and 100; tail, 71; exposed culmen, 13.8; tarsus, 30; middle
toe, 17.5, and bill from nostril, 9.2. I know of no other record of this bird from
the state of Iowa. — Philip A. Dumont, American Museum of Natural History.
New York City.

The Raptor’s Mistake. — An interesting episode was witnessed on a tract of
meadow land, with grass six or eight inches high, near Liberty Creek, in Keokuk
County, Iowa. There was a woodland on one side of this meadow and a group
of farm buildings on the other.

A large Red-tailed Hawk (Buleo borealis borealis ) came out of the timber
and leisurely flew around over the meadow, hovering over one point a moment
for special inspection. Then he flew back to the woods again. A few minutes
later he flew out and hovered over the same place, then returned to the woods
as before. After having performed this round trip movement several times, the
Hawk finally flew to this point and plunged down into the meadow. Instantly
there was a mighty commotion. Hissing, flopping, spitting, caterwauling; and
one could see feet, claws, wings and tails whirling about just over the grass.
The air was full of fur and feathers for a few moments, then the Hawk made
his getaway, and with feathers much ruffled flew for the timber as fast as his
wings could carry him. And an old gray tom cat went with great bounds in
equal haste for the farm buildings! Both Tommy and hawk were licked but still
able to go. — E. D. Nauman, Sigourney, Iowa.

Necrology

253

NECROLOGY

ROBERT RIDGW AY— ORNITHOLOGIST, BOTANIST, GENTLEMAN

1850-1929

Within a few months three of the older group of widely known ornithologists
have crossed the bar — Jonathan Dwight, Edward Howe Forbush, and Robert
Ridgway. Each of these great scientists filled a special niche in the advancement
of ornithology, and their passing entails an irreparable loss which may not easily
be repaired. Robert Ridgway, more than anyone else known to the writer,
exemplified the ability of the individual to go far into a chosen field of knowl-
edge without the advantages of college preparation. From his earliest childhood
he was intensely interested in animal and plant life, and his thirst for knowledge
was never quenched.

Robert Ridgway was born at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, July 2, 1850. He died at
Olney, Illinois, March 25, 1929, in his 79th year. The region in which he grew
up was one of the richest fields in the eastern United States for the study of
out-of-door life — the meeting place for the northern and southern fauna and
flora of Illinois and Indiana.

Possessing a marvelous and orderly memory, having from childhood an
almost uncanny sense of proportion and color, Robert Ridgway before he was
thirty years of age became a proficient artist and writer. In addition to the
voluminous writings of Mr. Ridgway on ornithology he prepared a book of color
standards and nomenclature, published in 1912, which proves again the wonder-
ful versatility of this modest, retiring, and altogether lovable man. This color
key is now the standard among scientists.

His writings cover a period of over sixty years, and at his death he was
actively engaged in the completion of tenth volume of “The Birds of North
and Middle America.” The ninth volume of this work had been completed by
Mr. Ridgway and sent to Washington for publication. It is expected that the
tenth volume will be finished by competent hands, thus completing the entire
work. Mr. Ridgway’s name will be perpetuated, not only in the 540 papers and
books which he has written, but also in the names of twenty-three species of
birds, and nine subspecies.

His objection to publicity amounted almost to eccentricity, except when his
chosen avocations were concerned. He said more than once that the. fifty years
spent away from his loved southern Illinois were fifty years or homesickness.
His devotion to Mrs. Ridgway, during the period before her death in 1927, laid
a heavy burden upon him; but there was no shirking or complaining.

While the proverb “A prophet is not without honor save in his own coun-
try” does not quite apply to Mr. Ridgway, it is nevertheless true that his fame
as an ornithologist and scientist was greater throughout the scientific world than
at home. He was an inimitable story teller, with a delightfully keen sense of
humor. Anyone who made his acquaintance, if interested in birds or plants,
was treated as an equal in scientific knowledge, for Mr. Ridgway never paraded
his own knowledge. It was always a source of pleasure to him to find anyone
who was interested in the things he was, and no effort was too great when he
could pilot his friends through Bird Haven and the Wabash bottoms near

254

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

ROBERT R IDG WAY— 1850-1929

Necrology

255

Mount Carmel. He was ever willing to answer questions, and his letters were
models of diction and clarity ot expression.

In 1927 he visited Chicago for the first time in twenty-seven years, not
traveling hy train, however, hut in a Ford sedan; for he refused to come it the
train was the only way to travel. His delight in the Morton Arboretum in
Dupage County, and in Wychwood, the Mrs. Charles Hutchinson Estate at Lake
Geneva, of which he was a trustee, gave much pleasure and zest to the friends
who had his itinerary in charge. Nothing escaped his keen eyes, and he was
greatly interested in the larger number of shocks of grain in northern Illinois
and southern Wisconsin as compared with southern Illinois.

At the service marking Mr. Ridgway’ s passing the Ridgway home was filled
with friends and neighbors, and through the open doors could be heard the
songs of the Cardinal, the Carolina Wren, and other singing birds — an ideal
accompaniment to the service, in which the clergyman said, “While Mr. Ridgway
was not known as a religious man, yet never have I known a man more spir-
itually minded.” Mr. Ridgway’s resting place is an open knoll in Bird Haven,
surrounded by the beautiful trees that he loved so much, and only a few step?
from the site of the cottage where he and Mrs. Ridgway lived before they moved
to Olney.

To have known Robert Ridgway was an honor, and to have enjoyed his
friendship was a rare privilege. A great scientist, a staunch friend, and a worthy
descendent of early Quaker pioneers in Pennsylvania, his ornithological work
will live long after those who have enjoyed the charm of his personality will
have become forgotten memories. — Orpheus Moyer Schantz.

Frank C. Pellett (left) and Robert Ridgway
Photograph made at Olney, February 13, 1929

256

The Wilson Bulletin- — December, 1929

THOMAS HAYES WHITNEY— 1877-1929

Necrology

257

THOMAS HAYES WHITNEY
1877-1929

Thomas Hayes Whitney was born in Atlantic, Iowa, on July 9, 1877, and died
in Atlantic on September 10, 1929, having lived in the same home throughout
the 52 years of his life. Fie was the son of Franklin H. and Ella Graham Whit-
ney, the former being the founder of the city of Atlantic. The subject of our
sketch grew up in his home town as “Tom” Whitney, and was honored and
revered by his townspeople. In 1907 he was married to Miss Mabel Taylor who,
with a daughter and a son, survives him.

Mr. Whitney, with his brother James G. Whitney, owned and operated the
Whitney Loan and Trust Company Bank, Mr. T. H. Whitney being the Vice-
President. In one of the obituaries we find this statement: “No finer story was

ever written into the annals of any community than the story of how these two
brothers discharged all of the obligations of their deceased father and paid every
creditor in full. There is not much in life, in the last analysis, but to so live
thal things are just a little better for one’s having been here, hut there is much
in holding high the torch of honor. And this the Whitney brothers did with
fidelity and undying credit to themselves.”

The writer first met Mr. Whitney at the meeting of the Nebraska Orni-
thologists’ Union on May 7, 1915, at Omaha, although we had been in corres-
pondence for several years before this. Mr. Whitney became a member of the
Wilson Ornithological Club in 1916, and took an active part in the organization
of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union in 1923. He served as Vice-President of the
W. 0. C. from 1925 to 1928. During this time he took the initiative in formu-
lating plans for an endowment fund, and in securing the society’s incorporation.

Fie frequently contributed brief notes to the bird magazines, and his longest
paper was a report on his long-continued study of the Purple Martin, which was
published in the June number of the Wilson Bulletin, in 1925.

Mr. Whitney was a dignified and somewhat reserved gentleman, not aloof,
hut cordial and friendly. His enthusiasms were contagious, and attracted to
himself many friends who came to enjoy the same pursuits that he enjoyed. It
was probably largely through his leadership that his community maintains a
flourishing local bird study club. Among other diversions he was fond of music,
and was a leading spirit in his local Congregational Church. Only his friends
and acquaintances will fully realize the loss in his premature demise; while his
native modesty kept him in the background, his own sterling qualities made
friends at every point of contact. With the words of John G. Neihart we close
this obituary, as another begins:

“Let me go quickly, like a candle light
Snuffed out just at the heyday of its glow.

Give me high noon — and let it then be night!

Thus would I go.”

258

The Wison Bulletin — December, 1929

IN ME MORI AM : WALTHER FREDERICK HENNINGER

1873-1929

Rev. W. F. Henninger, former Treasurer and President of the Wilson Orni-
thological Club, died after a long illness on February 2, 1929, in Manchester,
Michigan. He was an indefatigable, painstaking, and observing ornithologist,
as well as mammalogist and entomologist.

Henninger was born on December 2, 1873, at Herman, Missouri. His parents
were Rev. Frederick Henninger and his wife, Mary, nee Eenz. The interesting

Necrology

259

natural surroundings of his early boyhood home laid the foundation for the

intense love of nature that characterized the man throughout his life. When the
boy was eleven years old, his mother took him to Europe to have him trained
at the schools maintained by the Moravian Brethren at Niesky, Saxony. After
seven years of study here, he returned to his native country and finished his
theological training in the Seminary of the Evangelical Church at St. Louis, Mo.

In 1894 he was ordained and took his first charge in Ohio, first at Jackson-
South Webster, later at Waverly; still later, in 1903, he went to Tiffin. In

1907 he was called to New Bremen, Ohio, where he remained until 1921. In
this year his church asked him to go to South America, to assist in the organi-
zation of a school in southern Brazil. He accepted this commission, and from
1922 to 1927 threw himself into this new and arduous work with his customary
energy. He gave instruction in Latin, Greek, and literature. But in spite of
this routine grind, he managed to collect about 800 birds, many large and small
mammals, and thousands of insects — all well prepared.

Due either to overwork or to climatic conditions Henninger contracted a

disease of the heart and kidneys, which brought him almost to the point of

death. But with excellent care and remarkable will-power he recovered suffi-
ciently to make a trip to Europe, to Bad Nauheirn in Germany, where the waters
have a peculiar regulating effect on the heart. After being pronounced cured
he returned to America in 1927. While sojourning with relatives at Tiffin,
Ohio, he received a call to the pastorate at Manchester, Michigan, which he
accepted. Shortly before his death he contracted influenza, an especially dan-
gerous infection for a person with a weak heart; but when apparently about to
recover he suffered two apoplectic strokes, which were fatal.

Henninger was Treasurer of the Wilson Ornithological Club from 1909 to
1914, and President in 1917. We have record of seventy-seven scientific papers
published by Henninger, of which forty-four appeared in the Wilson Bulletin,
twelve in the Auk, five in the Osprey, six in the Bulletin of the Michigan Orni-
thological Club, one in the Ohio Naturalist, and nine in foreign journal. Of
these forty-eight were brief notes, while the others were longer articles.

In the death of Rev. Henninger American natural history has lost a capable,
untiring, and gifted worker; his family, a kind and loving father; his church,
a sincere and eloquent servant ; his friends, a true and lovable friend, a per-
sonality so stimulating and invigorating that there will always be a void in their
lives because of his going. — C. W. G. Eifrig.

Professor Harris Miller Benedict was born at Buda, Illinois, on December
8, 1873, and died at Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 8, 1928, as, a result of an auto-
mobile accident. He attended Doane College and the University of Nebraska,
receiving at the latter institution the degree of B. S. in 1896, and M. S. in 1897.
He was given the degree of Ph. D. in 1914 by Cornell University. He was a
member of Phi Beta Kappa and of Sigma Xi, of the American Association, the
Botanical Society of America, the Ohio Academy of Science, and the Wilson
Ornithological Club. He is credited with having originated and developed the
Emery Bird Reserve of Cincinnati, the first municipal refuge of the kind. At
the time of his death he was professor of Botany in the University of Cincinnati.

260

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE

Life Histories of North American Shore Birds. Order Limicolae (Part 2).
By Arthur Cleveland Bent. Bull. 146, U. S. National Museum. Washington,
1929. Pp. i-ix+1-412. Pis. 66. Price, $1.00.

The eighth volume in this series is now before us. The format and plan of
treatment under each species follow the last preceding volume. The present
volume completes the account of the shore birds, including forty-two forms with
two subspecies of the Turnstone.

It seems to be a pity that these volumes are issued in such limited editions.

They are bound to be standard for some years to come, and yet the first four or

five volumes of the series are even now exhausted — so we are told by persons

who have been unsuccessful in securing them. When the Government goes to

the expense of publishing a work of this kind the edition ought to he large
enough to supply the demand longer than four or five years. The next volume
is to bp on the Raptores, and will more than likely be in greater demand than
any of the preceding ones. — T. C. S.

Development of Temperature Control in Nestlinc House Wrens. By S.
Charles Kendeigh and S. Prentiss Baldwin. Amer. Nat., Vol. LXII, May-
June, 1928, pp. 249-278.

In obtaining the temperatures of young birds the authors worked with a
specially devised thermocouple, supplemented with an ordinary mercury ther-
mometer. They found that the young wrens at the time of hatching were
poikilothermic, i. e., cold-blooded; and that by the time the young birds were
ready to leave the nest they had become homiothermic, i. e., warm-blooded. This
regulation of body temperature is attributed to four factors, viz., 1) body growth,
increase of body mass in higher ratio than external body surface, 2) development
of feather covering of body, 3) development of an “internal dissipating surface”
through the respiratory system, 4) the metabolic function of the organism. The
young bird passes from the cold-blooded to the warm-blooded condition during
the nestling period. “That this fact is of significance in the phylogeny of the
class is at once evident and suggests that the immediate pre-avian ancestors were
cold-blooded.”- — T. C. S.

Contribution to the Knowledge of the Avifauna of North-eastern Lab-
rador. By Bernhard Hantzsch. Translated by M. B. A. and R. M. Ander-
son, and published serially in the Canadian Field-Naturalist. 1928-1929.
These contributions by Hantzsch to arctic ornithology appeared originally in
1908 in the Journal fur Ornithologie, and have now been translated by Dr. and
Mrs. R. M. Anderson, and republished in eleven installments in the Canadian
Field-Naturalist. The eleven papers have also been combined under one cover
without change in pagination. Hantzsch seems to have been one of the rare in-
dividuals who are willing to undergo the most extreme hardships for the sake of
discovery. His work in north-eastern Labrador was done in 1906, and his report
gives notes on ninety-eight species. We notice that the Saxon Ornithological
Society recently published a sketch and portrait of Bernard Hantzsch {Mitt. d.
Verein sachsischen Ornithologen, Sonderheft to Bd. II, April, 1929, pp. 1-28).
We thank Dr. and Mrs. Anderson for a copy of the reprint. — T. C. S.

Ornithological Literature

261

A Study of the Food Habits of the Ring-neciced Pheasant in Colorado.
By W. L. Burnett.

Feeding Habits and Food of the Ring-necked Pheasant. By Asa C. Maxson.
Both papers in Circular 31, Colo. Agric. College, Fort Collins, 1921.

Mr. Burnett examined the stomach contents of 48 pheasants, 31 males, 15
females, and 2 unsexed young. Mr. Maxson examined the stomach contents of
11 adult males. The food items in the crop and gizzard are reported in detail.
Both investigations reach the conclusion that the pheasant is chiefly vegetarian,
and not a pronounced insect eater. The authors do not draw a conclusion as
to the economic value of this bird in a farming community, but leave that for
the reader. From the facts presented in these papers we would infer that the
Ring-necked Pheasant is of very doubtful economic value. — T. C. S.

Pterylography of Certain North American Woodpeckers. By William Henry
Burt. Univ. Calif. Publ. in Zool., Vol. 30, No. 15, pp. 427-442, 7 text figs.
Berkeley, 1929.

The author finds a great uniformity in feather distribution on North American
Woodpeckers. Excellent diagrams of the pterylography in the Pileated Wood-
peeked suffice for all twenty-three forms studied. Pterylosis does not seem to he
of much value in generic diagnosis, except in the genus Splryrapicus. This phase
of ornithology does not seem to have been overworked, and the paper has mor-
phological as well as taxonomic interest. — T. C. S.

The Avifauna of Emeryville Shellmound. By Hildegarde Howard. Univ.
Calif. Publ. in Zool., Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 301-394, pis. 1-4, 55 text figs. Berk-
eley, 1929.

The Emeryville Shellmound was of Indian origin, and was located on the east

coast of San Francisco Bay. When this mound was opened in 1924 bird bones

to the number of 6700 were collected in it. At least 46 species of birds were
identified from these remains, and all appear to he recent forms. Most of the
species were recognized as water birds. The age of the mound is not known,
but one authority estimated that its accumulation required possibly 1,000 years.
— ' T. C. S.

A Systematic Study of the Cooper Ornithological Club. By Harry S.
Swarth. San Francisco, 1929.

Mr. Swarth has presented in booklet form an excellent sketch of the history

of the Cooper Club, from 1893 to 1928, and preceded by a brief account of

general ornithological history in that region, llie abundance of pictures, groups,
and portraits, adds much to the interest and value of the text. We can assure
the author that his effort is appreciated widely. — i. C. S.

Bulletin of the Essex County Ornithological Club of Massachusetts. 1928.
Pp. 1-64. Apply to Ralph Lawson, Secretary, 88 Washington Square, Salem,
Mass. Price, 50 cents.

This publication was first issued in 1919, and has been issued annually
since, making ten in all. The 1928 number contains articles by Dr. C. W. Town-
send, on a Crow roost; by James L. Peters, on the molts and plumages of the
Starling. The remaining pages include five signed articles, six short notes, a

262

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

list of the birds seen by the Club during the year, and a list of members. A
compact volume of this sort makes a very satisfactory record of the year’s
activities, and is, no doubt, more permanent than the more frequent mimeo-
graphed, or printed, communications issued by other local societies. — T. C. S.

Second Bulletin of the International Committee for Bird Protection.

Compiled by T. Gilbert Pearson, Chairman. New York, 1929.

The second bulletin was issued in July of this year, the first one having been
issued in 1927. It appears that four meetings of this International Committee
have been held, the first three of which are considered informal, viz., London in
1922, Paris in 1923, and Luxembourg in 1925. The first formal meeting was held
in Geneva in 1928. This Bulletin includes the proceedings of the Geneva meet-
ing and the papers (in full or abstract) of thirteen of the delegates from various
countries. We are interested in the statement by Dr. Hj. Broch, of Norway, that
in northern countries, where it takes longer to raise a crop or repair damage,
the insect-destroying habit of birds becomes especially important.

The United States personnel of the Committee includes two from Washing-
ton, D. C., one from Boston, six from New York City, and one from elsewhere
in New Vork. These members represent two ornithological societies, two sports-
man’s clubs, and the Audubon Association. The possibilities for bird protection
through an international organization are very great, and it would seem that a
secure foundation has been laid. — T. C. S.

The Summer Birds of Lake Nipigon. By L. L. Snyder. Trans. Royal Canad.

Inst., Vol. XVI, Part 2, pp. 251-277, 1928. Reprinted from the Royal Ontario

Museum of Zoology.

The Summer Birds of Lake Aritirl By L. L. Snyder. Univ. of Toronto

Studies, Biol. Series, No. 32, pp. 17-34. 1928. Reprinted for the Royal

Ontario Museum of Zoology.

The Nipigon paper is based upon two summers (June and July, 1923, and
June, July, and early August, 1924) spent in the region by the author, and
some notes from Dr. Walter Koelz, who was in the region in the summer of
1922. This list includes 99 species or subspecies, 92 of which were verified by
specimens taken.

The Abitibi paper is based upon field work from June 1 to August 3, 1925
(we infer the year from other papers in the report). This list includes 102
species, of which 85 were collected. At Abitibi the Water-Thrush (S. n. nove-
boracensis) was found, while at Nipigon the only Water-Thrush found was
Grinnell’s (S. n. notabilis) . The House Wren ('/’. ae. aet/on) was fairly common
at Abitibi, but was not found at Nipigon; at the latter place a single pair of
Western House Wrens ( T. ae. par km am) . At Abitibi the Red-winged Blackbird
was A. p. phoeniceus, while at Nipigon it was identified as A. p. fords. The dis-
tance between the two lakes is roughly 400 miles east and west. As might be
expected the warblers make a good showing in both of these lists.— T. C. S.

Ornithological Literature

263

The European Starling in the United States. By E. R. Kalmbach. U. S.
Department of Agriculture Farmers’ Bulletin No. 1571. Pp. 1-26, Figs. 1-8.
Price, 5 cents.

J his bulletin deals chiefly with the life history and economic relations of the
Starling. I he author’s conclusion is that the species is distinctly beneficial, but
that its habit of congregating in large flocks tends to magnify such bad habits
as it may have. Notwithstanding this judicial verdict the report gives evidence
of damage done by this bird to several fruits — apples, cherries, grapes, peaches,
and pears. No matter what facts in favor of the bird may be hatched up, its
presence in this country is probably generally conceded to be a mistake. — T. C. S.

The Spread of the European Starling in North America (to 1928). By
May Thacher Cooke. U. S. Department of Agriculture Circular No. 40.
Pp. 1-9, 1 map, 1 colored plate. Issued, November, 1928. Price, 5 cents.

This circular treats especially of the extension of range in the United States,
with a brief account of Old World distribution, introduction into America, etc.
The colored plate, from a painting by E. R. Kalmbach, shows the adult birds in
the spring and fall, and the immature bird. The wide distribution of this cir-
cular will help materially to secure early reports of the species as it reaches new
localities. The bird is spreading with astonishing rapidity, and a new range has
been established before a bulletin can be prepared and published. — T. C. S.

Gourds for Bird Houses and Other Purposes. By W. L. McAtee and J. H.
Beattie. U. S. Dept, of Agric. Leaflet No. 36. Pp. 1-4, Figs. 1-2.

Kinds of gourds, method of cultivation, use as bird houses, are the topics
discussed. — T. C. S.

A Travelocue of Birds. By E. Laurence Palmer. Cornell Rural School Leaflet,
XXII, No. 4, March, 1929. Pp. 1-40, Figs. 1-22.

The story of migration is told for the school children. J lie thirty-two out-
line drawings of common birds will interest teachers, and a wealth of information
is tabulated concerning the same list of birds. This is another educational pam-
phlet which will have a wide circulation in the state which publishes it. — 4 . C. S.

Summer Birds of an Iowa Farm. By J. E. Guthrie. Extension Service Bulletin
No. 142, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa. February, 1928.

We missed this pamphlet at the time of its publication. The purpose of the
bulletin is to disseminate information about the economic value of birds in an
agricultural state. Every effort of this kind must help to awaken a wider interest
in bird life. Enough evidence has by this time been gathered to convince nearly
everyone that birds, on the whole, are far more useful than harmful. However,
there are plenty of people who have not had a chance to examine the evidence.
The bulletin contains paragraph descriptions of fifty common birds of the prairie
region. Some day Iowa may want to have an unabridged treatise on its birds.
— T. C. S.

There comes to our desk regularly a neat little magazine called the Oologists
Record, edited by Mr. K. L. Skinner. It deals especially with the nesting of

264

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

birds in all parts of the world. The price of the Record is $1.25 in U. S. money,
but Mr. Skinner states in correspondence that he will be glad to accept one
dollar from any W. 0. C. member in payment for a year’s subscription, and that
this may be sent in the form of a “greenback.” (Mr. K. L. Skinner, Brooklands
Estate Office, Weybridge, England).

The Florida Naturalist now continues the “Florida Audubon Bulletin,” and
we have before us the July, 1929, number edited by R. J. Longstreet. This
number contains articles by D. J. Nicholson, Charles J. Pennock, Charles J.
Maynard, R. C. Hallman, S. A. Grimes, B. 0. Crichlow, and W. M. Buswell. We
are sorry not to have seen this magazine sooner. It is well edited, well printed,
and contains numerous articles of general interest.

We are glad to examine the first three issues of a new publication called
“The Wren-Tit,” a four-page Bulletin of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society,
edited by Dr. Gayle B. Pickwell, of State Teachers College, San Jose, California.
In general this leaflet is similar to the Gull, and the Kentucky Warbler, both of
which, we believe, have been temporarily suspended. The subscription price is
twenty cents per year.

The Indiana Audubon Bulletin for 1928-29 has just been issued, and, like
its predecessors, is full of interesting reading. This number contains articles by
Dr. Amos W. Butler, S. E. Perkins III, Sidney R. Esten, and several others. The
corresponding publications of Indiana, Illinois, Florida, and perhaps a few other
states, have adopted a very similar size, which seems to establish a convenient
standard.

The Audubon Annual Bulletin (of the Illinois Audubon Society) for 1928
was received, in April. It contains a variety of prose and poetry. Among the
articles we may mention a sketch of Louis Agassiz Fuertes, by Dr. W. H. Osgood;
“The Pine Warbler’s Song,” by Chresswell J. Hunt; and account of the A. 0. U.
meeting at Charleston, by Ruthven Deane; and a very interesting observation of
a pair of House Wrens in the act of destroying an entire brood of nestling
Bewick’s Wrens. It is planned hereafter to issue this publication as an annual
bulletin supplemented by quarterly leaflets.

The Cornell Rural School Leaflet for March, 1929, is devoted to the subject
of bird migration. These leaflets are written especially for the use of the schools
of New York. A mass of interesting information concerning thirty-two of the
commonest species is tabulated at the end of the pamphlet. Dr. E. Laurence
Palmer, the Editor, is producing a most useful source book of ornithological
and nature facts in this series of leaflets.

Index

265

INDEX FOR VOLUME XLI, 1929

Compiled by R. D. Hissong

Abbott, Cyril E., Birds in Western Texas, 44-45
Allert, Oscar P., An Unusual Nesting Site of the Dickcissel, 46
Anderson, Edwin C., New Cliff Swallow Colonies in South Dakota, 251
Bailey, Alfred M., Bird Casualties, 106-107

Bird Photography, 47-50, 108-109, 107-198

A Hybrid Canada Goose, 107

Bailey, Harold H., Status of Certain East Coast Red-wing Blackbirds, 192-193
Baldwin, S. Prentiss, Communication Concerning Mating of Birds, 62
Ball, William H., Some Notes from South Carolina, 190

Bennett, Walter W., Nesting of the Pine Siskin in Iowa with Remarks on Re-
gurgitative Feeding, 74-77.

Black, J. D., The Bald Eagle in Arkansas, 41

Nesting of the Purple Finch in Arkansas, 190-191

Blincoe, Ben J., Some Shorebird Records for the Miami Valley, Ohio, 29-31
Bryens, O. M., The Starling Nesting in Luce County, Michigan, 104-105

Additional Records of the Starling in Michigan, 245

Burns, Frank L., The Mechanical Execution of Wilson's “American Ornithology,”
19-23

Cahn, Alvin R., Easter Birds of Little Egypt, 31-38

European Starling at Urbana, Illinois, 244

Christy, Bayard H., The Hudsonian Chickadee in Michigan, 42
Cottom, Clarence, The Fecundity of the English Sparrow in Utah, 193-194
Dales, Mrs. Marie, The Nesting of the Pine Siskin in Iowa with Remarks on
Regurgitative Feeding, 74-77

Danner, May S., The Snowy Egret in Stark County, Ohio, 246
Doolittle, E. A., A Hybrid Field-Vesper Sparrow, 41

Elenslow’s Sparrow in; a City Yard, 102

Unusual Nesting of the Barn Swallow, 102

Dumont, Philip A., Holboell's Grebe in Iowa in June, 191

European Starling at Des Moines, Iowa, 244

Occurrence of the Russet-backed Thrush in Iowa, 252

Earl, Thomas M., On the Scent of Vultures, 103
Eastwood, Sidney, A Freak Junco, 102

Everett, Edward A., Trapping Juncos and White-throats, 41

Fargo, William G., The Florida Cormorant as Observed in Pinellas County,
Florida, 228-235

Ford, Edward R., The Starling in Michigan, 244

Fortner, Harry C., Additions to the List of Birds of the Douglas Lake Region, 249
Foster, W. H., Communication Concerning Heath Lien, 107

Gander, Frank F., Notes on Bird Mimicry with Special Reference to the Mock-
ingbird, 93-95

Ganier, Albert F„ Some Unusual Water Bird Visitors to Tennessee, 96-100

Gromme, Owen J., In Search of the Loon with Movie Camera, 203-207

Gross, Alfred O., The Heath Hen Census for 1929, 67-71

Harper, Francis, Spring Bird Notes from Randolph County, Georgia, 235-240

Heath Hen Committee, Communication Concerning the Heath Hen, 63-64

Hicks, Lawrence E., Some Interesting Ohio Records, 43-44

Hoffman, E. C., Communication Concerning European Starling, 62

Nesting of the Sparrow Hawk, 194-196

Holt, Ernest G., In the Haunts of the. Wood Ibis, 3-18

Hyde, A. Sidney, Easter Birds of Little Egypt, 31-38

Koelz, Walter. On a Collection of Gyrfalcons from Greenland, 207-218

Komarek, E. V., Strangulation of Gulls, 41

Bird Casualties on the Highways, 106

Law, .1. Euaene, A Query About a Nest Habit of the Pine Siskin, 192
Lloyd, E. K., Nesting of the European Starling in Butler County, Ohio, 244

266

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Metcalf, Z. P., Additions to the List of Birds of the Douglas Lake Region, 249
Nauman, E. D., The Raptor’s Mistake, 252
Necrology, Rev. W. F. Henninger, 64f 258-259

Robert Ridgway, 253-255

Thomas Hayes Whitney, 256-257

Prof. Harris Miller Benedict, 254

Nice, Margaret M., Some Cowbird Experiences in Columbus, Ohio, 42
Nicholson, Donald .)., Nesting of the Yellow-throated Warbler in Volusia County,
Florida, 45-46

Peculiar Suspiciousness of Nesting Southern Meadowlarks, 104

Black Snakes as Bird Killers, 190

The Breeding Range of the Black-necked Stilt, 248

Ornithological Literature

Audubon Annual Bulletin, (Illinois), 264

Bailey, Florence M., Birds of New Mexico, 111

Bulletin of the Essex County Ornithological Club of Massachusetts,

1928, 261

Burnett, W. L., A Study ol the Food Habits of the Ring-necked Pheasant

in Colorado, 261

Burt, William Henry, Pterylography of Certain North American Wood-
peckers, 256

— Cooke, May Thacher, The Spread ol the European Starling in North
America, 263

Cornell Rural School Leaflet, 264

Florida Naturalist, 263

Guthrie, J. E., Summer Birds of an Iowa Farm, 263

-Hantzsch, Bernard, Contribution to the Knowledge of the Avifauna of

Northeastern Labrador, 260

Howard, Hildegarde, The Avifauna of Emeryville Shellmound, 261

Indiana Audubon Bulletin for 1928-29, 264

Kalmbach, E. R., The European Starling in the United States, 262

Kendeigh and Baldwin, Development of Temperature Control in Nesting

House Wrens, 260

-Lincoln, Frederick C., What Constitutes a Record, 113

McAtee and Beattie, Gourds for Bird Houses and Other Purposes, 263

— Maxson, Asa C., Feeding Habits and Food of the Ring-necked Pheasant.
261

Oologist’s Record, 263

Palmer, E. Laurence, A Travelogue of Birds, 263

Pearson, T. Gilbert, Second Bulletin of the International Committee for

Bird Protection, 262

Riley, J. H„ A Review of the Birds of the Islands of Siberut and Sipora,

Mentawi Group, 114

Schantz, O. M., Birds of Illinois, 114

— Skinner and Achorn, A Guide to the Winter Birds of the North Carolina
Sandhills, 112

— Slevin, Joseph R., A Contribution to Our Knowledge of the Nesting
Habits of the Golden Eagle, 115

-Snyder. L. L., The Summer Birds of Lake Nipigon, 262

The Summer birds of Lake Abitibi, 262

— Swarth, Harry S., A New Bird Family from the Galapagos Islands, 115

A Systematic Study of the Cooper Ornithological Club, 261

Taverner, P. A., Birds of Western Canada, 113

Wren-Tit, 264

Perkins, Samuel E., Communication Concerning Mating of Birds, 63
Proceedings of the Joint Meeting of the N. 0. U. and 1. O. U. at Sioux City,
199-200

Proceedings of the Wilson Ornithological Club, 51-61

Reid, Russel, Nesting of the Pine Siskin in North Dakota, 72-74

Index

267

Roads, Katie M., The Return of the House Wren, 103

The Starling at Hillsboro, Ohio, 245

An Early Nesting of the Killdeer, 246

Roberts, F. L. R. and Mary Price, White Pelican at Spirit Lake, Iowa, 190

Rosen, W. M., Another Snowy Owl Record from Iowa, 102

Spiker, Charles J., The Hungarian Partridge in Northwest Iowa, 24-29

The Starling at New Hampton, Iowa, 244

Stephens, T. C., Editorial Concerning Wood Ibis Color Plate, 39

Concerning Bird Protection and South Dakota’s Experience with Rodents,

39

Concerning Private Collections of Mounted Birds, 101

Concerning Harris’s Sparrow Colored Plate, 186

— Concerning Pheasant Planting Fostered by Arms and Ammunition
Makers, 187

Concerning a Crisis in Conservation, 188-189

Concerning the Ten “Best” Bird Books, 241-242

Stevens, O. A., Harris’s Sparrow and the Study of It by Trapping, 129-177
Stewart, Paul A., A Foot Disease of the Chipping Sparrow in Eastern Ohio, 250
Sutton, George Miksch, Tactics of the Domestic Pigeon in Evading the Duck
Hawk, 41-42

Does the Great Horned Owl Have a Poor Memory? 247

Swenk, Myron H., The Pine Siskin in Nebraska in 1928-29, 246-247

The Pine Siskin in Nebraska: Its Seasonal Abundance and Netsing,

77-92

Harris’s Sparrow and the Study of It by Trapping, 129-177

Taylor, Mrs. H. J., Dr. Elliot Coues — A Sketch, 219-228
Thomas, O. S., The Snowy Owl in Northwestern Iowa, 102

Walkinshaw, Lawrence, The Black Tern Nesting in Calhoun County, Michigan, 102
Wilson, Gordon, Bird Life of a Transient Lake in Kentucky, 177-185
Youngworth, William, A City Robin Roost, 105-106

The Lazuli Bunting in Iowa, 190

Ten Minutes with a Kingbird, 196

■ The Turkey Vulture in Iowa, 246

Acanthis hornemanni, 217
1. linaria, 249
linaria rostrata, 217
Accipiter cooperi, 36
Actitis macularia, 36, 178, 184
Aegialitis meloda, 31

semipalmata, 184, 249
Agelaius bryanti, 193
floridanus, 193
phoenicius, 185, 193, 262
p. arctolegus, 37
p. fortis, 262
Aix sponsa, 178, 182
Albatross, Black-footed, 106
Ammodramus savannarum, 37
Amphispiza bilineata deserticola, 45
Anas platyrhynchos, 181
rubripes, 181
Anhinga, 234

Anser albifrons gambeli, 36
Anthus rubescens, 185

Antrostomus vociferus, 37
Archilocus colubris, 37
Ardea herodias, 36, 178, 182
Astragalinus psaltria, 45, 192
tristis, 37

Auriparus flaviceps, 45
Baeolophus bicolor, 240
Banding, 53, 54, 166, 51
Bartramia longicauda, 36
Bird Artists, 56-57
Casualties, 106

Photography, 47-50, 52, 107. 197
Protection, 39, 262
Bittern, 113, 182
American, 197
Least, 197, 249
Blackbird, 151

Red-winged, 36, 37, 185, 192, 245,
262

Rusty, 106, 237
Bluebird, 35. 38, 106, 240
Bobolink, 35, 37

268

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Bob-white, 24, 25, 29, 34, 95, 106, 187,
235

Bombycilla cedrorum, 37, 237
Books, Ten Best Bird, 241-2
Botaurus lentiginosus, 182
Branta canadensis, 180, 182
Bubo virginianus, 247
Bunting, Indigo, 36, 37, 42, 190
Lazuli, 190
Butcherbird, 238
Buteo borealis, 36, 252
lineatus, 36
platypterus, 36

Butorides virescens, 36, 178, 183
Buzzard, Turkey, 234
Callipepla squamata, 44
Calyptomena viridis continentis, 114
v. siberu, 114
Canvas-backs, 177, 182
Cardinal, 34, 35, 37, 45, 95, 199, 237,
250

Cardinalis cardinalis, 37, 45, 95, 237
Carpodacus mexicanus, 192
purpureus, 191
Catbird, 34, 38, 62, 106
Cathartes aura septentrionalis, 36, 44,
235, 246

Catopthrophorus semipalmatus, 30
Centurus carolinus, 44, 236
Cerchneis sparveria, 36, 194
Certhia familiaris americana, 38
Ceryle alcyon, 36, 236
Chaemepelia passerina pallescens, 44
Chaetura pelagica, 37
Chat, Yellow-breasted, 34, 38
Chen caerulescens, 97
hyperborea, 97
Chewink, 237
Chickadee, 103

Black-capped, 42, 103
Carolina, 34, 38, 240
Hudsonian, 42

Chlidonias nigra surinamensis, 180
Circus hudsonius, 36, 236
Clangula c. americana, 249
Colaptes auratus, 236
a. luteus, 37

Colinus virginianus, 36, 95, 235
Colymbus auritus, 249
Colymbus holboelli, 191
Compsothlypis americana, 238
a. usneae, 38, 250
Coot, 177, 183, 197
Coragyps urubu, 36, 44, 236
Cormorant, Double-crested, 181
Florida, 6, 8, 228-235
Corvus brachyrhynchos, 37, 236
ossifragus, 233

Coturnicops noveboracensis, 43

Coues, Elliot, A Sketch, 219-228
Cowbird, 34, 37, 42, 76, 82, 106, 110,
112, 192

Creciscus jamaicensis, 43
Creeper, Brown, 34, 38, 52, 53
Crocethia alba, 30
Crow, 34, 37, 53, 151, 236
Fish, 233, 234
Florida, 14

Cyanocitta cristata, 37, 236
DaHla acuta tzitzihoa, 181
Dendroica aestiva, 38
caerulescens, 38
coronata, 38, 238
discolor, 38
dominica, 238
fusca, 38
magnolia, 38
palm arum, 38, 238
vigorsi, 238
virens, 38

Dickcissel, 35, 37, 45
Diomedia nigripes, 106
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 37
Dove, Mexican Ground, 44

Mourning, 34, 36, 1,06, 185, 235
White-winged, 44
Dowitcher, 30

Dryobates puhescens medianus, 37
p. puhescens, 236
villosus auduboni, 236
v. villosus, 37
Duck, 179

Black, 177, 181
Ruddy, 182
Scaup, 35, 36
Wood, 178, 182
Golden-eye, 249
Dumetella carolinensis, 38
Eagle, Bald, 41, 190
Golden, 115

Fctopistes migratorius, 178
Egret, 234

American, 16, 45, 98, 231
Snowy, 16, 231, 245
Egretta candidissima, 245
Empidonax fiaviventris, 249
Empidonax minimus, 37
Ereunetes pusillus, 184, 249
Erismatura jamaicensis, 182
Falco c. columbarius, 249
Ealco candicans, 53

peregrinus anatum, 190
rusticolus, 208, 217
r. alascanus, 208
r. candicans, 208, 217
r. islandus, 208
r. obsoletus, 53, 208, 213
r. uralensis, 208

Index

269

Finch, Harris’s, 130
House, 148, 19 2
Mourning, 130
Purple, 190

Flicker, 36, 42, 53, 104, 195, 236, 244,
245

Northern, 37, 106
Florida caerulea, 182
Flycatcher, Crested, 34, 35, 37
Least, 34, 37
Scissor-tailed, 44
Vermilion, 45
Yellow-bellied, 249
Fringilla comata, 130
harrissii, 130
querula, 130
Fulica americana, 183
Gallinago delicata, 183
Gallinula chloropus cachinnans, 190,
249

Gallinule, Florida, 190, 249
Purple, 43
Gavia immer, 203
Geococcyx californicus, 44
Geothlypis trichas, 38, 42
t. ignota, 238

Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 35, 38, 45, 240
Goldfinch, 34, 37
Arkansas, 192
Western, 45
Goose, Blue, 97, 98

Canada, 98, 107, 180, 182
Snow, 97, 98
White-fronted, 35, 36
Goshawk, 42
Grackle, 53

Bronzed, 85, 106, 185
Grebe, Holboell’s, 191
Horned, 249

Pied-billed, 35, 36, 178, 180, 197,
198

Grosbeak, Black-headed, 95
Grouse, Ruffed, 20, 28, 53, 115
Guiraca caerulea lazula, 45
Gull, 230

Herring, 96, 180
Laughing, 6
Ring-billed, 41
Gyrfalcons, 53, 207-218
Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 41
Hawk, Broad-winged, 35, 36
Cooper’s, 34, 36
Duck, 41, 53, 190
Marsh, 35, 36, 236
Pigeon, 249
Red-shouldered, 35, 36
Red-tailed, 26, 34, 36, 252
Sparrow, 36, 194-196
Hedymeles ludovicianus, 37
Heleodytes brunneicapillus couesi, 45

Helodromas solitarius, 184
Hen, Heath, 63, 67-71, 107
Prairie, 43
Herodias egretta, 98
Heron, 234, 235

Black-crowned Night, 10, 54, 231
Great Blue, 36, 54, 178, 182, 199
Great White, 6, 12
Green, 35, 36, 178, 183
Little! Blue, 10, 16, 98, 182, 231
Louisiana, 10, 16, 231
Snowy, 16, 231
Ward’s, 6, 12, 16, 231
Himantopus mexicanus, 248
Hirundo erythrogaster, 37, 185
Hummingbird, Ruby-throated, 36, 37
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, 102.
249

Hylocichla guttata pallasi, 38, 240
mustelina, 38

Hylocichla u. ustulata, 252
Hypothymis azurea amelis, 114
a. consobrina, 114
a. isocara, 1 14
a. ponera, 114
a. leucophila, 114
a. richmondi, 114
Ibis, White, 231
Wood, 3-18, 98
Icteria virens, 38
Icterus galbula, 37
spurius, 37, 236
Ictinia mississippiensis, 36
Ionornis martinicus, 43
Iridoprocne bicolor, 37
Ixobrychus exilis, 249
.lay, Blue, 34, 35, 37, 42, 53, 112, 194,
195

Florida Blue, 190, 236
Junco, 34, 37, 144, 145, 156, 173
Junco hyemalis, 37, 102

Slate-colored, 41, 102, 151
Kill deer, 30, 31, 35, 36, 44, 108, 178,
184, 246

Kingbird, 36, 37, 106, 195, 196, 236
Arkansas, 44
Kingfisher, 36, 236
Kinglet, Golden-crowned, 38, 42
Ruby-crowned, 38. 42, 240
Kite, Mississippi, 36
Lagopus rupestris, 218
Lanius ludovicianus, 237
1. migrans, 37
Lanivireo flavifrons, 37, 238
Lark, Prairie Horned, 35, 37
Larus argentatus, 96, 180
delawarensis, 41
Lobipes lobatus, 29
Loon, 203-207

270

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Lophortyx californicus vallicola, 95
Loricuius galgulus lamprochlorus, 115
Loxia leucoptera, 249
Macrorhamphus lymnodromus griseus,
30

Mallard, 177, 181
Marila affinis, 36
valisineria, 182

Martin, Purple, 36, 37, 104, 237, 257
Mating, 62-63

Meadowlark, 35, 37, 42, 106
Southern, 104, 236

Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 37, 94, 236
Melopelia asiatica, 44
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, 178
Melospiza georgiana, 37
melodia cooperi, 95
m. melodia, 37
Membership Roll, 116-128
Merganser, 181, 230

Red-breasted, 192, 230
Mergus americanus, 181
M icropalama himantopus, 30, 43
Migration, 52, 54, 149
M imus polyglottos leucopterus, 45
p. polyglottos, 38, 93, 238
Mniotilta varia, 38, 238
Mocker, French, 238
Mockingbird, 36, 38, 53, 93-95, 112, 238
Western, 45

Molothrus ater, 37, 42, 110
bonariensis, 110
rufo-axillaris, 110
Motacilla, 238
Muscivora forficata, 44
Mycteria americana, 10, 98
Myiarchus crinitus, 37
Myiochanes virens, 37, 236
Nettion carolinense, 181
Nuthatch, Brown-headed, 239
Florida White-breasted, 239
White-breasted, 34, 38
Nyctea nyctea, 102
Oidemia deglandi, 98
Olor columbianus, 97
Oporornis agilis, 250
Oporornis formosus, 38
Oriole, Baltimore, 36, 37
Orchard, 35, 37, 236
Osprey, 184

Otocoris alpestris praticola, 37
Otus asio asio, 36
Ouzel, Water, 52
Owl. Barred, 34, 36
Florida Barred, 236
Great Horned, 247
Screech, 34, 36, 53, 106, 195
Snowy, 102

Oxychus vociferus, 36, 44, 178, 184,
246

Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, 184
Partridge, Hungarian, 24-29, 187
Parus bicolor, 38
Passer domesticus, 193, 237
Passerculus sandwichensis savanna, 185
Passerherbulus henslowi, 185
Passerina amoena, 190
cyanea, 37, 190

Pelecanus erylhrorhynchos, 96, 190
Pelican, 6, 234, 235
Brown, 10, 230, 231
White, 96, 190, 235
Pelidna alpina sakhalina, 30
Penthestes atricapillus, 42
carolinensis, 38, 240
hudsonicus, 42
Perdix perdix, 24
Petrochelidon 1. lunifrons, 251
Peucaea aestivalis, 37
a. bachmani, 237
Pewee, Wood. 34, 37, 236
Phalacrocorax auritus, 181
a. floridanus, 228
Phalarope, Northern, 29
Pheasant, Ring-necked, 24, 25, 28, 106,
115, 187,' 261
Philohela minor, 106
Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola, 37
Phoebe, 36, 37, 102
Pigeon, Domestic, 41
Passenger, 178
Pintail, 177, 181
Pipilo erythropthalmus, 37, 237
Pipit, 178, 185
Sprague’s, 113
Piranga erythromelas, 37
rubra, 37, 237
Pisobia maculata, 183
minutilla, 183, 249
Planesticus migratorius, 38, 105
Plover, Golden, 31, 43
Piping, 31

Semipalmated, 31, 184, 249
Upland, 36

Pluvialis dominica, 31
Podilymbus podiceps, 36, 178, 180
Polioptila caerulea, 38, 240
Pooecetes gramineus, 37, 237
Porzana Carolina, 36, 183, 249
Prairie chicken, 28

Proceedings of the Wilson Ornithr logi-
cal Club, 51-61
Progne subis, 37, 237
Protonotaria citrea, 38
Ptarmigan, 218

Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus, 45

Index

271

Quail, 36

Scaled, 44
Valley, 65

Querquedula discors, 181
Quiscalus quiscula aeneus, 185
Rail, Black, 43

King, 177, 183, 197
Virginia, 35, 36, 197
Yellow, 43
Rail us elegans, 183
virginianus, 36
Redpoll, 217, 249
Redstart, 38
Regulus satrapa, 38, 42
calendula, 38, 42, 240
Rhynchodon peregrin us anatum, 41
Riparia riparia, 37
Road-runner, 44
Robin, 35, 38, 42, 105, 195
Rynchops nigra, 100
Sanderling, 30

Sandpiper, Least, 178, 183, 184, 249
Pectoral, 30, 183, 184
Red-backed, 30
Semi palm ated, 30, 184, 249
Solitary, 35, 36. 177, 184
Spotted. 31, 35, 36, 178, 184
Stilt, 30, 43

Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 37, 236
Sayornis phoebe, 37
Scoter, White-winged, 98
Seiurus motacilla, 185, 238

noveboracensis, 38, 250, 262
n. notabilis, 262
Setophaga, ruticilla, 38
Shrike, Loggerhead, 237
Migrant, 36, 37
Sialia sialis, 38, 240
Siskin, Pine, 72-92, 191, 192, 246-247
Sitta carolinensis atkinsi, 239
c. carolinensis, 38
pusilla, 239
Skimmer, Black, 100
Snakes, 190
Snipe, Wilson’s, 183
Sora, 35, 36, 53, 113, 183, 197, 249
Sparrows, Bachman’s, 37, 237

Chipping, 35, 37, 191, 237, 250
Desert, 45

English, 24, 106, 112, 193, 195, 236
Field, 35, 37, 41, 42, 237
Fox, 357

Gambel’s, 146, 148, 156, 161
Golden-crowned, 148, 156
Grasshopper, 35, 37
Harris’s, 52, 53, 129-177, 186
Henslow’s, 102, 185
House, 237
Nuttall’s, 148

San Diego, 95
Savannah, 185

Song, 34, 37, 42, 95, 144, 148, 151,
157, 162
Swamp, 37

Tree, 145, 156, 157, 159, 173
Vesper, 35, 37, 41, 237
White-crowned, 34, 37, 143, 144,
145, 156, 161

White-throated, 34, 37, 41, 112, 132,
143, 144, 156, 159, 161, 237
Sphyrapicus varius, 37, 236
Spinus pinus, 72, 74, 191
Spiza americana, 37, 45
Spizella passerina, 37, 191, 237, 250
pusilla, 37, 237
Spoonbill, Roseate, 14, 18
Starling, European, 24, 62, 104, 244,
245, 261, 262, 263
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 37
Sterna caspia, 99, 180
fuscata, 99
hirundo, 181
Stilt, Black-necked, 247
Stork, 14

Strix varia varia, 36
v. alleni, 236
Sturnella magna, 37

m. argutula, 104, 236
Sturnus vulgaris, 104, 243, 244
Swallow, Bank, 36, 37

Barn, 36, 37, 52, 102, 185
Cliff, 251

Rough-winged, 36, 37
Tree, 37, 105
Swan, Whistling, 97
Swift, Chimney, 36, 37
Tanager, Scarlet, 34, 37
Summer, 34, 37, 237
Teal, Green-winged, 177, 181
Blue-winged, 177, 181
Telmatodytes p. palustris, 250
Tern, 230

Black, 54, 102, 177, 180, 249
Caspian, 99, 177, 180
Common, 51, 181
Royal, 6
Sooty, 99

Thrasher, Brown, 34, 38, 239
California, 95

Thrush, Hermit, 34, 38, 240
Russet-backed, 252
Wood, 34, 35, 38
Thryomanes bewicki, 38, 103
b. cryptus, 45

Thryothorus ludovicianus, 38, 239
Titmouse, Tufted, 34, 35, 38, 240
Totanus flavipes, 184
melanoleucus, 184
Towhee, 34, 37, 62, 237
White-eyed, 190

272

The Wilson Bulletin — December, 1929

Toxostoma redivivum, 95
rufum, 38, 239
Tringa solitaria, 36
Troglodytes aedon, 38, 103, 262
ae. parkmani, 262
Turkey, Wild, 112, 178
Tympanuchus americanus, 43
Tyrannus tyrannus, 37, 196, 236
Verdin, 45

Vermivora celata, 190
pinus, 38
Vireo, Bell’s, 54

griseus, 38, 238
Red-eyed, 34, 35, 37
Warbling, 37
White-eyed, 34, 38, 238
Yellow-throated, 34, 35, 37, 238
Vireosylva gilva, 37
olivacea, 37

Vulture, Black, 36, 44, 112, 234, 326
Turkey, 14, 34, 36, 44, 103, 112,

235, 246

Wagtail, European, 238
Water-thrush, 38, 52, 250
Northern, 52

Louisiana, 52, 185, 238, 262
Water-turkey, 10
Waxwing, Cedar, 34, 36, 37, 237
Whip-poor-will, 34, 37
White-winged Crossbill, 249
Willet, 30

Wilsonia citrina, 238
Woodcock, 106

Woodpecker, Downy, 34, 37, 103, 244
Hairy, 34, 37
Pileated, 34, 37, 261
Red-bellied, 34, 44, 236
Red-headed, 34, 35, 37, 94, 106,

236, 244

Southern Downy, 236
Southern Hairy, 236

Wren, Bewick’s, 36, 38, 103, 264
Cactus, 45

Carolina, 33, 34, 35, 38, 239, 255
Eastern House, 103
House, 36, 38, 51, 62, 196, 260, 262
Long-billed Marsh, 250
Short-billed Marsh, 250
Texas Bewick’s, 45
Western House, 262
Warblers, Black and White, 34, 38, 238
Blackburnian, 34, 38
Black-throated Blue, 34
Black-throated Green, 34, 38
Blue-winged, 34, 38, 44
Brewster’s, 44
Cairn’s, 52
Connecticut, 250
Golden-winged, 44
Hooded, 238
Kentucky, 38
Lawrence’s, 43
Magnolia, 34, 35, 38
Myrtle, 34, 38, 238
Northern Panda, 38, 250
Orange-crowned, 190
Palm, 18, 34, 38, 238
Parula, 34, 35, 45, 238
Pine, 264
Prairie, 34, 38
Prothonotary, 35, 38, 45
Yellow, 38

Yellow-throated, 45, 238
Yellow-legs, 30
Greater, 184
Lesser, 177, 178. 184
Yellow-throat, Florida, 238
Maryland, 36, 38, 42
Zamelodia melanocephala, 95
Zenaidura macroura carolinensis, 36,
185, 235

Zonotrichia albicollis, 37, 237
leucophrys, 37
querula, 129-177

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At this time the program of the Des Moines meeting is not
complete, but we are assured of one of the best in our his-
tory. We can only mention a few of the pictorial features
already promised. Mr. Stoddard’s .wonderful movie reels of
Florida birds are on the list. These were shown two years
ago at the Nashville meeting, and nothing better exists. The
exciting movie pictures of the Loon in its wild habitat, as
described by Mr. Gromme in this issue, will also be shown.
Mr. W. F. Kubichek will show some new slides and movies of
water birds. Mr. W. W. Bennett will show colored slides and
some new movies, the latter including the Ruby-throated Hum-
mingbird and the Pine Siskin. Dr. Jones and Mr. Ganier also
have illustrated papers. We are also sure of other movies
and lantern slide papers from authors who have not yet given
us the final word. There will be numerous other papers,
whether illustrated or not, to fill two days and evenings. You
are invited to attend.

Mr. George Miksch Sutton is now on Southampton Island,
Canada. The Broadcasting Station KDKA broadcasts to the
far north twice a month. Messages for Mr. Sutton may be
sent through this Station, and should be sent to KDKA, Pitts-
burgh, Pa., addressed to Mr. Sutton. His friends are invited
to send some word to him through the long winter.

The Editor wishes a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year to all readers of the Wilson Bulletin. The past year
has been a happy and fairly prosperous one for the Bulletin.
We are all much indebted to our Treasurer for his splendid
work in keeping our funds in excellent condition, and our
debts paid up. The Editor is appointed each year by the
officers. He should not be appointed for a longer term, lest
he cease to reflect the will of his organization. This year
closes the fifth for the present Editor. Careful attention should
be given this year in the selection of the Editor. The present
Editor can not very much change his methods, but he can, and
gladly will, give way.

Our members and readers are requested to notify us of any
advance of the Starling into new territory. Mr. E. C. Hoffman
is preparing a map which will be published in the March is-
sue. You may send reports either to the Editor or to Mr.
E. C. Hoffman, 740 West Superior Ave., Cleveland, Ohio.

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Lest We Forget

“Nevertheless he must here record an earnest protest,
futile though it may be, against the fatal facility with
which the system of trinomials lends itself to sad con-
sequences in the hands of immature and inexperienced
specialists. No allusion is here intended to anything
that has been done, but he must reiterate what was said
before (Key, p. xxvii) respecting what may be done
hereafter if more judicious conservatism than we have
enjoyed of late be not brought to bear down hard upon
trifling incompetents. The ‘trinomial tool’ is too sharp
to be made a toy; and even if we do not cut own own
fingers with it, we are likely to cut the throat of the
whole system of naming we have reared with such care.
Better throw the instrument away than use it to slice
species so thin that it takes a microscope to perceive
them. It may be assumed, as a safe rule of procedure,
that it is useless to divide and subdivide beyond the fair
average ability of ornithologists to recognize and verify
the result. Named varieties of birds that require to be
‘compared with the types’ by holding them up slantwise
in a good strong light — just as the ladies match crewels
in the milliner’s shop — such often exist in the cabinets
or in the books of their describers, but seldom in the
fields.” Pages ix-x.

“The pliability and elasticity of our trinomial sys-
tem of nomenclature is very great. . . . We seem to be
in danger of going too far, if not too fast, in this direc-
tion. It is not to cry ‘halt!’ — for any advance is better
than a standstill; but it is to urge prudence, caution,
and circumspection, lest we be forced to recede inglor-
iously from an untenable position — that these words are
penned, with a serious sense of their necessity.” —
Elliott Coues, Key to North American Birds, 5th edi-
tion, page xxvii.

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