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Vol. XLII. BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Vor: XeXCaVve 


“The Auk 


H Quarterly Journal of Ornithology 


)LD SERIES, CONTINUATION OF THE New SERIES, 


EDITOR 
WITMER STONE 


VOLUME XXXV as, DS) WG) ont 


PUBLISHED BY 


4 


The American Ornithologists’ Union 


CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 
1918 


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Tue Cosmos PREss 
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CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 


OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ 
UNION PAST AND PRESENT 


PRESIDENTS. 


J. A. ALLEN, 1883-1890. 
*D. G. Exxiot, 1890-1892. 
*ELiiotr Couns, 1892-1895. 
Wit11aM Brewster, 1895-1898. 
RoBert Ripeway, 1898-1900. 
C. Hart Merriam, 1900-1903. 


Cuas. B. Cory, 1903-1905. 

Cuas. F. BatcuEtpEr, 1905-1908 « 
E. W. Nretson, 1908-1911. 

Frank M. Cuapman, 1911-1914. 
A. K. Fisuer, 1914-1917. 

Joun H. Saas, 1917- 


VICE-PRESIDENTS. 


*ELLIoTT Cougs, 1883-1890. 
1883-1891; 
1895-1898. 
WILLIAM seni? 1890-1895. 
1891-1894; 
H. W. HEeNnsHAw, | 1911-1918. 
C. Hart Merriam, 1894-1900. 


Rosert Rineway, 


Cuas. B. Cory, 1898-1903. 

Cuas. F. BatcHELDER, 1900-1905, 
E. W. Netson, 1903-1908. 
Frank M. Cuapman, 1905-1911. 
A. K. Fisner, 1908-1914. 
WITMER STONE, 1914- 


SECRETARIES. 


C. Hart Merriam, 1883-1889 


JoHN H. Saas, 1889-1917. 


T.S. Pater, 1917-— 


TREASURERS. 


C. Hart Merriam, 1883-1885. 
Cuas. B. Cory, 1885-1887. 


Witu1am Dutcuer, 1887-1903. 
JONATHAN DwicutT, 1903- 


* Deceased. 


MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. 


J. A. ALLEN, 1883- 
*S. F. Barrp, 1883-1887. 
WILLIAM BrewsTER, 1883- 


MontTAaGuE CHAMBERLAIN, 1883-1888. 


*ELLIoTT CovEs, 1883-1899. 
1883-1894; 

H. W. HENSHAW, 1911-1918. 

*GrorcEe N. LAwRENcE, 1883-1890. 

C. Hart Merriam, 1883- 

Rosert Rivneway, 1883- 

C. B. Cory, 1885-1895, 1896— 

WituraM DoutcuHer, 1887— 

*D. G. Exxiot, 1887-1915. 

1887-1895; 

1896-1899. 

*Toomas McIuwraita, 1888-1889. 


LEONHARD STEJNEGER, 


Joun H. Sace, 1889- 
*N.S. Goss, 1890-1891. 

CuarLes F. BATCHELDER, 1891- 
FranK M. CHapman, 1894— 
CHARLES E. BENDIRE, 1895-1897. 
A. K. FisHer, 1895— 

JONATHAN Dwicut, 1896— 
RuTHVEN DEANE, 1897- 

WItTMER Stone, 1898- 

Tuomas 8. Roserts, 1899- 

E. W. Netson, 1900- 

C. W. Ricumonp, 1903- 

F. A. Lucas, 1905— 

W. H. Oscoop, 1911- 

JOSEPH GRINNELL, 1914— 

T. S. Patmsr, 1917- 


Officers are ex-officio members of the Council during their terms of 
offices and ex-presidents for life. Ex-officio memberships are included in 


the above. 
* Deceased. 


Elections have been in November except in 1883 and 1884 (September), 
1887 (October), 1907 and 1909 (December), 1914 (April) and 1915 (May). 


CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXXV. 


NUMBER I. 


In Memorram: Epcar ALExaNpER Mearns. By Charles W. 
Richmond. (Plate I.) : d ; ; § < E é 
Tar BREEDING Brrps of PENNSYLVANIA AND NEw JERSEY. By 
Richard C. Harlow 5 ; ; : ‘ ‘ ; : 
Unco.torep Prints FROM HaAvVELL’s ENGRAVINGS OF AUDUBON’S 
‘Birps or America. By Harry Harris. (Plates II-III.) 
Tur BREEDING OF THE MIGRANT SHRIKE AT HaTLEY, STANSTEAD 
County, QuEBEC, 1916. By H. Mousley . : : 
LABRADOR CHICKADEE (Penthestes hudsonicus nigricans) IN ITS 
Return FucutT From THE Fatt Micration or 1916. By 
Horace W. Wright . : F ; - : j : : 
Tar Brrps oF WALLA WALLA AND CotumBiA CounTIES, SOUTH- 
EASTERN WASHINGTON. By Lee Raymond Dice. : : 
A Revision oF THE Races oF TOXOSTOMA REDIVIVUM (Gambel.) 
By Harry C. Oberholser : ' ; : : : : 
Nores on Norra American Birpvs. IV. By Harry C. Oberholser . 
THIRTY-FIFTH STATED MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLO- 
cists’ Unton. By T.S. Palmer : ; . : : 


GENERAL NOTES. 


PaGE. 


18 
29 
33 


37 
40 


52 
62 


65 


Common Tern Nesting at Thousand Islands, 74; European Widgeon at 
Madison, Wis., 74; The European Widgeon in Massachusetts, 75; 
Little Blue Heron in Pennsylvania, 75; Northern Phalarope in Michi- 
gan, 75; Sharp-tailed Grouse at Tremont, Indiana, 75; The White- 
winged Dove (Melopelia asiatica asiatica) in Georgia, 76; The Harpy 
Eagle in Colorado, 77; The Harpy Eagle in Colorado, 78; Sap-drink- 
ing by Sapsuckers and Hummingbirds, 79; Starlings at Barnstable, 
Mass., 80; Yellow-headed Blackbird in New Jersey, 81; The Bo- 
hemian Waxwing in Grand Junction, Colo., 81; Concerning Brewster’s 
Warbler, 82; Brewster’s Warbler in Pennsylvania, 82; Blackpoll 
Warbler Lingering in Massachusetts, 82; Labrador and Acadian 
Chickadees at Hatley, Stanstead County, Quebec, 83; Willow Thrush 
in Pennsylvania, 83; Subsequent Nestings, 83; Uncommon Birds 
at Hatley, Stanstead County, Quebec, 84; Early Bird Records for 


the vicinity of Washington, D. C., 85. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


Herrick’s ‘Audubon the Naturalist,’ 86; The New ‘Birds of America,’ 89; 
Tropical Wild Life in British Guiana, 91; Catalogue of the Childs 
Library, 93; Preliminary List of the Birds of Tennessee, 93; Birds of 
Carthage, Illinois, 94; Swarth and Bryant on the White-fronted Geese 
of California, 94; Oberholser on the Subspecies of Leach’s Petrel, 95; 
Oberholser on Birds from Islands in the Java and China Seas, 95; 


iv 


Contents of Volume XXXV. 


Paxson on the Last of the Wild Pigeon in Bucks County, Pennsyle 
vania, 95; Peters on Birds from Santo Domingo, 96; Recent Papers 
by Gyldenstolpe, 96; Cary’s ‘Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming,’ 


‘96; Third Report of the Meriden Bird Club, 96; Mathews’ ‘Birds of 


Australia,’ 97; Bird Conservation in 1917, 97; Mullens and Swann’s 
Bibliography of British Ornithology, 98; The Ornithological Journals, 
98; Ornithological Articles in other Journals, 101; Publications 
Received, 102. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


The Blue Color in Pigeons, 105. 


NOTES AND NEWS. 


Obituaries: Lyman Belding, 106; Dr. Henry McHatton, 107; Ornitho- 


logical Work in 1917, 107; The List of Fellows of the A. O. U., 110; 
Called to the Colors, 111, Chapman’s Distribution of Bird Life in 
Colombia, 112. 


NUMBER II. 
Pace 
TAIL-FEATHERS AND THEIR Upper Coverts. By Hubert Lyman 
Clark 3 : ; ‘ 4 : : : : : lal 
FERRUGINOUS STAINS ON WATERFOWL. By Frederic H. Kennard . 123 
Tur DESCRIPTION OF THE VOICE OF Binps. By R. M. Strong . 3. 133 
Notes oN THE BreEepInG Brirps oF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW 
JERSEY. By Richard C. Harlow f : ? ; ae SG 
THE Brrps or WALLA WALLA AND CoLuMBIA CounTIES, SouTH- 
EASTERN WASHINGTON. By Lee Raymond Dice : : . 148 
A Stupy oF THE YELLOW-BILLED Cuckoo. By Clara Kern Bayliss. 161 
Tur EXTRACTION OF Fat FROM Birp-Sxins. By Hoyes Lloyd . 164 
THe EVENING GrosBEak (Hesperiphona vespertina) In MAINE. By 
Arthur H. Norton. : ; ‘ ; ‘ ; : 5 Leo 
Ipswich Birp Notes. By Charles W. Townsend, M.D. . yea) 


Norss on Norte AMERICAN Birps. V. By Harry C. Oberholser . 185 
NovTES ON THE SUBSPECIES OF Numenius americanus BECHSTEIN. 


By Harry C. Oberholser. : : ; : : ; A illtstsy 
A New SpeciEs oF Loon (Gavia viridigularis) FRom NORTHEASTERN 
Sriperia. By Jonathan Dwight, M.D. . : : j > 4 296 
Tuirp ANNUAL List oF PRoposED CHANGES IN THE A. O. U. 
Cuecx-List or NortrH AMERICAN Birps. By Harry C. 
Oberholser : ; 4 ; , P ‘ 5 200) 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Horned Grebe Rising from the Ground, 218, Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus 


podiceps) in Chester Co., Pa., in Summer, 218; Breeding of the Pied- 
billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) near State College, Center Co., Pa., 
218; A Red-throated Loon on Chestnut Hill Reservoir, Boston, Mass., 
219; The Ivory Gull (Pagophila alba) at Portland, Maine, 220; 
Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) at Philadelphia, 221; Pterodroma 
gularis in North America, 221; Blue Geese on Long Island, 222; The 


Contents of Volume XXXV. Vv 


Whistling Swan at Cap St. Ignace, P. Q., 222; Solitary Sandpiper 
(Tringa solitaria solitaria) in New Mexico, 223; King Rail (Rallus 
elegans) in Massachusetts, 223; Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) 
eating Birds, 223; Downy Woodpecker in Colorado, 223; The Starling 
in Montgomery, Alabama, 224; The Starling (Stwrnus vulgaris) at 
Portland, Maine, 224; Yellow-headed Blackbird at Ipswich, Mass., 
224; Nesting of the Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra minor) in Essex 
County, Massachusetts, 225; The Song of Bachman’s Sparrow 
(Peucea estivalis bachmant), 226; Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra 
rubra in NE. Illinois, 226; Bohemian Waxwing (Bombicilla garrula) 
breeding within the United States, 226; Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo- 
sylva philadelphia) in North Dakota, in Summer, 227; Prothonotary 
Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) in New Jersey, 227; The Subspecifiec 
Name of the Northern Parula Warbler, 228; Bachman’s Warbler and 
Solitary Sandpiper in Indiana, 228; The Canada Warbler again in 
Colorado, 229; Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos polyglottos) spending 
the Winter at West Haven, Conn., 229; The Hudsonian Chickadee 
(Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.?) in Northeastern Pennsylvania in June, 
230; Hudsonian Chickadee on the Pocono Mountain, Pa., 230; Hud- 
sonian Chickadee (Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.?) at Princeton, N. J., 
231; A Robin which Migrated Tailless, 231; Connecticut Notes, 232; 
Massachusetts Notes, 233; Massachusetts Notes, 234; Notes from 
the Chicago Area, 234; Notes on some British Columbia Birds, 234; 
Notes on Some Species New to the Colorado List of Birds, 236; Subse- 
quent Nestings, 237; The Destruction of Nests by Farming Operations 
in Saskatchewan, 238; Goudot’s Explorations in Colombia, 240; Un- 
usual Dearth of Birds, 241; Correction, 242. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


‘Chapman’s ‘ Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia,’ 242; Gee and Moffett’s 
‘Birds of the Lower Yangtse Valley,’ 246; Mathews’ ‘Birds of Aus- 
tralia,’ 246; Kalmbach on the Crow and its Relation to Man, 246; 
Arthur’s ‘Birds of Louisiana,’ 247; Murphy on the Natural History 
of the Mexican Portion of the Colorado Desert, 248; Batchelder on 
New Birds from Newfoundland, 248; Murphy on a New Albatross, 
249; Shufeldt on Fossil Birds from Vero, Florida, 249; Publications 
on Bird Protection, 249; Swarth on Jays of the Genus Aphelocoma, 
250; Wetmore on Palzochenoides mioceanus Shufeldt, 251; Econo- 
mic Ornithology in Recent Entomological Publications, 251; Protec- 
tion of Military Carrier-Pigeons, 253; Birds Probably not Distributors 
of Hog Cholera, 253; The Ornithological Journals, 254; Ornithological 
Articles in Other Journals, 257; Publications Received, 259. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 
“Sight’ Records, 262. 


NOTES AND NEWS. 


Obituaries: Walter R. Zappey, 263; Roland G. Hazard, 264; George B. 
Batten, 264; Dr. James C. White, 265; Eric B. Dunlop, 266; Henry 
Justice, 266; Foreign Members of the A. O. U., 266; Called to the 
Colors, 267. 


Contents of Volume XXXV. 


NUMBER III. 
Pace 
Grorata’s RARITIES FURTHER DIscovERED IN A SECOND AMERICAN 
Portrotio or JoHN Apsor’s Brrp Pxates. By Samuel N. 
Rhoads. (Plate IV.) 2 : : ‘ : F J » eatell 
Notes oN THE ANATOMY OF THE CuBAN Trogon. By Hubert 
Lyman Clark . : : : ; : : : . 250 
Furtuer Nores AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE Birps oF HATLEY, 
STANSTEAD County, QUEBEC, 1916-1917. By H. Mousley . 289° 
Home lire or THE VESPER SPARROW AND THE HERMIT THRUSH. 
‘By E. M. and W. A. Perry ‘ : : : ; 5 SO 
Tue DisTrRIBUTION oF NUTTALL’s SPARROW IN CALIFORNIA. By 
Carl L. Hubbs . : : : 2 5 ; ‘ ; . od2i 
Tur LimMIcoL® OF THE STATE OF WasHINGTON. By J.H. Bowles . 326 
Tue Brrps oF Desecueo IsLanp,*Porto Rico. By Alexander 
Wetmore . : : : ‘ j : F : ; :) 333 
Some Recent Connecticut Birp Notes. By Aretas A. Saunders. 340 
Nores ON THE NEsTING Birps oF WAHPETON, NortH Daxora. By 
J. K. Jensen : : : : : ; . 3844 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Larus nelsoni in Juvenal Plumage, from the Hawaiian Islands, 349; Anas 


rubripes rubripes in North Dakota, 350; Melospiza melodia phea in 
Southern California, 350; Numenius americanus americanus not a Breed- 
ing Bird of Michigan, 350; The Rough-legged Hawk (Archibuteo lagopus 
sancti-johannis) at Washington, D. C., 351; Occurrence of Goshawks 
(Astur a. atricapillus) and Saw-whet Owl (Cryptoglaux acadica) in 
the Vicinity of Washington, D. C., 351; Large Flight of Great- 
Horned Owls and Goshawks at Hadlyme, Connecticut, 351; Mega- 
ceryle vs. Streptoceryle, 352; The Sapsucker Wintering in Central 
Maine, 353; A Crested Flycatcher injured by Swallowing a Grass- 
hopper, 354; An Attempt to Breed the Pine Grosbeak in Captivity, 
355; The Systematic Position of Calyptophilus, 356; Junco aikeni in 
New Mexico, 357; Notes on Some Bird Fossils from Florida, 357; 
A Note Concerning Bird Mortality, 358; Birds and Mulberries, 359; 
An American Edition of Audubon’s ‘Ornithological Biography,’ 360. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


Loomis on the Tubinares, 362; Murphy on Atlantic Oceanites, 364; 


Cory’s ‘Catalogue of Birds of the Americas,’ 365; McAtee’s ‘Sketch of 
the Natural History of the District of Columbia,’ 366; Townsend’s 
‘In Audubon’s Labrador,’ 367; Pearson’s ‘Tales from Birdland,’ 367; 
Mathew’s ‘Birds of Australia,’ 368; Lincoln’s ‘The Woodpeckers of 
Colorado,’ 368; ‘Cassinia’ for 1917, 369; Bangs and Penard on a 
Collection of Surinam Birds, 369; Riley on a New Bullfinch from China, 
370; McGregor on New or Noteworthy Philippine Birds, 370; Gabriel- 
son on the Birds of Clay and O’Brien Counties, Iowa, 370; Recent 
Papers on Bird Preservation, 370; Bird Enemies of Brine Shrimps and 
Alkali Flies, 372; Bird Enemies of the Varying Hare, 372; Curious 
Hording Habits of Birds, 372; Bird Enemies of Tree Hoppers (Mem- 
bracide), 373; The Ornithological Journals, 374; Ornithological 
Articles in Other Journals, 378; Publications Received, 379. 


Contents of Volume XXXV. 


NOTES AND NEWS. 


Vii 


Obituary: Otto Finsch, 381; Henry Reed Taylor, 382; The Principal 


Ornithological Societies, 382; Ornithological Endowment, 


384; 


Members of the A. O. U., 384; ’Called to the Colors, 385; The ‘thirty- 


sixth Meeting of the A. O. ue. 386. 


NUMBER IV. 

PaGE 

Tue NesTING GRoUNDS AND Nestinc HABITS OF THE SPOON- 
BILLED SANDPIPER. By Joseph Dizon. (Plate V.) ood 
A WinTeER Crow Roost. By Charles W. Townsend, M. D. 405 
THE PTrERYLOSIS OF THE WILD Picron. By H ubert Lyman Clark . 416 
SexuaL SELECTION AND Birp Sone. By Chauncey J. Hawkins 421 

Some ADDITIONS AND OTHER REcoRDS NEW TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
oF SourH Carouina. By Arthur T. Wayne 437 

List or Brrps CoLLecrep oN THE HARVARD PERUVIAN Berio 
TION OF 1916. By Outram Bangs and G. K. Noble ; . 442 


Notes on NortH AMERICAN Birps. VI. By Harry C. Oberholser . 463 
Tue Suspspecies oF Larus Accel de GunneERvus. By Harry C. 


Oberholser : : : d : ; : : 7 467 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Cause of the ‘‘Fishy”’ Flavor in Wild Ducks, 474; Cinnamon Teal (Quer- 


quedula cyanoptera) in North Dakota, 476; White-winged Scoter 
(Oidemia deglandi) in South Carolina, 476; The Specific Name of the 
Glossy Ibis, 476; Nesting of the Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) in 
the Delaware Valley, 477; Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Chicago, 
477; The Black Vulture (Catharista urubu) in Indiana, 477; The 
Status of Buteo platypterus iowensis, 478; Flight of Horned Owls in 
Canada, 478; Picoides arcticus in Florida, 479; Early Nesting of the 
Northern Pileated Woodpecker in Pennsylvania, 479; Relative Length 
of the Intestinal Ceca in Trogons, 480; The Range and Status of 
Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca Ridgway, 480; The Starling at 
Plattsburg, N. Y.,481; The Northernmost Record of [cterws parisorum, 
481; The Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis) breeding 
near Boston, 482; Blue-winged Warbler Once More at South Sudbury, 
Mass., 482; A Winter Record of Bewick’s Wren from Northern 
Virginia, 483; Russet-backed Thrush (Hylocichla ustulata ustulata) 
in New Mexico, 483; Notes from the vicinity of Washington, D. C., 
483; Scarcity of Birds in the Spring Migration of 1918, 484; Notes 
on Six Birds from Georgia, 485. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


Dwight’s Review of the Juncos, 486; Soper on the Birds of Edmonton, 489; 


Wood on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan, 489; Bangs on New 
South American Birds, 490; Wetmore on Duck Sickness in Utah, 490; 
Mathews ‘Birds of Australia,’ 490; Grinnell on the Name of the Ameri- 
can Barn Swallow, 491; Nichols on Some Aspects of Migration, 492; 


viil 


Contents of Volume XXXV. 


Birds of the National Parks, 492; Economic Ornithology in Recent 
Entomological Publications, 493; Centurus radiolatus in Relation 
to Cocoa in Jamaica, 495; Further Notes on the Possible Avian Dis- 
tribution of Hog Cholera, 495; Recent Publications on Economic 
Ornithology, 496; The Ornithological Journals, 497; Ornithological 
Articles in Other Journals, 501; Publications Received, 503. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Concerning a Certain Tendency in Systematic Ornithology, 505; A Correc- 


tion, 507. 
NOTES AND NEWS. 


Uniform Nomenclature, 507; the Proposed ‘Systema Avium,’ 509; Enforce- 


ment of the Migratory Bird Treaty, 509; Obituary: Col. William 
Vincent Legge, 510; Dr. Robert Latshaw Walker, 511; Prof. Jonathan 
Young Stanton, 511; The Elliot Medal Award, 512; Dr. Richmond 
Appointed, Associate Curator, 512; Annual Meeting of the B. O. U., 
512; The Associates of the A. O. U., 513; Called to the Colors, 513; 
The Thirty-sixth Meeting of the A. O. U., 514. 


INDEX : : : : ; , ; 3 : ‘ Page. 515 
ERRATA : : 2 ; i : ; : ; aa 
Dates oF Issugr ‘ 3 j “ 541 


OFFICERS OF THE A. O. U. Past AND PRESENT 
CoNnTENTS : 5 é ; ; : 
OFFICERS AND MEMBERS . 


1 
sbb; 
1X 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATES. 


Plate I. Edgar A. Mearns. 


II. Audubon’s Plate of the Crow. From a Colored Impression. 
III. The Same from an Uncolored Impression. 
IV. John Abbot’s drawings of Georgia Birds. Two Reproductions. 
V. as Ground and Nest of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 
wo views. 


Text-Cots. 
Apparatus for Extracting Fat from Bird-Skins . ; ‘ . Page 164 
John Abbot’s Signature — . 3 5 ; : : ; 4 ee y(t 
Diagram of Records of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper . : : omnis... 
Map of the Range of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. = 395 


Diagram of the Nuptial flight of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper . “396 


OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES OF THE AMERICAN 
ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 1918. 


Expiration of Term 


SUNS ToR dl Wobaact 5 SU Al (7 (7 ee ee November, 1918. 
BEANE Be Vitee-Presidents. 3 aces # 1918. 
Stone, WITMER...... 

EATERY tall Sexe WS CEN CLAN accra he a Doses ws) 21s 00%,’ «9:8 $ 1918. 
DiwaGHr sPONATHAN. PTCOSTMER foci. Gertie < oisvere ns oss 6 1918. 
ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. 

DEVAN HEC UIDEVIONG cis aici Skeid oars Sarg enix oi oe ele bin ele November, 1918. 
Domermrr,  Wimi tah Ghee ary ce feist «chs Busllsee Fe aie ‘ 1918. 
CRINMMITN pel OMMBEI A irises oe eile ence ciate vg cle oases : 1918. 
CAG, MERMDRRICHAY Skala s oe salt. Heel caiaed etches eee ¢ 1918. 
OSGOOD ee WALMRED MES ames ar ersiis «ose ate pra es as at . 1918. 
RICHMOND,» CHARTING, Ws:.2/. 5. cre telis o cintsve-e ata e es wide ers * 1918. 
OEM RDS PHORMAS Os tern nccine ore 6 85 cue Palit ecie ahaaya Sos £ 1918. 

PANTFTEUN er Olom Antone wird ay er aT ans eves ts Worst c oreveterentoeia de cian @ 

BATCHMEDMR, CHAREMS) Bins vec i's bg de oe cis erates a 

ES renm WSU Ee is VW MDA an, «c's coaches « oreralirs, vice ete ate «Sei 

UTA PRUANN RINE INS te Sh) te a ret eee 

CORY OC HAGE MS Lees o Soca So wg sits oN aoe Heme Maes Ex-Presidents. 
BE SEMIORE, PATER MRM Meo fi sol ate «oan etnies: Fah woke GRD wees tele © a 

MPeRREA Eg ©) EDAD te ./2\N oa a Senate ad Pak ela See sele a 

INKDSON, CED WARD: Wal. ioe)s.< «asta S hale tie eeaie oa slats 

RIDGWAY a ROBERT. yaw ochelace ak ols oats errieele teases 

Eprrortau Starr oF ‘THE AUK.’ 
SuGONG tt WP DMTOR GUTOR 205 Rg Sed a Gears dole veto vis eas November, 1918. 
CoMMITTEES. 
Committee on Publications. 
Sacs, JouHn H. Stone, WITMER. 


PatmeER, T. S., Secretary. Dwiacut, JONATHAN. 


Committee of Arrangements for the Meeting of 1918. 


Sace, Joun H., Chairman. Dwicut, JONATHAN. 
Parmer, T. 8., Secretary. Lucas, FrepEric A. 
Rogers, CHARLES H. 


Se Fellows. 


FELLOWS, MEMBERS, AND ASSOCIATES OF THE 
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 
APRIL, 19181 


FELLOWS. 

Date of 

Election. 
AuEN, Dr. J. A., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y...... . Founder 
ANTHONY wAm Wis, lnonsides @rega2 wae sco ete ieee noe (1885) 1895? 
Bancs, Ourram, Museum Comp. Zoédlogy, Cambridge, Mass.. . (1884)1901 
Barrows, Prof. W. B., Box 1047, East Lansing, Mich.............. 1883 
BATCHELDER, CHARLES F., 7 Kirkland St., Cambridge, Mass..... Founder 
BEEBE, C. Wiiu1aAM, New York Zoél. Park, New York, N. Y.. . (1897)1912 
Bent, ARTHUR CLEVELAND, Taunton, Mass.................. (1889) 1909 
BIcKNELL, EuGENE P., Box 1698, New York, N. Y.............. Founder 
BrsHop, Dr. Louis B., 356 Orange St., New Haven, Conn...... (1885) 1901 
*BrREWSTER, WILLIAM, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass........ Founder 
Brown, NATHAN CLIFFoRD, 218 Middle St., Portland, Me....... Founder 


CHADBOURNE, Dr. ARTHUR P., The Copley-Plaza, Boston, Mass. (1883)1889 
Cuapman, Dr. Franx M., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y. 


(1885) 1888 
*Cory, Cuar.es B., Field Museum Nat. Hist., Chicago, Ill....... Founder 
Deane, Routuven, 112 W. Adams St., Chicago, Ill................. 1883 
Durcuer, WituiaM, 949 Park Ave., Plainfield, N. J......... (1883) 1886 


Dwieut, Dr. JonaTHAn, 134 W. 71st St., New York, N. Y.....(1883)1886 
Fisuer, Dr. ALBERT K., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.... Founder 
Fisner, Prof. Waurer K., 1525 Waverley St., Palo Alto, Cal. (1899)1905 
FLEMING, James H., 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Ontario. . . (1893)1916 


Forsusu, Epwarp H., State House, Boston, Mass........... (1887) 1912 
Furrtes, Louis A., Cornell Heights, Ithaca, N. Y......:..(1891)1912 
GRINNELL, Dr. GEorGE Birp, 238 E. 15th St., New York, N. Y....... 1883 
GRINNELL, Dr. Josepy, Mus. Vert. Zodl., Univ. Cal., Berkeley, Cal. 
(1894)1901 
Hensuaw, Henry W., The Ontario, Washington, D. C............. 1883 
Jones, Lynps, Spear Laboratory, Oberlin, Ohio. !.......... (1888) 1905 


1 Members of the Union, and subscribers to ‘The Auk’ are requested to promptly notify 
Dr. JonatHan Dwicur, Treasurer, 134 W. 71st St., New York City, of any change of 
address. 

* Dates in parentheses indicate dates of joining the Union. 


* Life Fellow. 


Honorary Fellows. xi 


Loomis, Leverett M., Cal. Acad. Sci., San Francisco, Cal... . . (1883)1892 
Lucas, Dr. Frepreric A., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y. 
(1888) 1892 
MaILurarpD, JOSEPH, 1815 Vallejo St., San Francisco, Cal..:..(1895)1914 
McAteer, Watpo Leg, Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.. . (1903)1914 
McGrecor, RicHarp C., Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I... . .(1889)1907 
Merriam, Dr. C. Hart, 1919 16th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Founder 
Miniter, WaLprRon DeWirt, 309 E. 7th St., Plainfield, N. J... (1896)1914 


ING ERIN Gh eke (Gotha, eHlaee 2262). 4.0 14 s Scpend se a Petraes eae to nc 1883 
Netson, E. W., Biological Survey, Washington, D.C............... 1883 
OBERHOLSER, Dr. Harry C., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.. 

(1888) 1902 


Osaoop, WitFRED H., Field Museum Nat. Hist., Chicago, Ill.. (1893)1905 
Patmer, Dr. T.S., 1939 Biltmore St., N. W., Washington, D.C.(1888)1901 
Parmer, WiiuiAM, U. 8. National Museum, Washington, D.C.(1888)1898 
Ricumonp, Dr. Cuaries W., U. 8. National Museum, Washington, 

1D) NG eh, Nata tatd SAO. Oe ARN Me et SRR arn bis ee ee (1888) 1897 
Ripeway, Prof. Ropert, U.S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C....Founder 
Roserts, Dr. THomas 8§., Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn... .1883 
AGH OHNE wPoruland a Onna ae. sets ee ick arcs olny nia e carentete 1883 
SaunpERS, WiLuLi4AM E., 240 Central Ave., London, Ontario......... 1883 
SHUFELDT, Dr. RoBert W., 3356 18th St., N. W., Washington, D.C.Founder 
Strong, Dr. Wirmer, Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa... . (1885)1892 
Swart, Harry S., Mus. Vert. Zodlogy, Univ. of California, Berke- 


LEN ij OCT be gh Ah Jone RP eR nares) Sbere ene eee nT (1900) 1916 
TAVERNER, Percy A., Victoria Memorial Museum, Ottawa, Canada 

(1902)1917 

Topp, W. E. Ciypr, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa....... (1890)1916 

WipMAnn, Orto, 5105 Von Versen Ave., St. Louis, Mo.............. 1884 


RETIRED FELLOWS. 


LAWRENCE, NewBoup T., Lawrence, N. Y.........-....... (1883) 1913 
StTEJNEGER, Dr. LEonHARD, U.S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D.C.(1883)1911 


HONORARY FELLOWS. 


Buturuin, Sercius ALEXANDROVICH, Wesenberg, Esthonia, Russia 
(1907)1916 

Dvusots, Dr. ALPHONSE, Museum Natural History, Brussels. . . (1884)1911 

Evans, ARTHUR HumBLE, 9 Harvey Road, Cambridge, England 
(1899)1917 


* Life Fellow. 


xl Corresponding Fellows. 


Frinscu, Prof. Dr. Orro, Leonhardplatz 5, Braunschweig, Germany. . .1883 
Fiirprincer, Prof. Dr. Max, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, 


Germany os Goecus ee cd nee oe cla ae ane ee ee (1891) 1916 
Gapvow, Dr. Hans Frrepricu, Cambridge, England......... (1884)1916 
GopMaAN, FREDERICK DuCang, 45 Pont St., London, 8. W........... 1883 
Hartert, Ernst, Zodlogical Museum, Tring, England...... (1891)1902 
Hetimayr, Dr. Cart E., Neuhauserstrasse 51.11, Munich, Germany 

(1903)1911 


Inprinc, Dr. HERMANN von, Rua Consello, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (1902)1911 
Pycrarr, WiLL1AM Puane, British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Cromwell 


Road, “London. 'S.1Ws vetoes cece ee ee eee (1902)1911 
ReicHenow, Dr. Anton, Konig]. Mus. fiir Naturkunde, Invaliden- 
sirassey.43,0 Berlitine ges cnuices © See Oe ae ee ee tee (1884)1891 
Roruscuiitp, Lord LionrL WautTsR, Zodlogical Museum, Tring, Eng- 
Vere eg. tic Soto peters musth eros ce Ute HE eee (1898) 1913 
Satvaport, Count Tommaso, Royal Zoél. Museum, Turin, Italy..... 1883 
Scuatow, Prof. Hmrman, Hohenzollerndamm 50, Berlin-Grinewald, 
Grermatitysn Wen ees seater et Ce pets STATA dal Cave Gr ay eet Aen eg (1884)1911 
ScLaTER, WM. Lut ey, 10 Sloane Court, Chelsea, London, 8. W....... 1917 


CORRESPONDING FELLOWS. 


Assort, Dr. WiuuiaMm L., Aldine Hotel, Philadelphia, Pa........... 1916 


Auraro, Anasrasio, San José, Costa Rica).:...... 0... s<6.2ss20- oe 1888 
ALPHERAKY, SERGIUS N., Imperial Acad. Sci., Petrograd, Russia... .1913 


ARRIGONI DEGLI Opp1, Count Errorn, Univ. of Padua, Padua, Italy. 1900 
BANNERMAN, Davip ArmitTaGcg, 11 Washington House, Basil St., Lon- 

don; Hngland 6h ose nepal te hoor eee 1916 
BeppARD, FRANK Evurs, Zo6l. Society of London, London, Eng... ..1917 
Brancut, Dr. VALENTINE, Imperial Zoél. Museum, Petrograd, Russia. 1916 
BonuHotTE, JOHN Lewis, Gade Spring Lodge, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, 

1 chro sl Fh c¥o eee eoerecre Asie We eet G Ls ney Are aS nt Boh oie bier OO 1911 
Bureau, Dr. Louts, Ecole de Médicine, Nantes, France............. 1884 
Birrixorer, Dr. JonaAnnus, Zodlogical Garden, Rotterdam, Holland. 1886 
CAMPBELL, ARCHIBALD JAMES, Custom House, Melbourne, Australia. 1902 
CarrikeRr, M. A.,; Jr., Apartado 51, Santa Marta, Colombia. . . (1907)1912 
CHAMBERLAIN, Montaqaur, Cambridge, Mass............. (Founder)1901 
CuuBB, CHARLES, British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Cromwell Road, Lon- 


CLARKE, WILLIAM Eacte, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh...... 1889 

Daxssene, Dr. Roperto, Museo Nacional, Buenos Aires, Argentina. .1916 

DaueieisH, JoHn J., Brankston Grange, Bogside Station, Alloa, 
o(croel [noc Uetmu thn MCRAE sorry oll iy real Hh er Lace ose 8 1883 


Corresponding Fellows. xii 


Dorn SANFORD 5 -Honolulu, Wawald... 62.0. sca se ee aoe eects 1883 
Ecut, ApoutpH BAcHOFEN von, Nussdorf, near Vienna, Austria...... 1883 
Fr1LpEN, Col. Henry Wemyss, Burwash, England................ 1884 
FERRARI-PEREZ, Prof. FERNANDO, Tacubaya, D. F., Mexico........ 1885 


FREKE, Percy Evans, Southpoint, Limes Road, Folkstone, England. 1883 
Gopwin-AustEN, Lieut.-Col. Henry Haversuam, Nore, Hascombe, 


Godalming. Surrey, Pmgland ) 20.6242 ¢ 0. + se cosa one he ee es 1884 
GRANDIDIER, ALFRED, 6 Rond-Point des Champs Elysées, Paris... .. 1883 
GuRNEY, JOHN Henry, Keswick Hall, Norwich, England............ 1883 
HaaGner, Atwyn Kart, Pretoria, Transvaal...................: 1916 
Haz, Ropert, Rest Harrow, Hobart, Tasmania.................. 1916 
Hartina, JAMES Epmunp, Edgewood, Weybridge, Surrey, England. .1883 
HENNICKE, Dr. Cart R., Gera, Reuss, Germany.................. 1907 
Eiencon;. HARRY: V.;)-.OkOhama; JAAD. oocci< 6 sn)s cis 2 eyojais vee o eieaee « 1888 
Hupson, Witu1AM Henry, Tower House, St. Luke’s Road, West- 

foaurne: Pirie ONGOMi Wrasse sesh a. teers woisrehels ovaxs' 250: #1olo'es ete 1895 
Kriiper, Dr. THrosatp J., University Museum, Athens, Greece... .1884 
Leacr, Col. W1tt1AM V., Cullenswood House, St. Mary’s, Tasmania. .1891 
Lz Sovitr, Dupiey, Zodélogical Gardens, Melbourne, Australia...... 1911 
LONNBERG, Dr. Ernar, Zodlogical Museum, Stockholm, Sweden..... 1916 
Lowe, Dr. Percy R., The Hatch, Windsor, England................ 1916 
MacFarLangE, Roperick, Winnipeg, Manitoba............. aoe 1886 
Maparisz, Dr. Junius von, National Museum, Budapest, Hungary. 1884 
Maruews, Grecory M., Langley Mount, Watford, Herts, England. .1911 
Meannicamx. Dr Aweusim, (Paris, Hranee. i). 4.0010 iic ida «ser sioe seers 1916 
Menzsier, Prof. Dr. Micnarnt, Imperial Society of Naturalists, 

VTS COs WESSEL tars 2) ets I NN RS Be bat Elric cee a ea eae 1884 
Mitxais, JoHN GUILLE, Compton’s Brow, Horsham, England........ 1911 
INAnrin eM Mnokign Japan. <4. cla. ooh ete seein cee ela iam ematare 1886 
Nicuotson, Francis, The Knoll, Windermere, Westmoreland, Eng- 

TPE OY [ee aa ghye ei bee A RA Saini he RRS aE eT MVS sce, yo meme Tet PSIG Bic Soha) Gene 1884 
Oqitvie-Grant, Witt1AM Rosert, British Museum (Nat. Hist.), 

Gromyelnoad.) VONCOM eS SW A. 1! s) 0 owes ake eng oo ees ene tee 1899 
iPArsine Dr dais, Helsingfors, -Pinland’. +... (sites ne Jeeves see 1883 
Rungrr, Haenmnrc, Nagasaki) Japan: \)... re $a. 2aer as neers arn 1888 
SnNETHLAGE, Dr. Emii1a, Museu Goeldi, Pard, Brazil.............. 1915 
Suscuxin, Dr. Peter, University, Kharkov, Russia............... 1903 


Ture, Dr. Jonan Hyatmar, University of Upsala, Upsala, Sweden. .1884 
Tscuust zU SCHMIDHOFFEN, Victor, Rirrer von, Villa Tannenhof, 


petslaallemnt: Salzourg? “Austriay .(:\.).09 22 | Aes etwas wert ae 1884 
Van Oort, Epwarp DanieL, Museum Nat. Hist., Leyden, Holland. .1913 
WarernovseE, F. H., 3 Hanover Square, London, W............... 1889 


Wince, Dr. Heruvur, Univ. Zoél. Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark. . 1903 
Wirsersy, Harry Forsss, 3 Cannon Place, Hampstead, England. . .1916 
Worcustur. Prot Dean C., Manila, Polk oss atacts seis vies 1903 
ZELEDON, Don José C., San José, Costa Rica...................0e. 1884 


xiv . Members. 


MEMBERS. 
Aten, Artuur A., McGraw Hall, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N. Y.(1909)1914 
ALLEN, Francis H., 4 Park St., Boston, Mass.............. (1888) 1901 
ALLEN, Dr. GLover M., 234 Berkeley St., Boston, Mass....... (1896) 1904 
Anperson, Dr. RupotpH M., Mus. Geol. Survey, Ottawa, Canada. 
(1907)1914 
Arrwater, H. P., 2120 Genesee St., Houston, Texas........ (1891)1901 


BaiLEy, VERNON, 1834 Kalorama Ave., Washington, D. C....(1887)1901 
Barry, Mrs. VERNON, 1834 Kalorama Ave., Washington, D. C.(1885)1901 
Barmy. Witiaam 1. Ardimore Parcs. ta vgs asc geen Sete er eee (1886)1901 
Barpour, Dr. THomas, Mus. Comp. Zoélogy, Cambridge, Mass. (1903) 1914 
Bartscu, Prof. Pau, U.S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C..(1896)1902 
Breck, Rotto Howarp, San José, R. R. A., Cal.............. (1894) 1917 
Beretotp, Dr. W. H., 1159 Race St., Denver, Colo......... (1889) 1914 
Bonp, FRANK, 3127 Newark St., N. W., Washington, D. C.. . .(1887)1901 
Bowes, JouNn Hoorrer, The Woodstock, Tacoma, Wash... . .(1891)1910 
Braisuin, Dr. Winu1AM C., 425 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.. . (1894)1902 
Brooks, Major Atuan, Okanagan Landing, B. C............ (1902)1909 
Brooks, Ensign Wm. Spracus, 234 Berkeley St., Boston, Mass.(1907)1917 
Bryan, Witi1am ALANson, College of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaiian 


MS] Bais) S205) Sk te A RUE es se eet Un rag (1898) 1901 
Burns) Prank L.° Berwyn, (Ra... /e nea. .ge eee See (1891)1901 
Burtier, Amos W.,52 Downey Ave., Irvington, Indianapolis, Ind.(1885)1901 
@Hamprns:, W. dane, Eagle Rock, Cali. 32-52) oe ee (1907)1913 
Cuarpin, Lieut. James P., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y. 

(1906)1917 
Cruark, Dr. Hupert Lyman, Mus. Comparative Zoél. Cambridge, Mass. 

(1886) 1902 
Daacetrt, Frank 8., Museum, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Cal. 

(1889)1901 
Dawson, Wo. L., R. D., No. 3, Box 110, Santa Barbara, Cal... (1895)1905 
DEANE, WALTER, 29 Brewster St., Cambridge, Mass......... (1897) 1901 


Eaton, Prof. Exon Howarp, 678 Main St., Geneva, N. Y.... .(1895)1907 
EverMANN, Prof. Barton W., Cal. Acad. Sci., San Francisco, Cal. 


(1883)1901 
Finuey, WiuuiAM L., 651 East Madison St., Portland, Ore.. . (1904)1907 
Gaurr, Benjamin Troup, Glen Hilyn; oll. se eee (1885)1903 
GoupMan, Major Epwarp A., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. 

(1897) 1902 
Harper, Francis, 3001 24th St. N. E., Washington, D. C.....(1907)1917 
Hersey, F. Seymour, 6 Maple Ave., Taunton, Mass.......... (1911)1916 


HorrmMann, Raupu, 5554 Waterman Ave., St. Louis, Mo...... (1893)1901 


Members. XV 


Houuister, Nep, Nat. Zodlogical Park, Washington, D. C.....(1894)1910 
ewiebe, Ay RAZR “Cowina, Cal... oo. es. 0002. ees (1909) 1916 
Howe t, Arruur H., 2919S. Dakota Ave., Washington, D. C.(1889)1902 
Jacoss, J. WARREN, 404 S. Washington St., Waynesburg, Pa..(1889)1904 
JEFFRIES, WILLIAM A., 11 Pemberton Square, Boston, Mass.. .(1883)1901 


Jos, HerBert K., 291 Main St., West Haven, Conn......... (1896)1901° 
KatmBacu, Epwin R., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C..(1910)1915 
Kennarp, F. H., Dudley Road, Newton Centre, Mass....... (1892)1912 
Knowuton, F. H., U.S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C........ (1883) 1902 
Law, J. EuGEngE, 8333 S. Catalina St., Los Angeles.......... (1907)1916 


Mackay, Georce H., 304 Bay State Road, Boston, Mass... . . (1890)1901 
MAILuiARD, JOHN W., 230 California St., San Francisco, Cal. (1895)1901 


Miter, Mrs. Outve THORNE, 5928 Hays Ave., Los Angeles, Cal.(1887)1901 
Moors, Ropert THomas, Haddonfield, N. J............... (1898) 1914 
Morris, GEORGE SPENCER, Olney, Philadelphia, Pa......... (1887)1903 
Morris, Ropert O., 82 Temple St., Springfield, Mass....... (1888) 1904 
Morpocu, Joun, 16 High Rock Way, Allston, Mass......... (1883) 1901 
Morpny, Rosert C., Museum Brooklyn Institute, Eastern Parkway, 

| B00 lbs We ee cael Lahaina AM ST fe (1905)1914 
Nicuo.ts, JoHnN T., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y....(1901)1914 


Norton, ArtTHur H., Mus. Nat. Hist., 22 Elm St., Portland, Me.(1890)1902 
Pearson, T. Ginpert, 1974 Broadway, New York, N. Y.....(1891)1902 


Purtips, Capt. Joun C., Wenham, Mass.......+..:.....: (1904)1912 
PREBLE, Epwarp A., Biological Survey, Washington, D.C... . (1892)1901 
RATHBUN, SAMUEL F., 217 14th Ave., N., Seattle, Wash....... (1893) 1902 


Ruoaps, Samuet N., 81 Haddon Ave., Haddonfield, N. J... . . (1885)1901 
Rivey, Josepy H., U. 8. National Museum, Washington, D. C.(1897)1905 
Rives, Dr. Witi1AM C., 1702 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C. 


(1885)1901 
ROBINSON, ‘Coli Wirt; U..S..A., West Point, NoYos. 2.272.255 (1897)1901 
Seton, Ernest THompson, Greenwich, Conn............... (1883) 1901 


*SHERMAN, Miss ALTHEA R., National via McGregor, Iowa. . (1907)1912 
Suiras, Hon. Georas, 3d, Stoneleigh Court, Washington, D. C.(1907)1915 
STEPHENS, FRANK, Nat. Hist. Museum, Balboa Park, San Diego, Cal. 


(1883) 1901 
Strona, Dr. RevBeN M., Vanderbilt Medical School, Nashville, Tenn. 
(1889) 1903 
Swates, BrapsHaw Hatz, Mus. of Zoél., Ann. Arbor, Mich.(1902)1909 
ayn, JOHN Enron, Wmancaster, Mass7 . 20:2). . 04.0 ss seen: (1898) 1905 
TownsEnpD, Dr. CHarues H., Aquarium, Battery Park, New York, N. Y. 
(1883) 1901 
TOWNSEND, Dr. CHarLeES WENDELL, 76 Marlborough St., Boston, 
IM EISIS). 5 Sietch'o, ci hao cth ERC ARS EN ACTER ES RUN REO Saar eR a aay 8 (1901)1905 


* Life Member. 


Xvi Associates. 


Trorrer, Dr. Spencer, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa. . (1888)1901 
Tyrer, Dr. Winsor M., 522 Mass. Ave., Lexington, Mass... . (1912)1917 
Warren, Epwarp Royat, 1511 Wood Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 


(1902) 1910 
Wavynn, Anrnur:T.,{ Mt. Pleasant; S.;C..\.- “sect eee (1905) 1906 
Wermorn, AtEx., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.... .(1908)1912 
Witert, GEorGE, 2123 Court St., Los Angeles, Cal......... (1912)1913 


Wotcort, Dr. Rospert H., State University, Lincoln, Neb.. . (1901)1903 
Woop, Norman A., Museum Univ. of Mich., Ann. Arbor, Mich.(1904)1912 


Wricut, Mrs. Maset Oscoop, Fairfield, Conn............. (1895) 1901 
ASSOCIATES. 
AxspBort, CLINTON GILBERT, Orchard Hill, Rhinebeck, N. Y......... 1898 
Axspott, Miss FLoRENCE I., Upland Road, Andover, Mass.......... 1917 
Apams, BENJAMIN, 476 5th Ave., New York, N. Y................-. 1911 
Apams, Wauuacg, U.S. Indian Service, Florence, Ariz............. 1901 
Apams, Dr. Z. B., 48 Cottage Farm Rd., Brookline, Mass........... 1908 
AIKEN, Hon. Joun, Superior Court, Court House, Boston, Mass....... 1905 
Amar, Dr. CHARLES Pons, 4 Vanderhorst St., Charleston, 8. C....... 1916 
ALEXANDER, Miss ANNIE M., 92 Sea View Ave., Piedmont, Cal...... 1911 
ALLEN, Mrs. J. T., 37 Mosswood Road, Berkeley, Cal............. 1916 
Auten, Mary P., 206 Moore St., Hackettstown, N. J............... 1913 
ANDERSON, Mrs. J. C., Great Barrington, Mass................... 1903 
ANGELL, WALTER A., 33 Westminster St., Providence, R. I......... 1901 
AntuHony, Lieut. H. E., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y.....1911 
Apprn, Wai. Dy, Kingsport, “lenns.) 225 12 ee 2 eee eee 1917 
Arey, Dr. Haroup C., Hospital Cottages for Children, Baldwinville, 
Massif Soi Sen oie. oi ee Oe ee 1917 
ARMSTRONG, Epwarp, E., 207 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill........ 1904 
ARNOLD, Epwarp, Grand Trunk R’y., Montreal, Quebec........... 1894 


ARNOLD, Dr. W. W., Ist Nat. Bank Bldg., Colorado Springs, Colo... . .1910 
ARTHUR, STANLEY Cissy, 1109 Henry Clay Ave., New Orleans, La. .1916 
ASPINWALL, Mrs. Cuarence A., 1839 Wyoming Ave., Washington, 


1D OE ed eae mM Mn ENA uC CS ou ts 1916 
ATHERTON, Epwarp H., 82 Ruthven St., Roxbury, Mass........... 1917 
Avis, EmwARD, Box 56; infield, Connt. (22...) sss tan ee eee 1908 
Ayres, Miss Mary Apeting, 119 High St., Medford, Mass......... 1915 
Bascock, Dnan, Long's Peak, ‘Colo.. £1) 230,22 eee 1911 
Bascock, Lieut. HARotp Lester, Woodleigh Road, Dedham, Mass..1916 
Bacon, Francis L., 236 Winona Ave., Germantown, Pa............ 1917 


Baps, Dr. Wo. FrepERic, 2616 College Ave., Berkeley, Cal......... 1916 


Associates. xvii 
Bapacer, ARTHUR C., Dudley Road, Newton Centre, Mass......... 1917 
Baae, AARon C., 70 Fairfield Ave., Holyoke, Mass................. 1916 
Baage, EcBErt, Jr., 406 Genesee St., Utica, N. Y........5.......5: 1916 
BAtmy Prov. GiuvaAcnGenescow Nis Ve ..t.. 5 isyst5ie- « een /etere tae a ieee cit ees 1910 
BarLey, SAMUEL Watxpo, 64 8. Mountain Road, Pittsfield, Mass... ..1909 
Baker, Lieut. Joun H., Nat. Cash Register Co., Dayton, Ohio...... 1911 
BaupwIin, Roeser N., 3739 Windsor Place, St. Louis, Mo........... 1904 
BALDWIN, 8. Prentiss, Williamson Bldg., Cleveland, Ohio.......... 1917 
Bates, Dr. BLENN R., 149 W. Main St., Circleville, Ohio........... 1907 
Bane. Myre bannwn a. (Onkville\Conny....cisc cites «Ne ces sk nals cle nee 1905 
Ban, Dayip.o:, opuyten. Duy yal, New York, N.Y. 22.060. s<o8aen 1913 
Batt, Dr. Jas. P., 5001 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, Pa........... 1911 
Bargour, Rev. Ropert, Y. M. C. A., Montclair, N.J.............. 1902 
Barker, Mrs. Merte Tart, 178 High St., Taunton, Mass.......... 1915 
BARNARD, Judge Jos, 1306 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C.. .1886 
BaRNES, CLAUDE T., 359 Tenth Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah......... 1908 
Bagnms. Hon. Kalviacoon,siuacong, WM). 22 tee eksciae. cee ns oe es 1889 


Barrett, Cuas. H. M., 1339 Valley Place, 8S. E., Washington, D. C.. .1912 
Barrett, Harotp LAwrENce#, 704 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.. .1909 


Barry, Miss Anna K., 5 Bowdoin Ave., Dorchester, Mass.......... 1907 
BartLetTt, Henry, 49 Middle St., Acushnet, Mass................ 1917 
Bartietr, Miss Mary F., 227 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass. .1912 
PAR rR ANE MED WIN (D.C brallOrdsy Pies 0). /4cinhe. wists 2 506i (ag tisverd dhe a Same 1913 
BarcHEetor, Marion W., 27 Jassen Place, Kansas City, Mo......... 1916 
Batten, Grorce, JR., 93 Union St., Montclair, N. J............... 1914 
Bemis, Benjy. FRANKLIN, Gleasondale, Mass...................+: 1916 
Bex, Dr. W. B., 803 Rittenhouse St., N. W. Washington, D. C.....1912 
BENNETT, WILLIAM J., 1941 1st St. N. W., Washington, D. C........ 1901 
Benson, C. STANLEY, 75 Plymouth St., North Abington, Mass....... 1915 


BicKNELL, Mrs. F. T., 319 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, Cal... -.1913 
Bippiez, Miss Emity WIti1Ams, 2201 Sansom St., Philadelphia, Pa. . . .1898 


BigEeLtow, Dr. Lyman F., 80 Winter St., Norwood, Mass............ 1914 
BLACKWELDER, ExiotT, Natural History Bldg., Urbana, Ill.......... 1895 
BLoomFIELD, Mrs. C. C., 723 Main St., W., Jackson, Mich.......... 1901 
BoarpMAN, Miss E. D., 416 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass......... 1906 
Boning, Mrs. Donaupson, 4 Mills Place, Crawfordsville, Ind........ 1916 
Bogarpus, Miss CHarorre, Elm St., Coxsackie, N. Y............. 1909 
Bocert, Witu1aM 8., 2610 Eldridge St., Bellingham, Wash.......... 1904 
Boiss, Mrs. Frank, 6 Berkeley St., Cambridge, Mass...........-. 1912 
Bout, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 1421 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, Mo. .1909 
enn. RAR ss plus eteld., MENTS fis): 3)2: gota ein etki oie aves ee eye 1908 
BORLAND, ym. (G7 Wall. St.2 New-York, Ny Yoo. «ois. (5 ac. ayes onsets 1911 
Bosson, CAMPBELL, 30 State St., Boston, Mass.................-. 1906 
bowunron, W. Rupyrup,.Je., 338. lst St.; Beaver, Pa... 2.4.5.) aaaae 1915 
Bagnae, Paogly., mbamipurg,) Ni Vist «are steve oe pci spcr here d= ono aarogas 1914 


IBOWDISE wa Sep DEM Ares ti INon dlei.cr- rane corer abekch eno stsier-a cl sls els he) shop sano 1891 


xvill Associates. 

Bowoniss, Mrs: B! 8.) (Demarest, INIV./9o5 00 4 sacle et eel eee 1902 
Bowpitcn, Dr. Haroxp, 60 Harvard Ave., Brookline, Mass......... 1900 
Bowpircn, James H., 903 Tremont Bldg., Boston, Mass........... 1913 
Boyp, Mrs. Harriet T., 17 Marsh St., Dedham, Mass....°........ 1917 
Borie, Howartu S., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y....... 1916 


Boynton, Cuarwes T., 1005 S. Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IIl.. .1912 
Bracken, Mrs. Henry M., 1010 Fourth St., 8.E., Minneapolis, Minn. . 1897 


Brapgury, W. C., 1440 Race St., Denver, Colo.......:............ 1915 
BRADLEE, THOMAS STEVENSON, Somerset Club, Boston, Mass....... 1902 
BRAINERD, Barron, 57 Monmouth St., Brookline, Mass........... 1917 
BrRanpretu, Courrensy, Ossining, IN. Yo. 52. <i saree = tees reece 1905 
BRANDRETH, FRANKEIN, Ossining, (Ns Yo.) 59). 2. Seti tei eee 1889 
Branpt, HerBert W., 2025 East 88th St., Cleveland, Ohio........ 1915 
BREWSTER, EpwarD EverETT, 316 East C St., Iron Mountain, Mich. 1893 
Brewster, Mrs. Wi114M, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass........ 1912 
BripcE, EpmMunp, 52 Wyman St., West Medford, Mass............. 1910 
Bripvce, Mrs. Epmunp, 52 Wyman St., West Medford, Mass........ 1902 
Briaccs, JosEPH S., 1872 Powell St., Norristown, Pa............... 1916 
Baiminy, Fl 4) RaleighwiN Cin vik. ooo8 he tesa eae 1904 
BRISTOL, JOHN I. D., 1 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y..:.......... 1907 
Britten, G. §8., 807 Walnut Ave., Syracuse, N. Y................-. 1913 
Brock, Dr. Henry HERBERT, 687 Congress St., Portland, Me....... 1894 
Brockway, ArtHur W:, Hadlyme, ‘Conni/) iy ts eee 1912 
Brooks, Rev. EartE Amos, 419 N. River Ave., Weston, W. Va.....1892 
Brooks, Maurice Grauam, French Creek, W. Va...............-- 1915 
Brown, Miss AnniE H., 31 Maple St., Stoneham, Mass............. 1909 
Brown, Epwarp J., 1609 S. Van Ness Ave., Los Angeles, Cal....... 1891 
Brown, G. Franxuin, “Stonebridge,” Needham, Mass...... au Reese 1917 
Brown, Harry A., 40 Talbot St., Lowell, Mass..................-- 1912 
Brown, Mrs. Henry Trempie, Lancaster, Mass.................-- 1912 
Brown, Paiie G., 85 Vaughan St., Portland, Me................. 1911 
Brown, STEWARDSON, 20 E. Penn St., Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. 1895 
Brown, Wo. James, 250 Oliver Ave., Westmount, Quebec......... 1908 
Brownine, Wo. Hatu, 16 Cooper Square, New York, N. Y........-. 1911 
BrRvEN, Franx, 69 Prospect St., Bristol, Conn................ fe L908: 


BrumpBaucu, Cuautmers §., 1020 Cathedral St., Baltimore, Md... ..1916 
Bryant, Haroxtp Cuitp, Mus. Vert. Zodl., Univ. of California, 


Berkeley;'Cal,. st ene cu ey. ee ee eee 1913 
Bunker, Cuarzes D., Kansas Univ. Museum, Lawrence, Kan...... 1916 
Burerss, Joun Kinassury, ‘‘ Broad Oak,’’ Dedham, ‘Mass......... 1898 
Bur.eicH, Tuos. D., 825 N. Negley Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa........... 1913 
Burnett, Wi111AM L., State Agric. College, Fort Collins, Colo....... 1895 
BuRtcH, Vervr, Branchport, .N:Y.2.5 wie. e ee een eee 1903 
Burton, E. Roy, 60 Park Ave., Delaware, Ohio..:.............. .. 1916 
BUTTERWICK, CuaupE’A., 116 Broad St., Telford, Pa............... 1917 


Capuc, Eucrne E., 512 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, Mass......... 1910 


Associates. xix 


Carsar, Henry A., 50 Union Square, New York, N. Y............. 1916 
Caun, ALVIN R., 4720 Greenwood Ave., Chicago, Ill............... 1917 
CALLENDER, JAMES PuHILurps, 32 Broadway, New York, N. Y....... 1903 
CampeniyL, Mrs, J. Bi; 263 We 7th St., Erie, Pa.. 0... 0... ne 1917 
CANTWELL, GEoRGE G., 901 W. Main Ave., Puyallup, Wash......... 1916 
Carne, Mrs. THomas, 41 Melrose St., Adams, Mass............... 1917 
Carpenter, Rev. Cuartes Knapp, 174 Forest Ave., Oak Park, IIl.. .1894 
CARPENTER, GEORGE I., 129 Dean St., Brooklyn, N. Y............. 1907 
CARPENTER, Hatt B., Kappa Sigma House, Amherst, Mass......... 1916 
Carricer, H. W., 5185 Trask St., Fruitvale Station, Oakland, Cal.. .1913 
CARIoR. JOHN DOL i hansdowne, baie. <i elt). ..'24 ats oe 1907 
CasH, Harry A., 448 Hope St., Providence, R. I................0. 1898 
CHAMBERLAIN, CHauncy W., 36 Lincoln St., Boston, Mass........ 1885 
Cuapin, Prof. ANcin Ciara, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass... .1896 
CHAPMAN, Mrs. F. Mivrbimelew Gad, Nets. Sirst ase a seas lyin) a cialets urd alee 1908 
CuHapman, Royat N., Dept. Animal Biology, Univ. of Minnesota, 
IMbimmaeare lichen, ve peat eon Shere ait caso yhisid otcvaler als 1911 
Oras SIDNEY Nantucket wMlassisnuias sc iteesalsieieis salerorioieweretets 1904 
CHEESMAN, Morton R., R. F. D. 3, Box 61, Murray, Utah........ 1911 
CHENEY, Rey. RopEerT E., Southbboro; Massi 2525255... .-. 0... = 1917 
Curisty, Bayarp H., 403 Frederick Ave., Sewickley, Pa........... 1901 
Cuark, CHares A., 60 Lynnfield St., East Lynn, Mass............. 1917 
CrARe WOLARBNGE ii. lubed, Meus: Ralim... ok 1913 
Cxiark, Jostan H., 238 Broadway, Paterson, N. J..............--- 1895 
CLARKE, CHar.eEs E., 11 Chetwynd Road, Tufts College, Mass....... 1907 
CiarkeE, Miss Harrier E., 9 Chestnut St., Worcester, Mass.......... 1896 
Crank) Miss Many Ey Bristow Vaile tcc. ns ste eee’, 1916 
CiLreAves, Howarp H., Public Museum, New Brighton, N. Y....... 1907 
CLEVELAND, Dr. CLEMENT, 925 Park Ave., New York, N. Y......... 1903 
CLEVELAND, Miss Lin1an, Woods Edge Road, West Medford, Mass. . 1906 
Cosine, JHnnny ik... Highland sPark eile ak) Sees ocd. ieee 1883 
Coss, Miss ANNIE W., 20 Amsden St., Arlington, Mass............. 1909 
Coss, Patytie Hacker, 35 Matthews Hall, Cambridge, Mass........ 1917 
Coss, Dr. Srantery, 206 E. Chase St., Baltimore, Md.............. 1909 
Copy, Prof. Watrer Guyton, 69 High St., Middletown, Conn...... 1916 
Corrin, Mrs. Prercivau B., 3232 Groveland Ave., Chicago, Ill....... 1905 
Corrin, Rosert L., Mass. Agric’l. Exp. Sta., Amherst, Mass....... 1917 
Coceins, Herperr L., 463 114th St., Oakland, Cal..........0..54. 1913 
CoLBurn, ALBERT E., 806 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, Cal........... 1891 


Coz, Dr. Leon J., College of Agric., Univ. of Wis., Madison, Wis... . 1908 
Commons, Mrs. F. W., 608 Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn.1902 


Cons, Mrs. Henry F., 4 Trinity St., Hartford, Conn.............. 1917 
Conry, Mrs. Geo. H., R. F. D., Box 25, Windsor, Conn............. 1906 
Cook, Freprrick W., 1604 East Harrison St., Seattle, Wash........ 1915 
Cook, Miss Liz1an GittetTe, Long Lea, Amherst, Mass........... 1899 


Coomm,;GuorgurJ.,) Ambler? Pas; 4.1 js oo ie otavarctten cane 1916 


XX Associates. 


Cooks, Miss May TuHacuer, 1328 Twelfth St., Washington, D. C....1915 


Corn; Francois’ R., Je:, Dimock) (Par... 7... -:1-eebe eee eeaereie ee 1892 
CoprLanD, Miss Apa B., 1103 White Ave., Grand Junction, Colo... ..1917 
CorEeLAND, Manton, 88 Federal St., Brunswick, Me............... 1900 
CorRINGTON, JULIAN Dana, 406 University Ave., Ithaca, N. Y....... 1916 
CRAIG, WantAce, Univ: of Maine, Orono, Me. ite ieee 1912 
Cram, R. J., 26 Hancock Ave., W., Detroit, Mich =eress0 eee eee 1893 
CRANDALL, Lew S.,.N. Y= Zool) Park, New York, Nx Yoo eos seter 1909 
CRANS, Miss \Crara L:,Dalton, Masset: 2. sees eens ete 1904 
Crane, Mrs. Zenas; Dalton; Mass: .(. 4c). 00 , haa eee be Ree 1904 
CREHORE, FrepERIC M., Box 1252, Boston, Mass................. 1913 
Cressy, Mrs. A.S., 27 Baltimore.St., Hartford, Conn............... 1912 
Rosey, MAUNSELL 'S.; Rhimebeck, NoY-c).42e eee eeeee 1904 
Cummincs, Miss Emma G., 16 Kennard Road, Brookline, Mass....... 1903 
Curriz, Rouwa P., 632 Keefer Place, N. W., Washington, D. C...1895 
CurRIER, EpMONDE SAMUEL, 416 E.-Chicago St., Portland, Ore...... 1894 
Curry, HaskEtt Brooks, 60 Bay State Road, Boston, Mass....... 1916 
CurTIs, CHARLES P., 244 Beacon St., Boston, Mass.............. 1915 
CusHMAN, Miss Aticg, 919 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa............... 1910 
DANA, W.\ SHEPHERD, ‘Moriches, N.Vo:8)een ie eee eee eaten 1916 
Dann, Mrs. Ernest B.,Chestnut Hall, Mass... 2250 Soe ee 1912 
DanForta, Stuart F., 115 N. 6th Ave., New Brunswick, N. J....... 1916 
Dankurs, Coartms H., Coming, Mos.22%¢ . seclsens see ee 1916 
Davenport, Mrs. EvizaBetH B., Brattleboro, Vt.................-. 1898 


Davipson, Mrs. Gaytorp, 1302 W., 8. Grand Ave., Springfield, Ill... .1912 
Davis, Coarues H., 700 N. Hamilton St., Saginaw, W.8., Mich... ..1906 
Day, CHEsTEeR Sessions, 1711 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass...1897 


Dean, R. H.,-720 Quimtard Ave:, Anniston; Ala. 24... 2c see 1913 
DEANE, GEORGE CLEMENT, 80 Sparks St., Cambridge, Mass....... 1899 
Decker, Haro.xp K., 250 Livermore Ave., West New Brighton, N. Y..1916 
DeLoacz, R. J. H., 6605 Harvard Ave., Chicago, Ill............... 1910 
Densmore, Miss Masset, 910 4th St., Red Wing, Minn............. 1910 
Dersy, Major Ricuarp, 116 E. 79th St., New York, N. Y........... 1898 
Dersy, Wiuu1aM M., Jr., 4857 Kimbark Ave., Chicago, Ill......... 1916 
Dewey, Dr. Cuarzs A., 78 Plymouth Ave., Rochester, N. Y....... 1900 
Dexter, Lewis, 1889 Elm St., Manchester, N. H................-. 1915 
Dickey, Donatp R., San Rafael Heights, Pasadena, Cal........... 1907 
Dickny, Samur.S., Waynesburg, Pa...) 4 (oe See ee 1905 
Dix1, Prof. Homer R., State Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, Ia........... 1916 
Din, FrReperick -M., Valentine, Nebvic 4.6.01. o. se eee eee 1892 
Diuick, CuHartes W., 1007 Tremont Bldg., Boston, Mass........... 1917 
Dionne, C. E., Laval University, Quebec, Canada................ 1893 
Drxon, Frepericx J., 111 Elm Ave., Hackensack, N. J............. 1891 
Drxon, Josep 8., Univ. of Cal., Berkeley, Cal...............2.--- 1917 
Dorn, Prof. Lours, Concordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind........... 1912 
Drummond, Miss Mary, 510 Spring Lane, Lake Honest; ella 1904 


Dutt, Mrs. A. P. L., 211 N. Front St., Harrisburg, Pa............. 1900 


Associates. Xxi 


Durree, OwEN, Box 125, Fall River, Mass..............-+-+-+0: 1887 
Duryea, Miss ANNIE B., 62 Washington St., Newark, N. J......... 1911 
Dyxer, ArrHur Curtis, 205 Summer St., Bridgewater, Mass....... 1902 
Eastman, Major Francis B., Camp Grant, Ill................... 1909 
Eaton, Miss Mary S., 8 Monument St., Concord, Mass............. 1909 
Eaton, Scorr Harrison, Box 653, Lawrenceville, Ill..............-. 1912 
Epson, Joun M., Marietta Road, Bellingham, Wash............... 1886 
Epson, Ws. L. G., 54 Fairview Avenue, Rochester, N. Y........... 1916 
Eurncer, Dr. CiyprE E., 100 W. Rosedale Ave., West Chester, Pa.. .1904 
Ereric, Prof. C. W. Gustave, 504 Monroe Ave., Oak Park, Ill....... 1901 
Himpeck, Dr. August F., New Haven, Mo.............2..-+-.+-: 1906 
Exsiaw, WALTER Ever, 255 Nat. Hist. Bldg., Urbana, Ill...... 1911 
Exprivce, ArTHur §8., South Lincoln, Mass...............-..-.-- 1912 
Exuiot, Mrs. J. W., 124 Beacon St., Boston, Mass................. 1912 
nme, GuoBpGEn Es, INOrwalk »@onms. 022.0 ay ieee ales esse 3 ae 1904 
Emerson, W. Orro, Hayward, Cal........ aR Tt erass Soe eee 1916 
Emmons, Rupert A., Chester, Conm..............0. scene eee eens 1913 
Emory, Mrs. Mary Drie, 156 Foundry St., Morgantown, W. Va.. .1899 
PRET MVUsSELG, Verrace: Park Ohio. 300202 oe. ee See ok oo es wet 1915 
Evans, Dr. Evan M., 56 East 55th St., New York, N. Y............. 1916 
Bivins, Wir Bs Moorestown, Nod. 2290 owt oe bee clehie ne ciel e's 1897 
Fanning, Dr. Water G., 2 Hunt St., Danvers, Mass.............-- 1917 
Far ey, JoHn A., 52 Cedar St., Malden, Mass.......... a Sparc tc 1904 
PAnRQUEAR, “ARTHUR” YOK Pa Ui. c cd eecetiscke dieets cuaks « slate ticle silheln's 1916 
Farrar, Epwarp Rocers, South Lincoln, Mass.............!-.--- 1917 
Faxon, ALLAN Hart, 7 Edwards St., Southbridge, Mass........... 1916 
Fay, Duptey B., 287 Beacon St., Boston, Mass............-..---. 1916 
Fay, Lieut. S. Prescott, 53 State St., Boston, Mass............... 1907 
Feicer, AuvA Howarp, North Side High School, Denver, Colo... . .1898 
Feit, Miss Emma Treco, 1534 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa....... 1903 
Fietp, Dr. Grorce W., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C....... 1910 
Binney Mrs: Ho Shit. Danidsy Paneth eats aa Me cle eafsts ones es = 1916 


Fisuer, Miss ExizaApetu WItson, 2222 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa..1896 
Fisuer, Dr. G. Ciypr, American Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y..1908 


FLANAGAN, JOHN H., 89 Power St., Providence, R. I............... 1898 
FLEISCHER, Epwarp, 1591 Union St., Brooklyn, N. Y............. 1916 
Fietcuer, Mrs. Mary E., Proctorsville, Vt........-....---+-+-: 1898 
Fioyp, CHarLes Benton, 19 Woodbine St., Auburndale, Mass... . .1916 
Foot, Dr. NatHaN CHANDLER, Hyde Park, Mass................-- 1916 
Footer, Miss F. Huserra, 260 Valentine Lane, Yonkers, N. Y....... 1897 
Horpug. Atexanpen, Moulton; Massy. i.)552) 5 vis. es eee 1912 
Forses, Raupy E., 328 Adams St., Milton, Mass................-- 1917 
Forpycer, Gro. L., 40 Lincoln Ave., Youngstown, Ohio.............. 1901 
Hoste) PRANK B:, Haverford; Pats... 0.6 ots isle ge eis ols we oer 1916 


Fow.er, FREDERICK Hau, 221 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, Cal.....1892 
Fow er, Henry W., Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa......... 1898 


XX Associates. 


Fox, Dr. Witi1AM H., 1826 Jefferson Place, Washington, D. C...... 1883 
Francis, NATHANIEL A., 35 Davis Ave., Brookline, Mass........... 1913 
Fraser, Donazp,' Johnstown, N.. ¥.J.22. 0. 222 eee 1902 
Freeman, Miss Harriet E., 37 Union Park, Boston, Mass......... 1903 
Frencu, Cuaries H., ‘Canton, Mass). -t:.)scnnooe tamer es stein 1904 
Frenca,’ Mrs. CHas:, Hy,Canton, ‘Mass... 0.4, <0 Seiceiees step ae = 1908 
FrotHincHaM, Mrs. RanpoupH, The Copley Plaza, Boston, Mass... ..1913 
Fry, Henry J.,:152 W. Lincoln Ave., Mt. Vernon, (NxY...2 23220. 1916 
Fuuuer, Henry C., 1348 Euclid St., Washington 1D. C era Bhcis e aeNS 1916 
Fuuuer, Mrs. T. oad Needham: Mass. .2t).. abe ceeeeene eta a etien 1909 
GaBrRiELson, Ira N., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C......... 1912 
GANIER, ALBERT EF. 1221 17th Ave., S., Nashville, Tenn.......... 1917 
GARDINER, CHARLES Barnes, 175 W. Main St., Norwalk, Ohio..... 1903 
Garst, Dr. Junius, 29 Oread St., Worcester, Mass................. 1916 
GERTKEN, Prof. Srvertn, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn...1912 
GrAwint, Caas:A., Boland, NoY 6.0.2 fe Ab Ge eme ie eee ee eee 1911 
Grsson, Lancpon, 5 Union St., Schenectady, N. Y................. 1887 
Gitcurist, Donatp A., Care of Extension Service, Tucson, Ariz... ..1917 
Guiwan, M.: Frenca, Fort Bidwell, Cals. ice 60. i405 soviet oe 1907 
GLAppDING, Mrs. Joun R., 30 Stimson Ave., Providence, R.I......... 1912 
Gueason, Mrs. C. H., 700 Madison Ave., S. E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 1917 
Gopine, Epwarp N., 73 Tremont St., Boston, Mass............... 1916 
Gor.itz, WattER A., 1622 Judson Ave., Ravinia, Ill............... 1916 
Gorpman, lurnEry J. Pocatello ilidahor sacs pete ieee 1916 
Gonsan; Lewis S., Box 97,-Prattvalle Ala... 2. eee eee oe 1912 
Goopricu, Miss Jutimt T., 1210 Astor St., Chicago, Ill............. 1904 
Gorpon, Harry E., 168 Asbury St., Rochester, N. Y.............. 1911 
Gorst, CHARLES C. 2 Arnold Cia. paws Mase ata 0he etic 1916 
Goutp,, Atrmep ‘Mi, Malden; Massy. 3.5% «2 see ee eee 1916 
GouLp, JosEpH E., Amendien 1 SY RRR OPI AR MANA Rte il eg Elo 1889 
Gueve Wo. J., Ante ELE Vici. estes Rec et OAs areca ... 1909 
GranceR, Miss Heten, Peterborough, N. H...................6% 1904 
Grancer, WautTrer, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y....... 1891 
Grant, Wm. W., 600 Castle St., Geneva, N. Y...........-...-2.045 1910 
Graves, Mrs. Cuaruss B., 4 Mercer St., New London, Conn....... 1905 
Gray, GrorcE M., Box 89, Woods Hole, Mass.................---- 1916 
GREEN, Horace Oaxns, 114 North Ave., Wakefield, Mass......... 1917 
GrEENOUGH, HENRY Voss, 1134 Beacon St., Brookline, Mass....... 1901 
GREENWOOD, FREDERICK, 1724 8th Ave., Spokane, Wash....... Bie atte 1917 
Grucory, RAxuonp: J.) Princeton, Mass.7 4.0.20 ee 1917 
GreEcory, STEPHEN S., Jr., 52 Cedar St., Chicago, Ill............... 1916. 
GrirFin, Berrram §., 22 Currier Ave., Haverhill, Mass............ 1917 
Griscom, Lieut. Luptow, 20 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y........... 1908 
Grow, Mrs. HuGEnnJ;,/ Lebanon.) Nj Hay. a oe ee 1916 
Guitp, Henry R., 102 Beacon St., Boston, Mass...............+--. 1912 


Haney, Atonn’ H., Monrovia; Indiana: . +); eee 1906. 


Associates. . XXill 


Haaar, Lieut. J. A., 79 Washington Park, Newtonville, Mass....... 1914 
HAGE, Grorge W., RoE.D)-38; Peterboro, N. H.... 22.65.0000 2 2k 1917 
UAE LBs REGORY +) INMILGOM PWV nas! 'ac es S182 ards! 4 UA tale Gye one 1917 
Hau, WM. WEBSTER, Jr., 15 East 75th St., New York, N. Y......... 1917 
Hanpiay, CHirnins- ©; Mewisburg, W. Vai... 0.2.6 boc c.c ao tles eee 1916 
HANKINSON, THos. LeRoy, 900 11th St., Charleston, Il............ 1897 
HARDON, Mish Fanny Wy,) Wilton; Conn... 2 4.).)0o 00... des alee eae 1905 
HARRINGTON, RaupH M., 953 Central Y. M. C. A., Brooklyn, N. Y....1915 
EPNERIS ELARRY, WCanisas @ibys IMGs 2c chokes ote ON Sa aies oie Seed eyes 1911 
Harrison, RicHarp C., 142 Huntington St., New Haven, Conn.....1916 
Harvey, JOHN L., Mercantile Bldg., Waltham, Mass.............. 1916 
HasKELL, Miss Sapra, 1209 12th St., N. W., Washington, D. C.....1916 
Hatcu, Dr. Roya, 578 Washington St., Wellesley, Mass........... 1916 
HarHaway, Harry S., Box 1466, Providence, R. I................. 1897 
PAVvenions beOl Jr. vila IN Sle esl les eee ore 0 k wlale alee he 1893 
Hein, Anraur EH. Muiller*Place: MNS Yin oni oes te bois tha cig nee 1888 
HENDERSON, Judge Junius, 627 Pine St., Boulder, Colo............ 1903 
HENDERSON, WALTER C., 4727 13th St., N. W., Washington, D.C... .1917 
HeEnprickson, W. F., 276 Hillside Ave., Jamaica, N. Y............. 1885 
HENNESSEY, FRANK C., 457 Albert St., Ottawa, Canada............ 1914 
HerMann, THEODORE L., 273 Neal Dow Ave., W. New Brighton, N.Y.1916 
Herrick, Francis H., Adelbert College, Cleveland, Ohio.......... 1913 
Herrick, Haroxp, 123 William St., New York, N. Y.............. 1905 
Emerick, Nawsoup L:, Cedarhurst, N: Yoo202 0s. a0. os aed oe 1913 
Herrick, N. LAwREnce, Jr., Cedarhurst, N. Y......-........2.5. 1917 
Hin, James Haynes, Box 485, New London, Conn............... 1897 
Hitt, Mrs. Toomas R., Box 491, Chautauqua, N. Y............... 1903 
Hinckiey, Gro. Lyman, Redwood Library, Newport, R. I......... 1912 
Hine, Prof. James Stewart, Ohio State Univ., Columbus, Ohio... .1899 
ins GroncE 1. 100.W> 9ist St2, New York iN <0.) 03 geen 1904 
Hoiuanp, Haroip May, 3208S. Grammercy Place, Los Angeles, Cal. .1910 
Houianp, Dr. Wiuuram J., Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa....... 1899 
HoLuisTeER, WARREN D., 2527 Allison St., Denver, Colo........... 1901 
Hoiman, Ratpeg H., 33 Chestnut St., Stoneham, Mass............. 1907 
Hoxt, Ernest G., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C........... 1911 
Hotton, OLIveR W., 107 Edgemoor Lane, Ithaca, N. Y............ 1916 
Honywit, ALBERT W., Jr., 31 Barker Ave., Hartford, Conn....... 1907 
HorsFat., Ropert Bruce, 1457 E. 18th St., Portland, Ore......... 1905 
Horton, Isaac CuEster, 2207 Washington St., Canton, Mass....... 1916 
Horcukiss, Htram A., Harding, Mass....... BOP LMM Ne Ns tics coe Gi 1917 
How ann, R. H., 164 Wildwood Ave., Upper Montclair, N. J....... 1903 
Hoyt, Witu1am H., Box 425, Stamford, Conn.................... 1907 
Hvusparp, C. ANDRESEN, 1249 E. Harrison St., Portland, Ore....... 1916 
Husparp, Prof. Marian E., Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass... . .1916 
Hvusparp, Raupu, 516 Stewart Ave., Ithaca, N. Y................ 1916 
HussBarp, Mrs. Sara A., 177 Woodruff Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y....... 1891 


Huser, WHARTON, Gwynedd Valley, Pa..............0.-50e0000- 1915 


Xx1V _Associates. 


Hunn, Joun T. SHarptess, 1218 Prospect Ave., Plainfield, N. J.....1895 


Hussry, Rouanp F., 1308 E. Anne St., Ann Arbor, Mich........... 1915 
IncERSOLL, ALBERT M., 908 F St., San Diego, Cal................. 1885 
Isnam, Cuas. B., 27 W. 67 St., New York, N. Y........ SAT (5 4 1891 
Jack, Epwin L., 134 William St., Portland, Me................... 1916 
Jackson, Dr. Hartriey H. T., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C...1910 
Jackson, THomas H., 304 N. Franklin St., West Chester, Pa......... 1888 
Jaums, Nopman, Catonsville, Mdii. 2.70 2.5 ee cae 1913 
JENKS, “(CHaAs: W.; Bedford, Masse. :...20..n eageieen ae oe ne 1912 
JENNEY, CHARLES F., 100 Gordon Ave., Hyde Park, Mass.......... 1905 
JENNINGS, RicHarp D., 129 Harrison St., East Orange, N. J......... 1913 
JENSEN, J. K., U. S. Indian School, Santa Fé, N. Mex............. 1912 
JeEwETT, Srawimy G., ‘Pendleton, Oreiz...n5o eee ee ee ee 1906 
JOHNSON, FRANK E., 16 Amackassin Terrace, Yonkers, N. Y......... 1888 
Jounson, Mrs. Grace Pertis, City Library Asso., Springfield, Mass. .1908 
JOHNSON, JuLius M., 77 Herkimer St., Brooklyn, N. Y............. 1913 
JOHNSON, WILBUR WALLACE, 144 Harrison St., East Orange, N. J... ..1914 
Jonss, Dr. LomBparp Carter, Falmouth, Mass.........:......... 1917 
Jongs, Mrs. Ruta Harvey, 1203 Ryland Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio...... 1902 
JorpaAN, A: H.-B:, “Lowell; Wash...'05)..c2.0)\ 02h ee ee eee 1888 
Jump, Mrs. Epwin R., 97 Oakleigh Road, Newton, Mass........... 1910 
JUNKIN, Francis T. A., 2541 Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill........... 1917 
Knuays, JAMES Epwarp, 328 St. George St., London, Ontario......... 1899 
Ke.oae, Raps T., Silver City, N. M....................2+2055- 1913 
Ketso, Dr. Joan E. H., Edgewood, Lower Arrow Lake, B. C....... 1915 
Keniston, Annan, Edgartown Mass. S21. 225. Gece woe eee 1917 
KEnnepy,. Dr. Harris; Readvalle, Massivc8) es eee ee 1916 
Kenn, Duann E:,, 47 West St. Rutland; Vitel een woe eee 1913 
Kent, Epwin C., 156 Broadway, New York, N. Y................ 1907 
KeErmopeg, Francis, Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C............ 1904 
*Kippir, | NATHaAnten ‘T.; > Malton; Masse 22); )2c068 beer eee en ele 1906 
Kiucore, WiLu1aM, Jr., 182 Orlin Ave., S. E., Minneapolis, Minn..... 1906 
Kinessury, FrepeRicK §., Needham, Mass...................-- 1916 
King, LeRoy, 20 H. 84th St, New York)N.) Ys. -2 aan eee 1901 
Kirxuam, Mrs. JAMES W., 275 Maple St., Springfield, Mass........ 1904 
*KIRKHAM, STANTON D., 152 Howell St., Canandaigua, N. Y....... 1910 
Kirkwoop, FRANK C., Ry F.D: 3, Monkton, Midi) joueee ee eee 1892 


Kurrrepes, Lieut. Josepn, Jr., Engineers, H. L. C., A. E. F., France 1910 
KKtosEMAN, Miss Jusste E., Beal Hall, 20 Charlesgate W., Boston, 


IMlaSS ia cs & of bg te We Wa ie ai So 1909 
KNAEBEL, ERNEST, 3707 Morrison St., Chevy Chase, D. C......... 1906 
Knapp, Mrs. Henry A., 301 Quincy Ave., Scranton, Pa............ 1907 
KNo.LHorF, FERDINAND WILLIAM, Amityville, N. Y............... 1890 


* Life Associate. 


Associates. XXV 


Kuen, Anruony R., Bernardsville, N.J... 2.2... .000c6ec2 eek os 1908 
Kuser, Mrs. Antoony R., Bernardsville, N.J................0006. 1910 
Kusmn, Jon Drypen, Bernardsyille, Ne Je... 20.600 ce ween 1910 
Lacry, Howarp Groreg, R. F. D. 1, Kerrville, Texas............ 1899 
Lapp, Harry STepHeEn, 4354 McPherson Ave., St. Louis, Mo....... 1917 
LaDow, STANLEY V., 622 W. 113th St., New York, N. Y........... 1913 
Laine, Hamiuton M., 1277 E. 32nd St., Portland, Ore............ 1917 
Lamp, Cuas. R., 8 Highland St., Cambridge, Mass................ 1912 
LANCASHIRE, Mrs. JAMES Henry, 7 East 75th St., New York, N. Y.. .1909 
Lanc, Herpert, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y.......... 1907 
Lantz, Prof. Davin E., 1443 Belmont St., Washington, D. C....... 1885 
MORAG) TR © Wena ©) UICTUGAY IN cepa, een ENS altel a's ayny"e need vals o nh «crate ere age 1916 
LAURENT, Putuip, 31 E. Mt. Airy Ave., Philadelphia, Pa........... 1902 
Lawson, Raupu, 88 Washington Sq. East, Salem, Mass............ 1917 
iin Jorn © 1Grovest.,.wWellesley,, Mass? 05.05... 06 oe ood a cen ae 1917 
LEIsTER, CLAUDE W., 113 Osmun Place, Ithaca, N. Y............. 1916 
LENGERKE, Justus von, 200 5th Ave., New York, N. Y............. 1907 
Lropotp, Aupo, 135 S. 14th St., Albuquerque, N. Mex............. 1916 
Lropotp, NaTuHAn, JR., 4754 Greenwood Ave., Chicago, Ill....... 1916 
eyany, Vins: Wannran Alton Tay .cNi Jie. eret' iattl lactose 1915 
Lewis, Serg. Major Harrison F., R. R. 2, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. .1912 
Lewis, Mrs. Herman E., 120 Grove St., Haverhill, Mass........... 1912 
Ligon, J. Srokuey, Box 131, Albuquerque, New Mexico............ 1912 
LINCOLN, FREDERICK CHARLES, Colo. Mus. Nat. Hist., Denver, Colo. .1910 
Lines, Gro. H., Richmond Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire, England....... 1913 
Litre, Luruer 2d, 519 Stimson Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal........... 1913 
Lioyp, Hoyss, 11 Swanwick Ave., Toronto, Canada.............. 1916 
iLorp; Duomas Haney, Newingtons N. Ei.) ce) 0 oe seis a aernerer 1916 
Honing). Anpnm, Owego; Ni Ye isine n9 oar tote sie a aids weteinier 1917 
Low, ErsEeLBert T., 30 Broad St., New YorksN. Y............... 1907 
Luce, Mrs. Francis P., Box 216, Vineyard Haven, Mass........... 1912 
ios, Epwarnn iH: “Chatham, INicdicty... ass ofes cael. sous oe bins eippe, st 1904 
Lunp, Epwarp G., 529 Beacon St., Boston, Mass................-. 1915 
Masport, Douauas C., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C....... 1916 
MAcDonatp? Miss, Havin. Kersey (Colo. a5 2.4 «ccs: a iekescleln th etes aie 1916 
Mackin, Dr. Writ C., 54 Coolidge St., Brookline, Mass......... 1908 
Mactay, Marx W., Jr., 830 Park Ave., New York, N. Y............ 1905 
MacReynoips, Grorer, Doylestown, Pa................00+ee20e- 1917 
Mappocx, Miss EMELINg, 6386 Drexel Road, Overbrook, Pa......... 1897 
Manison, Haroun L., Park Museum, Providence, R.I.............. 1912 
Mauer, J. E., 351 Communipaw Ave., Jersey City, N.J............. 1902 
Matn, FRANK H., 227 N. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa................ 1913 
MaiIrLanpD, Ropert L., 141 Broadway, New York, N. Y...........-- 1889 
DANN, anrASP. Walliamstown,Miasss. oe eet Se ev si. ba ahele shel elapse. gis 1912 
MONS, UUANMa (Ch, Leer Cinesyrere IN, Winn eeu b se sobebepouogs coon: 1913 


MaArnsin, RicwArp MM. Woodstock) Viikis ests 2. ac ove basa egies oie 1907 


XXV1 Associates. 


Marks, EpwARD SIDNEY, 655 Kearney Ave., Arlington, N.J......... 1915 
Marrs, Mrs. Kinasmiut, 9 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass... . . 1903 
MarsHALL, ALFRED, 17'S. Jefferson St., Chicago, Ill................ 1916 
Marsnarn,, Biia MO: New Salem) Massiy enicm erate. sh oo 1912 
Martin, «Miss: Janne) (Milford, (Cont. 3: :civaee seheee eras orton 1916 
Marx, Capt. Epwarp J. F., 207 Burke St., Easton, Pa............. 1907 
Maruews, F. Scuuyter, 17 Frost St., Cambridge, Mass............. 1917 
‘Marrern, Epwin 8., 1042 Walnut St., Allentown, Pa............... 1912 
MatTrerN, WALTER I., 1042 Walnut St., Allentown, Pa............. 1912 
May; Dr. JOHN \B:, Cohasset Mags!) 45.) e ise ane een 1916 
Maynarp, Mrs. Enira Ciark, Bryn Mawr, Pa...................-. 1916 
McCurntrock, Norman, 504 Amberson Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa......... 1900 
McConneELu, THomas S., 1813 Huey St., McKeesport, Pa.......... 1915 
McCook, Major Puruip J., 571 Park Ave., New York, N. Y......... 1895 
McGraw, Harry A., 1805 15th Ave., Altoona, Pa...............-. 1917 
McGrew, ALBERT D., 564 Stanton Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa........... 1917 
McHarson, DL. Hi; 163 Mell St, Athens, (Gav. 52.04.50. .o.08~ahoee ee 1917 
McI.LHENNY, Epwarp Avery, Avery Island, La................... 1894 
McIntire, Mrs. Herspert Bruce, 4 Garden St., Cambridge, Mass.. . 1908 
McLain, Ropert Bairp, Market and 12th St., Wheeling, W. Va... ..1893 
McLane, damms Lari, Jr, Garrison, Midi... 0) csck we. sees ae 1915 
McLean, Hon. Geo. P., 1520 New Hampshire Ave., Washington, D. C.1913 
McManon, Watt F., 1974 Broadway, New York, N. Y............. 1913 
McMimian, Mrs, Gasurt N., Gorham, N. H....- 5.4.0. .s0- se 1902 
Meap, Mrs. E. M., 303 W. 84th St., New York, N. Y............... 1904 
Means, Cuas. J., 29 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass............... 1912 
MencEL, G. Henry, 739 Madison Ave., Reading, Pa............... 1913 
Merriam, Henny Fy, R.F) Dil, Newton, Nod. s.g sch sas osc 1905 
Mrrnmn, Arsrrt R.,, Hamilton, Mass;s:.0 ss0..52eon cee ere 1912 
Merritt, D. E., State College, New Mexico... 2.26 sa. see oe oe 1913 
MERRILL, Harry, 316 State St., Bangor, Maine................... 1883 
MBRSHON. Wiss, ae lial ys Vi CIN acta sane eter eee 1905 
Mertcatr, F. P., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.............. 1917 
Metcatr, Z. P., A. & M. College, West Raleigh, N.C.............. 1913 
Meyer, Capt. G. Raupu, C. D. of Oahu, Ft. Kamehameha, Hawaii. .1913 
Maryrr, Miss Himiorm, denox, Massic 0° be. 1 ease yee eee 1913 
Milimasy IMldst IBbomiare vy, Jalumedomiony IMIEELOG 6 nocecoonacscoaccanodos 1917 
Mier, Miss Bertua Stuart, Box 2, Palisade, N.J..............-- 1915 
Mier, Cuas. W., Jaffna College, Jaffna, Ceylon......+.......... 1909 
Miter, Mrs. Exisasetsu C. T., 1010 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. . .1916 
Minis, Enos A., Estes Park, Colo... (20 oak eee ern ieee LOG 
Miner, Leo D., 1836 Vernon St., N. W. Washington, D.C........... 1913 
MITCHELL, CATHERINE ADAMS, Riverside, Ill.......... RRM ETRY AS 1911 
Mircreny, Mason, U..S.'Consul, Apia; Samoa, ... 2... 02 sas See 1916 
MircHeELL, Dr. Warton I., 603 Beacon Bldg., Wichita, Kan......... 1893 
MOODY, LARRY. Gann. Glyndon) Manne eae erent enn 1916 


Associates. XXV1L 


Moorg, ExizaBpetH Putnam, 5300 Media St., Philadelphia, Pa... ... 1905 
Moore, Raymonp W., Kensington, Md..............6. 20.0 e ween 1916 
Mokrcom, G. FrEAN, 243 N. Coronado St., Los Angeles, Cal.......... 1886 
Mor ey, 8. GRIswoLp, 2535 Etna St., Berkeley, Cal............... 1911 
Morrison, Atv, 53 Middle St., Braintree, Mass...............06-. 1915 
Mons Harry. Gian, Furon,; Qhio. .).0 666 6 as be ee Whe re arms 1912 
Mosuer, FRANKLIN H., 17 Highland Ave., Melrose Highlands, Mass. . 1905 
VEO TTPO Ns he OED INEIN LOM DVLA sos aor chchthalions tetsu @2pa os ats, ate «lenaaanerel 1917 
Moustey, Wm. Henry, Hatley, Quebec, Canada.............0.... 1915 
Munro, J. A., Okanagan Landing, British Columbia, Canada........ 1913 
Munson, Prof. Witu1aM H., 317 Franklin St., Winona, Minn........ 1915 
Munim, O..J.,; 219 7th Ave..S; Moorhead; Minn......5.. 05 0.66 eb eee: 1913 
Myers, Mrs. Harriet W., 311 N. Ave. 66, Los Angeles, Cal......... 1906 
Myers, Miss Lucy F., 127 Academy St., Poughkeepsie, N. Y......... 1898 
NEWBERRY, WALTER C., Winnemucca, Nev...... 0.2: .0.20.2e eens 1916 
NEWELL, Mrs. H.S., 2431.E. 5th St., Duluth, Minn... ..........4.. 1912 
Nicuots, L. Newson, N. Y. Public Library, New York, N. Y......... 1917 
Nims, Mrs. Lucrus, 17 Union St., Greenfield, Mass................. 1913 
Nose, ELEANOR G., 66 Sparks St., Cambridge, Mass............... 1916 
Noste, G. Kinestey, Mus. Comp. Zoélogy, Cambridge, Mass....... 1916 
Noxss, Dr. I. D., 1384 W. 55th St., Los Angeles, Cal...........6..0+- 1915 
Notte, Rev. Fretrx, St. Benedict’s College, Atchison, Kan........... 1903 
Norris, Epwarp, 301 W. Springfield Ave., Philadelphia, Pa......... 1916 
Norgis, J. PARKER, Jr., 2122 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa............. 1904 
Norris, Roy C., General Delivery, Portland, Ore.................. 1904 
NowEL., JoHN RowLanp, 300 Parkwood Boulev., Schenectady, N. Y..1897 
Ogpen, Dr. Henry VinING, 141 Wisconsin St., Milwaukee, Wis...... 1897 
Onoys; Henpy,. cilver SpringsaMd a tyes 4) ciaiel see ois Sata 1896 
*OLiver, Dr. Henry Kemsie, 4 Newbury St., Boston, Mass......... 1900 
Orpway, Miss Exizasetu I., 20 Myrtle St., Winchester, Mass....... 1913 
OsBorn, ARTHUR A., 58 Washington St., Peabody, Mass........... 1912 
OrTEMmiibin VREE oo No bine ot, Mork Pa.t 2.00032 os bie, aeaaees 1914 
Ovnnron, Dr, FRAwk, Patchogue Ns Yojct caa ce cene be ene 1909 
*Owen, Miss JuLIeTTE AMELIA, 306 N. 9th St., St. Joseph, Mo...... 1897 
PacKARD, WINTHROP, 1442 Washington St., Canton, Mass.......... 1917 
Paine, Aucustus G., Jr., 18 West 49th St., New York, N. Y......... 1886 
PAINE, CHARLES JACKSON, 705 Sears Bldg., Boston, Mass........... 1917 
Pautmer, Dr. Samuet C.,. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa... ..1899 
PANGBURN, CLIFFORD H., 731 Elm St., New Haven, Conn........... 1907 
PaRKER, Epwarp LupLow, 50 State St., Boston, Mass............. 1916 
Pau., Luctus H., 1485 North St., Rochester, N. Y...22.. 2.022000: 1908 
Paxton, Mrs. Reena A., 4728 13th St. N. W., Washington, D. C.. .1917 
PEABODY, Reval. 5., eugependence, Ta... 2.) soe 1.'le's ties tapstae solar 1903 


Precx, Morton E., 1458 Court St., Salem, Ore...........0.0..0.0.- 1909 


* Life Associate. 


XXVI111 Associates. 


Penarp, Tuos. E., 16 Norfolk Road, Arlington, Mass............... 1912 
PENFIELD, Miss ANNIE L., 155 Charles St., Boston, Mass........... 1912 
Prerrer, Major WM., 1811 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa............. 1911 
PrRrine, Kes, 26 Trull’St:;' Boston, Mass...) 525-00 tt 1917 
Perkins, Dr. ANNA E., So. Cal. State Hospital, Patton, Cal.......... 1917 
PERKINS, ARTHUR W., 21 High St., Farmington, Me............... 1915 
Prexins; Dr. GrovH:, Univ-of Vt.,.burlington, Vine.-2 6-4 ee eee 1912 
Perry, Dr. Henry JosepH, 1720 Beacon St., Boston, Mass......... 1909 
Perens, Anperts., Lake Wilson, Minn: 22k etee ss ore eee 1908 
Prrers, Lieut. James Len, Harvard, Mass....................+2- 1904 
Pueurs, FRANK M.,'212 HR? 4th St.) Hlyria, Ohio 2253 ay. cee 1912 
Puruprs, Mrs: J:-W., Box.36, (Northfield; Mass). 05.2252). Scene 1899 
Puitipp, Purr B., 220 Broadway, New York, N. Y............... 1907 
Puiuuips, ALEXANDER H., 54 Hodge Road, Princeton, N.J........... 1891 
Puiuips, Cas. LIncoutn, 5 West Weir St., Taunton, Mass........... 1912 
PinsBury, Franx O., 1088 Main St., Walpole, Mass................. 1917 
Pincuot, Grrrorp, 1617 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C.....1910 
PrAarr Hon. HpMuNnD, -ouchkeepsic Ne caer nae ete 1917 
Por, Miss Marearetra, 1204 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Md....... 1899 
Poor, Earu L., School Admin. Bldg., Reading, Pa............... 1916 
Porter, -Miss E., 75 St. James St. E., San José, Cal............... 1917 
‘Porter, Louis, E.; Stamford, Commo) 2o29: sees es 5 ge ce eine 1893 
Post; WiniiaM S. BernardsvilleseNvd.e cere ae kee ah ete ere eae 1911 
Porter; JULIAN -K.;-563Bailey st., (Camdens Nie 5- #2 tc eee 1912 
POWELL, ‘Mis: 'S.) Ws West! Becket) lass’ 22 30.e te oh ee ee 1917 
PRAEGER, WILLIAM E., 421 Douglas Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich......... 1892 
Pratt, Hon. Gro. D., State Conservation Commission, Albany, N. Y.1917 
Price, JoHN Henry, Crown W Ranch, Knowlton, Mont........... 1906 
Price; Licon, Ro FD: 1, Dunmore, We Vasste & see ee ee eee 1913 
Provo, W. FS) Wickliffe Ohio. 4 eh 38 2 ae ane ae eee eee 1916 
Purpy, James B:, R. F. Ds4; Plymouth; Miehy fs). 0 5. eee 1893 
QuIGGLE, JaMEs C., 1410 M St., N. W., Washington, D.C........... 1915 
RamspEN, Cuas. T., Box 146, Guantanamo, Cuba................ 1912 
RAWwsoN, : Coas. L, Oxford; -Masss. - 15.3352 ae ee 1917 
Rea, Paut M., Charleston Museum, Charleston, S. C............. 1912 
Reacu, Dr. ArtHuR Lincotn, 39 Maple St., West Roxbury, Mass. .1896 
REDFIELD, Miss Exisa W., 248 Newbury St., Boston, Mass......... 1897 
Reear, H. Severn, 1400 De Kalb St., Norristown, Pa............. 1916 
Renn, James A. G., 6033 B Catherine St., Philadelphia, Pa......... 1901 
REICHENBERGER, Mrs. Victor M., Hotel Essex, New York, N. Y...1916 
Rett, Eemont Z., 3902 Pecos St., Denver, Colo.......2..........- 1917 
Ruoaps, CHARLES J., National Reserve Bank, Philadelphia, Pa... ..1895 
RICE, WARD: J.,. Roachdale, Tid. ..45 270 eee a 1913 
Ricwarps, Miss Harrier E., 36 Longwood Ave., Brookline, Mass. .1900 
Ricwarpson, W. D., 4215 Prairie Ave., Chicago, Ill............... 1917 


Ripp1E, RosBert, 21 W. Rogers Ave., Merchantville, N. J.......... 1916 


Associates. XX1X 


RIDpHA Ss. HART, OY Wve sAly Chester Pac) o) 4.5, cd aetee avoir «014 1916 
Ripewayy, JOHN ely, \Cheyy, Chase, Mids... 33. 1. ees emedee gees 1890 
Rixer, CuarENcE B., 43 Scotland Road, South Orange, N. J....... 1885 
Rossen, Miss Nancy P. H., 412 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, Mass.. .1917 
ROBBING, CHAREHS Ay 4Onset Wags.) 0 2. 2.6 5 2. iw occ antec miei terenelay> 1914 
Rossins, Royau E., 61 Monmouth St., Brookline, Mass........... 1917 
Roserts, Wiiu1aM Exy, 207 McKinley Ave., Lansdowne, Pa....... 1902 
Rosertson, Howarp, 157 8S. Wilton Drive, Los Angeles, Cal....... 1911 
ROBINSON, ANTHONY W.) Haverford, Pain. s 32). 55.0.2 oeamiedeve 1903 
*Rocers, CHartes H., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y.. ..1904 
Rouanp, Conrap K., 1208 De Kalb St., Norristown, Pa........... 1917 
RoosEVELT, FRANKLIN DELANo, Hyde Park, N. Y................ 1896 
Ross) GHoren HH. 23/West. st.) Rutland, Wt...) 00. .e) sale credo 1904 
Ross, Dr. Lucretius H., 507 Main St., Bennington, Vt............ 1912 
Row ey, Joun, 42 Plaza Drive, Berkeley, Cal.................05. 1889 
SACKED ie OMAR EH NOH EVOL INE ly Monasdd clo )evn.cga) ete els sis) 50 0 eee mlehenaa 1910 
Sacer, Henry M., Menands Road, Albany, N. Y.................. 1885 
SANBORN, ConmeC., Box 50) Evanston, Uli canis. ts ei... 5 owlegeee 1911 
Saunpers, AreTas A., 143 East Ave., Norwalk, Conn.............. 1907 
Savacg, L. F., 1210 Jenny Lind St., McKeesport, Pa............... 1917 
Sawyer, Epmunp J., Box 123, Watertown, N. Y.................- 1915 
ScHAEFER, Oscar FREDERICK, 66 Genesee St., Rochester, N. Y.....1916 
ScHENCK, FrEepERIC, 8 Gloucester St., Boston, Mass............... 1912 
Scuorcer, A. W., 2021 Kendall Ave., Madison, Wis............... 1913 
ScoviLLE, SAMUEL, JR., 1308 Pennsylvania Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa. 1916 
ScuppErR, Braprorp A., 457 W. 164th St., New York, N. Y......... 1917 
Sears, WitL1AM R., 73 Tremont St., Boston, Mass................ 1916 
Sarai. Wiis Js, Haverford, Paw. 2292. sac bog doe sustieeo 1916 
SHARPEnS, Rosrrr P., West Chester, Pave opie oo oe 1907 
Suaw, Henry S., 78 Cypress St., Newton Centre, Mass............. 1916 
Spaw, Wiiu1am T., 900 Campus Ave., Pullman, Wash............. 1908 
Sura, Danret W., Catholic Univ. of Amer., Washington, D. C.....1917 
SHEARER, Dr Amon '\R.,)Mont\Belvieu, Texte). i055 2 )ude cea « alee 1905 
SHHEDON CHARLES: Woodstock, Vit... a. terse cient once al oieaioeens 1911 
SHELTON, ALFRED, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, Ore................. 1911 
SHERMAN, Har.ey B., 620 Church St., Ann Arbor, Mich........... 1916 
SHIRLEY, « GARAND) lea Dan GO iV ais) s)-\5 sieves cite cue eta ecue = trent 1916 
SHOEMAKER, CLARENCE R.., 3116 P St., Washington, D.C........... 1910 
SHOEMAKER, Henry, 71 Broadway, New York, N. Y.............. 1912 
SHOFFNER, CHARLES P., 1345 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa........... 1915 
SHROSBREE, GEORGE, Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis............ 1899 
SEOUIMAN OF walang, (Calo t) b.00)y si deatieeetee elevate gentlelereyeccooe < 1915 
SILSBEE, THomas, 115 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass............. 1916 
Stmmons, Geo. Finuay, Rice Institute, Houston, Texas........... 1910 


* Life Associate. 


XXX Associates. 


SxinnER, M. P., Yellowstone Park, Wyoming.................... 1916 
Smrrx, Austin Pavt, 2102 E. 83d St., Cleveland, Ohio............ 1911 
Smitu, Rev. Francis Curtis, 812 Columbia St., Utica, N. Y......... 1903 
Smith, Prof. Frank, 913 West California Ave., Urbana, Ill......... 1909 
Smiru, Horace G., State Museum, State House, Denver, Colo....... 1888 
Smitu, Lester W., 60 Cottage St., Meriden, Conn................ 1916 
Smiru, Louis Irvin, Jr., 3908 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa....... 1901 
Smiru, Naprer, 46 Cétés des Neiges Road, Montreal, Canada...... 1915 


Smitu, Mrs. Wauuis C., 525 N. Michigan Ave., Saginaw, W.S., Mich.1916 
Smytu, Prof. Exuison A., Jr., Polytechnic Inst., Blacksburg, Va... . .1892 


SnypDER, WILL Epwin, 309 De Clark St., Beaver Dam, Wis......... 1895 
SouLe, Carouine Gray, 187 Walnut St., Brookline, Mass........... 1917 
SPELMAN, Henry M., 48 Brewster St., Cambridge, Mass........... 1911 
Spencer, Miss CLementina 8., Dept. of Zodlogy, Coe College, Cedar 
Rapids; LO wealiacs, rj joy earner eae rata iu een a i agee 1917 
Squier, THEO. L., 149 Freemont St., Battle Creek, Mich.......... 1915 
Stanwoop, Miss Corpetia JoHNSON, Ellsworth, Me.............. 1909 
STAPLETON, RicHARD, 219 High St., Holyoke, Mass............... 1916 
STereLr“, Henry B., 4530 Drexel Boulevard, Chicago, Ill............ 1917 
Srmpuens, T. C., Morningside College, Sioux City, lowa.......... 1909 
STEVENS, Ord. Boxed 546) elm eolns Neon ate nee seen ree 1908 
Stewart, Mrs. Cxcit, 451 Beacon St., Boston, Mass.............. 1917 
Stewart, Puiu B., 1228 Wood Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo... ..1915 
Stites, Epear C., 345 Main St., West Haven, Conn.:............. 1907 
SropparD, Hrersert Ler, Field Museum Nat. Hist., Chicago, Ill... .1912 
Srorrer, Tracy Irvin, Mus. Vert. Zoélogy, Berkeley, Cal.......... 1916 
Straw, Mrs. Herman F., 607 Chestnut St., Manchester, N. H....... 1916 
Sreent, J. Fumtcarr, Beverly, (Nal. ose een nee eee 1908 
Stuart, Frank A., 118 Green St., Marshall, Mich................ 1915 
Stuart, Guo. H., 3rd, 923 Clinton St., Philadelphia, Pa............ 1913 
STURGIS, S:, WARREN; Groton; Massi.:).a5 nce eerie eee 1910 
STURTEVANT, Epwarp, St. George’s School, Newport, R. I......... 1896 
SuepEN, ArTHuR W., 52 Highland St., Hartford, Conn............. 1913 
Swain, Jonn Merton, Box 528, Farmington, Me...............-- 1899 
SWEENEY, J. A., Forest Service, Halsey, Neb..........5.:+..+.+-+ 1916 
Swenxk, Myron H., 3028 Starr St., Lincoln, Neb.................. 1904 
TaATNALL, SAMUEL A., 503 Hansberry St., Philadelphia, Pa......... 1916 
Taytor, ALEXANDER R., 1410 Washington St., Columbia; 8. C....... 1907 
Taytor, HorAcz, 93 Binney St., Roxbury, Mass................. 1917 
Taytor, Lionet E.,.Bankhead, Kelowna, B. C.................-- 1913 
Taytor, Dr. Water P., 1428 Perry Place, N. W., Washington, D. C.1916 
TayLor, WARNER, 419 Sterling Court, Madison, Wis.............. 1916 
TeRRILL, Lewis Mcl., 44 Stanley Ave., St. Lambert, Rushes shears 1907 
Tuomas, Miss Emriy Hep: Bryn Nees feds Te Aan Ree we, Be ee 1901 
Tuompson, J. Waucort, 527 Kast First South St., Salt Lake City, 
MR oho lop nlig enn ou: sages’ acs cas aS aol pc ea 1916 


Associates. XXxi 


THORNE, GERALD, 334 N. 5 E. St., Logan, Utah.................. 1917 
PHORNG, JVUSS JiUnTACAC PAS HE DOLO, WN. Cs. 0 04.05 cnn leh oer ieee ee 1916 
TinKER, ALMERIN D., 631 S. 12th St., Ann Arbor, Mich............ 1907 
Tower, Mrs. Kate Denic, 9 Newbury St., Boston, Mass.......... 1908 
TOWNSHEND, Henry Hotcuxiss, 69 Church St., New Haven, Conn.. .1915 
Treeanza, A. O., 614 E. South St., Salt Lake City, Utah.......... 1906 
TrotreR, WILLIAM Henry, 36 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa....... 1899 
TRULL, Harry S., 317 East 196th St., New York, N.Y........... 1917 
DHUMBELES yp.» Elamville Comms. io oe te oh oh lade a sed 1907 
TupDBURY, WARREN C., 9 Oxford St., Chevy Chase, Md............ 1903 
TWEEDY, Enaar, 27 Fairview Ave., Danbury, Conn............... 1902 
ivan, Jon iG. 210 Glem-Ave. Hresno, Calis... 2. eoes.. vee da 1912 
UnpDERWoop, Wm. Lyman, Mass. Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, Mass. 1900 
VALENTINE, Miss ANNA J., Bellefonte, Pa...........5.....0.0005. 1905 
Van Cortianpt, Miss Anne S§., Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y.......... 1885 
Van Name, WILLARD G., Am. Mus. Nat. History, New York, N. Y.. .1900 
VeTTER, Dr. CHARLES, 2 West 88th St., New York, N. Y............. 1898 
VreRECK, Henry L., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C......... 1916 
VieTor, Mrs. Epwarp W., 166 St. James Place, Brooklyn, N. Y.....1914 
VisHER, Dr. STEPHEN S., State Normal, Moorhead, Minn........... 1904 
WapDswortTH, CLARENCE S8., 27 Washington St., Middletown, Conn.. .1906 
Wikre Gronit. RK. D3, Murray, Utahis Joc). 04 se i 8 1909 
Wattacer, Cuas. R., 69 Columbus Ave., Delaware, Ohio........... 1913 
WALLACE, JAMES S., 12 Wellington St., E., Toronto, Ontario........ 1907 
Watter, Dr. Herpert E., 67 Oriole Ave., Providence, R. I......... 1901 
WATTERS sRAN Cm 2 Om 2orG a sbes sulnmliirstaeINE cers -eeie cl eiieies 1902 
WARBURTON, STANTON, Jr., 1221 N. Fife St., Tacoma, Wash....... 1917 
Warp, Frank H., 18 Grove Place, Rochester, N. Y............... 1908 
Warp, Henry L., 520 Lake Drive, Milwaukee, Wis............... 1906 
Warp, Roy A., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C............... 1915 
Warner, Epwarp P., Mass. Inst. of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. .1910 
Watson, Mrs. ALEX M., 124 Hatton St., Portsmouth, Va.......... 1910 
Warson, JAMES D., 6042 Harper Ave., Chicago, IIll................ 1917 
Winnin Ae eralapades bark, INGdes os.2 6 cee ae etd OL ges eee eee 1907 
Wesster, Dr. Grorce A., 419 Boylston St., Boston, Mass......... 1916 
Wesster, Mrs. JENNIE E. B., 44 East 23rd St., New York, N. Y....1917 
WEISEMAN, T. WALTER, 226 Beaver Road, Emsworth, Pa.......... 1916 
WEISER, CHARLES S., 105 W. Springettsbury Ave., York, Pa........ 1916 
WELLMAN, Gorpon B., 54 W. Beltran St., Malden, Mass........... 1908 
Wetmore, Mrs. Epmunp H., 125 E. 57th St., New York, N. Y...... 1902 
Weyaanpt, Dr. CorNELIUS, 6635 Wissahickon Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.1907 
Wuater, Mrs. J. W., 14 Murry Place, Princeton, N. J............. 1916 
WitAR TONS WiLDEDAN Ios nGrovon, Mass. /-\152 cesses oc/etel arrest eae 1907 
WHerrter, Joun B., East Templeton, Mass........)0....292 20.%- 1917 
Wuire, Francis Bracu, St. Paul’s School, Concord, N. H.......... 1891 


Wuitr, Grorce R., Dead Letter Office, Ottawa, Canada.......... 1903 


XXXil Associates. 


Warre, W..A:, 14 Wall St. aNew ork, IN 7 Yoc eer ee a 1902 
WuittLe, CHarues L., 20 Langdon St., Cambridge, Mass.......... 1916 
WIEGMANN, Dr. WILLIAM HENRY, 4386 East 5th St., New York, N. Y.. .1916 
Wiuzur, Appison P., 60 Gibson St., Canandaigua, N. Y........... 1895 
Wiucox, T. FERDINAND, 118 E. 54th St., New York, N. Y.......... 1895 
Wirsy; Leo, PalotWerde;-Call..f nee oon ee ee ee ee eee 1917 
Wiuarp, BerTet G., 1619 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass.. . 1906 
WinnArp) Frank ©.7harminedale: IN.AYii>) fae ene eer nee tee 1909 
Wittcox, Prof. M. A., 63 Oakwood Road, Newtonville, Mass....... 1913 
Witurams, Miss BELuE, Colonia Hotel, Columbia, 8. C............ 1915 
Wuutiams, Rosert S., N. Y. Botanical Gardens, New York, N. Y...1888 
Wiuiams, Rosert W., U. 8. Dept. Agric., Washington, D.C....... 1900 
AWE EPANTSONPMH elses lutitomemlinclana a olor ear yess et en ae eee 1900 
Wits, Miss Cuara L., 91 Wyman St., Waban, Mass............. 1915 
Wiuuiston, Mrs. Samuxzz, 577 Belmont St., Belmont, Mass........ 1911 
Witmot, Newson E., 24 New St., West Haven, Conn.............. 1916 
Witson, Mrs. E. S., 2 Clarendon Ave., Detroit, Mich.............. 1917 
Wine, DeWirr C., 5344 Dorchester Ave., Chicago, Ill............. 1913 
Winstow, Artaur MM. oJackson, Mich <2 4): ssh eee eee 1912 
Wisk, Miss Heten D., 1514 13th St., N. W., Washington, D. C.....1916 
Witter, Mrs. Henry M., 12 Montague St., Worcester, Mass......... 1916 
Wotre, Patrick R., 1129 Tinton Ave., New York, N. Y........... 1917 
Woop, Dr. Casry A., 7 W. Madison St., Chicago, Ill............... 1917 
Woon, Georce B., 129 8. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa.............. ~ 1916 
Woon; Mrs: N:P. Northfield) Mass. 4 2956 22.2 ee ee one 1917 


Woop, Netson R., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.....1895 
Wooprurr, FRANK M., Acad. of Sciences, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IIl.. 1894 


Wooprvurr, Lewis B., 14 E. 68th St., New York, N. Y............. 1886 
Woopwarp, Dr. LEMUEL, 52 Pearl St., Worcester, Mass........... 1917 
Worcester, Mrs. ALFRED J., 314 Bacon St., Waltham, Mass....... 1908 
Wricut, ALBERT H., Cayuga Heights, Ithaca, N. Y............... 1906 
Waricat, Frank S., 14 Cayuga St., Auburn, N. Y.......5......... 1917 
Wricut, Miss Harriet H., 1637 Gratiot Ave., Saginaw, W.S., Mich. 1907 
Wricut, Horack Wrinstow, 107 Pinckney St., Boston, Mass....... 1902 
Wyman, Luruer E., 3927 Wisconsin St., Los Angeles, Cal.......... 1907 
Youne, Joun P,, 1510 sth Ave:, Youngstown, Ohio... .< 2222 05ns.5 1911 


ZimMER, J. T., Dept. of Agriculture, Port Moresby, British Papua. . . 1908 


Deceased Members. 


DECEASED MEMBERS. 


XXXll 


Date of Death 


FELLOWS. 
PACD RNG (eC ATAR TMG: (tage CA Nicnon adic) «, 0) save do's: ot » 4 Wika eneranaea March 8, 
BAD SPENCER HUBURRTON 25,5156 2106 a4 o/c so oe eo eater Aug. 19, 
Brat, Foster ELLENBOROUGH LASCELLES...............- Octrn lt 
Bag Far NORA ERE EOMIUDy 2) aye iec, crates ope ole 2.5 e/<\'e scales 2 ale eect Feb. 4, 
COOKES WHEELS WOODBRIDGE: 4.) 1b) feiss = 3 cites weno March 30, 
OES PRT eres Keeley ctisich lotic si she s,s,» sane aye ay oa Dec. 25, 
PARA Oe PAN CL CRRA DID ela tee = ci cecaist =x + 6,5 + 6:5, 6 oni oi opauenene Dec. 22, 
(GOss, NATE ANTE TE STICKNEY syetelaai)< 504 pais) «e's les shales e akan March 10, 
TB OnneTy, GOIN EIEN IBUNSIOUME Seanad oigite GEC ee Obinlc hao colo Feb. 28, 
SHERRI, J OLNVAMORY af.y- (es -oc ck seis cs\eners) ace shoe's sole eer ague March 26, 
VAG linaware AUT p MO NGAS 8 7  seeyee tetas ed irs oi ss orezeies leo tel si cue as Jan. 31, 
PY ANIA INGS <A GAGE ANE XIAIN PY BYED 6c o'ch<, yf chs a '5) 0-4) oi, @ eile sho ap oe arene Nov. 1, 
WEMRBTET (PANES CUSHING 2) 02.06 cca seaine eeyela nels ewe ge Oct: 27, 
RD THM EER NR Yee AU GU SIU Stace eat a) aise sfelelehabel abel pei kepenerter March 29, 
Senn Min GORGE A SURRIGE 66s. ihe so. «15 «seers. nado eae woes March 18, 
MESON EEL GORDON Readers are icles iteleha tore ¢ Rvs) a elton Dec. 28, 
WHEADGON, JOHN IMIAVNARD 2622) o 62 els yin sctereisieteld s cine mpernee Jan. 28, 


RETIRED FELLOWS. 


[Boiinotey ITPA Cube Boo oomMeGaoousmdcolsoouconboucaT Nov. 22, 
Give, MHBODORH | NICHOUAS. {diy 2/5 <2.0-5geideholaoe eee ee Sept. 25, 


Honorary FELLOWS. 


BEANFORD, WILLIAM THOMAS. . 6. 05 )56 65 asic ee te os ele = June 23, 
BARBOZA DU BocAGr, JOSE VICENTE........0.52000---0- July —, 
HREM ESCH: GIVANS (VGN) e720 <6 Sirs = 5 Aeleepe nent rees eke ae Feb. 27, 
BuURMEISTER, Kant HERMANN KONRAD............---+5+ May 1, 
CANES, IRA RT AGO UES oe .e 3 5 << Susi ac = aoa eRe hayerenet sey Feb. 20, 
DRESSER, say BTS <5 po. <, c's oie « ana) oie penateomtateretaiekets! od Nov. 28, 
(Gp AT RH LIST GED sie fet apes 2) < (acl oo 6. jo, alae hohe meen cleus one dai, 1: 
CiGhIOUR MENRICO) FRDLVIR 6 5.6.0: <<) oes spe genengeyetercte esses, = Dec. 16, 
GUNDLACH, JOHANNES CHRISTOPHER..........-00e0000- March 17, 
(GhepNAY ORIN EMMNIR Yc, ¢ c.. <5 4 vite sate mRAAS ole ore) April 20, 
EbARreAus, [KARL JOHANN] GUSTAV. . .cjomeqn ees +s sis 4): Nov. 20, 


1908 
1887 
1916 
1897 
1916 
1899 
1915 
1891 
1888 
1892 
1903 
1916 
1902 
1911 
1900 
1903 
1887 


1917 
1914 


1905 
1908 
1915 
1891 
1906 
1915 
1897 
1909 
1896 
1890 
1900 


* Presidents of A. O. U. 


XXXIV Deceased Members. 


Haxvir-Brown,. Joun Alexander...:,. 0.0... = th). eee July 26, 
Houwm, “ALLAN, OCTAVIAN: (hice cotta coskie to keareekel coterie July 31, 
Huximy, “DH OxtAs EUENR Yee eee ers 6 sri ies chore Renee June 29, 
KRAUS, FERDINAND. 25025 )s «0 2 catam sepa = 0 aus ae Sept. 15, 
Lawrence, Grorce INEWBOED.. 4... <5... Sonn eene dieing Wr 
Mayer; ADOLF BERNHARD ¢ 5 yc)0..< 2 ses.0's 1c 22 eae ere Feb. 5, 
Mirnm-HpWwARDS; ATPHONSE . .i2..00% . oi kin. cheb eee April 21, 
NEWTON, AUSERED : f00) 25-255 o scevevs susie je or cudo 15) s eel ee ene Ren ee June 7, 
PARKER, WiIRDIAM (KITOREN: 250.0 </-)..5 0 + +2 Jaa Rane July 3, 
PREMUN, AUGUST VON.) 55.20 0aes ses bhai 2 oe ee Sept. 2, 
SAMviIN OSB TON k cis eee cdetn tive eisde pats) Sect nea eee ee June 1, 
SAUNDERS ROW ARD .0,2)cle60 lier citys ores nie lesaite el oh ee et Oct. 20, 
SCHERGEDASEUBRMANN 4e)/on Viens as oe cuslsee as eke leet ske tra Janne wiz 
ScnmarnR. PHinrp IDUTRE Yc Sait udsasae salen teeter ae June 27, 
SEBBOHM: ELENRY te. 08 colts eee ect 27h eee eee Nov. 26, 
SHARPE RICHARD). BOWDIEER s "00 sa 404) aletaeriate ete eee Dec. 25, 
TaczANowskI, Lapisuas [CASIMIROVICH] ................- Jan. 17, 
Wanrnscr, ALFRED RUSSELL... 2hid. eu cee eRe Nov. 7, 


CORRESPONDING FELLOWS. 


ApruM, JOHANN BERNARD THEODOR: 2.36.5. 509206 beens Feb. 1, 
ANDERSON MO OHN:. .. 1300 Sahin ttc eee ee ae ea Pe Aug. 15, 
Barpamus, AUGUSTE KARL HDUARD:). 127.9) ce ae eeerien Oct. 30, 
BLAKISTON; LHOMAS WRIGHT 3s 3.05 dS Desbont eee eee Oct. 15, 
BrAstus,) [PAu HEINRICH) (RUDOLEH.|4. see eine rie ae Sept. 21, 
Buastus, WILHELM AUGUST HEINRICH.................-. May 31, 
Bogpanow, Moprst NIKOLAEVICH.......:.....-+----- March 16, 
Brooks, WILLIAM EpwIn.....- W AATAR PENA re) Sel eR Jan. 18, 
BRrann, Watrenr [PrmrelB se). isn een eas eee ene May 21, 
Boninr, WALTER LAWRY.,): sir ivcs se heteeeae eee July 19, 
BULERR EDWARD ARTHUR NO sis 122258 yeah eee eee April 16, 
COmmmIM ROBERTS 6 5s © isch 5 auc LCe eaters ete en Jan. 27, 
@oorER® WAmins) | GRAIAMM 5 jeg Ae os See rere July 19, 
CORDE AUX JOBING ss toil ees naereie, ls aie ee OT Aug. 1, 
IDB ACVanDD  WATRINTAINDD) 8.7525 sitive Alte lode: laierte ents deat eater ORS ean Nov. 10, 
ID ote te}pueds 00121010) Rr oe ea INN ARIE BIS O56 6 a aidta.c 06.0.0 © Jameats 
VATION VACTOR ie Seite otto ein ssid eetal ass hake tee ea March 19, 
GIRTANNER GEORGVALBERT. |. © cic ee eee rene eee June 4, 
Gonrpp: Ena PAUGUSEN 2 Ps 5155 3 ls See ee ee ee July 5, 
HAAst JOHANN PRANZ JULIUS VON... . 0.) dieieneeeiene Aug. 16, 
EAR GTS, SED WARD Lhe 20556 6/2 eGeiic ins te esters apenas March 19, 
Ayn GUSTAVAIEDIEERS VON. 4 Sole semen ae eee Jan. 9, 
Hinman,  Orre: <2) 56../2.3 2 del asl Se ee eee Dec. 27, 


1916 
1912 
1895 
1890 
1895 
1911 
1900 
1907 
1890 
1891 
1898 
1907 
1884 
1913 
1895 
1909 
1890 
1913 


1900 
1900 
1893 
1891 
1907 
1912 
1888 
1899 
1905 
1906 
1916 
1913 
1902 
1899 
1900 
1910 
1906 
1907 
1917 
1887 
1895 
1911 
1914 


Deceased Members. 


ENO TUE LUNI VAM Aietclona) elian cis oad Se caldmie ie aes tune ere Feb. 21, 
HoMEYER, EUGEN FERDINAND VON.............00cc0000 May 31, 
UD SEN uA WAR or G Nye wiiee sv aoe ow aes e cUee ld dele ane Jan. 8, 
KRUKENBERG, CARL FRIEDRICH WILHELM................ Feb. 18, 
PRA AS PHANG A EOP OLD fe ies ales 5/5/50 0 vice, <)are, ove s « oie dle ale Jan. 1, 
ir y err KAU EDN PANU Ice aa we ree reat ae yeu eae, scilcpavetey «| s-chsie ds ace’e oueka ee Dec. 5, 
Litrorp, Lorp (THoMAs LyTTLETON Powys).............. June 17, 
IMIATATG REN PANDERS GOHAN cs )2 2s s-icss sis seed cess oe uae see's April 12, 
NARSCHATT SAUGUST MRTNDRICH 2)... 54) /sc. c+ s/ale oe elcse 5 e.s Oct. 11, 
MippEnporFF, ALEXANDER THEODOROVICH............-. Jan. 28, 
Mosustsovics von Mossvar, Fetrx Grora HERMANN Aveust.Aug. 27, 
INOR TEA AMEE D wd OLIN Gi cysiceaitevecie siecsharee slevatazs stelasbieis «leheant May 6, 
OARS, BE DINIO (Ala Hee oon occa GE Seco e a oee ei niin Nov. 16, 
OusTALeT, [Jean Frépiric] Emitz..................... Oct. 23, 
AIP PI, EDOM AMANDUB: Say. c.c4.<0.0% 5 dae cone waves ses 3 July 23, 
PRIBVALSKY, NiconAS MICHAmLOVICH........-..--.-+--- Nov. 1, 
PRHNGISS MAINTE Em VVAEIB SIDER) areieneiarcrsieleVeieit a) tielehelcvelteri el sit ciate Nov. 19, 
BECHER SEVARRY: DAMES OTOVEN ©. ace. cers Sees aoe eels Feb. 17, 
RappeE, Gustav FERDINAND RICHARD VON.............- March 15, 
PAM SAY EDWARD UE TMRGON)M.0sincls sem guile abeles esses ee Dec. 16, 
SCHREN GK GR OROLDA VON <n cies oyster one ce ceehe, 4) <deu vis, oosucts esse Jan. 20, 
Stiys-LonccHAMpPsS, MicHEL EDMOND DE..............-- Dec. 11, 
SEVERTZOW, NiIcoLAS ALEKSYBVICH....-:.......:.5-.---- Feb. 8, 
SHb MME ws CHOR GH GURNEE: <reye ciee ese eicisis ceil wiers ce) e/steic Nov. 29, 
SIMEAV HENS O Nia Elin NI Yep aie there came ashe rans aycnay shenche ergere aickclsisets Aug. 18, 
DRISRRAN | EON Y, PRATER. vc). 2640/2 eld eiers 2 os «hes ols oe March 8, 
WHARTON gin NRY: MUHORNTON) 24.4) c+ cess istsiclslens)> 461s Sept. —, 
WoopDHOUSE, SAMUEL WASHINGTON................--:- Oct. 23, 
MEMBERS. 
ENG G MMEIGBNR Mray. orto on ates, chal sa leicle sromdnsia.as states < July 12, 
ES HGHVyaN Ty MEME ESTO Ie 8 epee ch cetailst cheveeecheyey saelteeelies ayo ats, <ia'e May 12, 
CAMERON, PAWN SOMBER: 05.5 peal wis ashe cys Seeeeya ee 0 #8 eo May 25, 
Tangata, COUSINS ace do ono cos DO enIe POO anor ntcmIcio cro June 20, 
TEUATRD DZ, A UAISION Cie citer Chola Oi SCRA RIND Ae eeeteee ee ie reece Dec. 9, 
TPO VO VRVE SEHR, DW UGHII «cia cc's dis o|s\daveielscis os tees ee «o's Oct. 22, 
BRarapricy FastesOrex AON VCRETGT OS cc gye cn isla Se see a Alain oe Germlaaie aie mye es Nov. 11, 
PENNOCK, CHARLES JOHN (disappeared)..............--- May 15, 
RAwra, WinutAM LeGRANGE. .).....2..... 0.0 ce esse see’ July 8, 
RGN EEEP HI Np VEDAI OVE (22 2) 22 72o cra'(alcl  2)) «0, 4/2) jeinye o sisiees erehece = Oet:, 7; 


VEER NCA Kies @ MHATIMS OTIS ys scl u ds wales siepe ee eesiesas re ee Dec. 6, 
‘ 


XXXV 


1902 
1889 
1898 
1889 
1900 
1905 
1896 
1897 
1887 
1894 
1897 
1917 
1911 
1905 
1904 
1888 
1899 
1888 
1903 
1916 
1894 
1900 
1885 
1910 
1888 
1906 
1895 
1904 


1915 
1913 
1915 
1904 
1910 
1905 
1913 
1913 
1907 
1912 
1910 


XXXVI Deceased Members. 


ASSOCIATES. 

ADAMS, (CHARLES, (WRANCISH. A040 Gals ete «sete Reon May 20, 
AULEN, (CHARLES sSUOVISR 4 dc.0s' cece: he ei eee Oct. 15, 
ANTES, PRANK. (DALEANT J oiece ctl bs sitar oe ln cis (eee eee Feb. 6, 
ArxKins, Harmon ALBRO...... Retin nS bnORUn Ie reac Aah ae May 19, 
AVERY, WILLIAM CUSHMAN). of. .052': c -\ oe es ere eee March 11, 
BAREHY, (DER T EUR AUD) cc .cidn oie sia 0) oi seca Lee eee June 22, 
Barmy; (OHaRrms Hh i ticys tain ache teale 2 arene EMI AN hog ; 
BAIRD; LUCY, (ELUNTHR nis older ieitotiee ee June 19, 
BANKS, Mise IVUAR TEAC UR Sarath, oye scene cis eer ea nee Dec, 13, 
BARLOW, + CHESTER: .c/.e suicictate io etneete als enetaetners Caen eae Nov. 6, 
Barren, 'GRORGH) |. . i 50 se costes aie sre ieee aegis ee noms ee Feb. 16, 
Baur, Grore [HERMANN Cart Lupwic]................ June 25, 
BuckHAnt (CHARLES WiICKILIREH ee a eeiaaticicisireien rere eee June 8, 
BERTIER, LORIGAGNIEL:, 2) aerate crit ear erate ean a earn Feb. 11, 
BEETS. UNORMAN, aD i\VWViRE Taisen eae May 21, 
Biman, PCHARURS 2.2 0h ic ie eeiattiae. eee fis en eater eee eae April 14, 
BIRT WHEL) HRANCIS JOSEPH] ae ee ere ance rntrercece June 28, 
BoaRpMan, GEORGE AUGUSTUS))..% 2h. oct aes dhol, iil, 
BODINE; DONALDSON +2) eerie oe Re cree ere ieee Aug. 26, 
IBOLLES)) FURAN cio shies ce oe riser ee ere eae rere eu eer Jan. 10, 
BRACKE DT HOSTER SEH ODGHSt a menernicmicion cic ieee eee Janeos 
BRAN TEE. | WILLIAM JORMA CRN = Se ones ener eeeraorir Sept. 9, 
ia MANE IDM AMINO Ss guscooeuobeaoondodpoogHuK Dec. 7, 
IBRENINGHR | GHORGH SHRANK ie er nnn eerie rine Dec. 3, 
IBRENNAN | (CAR TI ANS: coer iy iether a Cote Renae Mar. 21, 
BROKAWS AUOUIS |. WESTEN (in fas ene clot ee eee ee Sept. 3, 
BROWN, JOHN: CLIPFORD,..)4)).,..400oe nse DO enone Jan. 16, 
BROWNE) URANCIS@: CHARTES a4 strane oem Orr Jan. 9, 
BROWNSON, WILLTAM HiiNRY, 0.202. 0.05.08 ee ok eee een Sept. 6, 
BURKH 3 WiLL DANES ARID INTL! oa teriae cera: arte reer April 15, 
BURNET. HONARD ME EMER 4) ocr ete ineeeeereee ee March 16, 
BUTLER, MHOMAS| JOEFERSONI. 4a. seco ce nteeeeee Oct. 23, 
BuxBAuMNMirs CLARA IB, ode siege 2 ahi eee March 23, 
CATRINS)) SON) | SIMPSON fi. 2:.,5 ./fs cle-aisls sk tae Shon, Senet eee June 10, 
Cau; AUBREY BRENDON? ..0/)).\2.4 600 5 ested eee Nov. 20, 
CAMPBEET  SROBRRE ARGV 3's cer! stotod «cies oe oe eee April —, 
CANTINLD; JOSEPH BUCKINGHAM: (0.0.0 s 0. cs keene ae nee Feb. 18, 
CARUETON CYRUS: al, btacts Cihetecs deere ee Crete Nov. 15, 
COMME. SHAD WVUIN S coaite See soc ue vik eeohe ath atc Coes ee OE A eee Feb. 3, 
Carter, IsaBEL MontietuH Pappock (Mrs. Epcar N. Carter) 


Sept. 15, 
CHADBOURNE, EtHEL RicHarpson (Mrs. ArTHuR PaTreRSON 
CEADBOURNE) i chsicreicreis ctieck ch aU S I eee ee ae Oct. 4, 


1893 
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1907 


1908 


Deceased Members. XXXVI1L 


SATEEN, MAHERAMMID fatepee Hc hapchaas, o.« |e wi otanbale ie sia ela etd seekers May 6, 
GT ARK) OFING IN ADELA Dec y tera Ale «<i ocielic ouela Si nolecleree Gene Jan. 13, 
Gon. WiruErene WELINGTON = 25.50. . 0056's < sles one sia aleve April 26, 
ComBURN, (WHULTAM- WALLACE), . cic.05.5.0 5005s ecg etae Oct. 17, 
Gormerr, (Conmmurrs] Atonzo McGrr...:.........0.555 Aug. 22, 
Conant, Marrua WIxson (Mrs. THomas OAKES Conant). . Dec. 28, 
ADR TKAEN: ig CARTES e LUGE eek wd sc kia is o's aisles 05. Sala eoacs Sept. 8, 
CORNING ERASTUS MUD Pie ae le eles eau viaidisyecsuanbinc «athe lence April 8, 
I ANEEESTING We WANE TA ATMEOSELs ee senor ciety ar etetay sista wheres ecae), Slaltenele Sie April 21, 
DANSON re) O FIN AUTEN Pop egttra, 8 ore) ay ofa) 8] o's ec apa: Sve asin, a dhoiane Gisl ais Feb. 21, 
Davis, Susan Louise (Mrs. WALTER Rockwoop Davis)....Feb. 13, 
(DATS tA DE ROCK WOOD aii ciecicr ice dye ciee oes tod April 3, 
Daxcrn ns [SUMGN |) ING WLON 6/465.) chee 05 oak io soe sore ale ds wee July 27, 
Donery jumrAnN WONTGOMMRY 225 25 Sci Weer sce BLDC OS Nov. 23, 
DUNTOPS RICH BROOKE tis hey sees. hares 6 5 5 sey s/o ereya, secre a <td) 4 May 19, 
Disease WAS eoEND SAVE 4). othe ais avr stesee «es aise « Aye evn cep Jan. 20, 
HEniO Ti SAMUEL LOWE .-5 5 osc a eielesis ostleeia cere see Feb. 11, 
IVAN ANTICS Bip EFUAUNIICIULIN en saetie' cy chet axcl.cte see's co) oye i ens os sie telw. 6) iecordu April 24, 
FARWELL, Mrs. ELLEN SHELDON DRUMMOND............- Aug. 6, 
RE ye OHIN ME AR WIRED oceans crs ao +o, Ga sehalblans aiadie eal Feb. 11, 
MRR ae MAR Ver SISSEIi Ti} ais 5 otace Dimi cae oy gnelapal aes heey se March 18, 
IBISHWR Ay WILELAN: FVUBBEMD eas 2c) so, clspe wake os see's eels Oct. 6, 
HOWMER E) OSHUAMMOUNSBURM: «+ 5+ 4+ vascis Wins cee. soils July 11, 
PupnnR | CHARTS TANTHON Ys oo). dsc seein oe parte spaces March 16, 
Inonivinig. Ahotcounsnui Ouwis peewee emer ea dic co erer Aug. 17, 
CRSNER PABRATAMEDERBMRT. 5 o..csi) esse cece Aaaae ase ae April 30, 
Coss) BENTAMIUN) HIRANIKIMIN 4 «9 oc ac tc2 oe ci roelane aoe July 6, 
GRONEERGHE OVEN MAGNUS) 2.06.25). ,..c50 <'o 5ale sieysjo e@sla'o,eieie April 24, 
EVANS ELEN RW) WOWASDIUG <2 6. fuciesre sc cond caeltiete Salen one 2h Nov. 6, 
ATE rSamnVUAURICN 0. .46.)osne dsc deaegas dante walo: May 1, 
ELAZARD SLO WAGANDD) GEBSONE acl socials oo scien aa celdeis «4c Jan. 23, 
Jatin, \W Sar GN OI BRDIS Ith cp arin be Aino nee .O ee ORD Mee Oct. 14, 
tinge aaMars Se sinn MIL OMUIS Aly aie ss Srecssicie sc sunvoleet ae veacioiess sees Feb. 11, 
HITCHCOCK, Mrs, HELHANOR BECKWITH... ..- osc + 0-15: March 3, 
TOAD EY: URE DERICK HODGESs .. «440 ae 6 eae m els teers Feb. 26, 
igenmss Wahu MEINGLIG 7. 5.3/5.4 ais. casein cnleiave Sam pies at elt May 10, 
EL QORES ed OSPAHIs eet. iy) See sire wie Sie atsiowsiese usual e ae Jan. 16, 
IO WE OE ROREN CW PAUIREL TA cloici. ef avsja.0¢ sire che ois elrsyetehes ha July 9, 
ETO pela OUTS HME ee et eos os ectciotet sincsns cleusunkcncussas eyoushe eee are Sept. 18, 
LOWLAND SOHN SNOWDEN. © otis #clevscls sievereeierviciarete lores Sept. 19, 
IinGAniS CHAREHS TOWARD. «5.005. -< dele ce once wo ale eie ene May 31, 
INGHRSONE a JOSHPHa © ARLETON 5. s.50 «5 21,440 dajeieta ores eke Oct; 
JHNKS COHN MV HIPPIE POTTER: .,.) s...2 s,sy12 aa eles Soe o esis Sept. 26, 
diahjaic, . 1Dinspoysianre bl boy op ax tere oun) here eutice Orrclae at olole o oe eG - Sept. 5, 
TOUR SEM RRMMGO UES 5b F a 2 6 sd a as)o ec ei ees e Wielaiaiie lens March 22, 


AU SHUCH smell NRA a yd opty ie oite auctions aiaut uoEeeMecnetore cise ceuaye March 1, 


XXXViil Deceased Members. 


KELKER, WILLIAM ANTHONY.\< <0... 025,22 << sae Ose eee Feb. 15, 
Kaien, ‘WitsEeR CLINTON }.icc92 0 okso =. sce ee ee July 28, 
Kwox, JOHN COWING. 2 b.ce8 5 osc 08 4 00's ble eee June 10, 
Koc). AUGUSTE) j 225 5..co nadie sede ase) ine eee eee Feb. 15, 
KeUMiIEN,  WUDWIGs 2%. bs. 6 Waid Cale > cle eee eee Dec. 4, 
KuMuIen, THURE Lupwic THEODOR.................... Aug. 5, 
Tana, (LmSiies WALDO’ « <7,)0 012/05 ois: oie tees SR ee Feb. 7, 
Tearinee: (CAROLINE (Poo 4d fees ov Nae nde See eee April 19, 
GAWRENCE ROBERT HOM. . 2's). s4.5: ac dusclas po ant eee eee April 27, 
En, ESL ALEXANDER. cy loi cic isis ys 20 see ee May 20, 
Devny, WILLIAM -CHARLESWORTH. 9/00 72)) faaaee ye ee July 5, 
IGINDEN, (O@HARLES 6 seas o/s aes be oF) eet ae I Feb. 3, 
Luoyp, ANDREW JAMES...... ROEM CTY ANY clicky Atte June 14, 
IGORD, WELLAND IROGERS'-) <), ¢)s;s/é nares = a eevee eee eer Feb. 2, 
MABBE ED, GIDEON: §'6 55% lac 1n,05,2 ce one eon le eine aeRO ReNae: Aug. 15, 
NEUATIE AND) AE RICAN DBR ses, e satrose ce cals cones Cees Oct. 25, 
MaARBiE, ‘Ca&Rins CHURCHILL: 45. 2.0220 cutee ae Sept. 10, 
INGA Crve) ORV ic 2. cua ota NE re ca ote coe usin byron ensicrne: eee eee March 19, 
WILATES, \yVideiwei) IO IMMGNNG Gao oobcasocuadsousvcoNcone Dee, 15 
MARSDEN, wElinNR Ye WARDEN cece teen biel oc rete Feb. 26, 
NcHWEN, DANIEL: CHURCH: <:.).4,..).i%: dc ssc aie en eee Nov. 1, 
MGHATTON, SHENRWY: ni.< <a a elses casio ee eee ae April 22, 
VIG Reis AS VN AINE 3 faa: G.se yeh ro SUSUR Raye Soe ico ae I ea Noy. 30, 
Ninny) (GQHORGE SMITH. (20 ))n ness coe one ae een eae June 18, 
Minor HENRY DAVIS 5. eve ota ed aces aay aoe eee ee Nov. 18, 
MGRREIE, CLARENCE ENR. . ee oo ae aoe eee te ener July 15, 
INICHODS sHOWARDE GARDNER. Spee error reece June 23, 
INS) ne athe ee eit od aleve oo ate UN Ee March 12, 
NORTHROP) JOHN ISALATH: : i 56.) 3.5).5 «00s sn eee ee a ete June 26, 
PARK, AUSTEN (FORD 3.1.1. 208s tere ot <\eioeicnee ee Rie ee Sept. 22, 
PAULMIOR: (PREDERICK: CLARK: .': 55,2 fale ans eo eee March 4, 
POMEROY, (GRACE: VIRGINIAN syst) Laie eee May 14, 
ROMERO /EUARRY. (KOR KLAND saa) se lobe erecta etre Jan. 27, 
RULN AMA OHREDERIC! WARD: tices aeitre ae anioeeeeie Aug. 14, 
RAGS PAI, GEORGE, TUN. (204) 1cte clei eee eee March 25, 
IRVARWILL EM EVRAINICIS) WV iLIGLAGAUME 16, bile fas, 166 Cen Ae eran ee ene June 12, 
RADY | GRORGHWEURNRYs\e..3,5 43) 54s saa Sol eee March 20, 
WED, (CHESTER ALBERT 6.) cides oe o oe ae ee Dee. 16, 
IRIGHARD SON: WIENINESS 42,265 5 acussai chest ad ors eee Rice Ont eee June 24, 
Rosrins, Jutia Stockton (Mrs. Epwarp RoBINs)......... July 2, 
SAND, pSARIIA, TOW! i's Ss bcd she wip e251, Hee are nn April 20, 
SEROUS PHRCY ASHERBORNE «cue ch or doe: Geen April 7, 
SHANNON. Vill ANG UIR DW.) isteie a oi eeicine ners ate Oct. 29, 
SEADOR s SIAM ETO WIR s <2. 55 sch.8 ies sac oibie eh reeer nae Ren nee Feb. 22, 
STEN IN yD OMAS! BDI VAIRDS). 1,-5.2.) <: let lie cence ree ee eee Dec. 23, 


SMA E ED GARSAT BERT: oc olan nate els me eee nae ee eer April 28, 


1908 
1903 
1904 
1907 
1902 
1888 
1916 
1916 
1897 
1908 
1914 
1888 
1906 
1916 
1890 
1907 
1900 
1899 
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1914 
1909 
1917 
1899 
1901 
1890 
1902 
1896 
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1891 
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1906 
1906 
1915 
1915 
1895 
1911 
1903 
1912 
1893 
1906 
1906 
1900 
1916 
1895 
1902 
1884 


Deceased Members. 
SMA Ce HAROLENW MSMEDY (20's ij. vis soe tad etd Gees gas Mar. 12, 
Sire BOPARENCH, AGBERT 3200000 a0. oe doses bene Bete May 6, 
Surry, Ruts Cook (Mrs. H. A. Hammonp Smirn).......... Jan. 2, 
SNOW PBANGIS HEIUINTINGTONG © O06 os. 05 bcs cv bw elcome oe Sept. 20, 
' Soutnwick, James MOorTIMER...................0.0.05. June 3, 
SPADEDING | LRHDERICK: DENJAMBN). 4.) oasis < cc c2 oe 46 gee Oct. 22, 
SPANTONE Te ONATEDAIN OUNG aiaje vices + cislas sls hie arate See Feb. 17, 
SHON WIE ARD EUARRESON). foie ok 0s ke eee teed ae oie pi March 15, 
Styer, KatTHarine Resecca (Mrs. J. J. Sryer)........... Jan. 20, 
SweIcER, HeLten Bronson (Mrs. Jacos L. SweicerR)....March 24, 
TAYLOR, Apmanpmn OORISCORL. ... 0.4. clon enias coe ee April 10, 
SEO MESON) MUU RTD SAVIOR stores sie sac tes a sie sues aise oss Aug. 7, 
PIPTO RINE ele D ADT IVIUAGRVIIN ese cit lede's ers eum ©) s)speue, 980818 Sue <s March 16, 
ACEROLEIN Op SVAN LONDIDIR A alos being 6 Ot oI CED IELE Cee eae July 4, 
DaGRBER. GENE CARMNTON: 05 6.6 62 6sic)es Seuae coe eer sss Sept. 6, 
Upnam, Mary Cornewia (Mrs. WitiiamM Henry Upuam).. Nov. 29, 
MENNOR EMRNR Ye GHORGHIAS cools o.8 2 cicaieberdiejersialutiele ect eyes June 8, 
VPAGIIRS, EUDWVEATED! OWANDGIY ohc 6 bec Pics dress 'S dietsln wile euetels ays. Dee 27, 
VMAS Banh tied 2 2) De peste lees ae ee Nov 16, 
Warmnnen CARERS OAMDMRGE oo. uccitssns che steno s eiaruc Feb. 24, 
NVAEUIETIRY pr UAH) A OUSATRIKGHY ofhey cosh / ore:ts atens veneledo aera) eVeraiyeiene = ale Sacre Jan. 5, 
WWE TAR Dy SAMMUT VVIEIETS 25 sehicts lace ores Baie este cree 3 sels May 24, 
WA SON SEDI Ve SS WIAIRIDS 2 5,4 2 ceneic “a ategsysicrsie acs sverabaiet s)stieys Nov. 22, 
AVIV AINE ate TRAUN OES epee ste (opi crai $1.5 4. culeyeileece levers ictevel ove evel = hs seuslel= Feb. 24, 
WASTE Se WAITDANT IODC . c)4)/<k:d.0 arate aicte eee ey tiara erat Aug. 21, 
WiOOD a OHINE @TATRE A) 00 che ton Sayst cas = ee oe ere ops eaten tars June 16, 
WOOD SAV VLETAAMT yer etn es ates c 8h eactbtcr cs) ou are conclivae apcieeesteteyars ish at siers Aug. 9, 
Wooprurr, Emwakp SHYMOUR:..:...00.0.. ees eoe cts Jan. 15, 
WioRtHmNns ‘CHARTRS KUIMB ALTE 5 « cian apace #148) o Shes sess May 27, 
WERE GILT er, SAMMUT Sais) sc tya's 6 Bim <) stale lercicis ai allcletsl el etelo chet aes Jan. 18, 
BiounGc  OmRnis (OMAN Yk ict yk bop ahs cisaxicce ew oreiataresle ue July 30, 


EZAPEB Yay VV ATER NEHA EIS ate cieeice cle seas chats eo jee. fo leila Feb. 20, 


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fs CONTINUATION OF THE ie Hh 
Txt) BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB ane 


‘The Auk 


H Quarterly Journal of Ornithology 


Vol. XXXV JANUARY, 


PUBLISHED BY 


The American Ornithologists’ Union 


CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 


Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. 


. 


CONTENTS 


‘ PAGH 
In Memoriam: EnGar ALEXANDER Mearns. By Charles W. Richmond. (Plate I.) 1 
Tue BREEDING BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEw JprRsey. By Richard C. Harlow 18 
UncoLtorep Prints FROM HaveE.u’s ENGRAVINGS OF AUDUBON’sS ‘ BIRDS OF 
America.’ By Harry Harris. (Plates II-III.) . . E ; a 29 
THE BREEDING OF THE MIGRANT SHRIKE aT Hate, STANSTEAD County, QUEBEC, 
1916. By H. Mousley C 5 i : - ; 2 j 4 33 
LABRADOR CHICKADEER (Penthestes hudsonicus nigricans) IN 1TS RETURN FLIGHT 
FROM THE Fatt Mieration or 1916. By Horace W. Wright A “ 5 37 
Tuer Brirps or WaLtLA WALLA AND CotumBia CountTiEes, SOUTHEASTERN WASH- 
INGTON. By Lee Raymond Dice ‘ ; 2 : 3 5 ‘ 5 40 
A Revision or THE Racres or TOXOSTOMA REDIVIVUM (Gambel.) By Harry C. 
Oberholser : sing : : : : 5 5 : 5 52 
Notes on NortH AmeRIcAN Brrps. IV. By Harry C. Oberholser : 62 
THIRTY-FIFTH STATED Murntine or THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Union. By 
T. S. Palmer ‘ : _ : § 3 % : 2 : 65 


GENERAL Nores. — Common Tern Nesting at Thousand Islands, 74; European Widgeon 
at Madison, Wis., 74; The European Widgeon in Massachusetts, 75; Little Blue 
Heron in Pennsylvania, 75; Northern Phalarope in Michigan, 75; Sharp-tailed 
Grouse at Tremont, Indiana, 75; The White-winged Dove (Melopelia asiatica asi- 
atica) in Georgia, 76; The Harpy Hagle in Colorado, 77; The Harpy Eagle in Colo- 
rado, 78; Sap-drinking by Sapsuckers and Hummingbirds, 79; Starlings at Barn- 
stable, Mass., 80; Yellow-headed Blackbird in New Jersey, 81; The Bohemian 
Waxwing in Grand Junction, Colo., 81; Concerning Brewster’s Warbler, 82; 
Brewster's Warbler in Pennsylvania, 82; Blackpoll Warbler Lingering in Massa- 
chusetts, 82; Labrador and Acadian Chickadees at Hatley, Stanstead County, 
Quebec, 83; Willow Thrush in Pennsylvania, 83; Subsequent Nestings, 83; Un- 
common Birds at Hatley, Stanstead County, Quebec, 84; Early Bird Records for 
the vicinity of Washington, D. C., 85. 


Recent Literature. — Herrick’s ‘ Audubon the Naturalist,’ 86; The New ‘ Birds of 
America,’ 89; Tropical Wild Life in British Guiana, 91; Catalogue of the Childs 
Library, 93; Preliminary List of the Birds of Tennessee, 93; Birds of Carthage, 
Hilinois, 94; Swarth and Bryant on the White-fronted Geese of California, 94; Ober- 
holser on the Subspecies of Leach’s Petrel, 95; Oberholser on Birds from Islands in 
the Java and China Seas, 95; Paxson on the Last of the Wild Pigeon in Bucks County, 
Pennsylvania, 95; Peters on Birds from Santo Domingo, 96; Recent Papers by 
Gyldenstolpe, 96; Cary’s ‘ Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming,’ 96; Third Report 
of the Meriden Bird Club, 96; Mathews’ ‘ Birds of Australia,’ 97; Bird Conserva- 
tion in 1917, 97; Mullens and Swann’s Bibliography of British Ornithology, 98; 
The Ornithological Journals, 98; Ornithological Articles in other Journals, 101; 
Publications Received, 102. 


CoRRESPONDENCE, — The Blue Color in Pigeons, 105. 


Notes ann News. — Obituaries: Lyman Belding, 106; Dr. Henry McHatton, 107; 
Ornithological Work in 1917, 107; The List of Fellows of the A. O. U., 110; Called 
to the Colors, 111; Chapman's Distribution of Bird Life in Colombia, 112. 


‘ THE AUK,’ published quarterly as the Organ of the AmeRIcAN ORNITHOL- 
ocists’ UNION, is edited, beginning with volume for 1912, by Dr. Wirmer STONE. 
Trrms:— $3.00 a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num- 
bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary ‘Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and Asso- 
ciates of the A. O. U. not in arrears for dues. 
Meee OFFICE OF PUBLICATION Is AT 30 BoyLsTon St., CAMBRIDGE, Boston, 
ASS. 


Subscriptions may also be addressed to Dr. JonatHan Dwient, Business 
Manager, 134, W. 7lst St.. New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscribers may 
obtain ‘THE Aux’ through Wirnersy & Co., 326, High Hotsorn, Lonpon, W. C. 


All articles and communications intended for publication and all books 
and publications for notice, may be sent to DR. WITMER STONE, 
Acapemy or Naturat Scrences, Logan SQuaRE, PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 


Manuscripts for general articles should reach the editor at least six weeks 
before the date of the number for which they are intended, and manuscripts 
for ‘ General Notes’, ‘ Recent Literature’, etc., not later than the first of the month 
preceding the date of the number in which it is desired they shall appear. 


IPLAIWE Il. 


THE AUK, VOL. XXXV. 


Gre AUK: 


A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF 


ORNITHOLOGY. 


VoL. XXxv. JANUARY, 1918. No. 1. 


IN MEMORIAM: EDGAR ALEXANDER MEARNS. 


Born, September 11, 1856 — Died, Noyeraber. hi 1916. = 


y 


BY CHARLES W. RICHMOND. 
Plate I. 


In the death of Dr. Mearns the American Ornithologists’ Union 
has lost one of its Founders and most active members, and orni- 
thology one of its most enthusiastic disciples. Friendly and genial 
in disposition, with an all-consuming interest in the study of 
nature, he craved the society of men of similar tastes, and looked 
forward with keen anticipation to the rare occasions when he was 
permitted to attend the annual sessions of the Union. As an army 
surgeon, he was subject to the vicissitudes and uncertainties of that 
calling, and during the greater part of his twenty-six years of ac- 
tive military service was far removed from museums and libraries, 
both indispensable adjuncts to the working naturalist. While this 
circumstance greatly interfered with his systematic studies, and 
prevented him from publishing any extended results of his dis- 
coveries, which he was well equipped by training and experience 
to perform, it undoubtedly contributed largely to his development 
as a field naturalist, in which field he was without an equal in this 
country, and enabled him to amass collections that are probably 
unrivalled as the efforts of a single individual. His activities of 
over forty years covered a wide range, of which but little, aside 

1 


Gem 


2 Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. Pant 


from his ornithological achievements, can receive mention in the 
present notice! 

Edgar Alexander Mearns, son of Alexander and Nancy Reliance 
(Carswell) Mearns, was born at the home of his grandfather 
(Alexander Mearns), at Highland Falls, near West Point, N. Y., 
September 11, 1856. His grandfather, born a few miles from 
Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1786, came to New York in 1805, after 
making several perilous voyages at sea. He settled at Highland 
Falls about the year 1815, where Alexander, his son, one of seven 
children, was born in 1823. Dr. Mearns’ father died in 1873, 
but his mother, who comes of New England stock, is still living. 

Edgar Mearns manifested a remarkable interest in birds and 
animals at a very early age, and this taste was fostered by his 
father, who bought him a large illustrated book on the native birds. 
He took great pleasure in looking at the pictures — he was only 
three years old at this time — and his mother spent hours in teach- 
ing him their names and histories, and he soon developed a wonder- 
ful knowledge of the subject for one of his years. As he grew older, 
his father gave him a gun, and they would shoulder their arms and 
wander through the fields together, close companions. He was 
taught to set box traps in these early years, and if there was no one 
at hand to go with him to inspect them, he would steal out alone to 
see what the traps contained. As a school boy he was often tardy 
as a result of lingering in the woods in search of specimens. Every 
natural object interested and attracted him. — 

Young Mearns was educated at Donald Highland Institute, at 
Highland Falls, and subsequently entered the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons of New York, from which he graduated in 1881. 
At the outset of his medical course, he became personally acquainted 
with several of the young naturalists of the time, E. P. Bicknell, 
A. K. Fisher, C. Hart Merriam, and others, some of whom were 
attending the same routine of studies. He and Dr. Fisher chanced 
to share the same room at a boarding house at this time, and it 
was here that the budding young Linnean Society held its early 
meetings. 


1The War Department was asked for a copy of Dr. Mearns’ military record, but the 
request was refused, owing to the great amount of extra work now placed on the depart- 
ment. 


Vol. a | 


1918 Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 3) 


When he was about ten years old he began to write out and 
preserve his observations on birds, and some of these, written in a 
very youthful hand, are still extant; but it was not until 1872, 
when a boy of sixteen, that his efforts had crystallized into a plan 
to prepare a report on the vertebrate fauna of his region, and he 
set to work with all the energy and enthusiasm of youth to gather 
material and information for this purpose. It was in the spring of 
this year that he seriously began a collection, and he then formed 
the habit of carefully labelling his specimens, noting any important 
items connected with each object, such as its dimensions in the 
flesh, the color of its eyes, and other facts of interest. This habit 
was faithfully followed in after years, and in birds alone it is esti- 
mated that over 60,000 measurements were recorded in his various 
field catalogues. He did not confine his attentions to zodlogy, 
but devoted himself to the flora as well, and unlike many young 
students he was ambitious to learn something of foreign species, 
for as early as 1875 he was in correspondence with one or more 
European collectors, from whom he obtained many specimens in 
exchange. 

His first published paper, on ‘The Capture of several Rare Birds 
near West Point, N. Y.’,! appeared in January, 1878, and it is 
worthy of comment that under the first species mentioned in this 
paper he acknowledged some information received from his “ friend, 
Mr. Theodore Roosevelt,” inasmuch as almost the last field work 
he ever undertook was with this same leader of men. 

Three other notes followed shortly, while a paper on‘ The White- 
headed Eagles in the Hudson Highlands,” presented at the meeting 
of the Linnean Society of New York, on April 6, 1878, was the 
first communication read before that newly formed society, and 
was appropriately published on July 4th. Toward the end of the 
year he had made sufficient progress with his big undertaking to 
look forward to a suitable medium of publication, and he wrote to 
Dr. J. A. Allen for advice. This letter, a copy of which was found 
among his manuscripts, is here reproduced, as it emphasizes the 
importance he attached to specific, as opposed to vague general 


1 Bull. Nuttall Orn. Club, III, No. 1, Jan., 1878, 45, 46. 
2 Forest and Stream, X, No. 111, July 4, 1878, 421; No. 113, July 18, 1878, 462, 463. 


oes 


4 Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. Jann 


records, and illustrates the serious and painstaking method with 
which he handled his subject, a method of precision that he adhered 
to throughout his scientific work. 


Tal LOW a22rd Ot.) UNAS 
Nov. 17, 1878. 
Mr. J. A. Allen, 
Dear Sir! 

I have wanted to ask you several questions with regard to pub- 
lishing a list of the Bds. of the Hudson River, and take the pre- 
sent opportunity to do so. Singularly enough, there is no medium 
of publication for such an article in this State. The “New York 
Academy” has recently changed very much in its character, and 
Mr. Geo. N. Lawrence tells me it would be impossible to get them 
to publish any lengthy paper on zodlogy, as he has much difficulty 
in getting them to take even brief articles of his own. 

I am writing quite a bulky list of the Hudson Valley Bds., with 
which I am taking the greatest pains; particularly regarding dates 
of migration, breeding, life-habits, ete. 

One of the more important points is the northern extension of 
the “Carolinian Fauna” up the Hudson. 

I think the whole number of species that have been taken in the 
Hudson Valley (none others will be included), will amount to about 
215. 

I have been compiling the data of this list for several years. 
And now my object in writing to you, is to enquire whether there 
are any available facilities for getting the list published during the 
coming winter or spring. Would the “Boston Society Natural 
Hist.,” or “Bulletin Essex Institute” do it? If you will be kind 
enough to advise me I shall be extremely grateful. 

I have tabulated all of the specimens I have taken (1800) in 
Hudson region, and have formulated tables of measurements of all 
of the specimens taken. I think that these tables contain matter 
of sufficient interest and importance to warrant publication, in the 
case of the rarer species especially. As time progresses, we all 
know that very considerable changes take place, respecting the 
geog. distribution of the Bds. Very many ornithologists of the 
present day receive with incredulity many statements of the old 


' 


Yo ¥ Ricumonb, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 5 


naturalists, which may be worthy of perfect credence. Now, if 
De Kay and Giraud, who are about our only N. Y. State authori- 
ties had made specific instead of general statements regarding such 
species as Huspiza Americana, Lophophanes bicolor, Thryothorus 
ludovicianus, Parus Carolinensis and Corvus ossifragus, their 
observations would be of the greatest value; but many persons 
now doubt the accuracy of these observations. I think the tables 
of specimens captured and their measurements would be useful in 
this way if in no other. However I am quite willing to be advised 
in this matter.” 

This paper, ‘A List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands, with 
annotations,’ was begun shortly in the ‘Bulletin of the Essex 
Institute,’ ! seven installments appearing between 1879 and 1881, 
with an ‘Addendum’ issued in ‘The Auk,’ in 1890. As printed, 
it lacks the tables of measurements, these having been reduced to a 
simple statement of the average dimensions of each species. Dr. 
Allen, in reviewing the first four parts, said: “....His own notes, 
even when relating to some of our best known birds, are replete with 
new information attractively presented, few lists having appeared 
which offer so much that is really a contribution to the subject in a 
field where so little really new is to be looked for.” In announcing 
later parts, the same reviewer wrote: “The high praise accorded 
the earlier installments is equally merited by those now under 
notice, Mr. Mearns’s ‘List of the Birds of the Hudson Highlands’ 
ranking easily among the best of our long list of contributions to 
local ornithology. There is much said about the habits of various 
species that is entertaining or new...” Dr. Mearns intended this 
paper as the beginning of a complete catalogue of the vertebrates 
of the region, but his entrance into the Army, in 1883, caused the 
abandonment of this plan, although he later (1898) published part 
of his data on the remaining subjects in a paper entitled “ A Study 
of the Vertebrate Fauna of the Hudson Highlands, with observa- 
tions on the Mollusca, Crustacea, Lepidoptera, and the Flora of 
the Region.” ” 

After completing his medical course, in 1881, he married Miss 


1 Bull. Essex Inst., X, 1878 (1879), 166-179; XI, 1879, 43-52; XI, 1879, 154-168; 
XI, 1880, 189-204; XII, 1880, 11-25; XII, 1881, 109-128; XIII, 1881, 75-93. 
2 Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., X, 1898, 303-352. 


[eses 


6 Ricumonpd, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. Want 


Ella Wittich, of Circleville, Ohio, who shared his love of natural 
history, especially botany, and gave him considerable assistance 
with his collections. ‘They had two children, a son, Louis di 
Zerega Mearns, and a daughter, Lillian Hathaway Mearns. 

In 1882, Dr. Mearns took an examination for entrance into the 
medical department of the army; but the events of that period 
are best told in the following extract from a letter he afterwards 
wrote (March 16, 1885) to his old preceptor, Robert Donald, then 
at Lanesboro, Minn.: 

“T informed you I think of my determination, you know it had 
long been my wish, to enter the army, of my coming up before the 
Army Medical Examining Board and of my passing satisfactorily 
the examination. I did not receive my commission at once but 
spent the summer in settling up our business affairs and in prepar- 
ing to go to New York for the winter. 

I stored my collection of specimens at the American Museum of 
Natural History, N. Y., and on the first of October was called there 
as temporary curator of Ornithology, and spent the winter. While 
there I labelled all of their large collection of European birds, and 
many others from Asia and Africa, and got up catalogues of all the 
ornithological and ological specimens in manuscripts with printed 
headings for all items of desirable data concerning the specimens. 
The most important thing that I accomplished there was the estab- 
lishment of a cabinet collection in vertebrate zodlogy for the use 
of students.” Confirmation of this last statement is found in a 
recent work,! where it is stated that “the first material for study 
collections was given by Dr. E. A. Mearns in 1882, consisting of 
skins and eggs of North American and European birds.” 

Dr. Mearns participated in the organization of the American 
Ornithologists’ Union in September, 1883, and on Dec. 3 of that year 
received his commission as assistant surgeon in the army, with the 
rank of first lieutenant. He was offered a choice of several stations, 
and selected that of Fort Verde, in central Arizona, as promising 
an exceptional field for natural history investigations. He was 
accordingly assigned to this post, which he reached early in 1884. 
Fort Verde, abandoned as a military station in 1891, was then a 


1The Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., its History, etc., 2d ed., 1911, 67. 


ae | Ricumonp, Jn Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. rh 
desolate, arid place,. but to Mearns it represented a new world, 
peopled with strange animals and plants, all worthy of the closest 
study. Within sight of the fort were ancient cliff dwellings, silent 
reminders of a vanished race; and San Francisco Mountain, then 
practically unexplored, was also visible in the distance. He set 
to work with his customary vigor, devoting all of his leisure time 
to the formation of a splendid collection of the animals and plants 
of this section of Arizona. The ruins in the neighborhood were also 
examined in considerable detail, excavations were made, and 
thousands of relics rescued from oblivion. He wrote a delightful 
and extremely interesting account of these explorations, under the 
title ‘ Ancient Dwellings of the Rio Verde Valley,’ which appeared 
in ‘Popular Science Monthly,’ for October, 1890. 

During the nearly four years he was stationed at this Arizona 
post, he was attached to various expeditions, some of them peaceful 
ones, others sent in pursuit of renegade Indians. In the letter to 
Mr. Donald, quoted above, he wrote: “We reached Fort Verde 
on March 25th, 1884, and, by a curious coincidence I am just in 
receipt of orders to leave on that day this year as surgeon in charge 
of the two cavalry regiments that are about to exchange stations 
between this department and Texas. I will have two acting Ass’t 
Surgeons with me, which will make my duties light, and on the 900 
miles of horseback riding that I will have, there will be much lei- 
sure and opportunity for zodlogical and botanical work. I was given 
the first choice to go on this expedition, and gladly accepted for 
the sake of the information which I expect to acquire of the fauna 
and flora of the southern part of Arizona and New Mexico. The 
medical director is personally friendly towards me and General 
Crook who commands the Department is particularly interested 
in my pursuits, and has chosen me to accompany him on two long 
expeditions through the wildest and least known portions of 
Arizona. On each of these trips an entire month was spent in the 
saddle, and a large collection of several hundred specimens of 
vertebrate animals was made, which were transported together 
with the rest of our plunder upon pack mules in panniers.” The 
contemplated trip was duly performed, and a long account of it 
was recorded in one of his manuscript journals. 

Dr. Mearns was popular with his brother officers, who marvelled 


(fan 


8 Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. Fan 


at his diligence and untiring zeal in the preparation of specimens, 
and many of them brought him trophies of various kinds as con- 
tributions to his collections. These cordial relations with his 
official associates continued throughout his career; indeed, his 
earnest and trustful nature and genuinely frank and straight- 
forward character permitted no other course. 

Early in 1888, he was transferred to Fort Snelling, Minn., where 
he remained until 1891, returning to this post again in 1908. In 
the winter of 1889-90, at which time he received his captaincy, 
a few months spent at the American Museum enabled him to 
describe several new mammals and birds from his Arizona collec- 
tions, as well as to complete other manuscripts. During his stay 
at Fort Snelling, he borrowed a large series of Sparrow Hawks from 
various friends and museums, and investigated the geographical 
variation in this species, the results of which were embodied in a 
paper entitled ‘A Study of the Sparrow Hawks (Subgenus Tin- 
nunculus) of America, with especial reference to the continental 
species (Falco sparverius Linn.).’! . 

When the Mexican-United States International Boundary Com- 
mission was organized, in 1891, Dr. Mearns was directed to act 
as medical officer, with orders to report for duty on Feb. 1, 
1892. By “previous correspondence with Lieut. Col. J. W. Barlow, 
senior commissioner,” he had obtained authority to establish “a 
biological section of the survey, provided this could be accom- 
plished without additional cost” to the Commission. By coépera- 
tion with the United States National Museum he was enabled to 
carry out his designs, and he personally was able to conduct obser- 
vations along the entire line, from El Paso to the Pacific, including 
San Clemente Island, which he visited to carry his investigations 
to their logical terminus. The work was continued up to Sep- 
tember, 1894, except for an interval of a few months in the pre- 
ceding year, when his time was divided between Forts Hancock 
and Clark, in Texas. During his work on the boundary line he had 
the services of one assistant for a considerable part of the time, as 
well as the voluntary aid of his associates on the survey. As a 
result of their combined industry, about 30,000 specimens were 


1 Auk, IX, July, 1892, 252-270. 


oe all Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 9 
collected and transmitted to the U. S. National Museum. The 
collections had been carefully made, to illustrate changes in the 
animals and plants in the various faunal areas through which the 
expedition passed, with the view of throwing some light on subspe- 
cific variation in them. 

At the close of the Mexican Boundary work, Dr. Mearns was 
ordered to duty at Fort Meyer, Va., with permission to study his 
collections at the National Museum. In the time at his disposal 
he made considerable progress in identifying the mammals, and 
in discriminating the several life zones of the boundary line. In 
addition to the faunal zones currently recognized he suggested 
several lesser geographical areas, which he termed “ differentiation 
tracts.’ He had planned an elaborate report on the biology, 
geology, etc., based on the boundary collections, and had accumu- 
lated a vast amount of data and manuscript for this purpose, but 
Congress withheld the sum estimated to cover the cost of printing 
and illustrations, and the project was reluctantly given up. The 
first part of his report on the mammals, the only one thus far pub- 
lished, was issued in 1907,' and contains upwards of 500 pages, 
with many plates and text figures. It includes much introductory 
matter of a general nature, with an itinerary of the expedition, an 
account of the life areas, lists of the trees, etc., of the Mexican 
border, and is an excellent example of the careful and detailed 
methods of its author. 

In the autumn of 1896, he devoted his vacation to field work in 
the Catskills, and to rambles in the vicinity of his old home. A 
paper entitled ‘Notes on the Mammals of the Catskill Mountains, 
New York, with general remarks on the Fauna and Flora of the 
Region,’ ? was based on investigations made at this time. 

After a few months’ duty at Fort Clark, Texas, in 1897-98, he was 
commissioned brigade surgeon (later chief surgeon) of Volunteers, 
with the rank of Major, in the Spanish-American war, serving 
until March 22, 1899, when he was honorably discharged and 
resumed his regular duties. His next station was Fort Adams, 
Rhode Island, where he served during parts of 1899-1900. While 


1 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 56, Pt. 1, 1907. 
2 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., X XI, 1898, 341-360, figs. 1-6. 


ee 


10 Ricumonp, Jn Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 


there he joined the Newport Natural History Society, and took an 
active part in its work, especially in collecting information relative 
to the present and former status of the mammalian fauna of the 
State. Toward the close of the year 1900, he suffered a nervous 
breakdown, probably complicated by earlier attacks of malaria, 
and was granted several months sick leave, part of which time he 
passed in Florida in an effort to regain his health. Three months 
or more were spent in camp in the Kissimmee prairie region, and 
while there, in February, 1901, he received notice of his advance- 
ment to Surgeon, with the rank of Major. Upon his return in May, 
much benefited by his outdoor life, he stopped at Washington and 
devoted several weeks to a study of the series of jaguars and other 
tropical American cats at the National Museum, the results of 
which appeared in a number of papers published during the next 
few months. 

At Fort Yellowstone, where he was on duty in 1902, he was 
particularly active in gathering botanical material. It was here 
that he became aware of the destruction of bird and animal life 
through the presence of a heavy gas, supposed to be carbon dioxide, 
which settled in certain depressions and cavities of the earth, 
causing the death of all small animals that ventured into them. 
In the course of a few months he detected 16 species of birds, 
numbering many individuals, that had perished in this manner, 
and he was of the opinion that “hundreds, if not thousands”’ died 
from this cause during the year. He recorded the observations 
made here in a paper entitled ‘Feathers beside the Styx,’! and 
before leaving the Park, he requested the superintendent to have 
the most dangerous spots provided with wire screens, to prevent 
the birds entering them. 

Military service in the Philippines, which he visited in 1903- 
1904 and again in 1905-1907, afforded Dr. Mearns his first oppor- 
tunity to study nature in an entirely new dress. The Islands 
possessed a rich and varied fauna, with many areas still unexplored 
or but slightly known, while many problems bearing on the dis- 
tribution of species within the group remained to be solved. He 
was largely responsible for the formation of the “ Philippine Scien- 


1 Condor, V, 1903, 36-38. 


Sl Ricumonp, Jn Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 11 
tific Association,” a society organized on July 27, 1903, and having 
as its chief object the promotion of scientific effort in the Philippine 
Islands. It was begun under the presidency of Major-General 
Leonard Wood, a broad-minded officer, who encouraged every form 
of scientific endeavor. Mearns was a most active member of this 
league from its inception, and his quiet but effective powers of 
persuasion, and his ability to enthuse others were the means of 
securing much material and information for later study. During 
the year covered by his first visit, he served as surgeon in the mili- 
tary department of Mindanao, where his time was fully occupied, 
so much so, that it was often necessary for him to work far into the 
night to preserve specimens brought in to him during the day. In 
his official capacity he accompanied eight punitive expeditions 
against hostile Moros, but even under these circumstances his col- 
lections continued to grow, through the codperation of his associates. 
Ethnological material, such as bolos and other native implements 
and weapons, together with various editions of the Koran, were 
secured on these forays and utilized as specimens. He accom- 
panied General Wood on three trips of inspection to various islands, 
some of them zoélogically unknown and rarely visited, and during 
parts of June and July, 1904, he ascended Mount Apo, the highest 
peak in the Philippines, where he made general collections and 
secured much information of value. In the exploration of Mount 
Apo he was anticipated by two English collectors, who had made 
collections there hardly a year before. 

Hard work, combined with exposure in a tropical climate, had 
its effect, and in September, 1904, he was sent to the Army General 
Hospital at San Francisco, suffering from a complication of tropical 
parasitic disorders. He visited Washington after he had partially 
recovered his health, and took advantage of the opportunity to 
study some of his Philippine material, and in a series of five papers 
issued in the early part of 1905, he described six new genera and 
twenty-five new species of mammals, a new genus and nineteen 
new species of birds, besides recording eight species of birds not 
previously known from the Islands, with notes on other of the rarer 
forms. Other new types embraced in his collections were made 
known by experts in several branches of zodlogy. 

On July 20, 1905,*Mearns stopped at Guam, on his way back 


12 Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. se 


to the Philippines, and here he made the inevitable collection that 
attended his every pause, however brief, in a new locality. In the 
few hours spent at Guam he obtained twenty-three birds and a 
variety of other material. To him every specimen had a potential 
scientific value, and if worth picking up at all was worth labelling 
with its full history. This applied to all material, whether in his 
own chosen field or not, his theory being that if a specimen proved 
to be of no interest it could be easily discarded at any time. 

During the two years of his second period of service in the 
Philippines he was enabled to reach many interesting and obscurely 
known islands, having the good fortune to accompany General 
Wood on tours of inspection to the northernmost and southernmost 
points of the Archipelago, but space forbids notice of other than 
his two chief exploits. In May, 1906, he was placed in command 
of a “ Biological and Geographical Reconnoissance of the Malindang 
Mountain Group,” in western Mindanao, which was organized to 
explore and map the region and make collections of its natural 
products. This expedition, originally consisting of 21 whites and 
28 native carriers, left the old fort at Misamis, on May 9th, and 
experienced many difficulties, ascending one spur of the mountain 
after another, only to discover that an impassable gorge several 
thousand feet deep separated it from the main peak. By May 25th, 
the party had become reduced to half its original number, through 
the departure of various members to the coast. The remainder 
pushed on, and at 11.30 o’clock on the morning of June 4th reached 
the top of Grand Malindang, the second highest point in the 
Philippines, and previously unvisited by civilized man. It was 
foggy and cold, but Dr. Mearns remained on the summit three 
days and nights to secure a good series of the animal life of that 
altitude. The return to the coast was comparatively uneventful 
and occupied only a few days. A good map of the region was pre- 
pared, and a number of new animals and plants were discovered, 
including Malindangia, a new genus of birds. 

One achievement among Mearns’ Philippine experiences stands 
out more prominently than any other, namely, his ascent of Mount 
Halcon, which was undertaken at the worst’ season of the year. 
This notable expedition, headed by Dr. Mearns, was organized 
“under the direction and with the support of Maj. Gen. Leonard 


vee ae Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 13 


' 1918 


Wood,” its object being to “determine some feasible route to the 
mountain, to ascend the highest peak, to secure as much data as 
possible and to collect objects of natural history.” Elmer D. 
Merrill, botanist of the expedition, has fortunately given an account 
of this trip, and the extracts here quoted are from his paper. 
“Halcon the third highest peak in the Philippines, is situated in 
the north-central part of Mindoro. With no known trails leading 
to it, surrounded by dense forests, cut off from the coast by difficult 
ridges and large rivers subject to enormous and appalling floods, 
it stood seemingly inaccessible. Its location is perhaps in the most 
humid part of the Philippines, where the rains continue for nine 
months in the year, in a region geographically quite unknown and 
inhabited by a sparse population of entirely wild and very timid 
people, and on an island regarding which there is a widespread 
and generally accepted belief as to its unhealthfulness. Although 
within 100 miles of Manila and not more than 15 from Calapan, 
the capital of Mindoro, so far as I have been able to determine it 
remained unconquered up to the year 1906.” John Whitehead, 
an English collector, who reached one of the outlying spurs of 
Halcon in the winter of 1895, wrote of this region: “I have seen a 
good deal of the tropics, but I never encountered such deluges, 
such incessant rain, or such thousands of leeches.” 

The Mearns party, consisting of eleven whites and twenty-two 
natives, left Calapan on Nov. 1, for Subaan, where it began its 
journey inland. The expedition discovered several uncharted 
rivers, which had to be forded or crossed on rude bridges con- 
structed by the party, and progress was impeded by the almost 
constant rains, the difficulties of trail-cutting, and the swarms of 
leeches, the latter constituting a notorious drawback to travel in 
the forests of that region. The privations of the journey are 
graphically set forth by Merrill, who states that the expedition 
reached the summit on the afternoon of Nov. 22d, but remained 
only long enough to take aneroid readings and deposit a record 
of the trip. The return to the coast was not without trouble, since 
nearly fourteen days were required to reach Subaan. Carriers 
sent down in advance for food and supplies had not returned; 
the remaining members were obliged to carry heavy loads; a 
bridge made by the party was washed away and had to be rebuilt; 


14 Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. we 


blinding rain continued for days without a pause; two men were 
lost for several days and later discovered in a half-famished state; 
and all of the party were on short rations. These and other troubles 
were incidents of the return trip. At length, however, the party 
reached Subaan, Dec. 5, after an absence of forty days. The 
zoological results of the trip were disappointing, since only by the 
exercise of great effort could specimens be prepared, or saved from 
later destruction by moisture. Furthermore, Dr. Mearns noted 
that the mountain birds had descended to lower levels to escape 
the rains, and flocks of them were observed passing up the moun- 
tain side when the party was on its return to the coast. 

Late in 1907, Dr. Mearns returned from the Philippines, and 
was ordered to Fort Totten, N. Y., where he remained nearly a 
year. While at this station he indulged in a garden, and derived 
much satisfaction from growing a variety of vegetables, and regis- 
tering in his notebooks the results of his toil, indicating the treat- 
ment, yield, and value of each kind planted. It was at Fort 
Totten that he became aware of the presence of the disease that 
finally brought his career to an end. 

In 1908, President Roosevelt planned an extensive hunting and 
scientific expedition to Africa, and invited the Smithsonian Insti- 
tution to participate, with the view of securing the best results in 
the preservation of both large and small game. The proposition 
was accepted, and Dr. Mearns was suggested for the position of 
naturalist. He agreed to undertake the journey, and on Jan. 1, 
1909, he was retired, with the rank of Lieut.-Col., but “assigned 
to active duty with his consent,” with orders to “report in person 
to the President of the United States for duty.” Concerning the 
objects of the expedition President Roosevelt wrote him: “While 
our collections will be mainly of mammals and birds, yet if we can 
add reptiles and fresh-water fish, it will certainly be desirable. 
While not making a special effort in the collection of insects and 
plants, it will yet be desirable to do all that can conveniently be 
done in these directions. 

“Dr. Walcott recommended you to me as being the best field 
naturalist and collector in the United States; and as I already knew 
well the admirable work you had done I was only too glad to assent 
to the recommendation, and accordingly at his request detailed 


te | Ricumonp, In Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. 15 


you to take charge of the scientific work of the expedition. I know 
no one who could do it as well.” 

The party, consisting of Col. Roosevelt, his son Kermit, Dr. 
Mearns, and Messrs. Heller and Loring, sailed early in March, 
1909, and was absent nearly a year. It traversed sections of British 
East Africa, where Mearns seized the opportunity to collect material 
on the slopes of Mount Kenia up to the snow line; Uganda, across 
which he journeyed on foot, to enable him to make better collec- 
tions and observations; finally passing through the Lado Enclave, 
down the White Nile to the coast. The course of the expedition 
and its results are matters of history, and it will suffice here to say 
that of the upwards of 4000 birds collected over 3000 were obtained 
by Dr. Mearns, who also secured many small mammals, plants 
and other objects. 

Upon his return to Washington, Dr. Mearns began a general 
report on the birds, and published several preliminary papers 
_ describing new forms obtained on the expedition. While thus 
engaged, he was requested by Mr. Childs Frick to undertake 
another African journey, which was to include Abyssinia and little 
travelled parts of eastern Africa. Although less physically fitted to 
undertake difficult journeys than formerly, the advantage of having 
more material for comparison appealed to him and he was unable 
to resist the temptation. He became a member of this expedition, 
and the latter part of the year 1911 found him again in Africa, 
from which he returned in September, 1912. The party entered 
at Djibouti, French Somaliland, and travelled inland to Dire 
Daoua, thence to Addis Abeba, the Abyssinian capital. From there 
it worked generally south by way of the Abaya lakes, through 
the Galla country, making a loop round Lake Stephanie and skirt- 
ing the south end of Lake Rudolf, and finally reached Nairobi. 
Part of the territory traversed was previously unexplored, and the 
liberal collections made over the whole route enabled Dr. Mearns 
to add greatly to his knowledge of the birds of eastern Africa. In 
April, 1912, when the expedition was in a remote part of southern 
Abyssinia, his son, Louis Mearns, a most estimable and promising 
young man, who had accompanied him on many lesser collecting 
trips, died in Baltimore, Md. The news of this sad occurrence, 
which was withheld by his family until his return to the United 
States, proved a severe shock to him. 


es 


16 Ricumonp, Jn Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. ipa 


With largely increased collections — the Frick expedition having 
added over 5000 birds to his available material — Dr. Mearns 
again resumed his studies, intending to work up all of the African 
series together. He had been relieved from further active duty at 
the end of the year 1910, and felt he could at last make his plans 
and move as he pleased. For years he had cherished the desire 
to settle down to museum research, to work over his collections and 
complete reports long projected. The opportunity was now at 
hand, but, alas! not to be realized. The privations and exposure 
of his many travels, together with the progress of his malady, 
had so undermined his system that his vitality had reached a low 
ebb. He continued at work for two or three years, with ever widen- 
ing periods of inability to reach his office. Thinking to benefit 
his condition, he made several short field trips in this period, from 
which he returned without much improvement, and at length he 
succumbed, in the midst of his greatest undertaking, surrounded 
by a wealth of material that was largely the result of his own 
industry. He passed away at the Walter Reed Army General 
Hospital, in Washington, Nov. 1, 1916, leaving his mother, widow, 
daughter, and a large number of friends to mourn his loss. 

Dr. Mearns was of an exceedingly generous disposition, one who 
had no desire to retain the fruits of his labor for his own glory and 
satisfaction, but preferred to donate them to museums where they 
would be accessible to all for study. His earlier collections, made 
up to 1891, went to the American Museum of Natural History, and 
later ones were given with equal liberality to the United States 
National Museum. Of shells, and probably other objects collected 
in large quantity, he distributed sets to various museums, while a 
series of human skeletons and crania from the cliff dwellings at 
Fort Verde was sent to the Army Medical Museum. An inkling 
of the importance of his contributions may be gathered from the 
statement of Standley (1917), who writes “As naturalist of the 
Mexican Boundary Survey of 1892-93 he collected or had collected 
under his direction the largest and best representation ever obtained, 
consisting of several thousand numbers, of the flora of that part 
of the United States and Mexican boundary which extends from 
El Paso, Texas, to San Diego, California. Dr. Mearns secured 
also what is undoubtedly the largest series of plants ever obtained 


T 
ven cee Ricumonp, Jn Memoriam: Edgar A. Mearns. hi 


1918 


in the Yellowstone National Park, and in addition he collected 
extensively in the Philippines, Arizona, Florida, Rhode Island, 
Minnesota, and southern New York. All his collections are 
deposited in the U. S. National Museum, and probably no one 
person has contributed a larger number of plants to that institu- 
tion.”’ Hollister, in 1913, referring to Philippine mammals, said 
that of 1454 specimens in the National Museum, “ probably by far 


the largest collection from the archipelago in any museum,” Dr. _ 


Mearns had given 1012. More impressive figures may be cited 
in the case of birds, when it is known that more than one tenth 
of the total number of specimens of birds in the U. S. National 
Museum were either collected or contributed by him. 

The published writings of Dr. Mearns number about 125 titles, 
chiefly on biological subjects, although medicine, archeology, and 
biography are also represented. Fifty or more new species of 
animals and plants have been named in his honor, as well as three 
genera, the latter constituting a rather unusual distinction. 
Mearnsia, a tree of the myrtle family, is a native of the slopes of 
Mount Halcon, and the same name has been conferred on a rare 
swift from the island of Mindanao, while Mearnsella commemo- 
rates a genus of fishes from the last named locality. 

Dr. Mearns was a Patron of the American Museum of Natural 
History; Associate in Zodlogy of the National Museum; Corre- 
spondent of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; 
Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union; Member of the 
National Geographic Society, of the Biological Society of Wash- 
ington, of the Linnaean Society of New York, and of various other 
societies. 

For one who had engaged in many difficult journeys, Dr. Mearns 
was of rather frail build, not more than five feet four inches in 
height, and probably never weighed much in excess of 140 lbs., 
but he was blessed with a spirit of determination that enabled him 
to accomplish nearly every task he undertook. Withal he was 
modest and unassuming in demeanor and seldom referred to his 
own exploits, but was a good auditor and always interested in the 
experiences of his friends. He avoided arguments and never 
indulged in criticism of others; was fair and impartial in his 
appraisement of men. He was always willing to seek advice and 


18 Hariow, breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. [ip 
give weight to the opinions of others. Serene and placid in dis- 
position, cheerful and optimistic in temperament, he was fond of 
the beautiful in nature and art, even of poetry, yet philosophical 
and analytical and systematic by nature. As a friend, he was 
sympathetic, generous, steadfast, and intensely loyal. 


NOTES ON THE BREEDING BIRDS OF PENNSYL- 
VANIA AND NEW JERSEY. 


BY RICHARD C. HARLOW. 


StnceE the publication of Dr. Witmer Stone’s two works: ‘The 
Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey’ (1894) and ‘The 
Birds of New Jersey’ (1909) the writer has done considerable 
field work in various parts of both states and portions of every 
nesting season from 1904 to 1917 have been spent in investigating 
the breeding habits of the resident or summer resident species. 
A large amount of data has naturally been collected much of which 
adds materially to our knowledge of the breeding range and 
relative abundance of the birds of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

Some time ago Dr. Stone urged the writer to publish a summary 
of his observations making the pertinent remark that “the main 
trouble with odlogists is that they publish altogether too few of 
their records’. It is undoubtedly true that many important 
nests are found every year about which nothing appears in print and 
the data concerning them would yield valuable information regard- 
ing the distribution and time of breeding of the species. 

Acting upon Dr. Stone’s suggestion the present paper has been 
prepared. Under each species are given the number of nests 
examined; the average number of eggs in a complete set, as well 
as the extremes, in order to show the range of variation; and the 
average and extreme dates for complete sets. Additional infor- 
mation is given under certain species and in the case of rare species 


va | Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 19 


full data are given for each nest found. My field work has 
covered most of southern New Jersey from Mercer County and 
the Hackensack marshes to Cape May; and a majority of the 
counties of Pennsylvania, although the northwestern part of the 
state has not been studied as thoroughly as the other portions. 

It has been thought best to consider all of the species given by 
Dr. Stone as possible breeders giving my data for such as I have 
found nesting and my reasons for regarding others as no longer 
breeding within our limits. 

All the data presented are the result of my own studies except 
in a few cases where credit is given to others and in a few species 
which I have been unable to find breeding but whose nests others 
have found. 


1. Podilymbus podiceps. Pi=xp-BILLeED Grese.— Regular but scarce — 


summer resident in the Hackensack marshes of northern New Jersey. 
Very rare summer resident in Pennsylvania where birds have been observed 
in the nesting season in Franklin, Sullivan, and Center Counties and the 
Cuckoo-like mating call heard. I have found four nests: 1. Newark, 
N.J.; June 6, 1908; five newly hatched young and one egg. 2. Newark, 
N.J.; June 6, 1908; six eggs. 3. Scotia, Center Co., Pa.; May 14, 1917; 
six eggs. 4. Scotia, Center Co., Pa.; July 10, 1917; six hatching eggs. 
Nests 3 and 4 were the product of the same pair of birds. 

2. Gavia immer. Loon.—I know of but one instance of the Loon 
nesting in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, a nest found by Mr. Chas. Homan 
in May, 1908, near Bushkill, Monroe Co., Pa., which contained two eggs. 
(ef. Harlow, Auk, 1908, p. 471.) 

3. Larus atricilla. LaucHinc Guiu.— Regular breeder on the 
marshy islands on the coast of New Jersey, from Ocean Co. southward, 


and apparently holding its own. Data on fifty nests give: average set of 


eggs 3 (2-4); average date June 6 (May 25—July 15). 

4. Sterna hirundo. Common Trern.— Regular breeder along the 
coast of New Jersey, where it is slowly increasing in numbers. I have 
breeding records from Ocean to Cape May Counties. Data on twenty-five 
nests give: average set of eggs 3 (2-4); average date, June 10. 

5. Sterna antillarum. Least Trrn.— After being practically 
exterminated on the New Jersey coast this species is beginning to reestab- 
lish itself. I have found two small colonies in Burlington County and at 
the time of my last visit, in 1916, they were holding their own. Data on 
seventeen nests give: average set of eggs, 3 (1-2); average date, June 12. 

6. Rynchops nigra. Buiack Skimmer.— Practically extinct in New 
Jersey until 1910 when two pairs were found on the coast islands of Atlantic 
County. Since then I have found two or three pairs present every year 


20 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. (ae 
and have found three nests: 1. Atlantic County, N. J.; June 15, 1915; 
three eggs. 2. Atlantic County, N. J.; June 15, 1915; four eggs. 3. 
Atlantic County, N. J.; June 17, 1916; three eggs. 

[Mergus americanus. MrrGANSER.— 

{[Lophodytes cucullatus. HooprEp MrrGanser.— 

[Nettion carolinense. GREEN-WINGED TEAL.— 

[Marila affinis. Lesser Scaup.— These four ducks were mentioned 
in Stone’s work as possible breeders in Pennsylvania, but careful search 
has failed to discover any evidence of the fact and I feel confident that 
they cannot now be classed as summer residents.] 

7. Anas platyrhynchos. Matiarp.—I have been unable to find — 
the Mallard nesting near Williamsport or on the Loyalsock Creek where 
it had been formerly supposed to breed. It is however, a rare summer 
resident in Erie County and I have found a single nest on the New Jersey 
coast, in Burlington County, June 16, 1915, containing ten hatching eggs. . 
Female and young seen several times later close at hand. 

8. Anas rubripes. Buack Ducx.— Rare but regular breeder along 
the coast of New Jersey from Ocean to Cape May Counties. In Penn- 
sylvania, Mr. R. F. Miller and the writer saw a pair at Tinicum, Delaware 
County, June 18, 1913, which from their actions appeared to be breeding. 
I have also summer records from Erie and Fayette Counties. I have data 
from two nests: 1. Ocean Co., N. J.; July 3, 1914; eight eggs. 2. Ocean 
Co., N. J.; May 20, 1916; nine eggs. 

9. Aix sponsa. Woop Ducx.— Still breeds in both states although 
it has been almost exterminated. I have found them under circumstances 
which point to their breeding in Burlington, Cape May, and Cumberland 
Counties, N. J., and in Lancaster, Bedford and Pike Counties, Pa. 

10. Botaurus lentiginosus. Birrern.— In New Jersey, contrary 
to the published statements I have found the Bittern breeding regularly 
and fairly commonly on the salt marshes from Ocean to Cape May Counties 
as well as on the Delaware Bay shore. In Pennsylvania I have but two 
records; two young at Lamont, Center Co., June 17, 1909, and a pair 
present at Charter Oak, April-July, 1917, Huntington Co. It is appar- 
ently a very rare breeder in this state. Data on twelve nests give: average 
number of eggs in a set, 4 (8-5); average date, May 25 (latest July 18). 

11. Ixobrychus exilis. Lrast Birrern.— A rare breeder in suitable 
salt marshes along the New Jersey coast, becoming more common in the 
fresh water swamps toward the Delaware River and very common on the 
Hackensack meadows. In Pennsylvania it is very common in the Dela- 
ware marshes as far north as Bucks County. I have not found it breeding 
inland. Data recorded on forty-two nests give: average set 5 (3-6); 
average date, May 30 (May 22—July 12). 

12. Ardea herodias herodias. Great Buur Heron.— Still found in 
rapidly decreasing numbers in both states but only in the more remote 
places, as heronries in the settled districts are always broken up. They 
breed regularly but not commonly in the mountainous districts of 


a | Hariow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 21 


Pennsylvania. Data on sixteen nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); average 
date, April 15 (earliest April 8). 

13. Butorides virescens virescens. Green Hrron.— Very com- 
mon breeder except in the wilder and timbered mountain districts where 
it is rare. Data on twenty-six nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); average 
date — fourteen southern New Jersey nests, May 24; eight central and 
northern Pennsylvania nests, June 1. 

14. Nycticorax nycticorax nevius. BLAcK-cROWNED Nicut HERon. 
— Common summer resident in southern New Jersey and southeastern 
Pennsylvania north to Belvidere and Northampton County. I have 
never found it in the mountains and but rarely west of the Alleghanies. 
Data on sixty nests give: average set, 4 (8-6); average date April 25 
(latest, June 6). E 

15. Rallus elegans. Kina Ratu.— Confined to the Delaware valley 
from Bridesburg to Tinicum where it is a rather scarce breeder and 
probably south to Delaware Bay. Data on five nests give, average set 9 
or 10 (6-13); average date, June 5 (earliest, May 30). 

16. Rallus crepitans. Ciapper Rait.— Very abundant on the New 
Jersey salt marshes becoming scarcer from Ocean County northward. 
Data on twelve nests give: average set, 10 or 11 (6-15); average date, 
May 30 (May 20-July 15). 

17. Rallus virginianus Vircinta Rar— A common but local 
breeder in marshes throughout Pennsylvania except in the higher moun- 
tain districts and west of the Alleghanies where I have no records. It is 
especially plentiful in the level valleys of central Pennsylvania. 

In New Jersey I have found it nesting on the salt marshes in Ocean 
and Burlington Counties, though not commonly, and also along the Dela- 
ware. Data on seventeen nests give: average set on the salt marshes, 
7 (6-8), in central Pennsylvania 10 (9-14); average date, salt marshes, 
June 7, central Pennsylvania May 16 (May 10—June 27). Iam ata loss to 
account for the early nesting of the birds from central Pennsylvania. 
That the nests from the salt marshes are not abnormally late is shown 
by the records of ten others from the Delaware valley which average 
June 5. 

18. Porzanacarolina. Sora.— A rare breeder in the Delaware valley 
at Bridesburg but abundant in suitable marshes in central Pennsylvania 
where I have found it nesting in Center, Mifflin, Clearfield, Huntington, and 
Synder Counties. Data on thirty-two nests from the latter district give: 
average set, 10 (8-15); average date, May 17 (May 10—June 11). 

19. Creciscus jamaicensis. Buiack RaiLt.—Contrary to all pre- 
cedent the writer has found this rail a common though local breeder in 
suitable salt marshes along the New Jersey coast in Ocean, Burlington and 
Atlantic Counties, as well as on the edges of the coast islands. Its secretive 
habits and the fact that it is very difficult to flush probably account for 
the rarity of the eggs in collections. The writer has personally found 
eighteen nests and has examined a number of others. Data recorded on 


22 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. [pou 
twenty-four nests give the following: average set 7 (6-9), one set of 13; 
average date June 14 (June 6—July 23). 

20. Gallinula galeata. FLormpa Ga.iinuLte.— Breeds regularly 
along the Delaware from Bridesburg to Tinicum on both sides of the river, 
also in the Hackensack marshes. Data on twenty-six nests give: average 
set, 10 (6-14); average date June 1 (May 22-July 12). 

21. Fulica americana. Coor.— Seen on June 6, 1908, in the Hack- 
ensack marshes where it has been found nesting by others (Auk, 1907, p. 436.) 
I can find no evidence of its nesting in Pennsylvania at the present time. 

22. Philohela minor. Woopcocx.— A scarce but regular breeder 
in southern New Jersey and still found in suitable localities in the moun- 
tainous districts of Pennsylvania, especially in Huntington County. 
Very scarce in thickly populated sections of both states. I have data on 
but four nests: 1. Rio Grande, Cape May Co., New Jersey, May 9, 1908; 
four eggs hatching. 2. Barnegat, Ocean Co., N. J., April 20, 1914, four 
eggs. 3. Charter Oak, Huntington Co., Pa., April 8, 1917, four eggs. 4. 
Charter Oak, Huntington Co., Pa., April 14, 1917, four eggs. 

[Gallinago delicata. Witson’s Snipr.— I have been unable to obtain 
any evidence of the breeding of this species in either Pennsylvania or New 
Jersey, though it was formerly supposed to be a summer resident in the 
northern parts of both states.] 

[Totanus melanoleucus. GREATER YELLOWLEGS.— I[ have seen pairs 
of this bird performing their matin& antics on the coast marshes of New 
Jersey as late as May 25 and they have circled about me calling constantly. 
I have also noted them in Ocean County as early as July 5 — migrating 
birds, of course, in both cases. May not instances such as these have 
prompted Ord’s statement that they bred in New Jersey?] 

23. Helodromas solitarius solitarius. Sorirary SaNpPiPER.— A 
very rare breeder in the higher mountainous districts. I have only one 
breeding record, an old bird with young, at La Anna, Pike County, Pa. 
(see Odlogist, March, 1906). 

24. Bartramia longicauda. Upntanp PLover.— Rare but regular 
breeding bird in the open farming country of southern Pennsylvania. I 
have noted them in summer in Bucks, Chester, Lancaster, Dauphin, Adams, 
Cumberland, Northumberland, Mifflin, Snyder, Center, Indiana, and 
Greene Counties. Three pairs bred within eight miles of State College, 
Center Co. in 1917. I have found two nests: 1. George School, Bucks 
Co., Pa., May 18, 1908; four eggs. 2. Newtown, Bucks Co., Pa., May 24, 
1910; four eggs. 

25. Actitis macularia. Srorrep Sanpprper.— Breeds abundantly 
throughout both states. Data on sixteen nests give: average set 4; 
average date, May 28 (May 16—June 18). 

26. Oxyechus vociferus. K1iLLpEER.— Common through both states 
as far north as Center Co., Pennsylvania, rare in the northern counties 
and absent from the higher mountains. Data on eighteen nests give: 
average set 4; average date, May 1 (April 20—June 18). 


ee | Hariow, breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 23 


27. MAigialitis meloda. Prernc PLover.— A set of four eggs in my 
collection was taken at Beach Haven, N. J., June 8, 1886 (recorded by 
Stone, ‘Birds of N. J.’, p. 146). I have no more recent record. 

28. Colinus virginianus virginianus. Bon-wHitr.— Formerly 
breeding plentifully in the lower parts of both states, and rarely even as 
far north as Warren and Pike Counties, Pa. Now very much reduced in 
numbers and locally distributed, more abundant in southern New Jersey 
than elsewhere. Data on three New Jersey nests are as follow: 1. Ocean 
Co., N. J., July 6, 1914; seventeen eggs. 2. Ocean Co., N.J., June 14, 
1915; nineteen eggs. 3. Cape May Co., N. J., May 27, 1916; sixteen 
eggs. 

29. Bonasa umbellus umbellus. Rurrep Grouse.— Common in 
the mountainous districts of Pennsylvania, breeding from Warren to Pike 
Counties on the north, and from Franklin to Bedford Counties on the 
south. Rare in the well populated sections. In southern New Jersey it 
occurs rather uncommonly but I have found it nesting in Cape May County. 
Data on seventeen Pennsylvania nests give: average set, 10 or 11 (6-15); 
average date, May 4 (April 26—June 12). 

30. Meleagris gallopavo silvestris. Witp TurKry.— Scarce but 
regular breeder in the wilder parts of south central Pennsylvania, from 
Center, Clearfield and Lycoming Counties to Somerset and Franklin. I 
have found them fairly common in Stone Valley, Huntington County. 
Data on three nests are appended: 1. Vail, Blair Co., Pa., May 17, 1912; 
six eggs. 2. Greenwood Furnace, Huntington Co., Pa., May 20, 1915; 
twelve eggs. 3. Bear Meadows, Center Co., Pa., June 22, 1916; twelve 
eggs. 

[Ectopistes migratorius. Wi_tp Picron.— Inquiries in Pike and 
Wayne Counties, Pa., have brought forth the fact that the last breeding 
in the beech woods there occurred in the late seventies. ] 2 

31. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Mournina Dovre.— Very 
common over the greater part of both states but much rarer in the northern 
mountainous districts of Pennsylvania. Data on thirty-one nests give: 
average set, 2; average date —for first sets, April 15 (earliest, April 4); 
for second sets, June 10 (latest, August 4). 

32. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Turkey VuLrurre.— Very 
common in southern New Jersey as well as in Delaware and Chester 
Counties, Pennsylvania, and less so in Montgomery. Plentiful in the 
Susquehanna valley as far north as Dauphin and Perry Counties and 
breeding regularly but less abundantly to Northumberland and Center 
Counties. I have not found it west of the Alleghanies. Data on nine 
nests give: average set, 2; average date, May 1 (April 20—-May 26). 

33. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawx.— Regular and fairly com- 
mon breeder on the salt marshes of the New Jersey coast, where I have 
found twelve nests in Ocean, Burlington and Atlantic Counties and have 
observed the birds in summer from Cape May to Newark. It nests rarely 
in central Pennsylvania, in Center and Huntington Counties, and more 


24 Hariow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. ip fees 


regularly in Erie County. Data on twelve New Jersey nests give: average 
set, 5 (4-7); average date, May 25 (May 14—July 9). 

34. Accipiter velox. SHARP-SHINNED Hawk.— Rapidly decreasing 
in numbers and now one of the rarest breeding hawks in both states. A 
set of eggs in my collection taken at Clementon, N. J., on June 1, 1915, 
is my nearest record to Philadelphia as well as the most recent one for this 
district. I have noticed this hawk as a rare summer resident in Berks, 
Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Center, Huntington, Mifflin, Lycoming, and 
Alleghany Counties. Data on nine nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); 
average date, May 25 (May 14~-June 29). 

35. Accipiter cooperi. Cooprmr’s Hawx.— A breeding bird through- 
out both states, becoming much rarer in the northern, mountainous parts 
of Pennsylvania. Data on twenty-four nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); 
average date, May 5 (April 23—June 10). 

36. Astur atricapillus atricapillus. GosHawK.— A very rare 
breeder in the few heavily timbered, most boreal, mountain districts of 
Pennsylvania. Apparently does not breed on the Pocono plateau. A 
set of two eggs taken in Warren County, Pa., on April 8, 1910, in my col- 
lection. 

37. Buteo borealis borealis. Rrp-rartep HAwx.— Breeds rarely 
in southeastern Pennsylvania, more commonly in the southern tier of 
counties to the westward and very commonly in the southwestern counties, 
Greene and Washington, as well as in Warren and Indiana. I have been 
unable to find it nesting in central or northeastern Pennsylvania or in 
southern New Jersey. Stone, in his ‘ Birds of New Jersey’ gives it as a 
common resident but if there is a definite record of its nesting in the south- 
ern counties I have failed to find it. Data on nine nests give: average 
set, 2 (3); average date April 6 (March 24—April 20). 

38. Buteo lineatus lineatus. Rep-sHouLDERED Hawk.— In New 
Jersey it is a scarce but regular summer resident in the southern counties 
becoming very common in the northern half of the state. In Pennsylvania 
it is a rare breeder in the southeastern portion and in Greene County in 
the southwest; more common from Alleghany county north and quite 
common in the mountains from Warren to Monroe, avoiding the central 
counties but becoming the common breeding hawk of the Pocono plateau. 
Data on nineteen nests give: average set, 3 (2-4); average date, April 23 
(April 15—May 25). 

39. Buteo platypterus. Broap-wincep HawxK.— Scarce but regular 
summer resident in southern New Jersey where I have found them under 
circumstances that left no doubt but that they were breeding, in all the 
southern counties. In Pennsylvania it is fairly well distributed in the 
breeding season being most plentiful in Chester, Delaware and the central 
counties, and least common in the most northern mountainous counties. 
I have found its nests north to Pike County in the east and from Alleghany 
to Warren in the west. Data on twelve nests give: average set, 2-3 (4); 
average date, May 15 (May 7—June 13). 


| Hariow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 25 


40. Halizetus leucocephalus leucocephalus. Batp Eacuy.— 
Almost if not quite extinct as a breeding bird in New Jersey, though 
formerly nesting regularly in Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, and Burling- 
ton Counties. In Pennsylvania I know of an occupied nest in Erie County 
and a pair may still nest along the Susquehanna, in Lancaster County, 
though the former well known eyries of that locality have not been occupied 
during the last two years. Probably a pair or two breed in the wild lake 
region of Pike, Wayne and Monroe Counties, where I still see them fre- 
quently. I have known of Eagles nesting at the following places in Penn- 
sylvania in the last ten years, all of which are now deserted owing to the 
birds having been shot, or the nest trees falling down, viz: Washington 
Boro and Peach Bottom, Lancaster Co., Milford, Pike Co., and Towanda 
Bradford Co. Data on three nests follow: 1. Towanda, Bradford Co., 
Pa., Feb. 28, 1914; two eggs. 2. Washington Boro, Lancaster Co., Pa., 
March 2, 1915; two eggs. 3. Erie Co., Pa., May 15, 1915; two large 
young. , 

41. Falco peregrinus anatum. Duck Hawx.— This magnificent 
falcon still breeds at a number of places in Pennsylvania. I have known 
of eight pairs nesting in the state within the past five years — along the 
Delaware from the Nockamixon cliffs to Monroe County and along the 
Susquehanna from Lancaster to Bradford Counties, as well as near the 
cities of Williamsport and Scranton. Data on seven nests give: average 
set, 4 (8-5); average date, April 15 (April 8—April 29). 

42. Falco sparverius sparverius. Sparrow Hawk. — Breeds 
throughout New Jersey though not commonly in the southern counties 
or near the coast. Very common in the southern halfof Pennsylvania 
becoming much scarcer in the northern and wilder mountainous sections. 
It is a rare breeder on the Pocono plateau, in my experience. Data on 
thirty-six nests give: average set, 5 (8-6); average date April 28 (April 
13—June 4). 

43. Pandion haliaétus carolinensis. Osprey.— Nests commonly 
along the New Jersey coast, being most plentiful in Cape May and Cumber- 
land Counties and nesting up the Bay shore as far as Salem County. In 
Pennsylvania it isa rare breeder on the lakes of the northeastern counties 
and at Foxburg, Clarion County. Data on seventy-five nests give: average 
set, 3 (2-4); average date, May 20 (May 7—June 10). 

44. Aluco pratincola. Barn Owu.—I have found the Barn Owl 
only in southeastern Pennsylvania — in Delaware, Chester, Montgomery 
and Cumberland Counties. Data on eight nests give: average set, 6 or 7 
(4-8); average date, April 1 (February 28—June 8). 

45. Asio wilsonianus. Lonc-karED Ow..— This owl in my experi- 
ence is a very rare breeder in both states. I have only one record, a set of 
three eggs found in Berks County, Pa. 

46. Asio flammeus. SHoRT-EARED Owxi.— A very rare summer 
resident on the salt marshes of the New Jersey coast, where I have seen 
them and found their pellets in the summer months in Ocean and Burling- 


26 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. [fue 
ton Counties. I have found but one nest — June 17, 1915, on an island 
in Barnegat Bay, containing five half fledged young. 

47. Strix varia varia. Barrep Owu.— Apparently a regular though 
scarce breeding bird throughout New Jersey. I have seen them in April 
or May, in Cape May, Cumberland, Ocean, Atlantic, Burlington and 
Salem Counties. In Pennsylvania I have found it only in the wilder 
mountainous sections, from Warren to Pike Counties and south to Frank- 
lin. I have found only one nest — June 1, 1912, Warren Co., Pa. contain- 
ing three eggs. This date seems entirely too late to be normal. 

48. Cryptoglaux acadica acadica. Saw-wHer Owu.—I have but 
one summer record for this species, a bird seen in northern Huntington 
County, Pa., on May 26, 1913, and as this individual was blind in one eye 
it was possibly not a breeding bird. Young birds have however been taken 
in the mountains by others, as is well known. 

49. Otus asio asio. ScresecH Owu.— Very common in both states 
but becoming much rarer in the mountainous districts and not found at all 
in the primeval forests. Data recorded on twenty-one nests give: average 
set 4 (8-6); average date, April 10 (April 1—-May 4). 

50. Bubo virginianus virginianus. Great HorneEp Ow.u.— Rare 
resident in New Jersey confined mainly to the wilder sections. I have found 
it several times in Salem County during the nesting season. In Penn- 
sylvania it is generally distributed, everywhere scarce, and becoming exter- 
minated in all but the wilder sections. Three nests were found at 
Waynesburg, Green Co., Pa., 1. February 24, 1916, 2 eggs; 2. March 27, 
1914, three half-fledged young; 3. March 28, 1914, two half-fledged 
young. Another nest March 12, 1914, at Charter Oak, Huntington Co., 
Pa., contained two newly hatched young. 

51. Coccyzus americanus americanus. YELLOW-BILLED Cuckoo. 
— A common breeding bird in the lower ground of both states becoming 
less plentiful towards the mountains. I have not found it in the boreal 
parts of Pennsylvania. Data on twenty-four nests give: average set, 
3 (2-5); average date, June 15 (May 24—-August 15). 

52. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Buack-BILLeED Cuckoo.— Re- 
places the former species in the northern and mountainous parts of both 
states, and a rare breeding bird in the southern counties, especially east of 
the mountains. Data on nine nests give: average set, 3 (2-7); average 
date June 10 (April 29-June 23). 

538. Ceryle alcyon alcyon. Britep KinerisHer.— Generally dis- 
tributed throughout both states all the way from the coast of New Jersey 
to the tops of the Alleghanies, in suitable locations. Data on twenty-eight 
nests give: average set, 6 or 7 (5-8); average date, May 10 (April 29- 
June 23). 

54. Dryobates villosus villosus. Harry Wooppecker.— A regular 
breeding bird over practically the entire area of both states. Particularly 
common in Greene County in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania 
and on the Pocono plateau. Data on sixteen nests give: average set, 4 
(3-5); average date, April 25 (April 12—-May 14). 


Vol. XXXV) Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 27 


55. Dryobates pubescens medianus. Downy WooppEckER.— 
Very common throughout both states except in the wilder mountainous 
sections where it is much less plentiful. Data on thirty-two nests give: 
average set, 5 (8-6); average date, May 14 (May 1—June 2). 

56. Sphyrapicus varius varius. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER.— 
I have found this species nowhere a common summer resident of Pennsyl- 
vania and confined to the highest and most boreal parts of Warren, Pike, 
Wayne and Monroe Counties. I question the statement in Warren’s 
‘Birds of Pennsylvania,’ that it breeds in Cumberland County, as his 
informant probably confused this with one of the preceding species, all 
three being confused in the popular mind. I found a nest at Pocono 
Lake, Monroe County on June 17, 1908, but with the set not completed, 
and another at South Sterling, Wayne County, with a set of four eggs, on 
June 11, 1917. 

57. Phleotous pileatus abieticola. NorrHerRN PILEATED Woop- 
PECKER.— Still breeds regularly though locally in the wilder mountainous, 
sections of Pennsylvania, from Monroe, Wayne and Pike Counties to War- 
ren and south to Huntington; also in Greene County, along the West Vir- 
ginia line. Steadily decreasing in numbers. I have found five nests: 
1. Shingletown, Center Co., Pa., May 2, 1912; two eggs. 2. Monroe 
Furnace, Huntington Co., Pa., May 8, 1913; four eggs. 3. LaAnna, 
Pike Co., Pa., May 18, 1913; four eggs. 4. Mooresville, Huntington 
Co., Pa., May, 15, 1914; four eggs. 5. Charter Oak, Huntington Co. 
Pa., May 11, 1917; four eggs. 

58. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Rrp-HEADED WoopPECKER.— 
Scarce and very local in New Jersey and very rare in the southern half 
of the state, where I have seen them in Camden, and Burlington Counties 
and once in Gloucester. In Pennsylvania it is locally distributed breeding 
in the east from Chester and Delaware Counties to Pike. It is rare in the 
northern and mountainous regions being there confined to burnt-over 
districts or to water killed trees in ponds. It is resident and very common 
in Center County but west of the Alleghanies I have found it only in Warren 
County. Data on twenty-eight nests give: average set, 5 (8-6); average 
date, June 3 (May 24~July 11). 

59. Centurus carolinus. ReED-BELLIED WoopPEcKER.— A scarce 
but regular breeder in Washington and Greene Counties in the southwest- 
ern corner of Pennsylvania. A set of four eggs in my collection was taken 
in Green County on May 3, 1907. 

60. Colaptes auratus luteus. NorrHern Fiicker.— Breeds abun- 
dantly throughout both states, becoming scarcer in the wilder mountainous 
districts, where however it nests in slashings miles from civilization. Data 
on one hundred and sixteen nests give: average set, 7 (5-13); average date, 
May 12 (April 24—June 16). 

61. Antrostomus vociferus vociferus. Wutp-Poor-wiLt.— Com- 
mon breeder in less settled sections throughout New Jersey, occurring in 
the greatest numbers in the swamps of Cape May, Atlantic, Burlington 
and Cumberland Counties. In Pennsylvania I have found it commonly 


28 Haruow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. (Fen 


throughout the mountains and also in Greene County. Data on seven 
nests give: average set, 2; average date, May 28 (May 14, Pike Co., Pa.— 
June 20, Greene Co.). 

62. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus. NicgHrHawK.— Locally 
distributed throughout both states. Most common in parts of Berks 
County, Pennsylvania. Nests regularly on the gravel rooves of houses 
in Pittsburgh. Data on eight nests give: average set, 2; average date, 
June 1 (May 24—June 29). 

63. Chetura pelagica. Cuimney Swirt.—Abundant breeder through- 
out both states. In the wilder regions it still sometimes nests in hollow 
stumps and in Pike and Monroe Counties, Pa., I have found three nests 
in dark barns. Data on twelve nests give: average set 4 (3-5); average 
date, June 6 (May 24—July 15). 

64. Archilochus colubris. Rusy-rHroatep Humminepirp.— Lo- 
eally distributed; apparently most abundant in southern New Jersey, and 
on the Pocono plateau and in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Data on 
seventeen nests give: average set, 2; average date,— six nests southern 
New Jersey, May 28, four nests southern Penna., June 1, seven nests, 
northern Penna., June 7. 

65. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kinepirp.— Common and_ generally 
distributed. Data on thirty-five nests give: average set, 3 (4); average 
date — 12 southern New Jersey nests, May 30, fourteen northern Penna. 
nests, June 7. 

66. Myiarchus crinitus. Great Crestep FiycatcHER.— Common 
though somewhat locally distributed and absent or very local in the moun- 
tains. Data on twenty-six nests give: average set 5 (4-6); average date, 
June 5 (May 26-June 24). 

67. Sayornis pheebe. PHa@spe.— Abundant over the greater part 
of both states but rather scarce in southern New Jersey especially in Cape 
May County. Data on one hundred and seventy nests: average set, 5 
(8-6); average date —first sets April 25 (earliest April 12); second sets, 
June 8 (latest July 18). 

68. Nuttallornis borealis. O.Live-sipep FLycatcHeR.—A_ very 
rare summer resident in the boreal regions of Pennsylvania. I have found 
it only in Pike, Wayne, Monroe and Warren Counties. A set of two eggs 
in my collection was taken at Warren, June 24, 1904. 

69. Myiochanes virens. Woop Pewrr.— Very common and gener- 
ally distributed. Data on fourteen nests give: average set, 2 or 3; aver- 
age date, June 10 (June 3—August 1). 

70. Empidonax flaviventris. YELLOW-BELLIED FuLycaTcHEeR.— I 
have one summer record of this species for Warren County, Pa., and two 
for Monroe. It has been found nesting by others (see Auk, 1916, p. 200). 

71. Empidonax trailli alnorum. A.perR FiycarcHer.—I have 
found the Alder Flycatcher in summer only at Cresco and Pocono Lake, 
Monroe County and Gouldsboro, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. (For 
record of nests see Auk, 1916, p. 199). 


ena | Harris, Uncolored Prints of Audubon. 29 


72. Empidonax virescens. Acapran FurycatcHEer.— Breeds over 
the low ground of both states, and ranges up the river valleys, rarely into 
the mountains. I have found it in Center County nesting in the same 
ravine with such species as the Canada Warbler and Solitary Vireo. Scarce 
in Cape May Co., N. J. Data on twenty-six nests give: average set, 3 (2); 
average date, June 6 (May 30—July 16). 

73. Empidonax minimus. Least FiycarcHer.— Breeds com- 
monly over the northern half of New Jersey and the mountainous parts 
of Pennsylvania south to Berks and Center Counties and rarely to Mont- 
gomery. Data on twenty-one nests give: average set, 4 (3); average date 
May 30 (May 25—-June 27). 


(To be concluded.) 


UNCOLORED PRINTS FROM HAVELL’S ENGRAVINGS 
OF AUDUBON’S ‘BIRDS OF AMERICA’. 


BY HARRY HARRIS. 


Plates II and ITI. 


Ercut uncolored prints of Audubon’s folio plates have lately 
come into the writer’s possession, and their examination has led 
to a closer study of the work of the engraver. A careful comparison 
of the prints with the corresponding published issues has brought 
out a few points which may prove of interest, especially as the 
comparatively scant reference to Robert Havell Jr. found in the 
literature of American Ornithology perhaps indicates that complete 
recognition has not been given this master engraver for his part in 
immortalizing the genius of Audubon. 

Mr. George Alfred Williams of Summit, N. J., has lately said,! 
in a very illuminating review of Havell’s career, that to the genius 
of this man is due much of the extraordinary artistic success which 


1 Williams, George Alfred. Robert Havell, Junior, Engraver of Audubon’s “‘The Birds 
of America.’’. The Print-Collector’s Quarterly. October, 1916. Houghton, Mifflin Co., 
Boston. 


30 Harris, Uncolored Prints of Audubon. = 
attended the publication of the drawings of the great naturalist 
and that without the codperation of a talent capable of the 
task of faithful, intelligent, and artistic reproduction, the work 
would have failed of its ultimate purpose. 

Audubon at first entrusted the engraving of his plates to W. H. 
Lizars, one of the greatest engravers of bird-portraits of his time. 
His results however did not satisfy Audubon’s demands, and after 
five plates had been done the work was taken from his hands and 
given over to Robert Havell Jr., of London. This Havell, the last 
of a long line of artists and workers in copper-plate, was the sole 
engraver of all the Audubon plates, save the five referred to, and 
three of these were later retouched by him. That the elder Havell 
engraved any of the plates is clearly disproved in the article above 
quoted. 

Havell’s work at all times fully met the rigid requirements of 
Audubon, who on more than one occasion expressed with enthusi- 
asm his entire satisfaction in the quality of Havell’s engraving. 

Late in 1838, after the last part of ‘The Birds of America’ had 
issued and when Havell was dismantling his plant preparatory to 
removal to America, he wrote to Audubon for instructions relative to 
the manner of packing “five perfect sets’”’ and certain “loose sets.”’ 
This reference to loose sets presumably included all the trial proofs 
worthy of preservation, together with all other prints that had 
accumulated during the twelve years of work, and, for one reason 
or another, had not been colored. Audubon’s reply! to this inquiry, 
under date of February 20, 1839, indicated that he did not know the 
nature of these loose sets but he states particularly that he wanted 
them saved. A prolonged search of all available sources of infor- 
mation has failed to disclose another reference to these loose sets. 
There is no reasonable doubt, however, that they were all shipped 
to Audubon, since those that have been preserved to the present 
day are directly traceable to him or his descendants. No record 
of their number seems to have been kept by either Audubon or 
Havell. I am informed by Mr. Williams that the only prints 
brought to this country by Havell, aside from the superb set colored 


1 Dean, Ruthven. The Copper-Plates of the Folio Edition of Audubon’s ‘Birds of 
America,’ With a Brief Sketch of the Engravers. Auk, Vol. XXV, No. 4, 1908. 


HENAUK, VOL. XXXV. PiAaEs ir 


FRoM THE COLORED PLATE. 


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ibe aaa Harris, Uncolored Prints of Audubon. ol 
entirely by himself, were his own working proofs. These proofs, 
now owned by Mr. Williams, are cut into small portions, probably 
for the greater convenience of the engraver in handling. 

Mr. Ruthven Dean, who has thrown so much light on obscure 
matters pertaining to Auduboniana, writes that he has in his pos- 
session an uncolored proof from the Foolish Guillemot plate and 
that he has data referring to some three hundred other black prints 
which were at one time in the hands of Audubon. This number 
indicates the existence of approximately a complete set. 

The eight prints! above referred to as discovered by the writer 
were presented some time during the year 1850 — together with 
others since destroyed by fire— by M. and Mme. Audubon to 
their friend and neighbor Judge John B. Church. These prints 
are unquestionably trial proofs, as, aside from possessing a char- 
acteristic brilliance and sharpness, they show certain discrepancies 
and interesting errors in the lettering which render these particular 
copies unfit for use in the published work and made it imperative 
that the engravings be immediately corrected. 

It will be noted in the accompanying reproduction of the proof 
from the American Crow plate that the scientific name of the bird, 
Corvus americanus, is repeated after the words, “Black Walnut”’. 
In correcting this error by substituting the scientific name of the 
tree, Juglans nigra, it was found necessary to reéngrave the words 
Black Walnut, so that the entire line might conform to the altered 
display. Unfortunately some pencil notations on this print had 
been erased before it came into the writer’s hands. These may 
have been made by Havell himself, as his fragmentary working 
proofs are so marked. In the lower right hand corner, whether 
referring to the predominate color note to be used in this plate or 
not, is plainly discernible the word “Black.’’ A reproduction is 
also given of a colored print from this plate taken from a published 
set to show, as much as it is possible to show in a greatly reduced 
reproduction by the half-tone process, the qualities referred to 
above. 


1 Plate LVI Red-shouldered Hawk. Plate CCCI Canvas Backed Duck. 
“ CXXXII Three-toed Woodpecker. Com Dusky Duck. 
2 TOMAYAL American Crow. “ -CCCXX Little Sandpiper. 
“ CCXVII Louisiana Heron. “~~ CCCXCII Louisiana Hawk. 


32 Harris, Uncolored Prints of Audubon. at 

Some critics have objected to a certain flatness in Audubon’s 
drawings, but it is evident from a comparison of the two accom- 
panying illustrations that a degree of the depth or rotundity - 
attained in these plates by the engraver has perhaps been lost by 
the application of the flat color washes. 

The method employed by Havell in executing his plates was that 
known as aquatinting, a very difficult, complicated, and tedious 
process. That he was thoroughly at home in this medium of 
expression and was excelled by but few, if any, aquatinters of his 
day is shown by the universal commendation of his work by com- 
petent art critics. The term “aquatint”’ refers of course to the 
biting of the copper plate with aqua-fortis, and not to the coloring 
of the print with water-color washes. Whatever of brilliance a 
print might possess, by virtue of the mastery of the engraver’s 
technique, or whatever of freshness it might exhibit by being a 
first printing from a soft and rapidly deteriorating plate, is obviously 
more manifest in a proof fresh pulled and uncolored. And these 
are just the qualities that impart to the Havell proofs their chief 
charm — they recall Havell rather more than they do Audubon. 
Long familiarity with the published work does not prepare one for 
the impression conveyed by a first view of these proofs. The 
prodigious amount of work underlying the color and the amazing 
dexterity of the hand that accomplished it is revealed. It is like 
a look behind the scenes, a familiar glimpse that brings home the 
personal side of the great enterprise. A thrill of intimacy is 
experienced. Here, on a full sized, untrimmed sheet of the finest 
water-color paper made, is a trial impression from the lately com- 
pleted engraving, once handled and closely inspected for defects 
and errors, as well as for improvements in style, by the be-aproned 
and acid stained Havell, and later owned and cherished by the 
gallant and demonstrative Audubon. A great relic !— perhaps 
unique. A magnificent example of a practically lost art. 


THE AUK, VoL. XXXV. 


From THE UncoLorep PLATE. 


PLATE III. 


vee Moustey, Breeding of the Migrant Shrike. ao 


THE BREEDING OF THE MIGRANT SHRIKE AT 
HATLEY, STANSTEAD COUNTY, QUEBEC, 19161 


BY H. MOUSLEY. 


Tue Migrant Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) like the 
Prairie Horned Lark is an interesting species, and one which has 
increased in numbers ever since the clearing of the country, having 
invaded the eastern side of the continent principally, I suppose, 
from the Mississippi Valley. As to the exact date of its first 
breeding here, I cannot say, but some idea may be formed when we 
consider that it was first recorded as doing so in Maine in 1877, 
and in Vermont the same year, the latter state adjoining the County 
of Stanstead on the south, and the former not being more than 
thirty miles distant on the east at its nearest point. 

As already indicated in my ‘Five years notes and observations 
on the birds of Hatley’ (Auk, Vol. XXXIII, 1916, pp. 57-73, 
168-186), the species is by no means plentiful here, and until the 
present year I had only been able to locate two nests, and these 
some three miles or more away from Hatley. However, during 
the present year I have been fortunate in finding a pair breeding 
within half a mile south of Hatley Village, and under circumstances 
which I think are well worth recording. Now my previous earliest 
date of arrival here for the species was April 13, but on March 28 
of the present year I saw an example quite close to my house, 
but it was not until towards the end of April that my youngest 
son reported having seen another on two or three occasions near 
the village and always about in the same locality. This set me 
thinking, and knowing the ways of shrikes I came to the conclusion 
that probably it was nesting not far off. With this in view I set 
off to inspect the locality on April 29, and soon found a shrike 
perched on the telephone wire, near a tall fir tree (the lower 


1 Read before the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Oct. 2, 1916, by Dr. Chas. W. Townsend 
for the Author. 


34 Moustey, Breeding of the Migrant Shrike. Gee 


branches of which had been cut off) which stood at the side of the 
road leading from Hatley to Stanstead village. There were a 
number of thorn and apple trees (the favorite nesting sites of 
these birds) scattered about over a rather large area, so I pro- 
ceeded to examine each one carefully, but not a sign of a nest 
‘could I discover, or could I find the shrike again; and as it was 
about noon I returned home, deciding to visit the locality later on 
in the afternoon. On arrival, however, at the place no signs could 
be seen of any shrike, but on ascending some rising ground near 
the tall fir tree already mentioned, I put one up off the ground, 
and at once decided to follow it wherever it went. It was not 
long before this one was joined by another, and a pretty dance 
the pair led me the whole of that afternoon, further and further 
away from the site of the tall fir tree near which I had put the first 
bird up, so that at last I had to give up the game in disgust and 
return home. That they were nesting I felt sure and I got some 
little encouragement when on one occasion the female tried to 
dislodge several pieces of coarse grass that had got wedged in some 
brushwood, but failing to do so she finally desisted. However, 
to make up for it I got an insight into the affection of these birds 
for one another, for never on the whole of that afternoon were 
they very far apart, and on several occasions I saw the male feed 
his mate with what he no doubt considered some extra tid-bit. 
There was. no chasing of any small birds or the spiking on thorns 
of the food they obtained (which was always off the ground, and 
consisted no doubt of beetles, grasshoppers and the like), everything 
was eaten. On my return home I was thoroughly puzzled, as I 
had examined every tree in the neighborhood except one, that 
tall fir tree! But there, I said to myself, shrikes do not usually nest 
in fir trees, and if they do, it would have to be above the average 
height in this particular one, as all the lower branches had been 
cut off as already mentioned. With this I went through all my 
text books, with the same result, every author except two giving 
apple trees or thorn bushes as the favorite site for the nest and 
the elevation a low one, usually from four to ten feet above the 
ground. The two exceptions mentioned above were Harold H. 
Bailey who in his ‘The Birds of Virginia’ 1913, p. 268, says from 
ten to thirty feet up, but gives no specific instance of a nest having 


Vico een Movustey, Breeding of the Migrant Shrike. 35 


been found at such an extraordinary height as thirty feet; the 
other author being the late Ora W. Knight, who in his ‘ Birds of 
Maine’ 1908, p. 471, gives a specific instance of a nest having been 
found near Bangor in May, 1896, in the forks of a balsam fir tree 
sixteen feet from the ground. After reading these two accounts 
the whole thing seemed to become perfectly clear, and I could 
see the nest in my mind’s eye in that solitary fir tree by the road- 
side and at a great elevation too, and that no doubt was the reason 
why the birds kept leading me away from it in the afternoon. On 
the following morning I visited the site again and secreting myself, 
had the satisfaction, after waiting half an hour, of seeing one of 
the birds with building material enter a dense portion of the fir 
tree very near the top. This was on April 30, but it was not until 
May 10 that I climbed to the nest (which could not be seen from 
the ground) and found the female sitting on a set of five eggs, 
in a most beautiful and symmetrical nest, which was built in some 
forks close to the trunk, and at the record height of thirty-four feet 
above the ground. The foundation of the nest consisted of fir 
twigs, rootlets, string and that favorite material of most birds 
here, the stalks and flower heads of the pearly everlasting. The 
lining was formed of wool, plant down, and a good supply of 
feathers, and the dimensions were as follows, viz.: outside diameter 
6, inside 2? inches; outside depth 44, inside 2} inches. 

The eggs were finely and evenly spotted all over, the average 
size being 1.02 X .73, and these I took, more especially as I wanted 
to try and solve the problem as to why the birds had selected this 
abnormal site. Was it hereditary, or merely a case of environ- 
ment? If the former, then the birds at their second venture ought 
by rights to select some equally high elevation, not necessarily 
in a fir, but in some other tree; but if the latter was the case then 
one of the apple trees or bushes close at hand ought to be used, 
as birds seldom or never build again in the same tree, directly after 
being robbed of their first set of eggs, and therefore would not make 
use of the fir tree again. Now it must be borne in mind that at 
the time of nesting the apple trees and bushes were not in leaf, 
but by accident in the midst of them there stood this solitary fir 
with excellent cover. Is it not reasonable then to suppose that 
the birds seeing this, took advantage of their environment, and 


[sere 


36 | Moustey, Breeding of the Migrant Shrike. 
built in that fir in preference to the exposed and leafless apple trees 
and bushes? 

At all events, this was the view I took of the matter at the time, 
and I think that after events will show that perhaps I may not have 
been so very far wrong. On the day following the taking of the 
eggs, I left home as I thought for about a week, but owing to unfore- 
seen circumstances it was not until June 29 that I was able to visit 
the spot again, when on walking to the village of Hatley, and after 
having just passed the tall fir on the roadside, I heard a great com- 
motion in some bushes and young trees not far off, and there sure 
enough were the five young Shrikes of the second brood, being fed 
by their parents, and just able to fly nicely. It took me only a 
few minutes to locate the nest in an apple tree eight feet up, and 
only eighty-five yards distant from the site of the first nest in the fir. 
And so matters had worked out as I had expected, and the birds 
had reverted to a natural elevation and site, which I feel sure 
would have been the case in the first instance, if it had not been 
for the excellent cover afforded by that accidental fir tree being 
on the ground that the birds had selected as eminently suitable for 
affording them their necessary food supply. 


areal Wricut, Labrador Chickadee in Migration. 37 


LABRADOR CHICKADEE (PENTHESTES HUDSONICUS 
NIGRICANS) IN ITS RETURN FLIGHT FROM THE 
FALL MIGRATION OF 1916. 


BY HORACE W. WRIGHT. 


THE extraordinary southward migration of Penthestes hudsonicus 
nigricans into New England and still farther south in the fall of 
1916 was described with some detail in the issue of ‘The Auk’ for 
April, 1917. Almost all the individuals which had been noted 
in the vicinity of Boston had passed on by the middle of January. 
Mr. H. L. Barrett, however, recorded four remaining birds in the 
conifers of the Arnold Arboretum in the months of February, 
March, and April, his latest observation of these birds having been 
on April19. Presumably, therefore, these four birds became winter 
residents, remaining from a flock of twelve birds noted in December. 
Other March records of P. hudsonicus, which have been furnished 
me, are those of one bird heard at Ipswich by Dr. C. W. Townsend 
and Dr. A. A. Allen on March 11, which was so elusive that by 
their best endeavors they were unable to get a glimpse of it; and 
one bird taken at Providence, R. I., by Mr. Harry S. Hathaway 
on March 18. This bird was sent to Dr. Townsend for identifica- 
tion and proved to be nigricans. 

Some few, but definite data of the return flight of ‘hudsonicus’ 
were obtained in May, when other northern breeding birds were 
appearing, such as Crossbill, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and northern 
nesting warblers. On May 4, as I passed through the centre of 
Belmont, the characteristic calls of two brown-capped Chickadees 
answering one another were heard in conifers on private grounds 
bordering the village street. I was not able to obtain a view of 
these birds, but their presence in trees of the village indicated that 
they were migrating. Again, on May 14, when I was in the Fresh 
Pond Reservation in Cambridge, four brown-capped Chickadees 
were seen in the deciduous trees of that portion known as Kingsley 
Park, occasionally flying out over the pond, but returning suc- 
cessively to the trees and giving their characteristic calls. These 
birds were in comparatively open park lands entirely removed 


38 Wricut, Labrador Chickadee in Migration. Fes 


from such haunts as ‘ hudsonicus’ lives in and were without question 
migrating. While I was not able to ascertain the subspecifie type 
in either of these cases, the presumption is that it was nigricans, 
since that was the type present in the fall and winter, as ascertained 
by Dr. Townsend,! which appeared in some abundance and moved 
on southward to Long Island, Staten Island, and New Jersey. 

Mr. H. H. Cleaves writes me that one of the four Staten Island 
‘Labrador Chickadees learned to eat from one of his cocoanut 
feeders before starting north, the other three birds having left 
early, some time in January or early February. 

Other May records of * hudsonicus’ furnished me were these: two 
birds seen by Mr. Harold S. King with three Black-capped Chicka- 
dees at Waverley on May 6 [Townsend]; two birds seen in the 
Arnold Arboretum by H. L. Barrett on May 13; one bird seen 
by Mr. Francis H. Allen on his place at West Roxbury on May 18; 
one heard at Woodstock, Vermont, by Mr. Richard M. Marble on 
May 14. Mr. Allen writes, “I followed it [hudsonicus] about for 
some time, getting plenty of views of it, but none where I could 
compare the crown with the back to determine the subspecies. 
I had heard the bird — or another of the same kind — a few days 
before, but had not seen it.” And Mr. Marble informs me that 
the lunch-counter-feeding brown-capped Chickadee at Woodstock, 
mention of which was made in my paper on Labrador Chickadee in 
‘The Auk’ for April, 1917, a typical littoralis, disappeared about 
the first of April. So the May bird observed by him was presum- 
ably a migrant. 

Mr. H. Mousley of Hatley, Province of Quebec, through Dr. 
Townsend furnishes exact testimony as to the subspecific type of 
the migrant birds found there. Dr. Townsend received two 
Labrador Chickadees in the flesh from Mr. Mousley taken by 
the latter at Hatley on May 14. Later he received another speci- 
men of nigricans taken at the same place by Mr. Mousley on May 16. 
Dr. Townsend writes me, “On May 21 Mr. Mousley took three 
more ‘typical nigricans’ which he sent to the Victoria Memorial 
Museum at Ottawa.” And subsequently Dr. Townsend wrote 
me, “ Mr. Mousley took another o nigricans at Hatley on May 30.” 


1 Auk, vol. XXXIV, April, 1917, p. 160. 


ee | Wricut, Labrador Chickadee in Migration. 39 


Mr. Mousley thus writes Dr. Townsend under date of May 28, 
1917, “I have to-day heard from Ottawa that the three Labrador 
Chickadees have turned out to be one male and two females, so 
out of my six examples half are o’’s and half 9’s. I saw one 
more example on Sunday the 27th by “itself.”’ This fact of sex 
equality in number leads Dr. Townsend to remark, “This would 
look as if the birds were paired and travelling together. I found 
the organs considerably enlarged.” 

The definite determination of the subspecific type of hudsonicus, 
taken at Hatley, P. Q., from the middle to the end of May, namely, 
as Labrador (nigricans), without variation, furnishes a fair basis 
for the presumption that the birds seen about Boston earlier in May, 
from the fourth to the eighteenth, were of the same subspecific 
type, and, appearing after an interval of absence, were individuals 
of the large fall migration of 1916 on their return flight north at 
the time of the migratory flight of other northern nesting birds. 
For such a succession of records of ‘hudsonicus’ in May in this 
region, I think, has never been paralleled in the past. When P. h. 
hitoralis has appeared, which has been quite infrequently, in the 
passing years, so far as records show, only a bird or two had been 
occasionally seen in the autumn until the migration of 1913, which 
was unprecedented. Whether that was essentially a migration of 
P. h. littoralis or nigricans remains somewhat in doubt. Dr. 
Townsend has identified the bird taken by Mr. J. L. Peters at 
Harvard, Mass., on November 5, 1913, as a male of the nigricans 
type, and on the other hand one of the nine or more Belmont birds, 
taken on November 20, 1913, now in the Museum of Comparative 
Zoélogy, at Cambridge, as a female of the littoralis type. It was 
assumed at the time my paper was written to be a flight of P. h. 
littoralis, for the type P. h. nigricans had not then been established. 
But Dr. Townsend has now rendered the service of determining 
that the migration of 1916 was essentially that of P. h. nigricans. 
Since there was no similar May migration in 1914, following the 
large fall migration of ‘hudsonicus’ in 1913, the birds disappearing 
by January or early February, may it be a fair assumption that the 
birds of the 1913 migration were for the most part of the more 


1 Auk, vol. XXXI, April, 1914, p. 236. 


40 Dicr, Birds of Southeastern Washington. ~* ees 


southern type littoralis, Acadian, while the late returning northward 
birds of the present season from the fall migration of 1916, as being 
farther north residents, would naturally be the Labrador birds, 
the nigricans type? 


THE BIRDS OF WALLA WALLA AND COLUMBIA 
COUNTIES, SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON}! 


BY LEE RAYMOND DICE. 


Tue first definite knowledge of the vertebrate fauna of south- 
eastern Washington was secured by J. K. Townsend (1839) and 
Thomas Nuttall, who, accompanying a trading expedition across 
the continent, reached, on September 3, 1834, the Hudson’s Bay 
Company’s post of Fort Walla Walla, situated on the Columbia 
River at the present site of Wallula. They remained here only a 
few days when they proceeded down the river to Astoria. The 
following year Townsend returned to Fort Walla Walla and re- 
mained in that region from July 6 until September 3.’ 

In 1857 the United States government established Fort Walla 
Walla as an army post at the present site of Walla Walla. This is 
more than fifty miles from the former Hudson’s Bay Company’s 
post of the same name, and the fauna and flora of the two regions 
are somewhat dissimilar. Some uncertainty in scientific literature 
has been caused by the confusion of these two places. 

Capt. Chas. Bendire was stationed at Walla Walla for several 
years, being there at least from August, 1879, until some time in 
1881. 

Belding (1890) has published a considerable number of brief 
notes from Walla Walla on birds observed by a person variously 
quoted as Dr. Williams, J. W. Williams, and once as D. T. Williams. 
These references probably refer to the same individual. From the 


1 Contribution from the Zodlogical Laboratory, Kansas State Agricultural College, 
No. 16. 


ae | Dicer, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 41 


notes given, this person must have studied the birds of the region 
during a period lasting at least from August, 1884, until the summer 
of 1885. 

During the summer of 1903 a party from the State College, 
headed by R. E. Snodgrass, crossed the region. They entered at 
Wallula, proceeded to Walla Walla, then to Bolles, and up the 
Touchet River to Dayton. From Dayton they proceeded across 
the Blue Mountains toward Almota (Snodgrass, 1904). 

W. Leon Dawson spent several weeks in April and May, 1907, 
studying the birds near Wallula. 

It is known that collectors of the U. S. Biological Survey have 
worked at several points in the region, but no account of their work 
has been published, except isolated references to certain localities 
in taxonomical work. 

Storrs H. Lyman of Dayton, Washington, who has made many 
observations on the birds of Walla Walla and Columbia counties, 
has kindly allowed the insertion of his notes into the present paper. 

Through the courtesy of Dr. H. S. Brode, notes have been secured 
on the specimens in the collection of Whitman College. 

Observations on the birds of this region were begun by the author 
in December, 1904, and, broken by numerous absences, continued 
until December, 1915. The vicinity along the Touchet River just 
east of Prescott has received much the largest share of attention, 
though field trips, often of several week’s duration, have been made 
to other parts of the region. Specimens have been secured of a 
large number of the species, and care has been taken to have the 
taxonomic determinations as nearly correct as possible. 

The general topographic features, climate, and habitats of Walla 
Walla and Columbia counties have been described in an earlier 
paper by the author (Dice, 1916, 293-332). Western Walla Walla 
County is dominated by semi-arid sagebrush plains; eastern 
Walla Walla County and western Columbia County are character- 
ized by high rolling bunchgrass prairie; and in southeastern 
Columbia County the Blue Mountains are covered by coniferous 
forests. The wide range of climatic conditions is reflected in the 
vertebrate life of the different faunal areas. 

In the accompanying list an attempt has been made to give the 
local distribution of each species, so far as known in the region; 


42 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. vor 


and any new information at hand on habits has been included. 
The list is known to be very incomplete, especially in regard to 
the bird life of the Blue Mountains and of the sagebrush areas of 
western Walla Walla County. 


fEchmophorus occidentalis. Wrstmrn Grese.— A juvenile was 
taken near Walla Walla a few years ago by S. H. Lyman. 

Mergus americanus. Merrcanser.—In early March, 1914, Mr. 
Bethel Randall took a young male from a small flock swimming in the 
Touchet River two miles east of Prescott. 

Anas platyrhynchos. Marztarp.— Numerous small flocks were 
observed along the Touchet River and in the grain and stubble fields of the 
valley near Prescott during late December, 1906. A male was noted 
Nov. 16, 1915, on the river. 

Mareca americana. Ba.tppatr.— Five were noted on a pool of the 
Touchet River two miles east of Prescott, Oct. 20, 1915. 

Nettion carolinense. GRrEEN-wiINGED TEAuL.— Irregularly present, 
during the winter, in small flocks along the Touchet River near Prescott. 

Spatula clypeata. SHovetter.— In 1915 a small flock was noted 
Aug. 23 on a gravel bar of the Touchet River two miles east of Prescott. 
Another flock of eleven was seen on the river Oct. 21. 

Charitonetta albeola. Burrin-HEAD.— Five were observed on the 
Touchet River two miles east of Prescott on Oct. 23, 1915. 

Olor columbianus. WuisttiIng Swan.— A mounted specimen at 
Whitman College is from the Walla Walla River near the Oregon line. 

Botaurus lentiginosus. Birrern.— A specimen in the Whitman 
College collection was taken near Walla Walla on Noy. 18, 1901. 

Ardea herodias treganzai. TreGanza’s BuurE Hrron.— Occasional 
throughout the year along the shores of the Touchet River near Prescott. 
They sometimes alight in the upper branches of trees, and in winter are 
found also in the meadows and open grain fields of the valley. 

Grus mexicana. SanpHint Crane.— Rare in summer along the 
shores of the Touchet River near Prescott. Several large migrating 
flocks of cranes, probably of this species, were seen on April 14, 1908. 
They were flying very high and were going directly northward. 

Fulica americana. Coor.—On Aug. 14, 1914, one was seen on a 
small seepage lake near Attalia. They are reported by hunters to occur 
in the fall along the Touchet River near Prescott. Oct. 13, 1915, one was 
taken by Mr. Geo. Gross from a hawk in the Blue Mountains on the South 
Fork of the Touchet River. 

Gallinago delicata. Witson’s Snipr.— Reported by S. H. Lyman 
as sometimes common along Mill Creek near Walla Walla. A specimen 
from that locality is in the museum of Whitman College. 

Pisobia bairdi. Barirp’s Sanpprper.— Early in April, 1908, S. H. 
Lyman secured two from a small flock feeding in a grain field near Dayton 
(Dice, 1915, 60). 


ected Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 43 


Totanus melanoleucus. GREATER YELLOW-LEGS.— Reported by 
S. H. Lyman to have been taken along the Touchet River at Dayton. 

Bartramia longicauda. Upntanp PLover.— Dawson (1908, 484) 
heard Upland Plovers in April, 1905, near Two Rivers, western Walla 
Walla County. 

Actitis macularia. Sporrep SanppippEr.— Often seen in summer 
on the bars of the Touchet River near Prescott. One was seen on the 
rocky shore of Snake River at Lyon’s Ferry on June 23, 1914. 

Spring arrival records for Prescott are: May 2, 1905; May 22, 1913; 
and May 19, 1914. 

Numenius americanus. LOoNG-BILLED CuRLEW. — Occasionally 
breeding in the bunchgrass hills near Prescott. They are rapidly decreas- 
ing in numbers, as the spring plowing practiced in connection with wheat 
growing destroys many of their nests, and only a small amount of unculti- 
vated land, on which they can breed, still remains in the region. In spring 
they often feed about small pools of water in the prairie, but they seldom 
go near the river during their stay with us. They leave the region soon 
after the young are able to fly and thus escape the dry summer. Nesting 
occurs in the latter part of April and the early part of May. 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: March 23, 1905; March 29, 1906; 
April 7, 1908; and April 9, 1913. 

Charadrius dominicus dominicus. Go._prEN PLover.— Taken by 
Bendire at Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 227). 

Oxyechus vociferus vociferus. KitupEER.— Numerous along the 
shores of the Walla Walla River near Wallula in the early part of June, 
1914. They also fed in the sagebrush, sometimes a half mile from the 
river. Killdeers are fairly numerous in summer along the shores of the 
Touchet River near Prescott. They often feed in the cultivated meadows 
of the valley, and at times, especially in the spring, may be found in the 
grain fields and bunchgrass areas a short distance from the river. 

During late December, 1908, several were noted near Prescott and one 
was taken on Jan. 1, 1909. Spring arrival dates for other years are: 
Feb. 26, 1905; Feb. 22, 1906; and Feb. 25, 1908. 

Perdix perdix. Huncarian Partripce.—In the early spring of 
1915 several were liberated in the Touchet Valley near Prescott. A flock 
of ten was seen in a field of the valley near some willows on Nov. 20. They 
had been introduced into Columbia County several years earlier. 

Colinus virginianus virginianus. Bos-wuirr.— Introduced. A 
few were seen in early June, 1914, at the edge of the willows along the 
Waila Walla River near Wallula. At Prescott they have become common 
in the brush and timber. At times they feed in the meadows and even a 
short distance out into the open parts of the valley, but are never found 
far from cover. 

Nests have been noted at Prescott as follows: June 5, 1908, 14 eggs; 
June 8, 1908, 10 eggs; July 1, 1910, 20 eggs; June 5, 1913, 19 eggs at the 
point of hatching. These nests were placed in grass at the edge of meadows 
or in brushy places. 


44 Dic, Birds of Southeastern Washington. on 


Jan. 


Dendragapus obscurus richardsoni. RicHarpson’s Grouse.— A 
specimen from the Blue Mountains is in the collection of Whitman College. 
In late July, 1914, they were noted at Hompeg Falls in yellow pine, in 
western larch, in Douglas spruce, and in lowland fir, being most common in 
the Douglas spruce. On July 27 a flock was seen in alpine fir on a ridge 
near Twin Buttes Ranger Station, and others were seen in Douglas spruce 
on other parts of the same ridge. Several were seen on August 6 beside 
Butte Creek. 

Bonasa umbellus togata. CanapiAN Rurrep Grouse.— Rather 
rare near Prescott, and found only in the densest timber and brush. One 
was seen July 26, 1914, in lowland fir forest at Hompeg Falls. 

On June 13, 1908, a hen with a brood of small young was discovered in 
thick brush two miles east of Prescott. 

Pedicecetes phasianellus columbianus. ConLumMBIAN SHARP-TAILED 
GrovusE.—- Reported by Townsend (1839) from near Wallula. A number 
were seen June 17, 1914, in the grain fields and in the bunchgrass areas 
near Eureka. They were formerly abundant in the bunchgrass hills near 
Prescott, but spring plowing destroys many of their nests and this in con- 
nection with extensive hunting has greatly reduced their numbers. They 
sometimes feed on the buds of the trees along the stream in winter, but are 
very seldom seen near timber in the summer. 

A nest found in a stubble field near Prescott on May 9, 1906, was merely 
a slight depression in the ground lined with a little straw and a few feathers. 
It contained 12 eggs. Young only a few days old were seen on May 14, 
1914. Quarter-grown young were seen on June 30. In many cases the 
mother will feign injury in an attempt to lead an enemy away from the 
vicinity of the chicks. In one case the mother made a series of motions 
_ and calls tending to direct the attention to herself and away from the chicks. 
The young hide in the grass, and may sneak away a considerable distance. 
They are very hard to find unless they give their calls, and this they rarely 
do until the hen begins to call them. 

Centrocercus urophasianus. Sacre Hrn.— Snodgrass (1904, 227) 
reported the sage hen to “ occur throughout the entire sagebrush area of 
central Washington.” 

Phasianus torquatus. Rinc-NecKED PHEAsANT.— Introduced into 
southeastern Washington. They are reported from time to time in the 
timber along the Touchet River above Prescott. One was seen Aug. 13, 
1914, in a grain field near Walla Walla. 

Zenaidura macroura marginella. WrsterRN Mournina Dove.— 
Near Wallula several were seen in early June, 1914, at the edge of the 
willows along the Walla Walla River, and a few were noted in sagebrush, 
some being nearly a mile from the river. They are common during the 
summer in partially open places in the Touchet Valley near Prescott, and 
nest in bushes and trees along the river. They feed mostly on the ground 
at the edge of timber, but may sometimes be found several miles from trees 
or water. At Lyon’s Ferry a few were seen in late June, 1914, about the 


ti ee ae Yl 
—_— 


J 


Mela | Dicr, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 45 


rock cliffs overlooking Snake River. They are common in summer at 
Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 23). 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: April 30, 1905; April 2, 1906; 
March 24, 1908; and April 24,1913. Five were seen at Prescott, on Dec. 
25, 1908, so an occasional winter must be spent at that locality. 

Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Turkey Vuirure.— A flock of 
twelve were seen Aug. 31, 1915, by Carl Dice on a hill east of Prescott. 
On Sept. 5, he saw another in the trees of the valley. S. H. Lyman re- 
ports them from the Blue Mountains. 

Accipiter velox. SHarp-sHINNED Hawxk.— Common in the timber 
along the Touchet River at Prescott and Dayton. Dates of capture at 
Prescott are Jan. 1, 1905; Dec. 21, 1908; Oct. 24, 1915; and Nov. 18, 1915. 

Accipiter cooperi. Cooprmr’s HawK.— One was shot Sept. 13, 1915, 
in the timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. 5. H. Lyman re- 
ports them to be common near Dayton. 

Astur atricapillus striatulus. Western GosHawK.— Specimens 
have been taken at Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 232). One was shot 
Sept. 13, 1915, in the timber just east of Prescott while feeding on a young 
Bob-white. Bendire (1892, 199) says they are pretty generally distributed 
throughout the Blue Mountains of Oregon and Washington. 

Buteo borealis calurus. WersterRN Rep-rart.— Common over the 
whole of southeastern Washington. In the region near Prescott they 
occur throughout the year, but are more common in summer than in winter. 
They are found in the bunchgrass hills and also in the timber along the 
streams. In the summer of 1914 a number were seen on the ridges of the 
Blue Mountains. 

On June 20-24, 1914, several pairs were seen about the lava cliffs beside 
Snake River at Lyon’s Ferry. High on one of the cliffs a nest containing 
two well grown young was observed. 

A pocket gopher (Thomomys columbianus) was found in the stomach of 
one taken near Prescott on Dec. 22, 1905. 

Buteo swainsoni. Swarnson’s Hawx.— Occasionally seen in sum- 
mer near Prescott, in the bunchgrass hills, in the timber of the valleys, and 
in irrigated meadows. During the latter part of August, 1915, flocks of 
one hundred or more were observed soaring over the valley in the evenings. 
One was taken as late as Oct. 16. 

Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. AMERICAN RoUGH-LEG.— 
Taken near Walla Walla by Bendire (Brewster, 1882, 227). 

Archibuteo ferrugineus. Frrrucinous Rovucu-Lec. — Several 
rough-legs were seen on June 17, 1914, in the bunchgrass hills near Nine- 
mile. Another was seen June 25 in the bunchgrass hills about fifteen miles 
north of Prescott. 

Aquila chrysaétos. GoipEN Eacie.— Reported by 8. H. Lyman to 
occur commonly in Columbia County. A mounted specimen from that 
county is in the museum of Whitman College. 

Falco mexicanus. Prarie Fatcon.— Reported by Dawson and 


46 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. pis 


Bolles (1909, 525), from the canyon of Snake River and from the gorge 
of the Columbia below Wallula. Bendire (1892, 289-290) found them 
somewhat common in timber and prairie at Walla Walla in late summer, 
fall, and spring, and. rarely in winter. During the late fall of 1915, up until 
Nov. 7, one was often noted on power line poles in an open field east of 
Prescott. 

Falco columbarius columbarius. Pigeon Hawx.— Those taken at 
Walla Walla have been referred to three different subspecies (Bendire, 
1892, 303). However, it seems better to place them all under one sub- 
species until the taxonomy of the group is better known. 

They were of “‘ not uncommon ” occurrence at Walla Walla in the winter 
of 1880-1881 (Allen, 1881, 128). 

Falco sparverius sparverius. Sparrow Hawk.— Generally dis- 
tributed throughout southeastern Washington. One was killed on June 
17, 1914, in sagebrush near Wallula not far from the Walla Walla River. 
In the prairie area they are common in the timber along the streams, but 
they often hunt in the bunchgrass hills, being found sometimes several 
miles from timber. At Lyon’s Ferry several pairs were seen in late June, 
1914, about basaltic cliffs. A number were seen in late July, 1914, on the 
open rocky slopes and in open yellow pine timber near Hompeg Falls. 
One was killed August 9, in open Douglas spruce timber on top of a moun- 
tain ridge. 

Several remained throughout the winter of 1905-06 in the Touchet 
Valley near Prescott. Spring arrival dates for other years are: April 3, 
1908; and April 9, 1913. 

A nest was found, April 23, 1906, in an old magpie nest about twelve 
feet high in an osage hedge two miles east of Prescott. There were no 
eggs at that time, but later five were laid. During early June, 1908, 
another pair nested in a deserted magpie nest. At other times Sparrow 
Hawks were seen to enter and leave old woodpecker holes high in the 
cottonwood trees, and they evidently nested there. 

Pandion haliaétus carolinensis. Osprey.—S. H. Lyman reports 
the killing of one beside the Touchet River in the city of Dayton. On 
May 17, 1918, one was perched in a high tree overlooking the Touchet 
River near Prescott. At this place one was killed on Sept. 21, 1915. 

Asio wilsonianus. Lona-EARED Own.— A few live throughout the 
year in the timber along the streams of Walla Walla County. None are 
found except in heavy brush or timber. 

A nest in a broken-down magpie nest twelve feet above the ground, was 
found in 1906 in thick brush along the Touchet River near Prescott. No 
eggs had been laid on April 23, but on April 27 the nest contained two. 
On April 24, 1908, another Long-eared Owl was seen on a deserted magpie 
nest thirty feet above the ground. Dawson (1914, 56-57) reports finding 
a nest near Wallula. 

Asio flammeus. SHortT-HaARED OwLi.— On June 13, 1914, one was. 
flushed from the ground in sagebrush near Wallula. He sailed off and 


oe | Dicer, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 47 


alighted on a hill covered by bunchgrass. Near Prescott they have been 
seen a few times in the bunchgrass hills. Specimens were taken by Bendire 
at Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 229). S.H. Lyman has noted the species 
in both Walla Walla and Columbia Counties. 

Scotiaptex nebulosa nebulosa. Great Gray Owx.— A specimen 
taken in Columbia County 15 or 20 miles east of Dayton was brought 
to S. H. Lyman early in December, 1914. 

Cryptcglaux acadica acadica. Saw-wHEeTr Owx.— One was taken 
Noy. 19, 1915, in timber two miles east of Prescott. S. H. Lyman has 
heard their call notes a number of times in the Blue Mountains. Early 
in December, 1914, he took a specimen at an old barn on the outskirts of 
Dayton. 

Otus asio macfarlanei. Macraruann’s ScreecH Own.— Noted at 
Wallula (Dawson and Bolles, 1909, 475). Breeding at Walla Walla 
(Bendire, 1892, 372). They occur commonly throughout the year in the 
timber along the Touchet River at Prescott. In late July, 1914, a family 
party, of which the young were nearly grown, inhabited the lowland fir 
forest near Hompeg Falls. 

Bubo virginianus lagophonus. NorruwresterRN Hornep Ow1.— 
Type (Oberholser, 1904, 185-187) from Walla Walla, taken on Nov. 13, 
1881. Oberholser states (p. 186) that in this form, so far as shown by the 
material at hand, there is no indication of a pale phase. Of 18 specimens 
taken by Bendire (1892, 388) at Walla Walla 12 were dark in color and 
were referred to B. v. saturatus, 3 were intermediate, and 3 being light 
in color were referred to B. v. subarcticus (Hoy). B. v. saturatus as given 
by Bendire (1892, 383) is evidently a synonym of lagophonus (Ridgway, 
1914, 748). It seems that as lagophonus does not have a pale phase, two 
forms of horned owl must occur at Walla Walla. 

Bendire (p. 388) reports satwratus (lagophonus) common near Walla 
Walla in winter, but states that they were not seen after the approach of 
spring. In some winters horned owls are numerous in the timber along 
the Touchet River near Prescott. 

Bubo virginianus occidentalis. WrsterN Hornep Owu.— The 
horned owl breeding at Walla Walla is given by Bendire (1892, 388) as 
B.v. subarcticus. This name is given by Ridgway (1914, 744) asa synonym 
in part of occidentalis, and this must be the subspecies breeding in Walla 
Walla County. 

Near Prescott horned owls are rarely seen in summer. Throughout 
the year they keep to the heavy brush and timber along the rivers. 

Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Ow..— Bendire (1892, 390) took two Snowy 
Owls at Walla Walla in winter. S. H. Lyman reports that he has seen the 
species near Dayton in very cold weather. 

Speotyto cunicularia hypogea. Burrowine Own.— In June, 1914, 
a pair had a nest in sagebrush beside an irrigating ditch near Wallula. 
Reported from Walla Walla (Bendire, 1892, 400). Near Prescott they are 
numerous in summer in the bunchgrass areas. 


48 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. ees 


. Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: March 19, 1905; April 3, 1908; 
and April 11, 1913. 

Glaucidium gnoma californicum. Ca.irorniA PyemMy Ow1.— 
Bendire (1888a, 367) took this owl in the Blue Mountains of Washington. 
S. H. Lyman killed one at an old barn near Dayton in December, 1914. 
A specimen in the Whitman College collection was taken Feb. 13, 1902, 
at Dayton. 

Streptoceryle alcyon caurina. WeresTeRN BELTED KINGFISHER.— 
Numerous in summer along the Touchet River near Prescott. They are 
‘often seen perched on trees overlooking the stream. On Aug. 4, 1914, one 
was seen on Butte Creek in the Blue Mountains. During the winter of 
1904-05 several remained near Prescott all winter. In 1913 the first 
spring arrival was noted on March 31. A nest hole was discovered in the 
soft dirt banks of the Touchet River near Prescott on May 19, 1914. 

Dryobates villosus monticola. Rocky Mountain Hatry Woop- 
PECKER.— Occasional in winter in the trees along the Touchet River near 
Prescott. In the summer of 1914 a number were seen on the ridges of the 
Blue Mountains in alpine fir forest and elsewhere on dead trees. 

Dryobates pubescens homorus. BatTcHELDER’s WoODPECKER.— 
Numerous throughout the year in the timber along the Touchet River 
near Prescott. Reported rare at Walla Walla (Bendire, 1895, 59). 

On June 11, 1908, a nest containing young was found four feet above the 
ground in an apple tree near Prescott. The female was seen gathering 
large, red aphids from nearby golden-rod. She would gather all her 
mouth could hold and until the aphids stuck out like a fringe all around 
the edges of the bill. Then she flew in a direct line toward the nest. This 
female was also seen to gather aphids from apple trees. 

Xenopicus albolarvatus. WHITE-HEADED WoopPrrcKER.— Mr. 
George Gross shot one in the Blue Mountains late in May, 1909, and sent 
me the specimen. 

Picoides arcticus. Arctic THREE-TOED WoopPEcKER. —S. H. 
Lyman secured a male about five years ago in heavy Douglas spruce on a 
ridge of the Blue Mountains. The specimen is now in his collection. 

Picoides americanus subsp. THREE-TOED WoopPpEecKER.— A white- 
backed, Three-toed Woodpecker was seen July 31, 1914, in heavy Douglas 
spruce forest near the top of a ridge near Twin Buttes R.S. S. H. Lyman 
reports the species to be common in these mountains. 

Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis. Rrp-Narep Sapsucker.— Found 
sparingly in the Blue Mountains of Washington by Bendire (1888, 226). 

Sphyrapicus thyroideus. WILLIAMSoN’s Sapsucker. — Noted a 
number of times in the Blue Mountains in the summer of 1914. Near 
Hompeg Falls they were found in lowland fir in the canyon, and in yellow 
pine forest on the low ridges. On top of the ridge at Twin Buttes R. S. 
they were seen in Douglas spruce forest, and on Butte Creek they were 
found in brush and among cottonwoods. 

Phicotomus pileatus picinus. WersTERN PILEATED WOODPECKER.— 
Several were reported to have been present for about a month in Sept.— 


aa Dic, Birds of Southeastern Washington. AY 
Oct., 1914, in trees along the Touchet River east of Prescott. Near 
Hompeg Falls they were noted a few times during July, 1914, in low- 
land fir forest, and two were seen in western larch forest. 

Asyndesmus lewisi. Lrwis’s WooppreckErR.— Abundant in summer 
near Prescott. They live principally in the timber, but may often be 
found on fence posts in the bunchgrass and grain fields several miles from 
trees. None were seen along the Touchet River below Lamar, nor were 
any seen in the Blue Mountains. Reported breeding at Walla Walla 
(Bendire, 1895, 120). 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: April 29, 1905; April 26, 1908; 
and April 29, 1913. In 1915 the species was last seen on Sept. 18. Several 
nests containing vociferous young were noted in the early part of June, 
1908, high in cottonwood trees near Prescott. On May 21, 1914, a nest 
was found about twelve feet high in a catalpa. 

These woodpeckers are very fond of cherries and may often be seen 
feeding on the ripe fruit. When cherries are ripe a constant stream of 
birds may be seen carrying them in their bills to the young in nearby nests. 

Colaptes cafer collaris. Rep-sHarrep FLickeER.— A number were 
seen in early June, 1914, in the willows along the Walla Walla River near 
Wallula. In the timber along the streams of the prairie area they are 
common in summer. They often fly considerable distances out into the 
bunchgrass hills and feed on the ground. On the ridges of the Blue Moun- 
tains they were numerous during the summer of 1914 in buckbrush, alpine 
fir forest, and Douglas spruce forest, being most often noted on dead trees. 
A few were seen in the deciduous timber along Butte Creek. 

A few flickers remain at Prescott during the winter. During the winter 
of 1908 one roosted every night at a certain place under the porch of a 
ranch building. 

Mating behavior was noticed as early as February 29, in 1905. A nest, 
about twelve feet high in a catalpa tree, two miles east of Prescott, on May 


_ 7, 1908, contained six eggs. This nest had been used by flickers for at least 


-_, I 


two previous seasons. 

Chordeiles virginianus hesperis. Paciric NigntHawk.— Common 
near Wallula in early June, 1914. They were often seen flying over sage- 
brush and occasionally over the Walla Walla River or over the willows 
along the stream. They often alight on the ground or on fence posts in 
the sagebrush. Near Prescott a few have been observed in flight over the 
bunchgrass hills, over the Touchet River, and over the timber along the 
stream. At Lyon’s Ferry a number were seen in the evenings of late June, 
1914, flying over Snake River. In the late summer of 1914 a few were 
seen flying over Butte Creek and over the highest ridges of the Blue 
Mountains. 

Chetura vauxi. Vavux’s Swirr.—S. H. Lyman has seen this swift 
in the region on two occasions, once finding a specimen dead in Dayton. 

Archilochus alexandri. Buack-cHiInNeD HumMincpirp.— Common 
summer resident in the timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. 

Selasphorus rufus. Rurous Humminesrrp.— Numbers occur in the 


/ 


50 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. Re 


Jan. 


timber along the Touchet River at Prescott. Two young fully able to 


fly were noted on Aug. 11, 1915. The species was last seen on Aug. 24. 

Stellula calliope. Catuiops Humminesrrp.— A juvenile was taken 
Aug. 6, 1914, in brush along Butte Creek. 

Tyrannus tyrannus. Eastern Kincapirp.— A few were seen in 
early June, 1914, in the willows along the Walla Walla River. near Wallula. 
Near Prescott and Walla Walla they are common in summer, but are not 
so abundant as the western kingbird. They are most abundant at the 
edges of timber, in orchards, and in the shade trees about isolated farm 

buildings, but are often found on fence posts in the bunchgrass considerable 
' distance from trees. On Eureka Flat they were numerous in the early 
part of June, 1914, several miles from the nearest timber. 

One nest was found July 13, 1909, and another on June 26, 1914, both 
on a small bridge over the Touchet River near Prescott. In 1915 they 
were last noted in this region on Sept. 1. 

Tyrannus verticalis. Wrstrern Krincprrp.— In early June, 1914, num- 
erous pairs were observed near Wallula and they were numerous on Eureka 
Flat. They are abundant in summer near Prescott. They are not usually 
found in heavy timber, but prefer open woods or places where there are 
only afewtrees. A favorite place is in the shade trees about farm buildings. 
Sometimes they are found in the bunchgrass hills far away from buildings 
or trees. 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: April 30, 1905; April 26, 1908; 
and April 21, 1913. In 1915 they were last noted on Aug. 22. 

On June 12, 1914, one was seen brooding a nest on a hay derrick near 
Wallula, and remained on the nest even when the derrick was in use. 
Near Prescott they nest commonly in trees and about barns. On May 7, 
1908, a nest in process of construction was found in a locust tree. On May 
13, 1908, a completed nest was observed ina barn in the bunchgrass hills 
southwest of Prescott. June 12, 1914, a nest was seen on a rocky cliff at 
Lyon’s Ferry. In the foothills of the Blue Mountains, southeast of Waits- 
burg, a nest was noted on a fence post in bunchgrass. They also breed at 
Walla Walla (Bendire, 1895, 248). 

The Western Kingbird is very pugnacious and fearless and will attack 
any animal which ventures near the nest. In the bunchgrass country, 
where nesting sites are scarce, they will make use of any sort of a small 
box nailed up for their use. If they can be induced to nest near a poultry 
yard, hawks and magpies are effectively kept away. 

Sayornis sayus. Say’s PHa@pr.— Reported from Walla Walla (Ben- 
dire, 1895, 277). -One was seen June 17, 1914, in bunchgrass on the hills 
near Nine-mile. They are common in summer in the neighborhood of 
Prescott. At Lyon’s Ferry one was seen June 23, 1914. Their preference 
is for open country with a few trees, and they are seldom found in heavy 
timber. Sometimes they are found a mile or more from trees. In the 
bunchgrass hills they are often found about farm buildings. 

March 8, 1905, and March 9, 1908, are spring arrival dates at Prescott, 


ar ae Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. ol 


but these records are probably not of the earliest arrivals, for the Say Phoebe 
is one of the first birds to arrive in spring. 

On May 5, 1908, a nest with four partially fledged young was found 
inside an old house near Prescott. The nest was placed on a ledge above 
a closed window. The bird entered the house through an open window 
and crossed two rooms to reach the nest. On June 19 a second brood was 
found in this nest. One of the first brood was found dead in the room, 
but the other three had probably been able to get out through the open 
window. June 24, 1910, a nest contaming young was found in the same 
building, but in a different room, which the bird entered through an open 
screen door. On May 16, 1908, a nest was found on a beam in a dirt cellar 
in the hills near Prescott. All the nests were low and broad and included 
horse-hairs and bits of cloth in their construction. 

Nuttallornis borealis. O.ive-sipep FrycatcHer.— One was col- 
lected Sept. 17, 1909, from the top of a high tree near Prescott. Others 
were seen in an orchard on Aug. 7, and Sept. 5, 1915. A specimen in the 
Whitman College collection was taken at Dayton on Aug. 24, 1900. 

Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni. WrsterN Woop PEwEE.— 
Common in the orchards and timber of the Touchet Valley near Prescott. 
In 1915 they were last seen on Aug. 27. 

Empidonax difficilis difficilis. WrsteRN FruycatcHer— Reported 


_ by Snodgrass (1904, 229) to occur along the Walla Walla River and on 


the Touchet River. On August 6, 1914, one was shot from a flock of 
juveniles in heavy brush along Butte Creek in the Blue Mountains. 
Empidonax trailli trailli. Trams Friycarcuer.— Characteristic 


~ of open brush and willow patches in the Touchet Valley east of Prescott. 


Specimens were taken on June 18, 1908, and June 27,1914. In 1915 they 
were still present on Aug. 22. 

Empidonax hammondi. Hammonp’s FriycatcHer.— A ‘juvenile 
was taken in lowland fir forest near Hompeg Falls on July 26, 1914. 

Empidonax wrighti. Wricut’s FuycatcHEr.— A number were seen 
in the trees beside the Touchet River near Prescott on May 18, 1913, and 
one specimen taken. In late July, 1914, old and young were numerous 
in open places of the lowland fir forest at Hompeg Falls. One specimen was 
taken on July 23, and on July 24 another was taken in brush on the side 
of the canyon. 

(To be concluded.) 


Fes 


a2 OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. ifn 


A REVISION OF THE RACES OF TOXOSTOMA 
REDIVIVUM (GAMBEL). 


BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


Four forms of Toxostoma redivivum have been described, but 
at present only one is generally recognized. Both Mr. Robert 
Ridgway and the writer have hitherto failed to distinguish more 
than a single race, which we have considered coextensive with the 
species; but this failure now proves to have been due to lack of 
proper material. Dr. Joseph Grinnell, however, has recently 
allowed three subspecies in California.!. The identification of 
newly collected material in the Biological Survey has led me to a 
reéxamination of the entire species. For this purpose a very 
satisfactory number of specimens has been available, altogether 
385, including the type and type series of Toxostoma rediviwum sono- 
me Grinnell, also the types of Toxostoma redivivum redivivum, 
Toxostoma redwivum pasadenense, and Toxostoma rediwvum helvuum. 
For the use of these and much additional material the writer is 
under obligation to the authorities of the United States National 
Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the 
American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Com- 
parative Zoédlogy; to Mr. John E. Thayer, Mr. William Brewster, 
Mr. A. C. Bent, Dr. Joseph Grinnell, Dr. J. Dwight, and Dr. L. B. 
Bishop. With these advantages it is now possible to recognize, 
instead of a single form, three fairly well defined geographic races, 
which are explained in the following paragraphs: 


Toxostoma redivivum redivivum (Gambel). 


Harpes rediviva GAMBEL, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., II, No. 10, August, 
1845, p. 264 (near Monterey, California). 

Harporhynchus redivivus pasadenensis GRINNELL, Auk, XV, No. 3, July, 
1898, p. 237 (Pasadena, California). 


1 Pacific Coast Avifauna, No. 11, October 21, 1915, pp. 154-155; ‘The Auk,’ XXXIV, No. 
4, October, 1917, pp. 427-433. 


ea | OBERHOLSER, Faces of Toxostoma redivivum. 55) 

CuHars. suBsP.— Brown of upper parts decidedly grayish; white of 
throat with little or no tinge of buffy; brown jugular band dark and 
grayish; buffy ochraceous of posterior lower parts pale. 

MeAsurREMENTS.— Male:! wing, 94-106.5 (average, 100.6) mm.; tail, 
117-138 (128.1); exposed culmen, 32-39 (86.2); tarsus, 36.5-40 (38.1); 
middle toe without claw, 22-26 (24.3). 

Female: wing, 93-105.5 (average, 98.9) mm.; tail, 124-130 (126.9); 
exposed culmen, 33.5-39 (36.1); tarsus, 35.5-39 (37.2); middle toe with- 
out claw, 22.5-25.5 (23.8). 

Type Locauiry.— Near Monterey, California. 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.— Central northern Lower California, and 
southern California excepting the southeastern part and the coast region 
north of Monterey Bay. Resident in the Upper Austral and to some 
extent the Lower Austral zones, north to Amador (Amador County) in 
California, Sacramento, and Grafton (northeastern Yolo County); west 
to Brentwood (Contra Costa County), Monterey, Santa Barbara, Laguna 
Beach (Orange County), San Diego, and the Mexican Boundary Line at 
the Pacific Ocean; south to extreme southwestern San Diego County, 
Campo, and Cameron Ranch (San Diego County) in California, and Han- 
son Laguna, Lower California; east to Jacumba (southwestern Imperial 
County) in California, Palm Springs (Riverside County), Hesperia (San 
Bernardino County), Piute Mountains (Kern County), Weldon (Kern 
County), East Fork of Kaweah River about 10 miles west of Mineral King 
(Tulare County), Fresno Flat (Madera County), Coulterville, and Murphy 
(Calaveras County). 


Remarks.— The subspecific separation of the birds of this species 
living in southern California from those inhabiting the coast 
region north of Monterey Bay was first made by Dr. Joseph 
Grinnell? From our present investigations it is evident that 
this distinction is easily maintainable, although it must be noted 
that none of the characters are wholly constant, on account of 
the great amount of individual variation in both races. Birds 
in juvenal plumage are, furthermore, almost as readily distin- 
guishable as those in the adult stage; the juveniles of the present 
form being decidedly less ochraceous on the under parts and some- 
what less rufescent above than the young of Toxostoma redivowm 
sonomae. 


1Ten specimens, from California. 

2 Ten specimens, from California. 

3 Harporhynchus redivivus pasadenensis Grinnell, Auk, XV, No. 3, July, 1898, p. 237 
(Pasadena, California). 


fees 


o4 OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. Tage 


Dr. Grinnell, in describing his Harporhynchus redivivus pasadenen- 
sis, considered that the bird inhabiting the southern side of Mon- 
tery Bay, including the type locality of Toxostoma redivivwm 
rediviveum, was the same as that of the southern shore of San 
Francisco Bay, and thus, by inclusion of the type, made the north- 
ern bird the typical race. A recent careful examination of Gambel’s 
type of Harpes rediviva, which is now in the Academy of Natural 
Sciences at Philadelphia, shows that this arrangement apparently 
needs revision. This type is an old specimen, which was for a 
long time mounted and thus exposed to the light, and has conse- 
quently become somewhat discolored, particularly on the upper 
parts. Except for its more brownish upper surface, which is 
apparently due to this discoloration, it is in all respects readily 
matched by many of our large series of birds from southern Cali- 
fornia; and although it shows a slight vergence toward the northern 
race, its whitish throat, dark breast, and pale under parts leave 
no doubt of its correct identification with the race from southern 
California, called by Dr. Grinnell Harporhynchus redivivus pasade- 
nensis. This identification of Gambel’s type specimen is fortified 
by a series of adult and young birds from Seaside, California, 
which is situated on the southeastern shore of Monterey Bay 
but a short distance east of Monterey. These examples, while 
showing a slight inclination toward the northern subspecies, are 
very much nearer the southern form. It is evident, therefore, that 
the name Toxostoma redivivum redivivum must be transferred to 
the southern race, to displace Toxostoma redivivum pasadenense 
(Grinnell), while another name must be found for the bird now 
known as Toxostoma redivivum redivivum. Adult specimens from 
Paso Robles, in San Luis Obispo County, and froni Jolon, in 
Monterey County, are also clearly referable to this race, since 
they are not distinguishable from many southern California speci- 
mens. The same remarks are applicable to our juvenal examples 
from Paraiso Springs in Monterey County. Birds from Chinese 
in Calaveras County, Brentwood in northeastern Contra Costa 
County, and Amador in Amador County, vary slightly toward 
the northern subspecies, Toxostoma redivivum sonomae, but belong 
clearly to the present form. A series of both juvenal and adult 
birds from Campo, Jacumba, Cameron Ranch, and Pine Valley, 


ad 


ee | OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. 5 
all these localities situated along the Mexican border of southern 
California, are in characters about half way between Toxostoma 
redivivum rediviveum and Toxostoma redivivum helvum of Lower Cali- 
fornia, but on the whole seem to be rather nearer the California 
race. <A single adult in fresh plumage from Chulavista, in south- 
western San Diego County, California, and a large series from 
Witch Creek, California, are more clearly referable here. 

One hundred and seventy-five specimens of this race have been 
examined, from the following localities: 

California.— Seaside, Monterey County (June 26, 28, 29, and 
30, 1909); Santa Paula (April 8, 1880); Paso Robles, San Luis 
Obispo County (Sept. 2, 1902); Los Alamos, Santa Barbara County 
(Nov. 4, 1884); Pasadena (Jan. 15, 1909; Feb. 6, 1897; Sept. 5, 


-1909; Dec. 26, 1896); Whitewater, Riverside County (Sept. 


12, 1907) Jolon, Monterey County (Oct. 4, 1884); San Gabriel 
Wash, Los Angeles County (Oct. 17, 1915); Heninger Flats, San 
Gabriel Mountains (July 4 and 8, 1905); San Fernando (Nov. 3 
and 13, 1902; Oct. 29, 1915); Placerita Canyon, Los Angeles 
County (Nov. 28, 1915; Dec. 10, 1915); Stanley, Kings County 
(June 30, 1907; July 1, 1907); Saticoy (Feb. —, 1872); Chinese, 
Calaveras County (Sept. 26, 1901); Fullerton, Orange County 
(Nov. 15, 1900); Amador (April 26, 1896); Brentwood, Contra 
Costa County (Dec. 21, 1907); Kernville (July 11, 1891); Santa 
Barbara (Jan. 10, 1875); Fort Tejon; Raymond, Madera County 
(June 29, 1904); Palm Springs, Riverside County (June 11, 1907); 
Paraiso Springs, Monterey County (April 16, 1881; July 19, 1902); 
Grafton, northeastern Yolo County (1877; July 28, 1906); Eshom 
Valley, Tulare County (August 29, 1907); 4 miles east of Cuyama 
Ranch, Cuyama Valley, San Luis Obispo County (June 27, 1916); 
Los Angeles (May 10, 1915); Jacumba, Imperial County (Feb. 9, 
1903; May 19, 21, and 22, 1894); Witch Creek, San Diego County 
(Jan. 7, 1908; Jan. 2, 1907; Jan., 1893; Jan. 14, 1904; Feb. 1, 
1904; May 7, 1904; July 22 and 28, 1911; July 14 and 26, 1904; 
August 1, 2, 4, and 23, 1911; August 8, 10, 18, 19, 22, and 26, 1904; 
August 9, 1913; August 12 and 20, 1912; Sept. 2, 1911; Sept. 26, 
1913; Oct. 11, 12, 13, 17, and 27, 1906; Nov. 20, 1903; Nov. 20, 
1906; Nov. 24, 1904; Dec. 13, 1909; Dec. 30, 1904); San Diego 
(Feb. 5, ——; Feb. 18, 1893; March 2, 1894; spring, 1874; April 


we Auk 
56 OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. [son 


20, 26, and 28, 1894; May 3, 7, and 17, 1894; Dec. 17, 1884; Dec. 
22, 1906); Riverside (Jan. 6, 1887; Jan. 19 and 28, 1888; March 
19, 1887; April 5, 1887; May 7 and 8, 1887; Sept. 10, 14, and 28, 
1881; Sept. 27, 1888; Oct. 6, 1883); Escondido (June 16, 1897); 
Sacramento; Santa Ysabel (Dec. 25, 1892); Paicines, San Benito 
County (June 14, 1903); San Bernardino (March 30, 1882; Jan. 
18, 1884; Sept. 10, 1888; April 26, 1882); San Bernardino Valley 
(Oct. 2 and 6, 1893); San Bernardino County (Dec. 25, 1877); 
Lankershim, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County (Jan. 30, 
1917); Los Nogales, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County 
(Feb. 9, 1917; May 16, 1917); Redlands (Feb. 13 and 25, 1903; 
Jan. 3 and 30, 1903; March 11 and 21, 1903; Nov. 24, 1902; Dec. 
29, 1902); Highland Park, Los Angeles County (Jan. 31, 1903); 
Los Angeles County (Dec. 14, 1906); Tejunga Wash, Los Angeles 


County (Sept. 10, 1890); Dulzura (March 15, 1894; May 13, 1892; 


June 3, 1891; June 9, 1890; August 1, 1889; Oct. 15, 1891); Kern 
County (May 29, 1907); Monterey County (June 12, 1903); Banta, 
San Joaquin County (May 25, 1896); Ocean Beach, near Mexican 
Boundary Line, San Diego County (August 17, 1894); Chulavista, 
San Diego County (Sept. 18, 1916); Campo, San Diego County 
(Feb. 3, 1903); Cameron Ranch, San Diego County (June 22, 
1894); Pine Valley, near Mexican Boundary Line, San Diego 
County (Aug. 8, 1894). 

Lower California.— Hanson Laguna, Hanson Laguna Mountains 


(June 6, 1905). 


Toxostoma redivivum sonomae Grinnell. 


Toxostoma redivivum redivivum Auct. (nec Gambel). 

Toxostoma redivivum sonome GRINNELL, Pacific Coast Avifauna, No. 11, 
October 21, 1915, p. 155 (one mile west of Guerneville, Sonoma County, 
California). 

CHARS. suBSP.— Similar to Toxostoma redivivum redivivum, but brown of 
upper parts more rufescent (less grayish); upper throat and chin more 
washed with buff; jugular band more buffy (less grayish) and not so dark; 
buffy ochraceous of posterior lower parts darker. 

M@eaAsurREMENTS.— Male:! wing, 97-107 (average, 103.2) mm.; tail, 


1 Thirteen specimens, from California. 


rae | OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. 57 


122-140 (132.7); exposed culmen, 32-39.5 (36.2); tarsus, 37-41.5 (389.1); 
middle toe without claw, 23.5-26.5 (25.0). 

Female:! wing, 97-103.5 (average, 100) mm.; tail, 125-136 (131.9); 
exposed culmen, 34-37 (35.2); tarsus, 36-40 (38.1); middle toe without 
claw, 24-26.5 (25.5). 

Type LocALiry.— One mile west of Guerneville, Sonoma County, Cali- 
fornia. 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.— Northern and central western California. 
Resident in the Upper Austral Zone and to a slight extent in the Lower 
Austral Zone, north to Baird (Shasta County), Stillwater (Shasta County), 
and Covelo. (Mendocino County); west to Olinda (Shasta County), Cahto 
(Mendocino County); Ukiah (Mendocino County); Guerneville (Sonoma 
County), Freestone (Sonoma County), Marin County, San Francisco, 
Pescadero, and Santa Cruz; south to Santa Cruz, and in the Sacramento 
Valley to Marysville Buttes (Sutter County) and Folsom (Sacramento 
County); east to Los Gatos, San Jose, Berryessa, Santa Clara, Berkeley, 
Vacaville (Solano County), Rumsey (northwestern Yolo County), Placer- 
ville (Eldorado County), Wheatland (Yuba County), Nevada County, 
and Tehama. 


Remarks.— As are all the forms of the species, the present one 
is subject to much individual variation, and the characters that 
separate it from Toxostoma rediviwum rediviwum and Toxostoma 
redivivum heluum are, strictly speaking, only average, although it 
is a race well worthy of recognition. This individual variation 
shows mostly on the jugulum, abdomen, and upper parts. Very 
badly worn specimens are sometimes difficult to distinguish from 
birds of the other races in similar condition. An example from 
Folsom, Sacramento County, (No. 82575, U. S. Nat. Mus.) is 
in perfect, fresh, fall plumage, and shows not the slightest indication 
of intergradation with Toxostoma redivvum rediwivum. 

The thrashers of this species occupying the upper Sacramento 
Valley and that part of the coast region lying north of San Francisco 
Bay have been recently separated by Dr. Joseph Grinnell? as a 
subspecies distinct from those inhabiting the coast region from 
San Francisco Bay south to Monterey Bay, which, as above noted, 
he considers true Toxostoma redivivum redivivum. With the type 
series of this additional northern race in hand, together with a 


1Seven specimens, from California. 
2 Tozostoma redivivum sonomez Grinnell, Pacific Coast Avifauna, No. 11, October 21, 1915, 
p. 155 (one mile west of Guerneville, Sonoma County, California). 


ee 


58 OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. jane 


considerable number of specimens not examined by Dr. Grinnell, 
I am unable to discover any differences sufficiently constant or 
distinctive to warrant the recognition of an additional subspecies. 
It is true that comparison with only Dr. Grinnell’s type series 
indicates the existence of the two forms, although even this is 
not very satisfactory; but when our series is combined with his 
it is apparent that there is not sufficient difference in even average 
characters to maintain the distinction. Not 50 per cent of the 
specimens from northern California can be separated by the color 
of the jugulum, flanks or upper parts, or, so far as I can see, by any 
other character, from those of the coast region south of San Fran- 
cisco Bay; and while there is a slight average difference in the 
birds from these two areas, it is due largely to a few very gray 
examples in the type series, and is really so slight and inconstant 
as to be worthless for subspecific differentiation. Neither does 
a series of juvenal specimens of both these supposed races show any 
differences between them, as should be the case were the distinction 
tenable. Individual variation among the birds from north of 
San Francisco Bay is very great, and the most rufescent as well 
as the most grayish of the entire series, including those from south 
of this bay, are among the specimens from the north. Our examina- 
tion is based primarily on birds in freshly moulted condition, as the 
aspect of the plumage changes greatly by any considerable amount 
of wear, and it is therefore difficult to predicate subspecific separa- 
tions on worn birds. Furthermore, there is no satisfactory difference 
in measurements, as the table of measurements (p. 59) will show. 

It is, as thus explained, necessary to unite the birds from north 
of San Francisco Bay, described by Dr. Grinnell as Toxestoma 
redivivum sonome, with the birds from the coast region south of 
this bay, called by him Toxostoma redivivum redivivum. Since, 
furthermore, the name Toxostoma redivivwm redivivum is, as above 
shown, properly applicable to the southern bird heretofore called 
Toxostoma redivwum pasadenense, the name Toxostoma redivivum 
sonome Grinnell becomes necessarily the name for the northern 
subspecies as now defined. 

Seventy-three specimens of this race have been examined, from 
the localities given below: 

California.— Palo Alto, Santa Clara County (April 17, 1898; 


ae | OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. 59 
Middle 
Exposed toe with- 
Locality. Wing. Tail. culmen. Tarsus. | out claw. 
Nine males from north of 
San Francisco Bay. 
Minimum 97.0 122.0 32.0 ef AO) Zoro 
Maximum 106.5 140.0 39.0 41.0 26.5 
Average 102.4 13257 36.2 39.1 25.0 
Four males from south of 
San Francisco Bay. 
Minimum 104.0 127.0 36.0 38.5 ZonO 
Maximum 107.0 134.0 39.5 41.5 BOG 
Average 105.0 129.6 37.0 39.8 A) 
Five females from north of 
San Francisco Bay. 
Minimum 97.0 128.0 34.0 3h7/ (0) 24.0 
Maximum 103.5 136.0 37.0 40.0 26.5 
Average 100.0 1333345) 35.4 Shell 20.9 
Two females from south of 
San Francisco Bay. 
Minimum 100.0 125.0 34.5 36.0 25.0 
Maximum 100.0 13225 34.5 38.5 26.0 
Average 100.0 128.7 34.5 Sl PAD sD 


July 15, 1904; June 3, 1898; March 138, 1898; Dec. 31, 1896); 
Santa Clara (June 25, 1875); San Francisco (winter); Presidio, 
near San Francisco; Stanford University (June 1, 6, and 8, 1900; 
Oct. 4, 1897); Round Valley, Mendocino County (Sept. 5, 1899); 
Stillwater, Shasta County (July 6, 1901); Mount George (August 
2, 1909); Mount St. Helena (August 29, 1900); Olinda, Shasta 
County (Nov. 15, 1900); Calistoga, Napa County (Oct. 16, 1889); 
Folsom, Sacramento County (Oct., 1875); Baird (Jan. 3, 1884); 
Rumsey, Yolo County (June 28, 1912); Freestone, Sonoma County 
(June 14, 1913); One mile west of Guerneville, Sonoma County 
(August 29 and 30, 1913); Marysville Buttes (3 miles northwest 
of Sutter, Sutter County) (April 6, 1912); three miles south of 
Covelo, Mendocino County (July 21, 24, 25, and 26, 1913); near 
summit of Mount Sanhedrin, Mendocino County (August 17, 1913); 


Lae 


60 OBERHOLSER, Races of Toxostoma redivivum. 
three miles west of Vacaville, Solano County (July 4 and 5, 1912); 
Berryessa (Jan. 22, 1889; April 11, 1896); Oakland (Feb. 24, 1881); 
Santa Cruz (July 8, 1896; August 31, 1895; Oct. 19, 1895; Nov. 
25, 1895; Dec. 17, 1895); Santa Cruz County (Dec. 14, 1899); 
Big Trees, Santa Cruz County (May 15 and 18, ——); Contra 
Costa; Berkeley, Alameda County (Feb. 20, 1898; March 22, 
1897; April 10, 1897; Nov. 26, 1897); Claremont Canyon, near 
Berkeley (July 14, 1917); Pescadero (Sept., 1889); Los Gatos 
(Feb. 14, 1894; Oct. 22, 1894); La Honda, San Mateo County 
(March 24, 1896); Menlo Park, San Mateo County (Jan., 1896; 
Dec. 17, 1895); Portola, San Mateo County (Dec. 31, 1895); 
Cedro Cottage, San Mateo County (Jan. 17, 1903); Black Moun- 
tain, Santa Clara County (June 4, 1904; August 29, 1904); Nevada 
County (Sept. 25, 1887); Snow Mountain, Colusa County (June 
3, 4, and 12, 1896). 


Toxostoma redivivum helvum Thayer and Bangs. 


Toxostoma rediviva helua THAYER AND Banas, Proc. New Engl. Zool. 
Club, IV, Apr. 30, 1907, p. 17 (Rosario, Lower California). 

CHARS. SUBSP.— Similar to Toxostoma redivivum redivivum, but jugular 
band paler, less grayish (more washed or tinged with buffy); throat more 
deeply buffy (less whitish); flanks usually more brownish (less grayish); 
and remaining lower parts somewhat more deeply and brightly ochraceous. 

M®EASUREMENTS.— Male:! wing, 97-103 (average, 100.5) mm.; tail, 
130-142 (137); exposed culmen, 33.5-36 (34.7); tarsus, 31-38 (35.8); 
middle toe without claw, 22.5-25 (23.9). 

Female:? wing, 95-99 (average, 97) mm.; tail, 127-135 (131); exposed 
culmen, 32.5; tarsus, 35-37 (386); middle toe without claw, 23.5-24 (23.7). 

Type LocaLity.— Rosario, 30° N. Lat., Lower California. 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.— Resident in the Lower and Upper Austral 
zones of northwestern Lower California, north to the San Pedro Martir 
Mountains, northern Lower California, and Ensenada; west to Ensenada, 
Santo Domingo (northeast of San Quintin), San Simon, and Rosario, Lower 
California; south to Rosario and San Fernando (30° N. Lat.); and east 
to San Fernando and the San Pedro Martir Mountains. 


1 Seven specimens, from Lower California and California. 
2 Two specimens, from Lower California. 


Vel: ae OBERHOLSER, Faces of Toxostoma redivivum. 61 


1918 


Remarks.— Although this race, hitherto unrecognized, except 
by its original describers, is confined to a comparatively limited 
area, it is apparently well worthy of subspecific status. Even 
birds in juvenal plumage are, at least in series, distinguishable from 
those of Toxostoma redivivum redivivum, as they are more deeply 
ochraceous below and more rufescent above; in fact, the present 
race, on the whole, as much resembles Toxostoma redivivowm sonome 
as it does the adjacent and intervening Toxosloma redivivum 
redivivum, but it is distinguishable from the former by its decidedly 
more brownish (less grayish) and paler jugular band, less rufescent 
(more grayish) upper surface, and lighter posterior lower parts. 
This close similarity to Toxostoma redivivum redivivum, together 
with the fact that its characters were not quite correctly stated 
in the original description, doubtless account in large measure for 
the failure of subsequent authors to recognize it as distinct. We 
take pleasure therefore in being able to restore it to good stand- 
ing among its relatives. The very extensive series that we have 
examined shows the paleness and brownish cast of the jugular 
band to be very constant, and, indeed, the best character for 
separation from Tozostoma redinvum redivivum or Toxostoma 
redivivum sonome. 

One hundred and thirty-seven specimens of this subspecies have 
been examined, from the following localities: 

Lower California.— Ensenada (Feb. 27, 1906; May 18, 1905); 
Laguna Ensénada (April 5, 1910); San Fernando (Sept. 4, 1905); 
Santo Domingo, 25 miles northeast of San Quintin (August 19, 
1905); 45 miles east of San Quintin (Jan. 20, 1894); San Simon 
(Oct. 22, 1903); Rosario’ (Oct. 25, 27, 28, 29, and 30, 1906; Nov. 
et, 6, 7, 0; 9, LO; 11,12, 13, 145 15, 16,17, 18, 19, 20; 21,22, 
23, 25, 28, and 29, 1906). 


62 OpeRHOLsER, Notes on N. A. Birds. IV. Bie ie 


NOTES ON NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 
IV. 
BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


THE notes contained in this article! relate chiefly to the status 
_and relationship of several North American birds. The remarks 
on one species are, however, nomenclatural. The four species 
and subspecies here treated belong to the following families: 
Pelecanide, Rallidz, Scolopacide, and Icteride. 


Pelecanus californicus Ridgway. 


Mr. Robert Ridgway some time ago,” and Dr. E. Hartert some- 
what more recently * treated the California Brown Pelican as a 
subspecies of the eastern bird (Pelecanus occidentalis Linnzeus); 
but this disposition recent writers have ignored. A careful exam- 
ination of the considerable material now available leads to the 
conclusion that these two authors were correct in their view of its 
subspecific relationship. The Pacifie bird, Pelecanus californicus 
Ridgway, differs from Pelecanus occidentalis of the Atlantic side 
of America in its decidedly larger size, darker brown hind neck, 
and, in the breeding season, by its reddish gular pouch. Neither 
the larger size nor the dark brown neck proves to be an entirely 
trenchant character, so that the only possible reason for treating 
Pelecanus californicus as a distinct species lies in the fact that during 
the breeding season its gular pouch becomes reddish. In view, 
however, of the ephemeral nature of this difference, it seems proper 
to consider the California Brown Pelican a subspecies of Pelecanus 
occidentalis, as Mr. Ridgway and Dr. Hartert have done. Its 
name becomes, therefore, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus Ridg- 
way. 


1For previous papers in this series, cf. “The Auk,’ XXXIV, April, 1917, pp. 191-196; 
XXXIV, July, 1917, pp. 321-329; and XXXIV, October, 1917, pp. 465-470. 

2 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIX, 1897, p. 593. 

3 Novit. Zool., VI, 1899, p. 176. 


Vol. | 


1918 OBERHOLSER, Notes on N. A. Birds. IV. 63 


Creciscus coturniculus (Ridgway). 


Mr. William Brewster has, from a systematic point of view, 
so fully and satisfactorily treated the Farallon Rail! that further 
remarks on the subject would now be unnecessary, were it not for 
the fact that most current authors consider it a species distinct 
from Creciscus jamaicensis, although both Mr. Ridgway and Mr. 
Brewster call it a subspecies. It differs, as explained by Mr. 
Brewster, from Creciscus jamaicensis jamaicensis in shorter, slen- 
derer bill, darker lower parts, and more extended cervical chestnut 
area. None of these characters, however, holds constant in an 
extended series of specimens; for which reason it is perfectly evi- 
dent that, although the Pacific Coast form is geographically far 
separated from the breeding area of the race of Creciscus jamaicen- 
sis inhabiting the eastern United States, we have here a case of 
subspecific relationship indicated by individual variation. The 
type of Creciscus coturniculus? is, as Mr. Brewster says, a speci- 
men of the breeding Black Rail of California, not of either of the 
two Galapagos Islands species, Creciscus spilonotus (Gould) or 
Creciscus sharpet Rothschild and Hartert. Our California bird, 
therefore, must be called Creciscus jamaicensis coturniculus (Ridg- 
way). 


Pisobia maculata (Vieillot). 


The Tringa maculata of Vieillot ? was some time ago stated by 
Mr. G. M. Mathews‘ to be preoccupied by “Tringa maculata 
Linnzeus”’*®; and for the species now called Pisobia maculata the 
name Tringa pectoralis Say was resurrected. Since further atten- 
tion has been recently drawn to this matter by Mr. T. Ivedale,® 
it seems worth while to point out that there is no Tringa maculata 
Linneus’, but that in the place cited there occurs only T'ringa 


1*The Auk,’ XXIV, April,\1907, pp. 205-210. 

2 Porzana jamaicensis var. colturniculus Ridgway, Amer. Nat., VIII, February, 1874, p. 
111 (Farallon Islands, California). 

3 Nouy. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., XX XIV, 1819, p. 465. 

4 Birds Australia, III, part 3, August 18, 1913, p. 261. 

5 Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, p. 249. 

6 Ibis, ser. 10, III, No. 2, April, 1915, p. 390. 

7Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, p. 249. 


[ran 


64 OBERHOLSER, Notes on N. A. Birds. IV. 


macularia, which is the original of the species now known as Actitis 
macularia. Our Pectoral Sandpiper must, therefore, retain its 
present designation of Pisobia maculata (Vieillot). 


Agelaius pheniceus arctolegus Oberholser. 


The Northern Red-winged Blackbird was originally described ! 
from specimens taken in Mackenzie, Alberta, and Manitoba. A 
large amount of material, much of it from the United States, 
examined during the last ten years, serves now to substantiate the 
validity of this form on the characters adduced in the original 
diagnosis. Although Agelaius pheniceus arctolegus has been 
sometimes synonymized with Agelaius pheniceus fortis, it is clearly 
different from that form by reason of the darker coloration of the 
female, both above and below; by the shorter wing and tail, larger 
bill, and somewhat paler buff of wing-coverts in the male; and is 
really much more closely allied to Agelaius phaniceus pheniceus, 
from which it is separable chiefly by its decidedly greater size, 
particularly the bill, as may readily be seen by reference to the 
original description.2 Recent information permits also a much 
better delineation of its geographic range, which, together with 
that of Agelaius pheniceus fortis, as now restricted, are given below. 

Agelaius phaniceus arctolegus.— Middle Canada with eastern and 
middle United States: breeds north to northern Manitoba and 
southern Mackenzie; west to southwestern Mackenzie, central 
Alberta, and central Montana; south to southeastern Montana, 
southeastern South Dakota, northwestern Iowa, southern Minne- 
sota, and northern Michigan; east to northern Michigan and east- 
ern Manitoba. Winters north at least to Arkansas and Kansas; 
south to southern Texas, Louisiana, and casually Alabama. M1i- 
grates west to Colorado and east to Ohio, casually to Connecticut. 

Agelaius pheniceus fortis — Middle United States, west of the 
Mississippi River: breeds north to Nebraska, Wyoming, western 
Montana, and Idaho; west to Idaho and Colorado; south to Colo- 


1 Agelaius pheniceus arctolegus Oberholser, Auk, X XIV, No. 3, July, 1907, p. 332 (Fort 
Simpson, Mackenzie, Canada). 
2*The Auk,’ XXIV, No. 3, July, 1907, pp. 334-336. 


aa Pater, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 65 


rado and northwestern Texas, and east to central Nebraska. 
Winters south to Louisiana, southern Texas, and New Mexico 
(Aztec, Dec. 5, 1893, J. A. Loring). Occurs in migration east 
to eastern Nebraska and Arkansas. 


THIRTY-FIFTH STATED MEETING OF THE 
AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 


BY T. S. PALMER. 


Tue Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the American Ornitholo- 
gists’ Union convened in Cambridge, Mass., on Monday, November 
12, 1917. The business sessions were held at the Colonial Club 
and the public sessions, beginning November 13 and lasting three 
days, in the Nash lecture room of the University Museum. The 
attendance included 21 Fellows, 20 Members, more than 100 
Associates, and a number of visitors. Among those present 
were three of the 23 Founders of the Union, seven other members 
who were elected at the first meeting in 1883, and five members 
from Canada. Twenty-six papers were presented at the public 
sessions and three others were read by title. 

Business Session. At the meeting of the Fellows called to 
order at 3.40 P. M. by the President, Dr. Albert K. Fisher, 16 
Fellows were present. Percy A. Taverner, of Ottawa, Canada, 
was elected to fill the single vacancy in the list of Fellows and the 
amendment to the By-Laws proposed at the last Stated Meeting, 
providing that in joint meetings of Fellows and Members, 15 
shall constitute a quorum, was formally adopted. 

At the evening meeting of the Fellows and Members, called to 
order by the President at 8.30 P. M., 18 Fellows and 16 Members 
were present. The present status of membership in the Union as 
reported by the retiring Secretary is as follows:— “Fellows, 49; 
Retired Fellows, 3; Honorary Fellows, 14; Corresponding Fellows, 
59; Members, 77; Associates, 689; Total, 891. 


66 Patmer, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. epee 

During the year, Nov. 13, 1916 to Nov. 12, 1917, the Union lost 
thirty-seven members, fifteen by death, and twenty-two by resig- 
nation. 

The deceased members were: Dr. Edward Pierson Ramsay, 
a Corresponding Fellow, who died in Truro, near Sydney, Australia, 
Dec. 16, 1916, at the age of 74; Alfred John North, a Corres- 
ponding Fellow, who died at Sydney, Australia, May 6, 1917, 
aged 62 years; Dr. Emil August Goeldi, a Corresponding Fellow, 
who died in Bern, Switzerland, July 5, 1917, in the 58th year of his 
age, and the following Associates: William Purdy Shannon, of 
New York City, who died Oct. 29, 1916; Dr. R. L. Walker, of 
Carnegie, Pa., who died Nov. 19, 1916; Francis Windle, who died 
in West Chester, Pa., Feb. 24, 1917, in his 72d year; Newell A. 
Eddy, who died in Bay City, Mich., Feb. 28, 1917, in his 61st 
year; Mrs. Eleanor Beckwith Hitchcock, who died in Waterbury, 
Conn., March 3, 1917; Dr. Henry McHatton, of Macon, Ga., 
who died April 22, 1917; Norman DeWitt Betts, who was killed 
by lightning in northeastern Utah, May 21, 1917, in his 37th 
year; Chas. E. Ingalls, of East Templeton, Mass., who died May 
31, 1917; Dr. Bert Heald Bailey, who died at Cedar Rapids, 
June 22, 1917, aged 42 years; Timothy Otis Fuller, who died in 
Needham, Mass., Aug. 17, 1916, aged 71 years; Samuel Wright, 
who died at Yonkers, N. Y., Jan. 18, 1917, in his 42nd year, and 
Mrs. Katharine Rebecca Styer, who died in Concordville, Pa., Jan. 
20, 1917, in her 59th year.” 

The report of the treasurer showed the finances of the Union to 
be in a satisfactory condition with a balance of $373.05 in receipts 
over current expenses and a total surplus, including receipts from 
life memberships and other invested funds, of $3712.05. 

The result of the election of officers for the ensuing year was as 
follows: President, John H. Sage, who had served as Secretary 
for 28 years; Vice-Presidents, Henry W. Henshaw and Witmer 
Stone; Secretary, T. S. Palmer; Treasurer, Jonathan Dwight; 
Members of the Council, Ruthven Deane, William Dutcher, 
Joseph Grinnell, Frederic A. Lucas, Wilfred H. Osgood, Charles 
W. Richmond, and Thomas S. Roberts. 

Arthur Humble Evans of Cambridge, England, and William 
Lutley Sclater of London were elected Honorary Fellows, and 


seg eae on 


in | Pater, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 67 


Frank Evers Beddard of London was elected a Corresponding 
Fellow. Rollo H. Beck, San Jose, Calif.; Winthrop Sprague 
Brooks, Boston, Mass.; James P. Chapin, New York City; 
Francis Harper, Washington, D. C.; and Winsor M. Tyler, 
Lexington, Mass., were elected to the class of Members; and the 
following one hundred and thirteen persons were elected Associates: 


Miss Florence I. Abbott, Upland Road, Andover, Mass. 

William Dunford Appel, University of Chicago, Chicago, IIl. 

Dr. H. Arey, Hospital Cottages for Children, Baldwinville, Mass. 

Edward Herbert Atherton, 82 Ruthven St., Roxbury, Mass. 

Francis L. Bacon, 236 Winona Ave., Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Arthur C. Badger, Dudley Road, Newton Centre, Mass. 

S. Prentiss Baldwin, 2930 Prospect Ave., Cleveland, O. 

Henry Bartlett, P. O. Box 68, Acushnet, Mass. 

Mrs. Harriet T. Boyd, 17 Marsh St., Dedham, Mass. 

Barron Brainerd, 57 Monmouth St., Brookline, Mass. 

G. Franklin Brown, Stonebridge, Needham, Mass. 

Claude A. Butterwick, 116 Broad St., Telford, Pa. 

A. H. Cahn, Biology Bldg., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

Mrs. J. B. Campbell, 263 W. 7th St., Erie, Pa. 

Mrs. Thomas Carne, 41 Melrose St., Adams, Mass. 

Robert F. Cheney, Southborough, Mass. 

George K. Cherrie, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, N. Y. 

Charles A. Clark, 60 Lynnfield St., East Lynn, Mass. 

Llewelyn W. Cleveland, Vineyard Haven, Mass. 

Philip Hacker Cobb, 35 Matthews Hall, Cambridge, Mass. 

Robert L. Coffin, Mass. Agr. Expt. Station, Amherst, Mass. 

Mrs. Henry Franklin Cone, 4 Trinity St., Hartford, Conn. 

Miss Ada B. Copeland, 1103 White Ave., Grand Junction, Colo. 

Walter 8S. Cowing, 458 Locust Ave., Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Charles W. Dimick, 1007 Tremont Bldg., Boston, Mass. 

Joseph Scattergood Dixon, Mus. Vert. Zoél., Univ. California, Berkeley, 
Calif. 

William H. Dunbar, 14 Sessions St., Bristol, Conn. 

Walter G. Fanning, 2 Hunt St., Danvers, Mass. 

Edward Rogers Farrar, South Lincoln, Mass. 

William Harmanus Fisher, Stock Exchange Bldg., 201 East Germain 
St., Baltimore, Md. 

Ralph E. Forbes, 328 Adams St., Milton, Mass. 

Mrs. John A. Gallagher, 5240 Belleview Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 

A. E. Ganier, 1221 17th Ave. S., Nashville, Tenn. 

Donald Andrew Gilchrist, Biological Survey, U. 8. Dept. Agr., Washing- 
ton, D. C: 


68 Patmer, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. es 

Mrs. C. H. Gleason, 700 Madison Ave., S. E. Grand Rapids, Mich. 

Raymond J. Gregory, Princeton, Mass. 

Horace Oakes Green, 114 North Ave., Wakefield, Mass. 

Frederick Greenwood, 1724 8th Ave., Spokane, Wash. 

Bertram 8. Griffin, 22 Currier Ave., Haverhill, Mass. 

George W. Hager, R. F. D. No. 3, Peterboro, N. H. 

F. Gregory Hall, Milton, Wis. 

William Webster Hall Jr., 15 East 75th St, New York, N. Y. 

Walter C. Henderson, Asst. Chief Biological Survey, U. S. Dept. Agr., 
Washington, D. C. 

Newbold Lawrence Herrick Jr., Cedarhurst, Long Island, N. Y. 

Hiram A. Hotchkiss, Harding, Mass. 

Dr. Lombard Carter Jones, Falmouth, Mass. 

Francis T. A. Junkin, 2541 Michigan Ave., Chicago, III. 

Allan Keniston, Edgartown, Mass. 

Harry Stephen Ladd, 4354 McPherson Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 

Hamilton M. Laing, 1277 E. 32d St..N., Portland, Ore. 

Ralph Lawson, 88 Washington Square Hast, Salem, Mass. 

John C. Lee, Grove St., Wellesley, Mass. 

Mrs. Edward Lees, 252 Franklin St., Winona, Minn. 

Edward C. Lewis, 607 Somerville Ave., Somerville, Mass. 

John Alden Loring, Owego, N. Y. 

George MacReynolds, Doyleston, Pa. 

Ferdinand Schuyler Mathews, 17 Frost St., Cambridge, Mass. 

Dr. George R. Mayfield, Kissam Hall, Vanderbilt West Campus, 
Nashville, Tenn. 

Albert D. McGraw, 5611 Stanton Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Harry Arthur McGraw, 1805 15th Ave., Altoona, Pa. 

T. H. McHatton, 163 Mill St., Athens, Ga. 

Clyde MeNickle, 417 Spruce St., New Castle, Pa. 

B. G. Merrill, Hinsdale, Ill. 

F. P. Metcalf, Biological Survey, U.S. Dept. Agr., Washington., D. C. 

Mrs. Henry A. Miles, Hingham, Mass. 

J. Sidney Moulton, Stow, Middlesex Co., Mass. 

Leon Nelson Nichols, 1086 Amsterdam Ave., New York, N. Y. 

Winthrop Packard, 1442 Washington St., Canton, Mass. 

Charles Jackson Paine, 705 Sears Bldg., Boston, Mass. 

Charles M. Parker, Box 141, Fiskdale, Mass. 

Mrs. Charles M. Parker, Box 141, Fiskdale, Mass. 

Mrs. Regina A. Paxton, 4728 18th St. N. W., Washington, D. C. 

Keble Perine, 26 Trull St., Dorchester, Mass. 

Dr. Anne Elizabeth Perkins, So. Calif. State Hospital, Patton, San 
Bernardino Co., Calif. 

Frank O. Pilsbury, P. O. Box 84, 1088 Main St., Walpole, Mass. 

Hon. Edmund Platt, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 

Miss E. Porter, 75 Saint James St. E., San Jose, Calif. 


Vol. XXXV] Patmmr, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 69 


Mrs. S. W. Powell, West Becket, Mass. 

George D. Pratt, Conservation Commission, Albany, N. Y. 

Charles I. Rawson, Oxford, Worcester Co., Mass. 

Milton Smith Ray, 220 Market St., San Francisco, Calif. 

Egmont Z. Rett, 3902 Pecos St., Denver, Colo. 

W. D. Richardson, 4215 Prairie Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Miss Nancy P. H. Robben, 412 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, Mass. 

Frank Robbins, Onset, Mass. 

Royal Elisha Robbins, 61 Monmouth St., Brookline, Mass. 

Conrad K. Roland, 1208 De Kalb St., Norristown, Pa. 

L. F. Savage, 1210 Jenny Lind St., McKeesport, Pa. 

Bradford A. Scudder, Greenwich, Conn. 

Daniel William Shea, Catholic University, Washington, D. C. 

Lester L. Shirley, 604 S 10th St., Vincennes, Ind. 

Miss Rose Smith, College of St. Teresa, Winona, Minn. 

Miss Caroline Gray Soule, 187 Walnut St., Brookline, Mass. 

Miss Clementina 8. Spencer, Dept. Zodlogy, Coe College, Cedar 
Rapids, Ia. 

Henry B. Steele, 4530 Drexel Blvd., Chicago, Ill. 

Mrs. Cecil Stewart, 451 Beacon St., Boston, Mass. 

Dr. Arthur M. Stimson, Raymond St., Chevy Chase, Md. 

Gardener D. Stout, 129 East 55th St., New York, N. Y. 

Horace Taylor, 93 Binney St., Roxbury, Mass. 

Gerald Thorne, Logan, Utah. 

Miss Flora Trites, State Normal School, Winona, Minn. 

Harry S. Trull, 317 East 196th St., New York, N. Y. 

Stanton Warburton Jr., 1221 North Fife St., Tacoma, Wash. 

James Dewey Watson, 6042 Harper Ave., Chicago, III. 

Mrs. Jennie E. B. Webster, The University Society, 44 East 23d St., 
New York. 

John B. Wheeler, East Templeton, Worcester Co., Mass. 

Leo Wiley, Palo Verde, Imperial Co., Calif. 

Mrs. Etta S. Wilson, 2 Clarendon Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Patrick Richard Wolf, 1129 Tinton Ave., New York, N. Y. 

Dr. Casey A. Wood, 7 W. Madison St., Chicago, III. 

Mrs. N. P. Wood, Northfield, Mass. 

Dr. Lemuel F. Woodward, 52 Pearl St., Worcester, Mass. 

Frank 8. Wright, 14 Cayuga St., Auburn, N. Y. 


The Committee on Biography and Bibliography through its 
chairman Dr. Palmer submitted a brief verbal report showing pro- 
gress in most of the projects outlined in the last report (Auk, 
XXXIV, pp. 445-452, 1917). During the year efforts have been 
concentrated mainly on an ‘Index of Portraits of Ornithologists’, 
and a ‘ Bibliography of Bibliographies’. The Index now contains 


70 PaumeERr, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. [sae 


references to published portraits of more than 700 ornithologists 
including about 300 members of the Union. This work is suffi- 
ciently advanced to warrant publication during the coming year. 
The Bibliography of Bibliographies comprises references to about 
200 special bibliographies which contain about 26,000 titles. 
These include 70 authors’ bibliographies with 9,500 titles, 80 
faunal bibliographies with 12,500 titles and 50 miscellaneous 
bibliographies with 4,000 titles. 

' It was voted to exempt members of the Union actually engaged in 
military service, from payment of dues during the continuance of 
the war, and the Secretary was instructed to prepare a list of such 
members, (see p. 111). 

Pusuic Sessions. First Day. The meeting on Tuesday was 
called to order by the President, John H. Sage, at 10.20 A. M. 
After a brief announcement by the Secretary of the result of the 
election of officers and members the papers on the program were 
taken up in the following order: 

‘Cape May, New Jersey, and its Bird Life’, by Dr. Witmer 
Stone. 

‘A Purple Martin Roost in the City of Washington, by Dr. 
H. C. Oberholser. 

‘Demonstration of a Feeding Slab’, by William E. Saunders. 
This slab is devised to prevent sparrows from taking food put out 
for chickadees, nuthatches and similar birds. The food comprising 
nuts, sunflower seeds and suet is fastened to the under side of a 
board by simply heating the fat which sticks to the slab and being 
on the under side is out of reach of sparrows. 


‘Notes on British Guiana Birds, by C. William Beebe.  Illus-— 


trated by lantern slides. 

‘Notes on the Breeding Warblers of Central New York, by 
Arthur A. Allen. Illustrated by lantern slides. 

At the afternoon session, called to order by Vice President Stone, 
four papers were presented: 

‘Birds on Turrialba’, Costa Rica, by Charles H. Rogers.  Illus- 
trated by lantern slides. 

‘The Present Status of our Black-capped Petrel,’ with exhibi- 
tion of skins and lantern slides, by G. Kingsley Noble. 

‘A four-months’ Collecting Trip in Nicaragua,’ by W. DeWitt 
Miller. 


~ = ere 3 


~ 


Vol. XS *Y] Paumur, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 71 

‘In Audubon’s Labrador,’ by Dr. Charles W. Townsend.  Ilus- 
trated by lantern slides. 

Second Day. The meeting on Wednesday was called to order 
by Vice President Stone. 

The first paper was: ‘The Discovery of the Breeding Ground 
of the Large-billed Sparrow, and its consequences,’ by Dr. H. C. 
Oberholser. 

An hour was then devoted to a discussion of ‘Ornithological 
Work in 1917.’ The subject was introduced by the Secretary 
and the discussion was participated in by Dr. Oberholser, Dr. 
Chapman, and Messrs. A. A. Allen and T. Gilbert Pearson who 
mentioned various features of the activities of the year. The 
three other papers presented at the morning session were: 

‘Ferruginous Stains on Water-fowl,’ read by A. C. Bent for the 
author, Frederic H. Kennard. 

“The Span of Life and Period of Activity of Ornithologists,’ 
by Dr. T..S. Palmer. 

“A Review of the Work of the Asiatic Zoélogical Expedition 
of the American Museum of Natural History,’ by Roy C. Andrews. 
Illustrated by lantern slides. 

The afternoon program was opened by a paper on ‘Sight Records 
—a Problem of Present-day Ornithology’, by Dr. Witmer Stone. 

The remainder of the session was occupied by two interesting 
accounts of Ornithological field work in South America, illustrated 
by many lantern slides: 

‘An Ornithological Journey from the Tableland to the Tropics 
in Peru,’ by Dr. Frank M. Chapman, and 

‘The Explorations of Rollo H. Beck in South America and the 
West Indies for the Brewster-Sanford Collection,’ by Robert 
Cushman Murphy. 

Third Day. The meeting on Thursday was called to order by 
Vice President Stone and five papers were presented at the morning 
session. 

‘Notes on Oceanites oceanicus,’ by Robert Cushman Murphy. 

‘Vineent Barnard, an early Pennsylvania Ornithologist,’ by 
Dr. Witmer Stone. 

‘In Memoriam — Edgar Alexander Mearns,’ by Dr. Charles 
W. Richmond, read by Dr. Oberholser in the absence of the author. 


72 Pater, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. Fee 


Jan. 


‘Some Phases of Summer Bird Life on the Arctic Coast,’ by 
Dr. Rudolph M. Anderson. Illustrated by lantern slides. 

‘Tail Feathers and their Upper Coverts,’ by Dr. Hubert Lyman 
Clark. 

At the afternoon session several short papers were presented: 

‘Two Wounded Birds,’ by Mrs. E. O. Marshall. 

‘Responsive Notes of some African Bush Shrikes’ with imitations 
of the birds’ calls, by Dr. Glover M. Allen. 

‘The Future of the Federal Bird Reservations’, by Dr. George 
W. Field. Illustrated by lantern slides. 

‘Exhibition of a Reel of Motion Pictures of a Loon taken by 
George D. Pratt,’ by Robert Cushman Murphy. 

J. Hooper Bowles’ paper on ‘The Limicole of the State of 
Washington’ was read by title in the absence of the author, as 
was also John T. Nichols’ ‘Notes on Shore-bird Migration’. 
Howard H. Cleaves’ ‘Additional Studies of some Eastern Birds 
in Motion Pictures,’ was unavoidably omitted because of delay in 
delivering the film before the session closed. 

Resolutions were adopted thanking the Museum authorities 
of Harvard University for the use of the lecture hall for the meet- 
ings of the Union and for other courtesies extended, the Nuttall 
Ornithological Club for the cordial welcome and generous hospital- 
ity shown visiting members and friends, and the Boston Society 
of Natural History for the hospitality extended to the Union and 
its friends. 

Other Events. The members and visitors were guests of the 
Nuttall Ornithological Club at luncheon each day at the Colonial 
Club. On Tuesday evening an illustrated lecture was given by 
Wm. L. Underwood, at the Boston Society of Natural History 
and was followed by an informal reception. On Wednesday 
evening the members met at dinner at Mifflin Hall in Brattle 
Square, Cambridge, and were afterward entertained by Dr. Charles 
W. Townsend who presented original descriptions, illustrated by 
lantern slides, of a number of the members. On Friday, November 
17, after adjournment of the Union, about forty of the members 
conducted by Dr. Townsend and Mr. Francis H. Allen visited 
the sand dunes at Ipswich, Mass., where Ipswich Sparrows, Snow 
Buntings, and other characteristic birds were observed. 


Pee | Paumer, Thirty-fifth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 73 


Opportunities were afforded for inspecting the collections of 
the Boston Society of Natural History and the Museum of Compara- 
tive Zodlogy, where the celebrated Lafresnaye collection of foreign 
birds is now preserved. Some of the members also examined the 
interesting collections of Anduboniana and Wilsoniana in the 
library of the Museum and visited several places of historic interest 
in Cambridge including the house (still in an excellent state of 
preservation) where Thomas Nuttall lived, and Mt. Auburn 
cemetery where Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, Dr. Henry Bryant and 
Dr. Samuel Cabot are buried. 

The registered attendance of fellows and members was larger 
than at any previous meeting in Cambridge, the subjects aroused 
more discussion than usual, and an interesting feature was the 
number of papers on the birds of foreign countries, including 
those of northern Canada, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, British Guiana, 
Peru, Chile, Falkland Islands, China and Africa. 

The next meeting of the Union will be held in New York City, 
in 1918, at a date to be determined by the local committee. 


74 General Notes. fax 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Common Tern Nesting at Thousand Islands.— During two suc- 
cessive seasons I have found the nests and eggs of the Common Tern 
(Sterna hirundo) at the Thousand Islands. 

On June 26, 1916, at Black Ant, a small isolated island just over the 
Canadian boundary, the flat rocky shores were covered with groups of 
brown splotched eggs. On July 27, 1917, at Eagle Wing, a very small 
island, hardly more than a large boulder, within a half-mile of Clayton, 
N. Y., eggs were tucked away in every convenient spot. On this island 
I captured and banded a young tern. He looked like a tiny yellowish 
chicken all covered with down, with black spots above, pinkish feet and 
bill, the latter black-tipped with a white dot, and angled below, of course. 

Authorities at the New York State Museum inform me that this is a 
new record. Eaton in his ‘ Birds of New York’ (1901) notes that ‘ This 
bird is not known to breed within our limits, except on the seacoast.’’ — 
Maset Metcaur Merwin, Clinton, New York. 


European Widgeon at Madison, Wis.— On April 22, 1917, a flock of 
ducks was observed in a small pond at the eastern end of Hammersly’s 
Marsh. It contained about thirty Baldpates, a few Shovellers and Mal- 
lards, and a duck which at the first hasty glance I thought was a Redhead. 
In going over the flock carefully I saw to my great surprise that the latter 
bird was a fine European Widgeon, the white band on the crown making 
identification unmistakable. The birds were very tame and allowed my 
Airedale to pursue them repeatedly without flying more than a few feet. 
Having no means of collecting the bird at the time I returned early the 
following morning in company with Mr. Warner Taylor. The birds were 
still in the same pond and after observing the Widgeon to our satisfaction 
I carefully approached the place behind a weedy fence. On raising my 
head there was the European Widgeon swimming directly towards me not 
more than sixty feet away. He walked out on the shore and began feeding. 

It is truly painful for me to state that I fired point blank at that bird 
with a twelve guage Winchester and the net result was a few feathers. 
There never was a bird that I wanted more but the fact remains that he 
flew into the marsh and soon began feeding. I tried in vain for an hour to 
get another shot. 

The evening of the 24th the bird was still there and I lay on the ground 
in a cold driving rain until dark but was unable to get a shot. On the 
afternoon of the 26th I tried again with Mr. Taylor, he approached the 
pond from a direction opposite to my position in the weeds with the hope 
that the birds would come in, but they were now very wary, the European 
Widgeon being the second bird to leave the water. On the 29th Mr. 
Taylor found that the ducks had left the marsh. 


. 


von ais ‘| General Notes. 75 


Curiously enough on the 28th, Mr. G. H. Jenkins observed appar- 
ently the same European Widgeon in a flock of Baldpates about ten miles 
farther north in the Yahara Marshes and also missed a shot.— A. W. 
Scuorcer, Madison, Wis. 


The European Widgeon in Massachusetts.— Messrs. Angell and 
Cash, the well-known taxidermists of Providence, Rhode Island, have 
kindly given me permission to report that an adult male European Widgeon 
(Mareca penelope), recently skinned and mounted by them, was shot at 
Chappaquiddick, Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts, October 6, 1917, by 
Mr. Arthur R. Sharpe. The specimen has been identified by Mr. Arthur C. 
Bent and Mr. John C. Sharpe, Jr. It would be interesting to know whether, 
as would seem to be the case, this old world species visits our Atlantic 
sea-board oftener now than formerly or is found there oftener merely 
because competent field observers of bird life are so much more numerous 
and omnipresent than they were thirty or forty years ago. WILLIAM 
Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. 


Little Blue Heron in Pennsylvania.— I wish to record two Little Blue 
Hersons, Florida cerulea, male and female, in the white plumage, August 
11, 1908, taken on the Conodoguinet Creek opposite the city of Harrisburg, 
Pa., for the Pennsylvania State Museum by Assistant Taxidermist W. J. 
Durborrow. These two birds were found in company with a flock of 
egrets. They were mounted and now form part of a group of Herons 
in the Pennsylvania State Museum.— Boyp P. Rorurock, State Museum, 
Harrisburg, Pa. 


Northern Phalarope (Lobipes lobatus) in Michigan.— Professor W. B. 
Barrows has evidently overlooked an earlier record of the Northern Phala- 
rope (Lobipes lobatus) in Michigan, when he states that two specimens 
procured in Sanilac Co., on Oct. 4 and 28, 1911, “‘seem to establish the 
bird properly in the Michigan List.” (Auk, 1916, 336.) In ‘The Auk,’ 
1913, p. 111, I recorded a 9 taken in Lenawee Co., Sept. 14, 1899, by Dr. 
C. M. Butler, No. 170517 U.S. National Museum, which seems to consti- 
tute the first authentic record in the state—B. H. Swates, Museum of 
Zoology, Ann Arbor, Michigan. . 


Sharp-tailed Grouse at Tremont, Indiana.— Although familiar 
for many years with the Indiana dune region I never saw the Sharp-tailed 
Grouse (Pediecetes p. campestris) there until April, 1915. 

A party of us were ascending Mt. Holden, a high dune about 200 feet 
high, just west of the Beach House of our Prairie Club, at Tremont, when 
I noticed some large tracks, like chicken tracks. We went quietly up the 
dune, and at the top saw a large grouse-like bird. It was not the least 
afraid of us, and allowed us to come about fifteen feet from it, giving us 


Lan. 


76 General Notes. 
an excellent opportunity of examining it, while at the same time it had 
the opportunity of examining us, which it did thoroughly. 

It walked to and fro in a semicircle, with its head over its shoulder on 
the side toward the party, betraying not the slightest sign of fear, but on 
the contrary, the liveliest curiosity. We had never before seen a bird 
just like it, though some of us had shot a number of Ruffed Grouse, which 
are found in the dunes, and also Prairie Chickens. 

It looked like a cross between these two species, plus a dash of Plymouth 
Rock stock. It was larger than either of the above-mentioned Grouse, 
resembling perfectly in shape and color, the picture of the Sharp-tailed 
Grouse in the ‘ National Geographic Magazine’ for August, 1915. 

We could see the preponderance of the ochraceous rusty-brown color 
with pale and dark bars and patches, giving somewhat the appearance of a 
young Plymouth Rock cockerel. We could see the feathers on the legs, 
coming down to the base of the toes, and also the projecting feathers in 
the middle of the tail. 

After the bird had watched us sufficiently, it suddenly sprang up with- 
out the slightest noise, and soared away, first circling over Lake Michigan 
for some distance and then returning past us to the big woods to the south- 
east. 

Since then this bird or a similar one has been seen by members of the 
Prairie Club in the big woods near the same spot, especially by Capt. 
Charles Robinson, A. Leonard and John Leegwater. Mr. Leegwater 
has had a better opportunity to study it than any one else, as he almost 
stepped on it in the swamp near the big woods, a few months later. 

It did not fly off right away, but acted as if it had little ones, trying to 
draw him away, by pretending to be hurt. This was in September which 
seemed too late for young ones. 

As I found no Indiana records, I was a little doubtful until I made inqui- 
ries. Butler in his ‘ Indiana Birds,’ said that it might be found there. 
Mr. M. F. Green of Tremont, Indiana, an old resident, said he had occa- 
sionally seen and shot them since boyhood. Mr. Brown of Tamarack, 
the care-taker of the great Wells estate of 2200 acres of dunes, says he 
has also occasionally shot them, and that they breed in the dunes. Both 
of these settlers considered them a curious kind of Partridge, or Ruffed 
Grouse, of which there are a number in the dunes. Dr. J. Barrett, the 
State Geologist of Indiana, states that it has never before been recorded 
as a resident of Indiana.— Grorar A. BRENNAN, Chicago, Ill. 


The White-winged Dove (Melopelia asiatica asiatica) in Georgia.— 
On January 6, 1917, Mr. Harrison Lee, while out shooting Mourning Doves 
near his home three miles south of Hoboken, Pierce County, Georgia, 
observed a White-winged Dove perching in a little bush in an open field. 
Thence it flew to a fence-post, where it was shot. Mr. Lee left the specimen 


on a shelf in his house overnight, with the intention of having it preserved, — 


but on the following morning it was found badly damaged by mice. 


4 
. 
; 
i 
; 
} 


Micra. | General Notes. i 


Accordingly he saved only the head and right wing, and on January 8 
brought them to the writer at Floyd’s Island in Okefinokee Swamp. These 
parts, which were preserved for the U. 8S. Biological Survey collection, 
readily establish the identity of the bird as Melopelia asiatica asiatica. 

This constitutes apparently the first record of the species in Georgia.— 
Francis Harper, Washington, D. C. 


The Harpy Eagle in Colorado.— In November, 1902, the following skit 
appeared in one of the Denver daily papers (probably the Republican). 

“First Harpy eagle found in Colorado — Owner will make his the 
Only Mounted Specimen Known in United States. Pueblo, Colo., Nov. 
29.— (Special). What is thought is the first specimen of the Harpy Eagle 
ever met with in Colorado has been sent to Capt. W. F. Dortenbach of this 
city by George H. Cress of Lees, Colo. It measures 7 feet, 11 inches, 
from tip to tip, and 42 inches, from beak to tail. It weighs 30 pounds. 
The bird is of a species exceedingly rare. So far as is known there are 
no mounted specimens in the country. The Smithsonian institute at 
Washington has several skins. The captain will at once mount the speci- 
men, and will communicate with the leading ornithologists of the country.” 

The undersigned sent a letter to Capt. Dortenbach, asking for further 
data concerning this newspaper note and received the following reply :— 


“Pueblo, Colo., Feb. 9. 1903. 
Dr. W. H. Bergtold, 
624 14th St., Denver. 


Dear Sir: 


Your favor of Feb. 2nd to hand. The Eagle of which you saw a note 
in the papers some time ago is stillin my possession. Its identification was 
by myself but I only have Coues Key to North American Birds and as it 
is quite old it may be somewhat faulty. We are still working at the identi- 
fication of the specimen and if it should prove to be a harpy eagle I will 
give you all the necessary data when I make my report to the Society. 
Thanking you for the inquiry and trusting that I may be able to meet you 
when I visit Denver again. 


Very respectfully yours, 
(signed) W. F. Dortenbach.”’ 


During the succeeding fourteen years this matter returned to the writer’s 
mind several times, but, never having received further word from Capt. 
Dortenbach (which his letter promised in case the specimen should prove 
to be a harpy eagle), it was concluded that, on careful further study at 
Pueblo, it had been found that the bird was not a harpy eagle. } 

It was a matter of much surprise to the writer to find this old news- 


78 General Notes. [sak 


paper record resurrected recently, and used to erect a record for this species 
in Colorado. 

This list by Lowe places in scientific ornithological literature a record 
of a bird which has hitherto not been observed in the United States, and 
one of (probable) great rarity even in Mexico, and is a record based on data 
which seem rather dubious, and clouded by uncertainty. The writer’s 
interest in Colorado ornithology impelled him to send two other letters of 
inquiry to Capt. Dortenbach but they remain unanswered up to the 
present moment (December 4, 1917). The above facts are published, not 
only to add to the completeness of this alleged record, but to exhibit the 
ground on which the writer personally feels warranted in rejecting this 
record, and in advising his ornithological confreres to do likewise.— 
W.H. Breratoip, Denver, Colo. 


The Happy Eagle in Colorado.— An interesting example of the 
great care necessary in placing occurrences of rare species on perma- 
nent record, is contained in ‘The Auk’ for October, 1917. In a paper 
appearing in this issue by Mr. Willoughby P. Lowe, entitled ‘ Remarks on 
Colorado Birds,’ is a record for the Harpy Eagle, Thrasaétus harpyia, which, 
if valid, would not only be new for the Colorado list, but in all probability 
would constitute the only record for North America. The occurrence 
is based on a specimen ‘‘shot by Geo. Cress of Lees, Pueblo Co., some years 
ago and preserved by (W. F.) Doertenbach of Pueblo”’. 

Immediately upon noting the above, I wrote to Mr. Doertenbach, who 
had previously afforded me considerable assistance in clearing up other 
records credited to Colorado, asking for a statement regarding the specimen 
and for the address of Mr. Cress. An interesting correspondence ensued 
which, through the courtesy of Mr. Doertenbach, I am permitted to use, 
together with a photograph of the mounted specimen, still in the possession 
of Mr. Cress, now of Carson City, Nevada. In replying to my original 
inquiry, Mr. Doertenbach wrote in part, as follows:—“....the specimen 
....we think is a Harpy Eagle... .[and I]... will. ..send you a photo of the 
mounted specimen. The bird was not mounted with the ruff about the 
head spread so it will not resemble the specimens in the National Museum 
collections. Also the specimen was larger than the one displayed in 
that collection and the feathers about the head were not so grey.... 
The bird in question may not have been a Harpy but it is distinctly different 
from any other eagle that I have ever handled”’. 

From the photograph sent with the above it was at once apparent that 
the bird was not a Harpy but was an immature Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus 
leucocephalus, which is, however, rare in Colorado. The peculiar plumage 
of the young of the latter species evidently caused the confusion. I there- 
upon had the photograph of the Harpy Eagle in Mr. C. W. Beebe’s book 


1 Remarks on Colorado Birds. Willoughby P. Lowe. Auk, October, 1917, p. 454. 


cee | General Notes. 79 


‘The Bird,’ copied, sending one copy to Mr. Doertenbach and another to 
Mr. Cress, withthe request that they advise me whether or not it resembled 
the specimen in question. Both agreed that it did not. Mr. Cress, in his 
reply, stated positively that the photograph sent him ‘“‘does not compare 
at all” with his specimen, stating further that ‘“‘it has no extra long feathers 
on the back of the head like your photo”’, but that “its head is smooth like 
the Grey Eagle or Bald Hagle’’. 

It seems probable that at the time of the collection of the specimen, 
considerable discussion was engaged in by the interested parties, the 
conclusion that it was a Harpy being reached without the proper knowledge 
of the status or appearance of this species. — F. C. Lincotn, Denver, Colo. 


Sap Drinking by Sapsuckers and Hummingbirds.— Mr. H. 
Mousley’s notes on ‘ Sap Drinking Habits of Warblers’ bring to mind some 
of the experiences which Mrs. Wright and I had through considerable of 
the summer of 1912. The ensuing fall Mrs. Wright made the following 
notes which might have some interest in this connection. 

Mr. Alvah A. Eaton has written of Anna’s Hummingbird in California 
visiting the holes of a Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber). Mr. Frank Bolles 
has told of his observations of the Ruby-throat (Trochilus colubris) im 
Maine as a regular attendant at the holes of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
(Sphyrapicus varius). Last summer we had the pleasure of watching this 
interesting phenomenon. 

We were camping near Dorset, Ontario. Nearby there were many trees 
girdled with the holes of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Yellow birches 
were the favorite haunts. Two birches just behind the camp seemed the 
special rendezvous for both sapsuckers and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. 
Indeed the Hummingbirds seemed very much at home, delicately sipping 
sap at the table of their yellow-bellied friend. As the holes were about 
fifteen feet from the ground, we fastened a platform between a ladder and 
the tree on a level with the holes. Even this unsightly object did not 
lessen the birds’ visits, and one could stand at the top of the ladder with 
camera on the platform scarcely six feet from the birds. The birds were 
so active however, that it proved difficult to get many pictures. 


There was at least one whole family of sapsuckers who came frequently. 


Their different modes of approach were interesting. Sometimes, one would 
fly to a large tree near by, and then directly to the holes after looking all 
around, or he might fly to the top of the tree and then work his way down 
the trunk. One bird almost invariably flew to a branch below the holes 
and one the far side of the trees, edged along this branch, then flew to the 
side of the tree away from the platform, and next cautiously worked his 
way around to the fresh holes. 

Quite different was the hummer’s approach. The first intimation of his 
Visit was likely to be the whir of wings past one’s ears. Quite frequently, 
he visited the tree while the sapsucker was there, and at times when he 


ee mr eee 


80 General Notes. [}. a 


arrived first, even tried to keep the sapsucker away. At other times, the 
sapsucker retaliated and kept the hummer away.. Seldom did the hum- 
mer’s presence keep the sapsucker from coming. There were at least 
four hummingbirds that visited this one tree, and the combats between 
them were highly entertaining. One male would not allow the other male 
to approach while he was there. He would allow one female to visit, but 
never the other one. Nor would the two females tolerate one another’s 
society. 

Very often the hummers rested quietly on the branches nearby, some- 
times for long periods even when no bird was at the tree, neither did we 
observe that they showed much agitation, swinging the head, as Bolles 
describes. 

In drinking the sap, they most often hovered just below the hole, keeping 
their bills in the hole and taking long draughts. At other times, they 
clung to a small projecting piece of bark below the holes, and folded their 
wings. 

The birds usually came from one of two directions and flew away in the 
same directions, leading us to suppose that there were but two pairs which 
came, and also that this might be one of a round of trees. 

A few butterflies, many hornets, and a host of smaller insects were at 
the holes. These small insects were, I judged, the attractive feature to 
the female Black-throated Blue Warbler who visited the tree several times. 

These observations extended from July 28—September 10 and were not 
solely fall records. We noted that the Black-throated Blue Warbler 
would sometimes hover like a hummingbird before the sap but usually the 
bird would alight on and proceed diagonally around the hole, more like a 
nuthatch or Black and White Warbler and not after the fashion of a 
woodpecker.— A. A. and A. H. Wriaut, Ithaca, N. Y. 


Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) at Barnstable, Mass.— Mr. W.S8. Holway 
of Watertown, Mass., who has a hunting shanty on the Great Marshes at 
Barnstable, communicated to the writer the following bird tragedy. 

The shanty which has not been in use during the summer was visited 
on August 26 by Mr. Holway’s brother, who was to look it over and put 
it in order for the fall gunning. As he entered he heard a flutter in the 
vertical part of the stove pipe, and some distance above the damper dis- 
covered a small hole in which he thought he could see something moving. 
Enlarging the opening to investigate, sixteen birds came flying out one by 
one. On taking down the pipe he found a solid mass of dead birds from 
the damper to the hole, and a dozen more in the horizontal run. At the 
bottom of the outside chimney, into which the horizontal pipe fitted, were 
at least fifty. In all, he said, there were over one hundred. Specimens 
brought to the writer for identification proved to be Starlings. 

The birds made their entrance through the slots of the cap on the chim- 
ney, and were evidently unable to fly up and out of the small pipe or to 


ene 


Vol oe General Notes. 81 


crawl up its smooth, glazed liming. Mr. Holway placed some fine chicken 
wire over the cap to prevent the birds from entering in the future. Inci- 
dentally, this suggests the lines along which a Starling trap may be made 
when it shall become necessary to deal more strenuously with these annoy- 
ing pests — T. E. Penarp, Arlington, Mass. 


Yellow-headed Blackbird in New Jersey.— A specimen of the Yellow- 
headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) was secured on Newton 
Creek, N. J., near Audubon, by Mr. Wm. J. Kelton on September 1, 
1917. It isa male of the first year, and has been mounted. I am indebted 
to Mr. Joseph W. Tatum for calling my attention to the capture and for 
bringing the specimen to me for identification.— Witmer Sronr, Academy 
of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 


The Bohemian Waxwing in Grand Junction, Colo.— In order to 
make more complete the local records of the remarkable wave of Bohemain 
Waxwings which passed over the Rocky Mountain Region last winter, 
I wish to put into print the following notes, made at the time by myself, 
on the occasions of the species ‘ visits to Grand Junction. In order to make 
clear the import of some of my remarks, it becomes necessary to say that 
Grand Junction is on the Grand River, and is, in effect, at the western edge 
of the Rocky Mountain range, and its outlying foothills, its altitude being 
4583 feet. 

The first pair of these birds was seen February 25, 1917, in some bushes 
on the Grand River in the western part of the city, and on February 28 a 
second (or the same) pair was seen at the same place. A few days later a 
large flock was observed by Mr. Harmon on his ranch east and north of the 
city. Between March 3 and 19, many flocks — and large ones — were 
noticed every day on the river; they would first be seen on the river where 
it passes through Grand Junction, about 10.30 in the morning, travelling 
down stream, very slowly, and resting and flying from tree to tree, and bush 
to bush. The procession of birds continued all day, and ceased about 
four o’clock P. M. All went downward on the river, and seemed never 
to leave it to go into the residential portions of the city. On the ranches 
the general direction of movement was northwest. All of the irrigating 
canals and laterals were dry at this time and this may account for the 
river movement, though I am not sure that such is a correct explanation. 
I could not determine with certainty what the birds were eating but Mr. 
Harmon was convinced that they worked on the buds and insects of the 
ranch orchard trees. At times the birds seemed stupid as if they had 
eaten too freely before reaching my post of observation. Large flocks 
appeared from time to time on the neighboring ranches, and for two weeks 
after they had left the river and the vicinity of its banks. At times the 
birds seemed quite friendly, and would come down to the lower branches of 
a tree, to inspect the ‘“ onlookers,’ flying at times so near to one that to 
dodge was irresistible, and the most natural thing to do. No effort was 


82 General Notes. : eS 


Jan. 


made to collect any of these birds, though one specimen was brought in to 
me, which gave an opportunity to clinch the previously made (field) diag- 
nosis.— ApA B. CopELanp, Grand Junction, Colo. 


Concerning Brewster’s Warbler.— Additional notes on Brewster’s 
Warbler in the July Auk (pp. 481 to 482) by Walter Faxon have much 
interest. In reading them I notice that he has not touched on one aspect 
which may not be clear to those unfamiliar with the laws of alternative 
inheritance. 

Supposing, as we do, that where as Brewster’s Warbler is the dominant, 
Lawrence’s is the recessive hybrid, it could not be obtained from a cross 
in which one of the parents was a pure-lineage bird of either species, as 
the white under parts of Vermivora chrysoptera or the lack of throat 
patch of pinus would dominate in every such case. The comparative 
abundance of chrysoptera in the region under discussion makes it probable 
that the Golden-wings observed mated were pure. 

Judicious shooting of chrysoptera over the leucobronchialis locality 
would probably induce sufficient lewcobronchialis interbreeding, so that we 
would have the final chapter in this interesting colony; an heroic meas- 
ure perhaps, but doubtless more specimens are frequently taken with less 
return to science. To interfere with pinus would be unwise, as the spo- 
radic occurrence of that species in the Golden-wing’s range places it in the 
position of the goose that layed the golden eggs.— J. T. NicHous, New 
York, N.Y. 


Brewster’s Warbler in Pennsylvania.— Noticing the references to 
Brewster’s Warbler ( Verminora leucobronchialis) in Massachusetts in the 
October number of ‘ The Auk’ I am reminded that its occurrence in Penn- 
sylvania in May, 1916, has not been recorded in this publication. On 
May 20, 1916, a male specimen was observed on the north shore of Pocono 
Lake, Monroe Co., Pa., by Messrs. Wm. L. Baily, John Carter, Samuel 
Scoville, J. Fletcher Street and the writer. The bird was feeding among 
briars and other low bushes in an overgrown clearing in woods bordering 
an alder swamp, and was so accommodating as to allow us an unlimited 
observation at close range.— G. H. Sruart 3rp, Philadelphia, Pa. 


Blackpoll Warbler Lingering in Mass.—I had, thought that the 
climax of the most backward spring migration I have ever known had come 
when I heard singing, and subsequently saw at close range, a Blackpoll 
Warbler in Cambridge Common on June 25 of this year, eighteen days 
later than any record in Brewster’s ‘ Birds of the Cambridge Region.’ 
However, on July 7 I observed one singing on Quarry Point, Cohasset, 
Mass., and subsequently recorded him regularly, though with decreasing 
frequency during August, as he sang less and less, and was practically 
undiscoverable when not singing, in spite of the fact that he appeared to. 


ee | General Notes. 83 


keep to an area of not over twenty acres in the center of the point. Though 
I watched his movements closely for considerable periods I could never 
discover that he approached any nest, had a mate or young, nor did a 
search of the small cedars, pitch pines, and bushes of the area reveal them. 
I must conclude therefore that he was a stray, probably straggling north 
very late indeed and possibly stopped by the ocean lying immediately 
north for some twenty miles. I heard and saw him for the last time on 
August 27, though he may well have remained there until the fall migra- 
tion — ArTHUR C. Comry, Cambridge, Mass. 


Labrador and Acadian Chickadees at Hatley, Stanstead County, 
Quebec.— On the early and no doubt record date of September 3, two 
examples of the Labrador Chickadee (Penthestes hudsonicus nigricans) 
were obtained and three others noted between then and the twenty-first, 
whilst on October 11 two examples of the Acadian (Penthestes hudsonicus 
littoralis) were seen at close quarters and easily identified from the former, 
not so much from the fact of their backs being brown instead of dusky, 
the caps undifferentiated, and the sides of a strong brown tint, but more 
from their behavior and the tone of their voice, which was entirely differ- 
ent to that of the sixteen nigricans I have so far come across. The same 
wheezy note was certainly there, but it was stronger and more insistent 
than in nigricans, which has a very feeble wheeze. As regards their 
behavior they came close down to me of their own accord and when 
whistled, the same as atricapillus will, a thing I have never known nigri- 
cans to do, in fact it has always been a matter of much difficulty to get a 
shot at these latter owing to their restless and nervous state — H. Mousey, 
Hatley, Que. 


Willow Thrush in Pennsylvania.— I wish to report the finding of 
a male specimen of Willow Thrush, Hylocichla fuscescens salicicola, 
August 28, 1913, in Capitol Park, Harrisburg, Penna. This bird had 
evidently struck a wire as was indicated by a mark found when the bird was 
skinned. The skin I sent to Mr. Harry C. Oberholser of the U. S. Bio- 
logical Survey, Washington, D. C., who identified it as the Willow Thrush. 
It is now in the collection of the Pennsylvania State Museum. There is 
no previous record of this subspecies occurring in Pennsylvania.— Boyp P. 
Rorwrock, State Museum, Harrisburg, Pa. 


Subsequent Nestings.— I. was very interested in reading an article 
by Mr. Mousley on subsequent nestings, (Auk, October, 1917). I have 
seen many interesting cases, and find that most birds will lay two or three 
sets of eggs in succession, but the most persistent pair of birds I have ever 
seen, were a pair of White-rumped Shrikes. 

I first made the acquaintance of these birds on the 16th of May, 1916, 
at the Fairview Cemetery at Wahpeton, North Dakota. The second of 


84 General Notes. (Sam 


June I saw the birds feeding five young ones, and a few days later, I found 
the nest, where the young were raised. The nest was placed in the lower 
branches of a cottonwood about ten feet from the ground. April 1, 1917, 
the birds were back in their old haunts, and on April 15, they had finished 
repairing the old nest. April 23, I collected a set of six fresh eggs. The 
shrikes then moved away about two hundred and fifty feet and repaired a 
last year’s robin nest. The ninth of May I looked into the nest and found 
five fresh eggs. This nest was placed twenty feet from the ground. Two or 
three days later the nest blew down or was torn down. 

One week later a new nest was built, also in a cottonwood six feet from 
the ground. It contained three eggs. Laborers went to work trimming 
the trees and by cutting off the lower branches, the nest was destroyed. 
June 2 a new nest was found in a cottonwood fifteen feet from the first nest. 
It contained six fresh eggs. 

I collected this set, and the birds again went to work, this time repairing 
an old nest of a Brown Thrasher. This nest was about seventy feet from 
Nest No. 1 and five feet from the ground. It contained on the fifteenth 
of June a set of six fresh eggs. 

I had robbed the birds of two sets of eggs and had seen two sets lost by 
accident, and however interesting it might have been to carry the experi- 
ment farther, I could not do it, so I watched the birds raise a family of 
six healthy young. 

I have now in my collection two sets or twelve eggs of these birds and 
had an opportunity to see fourteen eggs more, and I found them all so near 
alike, that it would be impossible to pick out the different sets, if the eggs 
became mixed. 

When I found the first nest the birds would stay near by, whenever I 
went to examine it. Later they grew so bold, that if I came near the 
nest, they would fly at me screaming and biting, one even causing me a 
bleeding wound on my hand. 

As the country is level, open, almost treeless, and I did a good deal of 
exploring, I feel certain that these were the only pair of shrikes in this 
locality, and that I could not possibly have overlooked another pair of 
birds.— J. K. Jensen, U.S. Indian School, Santa Fe, New Mexico. 


Uncommon Birds at Hatley, Stanstead County, Quebec.— It 
may be interesting to record the fact of having found the Red-headed 
Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) breeding here this summer, the 
nest being in a dead maple tree at the roadside about fifteen feet above the 
ground, and when found on July 16, containing four young birds which left 
the nest between July 31 and August 4. During the same month, and 
whilst on my way to visit the above nest I came across an example of the 
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis) on July 31, which I was 
enabled to follow about in a large wood for some considerable time and 
thoroughly identify. ‘Two months later, or on September 24, whilst hunt- 


vo 18 | General Notes. 85 


ing in “the marsh” I was fortunate enough to secure a fine example 
of the Green Heron (Butorides virescens virescens) and shortly after 
whilst visiting a farmer in the district I was shown a mounted example of 
the Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax nevius) which 
he had shot some eight years ago at Fitch Bay about twelve miles from 
Hatley. At another house I was shown a mounted male example of the 
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) which was shot about 
two years ago in the fall near Massawippi, all these five birds being new 
to my list— H. Moustey, Hatley, Que. 


Early Bird Records for the Vicinity of Washington, D. C.— The 
Bulletin of the Proceedings of the National Institute for the Promotion 
of Science contains numerous records of birds collected near Washington, 
most of which are the earliest published for the region. Those worth 
recalling to attention are: Larus eburneus ! (= Pagophila alba), not other- 
wise recorded; Fuligula perspicillata (= Oidemia), meeting of February 
14, 1842,2 a record sixteen years prior to the earliest cited by Professor 
W. W. Cooke; Fringilla nivalis (= Plectrophenax), meeting of March 14, 
1842,’ for which there are only two other records, the next in 1886; Thalas- 
sidroma leachit (= Oceanodroma leucorhoa) and T’. wilsonii (= Oceanites 
oceanicus), meeting of September 12, 1842,4 now known to have been taken 
the previous month after a violent northeast storm; at the same meeting 
Puffinus cinereus (probably = P. griseus), the only record for a shearwater 
for the region; Fuligula glacialis (= Harelda hyemalis), meeting of 
November 14, 1842,5 and earlier record by fourteen years than any cited 
by Professor Cooke; and Ortygometra noveboracensis (= Coturnicops) 
“ said to be the only one ever found in this District, killed on the Potomac 
River, opposite Washington — From George Washington Custis,” meeting 
of November 13, 1843,° an addition to the three records listed by Pro- 
fessor Cooke, and thirty-six years earlier than the oldest of them.— W. L. 
McAteer, Washington, D. C. 


1Second Bull., Meeting of January, 1842, p. 134. 4 Third Bull., p. 251. 
2Second Bull., p. 148. 5 Third Bull., p. 262. 
3 Third Bull., p. 224. 6 Third Bull., p. 320. 


[Tam 


86 Recent Literature. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


Herrick’s ‘ Audubon The Naturalist.’\— Most of us have come to 
feel that we are so thoroughly conversant with the life of Audubon, many 
of us having prepared brief biographical sketches or addresses in connection 
with the numerous societies which bear his name, that we are apt to look 
upon a “ new life”’ of the naturalist as necessarily a work of supereroga- 
’ tion — a redressing of a well worn theme. If anyone open Prof. Herrick’s 
volumes with such an idea in mind, he will very soon be disabused of it. 
Almost from the first page we realize that here at last is the real life of 
Audubon beside which all previous efforts fall into insignificance. 

Not only is there a vast amount of new data covering the blanks in the 
accounts of former biographers, rounding out many incidents and correct- 
ing many errors, but the whole treatment is that of the disinterested, 
unprejudiced biographer and scholar. Previous sketches of the naturalist’s 
life when carefully analyzed are found to be largely based upon his own 
brief autobiography, apparently written for his children, without reference 
to documents and hence relying mainly upon memory, with inevitable 
lapses and errors. Most of the estimates of his character and achieve- 
ments too, are to a greater or less extent tinged with the spirit of hero 
worship, that such a lovable, picturesque and magnetic man as Audubon 
was bound to arouse even in those who knew him only through his writings 
and paintings. Prof. Herrick on the contrary has, we think, maintained 
an eminently just attitude throughout his work, as behooves the good 
biographer; always thoroughly in sympathy with his subject, praising 
his achievements, and yet frankly admitting his errors. The result is 
that after reading these volumes we seem to know Audubon better than we 
ever did before and to have a still better appreciation of him. 

When we realize what Prof. Herrick has accomplished in tracing out the 
life of Jean Audubon, father of the ornithologist, and ascertaining the 
date and place of birth of the latter as well as the identity of his mother,— 
all of which were previously involved in obscurity, we wonder why no one 
ever made the attempt to solve these problems before, and why we were 
content to conclude that the last word had been said upon the life of this 
remarkable man. 

Prof. Herrick realizing the inadequacy of existing biographies and the 
need of much additional original information systematically set about 
searching for it, with the result that he finally discovered in France the 


1 Audubon, The Naturalist. A History of his Life and Time. By Francis Hobart 
Herrick, Ph. D., Sc. D., Professor of Biology in Western Reserve University; Author of 
“The Home Life of Wild Birds,’ etc. In two volumes. Illustrated. D. Appleton and 
Company. New York and London, 1917. S8vo. Vol. I, pp. i-xl and 1-451. Vol. II, 
i-aii and 1-494. ‘Price, $7.50 net. 


eee] f 


Da ioi MS Recent Literature. 87 


greater part of the manuscripts, letters etc., of Jean Audubon, still in the 
possession of the family which had inherited his widow’s estate. With 
this material it was possible to clear up all the doubts regarding the birth 
of the ornithologist and to sketch in detail the life of his father. We now 
learn that Audubon was born on April 26, 1785, not May 5, 1780, as is usually 
stated; and that the place of his birth was Les Cayes on the southern coast 
of Haiti not in Louisiana, while his mother proves to be a French creole, 
one Mlle. Rabin. 

Continuing his researches Prof. Herrick brought to light many unpub- 
lished letters and documents in the possession of the descendants of Rozier, 
Audubon’s business partner during his early life at Mill Grove and in Ken- 
tucky. These shed much interesting light upon this period of the natura- 
list’s history. The well known collections of Auduboniana belonging to 
Mr. Joseph Y. Jeanes, of Philadelphia, Mr. Ruthven Deane, of Chicago, 
Col. John E. Thayer of Lancaster, Mass., and Harvard University, were 
carefully studied and all printed matter relating to Audubon has been 
consulted. 

With the results of his researches extending over ten years, thoroughly 
digested, Prof. Herrick has written his notable biography,—or better, 
history, for it is far more than a biography, following out as it does so 
many side lines in chapters replete with interesting historical information 
relating to many persons, places and events only incidental to the 
main theme. The work abounds in detailed information, with foot- 
notes full of references and exact quotations, and an abundance of illus- 
trations — photographic reproductions of historical documents and early 
sketches, portraits of Audubon and of various persons mentioned in the 
text, as well as views of buildings and places associated with the life of the 
ornithologist. There are also several reproductions in colors of some of 
the plates of the ‘ Birds of America.’ A series of appendices contain copies 
of original documents of all sorts; a list of original drawings by Audubon 
which are still extant; a list of the subscribers to the ‘ Birds of America’; 
a list of the authentic likenesses of the ornithologist and a bibliography of 
two hundred and thirty-four titles of which Audubon’s own contributions 
are seen to number but thirty-seven all told. 

This brief resumé will give some idea of the scientific and historical value 
of the book. But it has other merits as well. Prof. Herrick has the happy 
faculty of writing history and biography in a manner that is not only 
eminently scholarly but exceedingly interesting and as a result we have 
in these two volumes a delightfully entertaining piece of literature, which 
will appeal to many who may care little for Audubon as an ornithologist. 

It would be manifestly impossible in the short space of a review to call 
attention to all the original matter presented by Prof. Herrick and everyone 
interested in Audubon must read the volumes for himself. Mention may 
however be made of certain chapters, dealing with the character of the man, 
which has always been a matter of foremost interest. 

In that dealing with Audubon’s ‘ Episodes of Western Life,’ Prof. Her- 


88 Recent Literature. Fee 
rick has published some interesting parallel accounts by other writers of 
incidents described by the ornithologist, which differ widely as to detail. 
He says in commenting upon this discrepancy, “‘ Whenever Audubon went 
directly to nature to exercise his pencil or brush or wrote with his subject 
before him, he was truth itself, but in writing offhand and from memory 
of past events he was wont to humor his fancy disregarding dates as readily 
as he did the accents on French words.” 

A striking example of this carelessness is seen in his unfortunate article 
‘Notes on the Rattlesnake,’ which brought forth such bitter attacks upon 
his veracity as a naturalist. This remarkable account describes the vene- 
mous reptile pursuing a Gray Squirrel through the branches of a tall tree 
and eventually capturing it after leaping to the ground after it. This 
remarkably detailed account, says Prof. Herrick, ‘‘ could not possibly have 
been an invention for it is strictly and minutely in accordance with facts 
except in one important particular; the snake whose behavior Audubon 
watched and so accurately described was not a Rattlesnake but the Blue 
Racer or Black Snake .... by some curious twist of his notes or memory 
the species became confused in his published account.” 

This peculiar trait so well appreciated by Prof. Herrick, has to our mind 
been at the root of all the unfortunate controversies over Audubon’s work 
as well as of the so called “ rivalry ’”? between Audubon and Wilson, which 
of course did not begin until long after the latter’s death. To the scholarly 
closet naturalist like George Ord, as to anyone trained in the painstaking 
accuracy of systematic natural history, the freedom and looseness of 
Audubon’s style, the ‘‘ poetic license ’’ with which he handled scientific 
matters, was utterly repugnant. They could recognize no natural history 
but that fostered in the museum. John Cassin, another closet ornitholo- 
gist had exactly this same idea of what constituted a naturalist and as he 
never showed any prejudice against Audubon and indeed seems to have 
been rather friendly disposed towards him, it is interesting to note his 
opinion of him, which by the way Prof. Herrick does not seem to have 
given. He met Audubon at the Philadelphia Academy in June, 1845, and 
wrote to Baird on the twenty-third of that month: ‘‘ Audubon has been 
here — do not particularly admire him —is no naturalist — positively 
not by nature — an artist no reasonable doubt of it.’’ 1 

So the estimates of Audubon will probably vary for all time to come 
according to the personal temperament and attitude of mind of his critics. 

As to the Audubon and Wilson “ controversy ’’; to anyone who has care- 
fully and impartially studied the lives and characters of the two men the 
idea of comparing them by the same standard of judgment is utterly pre- 
posterous. They represented entirely different sides of ornithological 
study and one might as well try to argue, in these days of extreme speciali- 
zation, who is the greatest living ornithologist, as to say that either of these 
men was greater than the other. 


1 Leading American Men of Science, p. 80. 


1 


ae 


Vol. ae. | Recent Literature. 89 


That Prof. Herrick’s volumes contain references to all the existing matter 
relating to the ornithologist we doubt, and he would probably be the first 
to admit this possibility. The very amount of material, astonishing as 
it is, that he has gathered together only makes it more probable that 
there are yet other published notes and manuscripts undiscovered, but 
they are not likely to alter in any material way the history that he has 
written, even while his pages were going through the press several notes 
have appeared in print, among which we may mention the description of 
Audubon republished by John H. Sage in ‘The Auk’ (April, 1917, p. 
239). Another article in the same journal ‘ Miss Lawson’s Recollections of 
Ornithologists’ by F. L. Burns (July, 1917, p. 275), corrects a statement 
regarding Wilson which we notice Prof. Herrick has perpetuated, 7. e. refer- 
ring to “his fingers stiffened by the hard labor of his hands.” This we 
always thought to have been a fiction of some of his biographers, as he 
wrote a beautiful hand, played skilfully on the flute and worked at the 
loom, none of which accomplishments accord well with ‘‘ hands knotted 
and hardened by labor,” these points Miss Lawson emphasizes adding 
that her mother spoke of Wilson’s hands as small and delicate. 

In closing, we should like to emphasize in the strongest terms Prof. 
Herrick’s plea for the restoration and preservation of the dwellings of 
Audubon and his sons in New York City which “ though in dire neglect, 
are not beyond repair,’”’ and that the ground where they stand, between 
Riverside Drive and the Hudson River, should be converted into a real 
Audubon Park. As he truly says ‘‘ such a memorial would contribute to 
the instruction and pleasure of all the people, for every generation of 
Americans that is to come ’’ — and we may add that this closing sentence 
of Prof. Herrick admirably describes the volumes that he himself has given 
to the public, the contents of which we have here endeavored to describe.— 
W.S. 


The New ‘ Birds of America.’ !— The present work the publishers tell 
us in the preface is put forth to meet the demand for a single work which 
will present ‘‘a complete review of what is known today about American 
birds.”” While this is a pretty large task even for the imposing array of 
authors and artists whose names appear on the title page to say nothing 
of the advisory board of nineteen more, nevertheless we think that the 
work will fill a very general need. It is by all odds the most thoroughly 
illustrated work on North American birds that has yet appeared and the 
great demand for the admirable colored plates of Mr. Fuertes, which 


1 Birds of America. Editor-in-Chief, T. Gilbert Pearson; Consulting Editor, John 
Burroughs; Managing Editor, George Glidden; Associate Editor, J. Ellis Burdick; Special 
Contributors, Edward H. Forbush, Herbert K. Job, William L.Finley and L. Nelson Nichols. 
Artists, L. A. Fuertes, R. B. Horsfall, R. I. Brasher and Henry Thurston. The University 
Society Inc. New York (1917). Vol. I, pp. i-xviii, + 1-272; Vol. II, pp. i-xiv, + 1-271; 
Vol. III, pp. i-xviii, + 1-289. 4to, numerous illustrations, and 110 colored plates. Com- 
prising Volumes I-III of the ‘Nature Lovers’ Library ’. 


[sen 


90 Recent Literature. 


appeared in Eaton’s ‘ Birds of New York,’ indicated pretty clearly what the 
bird-studying public wants, for it is far easier to identify birds from good 
colored plates than from any amount of descriptions. The publishers of 
the present work have been fortunate in obtaining these same plates through 
the courtesy of the New York State Museum, and they naturally form one 
of the leading features of the volumes. Mr. Henry Thurston has con- 
tributed a series of five colored plates of birds’ eggs which are very satis- 
factory. Then there are a large number of half-tone text figures of birds 
from colored drawings by Mr. R. I. Brasher which vary considerably in 
. merit, but they are all minutely exact in patterns and markings and are 
therefore often of greater value for purposes of identification than certain 
much more artistic and lifelike bird portraits. Besides all of these there 
are a very large number of reproductions of photographs mainly from 
nature but some from mounted specimens, although the fact is not always 
mentioned, and some of paintings by Mr. Bruce Horsfall. Most of this 
last group of illustrations have already appeared in other publications 
and are from a variety of sources. 

We regret that the publishers have seen fit to adopt the name of Audu- 
bon’s classic work as their title. Every work must stand upon its own 
merits and it is a pity that each one cannot have a distinctive name. In 
one respect the present work is like its great predecessor — that is in the 
unequal treatment of the birds of the two sides of the continent. Audubon 
of course did not possess adequate information on western birds but in the 
present case that excuse does not exist and we fear that western ornitholo- 
gists will resent the fact that while all of the eastern birds are figured in 
colors not one of the distinctively western species is so depicted, most of 
them being pictured only in half-tones and quite a number not at all. 
The superabundance of figures of some of the eastern species on the other 
hand seems unnecessary, if not actually confusing. With Fuertes’ excel- 
lent full page plate of the Blue Jay, it is quite unnecessary to publish a 
figure by Brasher which shows nothing additional, to say nothing of a 
very poor photograph of what is apparently a mounted bird. 

However these criticisms in no way detract from the fact that this work 
places within reach of the public a splendid series of bird pictures, more 
and better than can be gotten today in any other work, which will go far to 
satisfy the needs of a vast number of bird students and no doubt help to 
develop many a future ornithologist. 

The text is admittedly, in the main, compiled, and most of the accounts 
are satisfactory, presenting concisely such information as one would desire 
on habits, range, food, etc. The best accounts are probably those by 
Herbert K. Job and Edward Howe Forbush. The nomenclature is that 
of the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List and subspecies are only 
mentioned at the end of each account, where the points by which they 
differ are briefly stated and their ranges given, often too briefly to be of much 
practical value. Curiously enough the name of the eastern race is always 


given in the heading. This may be logical where, as is usually the case, 


eae v) Recent Literature. ep 


it is the so called ‘ typical’ form, as for instance Planesticus migratorius 
migratorius, for the Robin, but in the case of the Hermit Thrush it would 
seem more consistent to have headed the text with Hylocichla guttata gut- 
tata than with H. g. pallasi. This however simply shows the need that has 
recently been emphasized of a binomial nomenclature for popular orni- 
thology and a vernacular name for each binomial group. Then we should 
have had for a heading in the case referred to Hylocichla guttata the Hermit 
Thrush, and if subspecies were to be mentioned at all, their trinomial 
names could have been given in the end of the text along with their char- 
acteristics and ranges. This is a fault of the A.O. U. Check-List, however, 
and not of ‘The Birds of America.’ 

At the head of each account is given a list of vernacular names; a general 
description and detailed account of coloration; a description of the nest and 
eges; and the range of the bird. This information is taken from Ridg- 
way’s ‘ Birds of North and Middle America ’ and the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List,’ 
popularized where necessary by the alteration of technical terms. There 
are several color keys at the end of the work, a glossary and a bibliography. 
The last is rather an unfortunate effort, as remarkable for what it omits as 
for what it includes and with no indication of what the various books treat. 
There should at least have been a geographical list of works on the bird 
life of the several states, since the first thing the general reader will desire, 
after having his interest aroused by a work of this kind, is a special publica- 
tion on the birds of his own region. 

The paper upon which the work is printed is heavily sized in order to 
carry the large number of half-tone figures, which makes it exceedingly 
heavy, but the typography is good and the printing of both text and plates 
well done as is also the binding, making all in all an exceedingly attractive 
work.— W. 8. 


‘Tropical Wild Life in British Guiana’.'—This volume published 
by the New York Zodlogical Society, presents the results of the first sea- 
son’s work at the tropical research station, established in British Guiana 
under the direction of William Beebe and conducted by him from March to 
August, 1916. The enterprise marks an innovation in tropical zodlogical 
research, making possible the study of living or freshly killed tropical ani- 
mals in their native haunts, whereas heretofore field work has of necessity 
been mainly limited to securing and preserving specimens to be studied by 
specialists in museums, far distant from the home of the animals them- 


1 Tropical Wild Life in British Guiana. Zodlogical Contributions from The Tropical 
Research Station of The New York Zodlogical Society. By William Beebe, Directing 
‘Curator, G. Inness Hartley, Research Associate and Paul G. Howes, Research Assistant, 
with an Introduction by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. Volume I. Photographs and 
Other Illustrations by the Authors. Published by the New York Zodlogical Society, 111 
Broadway, New York City. January, 1917 [distributed in November]. 8vo. pp. i-xx + 
1—504, 4 colored plates and numerous half-tone illustrations. 


92 Recent Literature. [an 


selves. It is in fact an extension of the idea of the marine zodélogical labo- 
ratory, made familiar by the Wood’s Hole and other stations. 

The practicability of the plan may be realized when we read of the com- 
modious and thoroughly equipped laboratory and dwelling which Mr. 
Beebe and his companions established, and in which they carried on their 
researches, on the very edge of the jungle and yet with no more incon- 
veniences than would be met with in similar establishments in the United 
States — working hard “ day after day, month after month, unpoisoned, 
unbitten and in good health.” ! 

The work is divided into four parts: I. General and Ecological, by 
William Beebe; II. Ornithological, by G. Inness Hartley; Ill. Entomo- 
logical, by Paul G. Howes; and IV. Supplementary Chapters —on the 
Hinterland of Guiana, by Rev. Walter G. White and on Indian charms by 
James Rodney. Mr. Beebe’s narrative chapters are extremely interesting 
and give one an intimate picture of life in the jungle, while they teem with 
important ornithological information. At one point the birds are arranged 
according to their vertical habitat in the forest, at another brilliancy of 
plumage is considered in its relation to intensity of light. Protective colora- 
tion naturally comes in for considerable attention and in this connection 
Mr. Beebe adopts the apparently original criterion of regarding a bird as 
not protectively colored — “at least in its own intensive estimation ”’—if 
it takes immediate flight on the approach of a supposed enemy; while 
the bird is so protected which attempts concealment by squatting or 
‘“freezing’’. Emphasis is placed upon the need of an intimate knowledge 
of the natural environment and habits of a species before any judgment 
is possible as to the protective value of its coloration. 

The habits of the Hoatzin are described with great detail with photo- 
graphs of the nest and eggs and the downy nestlings climbing about “ on 
all fours” as it were. 

Our knowledge of the nest, eggs and young of the Toucans has been as 
Mr. Beebe well puts it, “almost a blank’; and yet he was able in two 
months time to obtain data on the nidification, of five species and to study 
carefully the development of the young. They have curious thickened 
heel pads armed with conical tubercles by means of which they are able 
to drag the body along, the toes remaining functionless for quite a long time. 
Similar heel pads have been noted in other birds which nest in holes, and 
which probably have a similar method of locomotion during their nestling 
stage. The nesting habits of the Tinamous of the genus Crypturus, as 
described, are most interesting. The male, it seems, makes the nest and 
attends to all the duties of incubation, the female’s entire interest in the 
matter being to deposit the egg, after which she departs possibly to perform 
the same favor for some other male who has a nest ready. The male having 
hatched the single egg prepares another nest and awaits ‘‘ another tempo- 
rary mate of advanced feministic views.”” The process seems to be con- 
tinuous. 

Mr. Hartley’s contributions to the volume consist of laboratory studies 


= = 


Powis | Recent Literature. 93 


covering the development of the Jacana and.Ani and elaborate studies of 
the development of the several parts of the bird’s wing, from embryo to 
adult, in a number of species. There is also a study of a Grey-breasted 
Martin colony which occupied a box near the laboratory. 

One must read the book to appreciate the amount of interesting and 
suggestive data that it contains. With such results in the first season we 
may confidently look for greater success in the future, and with the experi- 
ence gained in 1916 Mr. Beebe should be able to plan definitely for the 
solution of certain problems when he makes his next visit to ‘‘ Kalakoon 
House.”” The science of zodlogy and ornithology in particular is deeply 
indebted to the six members of the New York Zodélogical Society whose 
liberality made the establishment of this station possible, while hearty 
congratulations are due Mr. Beebe and his staff upon the manner in which 
they have availed themselves of the opportunities that were offered them.— 
W.S. 


Catalogue of the Childs Library.!— In this handsomely printed 
volume Mr. John Lewis Childs presents a catalogue of his well known 
library. Nearly one third is devoted to ornithological works, following 
which are the parts relating to various other branches of natural history. 
Mr. Childs’ series of large illustrated folios is very complete, including the 
Shattuck copy of Audubon’s ‘ Birds of America,’ Elliot’s monographs, 
Gould’s ‘ Hummingbirds’, ete. We notice one unique volume of especial 
interest, a series of original water colors of the commoner birds of Floral 
Park, by Alan Brooks and one additional plate depicting their eggs. A 
large number of separata are listed in the bound volumes of ‘ Ornithology ’. 
The catalogue will be of especial interest to bibliographers and to those who 
wish to ascertain the extent of their own desiderata.— W. S. 


Preliminary List of the Birds of Tennessee.?— This little pamphlet 
consists of a list of 270 species with a very brief mention of the character 
of their occurrence in west, middle and east Tennessee, in three parallel 
columns. According to the ‘ fore word ’ it is compiled to serve as a working 
basis for the collecting of data from which the Tennessee Ornithological 
Society expects, in due time, to prepare an authoritative list of the birds 
of the state. Only English names are used but these follow the nomen- 
clature and order of the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List’. The list seems well caleu- 
lated to serve its purpose and presumably the compiler has consulted most 
of the meagre literature dealing with the birds of Tennessee, but as he 
states that ‘‘ the published material consists of a few local lists covering 


1 Catalogue of the North American Natural History Library of John Lewis Childs, Floral 
Park, New York. Published by John Lewis Childs, Floral Park, New York. 1917. 
Small 4to, pp. 1-150. 

2 Preliminary List of the Birds of Tennessee. Compiled by the Tennessee Ornithologi- 
cal Society. 1917. Issued by the Department of Fish and Game, W. D. Howser, State 
Warden. Nashville, Tenn. S8vo, pp. 1-28. 


94 Recent Literature. ees 


chiefly the mountainous section,” lists covering neighboring States and 
publications of the U. 8. Biological Survey, we cannot help but wonder 
whether he is familiar with the most important of all the Tennessee lists, 
that of Saml. N. Rhoads, published in the ‘ Proceedings of the Phila- 
delphia Academy ’ for 1895, which furnishes data on no less than 215 spe- 
cies. There is also an interesting paper on Tennessee birds by Bradford 
Torrey in the ‘ Atlantic Monthly’ for February, 1896.— W. 8. 


Birds of Carthage, Illinois.'— Carthage College has published a list 
of the birds of Hancock County, IIl., compiled by the members of the bird 
class under the direction of Prof. F. C. Gates. 155 species are listed with 
the dates on which they were seen. Appended is a list of specimens in 

the college museum.— W. 8. 


Swarth and Bryant on the White-fronted Geese of California.?— 
The writers of this interesting contribution to our knowledge of the Ameri- 
can geese were led to make an investigation of the White-fronted Geese of 
California by the statements of Mr. Geo. Neale and Judge F. W. Henshaw, 
to the effect that there were two forms of these birds, a large one and a 
small one. Subsequently specimens were presented by the same gentle- 
men to the Museum of Vertebrate Zodlogy at Berkeley, Cal., which fully 
substantiated their claim. A thorough examination of a large number of 
birds, as well as the literature of the subject, has led the authors to the 
following conclusions. The existence of two perfectly distinct races of 
White-fronted Geese in North America has been overlooked by all writers 
on the subject and the discrepancy in the size of certain individuals has 
caused doubt as to the validity of the race gambeli as distinct from albifrons 
of the Old World. As a matter of fact the former was based on the large 
American bird while the smaller form, which seems to be by far the com- 
moner is nothing more than the true albifrons hitherto supposed to be 
restricted to the Old World except as a doubtful straggler to Greenland. 
The authors have done a good piece of work and the only fault that we have 
to find with their paper is the rather careless use of the word “ species ”’ 
when they mean subspecies. The term “ form ”’ seems to be the only word 
available where we are forced to discuss both species and subspecies at the 
same time. Possibly this ambiguity may have had something to do with 
the apparent perplexity of a reviewer in a recent issue of ‘ The Odlogist ’ 
who charges the authors with describing a new subspecies, a “ crime ”’ 
which they studiously avoided.— W.S. 


1 Bird Number. Carthage College Bulletin. Vol. III, No. 11. April, 1917, pp. 8. 

2 A Study of the Races of the White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) Occurring in Cali- 
fornia. By H.S. Swarth and Harold C. Bryant. Univ. of Cal. Publications in Zodlogy. 
Vol. 17, No. 11, pp. 209-222. October 19, 1917. 


pow 


eas | Recent Literature. 95 


Oberholser on the Subspecies of Leach’s Petrel.'— No less than 
three petrels of this group have been described from the western coast of 
North America.— Oceanodroma kaedingi, beali and beldingi. Difference of 
opinion has prevailed as to their relationship to one another as well as to 
O. leucorhoa. After the study of a large series of specimens including the 
types of all the west coast forms, Mr. Oberholser comes to the conclusion 
that true lewcorhoa is found in the North Pacific as well as in the Atlantic. 
That O. beali is recognizable as a smaller subspecies ranging from south- 
eastern Alaska to California and that O. kedingi is a still better marked 
subspecies occurring off the coast of Lower California. O. beldingi he can- 
not separate from bealz. It will be interesting to see whether his con- 
clusions will be endorsed by others or whether a still different conclusion 
will be reached by the next student of the group. Certainly he has pre- 
sented the most careful and detailed study that has yet been offered.— 
W.S. 


Oberholser on Birds from Islands in the Java and China Seas.— 
The first of these papers? covers collections from four islands, Solombo 
Besar, Arends, Pulo, Mata Siri and Pulo Kalambau. Fourteen new forms 
are described as well as one new genus, Perissolalage (p. 182) type P. 
chalepa sp. nov., from Solombo Besar, based on a single female. Another 
more extended paper * treats of the birds of the Anamba Islands, fifty-six 
in number, of which nineteen are new subspecies here described for the first 
time. All the collections were made by Dr. W. L. Abbott.— W. 8S. 


Paxson on the Last of the Wild Pigeon in Bucks County, Pennsyl- 
vania.*— Col. Paxson has spent much time in gathering the data contained 
in this interesting paper and is to be congratulated upon publishing it and 
thus placing it on permanent record. Upon glancing over the pages we 
realize what an amount of information can be gathered by interviewing 
old pigeon trappers and hunters, and are surprised that more intelligent 
research along these lines has not been conducted. Some of the informa- 
tion gathered in this manner is probably of no great value but much of it 
is extremely interesting and when we realize that not only is the last pigeon 
dead, but that every year the men who formerly hunted the bird are 
becoming fewer and fewer, we appreciate work of the sort that has resulted 


1A Review of the Subspecies of the Leach Petrel, Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot). By 
Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 54, pp. 165-172. Published October 
19, 1917. 

? Birds Collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott on Various Islands in the Java Sea. By Harry C. 
Oberholser. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 54, pp. 177-200. November 2, 1917. 

3 The Birds of the Anamba Islands, Bull. 98, U. S. Nat. Mus., pp. 1-75, June 30, 
1917 [not received until November.] 

4 The Last of the Wild Pigeon in Bucks County. A Paper by Henry D. Paxson. Read at 
the Fall Meeting of the Bucks County Historical Society, held at Chalfont, Bucks County, 
Pennsylvania, Tuesday, October 22, 1912. [Printed October, 1917.] 8vo, pp. 1-18. 


[sen. 


96 Recent Literature. 
in the little pamphlet before us, and wish that others would take steps 
to gather together their local Wild Pigeon lore before it is too late. A 
half-tone plate figures the Cincinnati pigeon, the last survivor, shortly 
before its death, and the last Pennsylvania pigeon shot on October 2, 
1895, now in the possession of Mr. George H. Stuart, 3rd.— W.S. 


Peters on Birds from Santo Domingo.'— Mr. Peters spent about 
two months (February 6—April 11) in 1916, on an ornithological reconnais- 
sance of the northern coast of Santo Domingo, ‘in the interests of the 
Museum of Comparative Zodlogy. A collection representing ninety-two 
species was the result and it is described in detail in the present paper. 
No new forms are proposed but the relationship of the San Domingo birds 
to allied species is discussed, important field notes are presented and by 
way of introduction there is a comprehensive review of the literature of the 
ornithology of the island. Altogether Mr. Peters’ paper forms one of the 
most important contributions to our knowledge of the bird life of this 
rather neglected island.— W. 8. 


Recent Papers by Gyldenstolpe.?— In the ‘Arkiv fér Zoologi’ of the 
Swedish Academy, Nils Gyldenstolpe has published an account of collec- 
tions of birds from Bukit Tangga and Lower Perak in the Malay Peninsula 
and another important article on the heel pads on the tarsus of various 
birds — Toucans, Woodpeckers, ete., with drawings showing the extent 
of their development.— W. S. 


Cary’s ‘Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming ’.*— This report is 
based upon the field work of the author since 1909 as well as that of num- 
erous other members of the Biological Survey. The greater part is devoted 
to a detailed consideration of the several life zones of the state; their 
boundaries, subdivisions and characteristic animals and plants. 

The bird matter is restricted entirely to the lists of breeding species 
under the several zones, but there is an annotated list of the trees and 
shrubs at the end of the report. An excellent colored faunal map com- 
pletes what will be a most welcome and helpful publication to anyone 
undertaking scientific field work of any kind in Wyoming.— W. 8. 


Third Report of the Meriden Bird Club.t— The report of this well 
known club of which Mr. Ernest Harold Baynes is the General Manager — 


1 Birds from the Northern Coast of the Dominican Republic. By James L. Peters. 
Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. LXI, No. 11. October, 1917. pp. 391-426. 

2On Birds and Mammals from the Malay Peninsula. By Nils Gyldenstolpe. Arkiv. 
for Zoologi. K. Svensk. Vet. Akad. 10, No. 26. pp. 1-31. February 8, 1917. 

3 Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming. By Merritt Cary. North American Fauna, 
No. 42 Biological Survey, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. October 3, 1917. pp. 1-95, map and 
numerous half-tone illustrations. 

4 Third Report of the Meriden Bird Club. 1916. S8vo, pp. 1-108 + 6. 


> 


a oo 
fi 

ih 

Y 

/ ms 


Pics | Recent Literature. on 


the parent of ‘ Bird Clubs’ in fact, is always interesting. In this issue we 
find a full account of the Masque Sanctuary written especially for the 
Meriden Club by Perey MacKaye, first performed at Meriden on Septem- 
ber 12, 1913, and since played in many parts of the country. More than 
anything else in recent years this play seems to have aroused public interest 
in bird conservation and it will interest everyone to read this account of its 
inception and production. 

Among many other matters interesting to those engaged in the estab- 
lishment of bird sanctuaries we find in this report a list of no less than 182 
bird clubs which directly or indirectly owe their origin to the Meriden Club 
—a proud record for Mr. Baynes and his associates.— W. 8. 


Mathews’ ‘ Birds of Australia’..— Part V, of Volume VI of Mr. 
Mathews’ work continues the treatment of the Parrots, figuring ten species 
of Psephotus and allied genera. We notice on p. 391 a new subgenus, 
Clarkona, provisionally proposed for Psephotus varius, and on p. 408 two 
new subspecies, Psephotus varius thele, from Central Australia, and P. 
v. orientalis, from Underbool.— W. 8. 


Strong on the Origin of Melanin Pigment in Feather Germs.?— 
Dr. Strong finds that melanin pigment granules occur occasionally in the 
so-called cylinder and inner-sheath cells of feather germs from the Common 
Fowl, and obtains further evidence that this pigment is of epidermal origin. 

He found melanophores in the dermal pulp of the feather germs, presum- 
ably homologous with the dermal melanophores of the skin. While some 
of these had processes they did not, apparently distribute pigment to other 
cells.— W. S. 


Bird Conservation in 1917.— The bulky report of the National Associa- 
tion of Audubon Societies must be read by everyone interested in bird 
protection. When we read the lengthy lists of persons engaged in 
this work today we are dazed at the progress of the movement. With 
hundreds of bird clubs being organized in every part of the country, 
thousands of school teachers introducing instruction on bird protection 
in their classes, with bird lecturers on the Chautaqua circuits and exhibi- 
tions of bird houses, feeding shelves and other paraphernalia on every 
side, it will soon be as hard to find a person who is not affiliated with bird 
conservation in some way or other, as it was some years ago to find one who 
was willing to sign a pledge to abandon the use of birds in millinery. 

The movement has certainly gotten far beyond the ability of ‘The Auk’ 


1 The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. VI, Part V. September 11, 
1917. 

2Some Observations on the Origin of Melanin Pigment in Feather Germs from the 
Plymouth Rock and Brown Leghorn Fowls. By R. M. Strong. Anatomical Record, Vol. 
13, No. 2, July, 1917. pp. 97-108. 


98 Recent Literature. as 


to properly notice the publications which are appearing in its interests. 
We can only refer to the regular publications of the various Audubon 
Societies and Game Protective Associations which are listed in every 
issue, under ™ Publications Received’ and limit our notices to the less 
known or special publications. 

Among those before us at present there is a creditable little pamphlet 
on ‘ Bird Study’ by J. W. Hungate, issued by the State Normal School of 
Cheyney, Wash., and the attractive ‘Year Book’ of the Hartford Bird 
Study Club, Conn., while mention should be made of the Game Laws for 
1917, issued by the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture which every hunter must 
have.— W.S. 


Mullens and Swann’s Bibliography of British Ornithology.'— 
This valuable work has reached completion by the issue of part six. This 
together with part five which appeared some months ago contain some 
exceedingly interesting biographies. Gilbert White, Bowdler Sharp, 
Tristram, Salvin, Saunders, Seebohm and many others, are familiar names 
to American ornithologists, and it is a satisfaction to find out something 
about the details of their lives and achievements. 

The complete volume forms a necessary work of reference for every 
ornithological library, while thanks to the efforts of the publishers, it is a 
piece of book making of which everyone may well be proud.— W. 8. 


The Ornithological Journals. 


Bird-Lore. XIX, No. 5. September—October, 1917. 

The Summer Life of the Virginia Rail. By Verdi Burtch.— With excel- 
lent photographic illustrations. 

American Egrets in New York City. By Clark L. Lewis, Jr.— Three 
birds came to Van Cortland Park and remained for a number of weeks, 
one of them until October 10. 

Nesting Habits of the Cliff Swallow. By Manley B. Townsend.— Seem 
to prefer unpainted buildings but not exclusively. 

The plumages of the Barn Swallow and Martin are discussed by F. M. 
Chapman, with an attractive colored plate by Fuertes. 

Bird-Lore, XIX, No. 6, November—December, 1917. 

Winter Visitors to City Park, Denver, Colo. By J. D. Figgins.— Excel- 
lent photographs of the Bohemian Waxwing. 

Taming the Evening Grosbeaks. By Edith K. Dunton. 

A Remarkable Martin Roost in the City of Washington. By Harry C. 
Oberholser. 


1A Bibliography of British Ornithology from the earliest times to the end of 1912. 
By W. H. Mullens and H. Kirke Swann. Macmillan and Co., Ltd. London, 1917. 
Parts V and VI. 


aes 


Meer | Recent Literature. 99 


The Migration of North American Birds. By Harry C. Oberholser. 
Covers five species of swallows, and continues the work carried on in these 
pages for several years by the late Prof. Cooke. 

Notes on the plumage of North American Birds. By Frank M. Chap- 
man.— Completes the Swallows. An admirable plate by Fuertes accom- 
panies the article. . 

The Educational Leaflet treats of the Pileated Woodpecker and the bulk 
of the number is taken up with the annual report of the Audubon Societies. 

The Condor. XIX, No. 5. September—October, 1917. 

Notes on the Nesting Habits of the Clarke Nutcracker in Colorado. By 
W. C. Bradbury. 

Red Letter Days in Southern California. By Florence Merriam Bailey. 

Botta’s Visit to California. By T.S. Palmer.— An interesting historical 
paper fixing more accurately the type localities of the first birds described 
from California. 

Some Birds of the Davis Mountains, Texas. By Austin Paul Smith.— 
An annotated list of 45 species. 

A New Race of Fox Sparrow, from the Vicinity of Mono Lake, California. 
By Joseph Grinnell and Tracy I. Storer.— P. 7. monoensis, with a slightly 
smaller bill than P. 7. megarhyncha of the western slope of the Sierra 
Nevada. 

The Wilson Bulletin. X XIX, No. 3. September, 1917. 

The Birds of Denver. By W. H. Bergtold.— 187 species listed. 

Horned Larks in the Province of Quebec. By L. Mel. Terrill. 

Annotated List of the Water Birds, Game Birds and Birds of Prey, of 
Sac County, Iowa. By J. A. Spurrell. 

The Odlogist. XXXIV, No. 9. September, 1917. 

Some Interesting Birds of the Judith Basin, Montana. By P. M. 
Silloway. 

Nesting of the Prairie Horned Lark [in Mass.]._ By H. O. Green. 

Bendire’s Crossbill [Nesting] in Kansas. By A.S. Hyde. 

The Odlogist. XXXIV, No. 10. October, 1917. 

Bird Collecting in Eastern Colombia. By Paul G. Howes.— Continued 
in November. 

The Ibis. X Series. V, No.4. October, 1917. 

On a New South American Jay of the Genus Cyanolyeca. By W. L. 
Sclater.— C. viridicyanea cuzcoensis from Cuzco (p. 465). 

Notes on the Birds of Malta. By G. Despott.— Concluded, total num- 
ber of species 341. 

Birds of the Ancre Valley [France]. By Lt. J. N. Kennedy. 

Birds of the Suez Canal Zone and Sinai Peninsula. By Capt. A. W. 
Boyd. 

Further Notes on the Birds of the Province of Fohkien in Southeast 
China, By J. D. D. La Touche. 

The Birds of Dirk Hartog Island and Peron Peninsula, Shark Bay, 
Western Australia, 1916-17. By T. Carter; with Nomenclature and 


i 
an. 


100 Recent Literature. 
Remarks by G. M. Mathews.— Calamanthus campestris peroni (p. 586) 
subsp. nov. Oreoica cristata lloydi (p. 608). 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. CCXXVII. October 
30, 1917. 

The following new forms are described: By Lord Rothschild, Melano- 
perdix nigra bornéensis (p.3). By Charles Chubb, Chamepetes fagani (p. 4), 
W. Ecuador; Penelope brooki (p. 5) Baeza, Ecuador; Columba ogilvie- 
granti (p. 5), Peru. By Dr. Hartert, Sylvia deserticola maroccana (p. 6), 
W. Marocco; Ardea cinerea firasa (p. 6), Madagascar; A’thopyga seherie 
tonkinensis (p. 7), Tonkin. By E. C. Stuart Baker, nine forms from India 
and Siam. 

British Birds. XI, No.4. September, 1917. 

Notes on Zonal Distribution in the Mountains of Latium, Italy. By C. 
J. Alexander.— Five zones are recognized; Mediterranian, Submontain 
(Chestnut), Montain (Beech), Subalpine and Alpine. The paper is an 
important contribution to the zodgeography of Europe. 

The Moults and Sequence of Plumages of the British Waders. BY Annie 
C. Jackson. Part I1.— Continued in October. 

British Birds. XI, No. 5. October, 1917. 

Observations on Birds Singing in their Winter Quarters and on Migration. 
By C. J. Alexander. 

British Birds, XI, No. 6, November, 1917. 

On Newly Discovered Irish Colonies of Roseate and Sandwich Terns. 
By. C. J. Carrol. 

John Hunt. By H.S. Gladstone. A biography. 

Avicultural Magazine. VIII, No. 12. October, 1917... 

A Visit to the Zoo Eighty Years Ago. By Dr. E. Hopkinson. . 

The Secretary Bird and Mantell’s Apteryx. By Graham Renshaw.— 
Interesting accounts of these birds in the London Zoo. 

The Great Bird of Paradise on the Island of Little Tobago. By Sir 
Wm. Ingram.— Diary of the caretaker who is looking after the birds 
which were introduced some eight years ago and which are now reported 
to have greatly increased. 

Avicultural Magazine. IX, No.1. November, 1917. 

Birds in Macedonia. By Capt. B. E. Potter. 

The Emu. XVII, Part 2. October, 1917. 

The Yellow-breasted Bush-Chat (Hphthianura crocea). By A. J. Camp- 
bell_— With colored plate. 

Ornithologists in North Queensland. By Capt. W. Macgillivray.— 
Account of an exploration of the open forests on the Claudie River, 
1918. 

Observations on the Genus Hylacola (Ground Wrens). By F. E. Howe. 

Australian Ibises. By W. H. D. LeSouef. 

The Nestlings of Australian Finches: What do we Know about Them? 
By G. M. Mathews. 

Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie. IX, No. 100-101. August- 
September, 1917. [In French.] 


ERY Recent Literature. 101 


Anomalies and Individual Variations in Birds. By E. Anfrie.— Con- 
tinued in October. 

Contribution to a Study of the Changing Habitats of Shore Birds. By 
M. R. Deschiens.— Continued in October. 

Ardea. VI, No. 2. August, 1917. [In Dutch.] 

Leguatia gigantea. By A. C. Oudemans.— An extended account of 
this extinct species. 

Messager Ornithologique. VII, No. 2. [In Russian.] 

On the Birds of the Far East. By 8. A. Buturlin.— Continued. 

Preliminary List of Birds Observed in the Sochi District of the Black 
Sea Province. By A. Koudashey. 

Alauda arvensis kiborti subsp. nov. By I. M. Zaliesski (p. 125). 


Ornithological Articles in Other Journals. 


Macnamara, C. The Purple Martin. (Ottawa Naturalist, August— 
September, 1917.)— A detailed study of a colony, at Arnprior, Ont. 

Millais, J. G. Brent Geese in Scotland. (Scottish Naturalist, Sep- 
tember, 1917.) 

Clarke, W. Eagle. Wild Life in a West Highland Deer Forest. (Jbid., 
November, 1917.) 

Beck, Rollo H. Bird Photographing on the Falkland Islands. (Amer- 
ican Museum Journal, November, 1917.)— A wonderful series of pictures 
of Penguins, Gulls, Cormorants, Albatrosses and Sheath-bills taken by 
Mr. Beck, while collecting sea birds for the Brewster-Sanford Collection 
at,the American Museum of Natural History. 

Crandall, Lee S. Our Emu Family. (Zool. Soc. Bulletin, September, 
1917.)— Account of the Emus in the New York Zoo. 

Crandall, LeeS. The Australian Bird Collection. (Ibid.) 

Burge, W.E. Comparison of the Catalase Content of the Breast Muscle 
of Wild Pigeons and of Bantam Chickens. (Science, November 2, 1917.)— 
Energy for muscular work is generally conceded to be derived from oxida- 
tion of food materials. Catalase is an enzyme which liberates oxygen from 
hydrogen peroxide. The investigation here described showed that the 
breast muscles of the pigeons which were accustomed to extensive flight 
liberated far more oxygen than did those of the Bantams which were 
unaccustomed to flight, while in Pigeons kept in confinement the amount 
of catalase decreased. This would indicate that catalase ‘‘ may play a role 
in the oxidative processes of the body.’ As is frequently the case with 
those not interested in systematic zodlogy Mr. Burge gives one no idea 
what his “ wild pigeons’ may have been. They were certainly not the 
bird popularly known by that name. 

McMahon, Walt F. The Protection of America’s Bird Life. (Forest 
and Stream, November, 1917.) 

Oberholser, H.C. Diagnosis of a New Pycnonotine Family of Passeri- 
formes. (Jour. of the Washington Academy of Sciences, VII, No. 17.) — 


102 Recent Literature. pur 


Trenide, fam. nov. Glaucomorpha (p. 53) gen. nov. for Irena cyanea; G. c. 
megacyanea (p. 540) subsp. nov. from Pulo Tuanku, Banjak Islands. 

Curtis, W. P. The coloration Problem II [Picus et al.]. (Entom. 
Rec. & Jour. Variation July, 1917.) 

Cookman, Alfred. The Sharp-shinned Hawk of the San Gabriel Moun- 
tains [Cal.]. (Lorquinia, IT.) 

Hartert, Ernst and Goodson, Arthur. Notes and Descriptions of South 
American Birds. (Novit. Zool., XXIV, pp. 410-419.) Sixteen new forms 
of Cotingide, Tyrannide and Dendrocolaptide. 

Hartert, Ernst. Scolopax rusticola. (Ibid., p. 437.) — Figured. 

Hartert, Ernst. On the Forms of Coturnix coturnix. (Ibid. pp. 420- 
425.) — Three new forms among the eight recognized: C. c. inoperata 
(p. 422), Cape Verde; C. c. confisa (p. 423), Madeira; and C.c. conturbans 
‘(p. 423), Azores. 

Dickinson, Mrs. W.G. Notes of an Amateur in Ceylon. (Bird Notes, 
September, 1917). 

Selous, Edmund. Sexual Selection in Birds. Breeding Habits of the 
Ruff. (Wild Life, August, 1917.) 

FitzSimons, F. W. Our Native Birds: Their Value to Man. (The 
South African Journal of Science, 1916, pp. 366-372.) 

King, James. Bird Life in the Midlands of Natal. (bid. pp. 362-365.) 

Roberts, Austin. Ornithological Notes. (Annals of the Transvaal 
Museum, V, pp. 246-262.) — The following new forms are described: 
Spinus symonsi (p. 257) Basutoland—first described in a separate slip 
supplementary to Vol. V, No. 3, January 1916. Mirafra africanoides haret 
(p. 258), Windhuk, Demereland; Phyllastrephus terrestris rhodesi@ (p. 258), 
Machile River, N. W. Rhodesia; Andropadus importunus noomei (p. 259), 
Heenertsburg, N. E. Transvaal. 

Roberts, Austin. Descriptions of a New Species and Genus of Flycatch- 
ers from East Africa, and two New Subspecies of Guinea Fowls from South 
Africa. (Ibid. V1, pp. 1-3.)— Chloropetella (p.1); C. swahelica (p. 1), Myiai, 
German East Africa; Numida papillosa damarensis (p. 2), Windhuk, 8. W. 
African Protectorate; Guttera edouardi symonsi (p. 3), Karkloof, Natal. 

Mazza, F. On the Capture of two birds unusual in the Provence of 
Rome in 1916. (Boll. Soc. Zool. Ital. XII, pp. 191-197.) [In Italian.] 

Jungersen, Hector F. E. Two Cases of Pseudohermaphroditism in 
Male Pigeons (Columba domestica) (Videnskabelige Meddelel. Kjtbenham, 
LXVIII, pp. 7-22). [In English.] 


Publications Received. Anderson, R. M. Recent Explorations 
on the Canadian Arctic Coast. (Geographical Review, IV, No. 4, pp. 241- 
266, October, 1917.) 

Beebe, William, Hartley, G. Inness, and Howes, Paul G. Tropical Wild 
Life in British Guiana. Vol. I. N. Y. Zodlogical Society, 1917, 8vo, 
pp. 1-504, numerous illustrations. Price, $3.00. 

Bergtold, W.H. The Birds of Denver. An Annotated List. (Wilson 
Bull., No. 100, pp. 118-129, September, 1917.) 


ae ais x Recent Literature. 103 


Cary, Merritt. Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming. North Ameri- 
can Fauna, No. 42, pp. 1-95, U. S. Dept. Agr., October 3, 1917. | 

Childs, John Lewis. Catalogue of the American Natural History | 
Library of John Lewis Childs. Small 4to, pp. 1-150, 1917. | 

Herrick, Francis H. Audubon the Naturalist. A History of his Life | 
and Time. ‘Two volumes, 8vo, pp. 1-451 and 1-494. D. Appleton & | 
Company, 1917. Price, $7.50. 

Howser, W. D. Preliminary List of the Birds of Tennessee. Bull. | 
No. 2, pp. 1-28. Dept. of Game and Fish, Nashville, Tenn., 1917. 

Lawyer, G. A., Bancroft, W. F., Earnshaw, F. L. Game Laws for 1917. | 
Farmers’ Bulletin 910, U. 8. Dept. Agr., October, 1917, pp. 1-70. 

Lewis, J. C. Some Considerations on Sight in Birds. (Smithsonian | 
Rept. for 1916, pp. 337-345, reprinted from ‘ The Emu,’ 1916.) 

Mathews, Gregory M. The Birds of Australia. Vol. VI, Part V, pp. 
373-444, September 11, 1917. 

Meriden Bird Club. Third Report, pp. 1-107, 1916. 

Oberholser, Harry C. (1) A Review of the Subspecies of the Leach 
Petrel, Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot). (Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., Vol. 54, 
pp. 165-172, October 19, 1917.) (2) Birds Collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott 
on Various Islands in the Java Sea. (Jbid., pp. 177-200, November 2, 
1917.) (8) Birds of the Anamba Islands. Bull. 98 U. S. Nat. Mus., pp. 
1-75, June 30, 1917. |Not received until December 6.] 

Paxson, H.D. The Last of the Wild Pigeon in Bucks County (Penna.). 
pp. 1-18. Privately printed, October, 1917. 

Pearson, T. Gilbert, and others. Birds of America. Vols. I-III, 4to, 
pp. 1-272, 1-271 and 1-289, rtumerous colored plates and text figures. 
issued as part of the Nature Lovers’ Library, University Society Inc. 
New York. Price for whole series of Library, six volumes, $28. 

Peters, Jas. L. Birds from the Northern Coast of the Dominican 
Republic. (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoél., Vol. LXI, No. II, pp. 391-426, 
October, 1917.) 

Sclater, W.L. Ona New South American Jay of the Genus Cyanolyca. 
(Ibis, October, 1917, pp. 465-466.) 

Strong, R. M. Some Observations on the Origin of Melanin Pigment 
in Feather Germs from the Plymouth Rock and Brown Leghorn Fowls. 
(Anatom. Record, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 97-108, July, 1917.) 

Swarth, H. 8S. and Bryant, H.C. A Study of the Races of the White- 
fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) Occurring in California. Univ. of Cal. \ | 
Publ. in Zool., Vol. 17, No. 11, pp. 209-222, October 19, 1917. 

American Museum Journal, The, XVII, No. 7, November, 1917. 

Avicultural Magazine, (3), VIII, Nos. 11 and 12, [X, No. 1, September— 
November, 1917. 

Ardea, VI, No. 2, August, 1917. 

Bird-Lore, XIX, Nos. 5 and 6, September—December, 1917. 

Bird Notes and News, VII, No. 7, Autumn, 1917. 

British Birds, XI, Nos. 4, 5 and 6, September—November, 1917. 

Bulletin, British Ornithologists’ Club, No. CCX XVII, October 30, 1917. 


104 . Recent Literature. (ae 


Bulletin Charleston Museum, XIII, No. 6, October, 1917. 

Bulletin State Normal School, Cheney, Wash., B. No. 1, September, 
1917. 

California Fish and Game, III, No. 4, October, 1917. 

Carthage College Bulletin, III, No. 11, April, 1917. 

Condor, The, XIX, No. 5, September—October, 1917. 

Current Items of Interest, No. 34, October, 1917. 

Emu, The, XVII, Part II, October, 1917. 

Fins, Feathers and Fur, No. 11, September, 1917. 

Forest and Stream, LX X XVII, Nos. 10-11, and 11, October and Novem- 
ber, 1917. 

Glasgow, Naturalist, The, IV and V, 1912 and 1913. 

Ibis, The, (10), V, No. 4, October, 1917. 

Journal Cincinnati Soc. Nat. Hist., XXII, No. 2, November, 1917. 

Messager Ornithologique, XI, No. 2, 1917. 

New Jersey Audubon Bulletin, No. 22, November, 1917. 

Odlogist, The, XXXIV, Nos. 9, 10, and 11, September—November, 1917. 

Ottawa Naturalist, The, XX XI, No. 5-6, August-September, 1917. 

Philippine Journal of Science, The, XII, Sect. D., Nos. 1, 2, and 3, 
January, March and May, 1917. 

Proceedings Academy Nat. Sci. Phila., LXIX, Part II, April-September, 
1917. 

Records of the Australian Museum, XI, No. 11, October, 1917. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie, Nos. 100-101, and 102, August—Octo- 
ber, 1917. i 

Science, N.5., LX VI, Nos. 1186-1198. 

Scottish Naturalist, The, Nos. 69, 70 and 71, September-November, 
1917. 

Wilson Bulletin, The, XXIX, No. 3, September, 1917. 

Zoological Society Bulletin, XX, No. 5, September, 1917. 


Rios | Correspondence. 105 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Epitor or ‘ THe AuK’: 


In the notice of Lloyd-Jones’s paper on feather pigments in the last 
April number of ‘ The Auk’ (Vol. XXXIV, p. 232) there is one statement 
which might be misleading, and I should accordingly like to put on record 
a somewhat fuller statement of the point in question. Speaking of the 
so-called blue color of domestic-pigeons the review states that ‘‘ blue as in 
all birds is a structural color.” It is true spectral blue in all birds is a 
structural color, for as Lloyd-Jones says: ‘‘ No blue pigment substance 
has ever been discovered in the integument of higher vertebrates.”” The 
point is, to quote further: ‘‘ The color called ‘ blue’ in domestic pigeons 
has very little claim to that name. It is not at all comparable to the blue 
of the bluebird, jay or indigo bird, but resembes more the so-called blue 
of the rabbit or maltese of the cat. In other words, the color belongs more 
properly among the grays than among the blues. The ‘ gull-gray’ of 
Ridgway (’12, plate 53) is a fair representation of the blue of the domesti- 
cated pigeon. Typical spectrum blue, however, is found among tropical 
members of the pigeon family,’”’ and there it is doubtless due to structural 
causes. The ‘blue’ of the domestic pigeon is then merely a neutral tint 
such as might be produced by a layer of soot on snow, or by any intimate 
mixture of black and white. In the pigeon ‘ the blue effect is produced 
by a layer of pigment-free material intervening between the eye [of the 
observer] and the pigment mass ” in the barbule cell of the feather. 


Sincerely, 


‘ ; Leon J. Coe. 
University of Wisconsin, Nov. 1, 1917. 


| 
. 
| 
2 


rae 


Jan. 


106 Notes and News. 


NOTES AND NEWS 


LyMAN BELDING, a Retired Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union 
died at Stockton, Calif., Nov. 22, 1917. He was born at West Farms 
(Northampton), Mass., June 12, 1829, and at the time of his death was 
nearly eighty-eight and a half years old. He was the oldest member of the 
Union and the oldest American ornithologist. 

Mr. Belding became interested in birds about 1876 and during the next 
20 years was prominently identified with field work in California and Lower 
California. In 1879 he published ‘A Partial List of the Birds of Central 
California’ containing notes on 220 species. Two years later he made a 
trip to Cerros Island and San Quentin Bay, L.C. In the winters of 1881-82 
and 1882-83 he made two trips to the Cape region of Lower California 
where he collected the types of several new birds and added much to our 
knowledge of the avifauna of the region. The results of these trips appeared 
in several papers in 1883 in the Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum. 
Upon the organization of the American Ornithologists’ Union he was 
selected by the Committee on Bird Migration to take charge of the migration 
work in the Pacific District. For two or three years he carried on this work 
actively and the results were published in 1890 in his well known ‘Land 
Birds of the Pacific District’. A corresponding volume on the ‘Water 
Birds of the Pacific District’ was prepared but never published and the 
manuscript is now deposited in the Bancroft Library of the University 
of California. 

Mr. Belding’s field work in California was done mainly in the vicinity 
of San Diego, Gridley, Marysville, Stockton, and in the Sierras in Calaveras 
and Placer counties. Among the birds which bear his name are Belding’s 
Jay (Aphelocoma californica obscura), Geothlypis beldingi, Oceanodroma 
beldingi, Passerculus beldingi and Rallus beldingi. He was elected an Active 
Member of the American Ornithologists’ Union at the first meeting in 1883 
and he was placed on the list of Retired Fellows in 1911. In 1896 he was 
made an Honorary Member of the Cooper Ornithological Club. His 
portrait was published in ‘The Condor’ in 1900 (vol. II, p. 2). 

In accordance with the custom of recent years an address on his life 
and work will be presented at the next meeting of the Union. The Presi- 
dent of the Union has appointed Dr. A. K. Fisher to prepare this 
memorial.— T.S. P. 


Vol. | Notes and News. 107 


Dr. Henry McHarrton, of Macon, Ga., an Associate of the American 
Ornithologists’ Union since 1898, died of pneumonia on April 22, 1917, 
shortly after returning from Florida where he had spent the winter. Dr. 
McHatton was born at Baton Rouge, La., on the 29th of February, 1856. 
His parental home was a large sugar plantation on the Mississippi River 
just south of Baton Rouge, but on account of conditions brought about 
by the Civil War the family was forced to leave this home when he was 
seven years old. From Louisiana they traveled by wagon through Texas 
to the Mexican border, several months being occupied in making the trip. 
From northern Mexico Dr. McHatton’s father went to Cuba, where he 
again took up his business of sugar growing. After the ten years’ war in 
Cuba and the death of his father, Dr. McHatton returned to the United 
States, going to New York City, where he studied medicine and graduated 
from the old Bellevue College of Medicine in 1881. On account of his 
health he moved in 1883 to Macon, Ga., where he took up the practice of 
his profession. 

Through the varied experiences of his youth the love of out doors was 
intensified as years went by. He was always interested in anything 
pertaining to ornithology and a personal knowledge of the habits of birds, 
animals and fish was a source of constant pleasure to him. He was an 
officer of the original Audubon Society of Georgia which was reorganized 
a few years ago. In his death the game and fish of Georgia lost a great 
friend — T. H. McHatton. 


ORNITHOLOGICAL WorK In 1917.!— At the recent meeting of the Union 
an hour was devoted to a consideration of ‘Ornithological Work in 1917’ 
for the purpose of reviewing briefly the activities of the year. While war 
conditions have necessarily curtailed activity in various directions and 
especially in field work, the review showed that much had been accomplished 
although most of the published work was necessarily based on investiga- 
tions made in previous years. 

Field Work. Of chief interest is the work accomplished by several 
of the museums through expeditions and special collectors. 

The Museum of Vertebrate Zoélogy of Berkeley, Calif., devoted its atten- 
tion chiefly to the southwest. H.S. Swarth visited southern Arizona and 
obtained material for a report on the birds found on the Apache Trail, while 
Grinnell and Dixonspent some time in the Death Valley region in California. 
In the north W. E. C. Todd was in the field five months in charge of the 
Carnegie Museum Expedition to northern Quebec. In tropical America 
the activity of previous years has decreased with the return of the American 
Museum Expeditions from South America but one party, comprising 
Messrs. Miller, Griscom and Richardson, spent four months collecting 


1 The following summary is based on a discussion of the subject in which A. A. Allen, 
Frank M. Chapman, H. K. Job, H. C. Oberholser, T. Gilbert Pearson and the Secretary 
took part. Extended titles and references to papers are omitted as most of the publica- 
tions here mentioned are reviewed in the volumes of “The Auk’ for 1917 or 1918. 


[yan 


108 Notes and News. 
for the Museum in Nicaragua. In the West Indies, Haiti and San Domingo 
have been the center of attraction. W. L. Abbott, Rollo H. Beck, and 
Paul Bartsch visited the island at different times and each secured some 
remarkable birds or made substantial additions to our knowledge of the 
local avifauna. In South America Beebe spent some time at the tropical 
laboratory near Georgetown, British Guiana, and Beck returned from 
southern Patagonia with rich collections of sea birds. From the Orient the 
American Museum Expedition to China, Yunnan, and northern India in 
charge of Roy C. Andrews returned after successfully completing its field 
work, and from Celebes, H. C. Raven sent some valuable collections of 
birds to the U. S. National Museum. 

In the United States the work of the Biological Survey has been 
carried on with the usual activity in a number of States. In the south 
A. H. Howell continued his field studies of the birds of Alabama and 
Francis Harper visited the Okefinokee Swamp in Georgia and the everglade 
region in Florida. In the west H. H. T. Jackson began work on a biological 
survey of Wisconsin and H. C. Oberholser investigated the breeding ground 
of waterfowl in North Dakota. In Montana E. A. Preble collected in the 
southeastern part of the state south of the Northern Pacific Railroad, 
and Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Bailey spent some weeks studying the birds of the 
Glacier National Park and collected material for a report to be issued in 
cooperation with the National Park Service. Inthe Northwest preliminary 
work on a biological survey of Washington was begun by W. P. Taylor 
and in the southwest E. A. Goldman collected in northern Arizona south 
of the Grand Canyon. 

Economic Ornithology. Studies of the food of birds, especially ducks, and 
of methods of attracting birds have been continued by W. L. McAtee, a new 
study of the crow has been made by E. R. Kalmbach and the European 
Starling has been the subject of an investigation by Kalmbach and 
Gabrielson. A report on the game birds of California by Grinnell, Bryant 
and Storer has been completed and is now in press. In the field of experi- 
mentation much work has been done by H. K. Job at Amston,*Conn., at 
the Bird Experiment Station of the National Association of Audubon 
Societies. 

Literature. The publications of the year, while perhaps fewer in number 
than those for some years immediately preceding the war, include a number 
of important titles. Among general works should be mentioned the annual 
volume of the ‘Zoélogical Record’ for 1915 containing 934 titles on birds, 
Ridgway’s ‘Birds of North and Middle America,’ Vol. VIII, devoted to 
Shorebirds, Gulls and Terns (the manuscript has been completed but not ° 
printed), Mathews’ great work on the ‘Birds of Australia’ of which five 
parts of Vol. VI have recently appeared, the seventh edition of Mrs. 
Bailey’s ‘Handbook of the Birds of the Western United States,’ and a 
popular work in three volumes on the ‘Birds of America,’ edited by T. 
Gilbert Pearson and published in the Nature Lovers’ Library. Of the 
many faunal publications, Chapman’s comprehensive volume on the ‘ Dis- 


vos | Notes and News. 109 


tribution of Bird Life in Colombia’ is probably the most important, while 
Beebe’s ‘Tropical Wild Life in British Guiana,’ and W. 8. Brooks’ Notes 
on ‘Falkland Island Birds,’ based on the work of the Phillips Expedition 
of 1915-16, furnish glimpses of the avifauna of the extremes of the South 
American continent. Two important reports on insular bird life off the 
North American coast are Howell’s ‘Birds of the Islands off the Coast 
of Southern California’ and Hanna’s paper on the ‘Birds of St. Matthew 
Island’ in Bering Sea. Among the numerous papers on the birds of the 
Eastern Hemisphere, Despott’s ‘Notes on the Ornithology of Malta’, 
Captain Sladen’s ‘Notes on Birds observed in Macedonia’, Sclater’s ‘Birds 
of Yemen, southwest Arabia’, Oberholser’s ‘Birds of Bawean Island, Java 
Sea’, and ‘Birds of the Anamba Islands in the China Sea’. H. L. White’s 
account of North Australian Birds’ and J. P. Chapin’s ‘Classification of 
Weaver Birds’ merit special mention. The more technical papers comprise 
Richmond’s third supplement to Waterhouse’s ‘Index Generum Avium’, 
containing 600 ‘Generic Names applied to Birds during the years 1906 
to 1915 inclusive’, Oberholser’s series of ‘Notes on North American 
Birds’, and Wayne’s ‘List of Species for which South Carolina is the type 
locality’. Bergtold’s extended ‘Study of the Incubation Periods of 
Birds’ and Casey A. Wood’s ‘Fundus Oculi of Birds’ are notable contribu- 
tions to little cultivated fields of ornithological literature. Avian anatomy 
has received some attention in Wetmore’s ‘Secondary Characters in the 
Ruddy Duck’ and Petronievic and Woodward’s paper ‘On the Pectoral 
and Pelvic Arches of the British Museum Specimen of Archaopteryx’ 
(P. Z. S. pp. 1-6). New light has been thrown on some of the extinct 
birds of the United States by Matthew and Granger’s description of ‘The 
Skeleton of Diatryma’ from the Eocene of Wyoming, and Shufeldt’s 
accounts of Fossil Birds from Vero, Florida. In the department of biog- 
raphy the record of the year is rather remarkable. ‘Here should be men- 
tioned J. A. Allen’s notable ‘Autobiography’ (printed in 1916 but not 
generally distributed until early in the present year) Herrick’s ‘Audubon 
the Naturalist’, in two volumes, and the final parts of Mullens and 
Swann’s ‘Bibliography of British Ornithology’. 

Educational Work. A notable feature of ornithological work of the 
twentieth century is the ever increasing attention given to bird study in 
the schools and colleges. As an aid to beginners in this subject Pearson 
has prepared a useful and instructive ‘Bird Study Book’. Foremost in 
the educational field is the National Association of Audubon Societies 
which during the year has organized 11935 Junior Audubon Classes in 
which instruction on birds has been given to 261,654 children in the United 
States and Canada. The Association has also arranged for courses in 
bird study in 11 Summer Schools including the Maryland Agricultural 
College, University of Virginia, Summer School of the South at Knoxville, 
Tenn., the State Universities of Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, 
South Carolina and Vermont and several otherjinstitutions. A course 
in ornithology was given this year at the summer Biological Station of the 


110 Notes and News. ee 


Jan. 


University of Michigan. Cornell University, which for several years has 
given credit for ornithology in undergraduate work, now includes bird work 
in graduate courses leading to the degree of M.S. and Ph.D., has estab- 
lished a course of instruction in game breeding, and at the recent session 
of the legislature secured an appropriation of $15,000 for a game farm to be 
administered along educational and experimental lines. 

Legislation. Among the 250 or more game laws enacted in the United 
States in 1917 by the various state legislatures are many that affect birds. 
A strong tendency has been manifested to suspend the shooting of certain 
game birds for several years. The Sage Grouse has been protected at 
all seasons in about half of its present range and similar protection has 
been given Prairie Chickens in Idaho, Iowa, and Oklahoma; Quail in 
Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio; Woodcock in eight states in the Missis- 
sippi Valley; and all shore birds except Jacksnipe in California. Stringent 
plumage laws in Oklahoma now forbid the sale of aigrettes and in Cali- 
fornia prohibit traffic in aigrettes, Birds of Paradise, Goura Pigeons and 
Numidi. A general effort has been made to bring the state laws into con- 
formity with the Federal migratory bird regulations and in twenty-one 
states the open seasons on waterfowl are now practically uniform with 
the Federal seasons. This has resulted in general prohibition of spring 
shooting. A law to carry into effect the provisions of the treaty protecting 
migratory birds, ratified last year, has been passed by Canada and a 
similar enabling act to carry the treaty into effect in the United States. 
has passed the Senate and is now awaiting action by the House of Repre- 
sentatives at the present session of Congress.—T. S. P. 


Tue List or Fettows or THE A. O. U.—The election of Percy A. 
Taverner to fill the only vacancy in the list of Fellows at the recent meeting 
of the Union recalls the fact that although the number of Fellows has 
always been restricted to fifty, the limit has been reached on only two pre- 
vious occasions and in each ease a full list was maintained little more than a 
year. The list was first filled at the 7th Congress in 1889 by the election 
of Dr. A. P. Chadbourne, and sixteen months later, on March 10, 1891, a 
vacancy occurred through the death of Col. N. 8. Goss. Twenty-three 
years later the limit was again reached in 1914, but the death of Dr. D. 
G. Elliot on Dec. 22, 1915, caused a vacancy and three others occurred 
before the next meeting in 1916. 

The total number of Active Members or Fellows elected during the thirty- 
four years of the existence of the Union is apparently eighty-three. In 
addition to the fifty names now on the list of Fellows, are seventeen on the 
Deceased list, four placed on the Retired list (two now deceased), five 
transferred to the Corresponding list (four now deceased), and seven names: 
of persons who either failed to qualify or retained their membership only 
a few years. Those transferred to the Corresponding list include: Mon- 
tague Chamberlain, a Founder, 1901; Dr. D. Webster Prentiss, deceased, 
a Founder, transferred in 1895; Dr. J. G. Cooper, deceased, elected in 1883 


Paty | Notes and News. iit 


and transferred in 1884; Capt. T. W. Blakiston, deceased, elected to the 
Active list in 1884 (Auk, 1884, p. 370) but always included among the 
Corresponding Members; and Walter E. Bryant, elected in 1888 and trans- 
ferred in 1900, five years before his death. Prof. F. H. King, elected in 
1883, apparently did not qualify, nor did Prof. F. E. L. Beal who was 
elected again in 1901, and six others retained active membership only a few 
years: H. B. Bailey, a Founder, until 1891; Prof. S. A. Forbes, 1883- - 
1892; L.S. Foster, 1888-1902; Dr. Henry Kidder, 1883-1888; Dr. F. W. 
Langdon, 1887-1897; and W. E. D. Scott, 1886-1895. 

Twelve of the twenty-three Founders are still living and ten are enrolled 
in the list of Fellows.— T. 8S. P. 


CALLED TO THE CoLors.— At the recent meeting of the American 
Ornithologists’ Union the Secretary was instructed to prepare a list of the 
members who have entered military service either with the army or navy. 
This instruction has been construed broadly to include not merely those 
who have been drafted but also those who are serving in officers’ training 
camps, in hospitals, with the Red Cross, or in Y. M. C. A. military work. 
Such a list is necessarily incomplete and subject to constant change but will 
be of permanent interest in showing the part taken by members in the war. 


Antuony, H. E., New York City. Officers Training Camp, Plattsburg, 
Nek 

BrresBE, C. Wiuuiam, New York City. American Flying Corps., 

Boyize, Howarts 8., New York City. In France. 

Brooks, ALLAN, Okanagan Landing, B. C. Major Second Army 
School of Scouting etc., British Expeditionary Forces in France. 

Brooks, W. Spracue, Boston, Mass. In the Navy. 

BurieieH, THomas D., Pittsburg, Pa. Y. M. C. A. Army & Navy 
Association, in France. 

Cuapin, JAMES P., New York City. Officers Training Camp, Platts- 
burg, N. Y. 

Duemore, A. Rapcuirre, New York City. Captain, King’s Own 
Yorkshire Light Infantry, now in the United States. 

Griscom, Luptow, New York City. Officers Training Camp, Platts- 
burg, N. Y. 

Harper, Francis, Washington, D.C. Corporal Co. C, 312th Machine 
Gun Battalion, Camp Meade, Md. 

Hott, Ernest G., Washington, D.C. Corporal Co. C, 312th Machine 
Gun Battalion, Camp Meade, Md. 

KirrrepcGe, JosepH, Jr., Missoula, Mont. First Lieut., 10th Engi- 
neers (Forest), in France. 

MayFieLp, Dr. GrorGE R., Nashville, Tenn. In France. 

Meyer, Miss Hetotse, Lenox, Mass. Red Cross, in France. 

Pepper, Dr. WiLL1AM, Major, Medical Reserve Corps, Ft. Oglethorpe, 
Ga. 


iby Notes and News. jams 


Peters, JAMES Lun, Harvard, Mass. 2d Lieut. Quartermaster’s 
Corps, Camp Devens, Ayer, Mass. 

Puituies, Dr. Jonn C., Wenham, Mass. Medical Corps, Fort 
Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Ind. 

Sanporn, Cottin CamMpBELL, Evanston, Ill. Battery C, 149th U. S. 
Artillery, Fort Sheridan, Ill. 

Sremnson, Dr. ArtHuR M., Washington, D. C. Medical Corps of 
the Navy, Newport, R. i 

Srorer, Tracy Irwin, Berkeley, Calif. Base Hospital, Camp 
Lewis, American Lake, Wash. 

Younc, Joun P., Youngstown, O. Captain Co.—, Camp Dix, 
Wrightstown, N. J. 


In addition to the above list mention should be made of Dr. and Mrs. 
Frank M. Chapman who have taken up their residence temporarily in 
Washington, D. C., and are devoting their entire time to work with the 
Red Cross, Dr. Chapman (F) being in charge of the Red Cross bureau 
of publications. 

Relatives or friends who may have additional information concerning 
these or other members are requested to communicate with the Secretary 
giving any facts as to rank, branch of the service or present location of 
members in military service in order that necessary corrections in the list 
may be made from time to time. 

T. S. Palmer, 
1939 Biltmore St., N. W. Secretary. 
Washington, D. C. 


Just as we go to press we have received Dr. Frank M. Chapman’s 
work on ‘The Distribution of Bird Life in Colombia’, forming Volume 
XXXVI of the ‘ Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History’ 
and embodying the results of the various expeditions sent out to Colom- 
bia by the museum during the years 1910-1915. This work which is one 
of the most important contributions ever made to neotropical ornithology 
well be reviewed at length in the April issue of ‘The Auk’. 


<up 


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Index to The Auk (Vols. I-X VII, 1884-1900) and Bulletin of the 
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CONTINUATION OF THE 3——™ New 


BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL GRNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Merde: 
H Quarterly Journal of Ornithology 
APRIL, 1918 No. 2 


PUBLISHED BY 


The American Ornithologists’ Union 


CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 


Norres on THE BrenpING Birps or PENNSYLVANIA AND New Jursey. By 


CONTENTS 


TarIt-FEATHERS AND THEIR UPPER Coverts. By Hubert LymanClark . ihe oo 
FERRUGINOUS STAINS ON WATERFOWL. By Frederic H. Kennard . A 2 - 28 
Tue DESCRIPTION OF THE VOICE OF Birps. By R. M. Strong . 5 ‘ 133) 


Richard C. Harlow . 2 


: - H % - 5 5 136 

Tun Birps ofr WALLA WALLA AND COLUMBIA Counmizs, Sopune es Tees. Wage 
INGTON. By Lee Raymond Dice . : 5 : «, pedag 

A Srupy oF THE YELLOW-BILLED Cuckoo. By Clara Reon: Bevis - ‘ : 161 


Tue EXTrRactTION oF Fat FROM Brrp-Sxins. By Hoyes Lloyd . y 4 5 164 
Tun EvenING GROSBEAK Cesperiphons cenpereana) IN Maine. By Arthur H. 


Norton . 


. 3 A + ee 
IrpswicH Brirp nda: Re Charles WwW. Ye oen M. D. 5 . ; ~ - 182 — 
Notes on Norte AMERICAN Birnps. V. By Harry C. Oberholser . A 185 
NovTes ON THE SUBSPECIES OF Numenius Water BECHSTEIN. By Barey C. 
Oberholser ~ : 4 188 
A NEw SPECIES OF Rank (Gavia viridigularis) FROM NontHnastERn eee eh By 
Jonathan Dwight, M. D. i “ 196 
Tuirp ANNUAL LIST OF Pooeas Gaenwas IN THE AG O. 2 Os _Cunox-List OF 
NortH AMERICAN Birps. By Harry C. Oberholser . 4 - 200 


Gpnerat Norss.— Horned Grebe Rising from the Ground, 218; Pied-billed Grebe 


(Podilymbus podiceps) in Chester Co., Pa., in Summer, 218; Breeding of the Pied- 
billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) near State - College, Center Co., Pa., 218; A 
Red-throated Loon on Chestnut Hill Reservoir, Boston, Mass., 219; The Ivory 
Gull (Pagophila alba) at Portland, Maine, 220; Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus 


at Philadelphia, 221; Pterodroma gularis in North America, 221; Blue Geese on 


Long Island, 222; The Whistling Swan at Cap St. Ignace, P. Q., 222; Solita 
Sandpiper (Tringa solitarta solitaria) in New Mexico, 223; King Rail (Rallus elegans 
in Massachusetts, 223; Short-eared Owl (Asio_ flammeus) eating Birds, 223; Downy 
Woodpecker in Colorado, 223; The Starling in Montgomery, Alabama, 224; The 
preciie (Sturnus vulgaris) at Portland, Maine, 224; Yellow-headed Blackbird at 
apawic, Mass., 224; Nesting of the Red Crossbill (Lozia curvirostra minor) in 
ssex County, Massachusetts, 225; The Song of Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucea 
estivalis bachmani), 226; Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra rubra) in NE. Illinois, 
226; Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrula) breeding within the United States, 
226; Philadelphia Vireo (Vireosylua philadelphica) in North Dakota, in Summer, 
227; Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) in New Jersey, 227; The Sub- 
specific Name of the Northern Parula Warbler, 228; Bachman’s Warbler and 
Solitary Sandpiper in Indiana, 228; The Canada Warbler again in Colorado, 229; 
Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos polyglottos) spending the Winter at West Haven, 
Conn., 229; The Hudsonian Chickadee (Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.?) in North- — 
eastern Pennsylvania i in June, 230; Hudsonian Chickadee on the Pocono Mountain, 


Pa., 230; Hudsonian Chickadee (Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.?) at Princeton, N. Ie eal 


231’ A Robin which Migrated Tailiess, 231; Connecticut Notes, 232; Massachu- 
setts Notes, 233; Massachusetts Notes, 234; Notes from the Chicago Area, 234; 


Notes on some British. Columbia Birds, 234; Notes on Some Species New to the | 


Colorado List of Birds, 236; Subsequent Nestings, 237; 'The Destruction_of Nests 
by Farming Operations in Saskatchewan, 238; Goudot’s Explorations in Colombia, 
240; Unusual Dearth of Birds, 241; Correction, 242. 3 


Recent Lirerature.— Chapman’s ‘Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia,’ 242; Gee 


and Moffett’s ‘Birds of the Lower Yangtse Valley,’ 246; Mathews’ ‘Birds of Aus- 
tralia,’ 246; Kalmbach on the Crow and its Relation to ‘Man, 246; Arthur’s ‘Birds ~ 
of Louisiana,’ 247; Murphy on the Natural History of the Mexican Portion of the 
Colorado Desert, 248; Batchelder on New Birds from Newfoundland, 248; Murphy 
on a New Albatross, 249; Shufeldt on Fossil Birds from Vero Florida, 249; Publica- 
tions on Bird Protection, 249; Swarth on J ays of the Genus Aphelocoma, 350; Wet- 
more on Paleochenoides mioceanus Shufeldt, 251; Economic Ornithology in Recent 
Entomological Publications, 251; Protection of Military. Carrier-Pigeons, 253; 


5 
oo 


>; 

y 
2 

' 


“a 


- 
. 


Z 


Birds Probably not Distributors of Hog Cholera, 253;: The Ornithological Journals, — 


254; Ornithological Articles in Other Journals, 257; ‘Publications Received, 259. 


CoRRESPONDENCE.— ‘Sight’ Records, 262. 
Norres anp Nxws.— Obituaries: Walter R. Zappey, 263; Roland G. Hazard, 264; — 


George B. Batten, 264; Dr. James C. Whi ie eee Eric B. Dunlop, 266; Henry | 
Justice, 266; Foreign Members of the A. O. , 266; Called to the Colors, 267. 


‘THE AUK,’ published quarterly as the Organ of the American ORNITHOL- 


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THE-AUK: 


A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF . 


ORNITHOLOGY. 


TAIL-FEATHERS AND THEIR MAJORsUPPER COVERTS. 
BY HUBERT LYMAN CLARK. 


RECENTLY when examining the pterylosis of a trogon, I noticed 
that the middle pair of tail-feathers lacked major coverts. This 
led me to look at several other alcoholic birds and I found that the 
number and position of the major upper coverts bore a constant 
relation to the tail feathers. On consulting the literature of the 
subject, I was surprised to find that the fact had never been 
recorded, if it had ever been observed. Indeed it is notable how 
very commonly the tail has been ignored in general works on birds. 
For example in Beddard’s ‘Structure and Classification of Birds,’ 
there are sections on bill, feet, wing, etc. but not a line on the tail 
and in the well-known ‘Dictionary of Birds,’ there is no article 
on either “tail” or “coverts”; the article on “rectrices’”’ does not 
refer to the coverts and the article on “tectrices”’ assures us that 
while the wing coverts are of great importance, “the tail coverts 
need little further attention!”” In Coues’ famous ‘Key to North 
American Birds,’ there is an excellent section on the tail, with an 
interesting paragraph on the coverts, but the number and position 
of the major coverts are not mentioned. Even Nitzsch gives no 
information in regard to the tail coverts and their relation to the 
rectrices. 

In view of this rather surprising gap in our knowledge, it seemed 
to me worth while to see what data I could acquire in the small 
amount of time I could give to the subject. It became clear at 

113 


hee 


114 Criark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. 
once that little could be learned from skins, at least without seri- 
ously damaging them. This is no doubt one of the main reasons — 
why our knowledge is so incomplete. Fortunately the Museum of 
Comparative Zodlogy has a very large and varied collection of 
alcoholic birds, which thanks to the kindness of the Director, Mr. 
Samuel Henshaw, and the Associate Curator of Birds, Mr. Outram 
Bangs, is freely accessible tome. I have thus been able to examine 
the tails and major coverts of more than a hundred genera of birds, 
representing most of the larger and more important orders. The 
results of this hasty and superficial work are given here and are, 
I believe, of considerable interest and perhaps of some importance. 

The major upper coverts of a bird he in a single series directly 
above the rectrices. In the vast majority of birds, they are quite 
distinct from the other coverts, which rise from the posterior part 
of the spinal pteryla, and are so definitely circumscribed that their 
number permits of no discussion. In some birds however, notably 
the loon and the penguin, it is exceedingly difficult to distinguish 
any particular series of coverts as “major” and one can simply 
assume that the series next above the rectrices should receive that 
title. But in such cases, it is hard to determine where the outer 
end of this series, on each side, is and there is room for considerable 
difference of opinion. I have seen no case however where I was 
unable to satisfy myself as to the number of major coverts. In 
some birds, notably the woodpeckers, a series of contour feathers 
on the sides of the pygidium is continuous with the series of major 
coverts, and in such cases there is again some trouble in definitely 
limiting the covert series. 

The relative position of covert and rectrix shows some diversity. 
As a rule each covert is inserted at the base of its own rectrix and 
the line of covert-pits (on a plucked bird) is parallel to the series 
of rectrix-pits. But sometimes the two series are not parallel, 
the outer covert-pits being distinctly further from the rectrices at 
the corners of the pygidium than near the middle. As a rule, the 
middle pair of tail-feathers is the largest and they are inserted 
at a higher level than the others; as a result their coverts are 
pushed to the outer side. Thus covert 1 does not lie above rectrix 1 
but between the bases of 1 and 2 or over rectrix 2, and in some cases, 
where the middle rectrices are particularly stout as in the Pileated 


wan | Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. 115 
Woodpecker, covert 1 lies between the bases of rectrices 2 and 3. 
On the other hand in young birds and sometimes in adults, covert 1 
is directly over rectrix 1 and each succeeding covert overlies its 
own rectrix. 

The relative size of the different major coverts is also a matter 
which shows some diversity, though as a rule covert 1 is largest and 
the size decreases quite uniformly to the outermost member of the 
series, which is the smallest. Not infrequently however, at least 
among water-birds, covert | is distinctly smaller than 2, and occa- 
sionally, as in the bittern, it is very small. Sometimes the third 
or fourth covert may be the largest, the second and first about 
equalling the fifth and sixth. The most extreme case is that of the 
cormorants, where the three outer coverts are large and well- 
developed with 6 the largest, 5 smaller and 4 still smaller, while the 
three inner coverts are much reduced and 1 is the smallest of all. 

According to the relative number of coverts and rectrices, birds 
divide naturally into three groups: (1) coverts and rectrices of the 
same number; (2) coverts more numerous than rectrices; (3) 
coverts less numerous than rectrices. 

In all normal individuals, the tail-feathers of a bird are arranged 
in pairs, an equal number on each side of the mid-line of the pygi- 
dium. In the following tables therefore the condition on only 
one side is referred to. The rectrices are numbered from the middle 
outwards, no. 1 being next to the mid-line. The major coverts 
are numbered correspondingly. The formula “6-6” indicates 
that there are six rectrices and six major coverts on each side of 
the pygidium; “6-4” shows six rectrices but only four coverts 
while “8-6” shows eight rectrices and six coverts. The number 
of rectrices is invariably placed first. 

It should be clearly understood, and I cannot emphasize the point 
too strongly, that the statements made here in regard to number 
and position or size of the coverts and rectrices are based wholly 
upon my own recent and hasty observations. They are thus liable 
to correction, particularly with reference to the larger groups. 
When I say for example that the Passeres have six rectrices and 
only five coverts, I am not ignorant of the fact that some Passeres 
have seven rectrices. I merely know nothing about the number 
and position of the major coverts in such cases, so, for the purpose 


116 


Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. es 


of this paper, I ignore them. This statement of my observations 
is purely introductory and is not intended to be as dogmatic as it 
sometimes appears. 


10-10. 


Ale 


COVERTS AND RECTRICES OF THE SAME NUMBER. 


Crotophaga. 

Trochili. Cyseli. Caprimulgi. Cuckoos. Toucan: 
(Selenidera). Jacana. Botaurus. 

Pici. Columbe. Most Accipitres. Curassows. Nearly 
all waders and shore-birds. Cranes. Most terns and 
small gulls. Cormorants. Gannets. Man-of-war-birds. 
Petrels. 

Zenaidura. Gannets. 

A single individual of Lagopus. 

Tetrao. 

Pelicans. Loons. Penguin. 


II. CovERTS MORE NUMEROUS THAN RECTRICES. 


Except in some owls and the remarkable case of the toucan given 
below, the additional coverts are at the base of, or beyond, the 
outermost rectrix on the side of the pygidium. In owls having 6-7, 
the extra covert seems to be between 4 and 5 but probably this is 
due only to shifted positions of 5, 6 and 7. 


A single individual of Botaurus, on one side only. 

Owls. Osprey. Cancroma. <A _ single individual Fla- 
mingo. Some gulls. 

Some young owls. Some ospreys. Anhinga. Albatross. 
Cepphus. 

Some individuals of Cepphus and some albatrosses. 
Flamingo. Most ducks. 

Some ducks. 

Some ducks. Geese. Fratercula. 

Dafila. Ossifraga. 

Some ducks. 

Swan. 


| Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. 117 


5-8, 10 or 11. Toucan (Ramphastos cuvieri). This is the most 
extraordinary case of supernumerary coverts, I have seen. As a 
rule there are 10 or 11 major coverts in a single, distinct but 
crowded series. In one individual however I found only 8 coverts 
and it may be there is considerable individual diversity. Ordi- 
narily there are two coverts over the base of rectrix 2, with none 
over rectrix 1; covert 3 is between rectrices 2 and 3 while covert 
4 is directly over rectrix 3; covert 5 is between rectrices 3 and 4, 
while covert 6 is over rectrix 4; covert 7 again is between rec- 
-trices 4 and 5, and covert 8 is over rectrix 5; coverts 9-11 are on 
the corner of the pygidium, outside the rectrices. In the indi- 
vidual with only 8 coverts, the indications are that coverts 1, 10 
and 11 are missing. A further study of this remarkable toucan 
is much to be desired. ; 


III. CovERTS LESS NUMEROUS THAN RECTRICES. 


In every case examined, the reduction in the number of coverts 
seems to take place at the outer end of the series, but it is possible 
that in the Passeres and birds with a similar arrangement, covert 1 
is wanting rather than simply displaced. In those unusual cases 
where there are two coverts fewer than the rectrices, one of the 
missing coverts is possibly no. 1. The question could probably 
be answered by examination of large embryos or nestlings of the 
Guinea-fowl or European Quail. 


5-4. Motmot (Baryphthengus ruficapillus). 

6-5. Passeres. Psittaci. Kingfishers. Trogons. Some small 
hawks. Rails. : 

6-4. Coturnix. Cyrtonyz. 

7-6. Coot. Gallinules. 

8-7. Lagopus. 

8-6. Numida. 

9-8. Pheasants. Bonasa. 


It will be seen from the above data, that relatively few birds 
have more coverts than rectrices and these are chiefly natatorial 
birds. Among land-birds, only the owls, the osprey and the big 
toucan have supernumerary coverts, while of water-birds there are 


118 Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. he 


the Flamingo, the Anseres, the Snake-bird, the Giant Petrel, alba- 
trosses and auks. In most groups of birds, the coverts are of the 
same number as the rectrices, as shown by the various “ picarian”’ 
birds, the pigeons, the diurnal birds of prey, the curassows and a 
few other land birds, and the numerous waders, gulls, terns, petrels, 
Steganopodes, loons and penguins, among water-birds. There 
can be little doubt that most species of birds have fewer coverts 
than rectrices, for here we find the bulk of the land-birds, Passeres, 
parrots, kingfishers, trogons, motmots, most gallinaceous birds 
and a few small hawks; oddly enough the Fulicariz alone among 
water-birds have the number of major coverts reduced. 

For future reference and to aid in the further investigation of 
this subject, it seems desirable to put my observations on record 
here. I have arranged them under the orders recognized and listed 
by Sharpe in 1891 because no more recent classification of birds 
seems to me as generally satisfactory as his. I have examined none 
of the Ratite, Crypturiformes, Opisthocomiformes, Heliornithi- 
formes, Podicipediformes, Eurylaemi or Menure. 

GatuirormMeEs. A large curassow from Brazil (species unde- 
termined) had 6 rectrices and 6 coverts. A fine large Tetrao 
showed 9-9 and a single individual of Lagopus showed 8-8. All the 
other galliformes examined by me showed fewer coverts than tail 
feathers. In Nwmida the formula is 8-6 and in Coturnix 6-4. 
A single specimen of Cyrtonyx also showed 6-4, but the pygidium 
was injured, so I am not sure of this genus. The other genera? 
examined were Canachites (8-7), Tympanuchus (9-8), Bonasa 
(9-8), Francolinus (7-6), Phasianus (9-8) Oreortyx (6-5) and 
Ortyx (6-5). 

CoLUMBIFORMES. The number of major coverts corresponds 
to that of the rectrices. Their position is on the outer side of the 
base of each tail-feather at the middle of the tail but soon they lie 
above the rectrices. The genera examined were Colwmba (6-6), 
Ectopistes (6-6), Zenaidura (7-7; on one side in one individual, 
7-8), Melopelia (6-6) and Chaemepelia (6-6). 

RawurrorMeEs. Three species of Rallus and one of Porzana 
show 6-5, and covert 1 is smaller than 2 and sometimes quite small; 


1 For convenience I use the generic names of the “ British Museum Catalogue.” 


ais | Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. 119 


an unidentified king rail from Brazil showed 6-6. An unidentified 
coot and a gallinule, also from Brazil, showed 7-6. The position 
of the coverts is as usual. 

CoLYMBIFORMES. A loon showed 10-10, with each covert over 
its rectrix except 1. 

SPHENISCIFORMES. A penguin (Spheniscus) from Chili showed 
10-10, each covert over its rectrix. There is great difficulty in 
both the loon and the penguin in distinguishing the major from the 
other coverts, so densely are the feathers crowded on the pygidium. 

PRoceLLARIFORMES. In Procellaria, Fulmarus and Daption 
_ the number of coverts is the same as the number of tail-feathers, 
6-6; in one petrel, I found only 5 coverts on one side. But in 
Ossifraga (8-10) and Diomedia (6-8 or 9) the coverts are distinctly 
more numerous than the rectrices. The extra coverts are beyond 
the outer rectrices. 

AucirorMEs. In Uria (= Cepphus) the formula is 6-8 or 9, 
and one of the extra coverts may be at the inner end of the series; 
it is apparently a supernumerary covert in the strictest sense, as it is 
probably not really homologous with the other major coverts; 
this is indicated by its small size and its position above rectrix 1 
on its inner side. The coverts are seldom over their rectrices, 
though 1 and 2 generally are; covert 7 is over rectrix 6, but 3, 4, 5 
and 6 lie between rectrices. The third or fourth covert is longest, 
2 and 1 being decidedly smaller. In Fratercula, the formula is 
8-9 and the coverts are almost or quite over their respective rec- 
trices; 9 is outside rectrix 8. The third or fourth covert is clearly 
longest. 

LarirorMEs. In Sterna, Rynchops and a few gulls, the formula 
is 6-6 but in two large unidentified gulls, it was 6-7 or 6-8; the 
outer coverts are small and might easily be overlooked. In 
most gulls covert 1 is a little smaller than 2. 

CHARADRIIFORMES.— In Jacana, the formula is 5-5 but in Are- 
naria, Aigialitis, Numenius, Bartramia, Calidris and Pelidna, it is 
6-6. I regret greatly I could examine none of the shore-birds 
having more than 12 rectrices. 

Gruirormes. In Grus americana, the arrangement is 6-6 and 
each covert is over its own rectrix. Covert 1 is the smallest and 
3 is the largest, 2, 4, 5 and 6 being intermediate. 


ee 


—— ae So 


aE 


=. 


a 


a 


— 


120 CxiarK, Tail-feathers and Coverts. [ fen 


PELARGIFORMES. In Ibis, we find 6-6, and the same is true of 

Ardea, Herodias, Nycticorax and Tantalus. Cancroma shows 6-7, 
the extra covert being above rectrix 6. Nitzsch says that he found 
only ten rectrices in Cancroma. I had but one specimen and it is 
unidentified but there are clearly twelve rectrices, the number 
accredited to Cancroma in the ‘ British Museum Catalogue.’ The 
coverts alternate with the rectrices as a rule. In Botawrus the 
formula is 5-5 or occasionally 5-6, suggesting that the reduction 
in the tail of this genus is quite recent, the extra covert being a 
relict from the former condition of 6-6. The coverts in the bittern 
are above the rectrices. 
_ PHOENICOPTERIFORMES. I was fortunate in being able to 
examine four flamingos. In three, the arrangement was 7-8, but 
in the fourth it was 6-7. The last specimen had a normal tail 
but with only twelve rectrices. The first covert is the longest and 
lies outside the first rectrix. 

ANSERIFORMES. The single swan examined showed 10-12, the 
extra coverts outside the last rectrices and by no means clearly 
distinct from other contour feathers. In Branta, I found 8-9, 
and also in Anas. In Spatula, Cosmonetta and Nyroca, the formula 
is 7-8 or 9. In Clangula, we find 8-9 or 10 and in Dafila, 8-10. 
In Erismatura, 9-10 or 11 occur. In all Anseriformes, we find then 
more coverts than rectrices. In general each covert lies over its 
rectrix and the additional coverts are at the outer end of the series, 
where they are often hard to distinguish from the ordinary contour 
feathers. Occasionally covert 1 lies beside rather than above 
rectrix 1. In Clangula, the series of major coverts is nearer the 
end of the pygidium at the middle than it is on either side; in other 
words the covert-series is not parallel to, but divergent from, the 
rectrix-series. 

PELICANIFORMES. In all steganopodous birds, except Plotus, 
the number of coverts corresponds to the number of rectrices; the 
same is true of their position as arule. But in relative size there is 
more diversity. In Phalacrocorax, we find 6-6, with the extraor- 
dinary condition of the coverts described above (p. 115). In Sula 
we find 6-6 or 7-7, coverts and rectrices corresponding in position 
and size. In Fregata, there are 6-6, with coverts 2 and 3 the 
longest but 1 not much smaller. In Phethon, I find 7-7 or 8-8, 


x 


oe | Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. 121 


with 1 the longest. In Pelecanus, 10-10 is the arrangement, each 
rectrix with its own covert above it. In Plotus, we find 6-8 or 9 
with all the coverts small and narrow and 3 or 4 the longest. 

CATHARTIDIFORMES. In a half grown King Vulture (Sarcor- 
hamphus) there are six pairs of large rectrices each overlaid very 
regularly by a major covert. The same is true in the Turkey 
Buzzard (Cathartes) but here covert 1 is smaller than 2 or 3. 

AccreIrriForMES. In Circus, Astur and Haliactus, we find 6-6 
and in the eagle, the first is somewhat smaller than the second. 
In Falco albigularis and Cerchneis sparveria, the arrangement is 
distinctly 6-5 as in Passerine birds. In Pandion, on the other hand, 
we find 6-7 or 8 as in owls; the first covert is a trifle smaller than 
the second. Pandion thus agrees with the anseriform birds in 
having more coverts than rectrices. The owls are notable among 
land birds in having the number of coverts exceeding that of the 
tail-feathers. The first is often smaller than the second as in Pan- 
dion. In Bubo, Megascops, Nyctea, Glaucidium, Asio and Nyctala 
we find 6-7. In nestlings of Bubo and Asio, the arrangement is 
6-8, indicating a very recent loss in owls, of the eighth covert. 

CoracurorMeEs. The kingfishers (Ceryle and at least one uni- 
dentified genus) have the passerine arrangement, 6-5, a covert 
over each rectrix except 1. In the Cypseli (Chetura), Trochili 
(Archilochus and 2 or more unidentified genera) and Caprimulgi 
(Chordeiles, Antrostomus) the formula is 5-5, a covert nearly over 
each rectrix. In the only motmot examined, Baryphthengus, the 
formula 5-4 occurs; I have noted it in no other bird. The coverts 
lie over rectrices 2-5. 

Troconres. The Cuban trogon, Priotelus, is the only member of 
this order available to me and it has the typical passerine arrange- 
ment, 6-5. 

CoccyaEs. Some unidentified Brazilian cuckoos agreed with 
Coccyzus in the formula 5-5, each covert agreeing well in relative 
size and position with the rectrices. 

Psirractrormes. All the parrots I examined (Conuropsis and 
at least two different, unidentified genera) agreed in the passerine 
arrangement 6-5 and showed no peculiarities of their own. Two 
of the genera lacked the oil-gland. 

ScansorEs. Only toucans have been accessible to me, of this 


ae 


—  —- ei men’ ee > ee 


————————— SVS 


122 Cuark, Tail-feathers and Coverts. [Ack 


order, and of these only two genera. In Selenidera, we find what 
is probably the typical arrangement, 5-5, the inner coverts alter- 
nating with the rectrices but the outer ones lying over them. The 
extraordinary condition found in Ramphastos cuviert is described 
above (p. 117). 

PictrorMEs. The normal formula for woodpeckers seems to be 
6-6, but the sixth covert is small and may be wanting, giving the 
passerine formula, 6-5. Owing to a line of contour feathers extend- 
ing down on each side of the pygidium and joining the series of 
major coverts it is difficult to determine beyond question where 
the coverts end. In the larger woodpeckers, particularly in 
Phleotomus, the middle rectrices are so stout the major coverts 
seem to have been pushed further to the side than usual, so that 
covert | lies between rectrices 2 and 3, covert 2 is between 3 and 4, 
3 is over rectrix 4, 4 is over 5 and 5 and 6 are over 6. The genera 
examined are Colaptes, Melanerpes, Dendrocopus, Picoides and 
Phleotomus. 

PASSERIFORMES. All the specimens of passeriform birds exam- 
ined showed the characteristic 6-5 arrangement, the middle pair 
of rectrices apparently lacking coverts. Study of developmental 
material alone can decide whether covert 1 is really wanting or is 
merely displaced, though it seems probable that the latter is the 
case. The genera examined, selected quite at random, are Tvtyra, 
AXanthoura, Turdus, Trochalopteron, Acanthorhynchus, Petrochelidon, 
Bombycilla, Piranga and Hedymeles. 

The question as to the significance of the data given uae: is 
interesting but deductions must be drawn with care from such 
fragmentary material. The subject is just opened up in this paper 
and much more work must be done before the importance to be 
attached to the condition of the major coverts can be determined. 
It is possible that habits may play an important part in the arrange- 
ment of the coverts in some cases. The recent interesting discov- 
eries of Mr. C. W. Beebe regarding the nestlings of toucans and the 
way they hold their tail suggests that the extraordinary arrange- 
ment of the major coverts in Ramphastos cuvieri is the possible 
result of such a habit. Whether there is any phylogenetic signi- 
ficance in the number and character of the major, upper coverts 
remains to be discovered but it is at least suggestive that the 


an | Kkennarp, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfoul. 123 
flamingos are distinctly anseriform in this particular. Finally 
it may be added that the study of the under tail-coverts has never 
been undertaken and will probably give results as interesting and 
suggestive as those afforded by the study of the major upper 
coverts. 


FERRUGINOUS STAINS ON WATERFOWL. 
BY FREDERIC H. KENNARD. 


SEVERAL years ago at a meeting of the Nuttall Ornithological 
Club at which I was present, there was an informal discussion among 
some of the members, regarding the ferruginous suffusion that 
occurs so frequently on the heads of certain geese, especially the 
Snow Geese and Blue Geese. 

Some of those present seemed inclined to the belief that it might 
be a phase of adult plumage, while others thought it merely a rusty 
stain, such as occurs sometimes on the under parts of many of our 
ducks. 

One eminent ornithologist then pertinently inquired, why, if it 
were a stain, it should be so strictly confined, as a rule, to the fore- 
head and cheeks, with swans as well as geese, and why also it should 
occur in certain species of waterfowl, but not in others having 
essentially the same habits and haunts. Another member wisely 
suggested that a chemical analysis should be made of some of the 
rusty feathers in question; but nothing further was done at that 
time. ~ 

Personally, I had, without giving much thought to the subject, 
always supposed this to be a stain caused by extraneous matter 
deposited in some way by the muddy water in which the birds fed. 

During the winter of 1916, my interest in this subject was again 
awakened, while on a collecting trip after Blue Geese along the 
Louisiana marshes bordering the Gulf of Mexico, and I have been 
able, during the past year, to gather data from a number of muse- 
ums and private collections, which included large series of skins 


Res 


124 KeEnnarp, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 
of the genus Chen, Blue Geese, Lesser and Greater Snow Geese, and 
Ross’s Geese, as well as a series of Emperor Geese, all apt to be 
more or less stained about their heads; and a series of the Canada 
group of the genus Branta, including the Canada, Hutchins’, and 
Cackling Geese, apparently having essentially the same habits and 
haunts, but which nevertheless remain practically unstained 
throughout the year. 

In view of the fact that there still seems to be a good deal of 
uncertainty among some of our ornithologists regarding these 
ferruginous suffusions, the following notes, in which I have tried 
to answer the questions raised at the Nuttall Club meeting, may be 
of interest. 

During the summer of 1917, Professor S. C. Prescott of the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology very kindly offered to make 
a chemical analysis of such stained plumages as seemed necessary. 
He examined feathers from various parts of Blue Geese, Greater 
and Lesser Snow Geese, Mallards, Gadwalls, Blue-winged Teal, 
Green-winged Teal, Baldpates, Shovellers, Canvas-backs, Ring- 
necked Ducks, and Ruddy Ducks, and reported that “the results 
of these analyses in all cases showed that the coloration was due 
to iron, which was deposited in the form of ferric oxide (Fe,Os) 
on the tips of the feathers. The white feathers showed the colora- 
tion most pronouncedly, as was to be expected, but even the dark 
brown and black feathers of some species showed the presence of 
the iron. It is easy to show by micro-chemical methods that the 
oxide of iron is deposited on the outside of the feather, and does not 
penetrate into the tissue.” 

Professor Prescott also writes that “it seems to me quite likely 
that different kinds of feathers from the* same bird will exhibit 
differences in the degree of coloration they are likely to undergo. 
The colored feathers have a different chemical structure, and will 
be less stained, just as colored cloths will dye less readily than white 
ones.” 

One of the birds that we examined, for instance, an adult male 
Ring-necked Duck, collected among the sloughs of the Mississippi 
Delta, had its white belly completely covered with stain, while its 
black breast appeared nearly as glossy as that of an unstained bird, 
and yet these same black feathers gave a positive reaction of oxide 


aia i KENNARD, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 125 


of iron. Anadult Mallard drake, collected on the Mississippi Delta, 
was badly stained all over its belly, and the dark feathers of its 
breast, on which the stain was hardly noticeable, gave a positive 
reaction. The white collar was badly discolored, while the iri- 
descent green feathers of the neck immediately above the collar, 
apparently just as glossy and green as ever, also gave a positive 
reaction. 

In the meantime Mr. H. S. Swarth, of the University of Cali- 
fornia, called my attention to a similar investigation away back in 
1910 by Dr. Joseph Grinnell, which had previously escaped my 
notice,! in which he writes as follows regarding the Red-throated 
Loon,— “ Common, and thought to be breeding about the head of 
Cordova Bay. Two adult specimens, taken there June 9 and 10, 
have the entire lower surface, where it is normally snowy white, of 
a bright ferruginous tinge. This color is intensest on the exposed 
portions of the feathers, suggesting adventitious origin. .... Dr. 
M. Vaygouny of the Department of Chemistry of the University 
of California, determined by analysis that the discoloration is 
due to the presence of ferric oxide (Fe:O3), probably deposited from 
the water of the marshes in the immediate locality. As the Red- 
throated Loon moults in the spring, the discoloration must have 
been acquired since April 1; and furthermore, the species probably 
does not arrive from the south until that date at earliest. There- 
fore, the deposit has been surprisingly rapid. The iron oxide in the 
water is said to result from bacterial action, and precipitation is 
liable to occur freely on organic substances of certain textures. 
Evidently the loon’s feathers are especially favorable. The same 
deposit was noticed to a less extent on certain other birds of the 
same locality, as hereinafter noted.” 

Again in the same publication, Dr. Grinnell writes of three 
Northern Phalaropes, collected at the Head of Cordova Bay, June 
11 to 14, which “have the lower surface of the body rusty-stained, 
as in the case of the loons from the same place before described.” 

The stain is very persistent, but invariably disappears with the 
moulting of the feathers, when the bird is in captivity, or when the 


1 Birds of the 1908 Alexander Alaska Expedition with a Note on the Avifaunal Rela- 
tionships of the Prince William Sound District, by Joseph Grinnell, University of Cali- 
fornia Publications in Zoélogy, Vol. 5, No. 12, March 5, 1910. 


126 KENNARD, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. [ Rees 


bird has changed its feeding ground to a locality where there is no 
ferric oxide present. 

The next question is,— why, when the stain does occur, should 
it be confined so generally to the heads of the birds under consider- 
ation. As a matter of fact, it is not so strictly thus confined as 
many people seem to suppose, but occurs frequently on their bellies 
and tibize, and less often on their breasts. ; 

In the case of the Blue Geese, with whose feeding habits I am 
familiar, the stains on their heads seem undoubtedly due to their 
method of feeding about the shallow sloughs among the marshes 
and flats along the Louisiana coast. The crops of all those birds 
which I have examined, which contained anything at all, were full 
of the roots of certain tall, grass-like plants, which grew about the 
shallow sloughs and wet flats, but which I did not identify. What 
seems a simple explanation is, that the feeding bird, standing in the 
shallow water with his belly usually clear of the surface, sticks its 
head beneath the surface and digs with its bill in the mud among 
the roots of the grasses and decayed vegetation, riling the muddy 
water, and gradually by repeated application acquiring a deposit 
of oxide of iron upon its forehead and cheeks, and perhaps the rest 
of the head and neck. It is possible that the alternate wetting and 
drying may aid in the deposit. If the water be deep enough, so 
that the tibiz, belly and breast become immersed, these parts of 
the plumage may also become discolored. The deposit seems to be 
rapidly acquired. 

Mr. W. L. McAtee of the Biological Survey has written very 
fully of the habits of the Blue Goose in feeding on the roots of certain 
grasses. 

I am not personally familiar with the feeding habits of the other 
members of the genus Chen, except with those of the few Lesser 
Snow Geese that consort with the Blue Geese in southern Louisiana. 
Their feeding habits, so far as I have been able to observe, are 
exactly like those of the Blue Geese, digging just as they do for 
their food among the grass roots of the marshes and shallow sloughs. 
It seems reasonable to infer, however, that the other members of 


1 Notes on Chen cerulescens, Chen rossi, and other Waterfowl in Louisiana. ‘The 
Auk,’ July, 1910, pp. 337-339. 


OS aimaal| KENnNARD, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 127 
the Chen group, the Greater Snow Goose and Ross’s Goose, and 
also the Emperor Goose, all of which are apt to become discolored 
about their heads, undoubtedly acquire the stain in the same way, 
viz, — by digging. 

The last question,— why the rusty stains occur with certain 
species of waterfowl, but not with others having essentially the same 
habits and haunts,— is perhaps more difficult to answer definitely, 
owing to our lack of knowledge of the habits and haunts of some of 
them. The breeding ground of the Blue Goose is unknown, but 
was supposed by Professor Wells W. Cooke to be somewhere in the 
interior of Ungava in the northern part of the Labrador Peninsula, 
and the bird has been reported from Baffin Land.” I find, on look- 
ing over a series of more than a hundred Blue Geese, that adults 
taken early in their autumn migration, are usually unstained or 
very slightly so, while the juvenal and immature birds are free 
from discoloration. On the other hand, all the Blue Geese, taken 
during the winter, along the Louisiana marshes, are more or less 
stained. Those taken nearest the Mississippi Delta seem to be 
most discolored; and those taken in Cameron Parish less so; while 
birds collected in Galveston Bay, Texas, are apt to be compara- 
tively free from stain. Of the young birds that arrive in Cameron 
Parish early in October, those which were hatched late and are 
still in juvenal plumage are unstained. As soon, however, as they 
begin to moult and to show white feathers about their heads and 
necks, these feathers begin to acquire the rusty stain, while similar 
birds taken in Galveston Bay remain comparatively unstained. 

Wherever the breeding range of the Blue Goose may be, it appears 
that those birds which have acquired the stain while wintering in 
the South, lose it during their summer moult, and as a rule start 
south unstained. Those birds that fly south along the Mississippi 
River may acquire the stain anew, while feeding among the border- 
ing bayous and sloughs, while those that fly farther west, and come 
down into Texas, may remain unstained. 

Of the Lesser Snow Geese examined, about fifty per cent were 


1 Distribution and Migration of North American Geese, Ducks and Swans, U. S. Dept. 
of Agriculture, Biological Survey, Bulletin 26. 

2 Bernard Hantzschs Ornithologische Ausbeute in Baffinland by Dr. Erich Hesse, in 
“Journal fiir Ornithologie,’ April, 1915. 


Auk 
. LApril 


128 KENNARD, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 
unstained. Adults, when they reach their winter range, may or 
may not be discolored, while the young of the species usually arrive 
unstained. Louisiana birds become more stained during the winter, 
while Texas birds remain comparatively unstained. In California, 
where the Lesser Snow Goose and Ross’s Goose winter in large 
numbers, together with various kinds of Canada Geese, in the San 
Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, the percentage of stained birds 
is comparatively small. Mr. Swarth writes: “I-note on our Cali- 
fornia collected birds that this stain is most apparent on specimens 
collected through the fall. In such birds as undergo more or less 
of a moult during the winter or early spring, it seems to disappear 
by April. The inference is, that it is acquired in their northern 
home.” I have never visited these valleys, but am told that the 
birds feed among grain fields, pastures, and adjacent swamps, 
instead of muddy sloughs, as in the Louisiana marshes. The con- 
clusion is obvious, that these birds lose their stain because of the 
absence in this locality of muddy, iron-bearing waters such as are 
found in the Louisiana marshes. 

We are told by Prof. Cooke, that the breeding range of the Lesser 
Snow Goose reaches from the mouth of the Mackenzie River east 
to Coronation Gulf and the Melville Peninsula; and the bird has 
since been taken on Banks Island! In all this expanse of country, 
conditions must vary greatly, and it seems reasonable to suppose 
that those geese that moult and summer among fresh water ponds 
remain unstained, while those birds that live about the deltas, or 
muddy flats along the iron-bearing rivers may, after they moult, 
acquire the stain which they bring south with them. To put it 
more concisely, it appears that the Lesser’‘Snow Goose may or may 
not acquire the stain upon its northern range. Those birds that 
do acquire it, lose it if they start moulting upon their winter range 
in California, while those birds that winter along the marshes 
bordering the Gulf of Mexico are apt to become more stained the 
nearer they are to the mouth of the Mississippi River. 

Very little is known of the breeding range and habits of the 
Greater Snow Goose. Prof. Cooke seemed to think it probable 
that they “breed for the most part in Victoria Land,” though 


1Summary Report of the Geological Survey, Department of Mines, Canada, 1916. 


oad Kennarp, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 129 


I have found no record from there. They have, however, been 
taken in Labrador and a breeding female and downy young were 
secured in north Greenland. Wherever their summer range may 
be, the only unstained specimens examined were young birds taken 
early in October; while over ninety-five per cent of them, both 
immature and adult, come south discolored about their heads; and 
a majority of them also about their tibiz, bellies, and breasts, with 
a stain that must have been acquired after their summer moult, 
either upon their breeding grounds or somewhere in their northern 
range. As they come south later than the Lesser Snow Goose, 
usually not arriving on the Atlantic Coast before the latter part of 
December, they have apparently had more time to acquire the 
stain, which is usually much heavier than in the case of the Lesser 
Snow Goose, which arrives south in October. Prof. Cooke writes 
that “there is no sharply defined line in the Mississippi Valley 
between the winter ranges of the greater and the lesser forms. In 
general the greater snow goose is more common east of the Missis- 
sipi River, and winters from southern Illinois to the Gulf.” 

‘The Greater Snow Goose doubtless occurs as a straggler along 
the Mississippi Valley, just as we occasionally get a Blue Goose or 
a Lesser Snow Goose on the Atlantic Coast; I have seen a number 
of specimens erroneously tagged Chen hyperboreus nivalis; but out 
of the large series of skins examined I have seen only two from the 
Central States really referable to that subspecies, and these had 
wandered clear out to Dakota. 

These birds seem to winter along the Atlantic Coast from New 
Jersey to North Carolina, feeding there along the sandy beaches, 
or adjacent flats thrown up by the action of the sea, and presum- 
ably free from iron deposit. 

The breeding range of the Ross’s Goose is, like that of the Greater 
Snow Goose, still unknown; but wherever it may be in the far 
north, while this bird is not so frequently discolored as its larger 
cousins, the Greater Snow Geese, a small proportion of them do 
acquire the stain sometime after the summer moult, which they 
bring to California, and like their cousins, the Lesser Snow Geese, 
lose it there, when they start moulting. 

The breeding range of the Emperor Goose extends along the west 
coast of Alaska from the Kotzebue Sound south to the Kuskoquim 


[ Auk 
April 


130 KENNARD, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 
River, principally about the delta of the Yukon River. The birds 
are also found in East Siberia, and are said to winter among the 
Aleutian Islands. Owing to the comparative rarity of this species, 
I have been able to examine but thirty-three specimens. Of these, 
seven were unstained; one taken on Bristol Bay, Alaska, on May 
16, and the other six September birds, either juvenal, or adults 
that had but recently finished their moult. The remaining birds 
were all stained, those from East Siberia slightly so, while those 
from Alaska were very badly discolored. 

I have been unable to obtain any data as to their stomach con- 
tents; but Mr. F. Seymour Hersey tells me that they are marsh 
feeders, reminding him in their habits of the Blue Goose, with the 
feeding habits of which he is also familiar. These birds apparently 
acquire this stain along the marshes of the west coast of Alaska, 
and about the Yukon Delta, and presumably their feeding habits 
must be similar to those of the genus Chen. 

Let us now turn to the Genus Branta, which seems to remain 
unstained throughout the year. We know more about the range, 
both winter and summer, of the Canada Goose, a stained specimen 
of which is very exceptional, and we might logically argue that its 
unstained condition throughout the year is owing to the fact that, 
while its breeding range is enormous, it really is a bird of the interior, 
breeding usually about the clean fresh-water ponds and lakes rather 
than among the deltas and flats of the sea-coast; and wintering 
generally either in the country west of the Mississippi, or on the 
Atlantic Coast, and away from the muddy iron-bearing waters 
of the Mississippi Delta. 

In what way, however, are we to account for the fact that the 
Hutchins’ Goose, which winters in California, together with the 
Lesser Snow Goose, and which breeds in the Kowak Valley in 
Alaska, and from the mouth of the Mackenzie east along the Arctic 
shore to the Melville Peninsula, remains unstained, and in practi- 
cally the same range, as that in which the Lesser Snow Goose often 
becomes discolored? In this case, the haunts are approximately 
the same. 

The Cackling Goose breeds along the west coast of Alaska from 
Kotzebue Sound south across the Yukon Delta to the Alaska 
Peninsula throughout approximately the same range as the Emperor 


a | Kennarp, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. 131 


Goose, and remains as a rule unstained. I have examined a few 
Cackling Geese with cheeks slightly stained, but discolored speci- 
mens of this species, as well as of the Hutchins’ and Canada Geese, 
are so uncommon as to be negligible. 

I have not attempted to gather any data regarding the other 
members of the Branta group. The White-cheeked Goose, a bird 
of the Pacific slope, has presumably habits similar to its cousin, 
the Canada Goose, and but seldom acquires the stain, while the 
Brant are salt-water birds. 

The dark feathers of the heads and necks of this group of birds 
naturally do not show the stain as do those with the white heads; 
but their cheeks should show it, if present, and their lower parts as 
well. Such stains are, however, very exceptional, and the deduc- 
tion seems reasonable, that their feeding habits cannot be the same. 
According to a letter from Mr. McAtee, “the stomach contents bear 
out this idea. Branta contains more largely things which may be 
cropped and few root stocks; while Chen has more largely the 
latter. On the whole also, Branta spends more time in the water 
than Chen and feeds more on water plants, while Chen feeds more 
on land, where not only digging, but often hard digging is required 
to get the things it wants.” 

As a summary of the above notes, and in answer to the questions 
asked at the Nuttall Club meeting, it seems to be proven: | 

First: That the ferruginous suffusion is caused in every case by 
an extraneous deposit of oxide of iron (Fe,O;) on the outside-of the 
tips of the feathers; 

Second: The stain upon the heads of certain of our geese seems 
undoubtedly to be brought about by their habit of digging for their 
food among the mud and decayed vegetation in the iron-bearing 
waters of the marshes and shallow sloughs, among which they feed 
at certain seasons, particularly in places adjacent to the deltas of 
the great muddy rivers; 

Third: Those species of the Branta group which remain unstained, 
and inhabit essentially the same haunts as those of the Chen group 
or the Emperor Geese, which become stained, do not have the same 
feeding habits. They are apt either to frequent deeper waters 
where they feed upon the grasses and aquatic plants, or else they 
are found upon the drier fields and prairies in preference to shallow 


132 KENNARD, Ferruginous Stains on Waterfowl. [ ae 


muddy sloughs; and they are as a rule croppers rather than 
diggers. 

In general, it appears that swans, geese, and ducks, or other 
waterfowl, may become stained if their feeding habits bring them 
among iron-bearing waters; particularly about the deltas of such 
great muddy rivers as the Mississippi, the Mackenzie or the Yukon. 

Swans frequently acquire the stain about their heads somewhere 
on their summer range, but those that winter in the east appear to 
lose it during their sojourn on the Atlantic Coast, while those 
wintering on the Gulf are apt to retain it. 

Those ducks that winter along the Atlantic Coast remain, as a 
rule, unstained while those wintering along the Louisiana Coast, 
particularly about the Mississippi Delta, are apt to become badly 
stained. 

While these notes have been limited to the few species actually 
examined chemically, there are many others that appeared to be 
similarly stained, both from this country and abroad. 

In assembling the data, upon which these notes are necessarily 
based, I am indebted, not only to the ornithologists already men- 
tioned, but to several others who have very kindly supplied me with 
data from collections to which they had access: My thanks are 
particularly due to Messrs. Bangs, Bent, Bishop, Brewster, Dwight, 
Fleming, Oberholser, Osgood, Stone, and Taverner, members of 
the A. O. U.; and to Messrs. E. A. MclIlhenny of Avery Island, 
Louisiana, and John Heywood of Gardner, Mass., game conserva- 
tionists. 


ea | Srrona, The Voice of Birds. 133 


THE DESCRIPTION OF THE VOICE OF BIRDS. 
BY R. M. STRONG. 


Ir was with no small interest that I followed a recent contro- 
versy ! in ‘The Auk’ over the use of musical signs in describing the 
voice of birds. We have all read and heard much on this subject. 
We not only have a very difficult problem in the description of 
bird voice but we also have a lack of suitable terms for the sounds 
made by birds. There is, for instance, no really good word to 
designate single bird sounds except for the word note, which is 
unsatisfactory in several respects. After considerable study of 
various possible expressions, which might be used to designate 
sounds in general made by birds, I adopted “voice” as a term. 

I have had an experience of twelve years with about twenty 
classes of university students in a course which included teaching 
bird voice. During that time, I have tried out various methods 
and the following account is a result. 

It has been my experience that descriptions of bird voice mean 
very little until one has heard the performance or a good imitation 
of it. Then descriptions often help in an identification or assist 
in efforts to memorize the song. I have tried reproducing musical- 
scale records of bird songs on various musical instruments, but 
without getting anything that sounded like the bird’s performance. 
Nor have I known anyone else who has had a different experience. 

In conducting class work with birds, I have not found the use of 
musical scales or of modifications of them often practicable. I 
have been able furthermore, to teach people without musical 
ability to recognize many birds by their voice. Occasionally, 
students with sufficient musical ability and training to use musical- 
scale symbols occur, but even they have depended largely on other 
methods in my classes. 


1 Methods of Recording Bird Songs. 
Moore, R. T. Auk. XXXII. Oct., 1915, pp. 535-8. 
a ee “ XXXII. April, 1916, pp. 228-9. 
Saunders, A.A. Auk. XXXII. April, 1915, pp. 173-183. 
§ =) XXXIII. Jan., 1916, pp. 103-7. 
# + © XXXIII. April, 1916, pp. 229-230. 


134 Srrona, The Voice of Birds. Lach 


It is my practice to subject the vocal performances of birds to 
analyses which may be employed with the voice of other groups of 
animals. In fact, some of my first ideas on the subject came from 
a study of methods used by Professor Reighard of the University 
of Michigan, in studying the voice of frogs and toads. 

The following features are of first importance, in my experience, 
when the voice of a bird is heard for the first time: duration, 
quality, loudness, general pitch, complexity, accent, stress, and 
relation to known sounds. 

Under duration, we note the time occupied by a vocal perform- 
ance. If simply a chirp, for instance, we indicate whether it is 
short or relatively long. Longer performances are measured in 
seconds, the number of which is usually surprisingly less than would 
be estimated without timing. 

Quality is of course important, and it may be described in many 
ways. One of the first things I have students do is to observe 
whether the sound is relatively musical or unmusical. Some bird 
sounds are not easily classed as either, but a great number can be 
so distinguished. Thus, I find no one hesitating to call the voice 
of the Wood Thrush musical and that of the Kingbird unmusical. 

The first time I take up bird song with students, I discuss the 
relation of overtones to quality of sound and some other principles 
of physics pertinent to the subject. Such terms as rich, thin, bell- 
like, flute-like, resonant, reedy, metallic, rasping, harsh, ete., are 
helpful in describing quality. It is also very useful to make com- 
parisons with other known sounds. 

Under general pitch, we observe whether the voice is relatively 
high or low in pitch. As might be expected, the results are variable, 
but the effort is worth while in establishing associations for the 
student. Occasionally, students with sufficient musical equip- 
ment are encouraged to use musical scale symbols also. Any other 
system which the student finds practicable for describing pitch 
variations is encouraged. It is of course pointed out that birds 
do not sing according to the musical scale and that musical scale 
records are only approximate at best, especially because of varia- 
bility in vocal performances. 

Under complexity, are included some of the most important 
characteristics of bird voice. Is the vocal performance a single 


an | Strone, The Voice of Birds. 135 


note or do we have more than one note? If more than one note 
occurs, how many? Is the song relatively intricate or simple? 
Do the notes come in rapid succession? May they be grouped and 
how? The first notes of the song of the Song Sparrow, for instance, 
form a distinct group with a pitch, quality, loudness, and tempo 
which are exceedingly characteristic for the bird. They at once 
suggest the species to anyone familiar with the song, before the 
balance of the song is produced. 

The description of that portion of the Song Sparrow’s song 
which follows the opening group of notes is difficult, and very 
variable results are obtained by different students. Even though 
the attempts are not uniformly successful as descriptions of the 
song, the efforts involved are worth while for the student. 

The occurrence of accents or stresses must be noted. I have 
found these especially important in studying the songs of warblers, 
for instance. The songs of the Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Baltimore 
Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak are more or 
less indistinguishable to beginners. I find that the study of 
variations in accent, stress, and grouping of notes helps greatly in 
learning to distinguish the songs of these birds. 

The song of the Winter Wren is notable for its unusual com- 
plexity and duration. As I have heard this song in northern 
Michigan and Wisconsin, a group of notes which occurs at the end 
is peculiarly characteristic and helpful in teaching others to learn 
to recognize the song. It consists of a series of very thin and 
rapidly repeated notes with a decided diminuendo at the end. 
There is a tendency to “sharp,” i. e., to rise slightly in pitch to- 
wards the end of the series. The last notes at the ordinary dis- 
tance one hears the song are barely audible, and the whole song 
seems to fade out into silence. 

These methods are not only useful for students, but they are the 
only schemes which I have found worth while for my own studies 
of bird voice. 


oe 


ee ee | 


136 Harow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. eer 


NOTES ON THE BREEDING BIRDS OF PENNSYL- 
VANIA AND NEW JERSEY. 


BY RICHARD C. HARLOW. 


(Continued from p. 29.) 


74. Otocoris alpestris praticola. Prarrizn Hornep Larx.— An 
irregularly distributed breeding bird over most of Pennsylvania north of 
Northampton, Schuylkill, Northumberland, Cumberland and Franklin 
Counties. I have found it nesting on the Pocono plateau and in Huntington, 
Center, and Greene Counties. Data on seven nests give: average set, 
3 (4-5); average date, March 25 (March 18); a second set, May 20. 

75. Cyanocitta cristata cristata. Biur Jay.— Breeds commonly, 
though in some places locally, throughout both states. Data on sixteen 
nests give: average set, 5 (4-6); average date, May 5 (April 29-June 17). 

76. Corvus corax principalis. NorrHeRN Raven.— Does not now 
breed in New Jersey and is nearing extinction in Pennsylvania, making a 
last stand in the mountains of Snyder, Mifflin, Center, Blair, Clinton, Union, 
Juniata and Huntington Counties. During 1917 only one pair out of five 
previously located was present. Nests have seldom been found nearer 
together than thirty miles, and all have been located on cliffs with one 
exception, that one being in a pine tree. Data on ten nests give the fol- 
lowing: average set, 5 (4); average date, March 4 (February 27—April 12). 

77. Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos. Crow.— Nests 
abundantly throughout, even along the sea coast of New Jersey with the 
Fish Crows. Data recorded on 194 nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); 
average date April 10 (March 26—May 20). 

78. Corvus ossifragus. Fish Crow.— Nests commonly through 
southern New Jersey being especially abundant in Cape May County where 
they breed in colonies as well as singly. In Pennsylvania I have found 
them nesting in the valleys of the Delaware and Susquehanna as far north 
as Bucks and Dauphin Counties. Data on thirty-two nests give: average 
set 5 (4-6); average date, May 14 (April 19—-May 24). 

79. Sturnus vulgaris vulgaris. Sraritinc.— Now breeding over 
practically the entire state of New Jersey and well established in Penn- 
sylvania as far west as Altoona, Blair County. It reached Wayne and 
Center Counties and bred there in 1917. Data on eleven nests give: 
average set 5 (4-6); average date, April 28 (April 20-May 14). 

80. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bosoiinx.— Very locally distributed 
in Pennsylvania in the breeding season. They occur regularly as near 
Philadelphia as Ambler, Montgomery Co. and Newtown, Bucks Co., and 
I once saw a pair as far south as Tinicum, Delaware Co., where however, 


| Hariow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 137 


their breeding must be accidental. I have found them common in Warren 
Co., scarce in Pike, Wayne and Center Counties and one colony in Fayette 
Co., the most southern locality known to me. They are reported breeding 
in northern New Jersey but I have had no personal experience in that 
region. I have data on three nests: 1, Warren, Warren Co., June 2, 1912, 
six eggs; 2, State College, Center Co., May 30, 1915, four eggs; 3, Oak 
Hall, Center Co., May 31, 1915, five eggs. 

81. Molothrus ater ater. Cowsirp.— Fairly common but local 
in southern New Jersey and somewhat local in Pennsylvania being scarce 
in the mountainous sections. Data on forty-five eggs: average date May 
28 (May 9—June 24). Most in a single nest three, in the nest of a Field 
Sparrow. 

82. Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus. ReEpD-wincEp BLAcKBIRD.— 
Abundant breeder throughout, but rarer in the northern counties of Penn- 
sylvania. Data on 136 nests give: average set, 4 (8-5); average date, 
first sets, May 18 (earliest May 7), second sets, June 15 (latest August 4). 

83. Icterus spurius. OrcHARD OrIoLeE. — Generally common 
throughout southern New Jersey. Common in Pennsylvania south of the 
middle of the state; absent in the northern counties and in the mountains. 
Breeds regularly in Center County. Data on twelve nests give: average 
set, 4 (8-5); average date, May 30 (May 25—June 12). 

84. Icterus galbula. Battrmore Ortote.—I have not found this 
species nesting in New Jersey south of the latitude of Philadelphia. In 
Pennsylvania it is rather scarce in the southern counties but very common 
in the northern half of the state. Data on thirty-seven nests give: aver- 
age set, 5 (3-6); average date, May 28 (May 23-June 20). 

85. Quiscalus quiscula quiscula. PurpLe GracKiE.— Nests com- 
monly throughout both states east of the mountains even in some of the 
ridges east of the main Alleghanies and at Tobyhanna in the Poconos. 
Data on seventy-two nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); average date, April 
28 (April 22-May 14). 

86. Quiscalus quiscula eneus. Bronzep GrackiE.— Nests very 
commonly west of the Alleghanies. Nests and dates differ in no respects 
from those of the last. 

87. Carpodacus purpureus purpureus. PurpLie Fincu.—I have 
found the Purple Finch breeding commonly only in Monroe and Warren 
Counties and once in Pike. Of three nests found in Monroe County 
between June 9 and June 16, one contained four half fledged young and two 
were just being completed. 

88. Loxia curvirostra minor. Rep Crosspitu.— The sporadic 
nesting habits of the Crossbill render its breeding possible almost anywhere. 
It undoubtedly nests at times in the mountainous districts of Pennsyl- 
vania and I have seen small flocks in summer rarely in Pike and Wayne 
Counties, while in Center County, on March 26, 1916, I found two mated 
pairs, the males singing. 

89. Astragalinus tristis tristis. Goi~princu.— Breeds commonly 


Res 


138 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 
though sometimes locally throughout both states. Data on fifty-three nests 
give: average set, 5 (8-6); average date, July 26 (July 10-September 3). 

90. Spinus pinus. Prne Siskin.— The same remarks apply to this 
species as to the Crossbill. During the spring of 1917 they remained until 
May 15 in Center County and until June 8 in Wayne but showed no inten- 
tion of breeding. A large number did nest in Warren County, however, 
in 1912, and a set of three eggs taken there on April 30, 1912, is in my col- 
lection. ; 

91. Pooscetes gramineus gramineus. VESPER Sparrow.— Very 
common, breeding throughout. Data on twenty-six nests give: average 
set, 4 (38-5); average date, May 8 (May 2-June 13). 

92. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna. SavaNNAH SpaRrRow.— 
I have failed to find this bird breeding in southern New Jersey. In Penn- 
sylvania it breeds most commonly in Warren County so far as my experi- 
ence is concerned; regularly but rather uncommonly in Center County, 
and rarely in Pike and Wayne. These remarks are based mainly upon 
the presence of the birds in summer as I have found but two nests: 1, State 
College, Center Co., Pa., July 20, 1911, two eggs; 2, Warren, Warren Co., 
Pa., May 19, 1912, four eggs. 

93. Ammodramus savannarum australis. GrRASSHOPPER SPAR- 
Row.— Locally common in both states but becoming rare in the northern 
mountainous counties of Pennsylvania. I noted it in summer for the first 
time in Wayne and Pike Counties in 1917, one pair in each. Data on ten 
nests give: average set, 4 or 5 (rarely 3); average date, May 28 (May 22- 
August 4). 

94. Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi. Hrnstow’s Sparrow.— 
Breeds regularly and fairly commonly in Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic and 
Cape May Counties, New Jersey. In 1913 I discovered a small colony. 
in Huntington County, Pennsylvania, my only breeding record for the state. 
Data on nine nests from New Jersey and three from Pennsylvania give: 
average set, 4 (rarely 5); average date, June 4 (May 26—July 16). 

95. Passerherbulus caudacutus caudacutus. SHARP-TAILED SPAR- 
row.— Breeds commonly on the coast marshes of New Jersey where I 
have found it much more plentiful than the Seaside Sparrow, especially 
from Atlantic to Ocean County. Data on forty-five nests give: average 
set, 4 (sometimes 5); average date, June 4 (May 26—July 12). 

96. Passerherbulus maritimus maritimus. SrasipeE Sparrow.— 
Common breeder on the New Jersey coast marshes, being more abundant 
in Cape May County than elsewhere. Data on nine nests give: average 
set, 4 (8-5); average date, June 2 (May 30-July 5). 

97. Chondestes grammacus grammacus. Lark Sparrow.— | 
saw a pair of these birds on May 11, 1914, evidently breeding, near Alle- 
ghany, Pa. 

98. Zonotrichia albicollis. Wuire-rHroatep Sparrow.—I have 
noticed this bird as a fairly common summer resident at Pocono Lake, 
Monroe County, Pa., and nests have been found there by others. 


Vol. <7] Harow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 139 


99. Spizella passerina passerina. CuHippinc SparRow.— Gener- 
ally abundant. Data on sixty-seven nests give: average set, 4 (2-3); 
average date, May 15 (May 11—July 6). 

100. Spizella pusilla pusilla. Fimup Sparrow.— Generally abun- 
dant. Dataon ninety-four nests give: average set, 4 (8-5); average date, 
first sets, May 8; second sets, June 20; latest August 6. 

101. Junco hyemalis hyemalis. Junco.—I have found the Junco 
breeding regularly in the following counties in Pennsylvania: Pike, Monroe, 
Wayne, Sullivan, Lycoming, Cameron, Elk, Forest, Clinton and Blair, 
and far more commonly in Warren. It also breeds in Fayette County 
and the question arises whether these latter birds may not be referable 
to the Carolina form. Data on sixteen nests give: average set, 4(3-5); 
average date, May 20 (May 12—July 20). 

102. Melospiza melodia melodia. Sona Sparrow.— One of the 
most abundant and regularly distributed birds. Data on 172 nests give: 
average set, 4 or 5; average date, May 4 for first sets, earliest, April 26; 
June 20 for second sets, latest, August 10. 

103. Melospiza georgiana. Swamp Sparrow.—In New Jersey I 
have found the Swamp Sparrow nesting only on the Delaware marshes. 
It does not seem to occur in summer along the coast. In Pennsylvania 
it nests abundantly along the Delaware marshes as far north as Bucks 
County and it outnumbers all the birds found in the localities where it 
breeds. Sometimes I have found as many as twenty-five nests in a single 
day. Innorthern Pennsylvania I have not found it, but it nests in Fayette 
County in the southwestern part of the state. Data on 186 nests give: 
average set 4 (8-5, and in one instance 8, although this was certainly a 
case of two birds making use of the same nest); average date, May 28 
(May 14-July 12). 

104. Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus. TowHrErr.— 
Common and generally distributed. Data on fourteen nests give: average 
set, 4 (8-5); average date, May 20 (May 15—-August 4), 

105. Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis. Carpinat.— Common in 
New Jersey south of Trenton, and in southern Pennsylvania, extend- 
ing farther north along the river valleys, and as far as Center County 
where it breeds rarely but regularly. Nests also in Greene County in 
the southwestern corner of the state. Data on sixteen nests give: 
average set, 3 (2-4); average date, May 1 (April 8—July 15). 

106. Zamelodialudoviciana. Rosr-Breastep GrosBEaK.— In New 
Jersey I have found it nesting only along the Delaware above Trenton, 
while in Pennsylvania it breeds regularly near Newtown, Bucks County, 
and I have found it in summer in the following counties: Pike, Monroe, 
Wayne, Warren, Clarion, Venango and Alleghany, being especially common 
in the last. Data on nine nests give: average set, 4 (3-5); average date, 
May 25, latest, June 13. 

107. Passerina cyanea. Inpico BuntiInc.— Common and generally 


140 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. [ aoe 


distributed. Data on thirty-seven nests give: average set, 4 (sometimes 
3); average date, June 4 (May 28—August 15). 

108. Piranga erythromelas. Scarter Tanacer.— Regular but 
rather scarce breeder in southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New 
Jersey but much more common in the northern and mountainous portions 
and in southwestern Pennsylvania. Data on fourteen nests give: aver- 
age set, 3-4 (rarely 5); average date, June 3 (May 26—August 14). 

109. Progne subis subis. Purete Martin.— Common summer 
resident in Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Burlington Counties, 
New Jersey. Very local in eastern Pennsylvania where I have found it 
nesting in Chester and Monroe Counties. A common breeder in Greene 
County in the southwestern corner. Absent from the northern counties. 
Data on eleven nests give: average set, 5 (4-6); average date, June 2. 

110. Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons. Curr Swattow.— Nests 
abundantly in the northern half of Pennsylvania and locally in the southern 
counties. I have not found it in southern New Jersey. Data on sixty-two 
nests give: average set, 4 (3-5); average date, June 4 (May 26—July 2). 

111. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swa.tLtow.— Very common 
summer resident in most of the area but rather scarce in the Philadelphia 
region. Data on seventy-five nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); average 
date, May 30 (May 12—July 7). 

112. Iridoprocne bicolor. Tree Swattow.— Breeds commonly in 
Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties, New Jersey. In Penn- 
sylvania I have found them only about a few ponds in Pike and Monroe 
Counties and on a pond at Scotia, Center County. Data on nine nests 
give: average set 5 (4-6); average date, May 28 (May 19—June 16). 

113. Riparia riparia. Bank Swattow.— Very common summer 
resident in the Delaware Valley in both states and along the Susquehanna 
Valley in Pennsylvania. I have not found it elsewhere. Data on forty- 
five nests give: average set, 5 (4-6); average date, May 20 (May 14— 
June 18). 

114. Stelgidopteryx serripennis. RovuGuEp-WiINcED SwaLLow.— 
Nests commonly in Camden and Burlington Counties, New Jersey; I have 
also found its nest once in the pine barrens in Gloucester County and once 
in a sand dune in Cape May County. In Pennsylvania it breeds regularly 
in the southern half of the state pushing up the river valleys rarely to 
Stroudsburg, Monroe County, but commonly to Center County, and has 
even been found breeding at Warren, Warren County. Data on eighteen 
nests give: average set, 6 or 7 (5); average date, May 20 for southern 
Pennsylvania and New Jersey; May 27 for northern Pennsylvania. 

115. Bombycilla cedrorum. Crpar Waxwinc.—I have never 
found the Waxwing breeding in southern New Jersey. In Pennsylvania 
it is fairly distributed but only common in the northern counties. Data 
on fourteen nests give: average set, 4 (5); average date, June 25 (June 5- 
August 19). 

116. Lanius ludovicianus migrans. Micrant SHrike.— A regular 


aie | Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 141 


though not common breeder in Erie County, Pennsylvania, but not known 
elsewhere except as a migrant. Data on two nests are: 1, East Springfield, 
Pa., May 8, 1915, four eggs; 2, East Springfield, Pa., May 9, 1915, five eggs. 

117. Vireosylva olivacea. Rep-ryep Virro.— One of the most 
abundant breeding birds of the woodland. Data on forty-eight nests give: 
average set, 3 (2-4); average date, June 6 (May 26—June 14). 

118. Vireosylva gilva gilva. Warsiina Virneo.— In New Jersey I 
have found this species nesting only along the Delaware from Trenton to 
Belvidere. In Pennsylvania it is very local except in the northern and 
mountainous districts, where it is not found at all. Data on five nests give: 
average set, 3 or 4; average date, Greene County, May 22; Center County, 
May 28. 

119. Lanivireo flavifrons. YrLLOw-THROATED VirEO.— I have not 
found this Vireo nesting in southern New Jersey but from Camden north 
it is a regular breeder. In Pennsylvania it is a rather scarce though regular 
breeding bird throughout the state, although contrary to the statement in 
Stone’s ‘ Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey,’ I have found it 
more commonly in the southern portion. Data on eight nests from Phila- 
delphia, Montgomery, Center and Warren Counties give: average set, 4 
(sometimes 3); average date, June 4, earliest May 23. 

120. Lanivireo solitarius solitarius. Biur-neapep Vireo.— A 
regular and fairly common breeder in the northern and mountainous parts 
of Pennsylvania from Pike and Warren Counties south to Huntington, 
breeding as near Philadelphia as the Delaware Water Gap. Data on nine 
nests give: average set, 4 (sometimes 3); average date, June 4 (May 15- 
July 2). 

121. Vireo griseus griseus. WuiTr-ryep Vireo.— Very common in 
the Cedar swamps of southern New Jersey but in Pennsylvania I have found 
it only as a rather scarce breeder in parts of Delaware and Chester Counties. 
A set of four eggs was taken in Cape May County, May 23, 1908. 

122. Mniotilta varia. Buack aND WuITe WarBier.— Breeds regu- 
larly throughout both states but very scarce in southeastern Pennsylvania; 
most plentiful in the mountains. Data on twelve nests give: average 
set, 5 (8-4); average date, May 20 (May 14—June 10). 

123. Helmitheros vermivorus. Worm-naTiInc Warsier.— I have 
never found this speciés in southern New Jersey. In Pennsylvania it 
breeds in Chester, Delaware and Bucks Counties and rarely in Philadelphia 
also in Greene and Alleghany in the western part of the state. It is a Caro- 
linian species but pushes up the valleys to laurel covered hillsides well into 
the mountains, and I have found it breeding in Huntington and southern 
Center Counties, in the same ravines with the Canadian and Black-throated 
Blue Warblers. Data on thirteen nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); aver- 
age date, for eastern Pennsylvania (5 nests), May 30; for Center County 
(3 nests), May 26; for Greene County (5 nests), May 25. 

124. Vermivorapinus. Buivur-wincepD WarBLer.— In southern New 
Jersey I have found this bird but three times in the breeding season, once 


142 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. hes 


at Bennett and twice at Clementon. In Pennsylvania it breeds commonly 
in the southeastern counties especially in parts of Bucks, Chester, Dela- 
ware, and Montgomery. Data on nineteen nests give: average set, 5 (3-6); 
average date, May 28 (May 24—June 19). 

125. Vermivora chrysoptera. GoLpEN-wINGED WARBLER.— I have 
one summer record for New Jersey, near the Delaware Water Gap. In 
Pennsylvania it is a regular but very local breeder in Pike, Monroe, Wayne 
and Huntington Counties; also in Greene and Alleghany Counties in the 
western part of the state. I have found it most common in Stone Valley, 
Huntington County. Data on five nests give: average set, 5 (sometimes 
4): average date May 25 (May 22-June 4). 

126. Vermivora rubricapilla rubricapilla. NaAsHvittE WARBLER. 
— I have found the Nashville Warbler only in two northern bogs at Pocono 
Lake and Tobyhanna, Monroe County, Pa. Two nests are as follows: 
1, Pocono Lake, Pa., June 18, 1907, two eggs; 2, Pocono Lake, Pa., June 27, 
1914, four eggs. 

127. Compsothlypis americana usnesx. NORTHERN. PARULA 
Warsier.— Nests plentifully in parts of Cape May, Atlantic and Cumber- 
land Counties, New Jersey. In Pennsylvania it breeds regularly in Hunt- 
ington County and along the Alleghanies to Monroe and Pike and west to 
Warren County. Data on five nests give: average set, 4 (sometimes 3); 
average date for southern New Jersey, (4 nests) May 24; for Pennsylvania 
(1 nest) Huntington Co., June 4. 

128. Dendroica estiva estiva. YreLttow WarsLter.— A common 
breeder in certain places but locally distributed. Data on twenty-one 
nests give: average set, 4 (8-5); average date, May 26 (May 18—June 23). 

129. Dendroica cerulescens cerulescens. BuLack-THROATED BLUE 
WarRBLER.— Regular and common breeder from Huntington to Fayette 
Counties and north to Pike and Warren covering practically all of the 
mountainous section of the state. Especially common in Pike and Wayne 
Counties on the Pocono plateau. Data on 35 nests give: average set, 4 
(8-5 — very rarely 5); average date, May 30 (May 24—June 23). 

130. Dendroicamagnolia. MaGnoriaA WARBLER.— Common breeder 
in the higher mountains from Blair north to Warren and Pike Counties, Pa. 
Scarce south of Blair and Center. Data on eighteen nests give: average 
set, 4 (8-5); average date, June 4 (May 27—June 20). 

131. Dendroica cerulea. CreruLEAN WarsiLer.—I have definite 
breeding records only from Greene and Alleghany Counties where it is a 
regular summer resident. Data on four nests from Greene Co., give: 
average set, 4; average date, May 26 (May 20—June 3). 

132. Dendroica pensylvanica. CHESTNUT-SIDED WaARBLER.— In 
New Jersey I have found it breeding near the Water Gap and in Pennsyl- 
vania it is a common summer resident from Fayette and Franklin Counties 
northward throughout all the mountainous and northern counties. Data 
on twenty-one nests give: average set, 4 (8-5); average date, June 1 
(May 25—June 18). 


Vol. S*Y] Haruow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 143 


133. Dendroica fusca. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.— Nests in the 
mountainous regions of Pennsylvania from Huntington County north to 
Warren and Pike, most common northward. I consider its nest the hardest 
to find of all our nesting birds. Data on seven nests give: average set, 
3 or 4; average date, June 1 (May 26—June 29). 

134. Dendroica virens. BLAcK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.— Same 
range as the preceding, though strange as it may appear, it seems to be more 
common in Fayette and Huntington Counties than farther north where the 
Canadian element is more predominant. Data on eight nests give: 
average set, 4 (sometimes 3); average date, June 1 (May 24—-July 6). 

135. Dendroica vigorsii. Pine WarsLter.— Common in summer 
throughout the pine barrens of southern New Jersey. In Pennsylvania it 
is a rare or local summer resident in the following counties. Huntington, 
Mifflin, Center, Lycoming, Snyder, Warren, Wayne, Monroe and Pike. 
On May 14, 1914, I found a nest almost completed in northern Hunting- 
ton County. 

136. Dendroica discolor. Prarie Warsier.— Breeds abundantly 
throughout southern New Jersey but I have not found it in summer else- 
where. Data on five nests give: average set, 4 (sometimes 3), average 
date, May 26. 

137. Seiurus aurocapillus. Ovrensirp.— Breeds commonly and 
generally through both states. Data on twenty-two nests give: average 
set, 4 or 5 (sometimes 3); average date, May 25 (May 16—June 28). 

138. Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis. WarTer-THRUSH.— 
A rare breeder in Warren, Clinton, Sullivan and Cambria Counties and 
common in the most impenetrable Rhododendron swamps of Wayne, 
Monroe and Pike Counties on the Pocono plateau. I have never found 
this bird along running streams but always in the swamps where moss 
covered logs and standing pools of water abound. The nest is very hard 
to discover. Data on six nests give average set, 4 (38-5), average date, 
May 26 (May 20—June 6). 

139. Seiurus motacilla. Lourstana Water-THrusH.—A_ rare 
breeder in southern New Jersey (see Auk, January 1912, p. 105). In Penn- 
sylvania it is rare in the southeastern counties but common along the 
lower Susquehanna, in Greene County in the southwest, and in Alleghany 
County. It is also common along the mountains of Center, Huntington 
and Mifflin Counties where I have found a number of nests, and over the 
Pocono plateau in Wayne, Monroe and Pike Counties in the same sec- 
tion inhabited by the other species but unlike it always frequenting the 
cool swift running mountain streams. Data on thirty nests give: average 
set, 5 (8-6), average date, May 12 (April 26—June 16). 

140. Oporornis formosa. Kentucky WaARBLER.—I have but one 
record of the Kentucky Warbler summering in southern New Jersey (see 
Stone’s ‘ Birds of New Jersey’). In Pennsylvania it is a typical Carolinian 
species restricted to the southeastern and southwestern counties. Data 
on thirty-two nests give: average set, 5 (8-6); average date, May 25 
(May 18-June 22). 


144 Harwtow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. [ fe 


141. Oporornis philadelphia. Mourninc WARBLER.— Breeds regu- 
larly in Warren County and I have found them summering regularly 
but not commonly on parts of Sullivan, Pike and Monroe Counties. <A set 
of five eggs in my collection was taken in Warren County, June 9, 1911. 

142. Geothlypis trichas trichas. MaryLanp YELLOW-THROAT.— 
Breeds commonly throughout; from the coast islands of New Jersey to the 
tops of the Alleghanies. Data on twenty-one nests give: average set, 4 
(8-5); average date, May 28 for first sets, earliest May 19; for second sets, 
July 5, latest July 17. 

143. Icteria virens virens. YELLOW-BREASTED CHat.—A common 
breeder throughout New Jersey, being abundant in suitable localities in the 
southern counties. In Pennsylvania it is a common summer resident in the 
Carolinian fauna of the southern part of the state pushing north into Center 
County, where however, it is rare. It pushes up into mountain clearings 
as the forest disappears and I have found it in Pike, Wayne and Sullivan 
Counties, and in 1917 found a pair breeding on the very summit of Bald 
Knob, one of the highest mountains in Central Pennsylvania. Data on 
thirty-eight nests give: average set, 4 (8-5); average date, May 28 (May 
20—June 25). 

144. Wilsonia citrina. Hooprp Warpier.— Breeds commonly in 
the swamps of southern New Jersey. It is especially common in Cape May 
and Cumberland Counties and I have found it nesting as near to Phila- 
delphia as Clementon, in 1915. In Pennsylvania it nests commonly in 
the Rhododendron and Laurel thickets of Franklin, Center, Huntington 
and Mifflin Counties and less frequently in Snyder and Juniata Counties. 
T have also found it present in the breeding season though rare, in Clinton, 
Lycoming and Warren where the fauna is pronouncedly Canadian. Data 
on twelve nests give: average set, 4 (8-5); average date, for four New 
Jersey nests, May 24; for eight Pennsylvania nests, June 1. 

145. Wilsonia canadensis. Canapa WarsLEeR.— Breeds regularly 
in the mountains of Pennsylvania from Fayette, Junaita and Huntington 
Counties to Warren and Pike. Nowhere have I found it more abundant 
than in northern Huntington and southern Center Counties. Data on 
fifteen nests give: average set, 5 (sometimes 4); average date, May 27 
(May 23-June 25). 

146. Setophaga ruticilla. Repstart.— Breeds regularly but not 
commonly in southern New Jersey from Ocean to Cape May Counties and 
more commonly from Belvidere northward along the Delaware. In Penn- 
sylvania I have found it nesting along the Pennypack Creek near Phila- 
delphia, where however it is rare. In the southeastern and southwestern 
sections it is rare and local and very scarce in the central parts of the state. 
In the northeast — Wayne, Monroe and Pike Counties — it is more plentiful 
but local as it is also in Warren County. Data on nine nests give: average 
set, 4 (8-5); average date, May 30 (May 24—June 19). 

147. Mimus polyglottos polyglottos. Mockrnepirp.— On May 9, 
1914, I saw a Mockingbird near Waynesburg, Greene County, Pa., and was 


ego aeel . Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 145 


told by an old collector that they had bred on his farm for several years and 
that he had found their nests. I have not found them nesting anywhere 
in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. 

148. Dumetella carolinensis. CatTsrrp.— An abundant summer 
resident throughout both states, but less numerous in the mountainous 
counties of Pennsylvania: Data on 110 nests give average set, 4 (3-5); 
average date, June 1 (May 22—July 10). ; 

149. Toxostoma rufum. Brown THRASHER.— Common in _ the 
lower parts of both states but less abundant or rare in the mountainous 
sections. Data on thirty-two nests give: average set, 4 (3-5); average 
date, May 12 (May 4-June 21). 

150. Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus. Caro.tina WrEN.— 
Breeds commonly from Burlington and Camden Counties south to Cape 
May, New Jersey, and less frequently up the Delaware River to French- 
town. In Pennsylvania I have found it as a summer resident in the fol- 
lowing counties: Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, 
Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry (rare), Greene and Wash- 
ington. Data on thirteen nests give: average set, 5 (4-6); average date, 
April 15 (April 5—June 18). 

151. Thryomanes bewicki bewicki. Brwick’s Wren.— Breeds 
fairly commonly in Greene County, Pennsylvania, where I have found 
several nests. It is also a regular though rare breeding bird in Center 
County, where at least one pair nests every year. In Huntington County 
it nestsrarely. Two sets of eggs in my collection from Waynesburg, Greene 
County, were taken on May 6, 1911 (6 eggs), and May 10, 1914 (7 eggs). 

152. Troglodytes aédon aédon. Housr Wren.— Common summer 
resident in southern New Jersey and in Pennsylvania east of the Alle- 
ghanies. West of the mountains it seems to be more local and in Greene 
County is largely replaced by the previous species. Data on forty-seven 
nests give: average set, 6 or 7 (5-8); average date, May 28 (May 22- 
July 29). 

153. Nannus hiemalis hiemalis. Winter Wren.—I have found 
this species summering in the following counties: Warren, Clinton, Sulli- 
van, Pike, Monroe and Wayne, but have found more of the sham nests 
than the occupied ones. Data on three nests give: average set, 4 or 5; 
average date, May 20. 

154. Cistothorus stellaris. SHort-sr1LLeEpD Marsh WreEN.— One of 
my most interesting New Jersey records is of a colony of these birds 
nesting on the salt marsh in lower Burlington County. They inhabited 
the thick marsh grass, not the cattails or higher growth, and nest in the 
grass close to the ground. Two sets of eggs in my collection were taken 
August 4, 19138, and consist of four and five eggs respectively. Another 
nest found on the same day contained five young birds.’ These were evi- 
dently a second nesting. In Pennsylvania I have noted the Short-billed 
Marsh Wren in Center County as late as May 30 but have no evidence of 
its nesting. 


146 Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. [ fees 


155. Telmatodytes palustris palustris. LoNG-BILLED MarsH 
Wren.— Nests commonly all along the New Jersey coast marshes from 
Jersey City to Cape May, and along the Delaware River north to Trenton, 
N. J., and Bucks County, Pa. Data on 196 nests give: average set, 5 
(38-7); average date, June 4 (May 26—July 18). 

156. Certhia familiaris americana. Brown Creeper.—I have 
found this bird in summer in Sullivan and Warren occasionally, but have 
never found its nest. It has however been taken both in the mountains of 
Pennsylvania and New Jersey by others. 

157. Sitta carolinensis carolinensis. WHITE-BREASTED NuvtT- 
HATCH.— A regular but not common breeder in southern New Jersey and 
southeastern Pennsylvania and more common throughout the rest of the 
latter state. Very common in Center County. Data on fourteen nests, 
all but two from Center Co., give: average set, 7-or 8 (5-9); average date, 
April 28 (April 22—May 19). 

158. Sitta canadensis. Rep-Bpreastep NutTHatcH.—I have met 
with this bird in summer only uncommonly in Warren and Sullivan Coun- 
ties, and have not found its nest although they have been found in the 
latter county by others. In 1917 the birds remained in Pike County until 
June 9 but none bred. 

159. Beolophus bicolor. Turrep Titmousre.— Nests fairly com- 
monly in southern New Jersey and in southeastern and southwestern 
Pennsylvania within the limits of the Carolinian fauna. I have also found 
it rarely in summer in the river valleys in Pike and Center Counties. Two 
nests that I have found are as follows: 1, Philadelphia, Pa., May 25, 1906, 
six hatching eggs and one young; 2, Tinicum, Delaware County, Pa., 
May 10, 1907, six eggs. 

160. Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus. Buack-carrep CuxicK- 
ADEE.— A regular breeder in the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania from 
Fayette and Huntington Counties north to Warren and Pike. Data on 
seven nests give: average set, 7 (5-8); average date, May 10 (May 4— 
June 10). 

161. Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis. CaroLiNnaA CHICKADEE, 
—I have found this species breeding commonly in southern New Jersey 
from Burlington County south and in Greene County in southwestern 
Pennsylvania. Data on ten nests give: average set, 7 (5-8); average date, 
New Jersey (four nests) May 15; Pennsylvania (six nests) May 9. 

162. Regulus satrapa satrapa. GOLDEN-cROWNED [KInGcLET.— A 
rare summer resident of Pike County and rather more common in Monroe 
but I have never found its nest. 

163. Polioptilla czrulea cerulea. Buur-cray .GnatcaTcHER.— I 
have found this bird to be a very common summer resident of Greene, 
Washington and Alleghany Counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. Data 
on thirty-six nests give: average set, 5 (sometimes 4); average date, May 14 
(May 7—May 25). 

164. Hylocichla mustelina. Woop Turusu.— Breeds commonly 


| Hartow, Breeding Birds of Penna. and N. J. 147 


throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania but becomes local in the north- 
ern mountainous portion of the latter state. Data on eighty-four nests 
give: average set,4 (3-5); average date, New Jersey (twelve nests) May 22; 
southern Pennsylvania (sixty-two nests) May 26; northern Pennsylvania 
(ten nests), June 2. 

165. Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens. Vrrry.—I have found 
the Veery breeding regularly in Sullivan, Wyoming, Pike, Wayne and 
Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania, while west of the Alleghanies it is much 
more abundant and I have summer records from the following counties: 
Bedford, Fayette, Clarion, Blair, Venango, Warren and Erie. I have had 
no experience in northern New Jersey where it also nests. Data on five 
nests give: average set 4 (sometimes 3); average date, June 1 (May 26-— 
June 29). 

166. Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii. Onive-BAcKkED THrusH.— I 

have found this thrush summering in Warren, Pike, and Monroe Counties, 
Pennsylvania. A set of four eggs from the last county taken, June 8, 1910, 
is in my collection. 
* 167. Hylocichla guttata pallasii. Hermit THrusu.— I have found 
the Hermit in summer in Warren, Monroe, Sullivan, Pike and Wayne Coun- 
ties, Pennsylvania. Data on five nests give: average set, 4 (sometimes 3); 
average date, June 10 (May 30—June 23). 

168. Planesticus migratorius migratorius. Ropin.— Breeds 
abundantly throughout both states. Data on 346 nests give: average set, 
4 (2-5); average date, for first sets April 20 (earliest, April 18); for second 
sets May 25; third sets July 4. In fixing dates for later sets four pairs 
were studied which raised three broods annually on porches near my home 
at State College, for three years in succession. 

169. Sialia sialis sialis. BLursirp.— Breeds commonly throughout 
both states, being least abundant in the neighborhood of Philadelphia and 
in the wilder, northern mountainous section. Data on sixty-nine nests give: 
average set, 5 (4-6); average date, for first sets, April 15, earliest, April 4; 
for second sets, June 25, latest, August 2. 


148 — Dicer, Birds of Southeastern Washington. res: 


THE BIRDS OF WALLA WALLA AND COLUMBIA 
COUNTIES, SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON. 


BY LEE RAYMOND DICE. 


(Continued from p. 51.) 


Otocoris alpestris arcticola. Patitip Hornep Larx.—S. H. Lyman 
reports a specimen of this form taken near Walla Walla during the first 
part of March a few years ago. 

Otocoris alpestris merrilli. Dusky Hornep Larx.— The most 
abundant bird of the bunch-grass habitat throughout southeastern Wash- 
ington. In early June, 1914, numbers of adults and nearly grown young 
were seen on the bunch-grass hills near Wallula and Nine-mile. They were 
especially numerous on wind swept ridges. In the grain fields and bunch- 
grass areas of eastern Walla Walla County they are abundant throughout 
the year. Although they often come very near timber in the valleys, they 
are never found among trees. 

On April 10, 1905, a young Horned Lark, just able to fly, was seen in the 
hills near Prescott. On April 18 a nest containing a full set of three eggs 
was found. On April 12, 1906, a nest with three partly feathered birds 
was seen. This nest was deserted on the 22nd. On March 27, 1908, one 
nest of three eggs and another with two eggs were found in a stubble-field. 
All of these nests were composed of dried grasses and weed leaves, and the 
rim of the nest was flush with the level of the ground. Each nest was in 
such a position that it was partially concealed by a clump of stubble or of 
weeds. On April 7,°1908, a young bird fully feathered and able to fly 
was seen. 

Horned Larks often follow the plows and other farm implements to pick 
up the insects, larvee, and seeds which are exposed when the ground is 

stirred up. The Horned Lark is one of the few birds that the advance of 
agriculture has not reduced in number. Most of the other prairie birds 
find difficulty in rearing broods, because the spring plowing practiced in 
the region destroys the nests, but many young of the Horned Lark are 
able to fly before plowing is well under way. 

Pica pica hudsonia. Macpiz.— A few were seen in early June, 1914 
in the willows along the Walla Walla River east of Wallula, and some were 
observed in the sage-brush about a half-mile from the river. In the prairie 
area of Walla Walla and Columbia counties they are abundant in the timber 
along the streams throughout the year. They also wander long distances 
out into the bunch-grass hills. 

Cyanocitta stelleri annectens. Buack-HEADED Jay.— Reported in 
winter at Walla Walla (Bendire, 1895, 370). Abundant near Prescott 
some winters, but they do not appear every year. In late July, 1914, a 


Coie | Dicer, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 149 


number of small flocks were seen in lowland fir forest near. Hompeg Falls. 
On Aug. 3 one was seen in heavy Douglas spruce forest on top of a ridge 
near Twin Buttes R. 8. 

Perisoreus canadensis capitalis. Rocky Mountain JAay.—S. H. 
Lyman has observed this jay a number of times in the Blue Mountains 
at an altitude of 4000 feet or more, and has taken several specimens. 

Corvus corax sinuatus. Mexican Raven.— Reported by Dawson 
and Bolles (1909, 5-9) from near Wallula and from the Blue Mountains. 

Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis. Western Crow.— A few were 
. seen June 14, 1914 in willows near Wallula. Dawson (1914, 57) reports 
their presence near Wallula on May 3, 1907. On June 9, 1914, numbers 
were seen along the Touchet River several miles below Lamar. They are 
of occasional occurrence in the timber along the Touchet River near Pres- 
cott. Fairly large flocks have been seen in late summer and early fall in 
yellow pine forests, and in lowland fir and deciduous forests in the Blue 
Mountains. 

Nucifraga columbiana. Cuiark’s Nutcracker.— On July 28, 1914 
several were seen in alpine fir forest on a ridge of the Blue Mountains. 

Molothrus ater artemisie.! Nrvapa Cowsirp.— On June 16, 1914 
a few were noted in the willows along the Walla Walla River near Wallula. 
A number occur in summer near Prescott. They are most numerous in 
the timber along the Touchet River and in meadows, but wander a con- 
siderable distance into the open fields. 

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. YrELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.— 
In 1914, several people reported the occurrence of this species about small 
_swamps near Attalia and Wallula. They are also reported to have been 
seen near Waitsburg and Dayton in company with Red-wings. 

Agelaius phoeniceus neutralis. San Dimco Rep-wina.— Several 
were seen near Nine-mile in early June, 1914, about small cat-tail swamps 
caused by seepage from irrigation ditches. A few are found in summer at 
the edges of streams in the Touchet Valley near Prescott. They often 
feed on the meadows or in open brush not far from water. 

Bendire reported Red-wings as regular winter residents at Walla Walla 
(Allen, 1881, 128), but they have not been observed near Prescott in winter. 
Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: March 8, 1905; April 3, 1906; March 
2, 1908; and March 23, 1913. 

Sturnella neglecta. Wrstern MrapowiarK.— Numerous in early 
June, 1914, on the bunch-grass hills near Wallula and Nine-mile. They 
occurred also in the sage-brush of the lower country near these places, but 
were much less numerous than in the bunch-grass. In the prairie area 
Meadowlarks are common throughout the year. They are characteris- 
tically prairie birds and do not go into thick brush, although they some- 
times alight in the tops of tall trees or feed on the ground in open timber. 

June 24, 1909, a nest with four eggs was found in a meadow two miles 


1 Grinnell, 1909, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., Vol. 5, p. 276. 


150 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. [ fess 


east of Prescott. Another nest containing five eggs was found near the 
same place on June 5, 1918. In a third nest six blind nestlings were found 
July 7, 1915. A young bird able to fly was seen on May 9, 1913. 

Icterus bullocki. Butiock’s Ortotm.— A few were seen in early 
June, 1914 in the willows along the Walla Walla River near Wallula, and 
one was noted in sage-brush a short distance from the river. Near Pres- 
cott they are common in summer wherever trees are found. They may 
also be seen occasionally on fences in the bunch-grass hills a mile or more 
from timber. At Lyon’s Ferry several were seen in late June, 1914, in 
shade and orchard trees. 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are May 11, 1908; and May 14, 1913. 
In 1915 they were still numerous on Aug. 8. They nest commonly in the 
higher trees along the Touchet River. A male accompanied by several 
fledglings was seen July 10, 1915. 

Euphagus cyanocephalus. Brewer's BLAackBirD.— Common in 
early June, 1914 in the willows east of Wallula. These birds commonly 
fed in the sage-brush within a half mile of the river. They are numerous 
in summer near Prescott. During the breeding season they are rather 
closely restricted to the vicinity of brush and swampy places, where they 
nest, but at other times they wander far out into the bunch-grass hills. 
They often follow plows or other farm implements to pick up insects. 

Bendire (1895, 493) reported them a regular winter resident at Walla 
Walla, but there is no record of them in winter near Prescott. Spring 
arrival dates at Prescott are: April 24, 1905; and April 6, 1908. The first 
arrivals appear in flocks of ten to twenty-five individuals. In 1915 they 
were still numerous on Aug. 8. 

Hesperiphona vespertina brooksi.! British CoLumMBIA EVENING 
GrosBEAK.— Irregularly present in winter in the timber along the Touchet 
River near Prescott. In the winter of 1904-05 they were numerous in 
large flocks. In that year they were last noted on April 19. In 1915 they 
first appeared on Nov. 22. A few were reported at Walla Walla between 
April 5 and 10, 1885 (Belding, 1890, 1380). S. H. Lyman states that they 
are numerous in summer in the Blue Mountains, and that young birds 
have been seen in September beside the Touchet River at Dayton. 

In winter at Prescott they commonly feed on sumac seeds, and have no 
difficulty in cracking these hard seeds in their bills. 

Acanthis linaria linaria. Reppoi..— Several specimens at Whitman 
College were taken by 8. H. Lyman in Columbia County. 

Astragalinus tristis pallidus. Pate Goiprincu.— One was taken 
June 15, 1914, in sage-brush not far from the Walla Walla River east of 
Wallula. Near Prescott Goldfinches are common in winter, but are rare 
in summer. They occur at Walla Walla in winter (Belding, 1890, 136). 
One was seen at Lyon’s Ferry on June 23, 1914. In summer they are 


1 Grinnell, Condor, January, 1917, p. 20. 


‘eee Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 151 
closely restricted to the neighborhood of trees and brush, but in winter they 
wander a mile or more out into the bunch-grass. 

A male was seen feeding a fledgling near Prescott on July 11, 1910. 

Spinus pinus pinus. Pine Sisxin.— In the winter of 1904-05 Pine 
Siskins were numerous in small flocks in the trees and brush along the 
Touchet River near Prescott. They fed extensively on the seeds of the 
alder. None were observed later than March 5. They have been noted 
in early spring at Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 139). A specimen from 
Walla Walla in the Whitman College collection was taken March 28, 1905. 
During July and August, 1914 several individuals were seen at the edge of 
the deciduous growth in the bottom of the canyon above Hompeg Falls. 
Others were seen on the ridges in Douglas spruce forest, in thick brush, and 
in open alpine fir forest, being most numerous in the latter. 

Passer domesticus hostilis... ENaitisH Sparrow.— A small flock was 
noted at Prescott in February, 1908. This must have been about the 
date of their first arrival, although they had reached Walla Walla several 
years previously. They have now begun to spread out into the country, 
and a few have been noted around farm houses in the Touchet Valley. 

Pocecetes gramineus confinis. WrsTmrN Vesper SparRrow.— A 
specimen in the collection of Whitman College was taken at Walla Walla 
on April 20, 1904. 

Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus. WESTERN SAVANNAH SPAR- 
row.— Abundant on September 16, 1909, in the bunch-grass and stubble- 
field hills near Prescott. In 1915 they first appeared on Aug. 28 and were 
common in the fields until Sept. 28. A few were seen in open timber. 

Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus. Western GRASSHOPPER 
Sparrow.— Rare in the region near Prescott and not reported from any 
other part of the state (Dice, 1910, 217). A few were seen in June, 1908; 
June, 1910; and May, 1914. They were all seen at the edge of a wheat 
field along the base of a bunch-grass hill bordering the Touchet Valley two 
miles southeast of Prescott. 

Chondestes grammacus strigatus. WersTeRN Lark Sparrow.— In 
June, 1914 a number were seen in the sage-brush near Wallula, being often 
found a mile or more from any other kind of habitat. On the bunch-grass 
hills near Wallula and Nine-mile they were abundant. They are reported 
from Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 148). Near Prescott they are common 
in summer in the open parts of the valley. They do not go among trees, 
~ although they often reach the edge of brush and are found around barns. 
A number were seen at Lyon’s Ferry in June, 1914. 

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli. GamsBe.’s Sparrow.— The type 
locality is Wallula (Nuttall, 1840, 556). During the-spring and fall migra- 
tions they are common in small flocks in the timber and brush along the 
Touchet River near Prescott. In 1908 they first appeared on April 5 and 
were still numerous on April 28. In 1913 they were first noted on April 25 


1 Oberholser, Auk, 1917, p. 329. 


[Apri 


152 Dicer, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 
and were still present on May 15.. In 1915 they first appeared in the fall 
on Sept. 2, and left before Oct. 10. They were present in 1909 on Sept. 17. 
Bendire reported them a regular winter resident at Walla Walla (Allen, 
1881, 128). A number remained throughout the winter of 1907-08 near 
Prescott, but in other years none remained in that region. At Walla 
Walla they are reported a not very common summer resident (Belding, 
1890, 151). As they are not known to breed in Washington this statement 
may be questioned. 

Spizella monticola ochracea. WersteERN TREE Sparrow.— Type 
from Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 228). During the winter of 1907-08 
a few flocks lived for a time in the brush and trees along the Touchet River 
near Prescott. 

Spizella passerina arizone. WrESTERN CHIPPING SPARROW.— 

Abundant in summer along the Touchet River near Prescott. They prefer 
partially open timber or brush, but wander out into fields a half-mile or 
more. In the summer of 1914 they were found commonly in all of the 
forest and brush habitats of the Blue Mountains, from the bottoms of the 
canyons to the tops of the ridges, but were most numerous in brush and 
semi-open places on the ridges. Here large flocks of old and young were 
abundant in early August. 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: April 25, 1905; May 3, 1908; and 
April 18, 1913. In 1915 they were last noted on Sept. 24. 

They nest commonly in the trees and brush near Prescott. A freshly 
completed nest was found on May 8, 1908. Young able to fly were seen 
on June 10, 1908. A nest with nearly fledged young was found July 4, 
1910. On June 26, 1914, from another nest four young flew away when 
approached. On July 6, 1914 an adult was seen feeding a juvenile cowbird. 

Spizella breweri. Brewer’s SpARROw.— Several juveniles were shot 
on the bunch-grass hills southeast of Wallula in early June, 1914. Adults 
and young were numerous in flocks in the bunch-grass on the hills north 
of the Walla Walla River at Nine-mile. In late June a number were seen 
and one specimen collected in the bunch-grass hills near Snake River on 
the road between Prescott and Lyon’s Ferry. 

Junco hyemalis, shufeldti. SHuretptT’s Junco.— Abundant in 
winter in the timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. They first 
appeared in 1915 on Sept. 4, and were abundant by Sept. 11. In 1905 
they were not seen later in the spring than May 1. In 1913 they were still 
present on April 13. In the summer of 1914 they were common every- 
where in the Blue Mountains from the bottoms of the canyons to the 
tops of the ridges, but seemed to be most abundant in buck-brush on the 
ridges. 

Amphispiza nevadensis nevadensis. Sage Sparrow.— Reported 
by Snodgrass (1904, 231) to prevail everywhere in the western part of 
Walla Walla County. In 1914 none were observed near Wallula, but they 
were numerous in flocks in the bunch-grass and grain fields of the Lower 
Flat north of Nine-mile. One nearly grown individual was taken June 17. 


oe | Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. is 


Melospiza melodia merrilli. Merrriti’s Sona Sparrow.— A num- 
ber were seen in early June, 1914, in the willows along the Walla Walla 
River near Wallula. At Prescott they are abundant throughout the year 
in the timber and brush along the Touchet River. Several flocks of young 
accompanied by parents were seen in the first week of August, 1914, in the 
brush along Butte Creek. 

A nest found two miles east of Prescott on July 13, 1915, contained two 
well-feathered young. The nest was placed three feet above the ground 
in an arbor vite (not native) and was loosely woven of weeds and grasses, 
some of which had been picked green. 

Passerella iliaca schistacea. SiaTe-coLoreD Fox Sparrow.— Rare 
in summer in the thickest brush along the Touchet River near Prescott. 
On Aug. 2, 1914, one was seen in low brush in a western larch forest on 
the top of a ridge near Twin Buttes R.S. Another was seen on August 6 
in brush along Butte Creek. 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: March 11, 1905; April 3, 1906; 
and April 14, 1908. 

Pipilo maculatus curtatus.! NevapaA Towner.— A few occur in 
winter in the brush and timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. 
Bendire took specimens at Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 227). 

Zamelodia melanocephala. BLAack-HEADED GRosBEAK.— Several 
were seen in early June, 1914, in the willows along the Walla Walla River 
near Wallula. Near Prescott a few spend the summer along the Touchet 
River. They seem to prefer partially open timber and may often be seen 
in orchard trees. In 1915 they were last seen on Aug. 25. They breed 
at Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 177). 

Passerina amoena. Lazunt Buntinc.— A few were seen early in 
June, 1914, at the edge of the willows along the Walla Walla River near 
Wallula. They are common in the cottonwoods and willows along the 
Touchet River at Prescott. At Walla Walla they are a common summer 
resident (Belding, 1890, 179). 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are May 8, 1908, and April 6, 1913. In 
1915 they were last noted on Sept. 13. 

Piranga ludoviciana. Western TANacer.— Rare in summer in the 
timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. During July and August, 
1914, one was seen in yellow pine forest on a low ridge of the Blue Moun- 
tains; they were common in lowland fir forest near Hompeg Falls; one 
was seen in western larch forest nearby; and several were noted in decidu- 
ous timber beside Butte Creek. 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: May 19, 1906; May 24, 1908; 
and May 14, 1913. 

Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons. Curr Swattow.— Nesting in 
great numbers on the rock cliffs-overlooking Snake River at Lyon’s Ferry. 
On June 23, 1914, many of the young at this place were nearly full fledged. 


1Grinnell, Univ. Cal. Publ. Zool., VII, 309-311, 1911. 


154 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. [ ree 


A few nest in barns and other buildings in the Touchet Valley near Prescott. 
A number of nests were observed on June 17 in a road tunnel under the 
railroad tracks near Lamar. 

Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn SwaLtLow.— One nest was seen on 
June 9, 1914, in a barn near the Walla Walla Rivér at Nine-mile. A few 
also nest in barns near Prescott. Reported to be common at Walla Walla 
in summer (Belding, 1890, 188). 

Tachycineta thalassina lepida. NorTHERN VIOLET-GREEN SWAL- 
Low.— In June, 1914, a number were seen near Wallula, flying over sage- 
brush and over the meadows near the Walla Walla River. One was 
observed drinking from the river while on the wing. A few feed over 
meadows in the Touchet Valley near Prescott. In 1908 they first ap- 

peared near Prescott on April 2. 
- Riparia riparia. Bank Swattow.— A few occur along the Touchet 
River at Prescott. A nest hole was noted May 19, 1914, in a soft dirt 
bank. §S. H. Lyman reports their occurrence at Dayton. 

Stelgidopteryx serripennis. RouGH-wINGED Swa.LLow.— Numer- 
ous in summer over the fields of the valleys near Prescott. They are quite 
often seen to perch in bushes or trees at the edge of the timber or on fences 
or telephone lines. One was taken on May 26, 1914. Reported from 
Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 194). 

Bombycilla garrula. BoHpmran Waxwina.— A flock of 150 was seen 
in the timber near Prescott on Dec. 25, 1908, and a smaller flock noted 
Feb. 26, 1905. S.H. Lyman reports that they occur commonly at Dayton. 
Bendire took specimens at Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 227). 

Bombycilla cedrorum. Crpar Waxwinc.— A small flock was seen 
in timber near Prescott on April 15, 1908. Several individuals were seen 
in cherry trees on June 13. Bendire took specimens at Walla Walla 
(Brewster, 1882, 227). 8. H. Lyman reports that they breed in the Blue 
Mountains. 

Lanius borealis. NorTHERN SHrike.— Bendire took specimens at 
Walla Walla (Brewster, 1882, 227). One was seen in a field of the Touchet 
Valley near Prescott on Nov. 16, 1915. 8S. H. Lyman states that they are 
not uncommon in the region in winter. 

Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides. Wuirn-RUMPED SHRIKE.— 
Numerous during June, 1914, in the sage-brush east of Wallula. A few 
lived near farm buildings. Several were seen in the bunch-grass near the 
tops of the hills north of Nine-mile. They were common in the bunch-grass 
and grain fields of Eureka Flat. 

Vireosylva olivacea. Rep-ryep Vrreo.— Reported not very rare at 
Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 199). Snodgrass (1904, 232) found them 
along the Touchet River in eastern Walla Walla County. S. H. Lyman 
reports that they occur in the Blue Mountains. 

Vireosylva gilva swainsoni. WrsTeRN WARBLING VIREO.— Common 
in summer in the timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. In 1913 
the first arrival was noted April 26. 


Vol. ae | 
1918 


Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 155 

Lanivireo solitarius cassini. Cassin’s Vireo.—S. H. Lyman re- 
ports them to be common in the Blue Mountains in summer. A specimen 
in the Whitman College collection was taken there Sept. 9, 1900. 

Vermivora rubricapilla gutturalis. Cataveras WaARBLER.— Daw- 
son and Bolles (1909, 176) report the appearance of this species at Wallula 
on April 23, 1905. 

Dendroica estiva estiva. Eastern YELLOW WaArBLER.— Several 
were seen in early June, 1914 in the willows along the Walla Walla River 
east of Wallula. They are common in summer in the trees and brush 
along the Touchet River at Prescott. One was seen June 24, 1914, in some 
locust trees planted beside Snake River at Lyon’s Ferry. They are com- 
mon in summer at Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 209). 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: May 19, 1906; May 18, 1908; 
and May 14, 1918. 

Dendroica auduboni auduboni. Avupuson’s WarBLER.— Common 
during migration in the trees along the Touchet River at Prescott. In 
1913 they were first noted on April 19. In 1915 fall migrants appeared on 
Sept. 3. 

Dendroica townsendi. Townsenp’s WaArBLER.— A juvenile was 
seen in an orchard near Prescott on Aug. 8, 1915. A female was collected 
on July 23, 1914, from some bushes in the canyon near Hompeg Falls. 

Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis. GrinNeELL’s WaTEeR-THRUSH.— 
One was seen Sept. 11, 1915, in some shrubbery near the Touchet River 
two miles east of Prescott. The bird was seen at close range and carefully 
studied. . 

Oporornis tolmiei. Macciiivray’s WARBLER.— Numerous in sum- 
mer in the timber along the Touchet River at Prescott. They feed mostly 
on the ground or in very low bushes, but the males go higher to sing. A 
female was taken Aug. 7, 1914, in thick brush beside Butte Creek in the 
Blue Mountains. They were present at Prescott as late as Sept. 3 in 
1905, and in 1915 one was seen Sept. 9. 

Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. WrsteRN YELLOW-THROAT.— 
Occasional in summer in thick brush along the Touchet River at Prescott. 
Reported common in summer at Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 218). In 
1906 males first appeared at Prescott on May 13. 

Icteria virens longicauda. Lonc-rainep CuHar.— Several were 
seen in the willows along the Walla Walla River near Wallula on June 16, 
1914. Near Prescott a number spend the summer in the timber along 
the Touchet River. They are reported from Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 
265). 

Wilsonia pusilla pileolata. PireoLarep WarBLeR.— A few were 
seen May 18, 1913, in trees along the Touchet River east of Prescott. In 
1915 fall migrants appeared Aug. 22, and were common until Sept. 13. 

Setophaga ruticilla. Rrepsrart.— Several were seen during June, 
1908 in the timber along the Touchet River two miles east of Prescott. A 
nest was begun in a pear tree by a female about June 15 and was later 


156 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. Pees 


finished, but no eggs were ever laid in it. Bendire shot an adult male near 
Walla Walla (Brewer, 1880, 50). 

Anthus rubescens. Prerr.— Abundant in flocks on the prairie hills 
near Prescott during migrations. Reported at Walla Walla (Belding, 
1890, 265). A spring record at Prescott is April 29, 1908. In 1909 they 
were noted on Sept. 16. In 1915 they were first noted on Sept. 25 and 
were present until Nov. 7. 

Cinclus mexicanus unicolor. Dipper.— Numerous along the 
streams in the Blue Mountains. In the last week of July, 1914, a number 
were observed on the North Fork of the Touchet River near Hompeg Falls, 
and in the first week of August many were seen along Butte Creek. 

Dumetella carolinensis. CatTsirp.— Several were seen in early 
June, 1914 in the willows along the Walla Walla River east of Wallula. 
They are common in summer in the thick brush along the Touchet River 
near Prescott, and are sometimes found in orchards. Reported rare at 
Walla Walla in 1885 (Belding, 1890, 226). 

Spring arrival dates at Prescott are: May 31, 1908; and May 24, 1914. 
In 1915 they were still present on Aug. 31. 

Salpinctes obsoletus obscletus. Rock Wren.— Numerous in early 
June, 1914, on a rocky hillside southeast of Wallula. Several, including a 
fledgling just able to fly, were seen June 16 in a little ravine in the bunch- 
grass of anearby hillside. In late June, 1914, they were numerous about the 
rock cliffs and slopes near Lyon’s Ferry, and a few were seen in the adjacent 
bunch-grass. On Sept. 16, 1909, one was collected from a fence on a hill 
southeast of Prescott. In late July, 1914, several were seen about rock 
exposures on the sides of the canyon near Hompeg Falls. 

Troglodytes aédon parkmani. Western Houst Wren.— A num- 
ber spend the summer in the timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. 
Spring arrival dates are: May 3, 1905; April 9, 1909; and April 21, 1913. 
In 1915 they were last noted on Aug. 25. 

Nests were found May 13, 1906, and June 18, 1913, both in holes in de- 
caying limbs of cherry trees. Another nest on a sill in a farm building held 
six naked young on July 1, 1915. ; 

Nannus hiemalis pacificus. WrsTerRN WINTER WREN.— Common 
during late July, 1914, in the lowland fir forest at Hompeg Falls. One was 
seen on July 29 in damp Douglas spruce forest near the top of the ridge at 
Twin Buttes R. 8S. In 1915 migrants appeared near Prescott on Sept. 8, 
and the species was last seen on Oct. 13. 

Telmatodytes palustris plesius. WrsterN MarsH Wren.— Re- 
ported from Walla Walla by Oberholser (1897, 189). One was seen Aug. 
5, 1914, in the brush at the edge of a small beaver-dam swamp beside Butte 
Creek. 

Certhia familiaris montana. Rocky Mountain CrrEeEPER.— A 
number were present during December, 1908 in the trees along the Touchet 
River east of Prescott. In the winter of 1915 they first appeared on Dec. 
11. A female and a flock of young were seen July 26, 1914, in lowland fir 


Sion | Dicz, Birds of Southeastern Washington. aye 


timber near Hompeg Falls. The female had the tail feathers worn down 
to stubs not over three-fourths of an inch in length. 

Sitta carolinensis aculeata. SienpeR-Bintep NutTHatcH.— One 
was seen Aug. 7, 1913, in a cherry orchard east of Prescott. A specimen 
from the Blue Mountains is in the Whitman College collection. 

Sitta canadensis. Rep-Breastep NutTHatcu.— Occasional, except 
perhaps in summer, in the timber along the Touchet River near Prescott. 
In 1908 they were still at Prescott on June 20, and in 1915 the first was seen 
Sept. 5. In late July and early August, 1914, numbers were noted on the 
ridges of the Blue Mountains. They were numerous in western larch and 
in Douglas spruce, and one was seen in alpine fir forest. 

Sitta pygmea pygmezea. Pycmy Nutsatcu.— Reported common in 
the forests of the Blue Mountains in Columbia County by 8. H. Lyman, 
who has examined two or three nests. 

Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis. LonG-TaiLep CHICKADEE. 
— Several were seen in the willows along the Walla Walla River east of 
Wallula in early June, 1914. At Prescott they are a common resident in 
the timber along the Touchet River. In late July, 1914, they were common 
in lowland fir forest near Hompeg Falls. One flock was seen on Aug. 5 
in the brush beside Butte Creek. 

Nests in process of construction have been found near Prescott on April 
7, 1906; April 9, 1906; April 9, 1918; and April 10, 1918. In each case 
the nest was excavated in the decayed wood of orchard or shade trees. In 
early June, 1908 several flocks of nearly fledged young accompanied by 
both parents were seen. 

The process of nest excavation was watched for a short time on April 10, 
1914. This nest was being excavated in the rotten heart of a pear tree, 
and entrance was obtained through the end of a stub about four feet from 
the ground. The male and female took part equally in the work, and the 
labors were continued throughout the day. A vigorous pecking could be 
heard while either bird was at work. The excavated material was carried 
in the bill a distance of ten yards or more from the nest before being dropped. 
It was not dropped in the same place each time, but was scattered over a 
wide area. Usually the birds alighted on some branch before dropping 
the debris, but sometimes it was dropped while the bird was flying. As 
soon as one bird left the hole the other entered immediately. Sometimes 
the bird outside had to wait a short time. Between 12 M. and 1 P. M. the 
average time each bird spent in the nest hole was thirty seconds and the 
shortest time four seconds. 

Penthestes gambeli gambeli. Mountain CuickapEr.—In the 
winter of 1905-06 several flocks lived in the trees along the Touchet River — 
east of Prescott. They did not associate with the long-tailed chickadees, 
but the two species fought when they met. In the summer of 1914 several 
were seen on the high ridges of the Blue Mountains in alpine fir forest, in 
western larch forest, and in Douglas spruce forest. Some were seen in 
yellow pine and in Douglas spruce forests on the low ridges near Hompeg 
Falls, but none were observed in the canyons. 


158 Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. he 
Penthestes rufescens rufescens. CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE.— 
During the winter of 1905-06 several were seen in the timber along the 
Touchet River east of Prescott. Often they were associated with flocks 
of long-tailed chickadees. On July 23, 1914, one was seen with a flock of 
Long-tailed Chickadees in lowland fir forest near Hompeg Falls. 

Regulus satrapa olivaceus. WrSTERN GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.— 
Numerous in the fall at Prescott, arriving on Sept. 13, in 1905, and on Sept. 
9 in 1915. In 1906 a flock was seen on Dec, 26. In late July, 1914, flocks 
of young accompanied by parents were numerous in lowland fir forest near 
Hompeg Falls, and a few were seen in Douglas spruce forest on the moun- 
tain slopes. Others were observed in alpine fir forest on the higher ridges. 

Regulus calendula calendula. Ruspy-crowNED KineueT.— Num- 
erous in winter in the timber along the Touchet River at Prescott. Indi- 
viduals are often associated with flocks of long-tailed chickadees. In 
1908 they were still present on April 12. In 1913 they were numerous and 
in song on April 18. In 1915 the first fall arrival appeared Sept. 6. 

Myadestes townsendi. TowNnsEenp’s Souirarre.— A number remained 
throughout the winters of 1904-05 and 1905-06 in the timber along the 
Touchet River east of Prescott. In 1905 they were last seen on April 5. 
At the edge of Douglas spruce forest on a low slope near Hompeg Falls 
several were seen on July 23, 1914. One of these was carrying food in its 
bill. One was seen in open alpine fir forest on the ridge near Twin Buttes 
R.S. on July 31. 

Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni. OLive-BAcKED THRUSH.— Reported 
from Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 253). Noted in lowland fir forest near 
Hompeg Falls in late July, 1914. 

Hylocichla guttata subsp. Hrrmir THrusH.— Reported common in 
summer at Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 254). 8. H. Lyman reports them 
quite common in the Blue Mountains. One was seen among shrubs near 
the Touchet River east of Prescott on Sept. 11, 1915. 

Planesticus migratorius propinquus. Western Roprn.— In early 
June, 1914, a number were seen in the willows along the Walla Walla River 
east of Wallula. In the prairie area of Walla Walla and Columbia counties 
they are abundant in summer in the meadows and timber along the streams. 
They range a mile or more out into the bunch-grass hills and often are found 
in trees about isolated farm houses. A few remain throughout the winter. 
During the breeding season they may often be seen at the edge of the river 
securing mud to plaster their nests. In the late summer of 1914 a few 
were seen in yellow pine forest near Hompeg Falls and in the same kind of 
forest on a low ridge near the Oregon line. On the ridge near Twin Buttes 
R.§. they were seen in western larch forest. On Butte Creek they were 
numerous in the deciduous timber. One was seen in a small opening in 
the lowland fir forest near Hompeg Falls. 

The main migration appeared at Prescott in 1905 during the last week 
of February. In 1915 they had nearly all left before Sept. 1. In 1906 a 
blizzard began on March 10, when the early spring migration was in full 


Esa Dice, Birds of Southeastern Washington. 159 


swing, and on March 15 the temperature reached as low as -1° F. at 
Prescott. With the ground partly covered by snow, thousands died before 
the weather moderated. 

A nest found on April 23, 1906, two miles east of Prescott in an apple tree, 
contained one egg. On April 27 there were three eggs and later another 
was added. On May 3 one of the eggs was missing and the nest contained 
the headless body of a White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus 
gambelii), which the robin was brooding with the eggs. On May 6 all the 
eggs were gone and the nest deserted. Another nest was found on April 28, 
1906, and still another on May 13. On May 2, 1908, a freshly completed 
nest was found 20 feet high in a locust tree. One egg was laid between 
8:30 and 9:15 A. M.on May 4. Another egg was laid between 9:30 and 
10:30 A. M. on May 5. The female was disturbed while on the nest late 
on this evening and the nest was abandoned. On May 8, 1908, three nests, 
all in the last stages of construction, were found. Half-fledged and. nearly- 
fledged young were abundant in early June, 1908. On April 9, 1913, a nest 
nearly completed was found. In 1915 a nest containing fully-fledged young 
was seen June 30. On May 18, 1908, a nest containing one egg was found 
on a post in a barn in the hills southwest of Prescott. On May 28 it con- 
tained four eggs. This nest was constructed of string, horse hair, and 
straw, but, probably owing to the scarcity of water, very little mud was 
used to plaster the nest. 

Ixoreus nevius nevius. Varinp THrusH.— During the blizzard 
of early March, 1906, great numbers appeared near Prescott and many 
were killed. One was seen on April 1, 1913, and another on April 20 in 
the trees along the Touchet River. In 1915 they were noted rarely from 
Nov. 7 to Dec. 3. S. H. Lyman has seen them in the Blue Mountains in 
the fall and says they often appear in winter at Dayton. 

Sialia mexicana occidentalis. WrsterN Buiursirp.— Reported 
at Walla Walla (Belding, 1890, 262). From Noy. 13 to 15, 1915, a small 
flock was observed in an open field of the Touchet Valley and at the edge 
of timber near Prescott. On July 23, 1914, several were seen in yellow pine 
forest near Hompeg Falls. 

Sialia currucoides. Mounrarin Briuresrrp.— Dawson and_ Bolles 
(1909, 260) give a breeding record for Wallula. One was seen June 18, 
1914, on a telephone post in the prairie near Eureka. They occur sparingly 
in summer in the bunch-grass hills in the neighborhood of Prescott, and 
some are reported to breed in the town. In late July and early August, 
1914 numbers were seen in open alpine fir forest on high ridges of the Blue 
Mountains, and a few were seen in yellow pines on a lower ridge. 

Spring arrival dates near Prescott are March 14, 1905 and March 4, 1908. 


160 Dicer, Birds of Southeastern Washington. Fes 
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
ALLEN, J. A. 
1881. Winter birds of Fort Walla Walla, W. T. Bull. Nutt. Orn. 
Club, 6, 128. 


BELDING, LYMAN. 
1890. Land birds of the Pacifie district. Occas. Papers Calif. Acad. 
Sci., 2, 274 pp. 
Benpire, C. E. 
1888. Notes on the habits, nests, and eggs of the genus Sphyrapicus 
Baird. Auk, 5, 225-240. 
1888a. Notes on the habits, nests, and eggs of the genus Glaucidium 
Boie. Auk, 5, 366-372. 
1892. Life-histories of North American birds, with special reference 
to their breeding habits and eggs. Smithsonian Contrib. 
Knowl., 28, x + 446 pp., 12 col. pls. 
1895. Ibid. From the parrots to the grackles. Smithsonian Con- 
trib. Knowl., 32, x + 518 pp., 7 col. pls. 
Brewer, T. M. 
1880. The Redstart in Washington Territory. Bull. Nutt. Orn. 
Club, 5, p. 50. 
BREWSTER, W. 
1882. Notes on some birds collected by Capt. Charles Bendire at 
Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory. Bull. Nutt. Orn. 
Club, 7, 225-233. 


Dawson, W. L. 
1908. New and unpublished records from Washington. Auk, 26, 
482-485. 


1914. An Asionine ruse. Condor, 16, 56-57. 
Dawson, W. L., AnD Bowtss, J. H. 
1909. The birds of Washington. (Occidental Publ. Co., Seattle) 
2 vol., xiv + 997 pp., numerous unnumbered pls. and figs. 
Dice, Ler R. 
1910. New records for the State of Washington. Auk, 27, 217-218. 
1915. First specimens of Baird Sandpiper from the State of Wash- 
ington. Condor, 17, 60. 
1916. Distribution of the land vertebrates of southeastern Wash- 
ington. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zodl., 16, 293-348, pls. 24-26, 
2 figs. 
NvutTrauL, THOMAS. 
1840. Manual of the ornithology of the United States and Canada. 
The land birds. Ed. 2, with additions, (Hilliard, Boston), 
villi + 832 pp., 54 figs. 
OBERHOLSER, H. C. 
1897. Critical remarks on Cistothorus palustris (Wils.) and its west- 
ern allies. Auk, 14, Hanae: 


cane | Bayuiss, The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 161 


1904. A revision of the American Great Horned Owls. Proc. U.S. 

Natl. Mus., 27, 177-192. 
Ripveway, R. 

1914. The birds of North and Middle America. U.S. Natl. Mus., 

Bull., 50, part 6, xx + 882 pp., 36 pls. 
Snoperass, Ropert E. 

1904. A list of land birds from central and southeastern Washington. 

Auk, 21, 223-233. 
TOWNSEND, J. K. 

1839. Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains to the 
Columbia River, and a visit to the Sandwich Islands, Chili, 
etc.; with a scientific appendix. (H. Perkins, Philadelphia), 
vill (9) 352 pp. 


A STUDY OF THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 
BY CLARA KERN BAYLISS. 


On July 24, 1916, I found a Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s nest, with 
the bird incubating, ten feet from the ground on the horizontal 
branch of a small elm. Not having my “periscope” (an adjust- 
able mirror at the top of a bamboo pole) with me, I assisted a little 
girl who had accompanied me, to climb the tree; and she reported 
that the nest contained three green eggs, one of them smaller and 
darker than the other two. As seen through the mirror next day 
I should describe the smaller as bluish-green and the others as 
greenish-blue. 

July 29, at 6.30 P. M. the eggs were there as usual and the bird 
remained on the nest until I was almost under her, giving me an 
opportunity to note her yellow bill and her graceful, horizontal 
flight as she slipped noiselessly into another tree. The following 
day was Sunday and was exceedingly hot as was Monday fore- 
noon. In the afternoon of Monday, July 31, there was a severe 
storm and the nest was not visited until the forenoon of Aug. 1, 
when there were three young birds in it, all black as ink, the two 
larger with black hairs (or quill cases) and the smaller with white 


162 Bayuiss, The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. hess 


ones, on the body. A camera was strapped to the trunk of the 
tree and a photograph taken which shows the white “hairs” of 
the one. 

The birds were certainly one day old and may have hatched on 
July 30. When jarred, they made a faint hissing or buzzing like 
that of a bee. Thinking the little white-haired birdling might be 
crowded off the frail platform, I took one of the larger birds home 
with me; and of that I shall speak later. 

Toward evening Aug. 4, they were still there though the white- 
haired one was crowded to the edge of the nest with the big one 
lying partly upon him. At sundown Aug. 6, only the black-haired 
one was there, no trace of the other being discernible. 

The remaining one was now larger and farther developed than 
his mate in my home and by this time had a few white quills on his 
back. He moved about uneasily and seemed to have his eyes 
open, but of that I could not be sure, looking through the mirror. 
He pushed himself to the edge and voided excreta upon the weeds 
below the tree where, contrary to the observations of Jean Stratton 
Porter, there were seven or eight droppings. 

On the evening of Aug. 8 the nest was empty. The old bird 
was near, but manifested less rather than more of her customary 
anxiety, if so calm and dignified a bird can be said ever.to exhibit 
anxiety. She called no more than usual and gradually worked 
her way farther from the tree instead of remaining near to watch 
my movements. It scarcely seemed probable that the young one 
could have been able to leave the nest even if, after the way of his 
species, his feathers had burst into bloom all in one day. He was 
eight and a half, and may have been nine and a half days old, and 
it is barely possible that he may have departed without protest 
and without tragedy. Among the sticks of the shallow platform 
which had served him for a cradle were bits of the shell that had 
encased him, now faded almost to robin’s-egg blue. The voice of 
the parent was heard in the vicinity for three or four weeks longer. 

The bird I took home to study was as ugly a specimen as could 
well be; black from tip to toe except the dark wine-colored under 
mandible and edges of the upper one; big bodied; stupid in the 
morning and voracious in the afternoon; voiding instantly after 
swallowing; making that faint hissing and a little quirt, qurt; 


Pees | Bayuiss, The Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 163 


sleeping with head laid flat before him like an alligator, and occa- 
sionally moving it from side to side in serpent-like manner;— 
utterly ugly except his mouth which when wide open, was cup- 
shaped and red, with cream-colored knobs in it, making it look like 
a red flower with sessile yellowish stamens. The legs were black, 
the toes were black, two of them standing forward, two back, like 
the toes of a woodpecker. The wings were little flat, crooked 
sticks such as might be sawed out of a black shingle; and he let 
them hang down like legs, even using them to prop himself up, 
and two or three times fairly standing on “all fours.”” When he 
ate he sat up as straight as a Penguin, resting on the back part of 
his body, tarsi flat out in front of him and toes clutching the flannel 
cloth in the bottom of his box, to balance himself. When he raised 
his head there was a perpendicular line from the tip of his bill 
down the under part of his body to the box in which he sat. 

After three days he began to fold his wings to his sides and now 
and then to stretch and finally to flap them. The hissing gradually 
merged toward the hungry cry of young birds when being fed. 
The cilize on the edges of his wings and tail became bristles and then 
tiny white-tipped feather-cases; and from his chin down each side of 
his bare under body, curving upward to the tail, came three or four 
overlapping rows of minute white quills or feather cases, making 
him look when sitting up as if he had on a cut-away coat. These 
began to show Aug. 3, when he was four, possibly five days old. 
He uttered his little quirt and the buzzing sound without opening 
his mouth. The former he ceased to make on Aug. 4 and 5, but the 
latter became louder and was uttered when he ate and whenever 
his box was touched, whether he raised his head or not. 

He lacked regurgitated food and brooding, and every morning 
was so dumpish that he seemed about to die. But toward night he 
became as lively and as hungry as ever. Yet he was not thriving 
as well as the one in the nest and it was my intention to exchange 
the two; — but he circumvented me. 

At first he was fed on large caterpillars from a laurel oak; later 
on berries and the larve from cabbages. He did not seem to relish 
water or the white of egg and worked his bill and his black tipped 
tongue as if trying to spit it out. Flies were his specialty, so I 
secured a quantity that had been scalded and emptied out of a trap. 


164 Luoyp, Extraction of Fat from Bird-Skins. [ on 


They were dry and hard, but after wetting them I gave him all 
he wanted, which was as much as a large tablespoonful. That 
was unwise, but he was voracious. Next morning, Aug. 6, he 
was only slightly more inert than usual, but could scarcely swallow 
a cabbage worm. When given a little juice from blackberries, 
much to my surprise, he lay over on his side, and died.— And he 
had never opened his eyes on the troubles of this world. 


| 


THE EXTRACTION OF FAT FROM BIRD-SKINS. 
BY HOYES LLOYD. 


Many valuable bird-skins are rapidly deteriorating, and this 
work was undertaken with a view to discover a simple method to 
stop the decomposition of existing specimens and to enable us to 
prepare specimens which will not decompose from the same causes, 
in the years to come. If this method succeeds in preventing the 
imminent total destruction of type specimens and specimens of 
extinct species, as well as many others of value to the ornithologist 
I shall be amply rewarded. 

The decay of bird-skins is due, apparently, to the presence of fat. 
This fat gradually spreads over the entire specimen and even 
saturates the label, in time making it illegible. The fat itself dis- 
colors the specimen and every particle of dust with which the 
specimen comes in contact adheres to the fat, thus increasing the 
discoloration. Finally, we have a dirty, greasy bird-skin; the 
feathers are matted and adhere to each other in groups and the 
specimen does not resemble the living bird in the slightest degree. 
Then the fat decomposes, perhaps very slowly, and the fatty acids 
produced slowly attack the skin itself and gradually it falls to 
pieces and is utterly destroyed. 

Washing or wiping the specimen with solvents for fats is only a 


166 Luoyp, Extraction of Fat from Bird-Skins. ligea 


subterfuge and, as all the fat is not removed, the decomposition 
still continues. 

The method which I have found successful consists in washing, 
soaking and extracting the specimen with automatically repeated 
doses of the freshly distilled fat solvent. It is an adaptation of the 
Soxhlet extraction apparatus of the chemist. By this method the 
entire bird-skin, including the skin, feathers, beak, feet and label, 
is rendered chemically free from fat, the decomposition due to fat 
is checked completely, and the future existence of the specimen is 
probably assured. 

_ The apparatus used is shown in the figure. The one represented 
is made of glass connected by ground in joints. Cold water is 
supplied to the invert condenser and heat is supplied to the flask 
of solvent by an electric light bulb or by an electric hot plate pro- 
vided with a rheostat so that the temperature can be adjusted. Do 
not use a flame to heat the flask, as the solvent, ethyl-ether, (C2H;)20 
is inflammable and explosive when mixed with air; it boils at 35° C. 

The specimen to be cleaned is placed in the extraction chamber, 
the apparatus is closed, enough ether is poured in the opening in 
the top of the condenser to charge the syphon twice, and the opening 
covered with a funnel or loose cap. It must not be closed tight. 
Then the water is turned into the condenser and the current for 
the heating apparatus is turned on. Sufficient heat is being sup- 
plied when the liquid boils gently. 

The ether vapor goes around by way of the by-pass into the 
condenser, is condensed and falls on the specimen. When the 
extraction chamber is full of solvent, the first extracting charge 
syphons automatically into the flask below and carries with it all 
the fat which it has dissolved. As the operation continues, the 
specimen is repeatedly washed with freshly distilled ether until 
not a vestige of fat remains. ‘Two or three hours should complete 
the operation, but the apparatus can safely be left in operation all 
night, if it is carefully set up and if the heating apparatus is cor- 
rectly adjusted. 

The operation is completed when the solvent, after passing over 
the specimen, remains perfectly colorless. 

‘Before opening the apparatus, turn off the heating unit and allow 
the ether to cool thoroughly. This can be hastened by immersing 


Pie | Luoyp, Extraction of Fat from Bird-Skins. 167 


the bottom flask in water or in ice water. The ventilation of the 
room should be good, as the inhaling of ether produces headache 
and, finally, anesthesia. Remove the specimen and place it on 
clean absorbent cotton. Dry with a gentle blast of clean air, or 
in a current of clean air. The feathers can be adjusted during 
drying. Any dirt which had adhered to the fat will blow away as 
dust. Cornmeal, used as ar absorbent in the preparation of skins 
which were later cleaned by this method, fell out of the plumage 
like sand, or was carried off by the air blast. 

This apparatus can be made of copper, if a large number of skins 
are to be cleaned, and it can then be of considerable size and the 
extraction chamber packed with specimens. If made of copper, 
the top of the extraction chamber and condenser should be remov- 
able. The joint where the cover with condenser attached joins 
the extraction chamber must be gas-tight. In the copper appa- 
ratus there should be a pipe provided with a stop-cock connecting 
the bottom of the extraction chamber with the distillation flask. 
The stop-cock should be closed during the extracting, but can be 
opened to drain the ether from the extraction chamber before the 
chamber is opened. In using a metal apparatus, the length of 
time required for complete extraction of the fat will have to be 
judged by experience. In the glass apparatus, the color of the 
solvent in the extraction chamber indicates when the extraction 
is complete. 

All skins must be dry before being subjected to this process. 
If it is necessary to relax a skin before extracting, dry it temporarily 
in a shape to fit the extractor, extract it, relax after ether has 
evaporated and set again. 

Newly made skins known to be greasy can be treated as soon as 
dry. The ether does not relax the skin in the slightest degree. 
Some arsenic may be washed from the skin by mechanical action, 
but sufficient will be left to render the bird-skin safe from insect 
attacks. 

The use of such other solvents as petroleum ether, gasoline and 
carbon tetrachloride for extracting fat can be experimented with 
to advantage, using this apparatus. 

The author has used this method on the following specimens, 
with the result recorded. After treatment, the specimens were 


168 Luoyp, Extraction of Fat from Bird-Skins. Fes 


compared with duplicates and the color of the plumage was normal 
in each case. 


Agialitis semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover, Toronto, Canada, 
1905. 
Condition. Greasy and dirty, the feathers stuck together 
with fat; discolored, dusty. 
Result. Entire plumage clean, feathers beneath, fluffy 
and white. 
Charadrius dubius dubius. Philippines, 1909. 
Condition. Mouldy, greasy and stained with blood. 
Result. Entire plumage clean, breast feathers which were 
exposed to air still rusty, ones covered by wings perfectly 
white. 
Timonites ruficollis. Japan, 1895. 
Condition. Dirty, breast greasy and yellow. 
Result. Entire plumage clean and fluffy breast almost free 
from yellow. 
Pelidna alpina. Scotland, 1873. 
Condition. Practically in the last stages of fatty decomposi- 
tion; feathers hard. 
Result. Clean and free from grease, feathers soft. 


In order to determine whether or not this solvent had any de- 
colorizing effect, a series of experiments was made. A number 
of hummingbird skins were immersed in ether for one and one-half 
hours, dried and compared with duplicates; a number of feathers 
were taken from bird skins, immersed in ether for one and one-half 
hours, and compared with feathers from_the same area on the bird- 
skin from which they were taken; and a number of larger feathers 
were cut in two, one half immersed in ether for one and one-half 
hours and compared with the untreated portion of the same feather. 
The tests were made with a view to variety in color. The results 
are summarized _ below. 


ais | Luoyp, Extraction of Fat from Bird-Skins. 169 


Errect oF IMMERSION IN ETHER ON FEATHER PIGMENTS. 


SPECIES * PorTION CoLor EFFECT 


Chrysolampis mosquitus Whole Iridescent red | None 
and gold 
Iridescent scarlet 
orange 
Iridescent scarlet 
orange 

Metallic green 
and metallic blue 
Various browns 


Selasphorus alleni 


Selasphorus rufus 


Petasophora cyanota cabanidis 


Munia maja 


Piranga erythromelas @ Back feathers | Scarlet 
Piranga erythromelas 9 Side of breast | Yellow & 
feathers 
Melopsittacus undulatus Upper tail cov- | Green € 
ert feathers 
Dendroica fusca Breast feathers | Orange & 
Chlorophanes spiza exsul Back feathers | Metallic blue s 
green 
Sporophila corvina Secondary Jet black ‘ 
Setophaga ruticilla Side of breast | Orange salmon re 
feathers 
Phoenicurus phosnicurus Rump feathers | Rufous brown « 
Tanagra cana Half primary | Blue edging e 
Stoparola melanops Half secondary | Blue ‘ 
CONCLUSION. 


The method given will absolutely remove fat from bird-skins. 
Damage caused by decomposition which has already occurred 
cannot be remedied, but an application of this method will stop 
all further decomposition due to fat. By removing dirt adhering 
to the grease, the true colors of the plumage can be seen and studied. 

Valuable specimens, type specimens and specimens of extinct 
species can be protected by this process and will have their existence 
assured for a much greater period of time. 

My sincere thanks are due to Mr. J. H. Fleming for’ providing 
specimens for the work and for deciding whether or not color 
changes occurred as a Pesult of the action of the solvent. 


ry 


res 


170 Norton, Hvening Grosbeak in Maine. April 


THE EVENING GROSBEAK (HESPERIPHONA VESPER- 
TINA) IN MAINE, WITH REMARKS ON ITS 
DISTRIBUTION. 


BY ARTHUR H. NORTON. 


LIKE the other states east of New York, Maine, so far as known, 
was first visited by the Evening Grosbeak during the well chron- 
icled flight of 1889-90,! when between the dates of Jan. 10 and 
March 18, 1890 six specimens were detected according to the fol- 


lowing records: A male was seen at Orono, Feb. 28, 1890;? two 


were seen at Bangor, one a female having been taken, March 18, 
1890.2. One was taken by S. L. Crosby “near Bangor” in the 
spring of 1890;4 a male was taken at Bates College campus, 
Lewiston, Jan. 10, 1890;° and a specimen was taken at Fryeburg, 
without data being preserved.® 

During the next nineteen years no report appears for this state, 
though the birds were detected east of New York in very small 
numbers on several occasions, as Massachusetts during the season 
of 1903-04,’ and in Connecticut in 1905 and 1907.8 

In the late winter or early spring of 1909 an adult male was taken 
in the Woodfords section of Portland.° 

Since that time its occurrence in Maine has been frequent and 
during the winters of 1915-1916 and 1916-1917, it was actually 
abundant, and widely distributed. 

On November 10, 1910 Miss Adeline Willis saw three in Bridg- 


ton.® 


1See especially Auk, 1890, Vol. VII. Forest and Stream, 1890, Vol. XXXIV. Orni- 
thologist and Odlogist, 1890, Vol. XV. Also Butler, Auk, 1892, IX: 238-247, and Proc. 
Canadian Inst. 1890-91, iii, pp. 76-89. ; 

21890: Fernald, Orn. & Obl. XV: 46. 

31890: Shepherd, Ool. VII: 86. 

41890: Call, O6l. VII: 252. 

51891: Walter, Birds of Androscoggin Co., 14. 

61897: Knight, Bull. 3, U. of M., 89. Knight also reported, one, p. 90, “Seen by S. L. 
Crosby ’”’ which was taken at Brewer, but with the probability that it is the same bird 
recorded by Call 1890, I have not treated it as a separate record. 

71904: Nichols, Auk, X XI: 81, and Brown, Ibid., 385. 

81905: Hutchins, Bird Lore VII: 173, 174. 1907: Bruen, Wils. Bull. XIX: 162. 

91909: Rich, Journ. Me. Orn. Soc. X1: 26. 

101911: Willis, Bird-Lore, XIII: 93. Unfortunately this record was editorially antici- 
pated, Bird-Lore, XIII: 48, and given as Naples. 


ae v| Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. i erga 

In 1912-13 another flight to the northeastern states was noticed 
and though not a large one, the following Maine reports came to 
hand:— A flock at Machias in November, 1912, was seen by Mr. 
John Powers and positively identified, and some numbers were 
observed elsewhere in Washington, and in Aroostook Counties that 
winter! The same season Miss Harriette Abbott recorded a flock 
of twenty at Fairfield (in the Kennebec Valley), March 2 which 
remained about three weeks.2, On March 22, 1913, Mrs. Wm. I. 
Hacker saw three females in a Rowan tree by her window in the 
Deering Center section of Portland. On the same date and for 
several succeeding days, on the grounds of the Swedenborgian 
church in Bath, Miss Nellie F. Dunton reports several as having 
been seen. On March 29, 1913 Mrs. F. M. Ray observed an adult 
male and four dull colored companions in Saccarappa Cemetery, 
Westbrook, and on April 1 she found eleven there, two of which 
were adult males. A few hours later with her guidance, I saw nine 
at the same place, one being an adult male. Mrs. Ray kept a 
careful watch but saw no more until April 3 when the birds made 
their last appearance there for the season. 

The following season, 1913-14, Mr. Freelan Howe reported four- 
teen at South Paris, late in December,® while Mr. Nathan C. Brown 
observed and recorded seven at Western Cemetery, Portland, on 
April 16, 1914.4 

The season of 1915-1916 was remarkable for the great migration 
of Evening Grosbeaks, extending from Minnesota® to St. Stephen, 
New Brunswick,® and from Montreal’ to Pennsylvania.’ 

The reports from New York and the New England states, for 
this winter published in ‘The Auk’ and ‘ Bird-Lore’ are too numer- 
ous to mention in this connection. Throughout Maine, where 
reports could be obtained, the birds were observed in various 
numbers, showing that very large numbers visited the State. The 
following extracts from letters will show something of the extent 


1W. L. Powers in letter. 

21913: Abbott, Bird-Lore, XV: 309. 

31914: Howe, Bird-Lore, XVI: 27. 

41915: Brown, Auk, XXXII: 102. 

51916: Roberts, Occ. Papers Geol. & N. H. Sury. Minn., Zool. Diy. No. 1. 
61916: Burnett, Bird-Lore, X VIII: 180. 

71916: Gammell, Can. Rec. Sci. IX: 483-488. 

81916: Gage, Auk, XXXIII: 325. 


if72 Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. es 


of this migration, and of the numbers of birds observed at different 
places in the State. 

ARoostTooK County.— Mr. L. W. Robbins writing from Houlton, 
April 4, 1916, states: “About three weeks ago I saw a flock of six, 
two in mature plumage. There is not the slightest doubt of their 
presence in large numbers in this part of the state this winter.” 

WASHINGTON CountTy.— Mr. Clarence H. Clark of Lubec, 
wrote:— “January first to April first, several small flocks visited 
Eastern Maine and were seen at Millbridge, Steuben, Machias, 
Calais and Lubec.” Prof. Wm. L. Powers principal of the Wash- 
ington (County) Normal School, wrote on April 10:— “We have 
had a large flock of Evening Grosbeaks here in Machias since 
February: the largest number reported to me by any one person 
is seventeen seen at one time.” 

Hancock County.— In the same letter Prof. Powers stated that 
one had been reported to him from Sullivan. 

On March 19, 1916 Miss Cordelia J. Stanwood wrote from Ells- 
worth that she had seen a male that day, and the birds had been 
reported in town for about three weeks. Mrs. Augusta (W. H.) 
Gardiner of Bucksport wrote:— “I first saw the birds on Decem- 
ber 31, 1915. There were but two of them. In January, 1916, 
small flocks numbering from four or five to a dozen were seen. 
....About February 17 they seemed to increase in numbers to 
forty or fifty: they stayed through April and along into May, my 
latest date is May 11, [1916].” 

PEnosscot County.— Jan. 13, 1916, Dr. Wallace Craig at 
Orono, wrote: “Two of us saw a flock of Evening Grosbeaks here 
yesterday.” Dr. Craig furnished a carefully prepared copy of 
observations in his possession showing date, place, number of 
birds and name of observer. This report shows dates between 
Jan. 12 and April 10, 1916, at Orono, chiefly on the State Uni- 
versity campus, and at Bangor and Stillwater. Twenty is the 
largest number reported (seen March 5), in the list, with miost of 
the definite numbers ranging between this number and ten. 

The list shows the larger numbers to have been obgerved from 
March 4 (eighteen) to March 19 (fifteen). Norman Lewis in the 
“Bangor Commercial’ for April, 1916 published a signed letter 
reporting over a hundred seen at Hampden. Later in ‘ Bird-Lore’ 


) ad Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. 173 
Mr. Lewis! stated that they were first seen in Hampden, March 17 
and remained until April 26, and that the large flock mentioned was 
seen on April 1. 

SomERSET County.— On April 16, 1916 Mr. J. Merton Swain, 
who travels extensively in south central Maine, reported Evening 
Grosbeaks in the following Somerset County towns:— Bingham, 
Flagstaff, New Portland, North Anson, Pittsfield, Solon, and 
Skowhegan, in flocks of from ten or fifteen to forty and fifty, with 
adult males predominating. 

KENNEBEC County—From Mr. Arch Hiram Morrell, of 
Gardiner, we have the information that the birds were noticed in 
Gardiner about the first of March, remaining as late as April 20. 
The first flock contained eight, about half males, while the largest 
flock seen at his place, on April 5, contained over seventeen birds. 
Mr. Morrell states, “about half were always males.” In a later 
letter, he states that some remained until May 17. 

On May 7, 1916, Miss Dora M. Norton, whose home is in Gardi- 
ner, wrote that a flock had been near her home “for something like 
two weeks when I left home nearly two weeks ago.” There were 
twenty-five or thirty of “the birds. Mr. Alton S. Pope reported 
two seen at Manchester, March 11 and stated that they had been 
reported from Augusta and Winthrop. Mr. J. Merton Swain 
(April 16) stated that he had seen flocks in Mt. Vernon, Readfield 
and Waterville. 

Knox County.— June 12, 1916, Mrs. Adelaide C. Bird, of Rock- 
land, reported in full the bird’s occurrence at that place. From 
her report we take this summary. First seen, Feb. 16, a young 
male; a dozen March 7; large flocks April 9; and small numbers 
seen at various dates through April. The last were seen April 28. 
Mr. Niven C. Kallock, of Warren, reported Feb. 13 one male; 
Feb. 15 two males and a female, and two on April 2, all at 
Warren; and a male at Thomaston, March 27. ; 

SaGcapaHoc County.— Miss Nellie F. Donton of Bath on April 
3, reported that a pair had been seen there. A week later she sent a 
clipping from the Bath ‘Daily Times’ of April 13, reporting that 
the teachers and pupils of the Weeks Street Grammar school had 


11916: Lewis, Bird-Lore, X VIII: 368. 


[ Auk 
April 


174 Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. 
observed a flock of over fifty Evening Grosbeaks in woods at the 
foot of Cherry Street in that city. 

FRANKLIN County.— Resuming Mr. Swain’s long list of stations 
we find the following Franklin County towns — Eustis, and Strat- 
ton, Farmington, Kingfield, Phillips and Strong. At Farmington, 
writes Mr. Swain, “They came early in January, and have been 
feeding on the bank in front of my house every day since.” Ina 
more recent letter, he states that on Sunday, May 28, 1916, they 
were in the usual numbers, “and on Monday morning I heard them 
as I went to take the train.... we counted about thirty-five or 
forty on the 28th.” 

ANDROSCOGGIN CountTy.— Carrie E. Miller has reported the 
appearance of the birds at Lewiston, Dec. 31, 1915. Seventeen 
were present late in January, increasing later to thirty-five.! 

Oxrorp County.— Letters from Mrs. Albert D. Park of South 
Paris furnished the earliest record for the season, Nov. 27, 1915, 
when a female came to her premises, and “was here for some 
weeks before others were seen.’ On Jan. 9, 1916, eighteen were 
present, and she counted twenty-five in one flock during the winter. 
On April 4 she wrote, “three pairs or more were here yesterday.” 
and later: “A female Evening Grosbeak was seen in our Village on 
June 4th.” In her note of April 4 she stated, “They have been 
coming about four years.” 

CUMBERLAND County.— A single immature male was seen by 
Miss Gertrude Morse, at Cape Elizabeth, Jan. 18, 1916. Miss. 
Morse also furnished a report of the occurrence of four males and 
one female seen at Gorham, Feb. 19, 1916. March 3, 1916 
Mr. Eben Corey reported the observation of two males at the 
Western Cemetery, Portland. The birds took up permanent quar- 
ters in this western section of the city, increasing considerably in 
numbers until late March, when they decreased.. After March 31 
the writer failed to find them or to hear of their presence until 
April 11, when a single female was found at the cemetery. On 
May 5 Mr. Storrs Brigham observed about a dozen there. On 
May 8 four females rewarded his search and on May 9 and 10 he 
saw apparently the same birds. May 10 is the latest reported 


11916: Miller, Bird-Lore, XVIII: 180. 


andl Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. 175 


occurrence in Portland this season. During March occasional 
small groups, pairs or single birds were reported as seen in other 
parts of Portland, but so far as the writer learned none became 
settled for any length of time, except those at the Western section.! 

At Brunswick Miss Edith Boardman saw five females on March 
12 and a male and a female March 20, 1916. On March 14 Philip 
Cobb wrote: “Seven Evening Grosbeaks on the campus (Bowdoin 
College, Brunswick) today.” Dr. O. A. Gross also wrote, “I 
saw a flock of seven on Bowdoin Campus (Brunswick) from 
March 18th to March 30th, 1916.” At Pine Point, in Scarborough, 
Mr. Fred S. Walker saw five in his garden on several occasions, 
between March 27 and March 31, 1916. In a letter in the ‘ Port- 
land Daily Press’ of April 17, Mrs. Reuben Johnson reported a 
flock of “at least twenty April 14th and 15th on Long Island, in 
Casco Bay.” At South Windham Mr. Fred Shaw saw “about 
twelve April 11th” (1916). At Westbrook Mrs. F. M. Ray saw 
two at Saccarappa cemetery which remained all day Feb. 25, 
1916, while a short distance away, two were seen early in March 
for several days. On May 6 Mrs. Ray saw a single female. 

York County.— Mr. Wm. E. Bary of Kennebunk reported 
several single birds, and small flocks of from four to six at various 
times during the winter in different parts of that town. Mrs. 
Fred P. Abbott, of Saco, also reported their presence in Saco and 
Biddeford. 

The season of 1916-17 again found the birds in Maine, from 

Nov. 4, 1916, to June 2, 1917. 
The winter was one of the coldest for many years, with an unusual 
amount of snow which covered the ground from December well 
through the month of March. In the city of Portland, the Rowan, 
Red, and Black Cherry trees, which in other seasons have afforded 
these birds much winter food, had borne no fruit. These condi- 
tions may partly explain the fact that the birds usually appeared 
in wandering bands, until the ground became bare in late March 
and April, when they again became settled for the remainder of 
their stay. But while the snow covered the ground the birds 


1—n Bird-Lore, -1916, XVIII: 249. Miss Sara C. Eastman reports the occurrence of 
the birds at Portland. 


176 Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. es 


were seen for a few days in a place while some food was available. 
or they made a single visit and were not seen again. 

A considerable number of local reports were gathered, again 
showing a wide invasion, and the number of birds present, rather 
large. 

WasHINGTON CountTy.— On January 27, 1917, Mr. Clarence H. 

Clark wrote, “The Evening Grosbeaks are visiting this section 
again this winter: have heard of no large flocks, only scattering 
birds.” 
. Penopscor County.— Arch Hiram Morrell under date of 
December 31, 1916 wrote “I have met some people who said the 
Evening Grosbeaks were staying in Bangor. They had seen them 
since about two weeks before Christmas. There were five in all, 
four males. The birds visited a Pine tree near their house, appar- 
ently getting food near the tips of the branches.” 

Mrs. Mary L. Morse, of Orono, on April 28, 1917, wrote, “The 
Evening Grosbeaks were here this winter but in less numbers, and 
people who saw them both winters seem to think they were not as 
frequently seen.— They were reported several times during the 
winter by members of the club who live in Bangor.” 

KENNEBEC CountTy.— Miss Dora Norton, on April 18, 1917 
wrote from Gardiner: “The flock this year is about” going from a 
point “in Farmingdale, about a quarter of a mile as the crow flies. 
They have been seen in quite another part of the city, in the vicin- 
ity of Lincoln Avenue.” 

SaGaDAHoc County.— Miss Nellie F. Dunton, under date of 
March 30, 1917 says, “Dr. E. J. Marston saw a flock of possibly 
twenty-five three weeks ago last Sunday [i. e. Feb. 18, 1917] 
in the outskirts of Bath, mostly grey, only two or three yellow that. 
he could see. He saw four of them some two or three weeks earlier 
on Center Street in town.” 

CUMBERLAND County.— Early in February, Philip Cobb re- 
ported that he had seen two males and three females on January 
26 and 27 on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick. April 
5, 1917 Dr. Alfred O. Gross of Bowdoin College, wrote, “Mr. G. H. 
Brewster, who is specializing in bird work here, reports a group of 
seven, which were seen most every day from January 16th to 
February 5th and again March Ist (1917). I have two records 


Marrs Mil Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. Lia 


for Brunswick, January 20th, five; and February 25th, three.”’ 
In Portland the first reports came to hand on January 11, 1917 and 
through that month, February, March and April, flocks of from five 
to twenty were seen at Cape Elizabeth, Portland, East Deering, 
Deering Center and Westbrook. 

The writer saw seven in the western cemetery, Portland, May 4 
and they were said to have been present several days later. At 
Falmouth Foreside Mr. Walter H. Rich saw an adult male in his 
garden June 2 at close range, and later in the day it returned with a 
dull colored companion. None were seen after this date. 

Oxrorp County.— Mrs. Albert D. Park wrote “I first observed 
the Evening Grosbeaks November 4th, 1916, [at South Paris] and 
they have been here all winter. March 26th [1917], I heard them, 
but as I went away for the week cannot say that they are there 
now [April 1].” Last fall the largest number seen was thirty- 
three; later from eight to fifteen.” 

York County.— Mr. John F. Dana of Portland, reported a 
small flock seen by him in the town of Alfred. 


Gifted with a striking richness of plumage, a phlegmatic disposi- 
tion in whichdear is but poorly developed, having a written history ! 
in which mystery, and romance have been involved, and having 
invaded a wide territory within a relatively short time, the Even- 
ing Grosbeak has received much attention wherever it has appeared. 
Hence it has an extensive, though scattered and fragmentary 
literature, in which its history, its winter habits, its food prefer- 


1 The bird was first collected by an Indian boy at St. Sault Marie, M.(ichigan) T.(erritory) 
April 7th, 1823 and sent by H. R. Schoolcraft, an early American scientist, to Wm. Cooper, 
who described it as new in 1825 (Ann. N. Y. Lyc. N. H. 1: pt. ii: 219, 221). It was be- 
lieved to be crepuscular, remaining in the deep shade of evergreens woods by day, sallying 
forth with “‘A singular strain” at twilight: hence the names vesperlina, Evening Grosbeak, 
and Hesperiphona. Audubon’s account (Orn. Bio. IV: 575) pertains chiefly to the sub- 
species long recognized as H. v. montana Ridg. part. probably H. v. californica Grinnell. 
Brewer’s treatment 1874 (Hist. N. Am. Bds. I: 449), is a history of the entire species as 
then known. Coues, “‘History of the Evening Grosbeak,’’ 1879 (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. IV: 
65, 75), is a review of the genus Hesperiphona in which of course vespertina is the central 
figure. Butler’s Nates on the Evening Grosbeak, 1892 (Auk, IX: 238, 247), is a review 
chiefly of H. vespertina vesperlina up to the close of the winter of 1889-90. In this paper 
the geographical features of its migration are predominant. A considerable number of 
summaries of its local occurrence have appeared in faunal lists and other regional papers. 

Roberts’ ‘ The Evening Grosbeak in Minnesota,’ 1910 (Bull. Minn. Acad. Sci. IV: 406, 
414) is a monographic article of general interest. 


[Apri 


178 Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. 
ences and feeding habits, its anatomy, its migration, and its 
habits in captivity have been more or less fully told. 

A survey of this extensive literature shows that its migration 
eastward has been accomplished by a gradual range extension, 
rather than by a sudden invasion. 

In 1825,'— if not a few years earlier, according to Schoolcraft, 
the species was said to be common about the head of Lake Superior 
at Fond du Lac, etc., and during the first week of April 1823, a 
small flock was observed at Sault St. Marie, Michigan, from which 
the type was taken. It is also stated in the same article that in 
August of the same year Maj. Dealfield observed a small flock 
near the Savannah River, northwest of Lake Superior. 

For about thirty years it seems to have received no public notice, 
and whether it made visits to this southeastern part of its range is 
not known. 

In 1853, P. R. Hoy? still reported it as “not uncommon” in 
Wisconsin. 

During the early fifties it began to make its appearance farther 
and farther to the eastward, with more or less regularity and 
increasing frequency. 

In 1854 a flock of five or six visited Toronto in December * and 
since the bird was present near Hamilton in April 1855,‘ we find 
possible if not probable evidence of wintering. 

In 1858 it was observed and at least one specimen taken in north- 
ern I]linois.° 

In March 1860, small numbers were present near Cleveland, 
Ohio.® 
During the winter of 1861 and ’62, it was present in the north- 
ern part of Huron County, Ontario,’ and in May, 1863, at 


1825, Cooper quoting Schoolcraft, Ann. Lyc. N. H., N. Y., I: 221. 

2 Hoy, 1853, Proc. Phil. Acad., N. S., VI: 383. Here we may notice also Dr. Hoy’s re- 
marks on ‘*Man’s Influence on the Avifauna of Wisconsin’’ (1885, Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. 
Wisc.) as having some possible bearing upon the initial migration eastward. He says: 
“* Hesperiphona vespertina was formerly not uncommon in late fall and early spring in the 
Maple forests feeding on the seeds... .. None have been seen here for the last twenty years. 
The Sugar Maple groves are nearly all converted into cordwood and the wheat occupies 
the cite once visited by this northwestern bird.” 

31885: Seton, Auk, 11: 334. I have not seen Cottle’s paper 1855, Can. Journ. III: 287. 

41892: Garnier, Proc. Can. Inst. III: 88. 

51859: Cassin, Proc. Phil. Acad., N.S., X: 191. 

61860: Kirtland, Ohio Farmer: March 24. 

71892: Garnier, Proc. Can. Inst. III: 88. 


pec | Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. 179 


Woodstock, Ontario! In 1865 one was taken in Huron County, 
Ontario.” 

In 1866 it was included, without comment, in the list of birds 
observed in or near New York city.® 

Butler, omitting MclIlwraith’s 1863 record, cites him as reporting 
it at Woodstock, Ontario, May, 1866. I find no other published 
report of this occurrence (?).* 

Dr. Morris Gibbs reported its occurrence at Grand Rapids and 
Kalamazoo, Michigan, in March, 1869.6 In 1870, it was seen at 
Minneapolis in November,’ and at Toronto in late December,’ 
while through the winter of 1870-71 large flocks were recorded 
from Freeport, [linois.® 

Butler regards this as the “First extensive wandering of the 
Evening Grosbeak.’ 

Nelson, in commenting on its abundance in Northern Illinois in 
the winter of 1871, says of the next winter [i. e. 1872], “ Much rarer 
....1 am told that formerly it was of much more regular occur- 
rence.” . 

During the autumn “About 1872” six were secured from a 
small flock near Eureka, Illinois, about one hundred and twenty 
miles south of the place mentioned by Brewer.!! 

The following spring, March, 1873, it was observed at Kala- 
mazoo, Michigan, indicating possible wintering south of the 
Lakes.2 In 1874—date not given— one was shot in Huron 
County, Ontario.! 

Some time during the winter of 1875, one was seen at Elizabeth- 
town, Essex County, New York, by Mr. Cutting.“ 


11883: Mellwraith, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. VIII: 146. Butler cites MclIlwraith, May 
1866; a typographical error? 

21892: Garnier, Proc. Can. Inst. III: 88. 

31866: Lawrence, Ann. Lyc. N. H., N. Y., VIII: 289. 

41892: Butler, Auk, IX. 

51892: Butler, Auk, IX: 240. 

61892: Hatch, Birds Minn. 291. 

71885: Seton, Auk, II: 334. 

8 1874: Brewer, Hist. N. Am. Bds. I: 452. 

91892: Butler, Auk, IX: 247. 

101876: Nelson, Bull. Essex Inst. VIII: 104. 

11881: Hay, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. VI: 179. 

121892: Butler, Auk, IX: 240. 

13 1892: Garnier, Proc. Can. Inst. III: 88. 

“4 1875: Brewer, Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H. XVII: 451. 


180 Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. { Agi 


It is unfortunate that the last two records are without specific 
dates, which would enable us to determine whether they belong 
to one or to two seasons. 

The season of 1878-791! found the birds in Kalamazoo County, 
Michigan, from Nov. 20 to May 6, and as far south as Lafayette, 
Indiana,” where one was taken, and as far west as Minnesota.?* 

In 1883-84 a migration of noteworthy proportions occurred, in 
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa,’ with records from Indiana,* and 
New York — the date of the last being July 8, 1882.6 

In 1886-87 another extensive migration was observed, when the 
birds were more or less abundant,— sometimes in considerable 
numbers, from Wisconsin and Iowa, to New York, and from 
Ontario to Kentucky. The next migration 1889-90 carried the 
bird into Minnesota, Montreal and Maine, and southward to 
Pennsylvania. Since that time its occurrence in parts of the region 
east of Lake Michigan has been frequent and migrations of larger 
proportions have occurred in the easternmost states in 1910-11, 
1915-16 and 1916-17. 

With due consideration of the fact that we are dealing with a 
member of the Coccothraustine, a group in which many of the 
species are noted for the irregularity of their migrations we have 
found in the review just taken that the bird under consideration 
has been constantly extending its winter range eastward since 1854. 
It should also be remembered that the blank period in the bird’s 
history between 1823 and 1853, as well as that in the early eighties, 
when its records begin to multiply, are periods when there were but 
few observers, and perhaps even fewer mediums of publication, 
to say nothing of the undeveloped habit of publishing personal 
observations. And we find to day, much force in Butler’s state- 
ment,— “had there been the number of observers at those times 
there are now, we should have learned more of the extent of those 
dispersals.”’ 


11879; Gibbs, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr. V: 486. 
21892: Butler, Auk, IX: 240. 

31910: Roberts, Bull. Minn. Acad. Sci. IV: 409. 
41888: Cooke, Bull. 2, U.S. Div. Econ. Orn. 178. 
51892: Butler, Auk, IX: 240, 241. 

§ Coues: Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. VII: 250. 


as | Norton, Evening Grosbeak in Maine. 181 
Hesperiphona is a genus with two known species which find suit- 
able conditions for summer in the coniferous areas of alpine and 
boreal regions. The residents of alpine sections, retreat to the 
lowlands with more or less frequency in winter. Its ancient excur- 
sions ‘to lower levels to escape severe conditions or famine must 
have been changed to wider ranging in search for food in winter 
which was always to be found in increasing abundance southward, 
producing eventually a definite migration southward as the need 
became urgent. 
- Increasing population, constantly pressing its members farther 
and farther southeastward, sooner or later found this subspecies 
at the practical southern limit of the coniferous forests in the Middle 
West. Such a condition in a prolific race would result in stagnation 
and decline through over population and competition; in a forced 
adaptation to widely different conditions in the land to the south- 
ward; or in a further invasion of the vast suitable region to the 
eastward. 

It seems to require no draft upon the imagination, and no step 
into the realm of speculation, to realize that in this hasty review of 
this interesting history, we have seen the Evening Grosbeak, 
forced against the impassable barrier to its southern migration 
at the prairie region, slowly and steadily take its way eastward, 
to the Atlantic coast. Thus has our generation witnessed a 
species overflowing the bounds of its original habitat, and forming 
its route of migration along the line of congenial conditions as they 
exist to day! 

Time is replete with instances no less remarkable than this, but 
it is indeed rare that man is permitted to witness them in’ the 
making. 


[ Auk 


182 TOWNSEND, Ipswich Bird Notes. April 


IPSWICH BIRD NOTES! 
BY CHARLES W. TOWNSEND, M. D. 


Since my ‘Birds of Essex County’ was published in 1905 as a 
Memoir of the Nuttall Ornithological Club I have collected a 
large number of bird notes from that county which I expect in due 
time will be published as a supplement. The following notes are 
of especial interest and are recorded here: 


Sterna caspia. Caspian Trrn.— Although this splendid tern is a 
fairly regular transient visitor in the autumn I have no record of so many 
of them being seen together as in this present year when on Aug. 31, 1917, 
twelve flew south in a loose flock over Ipswich beach within two hundred 
yards of me. Their large size, bright red bills, black caps and snowy 
plumage made a very striking picture. Several emitted their characteristic 
harsh ‘rasping cries. 

Sterna dougalli. Rosnatrs Tern.— When the Essex County memoir, 
was published in 1905, I noted that I had never seen the bird and that it 
was a ‘‘ Rare transient visitor.’ Since then there has been a great increase 
in the number of Common Terns along this coast, and, since 1910, the 
Roseate Tern has been seen among them and has become more and more 
common so that this year at times it has even surpassed them in numbers. 
The bird is easily recognized as a whiter bird than the Common Tern and 
one with a longer tail. The dark bill at once separates it from the Common 
Tern with its red, dark-tipped bill. Some of its cries are especially charac- 
teristic. The ‘“ cloth-tearing ”’ cry is easily recognized and especially the 
rather sweet double note suggestive of the call of the Ring-neck Plover, 
which at times is shortened and roughened so that it sounds like chivy. 

Both the Common and Roseate Terns and also the Arctic Tern feed their 
full grown young at the beach at Ipswich. Some of these birds may have 
come from Muskeegit on the south or the coast of Maine on the north. 
The abundance of the sand lance, Ammodytes americanus, which often 
fill the water in countless schools and leave with the falling tide a silvery 
covering to the sands, makes the Ipswich beach a favorite resort for 
terns. The young seem always to be hungry and eall in a monotonous 
and beseeching way whenever an adult appears with a fish. There are 
three methods of receiving the fish from the parent: — either in the air, 
on the land, or on the water. In the air the feeding of the young is often 
a graceful and interesting performance. By a series of aerial evolutions 


1 Read before the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Oct. 15, 1917. 


peaa | TOWNSEND, Ipswich Bird Notes. 183 


the adult and young reach a point where the transference of the fish directly 
from bill to bill is made so quickly that one often can not be sure that the 
fish is thrown or dropped or actually passed from mouth to mouth. Iam 
inclined to think that all three methods are used. 

On the sand beach the young sometimes collect in numbers, while the 
adults fish for them, and all the young seem eager to take food from any 
adult. On one oceasion at Ipswich I saw an adult tern with a fish in its 
bill alight on the beach near two immature birds who both clamored 
loudly to be fed. Disregarding their cries it flew to a third immature bird 
but was soon off and alighted near an adult to whom it delivered the fish 
which was swallowed. 

The process of feeding the young bird on the surface of the water, is 
perhaps the most interesting, and points to the former more aquatic an- 
cestry of the terns. An adult flies screaming with a fish in its bill, the young 
responds by a beseeching call, flies towards the parent, and alights on 
the water still calling. The old one flies down and delivers the fish without 
alighting or doing so but for a brief moment. The thing is done so quickly 
that it is often impossible to know what happens. The young one as soon 
as it receives the fish flies up into the air. It is rare for adult terns to alight 
on the water. 

I have great hopes that this and other species of terns will return to the 
upper beach and dunes at Ipswich to breed as they did fifty years ago. 

Mergus serrator. Rep-BREASTED MrerGANsER.— The breeding range 
of this bird according to the ‘Check-List’ extends on the Atlantic Coast as 
far south as southern Maine. Mr. E. H. Forbush in his ‘Game Birds, 
Wild-Fowl and Shore Birds of Massachusetts,’ 1912, page 66, gives records 
of cripples raising broods of young on Cape Cod. Although it is common 
for a few birds to spend the summer at Ipswich I never saw any evidence of 
breeding until July 30, 1916, when I found a group of eleven young birds 
nearly full grown with an adult female. A few rods off swam an adult 
male in partial moult into the eclipse plumage. The male swam alone 
some distances up the beach, came ashore and preened himself. On being 
disturbed by my approach, he wadled down to the water and flapped over 
its surface, but appeared, owing to the moult, to be unable to fly. A week 
later he had regained his flying powers. The family in the brown dress 
kept together all summer. 

On July 4, 1917, I counted a compact flock of thirty Red-breasted Mer- 
gansers off the beach. There were two adult males moulting into eclipse 
plumage and one or two adult females. The others were young birds as 
shown by their smaller size and by the close ranks they kept as they turned 
this way and that. The flock must have been composed of three broods 
that had united together, a habit I have observed in Labrador in the case 
of Eiders. I did not have a chance to observe these birds again until the 
last of August, when I found a flock of twenty-three Red-breasted Mer- 
gansers, all in the brown plumage, all swimming together in a close flock. 

Asio wilsonianus. Lona-rARED Ow..— This owl is generally con- 


184 TownsEnp, Ipswich Bird Notes. [ jot 


sidered a good mouser and the farmer’s friend. Fisher, in his ‘Hawks and 
Owls of the United States,’ 1893, p. 140, says, ‘“‘ The Long-eared Owl is 
one of our most beneficial species, destroying vast numbers of injurious 
rodents and seldom touching insectivorous birds.” The following record, 
which is very exceptional, puts him in another category. 

On June 3, 1917, I visited a nest of this species, of which I had been 
kindly informed by Mr. C. E. Clark, in a pitch pine grove in the Ipswich 
dunes. Four days before Mr. Clark had found three young in the nest. 
This, probably an old Crow’s nest, was in a pitch pine about twenty feet 
from the ground. Only one young was to be found and it was in the tree ten 
feet from the nest. It was in white down with a dark face and with ear 
tufts of white down. An adult bird flew about among and over the trees, 
alighting from time to time near the rest. Once it was mobbed by three 
Crows as it flew above the trees, but easily eladed them. This was in the 
middle of a sunny day. It constantly uttered low notes which suggested 
at times the barking of a small puppy, at times the notes ud-hunk. 

There were numerous pellets around the foot of the tree and the whole 
upper part of the nest was heavily thatched with feathers and a few bones. 
I sent all the pellets I could find to the Biological Survey in Washington, 
and a month later some more pellets and the upper layers of the nest. The 
first report is as follows: 

Contents of about 10 pellets: Red-winged Blackbird 1, Savannah Sparrow 
1, Vesper Sparrow 1, Chipping Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 1, Chewink 1, 
Black and White Warbler 1, Yellow Warbler 1, Pine Warbler 1, Maryland 
Yellowthroat 1, Thrushes sp. 2, other passerine birds (indeterminate) 2, 
Short-tailed Shrew 1, Jumping Mouse 10, Meadow Mouse 7. 

The second set of pellets brought the following report: 

Red-winged Blackbird 1, Sharp-tailed Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 1, Yel- 
low Warbler 1, Warblers sp. 2, Brown Thrasher 1, other passerine birds 2, 
Short-tailed Shrew 1, White-footed Mouse 1, Jumping Mouse 1, Meadow 
Mouse, 4. 

It will be seen that this pair of owls had eaten some thirteen different 
species of birds and twenty-three individuals; also four species of mammals 
and twenty-five individuals. 

Mr. E. W. Nelson in a letter of June 21, 1917, commenting on these 
findings says: ‘‘ This is an interesting lot of pellets, as it is very unusual 
to find the long-eared owl feeding upon birds to such an extent. In a 
large number of pellets examined from winter roosts of these birds, we have 
found the bird remains making up considerably less than 10 per cent of 
the total animal contents. The owls in question must have had excep- 
tional opportunities to secure birds, and the breeding season may also have 
had some effect in producing this habit.’”’ The Ipswich dunes are, as J have 
always maintained, particularly good regions for birds, and this owl seems 
to have had the instincts of a collector. 

Ceryle alcyon. Kincrisuer.— This bird is believed to be such an 
exclusive fish eater that any deviation from this diet is worth recording. 


a | OBERHOLSER, Notes on N. A. Birds. V. 185 


Early in August, 1917, Mr. John Hair, gamekeeper of Mr. R. T. Crane at 
Ipswich, missed six of a four days old brood of Bob-whites. He had seen 
a Kingfisher nearby and later the same day saw it perched on the gable end 
of the little house where the Bob-whites had been hatched, and from there 
pounce on the young birds as they ran in and out. He shot the Kingfisher, 
and, on opening the bird, a female, found the legs and feathers of the young 
Bob-whites in its crop. 

Most authors state that the Kingfisher is exclusively afish eater. Knight, 
‘Birds of Maine’, 1908, p. 270, says Kingfishers feed on ‘‘ grasshoppers, 
also crickets, butterflies and moths, which latter two I have seen the birds 
take while on the wing, chasing them until they are caught.’’ Weed and 
Dearborn, ‘ Birds in their Relations to Man,’ 1903, p. 192, say: ‘‘ The food 
consists principally of fish, but occasionally mice, frogs or grasshoppers 
are captured.” I have been unable to find in literature any record of the 
capture of birds by Kingfishers. 


NOTES ON NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 
V. 
BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


Tue notes below presented! concern the status of four North 
American birds. These are, respectively, members of the families 
Buteonide, Regulide, and Fringillide. ec 


Astur atricapillus (Wilson). 


Dr. Ernst Hartert has recently ? included the North American 
Goshawk, Accipiter atricapillus Wilson, among the subspecies of 
the European Goshawk, Astur palumbarius (Linneeus), or, as he 
calls it, Accipiter gentilis (Linneeus). Examination of a series of 


1 For previous papers in this series, ef. ‘The Auk,’ XXXIV, April, 1917, pp. 191-196; 
XXXIV, July, 1917, pp. 321-329; XXXIV, October, 1917, pp. 465-470; and XXXV, 
January, 1918, pp. 62-65. 

2 Vogel palaarkt. Fauna, Heft IX (Band II, Heft 3), October, 1914, p. 1146. 


Res 


186 OBERHOLSER, Notes on N. A. Birds. V. 
both birds shows that Dr. Hartert is probably correct in his view 
of the status of the American bird. The latter differs from Astur 
gentilis in its more mottled or irregularly barred lower parts; but 
individual variation in each of the two races bridges this difference. 
The American Goshawk is certainly a very distinct form, but is 
best regarded as a subspecies of the European bird. The two 
American subspecies should therefore be called Astur gentilis atri- 
capillus (Wilson); and Astur gentilis striatulus Ridgway. 


Regulus satrapa Lichtenstein. 


Mr. C. E. Hellmayr some time ago! considered the American 
Golden-crowned. Kinglet a subspecies of the European Golden- 
crested Wren (Regulus regulus). Recent comparison of a series 
of specimens of both shows that this is undoubtedly the rela- 
tionship of the two birds, for, although their ranges are entirely 
separate, being cut off by the Atlantic Ocean, they are fully con- 
nected by intermediate individuals, and, therefore, from a modern 
standpoint are, of course, subspecies. As there is no question 
regarding the subspecific relationship of the Western Golden- 
crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird), our two Golden- 
crowned Kinglets must now stand as Regulus regulus satrapa 
Lichtenstein, and Regulus regulus olivaceus Baird. 


Passerella iliaca altivagans Riley. 


The Fox Sparrow described by Mr. J. H. Riley as Passerella 
aliaca altivagans,? from the Moose Pass Branch of the Smoky River, 
Alberta, has been discredited by most subsequent authors. Further 
study of this bird, however, shows that it is a good form, most 
closely allied to Passerella iliaca, but differing in its more rufous 
upper parts, including the outer webs of the secondaries and ter- 
tiaries and of the tail; and in the more rufescent spots on the lower 
surface. From other races of Passerella iliaca it is so different as 


1 Wytsman’s Genera Avium, XVII, 1911, p. 8. 
2 Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXIV, November 28, 1911, p. 234. 


reel OBERHOLSER, Notes on N. A. Birds. V. 187 


scarcely to need comparison. It therefore should be restored to 
standing among reputable subspecies. It breeds from at least 
central Alberta to northern British Columbia, and occurs in migra- 
tion or winter south to Montana, Oregon, and California. 


Melospiza melodia inexspectata Riley. 


The Song Sparrow described by Mr. J. H. Riley! as Melospiza 
melodia inexspectata, from near Moose Lake, British Columbia, 
has been by most authors considered invalid. A reéxamination 
of the type material, together with a considerable number of addi- 
tional specimens which have accumulated since the publication of 
the original description, bears out the characters assigned, and 
shows, moreover, that it is a good race with a well-defined geo- 
graphic distribution. It is most nearly allied to Melospiza melodia 
rufina, but is decidedly smaller, particularly in so far as the bill 
and wing are concerned; and is, in fact, a smaller, darker, some- 
what heavily streaked edition of that bird. It can by no means be 
considered merely an intermediate between Melospiza melodia 
merrill: and Melospiza melodia rufina. It occupies an extensive 
area, ranging, as it does, from central Alberta to northern British 
Columbia. 


1 Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., X XIV, November 28, 1911, p. 234. 


: : : Auk 
188 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. [Apeil 


NOTES ON THE SUBSPECIES OF NUMENIUS 
AMERICANUS BECHSTEIN. 


BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


TuE description by Dr. Louis B. Bishop of a new race of Nu- 
menius americanus! has drawn recent attention to this species. 
The present writer’s work on the identification of the examples of 
this curlew from Texas and other localities in the collection of the 
Biological Survey in the United States National Museum serves to: 
confirm Dr. Bishop’s subspecific separation of the small race in- 
habiting the northern United States and southern Canada. Fur- 
thermore, this investigation has brought out some interesting points, 
particularly in the geographic distribution of the two forms, which 
did not appear in the original account of this new subspecies, and 
which now seem worth while placing on record. 

In this connection we have examined a total of 279 specimens, 
which represents the combined series of the United States National 
Museum, including the Biological Survey, the Museum of Com- 
parative Zodlogy, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 
the American Museum of Natural History, and the Brooklyn 
Museum of Arts and Sciences; together with the private collections: 
of Mr. John E. Thayer, Mr. William Brewster, Mr. A. C. Bent, 
Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Dr. Louis B. Bishop, and Dr. L. C. San-- 
ford. To the authorities of the above mentioned museums and 
to the other gentlemen who have kindly placed material at our 
disposal we wish here to express our sincere thanks. We are also: 
indebted to Mr. Charles Chubb of the British Museum for measure- 
ments of birds in the collection of that institution, which have made- 
possible the subspecific identification of important specimens at. 
present unavailable for our examination. 


Numenius americanus americanus Bechstein. 


N{umenius). americanus BECHSTEIN, in Latham, Allgem. Uebers. Végel,. 
IV, u, 1812, p. 482 (New York and Hudson Bay). 


1 Numenius americanus parvus Bishop, ‘The Auk,’ XX VII, No. 1, January, 1910, p. 59.. 


ve | OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. 189 

Numenius longirostra Wiuson, Amer. Ornith., VIII, 1814, p. 23, pl. 
XLIV, fig. 4 (coast of New Jersey). 

Numenius melanopus VrniuLtotT, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., VIII, 1817, 
p. 306 (New York and Hudson Bay) (description based on the specimen 
described by Latham in Gen. Syn. Birds, III, part 1, 1785, p. 120, which 
came from New York; the Hudson Bay reference belongs probably to 
Numenius hudsonius). 

Cuars. suBsP.— Size large, particularly the bill and wing. 

MeEASUREMENTS.!— Male: wing, 268-281 mm.;? tail, 109-128 (average, 
121); exposed culmen, 139-155 (148); tarsus, 78—-90.5 (86.5). 

Female: wing, 268.5-298 (average, 286) mm.; tail, 121-136 (126); ex- 
posed culmen, 166-222 (196); tarsus, 83-92 (88). 

TyYprE Locatity.— New York.’ 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.— Western United States (excepting the 
northernmost part) and Mexico to Guatemala. Breeds in the middle and 
western United States, north to southern Michigan (once at Jackson), 
southern Wisconsin (formerly), northern Iowa (formerly), southern South 
Dakota, southern Wyoming, and southern Idaho; west to central southern 
Idaho and northeastern Nevada; south to central Utah, central New 
Mexico, northwestern Texas (casually to southeastern Texas), and north- 
ern Oklahoma; east to southeastern Kansas (Neosho Falls, formerly), 
southeastern Iowa (formerly), and northern Illinois (formerly). Winters 
in the southern United States and Mexico, north to central California, 
southern Arizona, southern Texas, and Georgia; and south to southern 
Lower California, Oaxaca, Duefias in Guatemala, and Cozumel Island, 
Yucatan. Migrates east to southern Ontario, southern Quebec, New 
Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, and southward over the 
eastern United States. No certain record for the West Indies. 


Remarks.— This is one of the shore birds that have greatly 
decreased during the last decade. It has disappeared entirely as a 
breeder from Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, eastern Nebraska, 
and at least eastern Kansas; and also has become very rare, 
probably a mere straggler, as a migrant in the United States east 
of the Mississippi River, whereas it was formerly a common 
transient along the Atlantic Coast north at least to Massachusetts. 
The above-mentioned breeding of this species in Michigan is based 
on a set of eggs without date, now preserved in the United States 


1Transposed into millimeters from the measurements given by Dr. Louis B. Bishop, in 
‘The Auk,’ XX VII, No. 1, January, 1910, p. 60. 

2 The average given by Dr. Bishop for the wing measurements of the male of this form is 
evidently an error. 

3 Designated by the American Ornithologists’ Union Committee, Check-List of North 
American Birds, edition III, 1910, p. 124. 


190 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. jot 


National Museum, which was collected by Mr. C. P. Davis at 
Jackson, Michigan. This seems to be the only authentic instance 
of its breeding in the State of Michigan. The breeding record 
from Neosho Falls, Kansas, above noted, is also authenticated 
by a set of eggs now in the United States National Museum, 
collected by Capt. B. F. Goss.. A specimen obtained by Dr. E. A. 
Mearns at Cloverdale, New Mexico, on the Mexican Boundary 
Line, July 14, 1892, is a long way south of the southernmost part 
of the breeding range of this form, and, as will be noted, is indica- 
tion that this species starts very early on its southward migration. 

Specimens examined.— Altogether 89 examples of this subspecies 
have been examined, from the localities that follow: 

Arizona.— Peck’s Lake, Upper Verde Valley (April 20, 1886); 
Sonoyta Plains (August, 1901); Fort Verde (Nov. 8, 1886); near 
Naris, Pima County (Jan. 8, 1894). 

California.— Monterey (Nov. 16, 1912); Berkeley (April 23, 
1898); Hyperion, Los Angeles County (June 4, 1917); San 
Francisco; San Diego. 

Colorado.— Spanish Peak (April 17, 1877). 

Florida.— Tarpon Springs (Sept. 7, 1889; July 5, 1888); Gas- 
parilla (Feb. 6, 1884). 

Georgia.— Savannah (January, 1860); Sapelo (Nov. 19, 1887). 

Idaho.— Dickey (June 8, 1912); American Falls (May 27, 1911). 

TIllinois.— Oaka (April 20, 1881). 

Towa.— Dickinson County (June 10, 1881). 

Kansas.— Fort Hays (June 12, 1871). 

Massachusetts — Eastern Massachusetts (1847). 

Missouri.— Near Snatch Creek (June 7, 1864). 

Nevada.— Franklin Lake (June 24, 1898). 

New Jersey.— Cape May (Sept. 14, 1880). 

New Mexico.— Raton (May 10, 1901); Cloverdale, Mexican 
Boundary Line (July 14, 1892). 

New York.— Bought in New York City (April 7, 1879); near 
New York (1841). 

South Carolina.— Hilton Head (April 1, 1864). 

South Dakota.— White River. 

Texas.— Valentine (Aug. 12, 1902); Padre Island (Aug. 21, 
1891); Point Isabel (Feb. 19, 1881; March 5, 1881); High Island 


el. aight Th OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. 191 


(Dec. 19, 1916); Rockport (Feb. 28, 1896); Nueces County (Oct. 
9 and 10,1912; Nov. 23 and 24, 1912); Corpus Christi (Sept. 16, 
1886; May, 1882; Feb. 12, 1899; Mar. 12, 1899; Oct. 20 and 24, 
1909); Brownsville (Feb. 3, 1897; Sept. 8, 1893; Nov. 9 and 10, 
1914; Sept. 26, 1914; Dec. 11, 14, and 22, 1909; Nov. 18, 1909). 

Utah.— Fairfield (July 28, 1890); Duckville Gun Club, mouth of 
Bear River (June 7, 1916); Hansen’s Island, mouth of Bear River 
(May 29, 1916); south shore of Great Salt Lake (June 11, 1869); 
Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake (June 4 and 5, 1869). 

Virginia.— No more definite locality given (March, 1872). 

Wyoming.— Laramie Peak (June, 1864). 

Lower California.— Mouth of Colorado River (May 15, 1915); 
La Paz (March 12, 1912; Feb. 7, 1887); San Quintin (July 4 
1906); Abreojos Point (March 16, 1911); San José del Cabo 
(Aug. 26, 1887). 

Oaxaca.— Near Juchitan (Dec. 11, 1868). 

San Luis Potosi.— San Luis Potosi (Feb. 7, —). 

Tamaulipas.— Matamoros (Feb. 11, 1909). 

Vera Cruz.— Jalapa; Tlacotalpam (Feb. 10, 1901). 


Numenius americanus occidentalis Woodhouse. 


Numineus [sic] occidentalis WoopuHouse, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 
1852, p. 194 (near Albuquerque, New Mexico). 

Numenius americanus parvus Bisnop, ‘The Auk,’ XXVII, No. 1, jananey: 
1910, p. 59 (Crane Lake, Saskatchewan). 

CuHars. suBsP.— Similar to Numenius americanus americanus, but 
decidedly smaller, particularly the bill and wing. 

MrasurEements.!— Male: wing, 253.5-261 (average, 259) mm.; tail, 
105-117 (112); exposed culmen, 106-145 (121); tarsus, 70-81 (74). 

Female: wing, 252-275 (average, 266) mm.; tail, 104.5-116 (111); 
exposed culmen, 118-162 (147); tarsus, 73-88 (80). 

Type Locatiry.— Near Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.— Southwestern Canada, the United States, 
Mexico, and Jamaica. Breeds north to southern Manitoba, southern 
Saskatchewan, southern Alberta, and southern British Columbia; west to 
central southern British Columbia, middle Oregon, and central northern 


1 Transposed into millimeters from the measurements given by Dr. Louis B. Bishop, in- 
“The Auk,’ No. 1, January, 1910, p. 60. 


192 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. ee 


California; south to northeastern California, central western Nevada 
(probably), southeastern Oregon, northern Idaho, southwestern Montana, 
central Wyoming, and northern South Dakota; east to northeastern South 
Dakota, eastern North Dakota, and central southern Manitoba. Winters 
in Mexico and the southern United States, north to central California, 
southern Arizona, southern Texas, southern Louisiana, Florida, and 
Georgia; and south to southern Lower California, Jalisco, and San Luis 
Potosi, Mexico. Migrates west to western Washington and western Cali- 
fornia, and east to Iowa; casually east to Rhode Island, New York, and 
South Carolina, and southeast to Jamaica. 


Remarks.— This is a well differentiated subspecies, although 
its distinction rests entirely on size, the much shorter bill being 
one of the best and most readily appreciated characters. While 
typical specimens are easy to determine, geographic intermediates, 
such as occur in Wyoming and South Dakota, offer, as would be 
expected, sometimes difficult problems which are solvable only by 
average measurements or the average of characters present. An 
adult specimen taken at a nest near Fort Klamath, Oregon, on 
May 17, 1878, and now with a set of four eggs preserved in the 
United States National Museum, is apparently typical Nwmenius 
americanus occidentalis, and thus proves the southward extension 
of the breeding range of this form, as far at least as extreme north- 
eastern California. It is probable that the curlews that breed in 
the lakes of the Carson Valley of central western Nevada, although 
not examined in this connection, are also of this race. No speci- 
mens of Numenius americanus occidentalis from south of the State 
of Jalisco in Mexico have been seen, but it doubtless will be found 
at least nearly as far south as the typical subspecies, i. e., to south- 
ern Mexico, and possibly to Guatemala. 

In describing this race as Numenius americanus parvus} Dr. 
Louis B. Bishop rejected the name Numenius occidentalis Wood- 
house because he assumed that it was evidently an immature 
individual of Nwmenius americanus americanus, basing this assump- 
tion largely on the premise that it must have been collected before 
August 1. As a matter of fact, however, the type of Nwmenius 
occidentalis Woodhouse was collected near Albuquerque, New 
Mexico, on Aug. 20, 1851, by Dr. S. W. Woodhouse. It was 


1°The Auk,’ XX VII, No. 1, January, 1910, p. 61. 


aad OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. 193 
deposited in the United States National Museum, where it was 
catalogued as No. 12644, and was subsequently mounted, but was 
unfortunately destroyed by mistake in March, 1888, along with a 
number of other supposedly worthless specimens. We _ have, 
however, a figure of the type specimen which was given by Wood- 
house in his report on this collection; ! and from this, together with 
the description and measurements given by Dr. Woodhouse,” it is 
evident that the bird is a representative of the small northern race 
subsequently described by Dr. Bishop as Nwmenius americanus 
parvus. These measurements are, in inches, as follows: wing, 
11.50; bill, 4.20; tarsus, 2.80; middle toe, 1.35. That this indi- 
vidual should be found in New Mexico as early as Aug. 20 is by no 
means surprising or indicative of its identity with Nwmenius 
americanus americanus, since these birds are notoriously early 
migrants and move southward not infrequently in July. Examples 
of Numenius americanus occidentalis have been obtained in south- 
ern California on August 22, and on the island of Jamaica in July; 
while, as already noted,’ Numenius americanus americanus some- 
times reaches the Mexican Boundary as early as the middle of 
July. We are therefore under the unfortunate necessity of sinking 
Dr. Bishop’s name, Nwmenius americanus parvus, as a synonym of 
Numenius americanus occidentalis Woodhouse. 

Specimens examined.— We have seen 190 specimens of this 
subspecies, from the following localities: 

Alberta.— Many Island Lake, near Walsh, June 18, 1906 [nest- 
ling and adult]); Walsh (July 12, 1906 [juv.]); Calgary (May 18, 
1904); western Assiniboia (June 1, 1905). 

British Columbia.— Vernon (July 20, 1892); Lae La Hache 
(June 29, 1892); Okanagan (July 22, 28, and 29, 1902; Oct. 29, 
1902; July 14, 1911). 

Saskatchewan.— Hay Creek, Maple Creek (July 3, 1906); Hay 
Lake (May 29, 1905); Maple Creek (June 11, 1906); Crane Lake, 
Maple Creek (June 17, 22, 23, and 26, 1906; June 17, 1907); 
Big Stick Lake, Maple Creek (July 18, 1906; June 13, 1906). 


1 Sitgreaves’ Rep. Zuni and Colorado Rivers, 1853, p. 98, pl. 6. 
2 Loc. cit., p. 98. 
3 Antlea, p. 


194 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. [Ane 

Arizona.— Near Naris, Pima County (Jan. 8, 1894); The Dam, 
Monument 179, Mexican Boundary Line (Feb. 9, 1894). 

California.— Menlo (January, 1896); San Rafael (Jan. 6, 1883); 
Huntington Beach, Orange County (Aug. 22, 1915). 

Colorado.— Larimer County (May 9, 1885); St. Charles River 
(Aug. 5, 1874); Denver Mills (Sept. 8, 1900). 

Florida.— Gasparilla Pass (Feb. 5, 1884). 

Georgia.— Sapelo Island (May 9, 1885). 

Iowa.— No more definite locality given; Chariton (Mar. 21, 

Louisiana.— Caleasieu Pass. 

Missourt.— Bourbeuse River (Aug. 1, 1881). 

- Montana.— Pilgrim Creek, 10 miles northwest of Piniele (June 
19, 1916); Pilgrim Creek, 6 miles northwest of Piniele (June 11, 
1916); 5 miles southeast of Sykes (May 31, 1916); Bighorn River, 
5 miles south of St. Xavier (May 31, 1917); Crazy Mountains, 
eastern foothills (June 21, 1917); 90 miles above mouth of Yellow- 
stone River (July 28, 1856); Darnall’s, Dawson County, 30 miles 
south of Glasgow (June 30, 1910); Mountain Sheep Buttes, 20 
miles northwest of Colypso, Dawson County, (Aug. 9, 1909); near 
mouth of Milk River (July 31, 1874; June 30, 1874); mouth of 
Little Porcupine River (Aug. 8, 1875); Fort Benton; Powder 
River, 10 miles northeast of Broadus (June 19, 1916); Boxelder 
Creek, 10 miles northeast of Piniele (June 10, 1916); Boxelder 
Creek, 12 miles northeast of Piniele (June 10 and 19, 1916). 

Nebraska.— No more definite locality given. 

New Mezxico.—'Ten miles northwest of Capitan Mountains 
(Aug. 28, 1903); Mexican Boundary Line, Long. 30° 15’, near 
Emory Monument 5 (Mar. 22, 1892). 

New York.— Montauk Point. 

Oregon.— Pendleton (June 6, 1896); Fort Klamath (shot at 
nest containing 4 eggs, May 7, 1878). 

Rhode Island.— Jamestown (Sept. 9, 1897). 

South Carolina.— Egg Bank, Ladies Island (May 27, 1867). 

South Dakota.— Cheyenne River, Custer County (July 12, 1894); 
Spring Creek, Custer County (May 27, 1894). 

Texas.— Nueces County; Sept. 14, 1912; Oct. 9, 10, 11, 19, 24, 
25; and 26, 1912: Nov. 17,°192215 224.23..25, 28; and: 29.1912) 


Be | OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Numenius americanus. 195 
Nueces Bay (April 5 and 12, 1889); Corpus Christi Bay (April 13, 
1889); Brownsville (Dec. 11, 1888; May 16, 1877; Feb. 3, 1897; 
Nov. 20, 1896; Dec. 4, 5, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, and 22, 1909; 
Dec. 2, 1887; Nov. 8, 16, 19, and 27, 1909; Feb. 21, 1902; Jan. 6, 
1899; Sept. 19, 22, 24, and 25, 1914; Sept. 8, 1893; Oct. 1, 2, 5, 
and 7, 1914); Cameron County (Oct. 7, 1913; Oct. 1, 1914); Point 
Isabel (Feb. 18, 1881); Fort Clark (Feb. 22, 1893); Fort Stockton 
(Aug. 30, 1877); Aransas County (Sept. 3, 5, 8, and 22, 1912); 
Corpus Christi (March 10, 1877; May 29, 1891; Feb. 12, 1899; 
Oct. 11 and 18, 1909). 

Utah.— Fillmore (Nov. 19, 1872). 

Washington Near Fort Steilacoom (Aug. 1, 1856); Fort 
Sanders. 

Wyoming.— Little Box Elder Creek, Converse County (June 25, 
1890; April 25, 1892); Crook County (June 14, 1904); Newcastle 
(May 22, 1894); Black Hills (Aug. 4, 1856); Main Fork, Medicine 
Bow River (Aug. 6 and 7, 1856). 

Chihuahua.— Chuechupa (Sept. 16 and 17, 1905); Nuevo Casas 
Grandes (Sept. 4, 1901). 

Durango.— Rancho Santuario (Feb. 22, 1903). 

Jalisco.— La: Barca (Jan. 8, 1903). 

Jamaica.— Passage Fort (July, 1863). 

Lower California.— Cape San Lucas (Sept. 15, 1859); La Paz; 
San José del Cabo (Sept. 19, 1887; February, 1860); San Lazaro 
Mountains (January, 1860); Magdalena Bay (March 21, 1911); 
San Quintin (July 7, 1906). 

San Luis Potosi.— San Luis Potosi (March 3, —). 

Tamaulipas.— Matamoros (Jan. 23, 1909). 


[ Auk 


196 Dwicut, A New Species of Loon. grail 


A NEW SPECIES OF LOON (GAVIA VIRIDIGULARIS) 
FROM NORTHEASTERN SIBERIA. 


BY JONATHAN DWIGHT, M. D. 


THERE has been a good deal of confusion regarding the status 
of the Black-throated Loon (Gavia arctica) and its allies. Two 
instances may be cited. Hartert states that “ According to Buturlin 
both G. arctica and G. pacifica are found breeding side by side in 
areas of thousands of miles. We cannot therefore treat them as 
geographical forms of one species” (Hand-List of British Birds, 
1912, p. 159), and Hersey in his recent review of this species says 
that “three Alaskan specimens when compared with available 
material from Siberia and northern Europe prove to be the Asiatic 
form Gavia arctica suschkint Sarudny, and not Gavia arctica arctica 
(Linnaeus)”” (Auk, XXXIV, July 1917, p. 289). Mr. Hersey 
informs me that his birds have green throats, but as a matter of 
fact, suschkini is a purple-throated bird and undoubtedly a race of 
arcticus as claimed by the describer, N. A. Sarudny. For the 
benefit of those who do not read Russian, wherein much of the 
present tangle lies, I have obtained a translation of the original 
description kindly made by my friend Mr. Roman de Majewski. 
It appeared in a Moscow journal which bears a title in three lan- 
guages, Russian, French and German, and the citation therefore 
is [Russian], = Messager ornithologique, = Ornithologische Mitthei- 
lungen, 3rd year, 1912, No. 2, pp. 111-118, being a continuation 
of N. A. Sarudny’s “[Russian title=] Mittheilungen iiber die Orni- 
thologie von Turkestan.” 


142. Urinator arcticus suschkini subsp. nov. 


The Striped Diver is to be found in Russian Turkestan during migration, 
and in winter-time. To judge by the specimens I have collected, they show 
such divergence from the types of the Pskovskoi and St. Petersburg pro- 
vinces that in my opinion they should not be given the name Urinator 
arcticus (Linn.) but placed in a separate category. 


aa | Dwicut, A New Species of Loon. 197 


From among the specimens of the Striped Diver which I have collected 
I will only cite the adults: 


1. ?2 Near Amu — Daryi, Feb. 2, 1907. 

2. 9 Near Kok — Boowak, Nov. 4, 1907. 

3. o Kasalinsk, April 16, 1908. 

4. o Lake Chushka — Kool (near Turkestan City) June 10, 1908. 
5. @ Lake Chushka — Kool (near Turkestan City) June 10, 1908. 
6. co At the source of the River Tar — Toogi, Dec. 22, 1909. 

7. 2?o° Nijni — Tcherchik, Winter 1909-10. 
8. ? 2 Boowaki, on the lower heights of Koorataou, Spring 1911. 
9.. & Joolek, Baiga — Kum, March 28, 1911. 


The divergences are the following: The gray color of the crown and the 
back of the neck of the Turkestan bird is lighter, though not quite as light 
as in Urinator pacificus Lawr. The explanation of this should not be sought 
for in moulting, as one might be led to expect by specimen No. 1, which is 
in process of changing its winter plumage for its summer one. In speci- 
mens Nos. 2, 6, and 7, we can notice very clearly that the parts above- 
mentioned are also lighter. The white horizontal bars on the shoulders 
and on the back are in most cases wider, even comparing the small 
Turkestan birds with the large Pskovkoi and St. Petersburg types. Also 
in most cases the white spots on the wings are larger. The front part of the 
neck seems to be darker and its purple sheen less developed. 

In the greater number of cases our birds are smaller and their beaks are 
shorter. These two observations were already made by Mr. P. P. Suschkin 
(Birds of the Ufinskoi Region.— Birds of the Middle Kirgiz Steppes.) in 
the cases of Divers from the Ural and Turkestan regions. In my specimens 
the length of the wings and culmen are as follows: 


Wing Culmen. 
If Fide 2.3 
an beer 2,25 
Be eee 2,32 
4, 12,35 29 
5. 121 2.26 
6. 12,5 2,6 
7. 12,12 2.35 
8. 12,7 2.3 
9. 11,8 2,27 


kr 


(In typical U. arcticus, the length of the wing varies between 12,15’’ and 
13,2”, and the culmen between 2,5 and 2,85. In U. pacificus the wing is 
11,2’— 12,25” and the culmen 2’”-2,35”.) 

The extremity of the beak in the Turkestan Diver, is shorter and higher 


198 Dwicut, A New Species of Loon. eg reer 


in proportion, compared to the Northern ones; the gonys, in most cases 
forms a sharper angle. 
This notice about the Diver I dedicate to P. P. Suschkin. 


It is quite obvious from the foregoing translation that suschkint 
is merely slightly differentiated from the purple-throated Gavia 
arcticus and as pacificus is also a like variation, it follows that the 
green-throated birds are without a name, for the synonyms of 
arctica refer without exception to European birds. My attention 
was first directed to the Siberian birds some years ago by Dr. L. 
B. Bishop when we were examining skins of Loons at the American 
Museum of Natural History. I propose for them the following 
name:— 


Gavia viridigularis sp. nov. 


Tyrre.— No. 76665, American Museum of Natural History; adult male; 
Gichega (or Ghijiga) northeastern Siberia; September 16, 1894; collected 
by N. G. Buxton. 

Dracnosis.— The green coloration of the throat is the essential character 
that sets this species apart from arclica and its races, which all have purple 
throats. 

DESCRIPTION OF TYPE.— Top of head smoke gray, paler and drab-tinged 
on nape, sides of head darker and purplish, rest of upper surface a slightly 
lustrous greenish-black, the scapulars with twelve to fourteen broad (6-7 
min.) white bars of quadrate spots, the sides of the hind neck with ten or 
twelve similar though narrower bars and the outer surface of the wings 
with small semi-ovate white spots. The throat is a velvety dusky olive- 
green if held towards the light and an olivaceous black with slight purplish 
tints if held away from it; the upper part of the throat and the chin are a 
darker green much like the back. The throat is bordered by narrow white 
stripes enclosing broader stripes of black and it is crossed at its upper part 
by about ten short white longitudinal stripes; numerous narrow black and 
white streaks radiate from its lower border along the sides of the jugulum. 
The wing quills, the tail, the under tail coverts, the tibiz, and an obscure 
line across the anal region are dusky. The lining of the wing is white. The 
bill in dried skins is a dull grayish-black, and the feet are black. Measure- 
ments (in millimeters) — wing 322, tail 59, tarsus 90, toe with claw 115, 
culmen 69, depth of bill 17. 

The sexes are alike in plumage but the female is slightly smaller. Average 
of two males, wing 321, tail 59.5, tarsus 88, toe with claw 108.5, culmen 68, 
depth of bill 18:— average of five females, wing 316, tail 58.2, tarsus 82.6, 
toe with claw 101.6, culmen 64, depth of bill 17. 

RanaeE.— Northeastern Siberia and extreme western Alaska. 


| Dwicut, A New Species of Loon. 199 


The Green-throated or Siberian Loon may prove to be only 
subspecifically separable from its purple-throated relative, the 
Black-throated or Arctic Loon, but there seems to be a distinct 
qualitative difference between the green and the purple of the 
respective throats, that merits specific recognition. Except for 
this striking difference wiridigularis and arctica are much alike 
in coloration, although the former has wider white bars on the 
scapulars and the upper parts are green-tinged rather than purplish 
as in arctica; the former too is, perhaps, a little larger in all dimen- 
sions. Specimens of arctica no matter how they are held to the 
light show a velvety purple on the throat that looks black in a 
poor light, while those of wridigularis are wholly green when held 
between the observer and the light and they develop a tinge of 
brownish-purple only if held in the opposite direction. I have 
seen one or two specimens that are somewhat intermediate between 
the two species but there is a gap that remains to be bridged. 

We have then Gavwa arctica arctica the northern European bird 
with Gavia arctica suschkinz, a southern race in Turkestan and Gavia 
arctica pacifica its representative in Arctic North America,— all 
three purple-throated, and Gama wiridigularis a green-throated 
species that occupies a range in eastern Siberia. Buturlin as 
quoted may have mistaken wridigularis for pacifica which would 
account for his “arcticus” and “ pacificus”’ breeding side by side, 
but however this may be, we have to reckon with a green-throated 
bird that hitherto has been without a name. 


200 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. [ Fe 


THIRD ANNUAL LIST OF PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE 
A. O. U. CHECK-LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 


BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


Tus is the Third Annual List of proposed A. O. U. Cheek-List 
additions and changes in the names of North American birds. 
Like the First and Second, the present list comprises only orni- 
thological cases,— 7: ¢., such as require specimens or the identi- 
fication of descriptions for their determination, and consists of 
additions, eliminations, rejections, and changes of names due 
to various causes. However, only changes known to be based on 
revisionary work are included; therefore no mention is here made 
of changes involved in names used without sufficient explanation 
in local lists or elsewhere. 

This list is intended to include everything pertinent up to Decem- 
ber 31, 1917, and nothing after that date has been taken. In view 
of the volume and widely scattered character of current ornitho- 
logical literature, it is not at all unlikely that some names have been 
overlooked, and the writer would be very thankful for references to 
any omissions, in order that such may be duly given a place in next 
year’s list. For assistance of this kind relating to the present list, 
the author is indebted to Mr. F. Seymour Hersey, Dr. Charles 
W. Richmond, and Mr. J. H. Riley. 


Fratercula arctica arctica (Linnzus) becomes, in so far as North Amer- 
ica is concerned, Fratercula arctica deleta (Briinnich). Alca deleta 
Briinnich, Ornith. Borealis, 1764, p. 25. (Iceland). (Cf. Hartert, 
British Birds, XI, No. 7, Dec. 1, 1917, pp. 163-166.) 

{Coprotheres Reichenbach, Natiirl. Syst. Végel, 1852 (1853), p. V 
(type, Lestris pomarina Temminck). Recognized as a genus. (Cf. 
Mathews, Birds Australia, II, pt. 5, Jan. 31, 1913, p. 497.) Includes 
the following North American forms now in the genus Stercorarius: 

Coprotheres pomarinus pomarinus (Temminck). 
Coprotheres pomarinus camtschaticus (Pallas). 

{Coprotheres pomarinus camtschaticus (Pallas). Catarractes cam- 

tschatica Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat., II, 1826, p. 312 (Kamchatka). 


1 For the two previous lists, see The Auk, XX XIII, October, 1916, pp. 425-431; XXXIV, 
April, 1917, pp. 198-205. 

+ Additions to the A. O. U. Check-List, the Sixteenth Supplement and the First and 
Second Annual Lists of Proposed Changes, are marked with a dagger (fT). 


an | Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 201 


Recognized as a subspecies to include birds breeding in Alaska and 
Siberia. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, IT, pt. 5, Jan. 31, 1913, p. 498.) 

Pagophila alba (Gunnerus) becomes Pagophila eburnea (Phipps) 
(Larus eburneus Phipps, Voy. North Pole, Append., 1774, p. 187), 
because Larus albus Gunnerus is not certainly identifiable. (Cf. 
B. O. U. Committee, List Brit. Birds, ed. 2, 1915, p. 394.) 

Larus thayeri Brooks becomes Larus argentatus thayeri Brooks, 
beeause of intergradation with Larus argentatus. (Cf. Dwight, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 413-414.) 

{Larus ridibundus Linnzus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, p. 225 (Europe). 
Recorded from a specimen taken on the western coast of Greenland. 
(Cf. Schigler, Dansk Ornith. For. Tidssk., XI, Heefte 3-4, Sept., 1917, 
jon 173s) 

Larus affinis Reimhardt becomes Larus fuscus affinis Reinhardt. 
(Cf. Iredale, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, XX XI, No. CLXX XVI, March 
29, 1913, pp. 68-69.) 

Larus atricilla Linneus becomes Larus atricilla megalopterus 
(Bruch) (Atricilla megalopterus Bruch, Journ. f. Ornith., 1855, p. 287; 
Peru and Mexico), by recognition of the North American birds as 
subspecifically distinct. (Cf. Noble, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoél., LX, 
No. 10, Aug., 1916, p. 367.) 

tCalonectris Mathews and Iredale. New genus. Mathews and Iredale, 
Ibis, ser. 10, III, No. 3, July 2, 1915, pp. 590, 592 (type, Puffinus 
leucomelas Temminck). (Cf. Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 1915, pp. 
590-594; Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 
471, 475.) Of North American species it includes only Puffinus kuhlii 
borealis Cory, which therefore becomes: 

Calonectris kuhlii borealis (Cory). 

jArdenna Reichenbach, Natiirl. Syst. Vogel, 1852 (1853), p. IV (type, 
Procellaria major Faber = Procellaria gravis O'Reilly). Revived as 
a genus (cf. Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 1915, pp. 590-591; and 
Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 471, 475); and 
will include the following North American species now in the genus 
Puffinus: 

Ardenna carneipes (Gould). 
Ardenna creatopus (Coues). 
Ardenna gravis (O'Reilly). 

jHemipuffinus Iredale, Austral Avian Record, II, No. 1, Aug. 2, 1913, 
p. 20 (type, Puffinus carneipes Gould). Proposed (loc. cit.) as a genus 
to include Puffinus carneipes Gould. Accepted as only a subgenus of 
Ardenna Reichenbach. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, 
Oct., 1917, p. 471.) 

Puffinus assimilis Gould becomes Puffinus assimilis godmani 
Allen. Puffinus godmani Allen, The Auk, XXV, No. 3, July, 1908, 
p. 339 (Madeira). (Cf. Hartert, British Birds, VIII, No. 12, May 1, 
1915, pp. 282-283; IX, No. 2, July 1, 1915, p. 56.) 


202 Proposed Changes in the A. 0. U. Check-List. . [Apel 


+Thyellodroma Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XI, Nov. 8, 1888, p. 93 
(type, Puffinus sphenurus Gould). Recognized as a genus (cf. Mathews 
and Iredale, Ibis, 1915, pp. 596-600; Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, 
No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 471-472). Includes the following species now 
in the genus Puffinus: 

Thyellodroma cuneata (Salvin). 
Thyellodroma bulleri (Salvin). 

Puffinus pacificus alleni Mathews becomes Thyellodroma Caents 
(Salvin). (Cf. Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 1915, p. 600.) 

Priofinus cinereus (Gmelin) becomes Procellaria cinerea Gmelin, 
because not generically distinct from Procellaria equinoctialis. 
(Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, II, pt. 1, May 30, 1912, p. 106.) 

+Zéstrelata diabolica (Lafresnaye). Procellaria diabolica Lafresnaye, 
Rev. Zool., 1844, p. 168 (Guadeloupe Island, West Indies). Records 
of Astrelata hasitata from several localities in the eastern United 
States prove to belong to this species. (Cf. Noble, Bull. Mus. Comp. 
Zoél., LX, No. 10, Aug., 1916, pp. 370-374.) 

Pelagodroma marina (Latham) becomes Pelagodroma marina 
hypoleuca (Moquin-Tandon) (Thalassidroma hypoleuca Moquin- 
Tandon, in Webb, Berthelot, and Moquin-Tandon, Orn. Canarienne, 
1841, p. 45; Teneriffe, Canary Islands), by recognition of an Atlantic 
subspecies. (Cf. Bannerman, Ibis, 1914, pp. 61-62.) 

+Oceanodroma hornbyi (Gray). Thalassidroma hornbyi Gray, Proc. 
Zool. Soc. Lond., 1853 (July 25, 1854), p. 62 (northwest coast of 
America). Restored to the list of North American birds. (Cf. 
Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, p. 466.) 

+Oceanodroma leucorhoa beali Emerson. Oceanodroma beali Emerson, 
Condor, VIII, No. 2, March 20, 1906, p. 54 (Sitka Bay, Alaska). 
Revived as a species (cf. Willett, Condor, XVI, No. 2, March 15, 
1915, p. 75); recognized as a subspecies of Oceanodroma leucorhoa 
(cf. Oberholser, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., LIV, Oct. 19, 1917, p. 168). 

Oceanodroma socorroensis Townsend becomes Oceanodroma mo- 
norhis socorroensis Townsend. (Cf. Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 
1915, p. 580.) 

tLeptophaethon Mathews. New genus. Mathews, Austral Avian 
Record, II, Nos. 2-8, Oct. 23, 1913, p. 56 (type, Phaethon lepturus 
dorothee Mathews). Includes only one North American species, 
now in the genus Phaethon: 

Leptophethon catesbyi (Brandt). 

+Sceophaethon Mathews. New genus. Mathews, Austral Avian 
Record, II, Nos. 2-38, Oct. 23, 1913, p. 56 (type, Phaethon rubricauda 
westralis Mathews). Includes only one North American species now 
in the genus Phaethon: 

Sceophaethon rubricaudus (Boddert).! 
+Piscatrix Reichenbach, Natiirl. Syst. Végel, 1852 (1853), p. VI (type, 


1See Second Annual List, “The Auk,’ XXXIV, 1917, p. 199. 


ae x Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 203 
Sula candida Stephens = Pelecanus sula Linnzeus). Recognized as 
a genus. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, June 23, 1915, 
p. 199). Includes one species now in the genus Sula: 

Piscatrix sula (Linnzus). 

Sula piscator (Linnzeus) becomes Piscatrix sula (Linnzus), since the 
latter proves to be identical with the bird currently known as Sula 
piscator. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, June 28, 1915, 
pp. 206-209.) 

tParasula Mathews. New genus. Mathews, Austral Avian Record, II, 
Nos. 2-3, Oct. 28, 1913, p. 55 (type, Sula dactylatra bedouti. Mathews). 
Includes the following North American species now in the genus Sula: 

Parasula cyanops cyanops (Sundevall). 
Parasula nebouxii (Milne-Edwards). 

+Morus Vieillot, Analyse Nouv. Ornith. Elément., 1816, p. 63 (type, 
Pelecanus bassanus Linnzeus). Recognized asagenus. (Cf. Mathews, 
List Birds Australia, 1913, p. 98; Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, June 23, 
1915, p. 217). The only North American species is now in the genus 
Sula and will therefore stand as: 

Morus bassanus (Linnzus). 

Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnzeus) becomes Phalacrocorax carbo 
americanus (Reichenbach) (Graculus americanus Reichenbach, 
Novit. Synop. Avium, Natatores, Dec., 1850, p. [8], pl. CCCL [= Novit. 
LXXXVII = XXXVe]; North America), by recognition of the 
North American bird as a distinct subspecies. (Cf. Mathews, Birds 
Australia, IV, pt. 2, Feb. 17, 1915, p. 171.) 

Fregata aquila (Linnzus) becomes Fregata magnificens rothschildi 
Mathews (Fregata minor rothschildi Mathews, Birds Australia, IV, 
pt. 3, June 23, 1915, p. 280; Aruba Island, Caribbean Sea), since 
Fregata aquila (Linnzeus) proves to be extralimital. (Cf. Oberholser, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 468-469.) 

{Fregata minor palmerstoni (Gmelin). Pelecanus palmerstoni Gmelin, 
Syst. Nat., I, ii, 1789, p. 573 (Palmerston Island, Pacific Ocean). 
Revived by Mathews (Austral Avian Record, HI, No. 6, Dec. 19, 
1914, p. 119; Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, June 23, 1915, p. 280), for the 
bird of the central Pacific Ocean. Occurs also northeast to California. 
(Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct. 1917, p. 469). 

tAnas rubripes tristis Brewster, The Auk, XXVI, No. 2, April, 1909, 
p. 176 (new name for Anas obscura Gmelin). Reinstated as a sub- 
species. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, 
pp. 192-194.) Range: northeastern United States to central Quebec 
and coast of Labrador; in winter south to the Gulf of Mexico. 

jErismaturine. Revived as a subfamily. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Aus- 
tralia, IV, pt. 1, Oct. 6, 1914, p. 8.) Includes the North American 
genera Hrismatura Bonaparte and Nomonyx Ridgway. 

{Dendrocygnine. New subfamily. Shufeldt, Zool. Jahrb. (Abth. f. 
Systematik), XX XVIII, 1914, pp. 1-70, pls. I-XVI. Includes the 
genus Dendrocygna Swainson. 


204 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. Lak 


Branta bernicla glaucogastra (Brehm) becomes Branta bernicla 
(Linnzeus); since Branta bernicla glaucogastra is only a dimorphic 
variety. Furthermore, Bernicla glaucogaster Bream (Handb. Naturg. 
Vog. Deutschl., 1831, p. 849) applies to the form now called Branta 
bernicla bernicla; so that were the race now known as Branta bernicla 
glaucogastra recognizable as a subspecies it would have to stand as 
Branta bernicla collaris (Brehm) (Bernicla collaris Brehm, Handb. 
Naturg. Vég. Deutschl., 1831, p. 851; Coasts of Pomerania). (Cf. 
Hartert, Scottish Naturalist, No. 64, April, 1917, pp. 75-76.) 

Ardea herodias occidentalis Audubon becomes Ardea occidentalis 
Audubon, because considered a distinct species. (Cf. Bartsch, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 1, Jan., 1917, p. 86.) 

tArdea herodias wardi Ridgway. Reinstated as a tenable subspecies, 
because considered specifically distinct from Ardea occidentalis Audu- 
bon. (Cf. Todd, Annals Carnegie Mus., X, Jan., 1916, pp. 177-178; 
Bartsch, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 1, Jan., 1917, p. 86.) 

Egretta candidissima (Gmelin) becomes Egretta thula thula (Molina). 
Ardea thula Molina, Sagg. Stor. Nat. Chili, 1782, p. 2385 (Chile). 
The North American races will therefore need to be called: 

Egretta thula thula (Molina). 
Egretta thula brewsteri Thayer and Bangs. 
7;Limnogeranus Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, I, No. VII, 1893, p. xxxvii 
(type, Ardea americana Linnzeus). Recognized as a genus to include 
Grus americana (Linneus). (Cf. Brasil, Genera Avium, XIX, 1913, 
p. 4), which therefore becomes: 
Limnogeranus americanus (Linnzus). 
Grus mexicana (Miiller) becomes Grus canadensis mexicana 
(Miller). (Cf. Brasil, Genera Avium, XIX, 1913, p. 4.) 

tEroliinz. Recognized as a subfamily of Scolopacide for genera allied 
to Pelidna. (Cf. Lowe, Ibis, 1915, pp. 609-616.) 

{Tringine. Recognized as a subfamily of Scolopacide for genera allied 
to Totanus. (Cf. Lowe, Ibis, 1915, pp. 609-616.) 

Pisobia damacensis (Horsfield) becomes Pisobia minutilla sub- 
minuta (Middendorff) (Tringa subminuta Middendorff, Reis. Siber., 
Zool., 1851, p. 222; western slope of Stanovoi Mts., and Uda 
River, southeastern Siberia), since it is a subspecies of Pisobia minu- 
tilla, and since the name (Pisobia damacensis) Horsfield is a synonym 
of Pisobia ruficollis (Pallas) and thus unavailable for the bird now 
known as Pisobia damacensis. (Cf. Hartert, Novit. Zool., X XIII, 
1916, pp. 92-93.) ; 

jErolia ferruginea chinensis (Gray). Tinga (Pelidna) chinensis Gray, 
Zool. Miscell., 1831, p. 2 (China). Alaskan records of this species 
belong under this newly recognized subspecies. (Cf. Mathews, Birds 
of Australia, III, pt. 3, Aug. 18, 1913, pp. 266-268.) 

{}Vetola Mathews. New genus. Mathews, Birds Australia, III, pt. 2, 
May 2, 1913, p. 191 (type, Scolopax lapponica Linnzeus). Includes 
the following North American species now in the genus Limosa: 


ae | Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 205 


Vetola lapponica baueri (Naumann). 
Vetola hzemastica (Linnzus). 

Calidris leucophza (Pallas) becomes Calidris leucophzea rubida 
(Gmelin) (Charadrius rubidus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I, ii, 1789, p. 
688; Hudson Bay, Canada), by recognition of a North American 
subspecies. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, ITI, pt. 3, Aug. 18, 1913, 
p. 244.) 

Totanus melanoleucus (Gmelin) becomes Glottis melanoleuca 
(Gmelin), because not generically separable from Glottis nebularia. 
(Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, II, pt. 2, May 2, 1913, pp. 197-198; 
pt. 3; Aug. 18, 1913, p. 224.) 

fIliornis Kaup, Skizz. Entwick.—Gesch. Eur. Thierw., 1829, p. 156 
(type, Totanus stagnatilis Bechstein). Recognized as a genus. (Cf. 
Mathews, Birds Australia, III, pt. 2, May 2, 1913, pp. 197-199.) 
Includes one North American species now in the genus Totanus: 

Iliornis flavipes (Gmelin). 

+Pheopus Cuvier, Régne Animal, I, 1816, p. 485 (type, Scolopax pheopus 
Linneus). Recognized as a genus. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, 
III, pt. 2, May 2, 1913, pp. 167-169.) Includes the following North 
American species now in the genus Numenius: 

Phzopus hudsonicus (Latham). 
Pheopus borealis (Forster). 

Phzeopus phzeopus phzopus (Linnzus). 
Phzopus tahitiensis (Gmelin). 

+Numenius arquatus (Linneus). Scolopax arquata Linneus, Syst. 
Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 145 (Sweden). Recorded from specimens 
taken on the eastern and western coasts of Greenland. (Cf. Helms, 
Dansk. Ornith. For. Tidssk., X1, Heefte 3-4, Sept., 1917, p. 178.) 

ZEgialitis Boie becomes Charadrius Linnzus, because considered not 
generically separable. (Cf. Hartert and Jackson, Ibis, 1915, pp. 
526-527.) Consequently the North American species of Aigialitis 
will now stand as: 

Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte. 
Charadrius hiaticula septentrionalis (Brehm). 
Charadrius melodus Ord. 

ZEgialitis hiaticula major (Seebohm) becomes Charadrius hiaticula 
septentrionalis Brehm. Agialitis septentrionalis Brehm, Naturg. 
Vég. Deutschl., 1831, p. 548 (Iceland). (Cf. Schigler, Dansk Ornith. 
For. Tidssk., IX, Heefte 2-3, March, 1915, p. 181.) 

+Z6gialeus Reichenbach, Natiirl. Syst. Védgel, 1852 (1853), p. XVIII 
(type, Charadrius semipalmatus). Recognized as a subgenus to in- 
clude Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte. (Cf. Mathews, Birds 
Australia, III, pt. 2, May 2, 1913, p. 124). 

;Cirrepidesmus Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci., XLIII, 1856, p. 
417 (type, Charadrius pyrrhothorax Gould = Charadrius atrifrons 
Wagler). Recognized as a genus. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, 


206 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. [ fe 


III, pt. 1, April 2, 1913, pp. 81-84.) Its only North American species, 
now in the genus Agialitis, is: 
Cirrepidesmus mongolus (Pallas). 

+Leucopolius Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci., XLIII, 1856, p. 417 
(type, Charadrius marginatus Vieillot). Recognized as a genus. 
(Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, III, pt. 2, May 2, 1913, pp. 108-115). 
Includes only one North American species, which is now in the genus 
Aigialitis : 

Leucopolius alexandrinus nivosus (Cassin). 

#Egialitis nivosa (Cassin) becomes Leucopolius alexandrinus nivosus 
(Cassin), because only subspecifically different from Leucopolius 
alexandrinus. (Cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, III, pt. 2, May 2, 
1913, p. 114; Hartert and Jackson, Ibis, 1915, pp. 527-528.) 

+Elseya Mathews. New genus. Mathews, Birds Australia, III, pt. 2, 
May 2, 1913, p. 125 (type, Charadrius melanops Vieillot). Includes 
one North American species now in the genus Afgialitis: 

Elseya dubia (Scopoli). 

Jacana spinosa (Linnzus) becomes Jacana spinosa gymnostoma 
(Wagler) (Parra gymnostoma Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 517; Mexico), by 
recognition of the Mexican bird as distinct from that of Central 
America. (Cf. Todd, Annals Carnegie Mus., X, Jan., 1916, pp. 219- 
220.) 

tJacana spinosa violacea (Cory). Parra violacea Cory, Bull. Nuttall 
Ornith. Club, VI, No. 3, July, 1881, p. 130 (Haiti). Recognized as a 
subspecies for the West Indian representatives of Jacana spinosa, 
with which Florida birds are identical. (Cf. Todd, Annals Carnegie 
Mus., X, Jan., 1916, pp. 217-220.) 

jLophortyx californica catalinensis Grinnell. Lophortyx catalinensis 
Grinnell, The Auk, XXIII, No. 3, July, 1906, p. 262 (Avalon, Santa 
Catalina Island, California). Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. 
Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, p. 194.) Range: 
Santa Catalina Island, California. 

+tPedicecetes phasianellus jamesi Lincoln. New subspecies. Lincoln, 
Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXX, May 23, 1917, p. 84 (three miles west 
of Castle Rock, Colo.). Range: foothills of Rocky Mountains from 
Colorado to Wyoming. 

Circus hudsonius (Linnzeus) becomes Circus cyaneus hudsonius: 
(Linneus). (Cf. Hartert, Vogel paliarkt. Fauna, Heft IX [Band II, 
Heft 3], Oct., 1914, p. 1142.) 

Astur atricapillus (Wilson) is considered a subspecies of the European 
Astur gentilis (Linneus) (= Astur palumbarius [Linneus]). (Cf. 
Hartert, Vogel. paliarkt. Fauna, Heft. IX [Band II, Heft 3], Oct., 
1914, p. 1151.) The American races of this species will, therefore, 
now stand as: 

Astur gentilis atricapillus (Wilson). 
Astur gentilis striatulus Ridgway. 


al Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 207 


+Buteo borealis umbrinus Bangs, Proc. New Engl. Zodél. Club, II, July 
31, 1901, p. 68 (Myakka, Manatee Co., Florida). Revived as a 
subspecies. (Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoél., LXI, No. 11, Oct., 
1917, p. 400.) Range: Florida, Cuba, and Isle of Pines. 

+Buteo platypterus iowensis B. H. Bailey. New subspecies. Bailey, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 1, Jan., 1917, p. 73 (Eagle Lake, Hancock 
County, Iowa.) 

+Tachytriorchis Kaup. Recognized as a genus (Cf. Chubb, Birds Brit. 
Guiana, I, 1916, p. 231). Contains one North American species now 
in the genus Buteo: 

Tachytriorchis albicaudatus sennetti (Allen). 

+Buteola Bonaparte. Recognized as a genus. (Cf. Chubb, Birds Brit. 

Guiana, I, 1916, p. 236.) Buteo brachyurus Vieillot therefore becomes: 
Buteola brachyura (Vieillot). 

jHalizetus albicilla brooksi Hume. JHaliaetus brooksi Hume, Ibis, ser. 
2, VI, No. XXIII, July, 1870, p. 4838 (Upper India). Alaskan speci- 
mens of Haliwetus albicilla belong to this race. (Cf. Clark, Proc. 
U.S. Nat. Mus., XX XVIII, April 30, 1910, p. 57.) 

*Rhynchodon Nitzsch. Recognized as a genus. (Cf. Mathews, List 
Birds Australia, 1913, p. 111; Birds Australia, V, pt. 2, Feb. 29, 1916, 
pp. 223-224.) Includes three North American forms now in the genus 
Falco: 

Rhynchodon peregrinus peregrinus (Tunstall). 
Rhynchodon peregrinus anatum (Bonaparte). 
Rhynchodon peregrinus pealei (Ridgway). 

{Tinnunculus Vieillot. Recognized as a genus. (Cf. Mathews, Birds 
Australia, V, pt. 2, Feb. 29, 1916, pp. 223-224.) Includes the follow- 
ing North American forms now in the genus Falco: 

Tinnunculus columbarius columbarius (Linnzus). 
Tinnunculus columbarius suckleyi (Ridgway). 
Tinnunculus columbarius richardsonii (Ridgway). 
Tinnunculus columbarius zesalon (Tunstall). 

Falco zsalon Tunstall becomes Tinnunculus columbarius esalon 
(Tunstall), by reason of subspecifie relationship with Tinnunculus 
columbarius. (Cf. Hartert, Jourdain, Ticehurst and Witherby, Brit s 
Birds, IX, No. 1, June 1, 1915, pp. 5-6.) 

jRhynchofalco Ridgway. Recognized as a genus. (Cf. Mathews, 
Birds Australia, V, pt. 2, Feb. 29, 1916, p. 223.) Includes one species 
now in the genus Falco: 

Rhynchofalco fuscoccrulescens septentrionalis (Todd). 

Asio wilsonianus (Lesson) becomes Asio otus wilsonianus (Lesson). 
(Cf. Hartert, Vogel palaarkt. Fauna, Heft VIII, [Band II, Heft 2], 
August, 1913, p. 987.) 

Speotyto cunicularia floridana Ridgway becomes Speotyto flori- 
dana Ridgway. (Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. 8. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. 
VI, 1914, pp. 814, 820.) 


208 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. [ fen 


Glaucidium hoskinsi Brewster becomes Glaucidium gnoma hos- 
kinsii Brewster. (Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. VI, 
1914, p. 788.) 

+Coccyzus minor nesiotes (Cabanis and Heine). Coccygus nesiotes 
Cabanis and Heine, Mus. Hein., IV, Heft 1, November, 1862, p. 78, 
footnote (Greater Antilles and Florida). Recorded from Florida. 
(Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. VII, May 5, 1916, 
p. 27.) 

}Sphyrapicus thyroideus natalie (Malherbe). Picus natalie Mal- 
herbe, Journ. f. Ornith., II, No. 8, March, 1854, p. 171 (Mexico). 
Revived as a subspecies. (Cf. Swarth, Condor, XIX, No. 2, March 
15, 1917, p. 63). Range: Montana to Arizona, wintering south to 
Jalisco, Mexico. 

jCenturus uropygialis brewsteri Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 
XXIV, Feb. 24, 1911, p. 32 (Santiago, southern Lower California). 
Recognized as a subspecies. (Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 
No. 50, pt. VI, 1914, p. 96). Range: southern Lower California. 

Colaptes rufipileus Ridgway becomes Colaptes cafer rufipileus 
Ridgway. (Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. VI, 
1914, p. 37.) 

Chordeiles virginianus (Gmelin) becomes Chordeiles minor (Forster) 
(Caprimulgus minor Forster, Cat. Anim. North Amer., 1771, p. 13; 
Virginia), since the latter has the same basis and is of earlier date. (Cf. 
Richmond, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 1, Jan. 1917, p. 88.) The North 
American races of Chordeiles virginianus therefore will stand as follows: 

Chordeiles minor minor (Forster). 
Chordeiles minor hesperis Grinnell. 
Chordeiles minor sennetti Coues. 
Chordeiles minor howelli Oberholser. 
Chordeiles minor henryi Cassin. 
Chordeiles minor aserriensis Cherrie. 
Chordeiles minor chapmani Coues. 

jMyiarchus crinitus residuus Howe, Contrib. North Amer. Ornith., 
I, May 21, 1902, p. 30 (Istokpoga Lake, Florida). Reinstated as a 
subspecies. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, 
pp. 194-195.) Range: peninsula of Florida. 

Aphelocoma woodhouseii (Baird) becomes Aphelocoma, californica 
woodhouseii (Baird), because of intergradation with Aphelocoma 
californica texana. (Cf. Oberholser, Condor, XIX, No. 3, June 1, 
1917, p. 94.) 

Aphelocoma texana Ridgway becomes Aphelocoma californica 
texana Ridgway, because of intergradation with neighboring forms. 
(Cf. Oberholser, Condor, XIX, No. 3, June 1, 1917, p. 94). 

tAphelocoma californica immanis Grinnell, The Auk, XVIII, No. 2, 
April, 1901, p. 188 (Scio, Willamette Valley, Oregon). Recognized 
as the subspecies breeding in northern California and western Oregon. 
(Cf. Oberholser, Condor, XIX, No. 3, June 1, 1917, pp. 94-95.) 


ene | Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 209 

{Perisoreus obscurus rathbuni Oberholser. New subspecies. Ober- 
holser, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXX, Dec. 1, 1917, p. 185 (Lake 
Crescent, Clallam Co., Wash.) Range: northwestern Washington. 

{Corvus corax clarionensis Rothschild and Hartert, Novit. Zool., IX, No. 
2, July 25, 1902, p. 381 (Clarion Island, Revillagigedo Islands, Colima, 
Mex.). Recorded as the raven of the Santa Barbara Islands, Calif. 
(Cf. Bishop, Condor, XVII, No. 5, Oct. 10, 1915, p. 186). 

jMolothrus ater artemisiz Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., V, No. 5, 
Dec. 31, 1909, p. 276 (Quinn River Crossing, Humboldt County, 
Nevada). Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 
XXXIV, No. 3, July, 1917, pp. 327-328.) Range: western Canada, 
and western United States except southwestern border; south in 
winter to southern Mexico. 

Agelaius gubernator californicus Nelson becomes Agelaius pheeni- 
ceus californicus Nelson, since intergradation shows it to be 
subspecifically connected with Agelaius pheniceus neutralis. (Cf. 
Mailliard, Condor, XII, No. 2, March 25, 1910, pp. 63-70.) 

{Sturnella neglecta confluenta Rathbun. New subspecies. Rathbun, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 1, Jan., 1917, p. 68 (Seattle, Washington). 
Range: Pacific Coast region from southwestern British Columbia 
to northwestern Oregon. : 

{Hesperiphona vespertina brooksi Grinnell. New subspecies. Grin- 
nell, Condor, XIX, No. 1, Jan. 15, 1917, p. 20 (Okanagan, Brit. Col.). 
Range: southern British Columbia and Washington. 

{Hesperiphona vespertina californica Grinnell. New subspecies. 
Grinnell, Condor, XIX, No. 1, Jan. 15, 1917, p. 20 (Crane Flat, 6300 
feet altitude, Mariposa County, Calif.). Range: California and 
Oregon. 

{Hesperiphona vespertina warreni Grinnell. New subspecies. Grin- 
nell, Condor, XIX, No. 1, Jan. 15, 1917, p. 21 (Bear Creek, near 
Colorado Springs, Colo.). Range: Colorado, New Mexico, and 
Arizona. 

{Pinicola enucleator kamtschathensis (Dybowski). Corythus enu- 
cleator kamtschathensis Dybowski, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, VIII, 1883, 
p. 367 (Kamchatka). Recorded as North American from a specimen 
taken on St. George Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. (Cf. Riley, The 
Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, p. 210.) 

{Carpodacus mexicanus obscurus McCall. Carpodacus’ obscurus 
McCall, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., V, 1851, p. 220 (Santa Fe, 
New Mexico). Recognized as a subspecies. (Cf. Aiken, Colo. 
College Publ., (Gen. Ser., No. 75 and 76), Sci. Ser., XII, No. 13, pt. II, 
June, 1914, p. 549). Range: California to western New Mexico. 

{Loxia curvirostra bendirei Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., II, April 
28, 1884, p. 101 (Fort Klamath, Oregon). Reinstated as a sub- 
species. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, July, 1917, pp. 
328-329.) Range: western United States except the southwestern 
border. 


210 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. [Atk 


Passer hostilis Kleinschmidt becomes Passer domesticus hostilis 
Kleinschmidt, because only subspecifically distinct from the bird of 
continental Europe. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, 
July, 1917, p. 329.) 

tNemospiza Oberholser. New genus. Oberholser, Ohio Journ. Science, 
XVII, No. 8, June 2, 1917, p. 335 (type, Emberiza henslowii Audu- 
bon). Includes the following forms now in the genus Passerher- 
bulus: 

Nemospiza henslowii henslowii (Audubon). 
Nemospiza henslowii occidentalis (Brewster). 

tAmmospiza Oberholser, Smiths. .Misc. Coll., XLVIII, May 13, 1905, p. 
68 (type, Oriolus caudacutus Gmelin). Reinstated as a genus. (Cf. 
Oberholser, Ohio Journ. Science, XVII, No. 8, June 2, 1917, p. 333.) 
Includes the following North American sparrows now in the genus 
Passerherbulus: 

Ammospiza caudacuta caudacuta (Gmelin). 
Ammospiza caudacuta subvirgata (Dwight). 
Ammospiza caudacuta nelsoni (Allen). 

Passerherbulus nelsoni nelsoni (Allen) becomes Ammospiza cau- 
dacuta nelsoni (Allen), by reason of intergradation with Ammospiza 
caudacuta (Gmelin). (Cf. Oberholser, Ohio Journ. Science, XVII, 
No. 8, June 2, 1917, p. 334). 

Passerherbulus nelsoni subvirgatus (Dwight) becomes Arompbapiza 
caudacuta subvirgata (Dwight). (Cf. Oberholser, Ohio Journ. 
Science, XVII, No. 8, June 2, 1917, p. 334.) 

{Thryospiza Oberholser. New genus. Oberholser, Ohio Journ. Science, 
XVII, No. 8, June 2, 1917, p. 332 (type, Fringilla maritima Wilson). 
Includes the following North American sparrows now in the genus 
Passerherbulus: 

Thryospiza maritima maritima (Wilson). 
Thryospiza maritima macgillivraii (Audubon). 
Thryospiza maritima peninsule (Allen). 
Thryospiza maritima sennetti (Allen). 
Thryospiza maritima fisheri (Chapman). 
Thryospiza nigrescens (Ridgway). 

Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii (Nuttall) becomes Zonotrichia 
gambelii (Nuttall), since it proves to be specifically distinct from 
Zonotrichia leucophrys (Forster). (Cf. Riley, Canadian Alpine Jour- 
nal, special number, 1912 [Feb. 17, 1913], pp. 66-67). 

Junco hyemalis connectens Coues becomes Junco oreganus shu- 
feldti Coale (Junco hyemalis shufeldti Coale, The Auk, IV, No. 4, Oct., 
1887, p. 330; Fort Wingate, New Mex.); also, by reason of the specific 
distinctness of Junco oreganus (Townsend) from Junco hyemalis 
(Linnzeus) (cf. Riley, Canadian Alpine Journal, special number, 
1912 [Feb. 17, 1913], pp. 67-68), the juncos now considered subspecies 
of Junco hyemalis will stand as follows: 


aa | Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Chech-List. art 


Junco hyemalis hyemalis (Linnzus). 
Junco hyemalis carolinensis Brewster. 
Junco oreganus oreganus (Townsend). 
Junco oreganus shufeldti Coale. 
Junco oreganus thurberi Anthony. 
Junco oreganus pinosus Loomis. 
Junco oreganus montanus Ridgway. 
Junco oreganus mearnsi Ridgway. 
Jukrco oreganus annectens Baird. 
Junco oreganus townsendi Anthony. 

Junco phezonotus caniceps (Woodhouse) becomes Junco caniceps 
(Woodhouse), since it proves to be specifically distinct from Junco 
pheonotus palliatus. (Cf. Brooks, Condor, XVI, No. 3, May 15, 1914, 
p. 116; No. 4, July 25, 1914, p. 183.) 

Melospiza melodia fallax (Baird) becomes Melospiza melodia sal- 
tonis Grinnell. Melospiza melodia saltonis Grinnell, Univ. Calif. 
Publ. Zool., V, No. 3, April 9, 1909, p. 268 (Salton Sea, one mile south- 
east of Mecca, Calif.). (Cf. Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., XII, 
1914, pp. 173-175). 

Melospiza melodia montana Henshaw becomes Melospiza melodia 
fallax (Baird). (Cf. Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., XII, 1914, 
pp. 173-174). 

tMelospiza melodia inexspectata Riley, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXIV, 
Nov. 28, 1911, p. 234 (three miles east of Moose Lake, Brit. Col.). 
Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. Riley, Canadian Alpine Journal, 
special number, 1912 [Feb. 17, 1913], p. 68.) 

Melospiza lincolni striata Brewster becomes Melospiza lincolnii 
gracilis (Kittlitz). Emberiza gracilis Kittlitz (Denkwiird. Reis. 
Russ. Amer., I, 1858, p. 199; Sitka, Alaska) is the same bird sub- 
sequently described as Melospiza lincolni striata by Brewster. (Cf. 
Willett, Condor, XVI, No. 2, March 15, 1914, p. 87). 

{Passerella iliaca altivagans Riley, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXIV, 
Nov. 28, 1911, p. 234 (Moose Branch of Smoky River, Alberta). 
Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. Riley, Canadian Alpine Journal, 
special number, 1912 [Feb. 17, 1913], p. 69.) 

jPasserella iliaca monoensis Grinnell and Storer. New subspecies. 
Grinnell and Storer, Condor, XIX, No. 5, Sept. 25, 1917, p. 165 (Mono 
Lake Post Office, altitude 6500 feet, Mono County, Calif.). Range: 
Mono County, Calif. 

jPipilo crissalis carole McGregor. Pipilo fuscus carole McGregor, 
Bull. Cooper Ornith. Club, I, No. 1, 1899, p. 11 (Battle Creek, Shasta 
Co., Calif.). Reinstated as a valid subspecies. (Cf. Grinnell, Condor, 
XIV, No. 5, Sept. 28, 1912, p. 199.) Range: northern California 
and southwestern Oregon. 

{jZamelodia melanocephala capitalis (Baird). [Hedymeles melano- 
cephalus] var. capitalis Baird, in Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway’s Hist. 


Ze Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. Lack 


North Amer. Birds, Land Birds, II, 1874, p. 70 (Columbia River, 
Oreg.). Revived as a subspecies. (Cf. Grinnell and Swarth, Univ. 
Calif. Publ. Zool., X, 1918, pp. 284-285; Bishop, Condor, XVII, 
No. 5, Oct. 10, 1915, p. 189.) Range: Pacific Coast region of the 
United States. : 

Hirundo erythrogastra Boddert becomes Hirundo rustica erythro- 
gastris Boddert, by reason of subspecific relationship with Hirundo 
rustica. (Cf. Oberholser, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 98, June 30, 1917, 
pp. 29-31.) 

Bombycilla garrula (Linnzus) becomes, in so far as North America is 
concerned, Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps Reichenow, Ornith. 
Monatsber., XVI, No. 12, Dec., 1908, p. 191 (Shesly River, northern 
British Columbia); since North American birds are subspecifically 
different from those of the Old World. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 

XXXIV; No: 3; July, 1917; p..333.) 

{Lanius borealis invictus Grinnell, Pacific Coast Avifauna, I, November 
14, 1900, p. 54 (Kowak River, Alaska). Revived as a subspecies. 
(Cf. Bishop, Condor, XVII, No. 5, Oct. 10, 1915, p. 189). Range: 
western North America. 

{Vireo bellii arizonze Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XVI, Sept. 30, 
1903, p. 108 (Tucson, Arizona). Recognized as a subspecies. (Cf. 
Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., XII, 1914, pp. 189-190; Oberholser, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, July, 1917, p. 322.) 

{+Vermivora celata orestera Oberholser, The Auk, XXII, No. 3, July, 
1905, p. 243 (Willis, northern New Mexico). Reinstated as a sub- 
species. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3; July, 1917, 
pp. 3826-327). Range: western United States and southwestern 
Canada, except Pacific Coast district; im winter south to central and 
southern Mexico. 

{Dendroica czrulescens cairnsi Coues. Reinstated as a subspecies. 
(Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, July, 1917, pp. 325- 
326.) 

+Geothlypis trichas brachidactyla (Swainson). Trichas brachidac- 
tylus Swainson, Anim. in Menag., 1838, p. 295 (northern provinces 
of United States). Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. Oberholser, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, July, 1917, p. 324.) Range: northeastern 
United States and southeastern Canada: south in winter to the West 
Indies, Costa Rica, and southern Mexico. 

+Geothlypis beldingi goldmani Oberholser. New subspecies. Ober- 
holser, Condor, XIX, No. 6, Dec. 7, 1917, p. 183 (San Ignacio, Lower 
Calif.). Range: central Lower California. 

Anthus rubescens (Tunstall) becomes Anthus spinoletta rubescens 
(Tunstall). (Cf. Hartert et al., Hand-List Brit. Birds, 1912, p. 35.) 

Thryomanes bewickii bairdi (Salvin and Godman) becomes Thryo- 
manes bewickii eremophilus Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 
XXI, Nov. 19, 1898, p. 427 (Big Hatchet Mts., Grant Co., New Mex.). 


all Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 213 


(Cf. Swarth, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, VI, May 8, 1916, pp. 80-83; 
Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., XII, 1914, pp. 209-210.) 

+Thryomanes bewickii drymececus Oberholser, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., 
XXI, Nov. 19, 1898, p. 437 (Baird, Shasta Co., Calif.). Revived as 
a subspecies. (Cf. Swarth, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, VI, May 8, 
1916, p. 68). Range: central part of northern two-thirds of Cali- 
fornia. 

+Thryomanes bewickii marinensis Grinnell. Thryomanes bewicki 
marinensis Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., V, No. 8, Feb. 21, 
1910, p. 307 (Nicasio, Marin Co., Calif.). Revived as a subspecies. 
(Cf. Swarth, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, VI, May 8, 1916, p. 64.) 
Range: coast region of northern California. 

{Thryomanes bewickii nesophilus Oberholser, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., 
XXI, Nov. 19, 1898, p. 442 (Santa Cruz Island, Calif.). Revived 
as a subspecies. (Cf. Swarth, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, VI, May 
8, 1916, p. 78.) Range: Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands, Cali- 
fornia. 

+Thryomanes bewickii catalinz Grinnell. Thryomanes bewickit 
cataline Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zoél., V, No. 8, February 21, 
1910, p. 308 (Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California). Revived 
as a subspecies. (Cf. Swarth, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, VI, 
May 8, 1916, p. 78.) Range: Santa Catalina Island, California. 

Thryomanes leucophrys (Anthony) becomes Thryomanes bewickii 
leucophrys (Anthony). (Cf. Swarth, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, 
VI, May 8, 1916, p. 79.) 

tTelmatodytes palustris estuarinus Swarth. New subspecies. 
Swarth, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, July, 1917, p. 310 (Grizzly Island, 
Solano Co., California). Range: central California; in winter to 
southwestern California. 

jLeptositta Buturlin. New subgenus. Buturlin, Travaux Soc. Impér. 
Naturalistes Petrograd, XLIV, livr. 2, 1916, pp. 153, 156-157 (type, 
Sitta leucopsis Gould). Includes Sitta carolinensis Linnzeus. * 

Sitta carolinensis carolinensis Latham becomes Sitta carolinensis 
cookei Oberholser, subsp. nov., The Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 
1917, p. 185 (Washington, D. C.). Range: northeastern United 
States and southeastern Canada. 

Sitta carolinensis atkinsi Scott, becomes Sitta carolinensis caroli- 
nensis Latham, because South Carolina birds are subspecifically the 
same as those from Florida, the type locality of Sitla carolinensis 
atkinsi. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, 
pp. 181-185.) 

{Micrositta Buturlin. New subgenus. Buturlin, Travaux Soc. Impér. 
Naturalistes Petrograd, XLIV, livr. 2, 1916, pp. 153-156 (type, 
Sitta villosa Verreaux). To include all the North American nut- 
hatches except Sitta carolinensis. 

tBeolophus inornatus murinus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 


214 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. [Ack 


XVI, Sept. 30, 1908, p. 109 (Nachoguero Valley, northern Lower 
California). Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera 
Avium, XVIII, 1911, p. 29; Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 38, 
July, 1917, pp. 322-323.) Range: northern Lower California and 
southwestern California. 

Beolophus wollweberi (Bonaparte) becomes Beolophus wollweberi 
annexus (Cassin) (Parus annexus Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sei. 
Phila., V, Oct., 1850, p. 103, pl. I; “‘ Rio Grande in Texas ”’), since 
birds from the United States are subspecifically different from true 
Beolophus wollweberi. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 3, 
July, 1917, pp. 323-324.) 

{Penthestes hudsonicus columbianus (Rhoads). Parus hudsonicus 
columbianus Rhoads, The Auk, X, No. 1, Jan., 1893, p. 23 (Field, 
Brit. Col.). Revived as a subspecies. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera Avium, 
XVII, 1911p: 37.) 

{Psaltriparinz. Revived as a subfamily, to include, so far as North 
America is concerned, only the genus Psaltriparus Bonaparte. (Cf. 
Hellmayr, Genera Avium, XVIII, 1911, p. 44.) 

+Psaltriparus minimus saturatus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 
XVI, Sept. 30, 1903, p. 109 (Mount Vernon, Wash.). Revived as a 
subspecies. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera Avium, XVIII, 1911, p. 55.) 

tRemizine. Revived as a subfamily, to include, so far as North America 
is concerned, only the genus Awriparus Baird. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera 
Avium, XVIII, 1911, p. 55.) 

Regulus satrapa satrapa Lichtenstein becomes Regulus regulus 
satrapa Lichtenstein, by reason of individual intergradation with 
Regulus regulus. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera Avium, XVII, 1911, p. 8.) 

Regulus satrapa olivaceus Baird becomes Regulus regulus olivaceus 
Baird. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera Avium, XVII, 1911, p. 8.) 

{Corthylio calendula cineraceus (Grinnell). Regulus calendula cine- 
raceus Grinnell, Condor, VI, No..1, Jan. 15, 1904, p. 25 (Strain’s 
Camp, Mt. Wilson, Los Angeles Co., Calif.).. Reinstated as a sub- 
species. (Cf. Hellmayr, Genera Avium, XVII, 1911, p. 9.) Range: 
western United States to northern Mexico. 

tPolioptila plumbea margarite Ridgway. Polioptila margarite Ridg- 
way, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No..50, 1904, p. 733 (Margarita Island, 
Lower Calif.). Revived as a subspecies of Polioptila plumbea. (Cf. 
Hellmayr, Genera Avium, XVII, 1911, p. 14.) 

7Planesticus merula merula (Linneus). Turdus merula Linnzus, 
Syst. Nat., ed. 10, I, 1758, p.. 170 (Sweden). Recorded from a speci- 
men taken on the western coast of Greenland. (Cf. Schigler, Dansk 
Ornith. For. Tidssk., XI, Hafte 3-4, Sept., 1917, p. 175.) 

{Planesticus migratorius caurinus Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 
V, No. 2, Feb. 18, 1909, p. 241 (Windfall Harbor, Admiralty Island, 
Alaska). Reinstated as a subspecies. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 
XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, pp. 195-196.) Range: western Washing- 
ton to southeastern Alaska. 


pet XY] Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. 215 


{Sialia sialis episcopus Oberholser. New subspecies. Oberholser, 
Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXX, Feb. 21, 1917, p. 27 (Santa Engracia, 
Tamaulipas, Mexico). Range: northeastern Mexico to -southern 
Texas. 


REJECTIONS AND ELIMINATIONS:!! 


Brachyramphus craverii (Salvadori) vs. Brachyramphus hypoleucus 
Xantus. Proposal to synonymize Brachyramphus craverii with 
Brachyramphus hypoleucus (cf. Beck, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, 
III, 1910, pp. 60-61) rejected (cf. Van Rossem, Condor, XVII, 1915, 
pp. 74-76). 

Cepphus snowi Stejneger. The record from Alaska (cf. Reichenow, 
in Niedieck’s Kreuzfahrten im Beringmeer, 1907, p. 250) is too doubt- 
ful for inclusion in the North American list. (Cf. Oberholser, The 
Auk, XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, p. 191.) 

Gelochelidon nilotica (Gmelin) vs. Gelochelidon anglica (Montagu). 
Proposal to change name because of inadequacy of Gmelin’s descrip- 
tion (cf. B. O. U. Committee, List Brit. Birds, ed. 2, 1915, p. 394), 
rejected. (Cf. Hartert et al., British Birds, VIII, No. 12, May 1, 
1915, p. 281.) 

Sterna fuscata Linneus vs. Sterna fuliginosa Gmelin. Proposed 
change (cf. Hartert, Jourdain, Ticehurst, and Witherby, Hand-List 
Brit. Birds, 1912, p. 196) rejected. (Cf. Iredale, Ibis, 1914, p. 437; 
Hartert, British Birds, IX, No. 1, June 1, 1915, p. 10.) 

Puffinus kuhlii borealis Cory vs. Puffinus kuhlii flavirostris (Gould). 
Proposed change of name (cf. G. H. Thayer, Science, new series, XLII, 
No. 1079; Sept. 3, 1915, pp. 308-310) rejected. (Cf. Stone, Science, 
new series, XLII, No. 1085, Oct. 15, 1915, p. 530.) 

Alphapuffinus Mathews, Austral Avian Record, II, No. 5, Sept. 24, 
1914, p. 110 (type, Puffinus assimilis Gould). Not separable from 
Puffinus Brisson. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 
1917, p. 472.) 

Puffinus assimilis Gould vs. Puffinus assimilis baroli Bonaparte. 
(Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci., XLII, 1856, p. 769) (cf. Mathews, Birds 
Australia, II, pt. 1, May 30, 1912, pp. 67 to 69). Change rejected. 
(Cf. Hartert, British Birds, VIII, No. 12, May 1, 1915, pp. 282-283.) 

Puffinus couesi Mathews, Birds Australia, I, pt. 1, May 30, 1912, p. 67. 
An unnecessary new name for Puffinus opisthomelas Godman since 
this is the same as Puffinus opisthomelas Coues. (Cf. Oberholser, 
The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, October, 1917, p. 473.) 

Puffinus auricularis Townsend vs. Puffinus opisthomelas Coues 
(cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, II, pt. 1, May 30, 1912, pp. 65-67). 
Change rejected, since both these names do not refer to the same 


1 Kliminations of forms already in the A. O. U. Check-List, the Sixteenth Supplement, 
the First Annual List or the Second Annual List, are designated by an asterisk. 


216 Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. [ApH 


species. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, p. 
473.) 

Neoneetris Mathews, Austral Avian Record, II, No. 1, Aug. 2, 1913, 
p. 12 (type, Puffinus brevicaudus Gould). Originally proposed as a 
genus to include Puffinus tenutrostris and Puffinus griseus. Now con- 
sidered neither generically nor subgenerically separable from Puffinus 
Brisson. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, p. 
472.) 

Bannermania Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, ser. 10, III, No. 3, July 2, 
1915, p. 578 (type, Thalassidroma hornbyi Gray), is not generically 
separable from Oceanodroma Reichenbach. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 
XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 465-466). 

Cymochorea Coues. Proposed recognition as a genus (cf. Mathews 
and Iredale, Ibis, ser. 10, III, No. 3, July, 1915, pp. 574-581) rejected. 

_ (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, No. 4, Oct., 1917, p. 467). 

Sula dactylatra californica Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, 
XXXV, No. CCIII, Jan. 27, 1915, p. 43 (San Benedicto Island, 
Revillagigedo Islands,. western Mexico). Alleged occurrence in 
California not substantiated. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, XXXIV, 
No. 4, Oct., 1917, pp. 467-468.) 

Hemisula Mathews, Austral Avian Record, II, Nos. 2-3, Oct. 23, 1913, 
p. 55 (type, Sula leucogaster rogersi Mathews) = Sula Brisson. (Cf. 
Mathews, Birds Australia, IV, pt. 3, June 23, 1915, p. 230.) 

Anas fulvigula maculosa Sennett vs. Anas fulvigula Ridgway. 
Proposed elimination of Anas fulvigula maculosa (cf. Phillips, The Auk, 
No. 3, July, 1912, pp. 297-299) rejected. (Cf. Phillips, The Auk, 
XXXIII, No. 4, Oct., 1916, pp. 432-433.) 

*Dendrocygna viduata (Linnzeus). The recent record from New Jersey 
(cf. Grinnell, The Auk, XXX, No. 1, Jan., 1913, p. 110) is probably 
based on a bird escaped from captivity. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 
XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, p. 192.) 

*Ardea herodias oligista Oberholser (Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., XLIII, 
Dec. 12, 1912, p. 531; San Clemente Island, Calif.) = Ardea herodias 
hyperonca Oberholser. (Cf. Swarth, Condor, XV, No. 1, Feb. 8, 
1913, p. 50; Howell, Pac. Coast Avifauna, No. 12, June 30, 1917, 
pp. 43-44.) 

*Rallus longirostris caribeus Ridgway:= Rallus crepitans saturatus 
Ridgway, in so far as North American records are concerned. (Cf. 
Simmons, The Auk, XXXI, No. 3, July, 1914, pp. 363-365; 384.) 

Rhyacophilus glareola (Linnzus) vs. Rhyacophilus glareola affinis 
(Horsfield) (cf. Mathews, Birds Australia, III, pt. 3, Aug. 18, 1913, 
pp. 230-232). Change rejected. (Cf. Thayer and Bangs, Proc. New 
Engl. Zoél. Club, V, April 9, 1914, pp. 19-20.) 

Falco esalon Tunstall vs. Falco regulus Pallas. Proposed change of 
name (cf. Hartert et al., Hand-List Brit. Birds, 1912, p. 112) rejected. 
(Cf. Hartert et al., British Birds, IX, No. 1, June 1, 1915, p. 5.) 


pon ¥| Proposed Changes in the A. O. U. Check-List. DAT 


Scotiaptex Swainson vs. Strix Linnzus. Proposed elimination of 
Scotiaptex as a genus (cf. Hartert, Vogel paliarkt. Fauna, Heft VIII 
[Band II, Heft 2], August, 1913, pp. 1013-1017) rejected. (Cf. 
Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. VI, 1914, pp. 620, 634— 
639.) 

*Scotiaptex nebulosa lapponica (Thunberg) = Scotiapter nebulosa 
nebulosa (Forster), in so far as North American records are concerned. 
(Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. VI, 1914, p. 635.) 

Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni (Bonaparte) vs. Cryptoglaux 
ten gmalmi richardsoni (cf. Ridgway, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, 
pt. VI, 1914, pp. 623, 624). Change of name rejected. (Cf. Lénn- 
berg, Ibis, 1913, pp. 398-400.) 

Otus asio gilmani Swarth vs. Otus asio cineraceus (Ridgway). 
Proposed elimination of the former as inseparable from Otus asio 
cineraceus (Ridgway) (cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. 8. Nat. Mus., No. 50, 
pt. VI, 1914, p. 702) rejected. (Cf. Swarth, Condor, XVIII, No. 5, 
Sept. 18, 1916, pp. 163-165.) 

Bubo virginianus subarcticus (Hoy) vs. Bubo virginianus wapa- 
cuthu (Gmelin) (cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. 8. Nat. Mus., No. 50, pt. VI, 
1914, p. 751). Change of name rejected. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 
XXXIV, Oct., 1917, pp. 469-470.) 

Sphyrapicus ruber (Gmelin) vs. Sphyrapicus varius ruber (Gmelin). 
Proposed reduction to a subspecies (cf. Swarth, Univ. Calif. Publ. 
Zool., X, 1912, pp. 34, 38) rejected. (Cf. Ridgway, Bull. U. 8. Nat. 
Mus., No. 50, part VI, 1914, p. 282.) 

*Aphelocoma cyanotis Ridgway. All North American records refer to 
Aphelocoma californica texana Ridgway. (Cf. Oberholser, Condor, 
XIX, No. 3, June 1, 1917, p. 94.) 

Astragalinus psaltria mexicanus (Swainson). Revival as a subspecies 
(cf. Aiken, Colo. College Publ., Sci. Ser., XII, No. 18, pt. II, June, 
1914, pp. 557-559) rejected, because regarded identical with A straga- 
linus psaltria psaltria. (Cf. Grinnell, Condor, XVI, No. 6, Nov. 25, 
1914, p. 265). 

Astragalinus psaltria arizonz (Coues). Revival as a subspecies (cf. 
Aiken, Colo. College Publ., Sci. Ser., XII, No. 13, pt. Il, June, 1914, 
pp. 557-559) rejected, because regarded identical with Astragalinus 
psaltria psaltria. (Cf. Grinnell, Condor, XVI, No. 6, Nov. 25, 1914, 
p. 265). 

*Hirundo erythrogastra palmeri Grinnell = Hirundo rustica erythro- 
gastris Boddert. (Cf. Oberholser, Bull. U. 8. Nat. Mus., No. 98, 
June 30, 1917, p. 29.) 

Sitta atkinsi litorea Maynard, Records of Walks and Talks with Nature, 
VIII, No. 1, Jan. 12, 1916 [Jan. 13, 1916], p. 5, pl. I (New River, N. C.) 
= Sitta carolinensis carolinensis Latham. (Cf. Oberholser, The Auk, 
XXXIV, No. 2, April, 1917, pp. 182-184.) 


218 General Notes. Res 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Horned Grebe Rising from the Ground.— The possibility of any 
grebe rising from a hard, level surface seems so generally doubted, that the 
following account (taken from my field notebook) of an actual instance 
appears to me worthy of permanent record. Of course it does not prove 
that any other species of the family can do so. Even Holbcell’s Grebe, of 
the same genus, may not have the ability, as Mr. F. Seymour Hersey tells 
me that it is much more loth to rise from the water than its smaller brother; 
he has approached by boat many of each species, and while the Horned 
Grebe has frequently flown away, Holbcell’s has invariably dived. There 
are also published stories of Holbcell’s and other species that were unable 
to leave after coming down onto a frozen lake or on the land. 

On October 28, 1917, at Long Beach, Nassau County, Long Island, N. Y., 
Mr. Walter Granger and I met a gunner who had just shot a Horned Grebe 
(Colymbus auritus). <A little further on we found another Horned Grebe 
sitting on the beach, on the hard part but well away from the water, in a 
horizontal, swimming position, not upright like an auk. On our approach 
it raised itself, and when we were within a few feet uttered a little, whining, 
protesting note, then scuttled rapidly away several yards, into the rather 
brisk wind and away from the water. On our second approach it repeated 
the performance, but kept on going, and rose from the hard beach into the 
wind. Flying strongly and swiftly, though it seemed to wobble somewhat, 
it made a circle to the right several hundred yards in diameter, turned and 
again with the wind came down onto the hard sand on the inner side of 
the bar. It landed on a long slant but so hard that it rolled over and over, 
until it finally sat up and settled itself comfortably. It was still there 
when we passed again about two and a half hours later.— Cuarums H. 
RoagErs, American Museum of Natural History, New York City. 


Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) in Chester Co., Pa., in 
Summer.— Opposite my home at Cheyney, Chester Co., Pa., is an exten- 
sive calamus marsh, with a public road running along the edge of it. On 
June 13, 1917, a man passing along this road found an adult male Pied- 
billed Grebe, which had evidently just been killed by a passing automobile. 
The specimen was given to me and is now in the collection of the Academy 
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. From the date and the condition 
of the bird there seems little doubt but that it was nesting.— SPENCER 
Trortrrer, M. D., Swarthmore College, Pa. 


Breeding of the Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) near State 
College, Center Co., Pa.— On May 14, 1917, I found on a small pond 
at Scotia six miles from State College, Pa., a nest of the Pied-billed Grebe 
that held six shghtly incubated eggs. The pond was open except at one 


Vol 18 + General Notes. I19 


end where there was a short stretch of alders and scrub oak killed by a rise 
of the water at one time and it was at the edge of this slight protection that 
the nest was built. It was the usual mass of decaying vegetation, reeds, 
grasses, etc., and was attached to several of the alders as the water under it 
was two feet deep. When found, the eggs were entirely covered from sight 
and no birds were seen, although one bird was heard calling nearby. I 
had always regarded this species here as a migrant only and would never 
have searched for a nest had I not been attracted by the suspicious fact 
that this pair of birds could always be found at this particular part of 
the pond. They were first seen the 17th of April and when the first week 
in May passed and they were still daily in evidence, their presence could 
no longer: be casually overlooked. This is, I believe, the first definite 
breeding record for this species in the State—— Tuos. D. Burtercu, State 
College, Pa. 


A Red-throated Loon on Chestnut Hill Reservoir, Boston, Mass.— 
In the early afternoon of February 7, 1918, while I was observing the ducks 
on Chestnut Hill reservoir, a bird came on the wing from the westward 
which upon alighting on the water was seen to be a Red-throated Loon 
(Gavia stellata). After taking its bearings for a few minutes, it began to 
swim and dive in the ample area of open water about the intake, which 
even during the very severe weather of the present winter has been of 
considerable extent, affording a wintering place for Mergansers, Black 
Ducks, a few Golden-eyes, and recently a Ruddy Duck. At the time the 
sky was clouded, wind northeast, and the temperature about 24°. Two 
days later Mr. Barron Brainerd with Mr. Talbot found this loon still 
present. But when I visited the reservoir on the 11th, it was not there. 
The area of open water had been diminished almost half by a formation 
of thin ice around its borders and had become, perhaps, inadequate to the 
loon’s sense of sufficiency. I am informed that Mr. Talbot noted the 
absence of this loon on the 10th. 

This was my first record of a Red-throated Loon on a pond, lake, or 
reservoir. I find that Mr. William Brewster reports but one occurrence 
in his ‘Birds of the Cambridge Region’ [1906], that of a young male shot 
in Fresh Pond by Mr. Ruthven Deane on October 21, 1871. The species is 
not uncommon in winter along the seacoast of New England, and in its 
fall migration is rather common. Dr. C. H. Townsend in his ‘Birds of 
Essex County’ [1905] states, ‘“The Red-throated Diver is a lover of salt 
water, very rarely, in Essex County, entering the fresh-water ponds and 
rivers.’ Dr. J.C. Philips in an article on ‘Ten Years of Observation on 
the Migration of Anatidee at Wenham Lake, Massachusetts,’ (Auk, vol. 
XXVIII, April, 1911, p. 197) says concerning the Red-throated Loon, 
“Rare in the pond. The only specimen in my collection is a female 
marked Wenham Lake, October, 1906.” Dr. Glover M. Allen in ‘Birds of 
New Hampshire’ [1903] gives two records of individuals taken in the 
interior of the State in the autumns of 1876 and 1886 respectively, and 


220 General Notes. Apel 


states that ‘‘Mr. G. H. Thayer has noted it as a rare autumn visitant to 
Dublin Pond.” Mr. Thayer (Auk, Vol. XXI, October, 1904, p. 493) 
gives a record of two seen in Dublin Pond ‘“‘during a long and heavy north- 
easterly storm which ended on October 12 or 138, 1903.” Mr. Ora W. 
Knight in his ‘Birds of Maine [1908] says, ‘‘Occasional specimens are 
reported about the ponds and lakes in fall, or more rarely in spring.’ 
Messrs. Sage, Bishop and Bliss in ‘Birds of Connecticut’ [1913] state 
concerning the species, ‘‘very rare inland,” and then give two autumn 
records. 

So it would appear that in New England the Red-throated Loon’s 
appearances inland on bodies of fresh water have been rare, and that these 
appearances have all been in the autumn, with the exception of Mr. Knight’s 
testimony of occurrences in Maine under the expression ‘‘more rarely in 
spring.” The Chestnut Hill reservoir occurrence in February, therefore, 
seems to stand by itself as an incident not duplicated in New England, so 


far as an examination of records show.— Horace W. Wriaut, Boston, 
Mass. 


The Ivory Gull (Pagophila alba) at Portland, Maine.—On January 4, 
1918, Mr. Walter H. Rich of this city informed me that he had on this 
day observed an Ivory Gull off Commercial wharf well up Portland Har- 
bor; the following day, January 5, with Mr. Rich I visited the water 
front, and we soon had the bird under observation, watching it for an 
hour. Once it came within twenty yards of the end of the wharf, and 
lighted on a large ice cake, affording a perfect opportunity for full 
identification. 

The deeply incised webs of the black feet were distinctly visible and were 
very noticeable. It wasan immature bird and at this close range the brown- 
ish tips of the feathers of the wings and an imperfect tail band were distinct, 
though they were not visible when the bird was in the distance where we 
mostly saw it. The loral region was so thickly spotted that in the distance 
the gull appeared to be wearing a dark mask, combined with an otherwise 
snowy white plumage. The snowy whiteness of its plumage, was always 
noticeably different from any other gull in the harbor, which contained at 
the time an abundance of Larus argentatus in all plumages, Larus kumlent 
and Larus leucopterus. Its habits and flight also differed distinctly: 
it was much more restless, now alighting on the ice, either to remain at 
rest for a few minutes, or to feed at the water’s edge, and then away to 
search the edge of the ice field or to feed near some of the docks. It seemed 
to pay little or no attention to the other gulls, or their feeding. On the 
ice it ran rapidly, suggesting the action of a large plover. Its restlessness 
and independent action suggested to me the action of Larus atricilla as it 
appears in the company of Larus argentatus. Its dashing flight seemed 
more like that of a Jaeger than that of a gull. The wing was used at full 
extent with very little flexure at humero-radial and carpal joints and was 
broad and wedge shaped in comparison with the narrower wing of Larus ~ 


Ree | General Notes. 221 


argentatus. It was seen for the last time January 7 by Mr. Rich though 
daily watch has been kept to the present time, February 22, 1918. 

During the period that the bird was seen the mercury was hardly rising 
above 0° Fah. and the harbor and bay was a solid field of ice except as broken 
by the ever bushy tugs laboring to keep an open channel. 

The only other record of this Gull in Maine that I have found is of a 
specimen in the United States National Museum, taken in ‘‘ Penobscot 
Bay, Me., December,! 1894” though three examples have been reported 
from Grand Menan, N. B., just over the state boundary, two by George 
A. Boardman,? and one by Allan L. Moses. Mr. Moses records his speci- 
men as seen December 31, 1908, but dates are not given for the Boardman 
specimens.— ArtTHuUR H. Norton, Museum of Natural History, Portland, 
Me. 


Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) at Philadelphia.— On January 
1, 1918, Mr. Richard Erskine saw one of these birds while crossing the 
Delaware River on a ferry boat from Camden, N. J. He was struck with 
the marked difference in its appearance from any of the Herring Gulls, 
with the plumages of which he was quite familiar, and suspected its identity. 
Consulting Chapman’s ‘Handbook’ and the plate in Eaton’s ‘Birds of 
New York’ he was convinced of the accuracy of his identification, and hayv- 
ing a still closer view of the bird on January 4 all possibility of a doubt was 
dismissed, while a subsequent examination of specimens in the collection 
of the Academy of Natural Sciences, only served to confirm his opinion. 

This is the first record for eastern Pennsylvania so far as I am aware.— 
WiTMER Stone, Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia. 


Pterodroma gularis in North America.— Through the courtesy of 
the Biological Survey and with thanks to Dr. Harry C. Oberholser, who 
called this matter to my attention and generously turned it over to me for 
publication, I am enabled to make an interesting addition to the list of 
North American birds. 

A North American specimen of Pterodroma gularis (Peale) has for a 
number of years been in the collection of the Biological Survey in the 
United States National Museum, and it seems worth while now to put it 
on record as such. It is No. 230820 of the United States National Museum 
collection, and was found on the beach at the eastern base of Frosty Peak, 
Alaska Peninsula, August 6, 1911, by Mr. Alexander Wetmore. This 
bird, together with another taken by our expedition at the entrance to 
Kiska Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, form the basis of the recent 
record of Mstrelata fishert from Alaska (Smithson. Miscell. Coll., Vol. 56, 
No. 382, February 12, 1912, p. 10). Both these birds have been carefully 


11915: Cooke, U.S. Dept. Agric. Bull. 292, p. 16. 
21897: Chamberlain, Nutt. Man. ii: 245. 
31908: Moses, Journ. Maine Orn. Soc. viii: 15. 


2232 General Notes. . Apa 


compared with the types of both Pterodroma fisheri (Ridgway) and.Ptero- 
droma gularis (Peale), as well as with other pertinent: material. What- 
ever the ultimate disposition of the apparently unique type of Pterodroma 
fisheri, it is certain that the two specimens from Alaska here mentioned 
are properly referable to Pterodroma gularis. hey are, it is true, lighter 
and more greyish than the type of Pterodroma gularis, but not more so 
than other recently collected specimens of this species, so that the differ- 
ences exhibited are surely not more than individual variations. In accord- 
ance with this identification, Pterodroma gularis should be added to the 
list of North American birds. I have long suspected this, but have only 
recently verified the identification through Dr. Oberholser. 

The use of the generic name Pterodroma Bonaparte (1856) instead of 
Aistrelata Bonaparte (1857) has already been explained by Dr. E. Hartert 
(Handlist Brit. Birds, 1912, p. 154), the date (1855) usually cited for 
the latter proving to be wrong.— A. C. Brent, Taunton, Mass. 


Blue Geese on Long Island.— Long Island is quite out of the usual 
range of the Blue Goose (Chen cerulescens), and I recall but one record for 
that locality — 1893 — when Mr. Wm. Dutcher stated that there was one 
specimen in the collection of the Long Island Historical Society, killed many 
years ago by Col. Nicholas Pike. That bird was taken on Shinnecock Bay, 
but the date does not seem to be known. The record appears in ‘ The Auk,’ 
Vol. X, p. 270. 

Within the last few years at least two separate captures of Blue Geese 
have been made on Long Island, by Captain John H. Prentice, 307th 
Infantry, while shooting geese over live Canada Geese decoys. Capt. 
Prentice, at Montauk, L. I., in November, 1911, killed a single Blue Goose, 
which came in over his decoys. The following year (1912) in the month 
of October, five Blue Geese came in, and all were secured. In the captures 
of each year one or more of these birds was sent to the taxidermist Thomas 
Rowland, in Sixth Avenue, New York, where I saw them. One of them was 
apparently a bird of the year without any white patches. Two of the 
specimens were preserved and are now mounted in Capt. Prentice’s house 
at Montauk. 

The line of migration of the Blue Geese is usually given as through the 
Mississippi Valley, and I believe that, in these days, stragglers in other 
regions are seldom encountered.— Gro. Brrp GRINNELL, New York City. 


The Whistling Swan at Cap St. Ignace,‘P. Q.— On October 11 last, 
a flock of seven swans (Olor columbianus) was seen on the beach of the 
south side of the river St. Lawrence at Cap St. Ignace, about forty miles 
below Quebec. All these birds have been shot and six of them have been 
sent to me in the flesh to be stuffed. It is the second record of the presence 
of the bird in our province, that I know of. They were quite tame and 
seemed to be starved so that the hunters easily shot them.— C. E. Dionng, 
Quebec, Canada. 


ea ' General Notes. 223 


Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria solitaria) in New Mexico.— A 
single specimen of the eastern form of the Solitary Sandpiper has been 
for some time in the collection of the Biological Survey, identified as Tringa 
solitaria cinnamomea. A recent examination of the specimen, however, 
shows that it is certainly a typical example of the eastern race, Tringa 
solitaria solitaria. It is a male in juvenal plumage, taken at Guadalupita, 
New Mexico, at an altitude of 6800 feet, on August 7, 1903, by Mr. A. E. 
Weller, and it now bears the number 193391 in the United States National 
Museum. It constitutes the only authentic record for New Mexico.— 
Harry C. OBERHOLSER, Washington, D. C. 


King Rail (Rallus elegans) in Massachusetts On September 15, 
1917, on the edge of a fresh water pond, at Haverhill, Mass., I saw a rail 
which I supposed was this species, but I was unable to secure it. Just a 
month later in the same spot I again saw it, and succeeded in shooting it. 
The specimen was identified from a photograph, by Mr. E. H. Forbush 
and Mr. Walter Rich, and by Mr. M. Abbott Frazar, the taxidermist who 
mounted it.— Cuarurs B. Morss, Haverhill, Mass. 


Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) Eating Birds.— The old duck 
hunters of Ashbridge’s Marsh, Toronto, called this species ‘‘ Snipe Owl.” 
They claimed that its appearance in the fall was coincident with that of 
the Wilson’s Snipe. This was true, at least, in the fall of 1909 when both 
species arrived at the same time. 

Between September 28 and October 16, 1909, I spent several days col- 
lecting in a small dry meadow, on the south shore of Ashbridge’s Marsh. 
Short-eared Owls were more numerous than usual and were apparently 
feeding entirely on small birds. Four stomachs examined contained 
feathers and bird bones exclusively. In asmall tract of dry grassy meadow, 
roughly estimated at fifty acres, I found feathers of the following species, 
marking the spot where they had been eaten by the owls; one Hermit 
Thrush, one Sora, three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, one Slate-colored 
Junco, one White-crowned Sparrow, and eighteen others, of which there 
were not enough feathers left to identify the species. 

During April and the early part of May of the following spring, the owls 
were again plentiful, preying on the hosts of migrants, that rested along 
the sandbar, after crossing Lake Ontario. With one exception all the 
‘castings examined contained the bones and feathers of small birds. This 
meadow was swarming with voles, but only one pellet, of the many exam- 
ined was composed of the fur and bones of voles.— J. A. Munro, Okanagan 
Landing, British Columbia. 


Downy Woodpecker in Colorado.— I have a specimen of the Downy 
Woodpecker (Dryobates p. medianus) taken on Clear Creek, near Golden, 
Colo., on February 25, 1917. The bird is a female and as the white spot- 
tings on the lesser wing coverts are somewhat restricted, I hesitated there- 


224 General Notes. Ree 


fore before classifying it as this variety. I referred it however, to Mr. F. C. 
Lincoln of the Colorado Museum of Natural History, who advised that 
although not quite typical, its small size and general characters, unquestion- 
ably refer it to medianus.— E. Retr, Denver, Colo. 


The Starling in Montgomery, Alabama.— A few evenings ago I was 
called to my telephone to identify a bird which had been blown into the 
yard of a farmhouse eight miles southeast of the city. Not being able 
to make a decision from the description given me, I suggested that the 
specimen be sent to my home. This was done the following day, and I 
immediately identified it as the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), 
though I had never before seen one. Several others who have seen it, have 
verified my opinion. 

The bird had been blown against the barn of Mrs. Frances Hagan of this 
county during a rainstorm on the night of January 14 and was found dead 
the following morning. It is apparently a full grown male. The plumage 
has a tendency in color toward green rather than purple but the upper 
neck and back are decidedly of the later color and the tan yellow spots are 
decidedly lanceolate. I have identified it as a male in winter plumage. 

The specimen has been mounted and presented to the Museum of the 
Alabama State Department of Archives and History.— Peter A. BRAN- 
Non, Montgomery, Ala. 


The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) at Portland, Maine.— Last summer 
several reports came to hand that the Starling was breeding at Stroud- 
water, a suburb of Portland. On tracing these reports it was found that 
they all emanated from one source, Mr. George Parker, a student in the 
Deering High School, and an earnest student of birds. On July 15, 1917, 
I visited Mr. Parker at his home in Stroudwater and he took me to a near- 
by orchard where we quickly found the Starlings in several small groups. 
Several of the groups flew to a point in the orchard and then across a field 
to another part of it and we were able to count nineteen, though there were 
undoubtedly more in the vicinity. Many of these were in brown immature 
plumage giving support to Mr. Parker’s belief that four pairs had bred in 
the vicinity. His first observation (which he had noted in a diary) was 
December 27, 1916, of a group of five. 

Though this is not the first time that the Starling has appeared in Maine 
in recent years, it is believed that this record may be of service in fixing 
the time of the permanent arrival of the bird in Portland. : 

One specimen from the colony has been preserved in the collection of 
the Portland Society of Natural History— ArtHur H. Norton, Museum 
of Natural History, Portland, Me. 


6 

Yellow-headed Blackbird at Ipswich, Mass.— At Ipswich, Mass., 
September 17, 1917, I had under observation for about half an hour, a 
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). It was in the 
plumage of the female-—— Francis Beacu Wuitr, Concord, N. H. 


OT oie ‘3 General Notes. 225 


Nesting of the Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra minor) in Essex 
County, Massachusetts.— Our part of Cambridge is not without keen- 
eyed lads who devote spare hours to watching birds. To have them call 
on me every now and then with eager questioning or fresh report concern- 
ing things of local interest, is always pleasing and may also be instructive — 
as happened only the other day when Lovell Thompson and Charles F. 
Walcott came, bringing a nest of the Red Crossbill obtained by them last 
spring at Marblehead. Just how it was found and taken is explained by 
the following statement, written out, at my suggestion, by Lovell. 

“During the winter of 1916-1917 I visited Marblehead, Mass.; with my 
friend Charles Walcott, several times. Each time we saw a flock of Red 
Crossbills there. On April 22, 1917, we noticed two in pitch pines near a 
house. Looking closer we found their nest, on a pine branch about eighteen 
feet above the ground. The male Crossbill flew from the tree but when I 
climbed it the female was on the nest and I got my hand within two feet 
of her before she left it to fly away. There were two eggs in it, both whitish 
with some dark markings. About a month later we visited the place again. 
There was then nothing to be seen of the Crossbills and only one broken 
egg shell remained in thé nest which we took and have since given to Mr. 
Brewster.” 

The nest above mentioned somewhat resembles that of a Song Sparrow, 
being similarly bulky and deep-cupped, with thick walls mostly composed 
of bleached grass-blades and weed stalks. But it has also a bristling outer 
fringe of stiff twigs six to ten inches long, such as no Song Sparrow would 
thus be likely to employ. Moreover its neat lining of fine, soft grasses 
includes a few Crossbill feathers at least one of which, brick red in color, 
must have come from an adult male bird. Their presence affords, of course, 
convincing evidence as to the original ownership of the nest, thereby, 
indeed, it is “self-identified.” 

Two nests of the Red Crossbills in my collection from New Brunswick, 
both accompanied by sets of eggs and skins of parent birds, are, unfortu- 
nately, not well enough preserved to afford satisfactory comparison with 
the Marblehead specimen. From it they differ conspicuously in general 
coloring because abundantly garnished with grey-green Usnea moss of 
which it has none. They are also less shapely and almost devoid of coarse 
outer twigs but as a few of these remain in place their comparative absence 
may have resulted from careless handling on the part of the collector. In 
other respects all three nests seem essentially alike — at least as regards 
their general plan of construction. 

In these days of innumerable bird watchers and voluminous bird litera- 
ture it is difficult to make sure as to whether this or that is, or is not known 
and recorded. But to the best of my recollection and belief no nest of a 
Crossbill has ever before been found anywhere in eastern Massachusetts. 
Hence my boy friends are entitled to much credit for discovering the 
Marblehead one, while I am grateful to them both for so generously con- 
tributing it to my collection — Wi1LL1AM Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. 


226 General Notes. peer 


The Song of Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucea estivalis bachmani).— 
The following account of the interesting vocal performances of this 
sparrow is based on notes made April 1, 1917. My records were confirmed 
on other occasions during several following weeks. The voice of one 
individual, especially, was studied. I was in the company of Mr. A. F. 
Ganier of Nashville, Tenn., who later collected the specimen. The bird 
was in its characteristic habitat, the border of a patch of open upland 
woods near Nashville; and it was perched on a fence post. We stood for 
fully five minutes not more than twenty-five feet away. 

The bird sang with only short rests, and the duration of the song which 
was very variable, was about two to three seconds. Usually, the song 
started with a single long note followed by a group of short notes in a 
tempo so fast that we could not be sure of our count. So far as we could 
determine, the bird had seven to twelve notes in this group, usually about 
ten. Asarule, they were of essentially uniform pitch, but not of the same 
pitch as the long opening note. The pitch was sometimes lower than that 
of the first note and sometimes higher. A few performances had two or 
three opening notes not so long as the usual, single one. On one occasion, 
the song was repeated or rather one song followed’another with no interrup- 
tion or pause, both being a little shorter than usual. 

The quality was remarkably variable, but it tended to be fairly uniform 
in a single song. Sometimes the series of rapid notes was thin and resem- 
bled somewhat the song of a Junco. At other times, it was relatively rich 
and full. Intermediate grades of quality occurred.—R. M. Srrone, 
Nashville, Tenn. 


Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra rubra) in N. E. Illinois.— The 
Summer Tanager is of so rare occurrence in northern Illinois, that I had 
never taken one in forty-five years collecting, until May 19, 1917, when 
my friend Lyman Barr brought me a very beautifully marked specimen, 
which he had shot in a clump of woods two miles west of Highland Park. 

It proved to be an adult female. The upper parts are of the usual 
brownish olive, but are variegated with a reddish wash on the occiput and 
middle of the back. 

The sides of the neck, upper and lower tail coverts, and a band across 
the breast are pale poppy red, giving the bird a very striking appearance.— 
Henry K. Coatr, Highland Park, Ill. 


Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrula) Breeding within the United 
States.— While carrying forward field work for the Biological Survey, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the State of Washington, during the 
past summer, it was reported to me by E. F. Gaines, in charge of crop 
investigations, Washington Agricultural Experiment Station, Pullman, 
Washington, that he had found the Bohemian Waxwing breeding in the 
vicinity of his old home place at Chewelah, Stevens County, Washington. 
The nest was found about June 11, 1907, on Chewelah Creek, six miles in 
a general northerly direction from the town of Chewelah. 


Vol. a | 
1918 


General Notes. 22% 

In point of time the present appears to be the second actual record for 
the breeding of Bombycilla garrula within the United States. Dr. T. 8. 
Palmer calls my attention to the fact that the first published notice of the 
species as a breeding bird within our borders is that of a Dr. C. S. Moody, 
who recorded the discovery of a nest and five eggs in the vicinity of Hum- 
bird (mail Sandpoint), Bonner County, Idaho (Pacific Sportsman, Vol. 2, 
June, 1905, p. 270). Mr. F. M. Dille, Reservation Inspector, Biological 
Survey, reported the Bohemian Waxwing nesting at Lake Clealum, Kittitas 
County, Washington, on July 15, 1911. 

I am indebted to Miss May T. Cooke for calling my attention to the fact 
that Aretas A. Saunders published a note (Condor, Vol. 14, November, 
1912, p. 224), concerning observations of the Bohemian Waxwing made at 
5200 feet altitude, Canadian Life Zone, on the West Fork of Sun River, 
northern Lewis and Clark County, Montana, on August 18 and 21, 1912. 
Saunders says the birds seen had probably nested in the vicinity. 

The records are all for Canadian Zone, or for Transition Zone not far 
from the Canadian Zone boundary. They indicate that the Bohemian 
Waxwing occurs, probably rarely, as a breeding bird within our borders 
in the coniferous forests of the northern Rocky Mountain region, in a 
district embracing northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, and northern 
Washington. 

To summarize, records at hand for the breeding of Bombycilla garrula 
within the United States are four in number, as follows: 1905 (nest proba- 
bly found in 1904), Humbird (mail Sandpoint), Bonner County, Idaho, 
Dr. C. 8S. Moody; 1907, June 11, Chewelah Creek, six miles in a general 
northerly direction from Chewelah, Stevens County, Washington, E. F. 
Gaines; 1911, July 15, Lake Clealum, Kittitas County, Washington, F. M. 
Dille; 1912, August 18 and 21, West Fork of Sun River, northern Lewis 
and Clark County, Montana, Aretas A. Saunders.— Water P. Taytor, 
Washington, D. C. 


Philadelphia Vireo (Vireosylva philadelphica) in North Dakota in 
Summer.— The writer found a Philadelphia Vireo ( Vireosylva phila- 
delphica) on July 8, 1917, at the south end of Carpenter Lake in the Turtle , 
Mountains, North Dakota. The bird was in full song and evidently at 
home among the trees of a grove of aspens (Populus tremuloides) close to 
the shore of the lake. This represents the westernmost breeding record 
of the species for the United States, and is the first published summer 
occurrence for North Dakota.— Harry C. OsrrHoiserR, Washington, 
DC. 


Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotfaria citrea) in New Jersey.— The 
rarity of the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) in the state of 
New Jersey is sufficient reason for placing on record a specimen which 
has for years been in the Biological Survey collection in the United States 
National Museum. This is an adult male in perfect plumage, No. 137667 
of the United States National Museum collection, and was taken at Morris- 


228 General Notes. [ peer 


town, New Jersey, June 14, 1888, by Mr. L. P. Scherrer. So far as we are 
aware, this is the fourth record of this species in New Jersey and the second 
specimen secured.— Harry C. OBpERHOLSER, Washington, D. C. 


The Subspecific Name of the Northern Parula Warbler.— To 
change the well-established name of any bird for almost any reason has 
always seemed to me something best left undone. Nevertheless there are 
cases where it cannot be avoided. This, perhaps, is true of the one thus 
referred to by Dr. Oberholser, in a personal letter dated January 21, 1918. 
“You will note that in your paper in ‘ The Auk,’ XIII, 1896, p. 44, you 
rejected the name Sylvia pusilla Wilson (Amer. Orn., IV, 1811, p. 17, pl. 28, 
fig. 3), because presumably preoccupied by Sylvia pusilla Latham (Supple- 
ment Ind. Orn., 1801, p. 56). This latter name, however, results merely 
from the putting into the genus Sylvia of Motacilla pusilla White (Journ. 
Voy. New 8. Wales, 1790, p. 257, pl. 42), which is now Acanthiza pusilla 
(White): According to our present rules of nomenclature, the name 
Sylvia pusilla Latham, not being an original description, but merely a 
nomenclatural combination, does not prevent any subsequent use of the 
same combination; therefore, the name Sylvia pusilla Wilson, of which 
the type locality is eastern Pennsylvania, becomes available for the north- 
ern form of the warbler which you named Compsothlypis americana usnee, 
and which would, therefore, stand as Compsothlypis americana pusilla. 
I think I have thus given you all the references and data necessary to write 
up the matter for publication, and I trust I have made myself clear. It 
seems very much better for you to make the change than for me to do so, 
since you were the discoverer and original describer of the subspecies.” 

With the above statement of fact and opinion I now see no reason to. 
disagree — especially as the change thereby suggested will result in the 
restoration of a time-honored name, to which Wilson seems justly entitled. 
Nor could any one be otherwise than pleased with courtesy so gracious and 
self-obliterative as that expressed in the closing sentence of Dr. Ober- 
holser’s characteristic letter — WiLtt1AmM Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. 


Bachman’s Warbler and Solitary Sandpiper in Indiana.— On 
May 16, 1917, while working through a fine bit of warbler woods near 
Indianapolis, I was startled by an apparition of a male Bachman’s warbler 
(Vermivera bachmant). The pretty fellow popped up from a low bush ina 
mass of undergrowth and after fluttering among the twigs for a moment 
dropped down out of sight. I was about to conclude that I had been 
dreaming of rare warblers when up came the bird again from the same 
bush and his second visit was much longer than his first. I had a fine 
chance to note his yellow forehead and throat with the great splotch of 
black on his chest. After a time he left for a distant part of the woods 
traveling leisurely from low bush to low bush inspecting the twigs critically 
and taking insects constantly. I finally lost him. Afterward I visited the 
woods several days in succession hoping to see the bird but without result 


Varn "i General Notes. 929 


until about a week later when I had the good fortune to see both male and 
female. 

I frequently saw one or the other of the birds, occasionally both together, 
all during the breeding season but was not able to locate a nest though 
feeling sure that they had built one in that immediate vicinity. 

The character of the woods was such as would appeal to a Bachman’s 
Warbler in breeding time. High trees with thick undergrowth covered 
rolling ground, each depression being very damp and almost swampy. In 
the densest part of the woods there was a stagnant pool and in and about 
this pool a pair of Solitary Sandpipers elected to spend the time from April 
to the middle of June after which time I was unable to watch them, being out 
of the city. Early in the season they paid very little attention to visitors 
and when disturbed would fly up with their characteristic piping notes, 
then immediately settle down again in the very place where they had been 
feeding, but about the first of June only one bird was in evidence at a time 
and when a visitor approached it would scurry out of sight into the mass 
of swamp willows which filled the center of the pool. Might not these 
birds have been nesting there, too?— Erra 8. Wiuson, Detroit, Michigan. 


The Canada Warbler again in Colorado.— A specimen of the Canada 
Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis) was taken on Clear Creek, Colo., near 
Denver, by my brother, Arthur Rett, on May 26, 1917. It is a male in 
excellent plumage, and is now in my collection.— E. Rerr, Denver, Colo. 


Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos polyglottos) Spending the Winter at 
West Haven, Conn.—I announced in the April, 1917, number of ‘The 
Auk ’ the presence of a Mockingbird in West Haven, Conn., from November 
8, 1916, to March 24, 1917. 

On July 17, 1917, the bird returned and is passing the winter at the same 
place. (January 20, 1918.) Last winter the bird would not take food 
put out for it but preferred to eat Honeysuckle and Bittersweet berries, 
but this winter it takes food put out for it and has become so tame as to. 
alight on the windowsill and eat food. I have also observed it eating the 
dry seed pods of the asparagus which it swallowed whole as it does the 
berries of the Bittersweet. 

On November 18, 1917, while at Colonial Park, a summer resort about 
two miles from West Haven, I observed another Mocker which was eating 
_ the berries of a Honeysuckle vine that grew along a fence. The extreme 
cold weather during the last few days of December.and the first of January, 
I thought would surely kill our Mocker, but he came through all safe and 
seems none the worse. Durmg that time the thermometer went as low 
as twelve degrees below zero, which proves that Mockingbirds are not 
altogether southern birds but can stand our northern winters. The 
plumage of this bird is quite different this winter, having a great deal more 
white in the wings and tail so I would judge that 1t was a young bird when 
it passed the winter of 1916 and 1917 with us.— Netson E. Wixmor, 
West Haven, Conn. 


230 General Notes. Ack 


The Hudsonian Chickadee (Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.>?) in North- 
eastern Pennsylvania in June.— In company with Richard C. Harlow, 
Richard F. Miller and Albert D. McGrew, I spent three weeks in the field 
in the spring of 1917 about La Anna, Pike County, Pa., and June 3, while 
searching a large sphagnum bog for a nest of the elusive Northern Water- 
Thrush, two brown capped chickadees were seen. I had gotten a little 
behind the others and was hurrying to catch up to them when the unmis- 
takable nasal “‘ chick-a-dee-dee ” of one of these birds was heard. - It had 
happened that earlier in the spring I had seen a single individual (Auk, 
1917, p. 344) and had become familiar with its notes so I recognized 
it at once. The birds, two of them, were feeding in several small tamaracks 
and with characteristic lack of timidity allowed a close approach where 
their identity was established beyond doubt. They showed a preference 
for a certain part of the bog that we had been floundering through but 
although several suspicious looking holes were found, we could detect no 
signs of their nesting. I returned to this spot the next day, and had no 
difficulty in finding the birds again. This time I spent two hours trailing 
them but with no success other than leaving with the conviction that they 
were mated and if not as yet nesting here, would undoubtedly do so. Not 
satisfied, however, all of us returned the following day and made another 
attempt but with no more luck though we again found them at the same 
place. The necessity of leaving soon after for another part of the state 
made further study of the birds impossible. From what we had seen, 
however, there seemed little doubt but that the birds intended to breed 
in this tamarack swamp. The situation in which they were found was 
typical of that much farther north, being indeed a northern muskeg in 
every sense of the word, with lichen covered tamarack, deep beds of 
sphagnum moss and scattered pools—Tuos. D. Burteian, State College, Pa. 


Hudsonian Chickadee on the Pocono Mountain, Pa.— On the 
morning of June 17, 1917, at Pocono Lake, Pa., I found a pair of brown- 
headed chickadees, probably the Labrador (Penthestes h. nigricans). The 
location was at the edge of a sphagnum swamp amid a dense grove of 
dwarf spruces. When discovered the birds evidenced considerable ex- 
citement and came and scolded within three feet of me. Their actions 
and movements were more deliberate and confiding then those of either 
the Black-capped or Carolina species. I noticed one of them examining a 
small hole in a decayed stub which led me to believe it to be a nesting 
site. This was not the case however, although the conditions seemed 
favorable, as the cavity contained nothing but a few chips of bark. The 
birds remained in the locality during all the time that I was there. 

On the following morning I found the birds again in the same location 
but was unable to study them subsequent to this as I made my departure 
from the district that afternoon. 

Mentioning my discovery to Mr. John D. Carter, who had arranged to 
visit the country a week later, he made a further search for the birds but 
was able to find but one of them. 


aois | General Notes. 231 


The outcome of these observations did not reveal that the birds had 
nested or were intending to nest in the locality, but the occurrence so far 
south is interesting.— J. FLETCHER STREET, Beverly, N. J. 


Hudsonian Chickadee (Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.2) at Princeton, 
N. J.— There were four of these birds upon my place from November 18 
until March 31 of last year, 1916-1917, during which period I saw one or 
more of them almost daily feeding upon the suet near my window. 

I thought, at the time, that they were the Acadian variety, with which I 
am familiar in northern Maine, although I noticed that they seemed 
darker than any specimens which I had previously observed. 

I was unaware at the time of Dr. Townsend’s Labrador subspecies, 
to which they may have belonged. 

I have neither seen, nor heard of, any in the neighborhood this year.— 
Henry Lane Eno, Princeton, N. J. 


A Robin which Migrated Tailless.— In the spring of 1914 a tailless 
male Robin arrived in the Boston Public Garden, a plump, brightly plum- 
aged bird, and remained there as one of a breeding pair. During the weeks 
succeeding his arrival there was no perceptible development of a tail. 
On April 13, 1915, there again arrived a tailless male Robin on a morning 
when several females joined the company of males already present. This 
tailless male adopted the same limited area of the Garden as did the tail- 
less bird of the preceding year. So the almost unavoidable conclusion was 
that it was the same bird, and that it was not a mere coincidence. On 
April 19, 1916, again a tailless male Robin arrived and again adopted the 
same small area of the Garden as his possession, a plump and brightly 
plumaged bird as before. The conclusion was then. confirmed beyond 
reasonable doubt that it was indeed the same Robin back for the third 
season without a tail. This being so, the fact was that this Robin had 
made his migratory flights for three successive years without the aid of 
any tail as a rudder in flight. Neither season did any tail develop. Appar- 
ently the bird had lost the fleshy tip from which tail feathers could be 
developed. There was no change in its appearance, season by season. 
In the season of 1914 the first Robins came to the Garden on March 25 and 
during the next few days were joined by others. In 1915 the first Robin 
arrived on March 19 followed by others within a week. In 1916 the first 
two Robins came to the Garden on March 25, and on April 1 a dozen resi- 
dent males were present. Thus it is perceived that the tailless Robin was 
a rather later arriving bird each season. Twenty resident Robins were 
already present in the Garden when he came north in 1915 and 1916. So, 
perhaps, this tailless Robin made his migratory flights less speedily than 
did others. But this supposition would seem to be not very strongly 
based for the reason that Robins are arriving usually throughout the 
month of April, and the tailless bird was not really behind time. The 
only conclusion to be drawn, therefore, would seem to be that the bird 
had experienced little or no disadvantage in flight due to not possessing a 


22 General Notes. [ joe 


tail, or if its absence had been a disadvantage, he had effectively overcome 
it. We looked for this tailless Robin in the spring of 1917, but in vain; 
he did not come to the garden.— Horacr W. Wricut, Boston, Mass. 


Connecticut Notes.— The following recent records are, perhaps, 
worth recording. They are all Stamford records, except where otherwise 
noted. 

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Rep-HEADED WoopPrecker.— An 
adult male was taken May 27, 1916. 

Empidonax virescens. AcapiAN F'tycatcHerR.— Male taken May 24, 
1915. Another male taken May 27,1915. A female taken May 29, 1916. 

Acanthis linaria linaria. Rrppoiu.— Several flocks of from twenty- 
five to fifty birds were observed each week from December 25, 1916 to 
February 12, 1917. They were usually feeding in high, weedy fields on 
the edge of woods, but were sometimes grouped in the maple trees at the 
edge of the field, and on several instances on the lawn around the house. 
They have never been so common in this vicinity before to my knowledge. 
I think I have not seen more than half a dozen Redpolls before this in 
Stamford in the last twenty years. 

Passerculus princeps.— Ipswich Sparrow.— An adult male was 
taken January 20, 1917, in the low sedge bushes at the edge of salt meadow 
at East Norwalk. 

Passerculus sandwichensis savanna. Savannan Sparrow.— A 
male was taken January 20, 1917 in the sedge bushes at the edge of the 
salt meadow at East Norwalk. The bird was in company with the Ipswich 
Sparrow noted above, and was apparently a healthy bird and a winter 
resident. 

Zonotrichia albicollis. Wurrr-rHroaTeD Sparrow.— Two flocks of 
twenty-five birds or more in each were seen in some weedy fields at Darien 
on November 30,1917. The latest record given in Bishop and Sage’s ‘Birds 
of Connecticut’ for fall migration was November 28, 1885. A male was 
taken to verify the field identification, and in view of the rather unusually 
cold fall, this very. late record seems interesting. 

Vermivora peregrina. TENNESSEE WARBLER.— An adult male was 
found dead in the wire of my tennis court on May 20, 1916. An adult 
female was found dead in the same place June 2, 1917. Both of these 
birds were found within a few hundred yards of the place at which I took 
three specimens on May 20, 1892, which are already recorded. 

Dendroica palmarum palmarum. Patm Warsier.—A female 
was taken October 12, 1917 in my garden. It was feeding around the 
vegetable plants in company with several Yellow Palm Warblers. 

Oporornis philadelphia. Mourninc WarsLer.— An adult male was 
taken May 30, 1917 at Mud Pond, a few miles north of New Canaan. The 
bird was feeding in. low bushes and on the ground at the edge of a growth 
of high*woods on rather a wild hillside above the lake.— Louis H. PortsEr, 
Stamford, Conn. 


von ois fy General Notes. 233 


Massachusetts Notes.— The following records taken from my note 
book which refer either to birds rare in Massachusetts or to unusual dates 
of occurrence. The specimens were taken by myself, with the exception 
of the Black Vulture (Catharista wrubu) and Labrador Horned Owl (Bubo 
virginianus heterocnemis), and all specimens are preserved in my collection. 

Stercorarius longicaudus. Lona-raiLep JArGurR. On July 23, 1910, 
about five miles east of Pigeon Cove, part of Rockport, Mass., female 
specimen taken. 

Larus hyperboreus. Guaucous Gutu. On April 20, 1915, near the 
Salvages off Rockport, Mass., immature female specimen taken. 

On April 24, 1915, in the same locality, an immature male specimen 
taken. 

Larus leucopterus. IcrLaNnp Gutu. On April 19, 1915, I saw a 
beautiful entirely snow white Iceland Gull sitting beside a Herring Gull, 
on the breakwater off Rockport, Mass. At the distance seen, about fifty 
yards, the bill was conspicuously all black, the back looked the same as 
the breast snow white and when the bird flew I saw that the ends of the 
wings were white. 

On Jan. 22, 1916, near the Salvages off Rockport, Mass., I saw six Iceland 
Gulls. The birds were flying about, among a large number of Herring 
Gulls, and were seen near enough to positively identify them, allowance 
being made for seeing the same bird twice, in giving the probable number 
of six. Two of the birds were taken, both males, one of which was an adult, 
with mantle pale pearl-blue and fresh color of bill a very delicate shade of 
light green, with yellow spot, almost an orange shade, on the lower mandible 
near angle, and a lighter yellow spot, somewhat diffused and not as pro- 
nounced, on the upper mandible just over the spot on the lower mandible. 
The measurements and weights of the two birds were practically the same. 

On May 18, 1916, near the Salvages off Rockport, Mass., I saw an Ice- 
land Gull, near enough, several times, to positively identify the bird. 

On Feb. 22, 1917, in the same locality, I saw an Iceland Gull, which came 
within thirty-five yards of the boat. 

On Feb. 4, 1918, a short distance off Rockport, Mass., I saw three Ice- 
land Gulls, two of which were taken, both immature males. 

On Feb. 11, 1918, same locality, two immature female specimens taken. 

Larus kumlieni. Kumuien’s Gutu. On Jan. 31, 1913, a short dis- 
tance off the shore of’Lanesville, part of Gloucester, Mass., an adult female 
specimen was taken. 

Puffinus griseus. Soory SHEARWATER. On May 29, 1916, about six 
miles east of Pigeon Cove, Mass., a female specimen was taken. 

Arquatella maritima maritima. PuRPLE SANDPIPER. On May 30, 
1917, on the Salvages off Rockport, Mass., I saw a flock of about forty 
Purple Sandpipers, six of which were taken. 

Catharista urubu. Buiack Vutture. On May 12, 1916, at Pigeon 
Cove, Mass., a specimen was taken, sex undetermined. 

Bubo virginianus heterocnemis. LasprapoR HorNED Own. About 


234 General Notes. [ fee 


Dec. 22, 1917, at Marshfield, Mass., a male Labrador Horned Owl was 
taken by Mr. Wilbur Ewell. Mr. C. E. Shaw was at Marshfield on Dec. 
26, 1917, and saw the recently taken specimen and was told by Mr. Wilbur 
Ewell that he shot the bird the latter part of the week before (he thought 
the 22nd), on Hen Island, near the edge of the salt marsh. I am indebted 
to Mr. Shaw for giving me the specimen in the flesh with the data. On 
dissection, the bird was not fat and there was nothing in the stomach. The 
specimen was identified by Mr. William Brewster, Mr. Charles F. Batchel- 
der and Mr. Outram Bangs, being compared with specimens in Mr. 
Brewster’s collection and later Mr. Bangs kindly compared the specimen 
with those in the Museum of Comparative Zoédlogy.— Cuarues R. Lamp, 
Cambridge, Mass. 


Massachusetts Notes.— On May 7, 1917, Messrs. C. W. Welch and 
Henry M. Murphy caught alive in Stoughton, Mass., an adult Greater 
Snow Goose (Chen hyperboreus nivalis). The primaries of one wing were 
gone, not cut. This specimen is now on exhibition at the Boston Society of 
Natural History, through the generosity of its captors. 

On February 10, 1918, a Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon alcyon) was seen 
flying over a frozen salt marsh at Cohasset, Mass. No open water was to 
be seen anywhere save the open ocean between Duxbury and Boston.— 
W. Sprague Brooks, Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Boston, Mass. 


Notes from the Chicago Area.— I would like to report the following 
rare birds for this locality. 

Two fine specimens of the Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus) 
have been taken near Chicago; the first by Mr. Frances T. A. Junkin who 
writes me as follows: ‘“ the bird was seen in Lake Como, Walworth County, 
Wisconsin, in October, 1916. It was flying high over the middle of the Lake 
and seemed to be looking for something. It was so markedly a strange 
bird that it was taken for my collection.” The bird is in the dark, imma- 
ture plumage, without the long tail feathers. 

The second bird is also in the dark plumage, a rich gray with fine penciling 
of a lighter color. This bird was seen first on August 20, 1917. While 
watching the gulls and terns, at Miller’s, Indiana, we were rather startled 
by a ghost-like gray bird, which glided by us, more like a hawk than a gull. 
I reported the bird to the fishermen at Miller’s, and asked them to let me 
know if such a bird should be seen around their nets. On September 11, 
1917, the bird was found dead on the beach, and is now in the collection of 
the Chicago Academy of Science.— FranK M. Wooprurr, Chicago Acad. 
Sci., Chicago, Ill. 


Notes on some British Columbia Birds.— Colymbus nigricollis 
californicus. Earep Grese.— This species was first taken in the 
Okanagan District by Mr. Allan Brooks, on May 23,1912. An adult male 
was collected by the writer on September 30, 1915. Sight records were 


ns | General Notes. 935 


made on the following dates: May 31, 1912, one; May 27, 1915, one; 
May 10, 1917, two; October 2, 1917, two. 

- Gavia stellata. Rep-rHroatep Loon.— On November 22, 1915, the 
writer picked up a juvenal female, on the shore of Okanagan Lake. This 
is the first record for the Okanagan District. 

Querquedula discors. BiLur-wincep Trat.— Common in the 
Cariboo District. A number of specimens were sent to me in the flesh, 
from 105 Mile House, in the fall of 1915. They are comparatively rare in 
the Okanagan District. Five were seen during the month of May, 1915, 
and three of them secured. 

Recurvirostra americana. AvocrT.— There is a mounted specimen, 
unsexed, in the Provincial Game Wardens office at Vancouver; shot near 
the mouth of the Fraser by Mr. N. H. Bain on September 20, 1915. This is 
the second record for the province. 

Macrorhamphus griseus. Lona-pintep DowrrcHer.— An adult 
male, in breeding dress taken on July 30, 1915, and two juvenal males 
collected on September 9, 1916, are the only Okanagan records. 

Strix occidentalis caurina. NorrHerNn Srorrep Owu.— Mr. T. L. 
Thacker of Hope, B. C., recently sent me the wings and head of a Northern 
Spotted Owl that had been shot near Klesilkwa Creek in the Hope Moun- 
tains, on June 24, 1916. Mr. Thacker informs me that he has seen these 
“brown eyed owls” several times, in heavily timbered country, on the 
pacific side of the Hope Mountains. 

Chetura vauxi. Vaux’s Swirr.—Common near Hedley in the 
Semelkameen Valley. A number were seen in the narrow, deep, Nickle 
Plate Canyon, dashing about the cliffs in company with Violet-green Swal- 
lows. Several females that were collected on June 7, 1917, showed worn 
breeding patch. It is possible that they nested in some of the deep crevices 
in the high cliffs. 

Mr. T. L. Thacker sent me a nestling in the flesh, from Yale, B.C. It 
had fallen from a nest that was built under the roof of the C. P. R. water 
tank. There are a number of small openings under the eaves, and Mr. 
Thacker tells me that several pairs breed there every year. 

Aéronautes melanoleucus. WuHitr-rHRoATEeD Swirr.— Major Allan 
Brooks published a sight record in 1909.1. The following year he made a 
trip to the southern Okanagan, in search of this bird, but was unsuccessful. 
No further reports of its occurrence were received until the summer of 
1917, when Mr. George N. Gartrell, found a breeding colony, estimated 
at seven pairs, in a rock bluff near Vaseaux Lake. He was able to secure 
two specimens on June 29; these skins are now in my collection. 

Zamelodia melanocephala. BLAcK-HEADED GrosBEAK.— An adult 
male, taken at Okanagan Landing, on May 30, 1916, is the only local 
record.— J. A. Munro, Okanagan Landing, British Columbia. 


1 Auk, Vol. XX VI, No. 1, January, 1909. 


236 General Notes. [ fe 


Notes on some Species New to the Colorado List of Birds.— 
Among the results accomplished through a biological survey of Colorado 
by the Colorado Museum of Natural History, the following notes are of 
general interest and it seems advisable to record them at this time. 

Tympanuchus pallidicinctus. Lesser Pratrre Caicxen.— As the 
presence of this bird within the limits of Colorado was considered probable, 
a special trip was made into the extreme southeast corner of the state 
(Baca County) during May, 1914. The first specimen was secured May | 
24 (C. M. N. H. No. 4146, adult male). Another trip into the same terri- 
tory from Sept. 21 to 23, of the same year ond additional specimens 
of both sexes. 

It was assumed that this region marked the a ued limits of their 
range but in the fall of 1916, they were found to be fairly common in the 
sandhill country immediately to the south of the Arkansas River in the 
vicinity of Holly, Prowers County, where specimens were obtained. Syste- 
matic search, however, failed to disclose any evidence of their presence on 
the north side of the river, where the country is, in fact, quite different and 
unsuited to their needs. The Arkansas River, therefore, may be considered 
as the northern boundary of the range of this species. 

Dryobates p. medianus. Downy Woopprckrer.— This variety is 
given in the Check-List as extending to “‘ eastern Nebraska and Kansas ” 
and it would seem that it is still further extending its range to the west- 
ward as a pair of typical specimens were collected on Dry Willow Creek, 
Yuma County, on Aug. 19, 1915, (C. M. N. H. Nos. 4760 and 4787) form- 
ing the first and second records for Colorado. 

Loxia leucoptera. WHuHiITE-wINGED CrosspiLL. These birds have 
been reported on previous occasions from Colorado but investigation has 
failed to show wherein any of these occurrences have been based on speci- 
mens actually collected and preserved. An adult male (C. M. N. H. No. 
6585) collected at Silver Lake, Boulder County, on May 17, 1917, is there- 
fore, apparently the first record specimen. 

Spizella p. arenacea. WersteRN Firetp Sparrow. The first record 
specimen of this subspecies for Colorado is an example (C. M. N. H. No. 
6142) taken in the vicinity of Holly, Prowers County, Sept. 21, 1916. It 
is an immature female and when secured was associated with a mixed flock 
of S. pallida and S. brewert. 

Passerella i. iliaca. Fox Sparrow. The occurrence of this bird in 
the Clear Creek Valley within a few miles of the foothills near Golden, 
Jefferson County, was most unexpected. The specimen, an adult male 
(C. M. N. H. No. 6016) was secured Nov. 1, 1916. 

Helinaia swainsoni. Swatnson’s WARBLER. ‘The presence of Swain- 
son’s Warbler in Colorado is decidedly unique and extends the possible 
range of the species several hundred miles to the westward. The speci- 
men forming the record, is an adult female (C. M. N. H. No. 2806) and was 
secured near Holly, Prowers County, on May 12, 1913, from a dense growth 
of willows, frequented at that time, by numbers of Bell’s Vireos. 


a | General Notes. 237 


Vermivora lucie. Lucy’s Warsirr. The fact that the first record 
for this bird in Colorado was also found breeding, makes it seem possible 
that the species has been overlooked by other collectors. 'Two specimens 
(C. M. N. H. Nos. 3384 and 3385) together with their nest and eggs, were 
collected at ‘ Four-corners’ in Montezuma County on May 3, 1913. 

Hylocichla mustelina. Woop Turusn. The first record specimen 
of the Wood Thrush was taken near Holly, Prowers County, on May 12, 
1913 (C. M. N. H. No. 2629). It seems not unlikely, however, that the 
bird is extending its range westward. Confirmatory evidence for this 
belief is afforded by two additional specimens collected on Dry Willow 
Creek, Yuma County, on June 24, 1915.— F. C. Lincoun, Denver, Colo. 


Subsequent Nestings.— I was much interested in reading of Mr. 
J. K. Jensen’s experience (Auk, January, 1918, pp. 83-84) with the White- 
rumped Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides) at Wahpeton, North 
Dakota, in*1917, as they are very similar to mine at Hatley, Quebec, in 
the same year with the Migrant Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) an 
account of which it had been proposed to add as a postscript to my “A 
Study of Subsequent Nestings after the Loss of the First,” Auk, Vol. 
XXXIV, 1917, pp. 381-393, but which had to be omitted at the last 
moment owing to unforeseen circumstances. My pair of birds laid four 
sets of eggs in succession, the first set being taken on May 30, and the last 
on July 4, thus again giving practically eleven days interval between each 
set. The first two consisted of six eggs each, the third of five, and the 
fourth of four, the first nest being in an apple tree twelve feet up, the 
second in a fir eighteen feet up, and seventy-one yards from the first, the 
third in the same apple tree as the first only seventeen feet up, whilst the 
fourth and last was again in an apple tree twelve feet up, and eighty-three 
yards from the fir tree, the site of the second, and one hundred and fifty- 
four yards from the apple tree, the site of the first nest. Now the most 
interesting fact to me was the pigment in these eggs, for whereas with each 
successive set the size, beauty and construction of the nests fell off, as well 
as the number of the eggs, the pigment or coloring increased if anything, 
the last set being equally or more highly pigmented than any of the others. 
At a Meeting of the Nuttall Ornithological Club held at Cambridge on 
November 19, 1917, at which I was present, I mentioned the above case. 
It was suggested by one of the members present (I believe it was Mr. 
Bangs) that the apparent higher coloring of this last set might be due to 
an increased thinness of the inner membrane or lining of the shell, or to 
the thinness of the shell itself, or both. The latter (thickness of shell) I 
have examined with a microscope through the blow hole as well as I was 
able, but can detect no apparent difference, but this is no easy matter to 
decide off hand, and will require much more careful consideration. It 
seems to me that we have here an interesting field for further investigation, 
as there really does not appear to be much known or at all events published 
on the causes and effects governing the pigment of eggs. The English 


238 General Notes. hee 


Sparrow (Passer domesticus hostilis!) amongst its many other sins, has 
been responsible to a large extent for the generally prevailing idea that as 
sets increase pigment decreases (which seems to be the rule in its case for 
some unexplained reason), but my ‘A Study of Subsequent Nestings’ 
already referred to, goes a long way I think to demonstrate that the oppo- 
site is the more general rule in the case of other birds. What we really 
want is a special work dealing with the subject, such as Dr. Bergtold’s 
‘The Incubation Periods of Birds’ and Dr. Casey Wood’s ‘The Fundus 
Oculi of Birds,’ wherein the subjects are fully dealt with and discussed 
in all their bearings.— H. Moustey, Hatley, Que. 


The Destruction of Nests by Farming Operations in Saskatche- 
wan.— During the summer of 1917 from May 1 to June 15 I worked on a 
1200 acre grain farm located near a small town, Estlin, sixteen miles south 
of Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan. This time included the earlier 
nesting wave which might be said to extend through the last weeks in May 
and the first in June. It is then that the greatest damage is done to nesting 
birds through agricultural operations. 

The region in which the farm was situated was one vast treeless plain. 
Natives at one time or another have tried to grow trees and shrubs about 
their dooryards but these have either died or merely grown to a height of 
ten or twelve feet. Of course all parts of Saskatchewan are not treeless 
for in Regina there are fair sized shade trees along the streets and still 
farther north there are forests. The land is owned in large tracts of a half 
section or more, the largest of which I heard covering 16 sections. It is 
under an extensive system of farming with oats, wheat and flax as the staple 
crops. Most of the land is under cultivation but there is still some in lots 
of a half to two sections left in virgin prairie. One would naturally expect 
that the wild ducks and other ground nesting birds would select the prairie 
for nesting sites, but such was not in accordance with my observations, as 
I found that the great majority chose the cultivated areas. 

The ducks and the Chestnut-collared Longspurs were found to be most 
abundant; of the former, Pintails were in the lead, with Mallards, Teals, 
and Baldpates in lesser numbers. Canada Geese did not nest there at all, 
but I was told that they breed commonly not far to the north. Marsh 
Hawks and Short-eared Owls were very common, as were Red-winged 
Blackbirds, Killdeers, and Western Meadowlarks. 

The growing season is so short that the ground must be prepared with 
the greatest speed in the spring, since the large crops and early winters 
allow little time for fall plowing, thus leaving neagly all to be done just 
before seeding. We were plowing, disking, harrowing, and drilling grain 
until the first week in June, while the first duck nest was found on May 6, 
making at least a full month during which the farming operations may cause 
the destruction of nests. As above stated the ducks seem to prefer the 
stubble fields to the prairie, for of the twenty-five nests which I examined 
all but five were in the former kind of situation; of the remaining five, 


1See Oberholser, Auk, 1917, p. 329. 


ood General Notes. 239 


four were in grass between stubble fields and roads, and only one was on 
the prairie. 

It is a common practice in Saskatchewan to burn off the stubble. This is 
usually accomplished in the following way: A section of a harrow is dragged 
about six feet behind a hay or grain rack loaded with straw; a day with a 
strong wind is selected as soon as the stubble is dry enough to burn freely; 
one man drives the team slowly along the windward side of the field while’ 
another pitches straw onto the fire which is built on the harrow and thus 
keeps it burning. The stubble catches fire readily and whole sections may 
be burned over in this manner in a few hours. The usual time for burning 
over the land is after the first week in May, since before then the stubble 
is not dry enough. Many nests are destroyed in this way. I found the 
remains of three duck nests and one Marsh Hawk nest in one burned field. 
On June 9 I flushed a Mallard from a burned field and on investigation 
found a much charred nest containing seven smoky eggs all of which were 
rotten, and yet that poor bird had been incubating those eggs for two weeks 
since the fire had spoiled them. The straw stacks are also burned at this 
time. A neighbor was engaged in this work one day, May 24, when he 
noticed a ‘Prairie Eagle’ [Ferruginous Rough-legged Hawk] rise and circle 
around the straw stack he was about to ignite. He climbed to the top 
of the stack and there found the nest containing five beautifully marked 
eggs, which he collected and gave to me before burning the straw. As 
these stacks are very common, in fact they are about the only thing that 
breaks the horizon, it is probable that many nests are burned with them 
each spring. 

When the stubble is not burned, the fields are usually disked, although 
sometimes the wheat or oats is drilled right into the stubble without any 
earlier preparation of the soil. In this way the nests are disturbed by the 
blades of the disks and drills. Some farmers give their men strict orders 
to lift the drills or to drive around the nests whenever possible. If the 
birds happen to be on their nests it is an easy matter to locate them for 
they usually flush just in front of the horses. I remember twice that the 
horses had walked over brooding ducks which did not fly up until the disks 
were about to roll over them. In a case of this sort and also when the 
birds are not setting, it is practically impossible to see the nests in time to 
save them. I recollect three nests which were seen barely in time to save 
them. The first was a Sharp-tailed Grouse which flushed from her nest 
and fourteen eggs just beside the horses. By the time the horses were 
stopped the wheel of the drill was within a few inches of the nest and another 
step would have ruined it. The other two were those of a Desert Horned 
Lark and of a Killdeer which were similarly discovered when one more 
furrow by the plow would have turned them under. Occasionally ducks 
build their nests in sunken spots so that disk-harrows and drills may run 
over them without damaging the eggs. One nest was run over successively 
by a disk, a scrub or drag, a drill, and a team of six horses, but miraculously 
escaped without having even an egg cracked. This bird continued to 
incubate despite all the interruptions. 


240 General Notes. [ ree 


Marsh Hawks and Short-eared Owls are fellow sufferers with the ducks. 
These two birds are very necessary to that country for mice are unusually 
common and the hawks and owls are about the only means of keeping them 
in check. All four hawk nests which I found were built in stubble fields 
and were broken up by farming operations. Five owl nests were located; 
three of these were spoiled, but the other two were collected before some- 
thing else could happen to them. Of the 35 duck, hawk, and owl nests 
which I examined I know of only five in which the eggs hatched. The 
one redeeming feature lies in the fact that probably the greater part of the 
second sets hatch and the young mature in good shape, for there are few 
farming operations at the time when they would be found and there 
are few natural enemies to interfere with them.— Water A. GoELITz, 
Ravinia, Illinois. 


Goudot’s Explorations in Colombia.—In his recent work on ‘The 
Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia,’ Dr. Chapman refers (p. 11) to a 
“French collector, resident in Bogotd,”’ who began to send bird skins to 
Paris about 1838 or 1839. This collector was probably Goudot and that 
some of his specimens must have reached Europe at least ten years earlier 
will be evident upon turning to the account of Chamepetes goudoti on p. 197. 
This species described by Lesson, in 1828, was named in honor of Justin 
Goudot, a French naturalist and botanical collector, a native of Jura, who 
secured the type in the Quindio region, in 1827, and who spent many years 
in Colombia collecting zodlogical and botanical specimens. As information 
regarding his work in not generally accessible, the following summary may 
be of interest. 

According to La Ségue,! from whose brief account the following facts 
have been mainly derived, Goudot was an attache of the Paris Museum. 
Nearly a century ago, in 1822, in company with several other Frenchmen 
he was called to Bogota by the government of Colombia (then known as 
New Grenada), to assist in founding various scientific establishments. 
For five years he remained in the service of the government collecting in 
different parts of the country. In 1823 he began work on the coast of 
Venezuela in the vicinity of Porto Cabello, then went to Santa Marta and 
ascended the Magdalena River to Bogoté. In the following year he 
worked eastward across the cordillera to the plains of Meta and then 
southward crossing the Ariari and the Guayabero, two branches of the 
upper Orinoco. He then returned to Bogot& and in 1825 directed his 
course northward along the cordillera to the valley and emerald mine of 
Muzo. In 1826 he collected in the mountains southwest of Bogotd, in 
sthe vicinity of the natural bridge of Icononzo or Pandi. In 1827 he re- 
signed from the service of the government but continued his work of 
collecting natural history specimens. He crossed the valley of the Magda- 
lena to the west in order to explore the rich vegetation of the Quindiu 
region and it was on this trip undoubtedly that he secured the type of 


1 La Ségue, A., Musée Botanique de M. Benjamin Delessert, pp. 471-472, Paris, 1845. 


| General Notes. 241 


Chamepetes goudoti. Two years later, in 1829, he visited the Pyramid of 
Tolima, one of the highest peaks of the northern Andes. In 1830 he 
crossed the central cordillera and visited the northern part of the Cauca 
Valley. On his return two years later he recrossed the cordillera farther 
north in the mountains of Hervé. In 1835 he explored the valley of the 
upper Magdalena south of Honda. During the next few years he was. 
obliged to devote his attention to other work but employed his spare time 
in studying the natural resources of the regions where he lived. In May 
1842, he started on his return to Europe. After descending the Magdalena 
he went to Santa Marta, visited the mountains in the interior, and while 
delayed at Carthagena, examined the flora between that point and Turbaco. 
Finally he reached Havre, France, in December, 1842. 

During the four years from 1843 to 1846 Goudot published a dozen papers 
on the botany and zodlogy of Colombia including the first account of the 
nesting of the Cock of the Rock. According to Mulsant and Verreaux ! 
he returned to Colombia after 1848 where he died. Although known 
chiefly as a botanical collector, he collected many zoological specimens 
including insects and a series of scorpions and probably sent to Europe 
many of the Colombian birds that were described by contemporary French 
ornithologists. It is possible also that under his instructions the natives 
learned to collect birds for the European market and thus began the ship- 
ment of Bogota skins which later developed into such an extensive traffic 
to supply museums and the millinery trade.— T. 5. PALMER. 


Unusual Dearth of Winter Birds— Judging by my own experience 
at Hatley, and that of friends and correspondents in such widely scattered 
places as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, the 
winter season of 1917-18, will no doubt go down to posterity as a very 
remarkable one, not only for its great severity, but also for its great dearth 
of winter birds. Nothing like it has been seen in my time at Hatley and 
long previous to that so I am told by the oldest inhabitants, the thermom- 
eter standing for long periods at a time far below zero, even up to 20° 
and 30° in the day time and 45° at night. The local papers have contained 
notices of the great dearth of birds, and that from people not given to the 
study of Ornithology, but who perforce have had the matter thrust upon 
their attention. I myself have not seen any Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Pine 
or Evening Grosbeaks, the only birds in evidence being a few small flocks 
of Snow Buntings, and an occasional Northern Shrike, with a Goshawk 
on December 18. An easterly gale in the first week of December however, 
was responsible for driving in at least three Briinnich’s Murres and one 
Ring-billed Gull, two of the former being taken at North Hatley on Decem- 

‘ber 10, and one at Hatley on January 9, whilst the Gull was taken near 
Massawippi early in December, all of which birds I saw and identified in 
the flesh— H. Moustey, Hatley, Que. 


Dee ee eee eee 


1 Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux-Mouches, II, p, 66, 1876. 


242 Recent Literature. ees 


Correction.— In mentioning the ‘Preliminary List of the Birds of 
Tennessee’ in the January ‘ Auk,’ p. 103, Mr. W. D. Howser was credited 
with the compilation and editing. We now learn that this labor was 
performed by Mr. A. F. Ganier, Curator of the Tennessee Ornithological 
Society.— WITMER STONE. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


Chapman’s ‘ Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia.’ — The ap- 
pearance of Dr. Chapman’s report on the ‘ Distribution of Bird-Life in 
Colombia’! more than meets our expectations. We realize at once that 
it is the most important contribution ever made to the subject of which 
it treats but we further recognize in it the completion of a definite plan, 
clearly conceived and carefully carried out —an accomplishment that 
must be as much of a gratification to the author as it is to those who consult 
the volume. Too often, especially in America, important explorations 
have been made and extensive collections obtained which through force 
of circumstances remain unreported, except in so far as a series of ‘ pre- 
liminary descriptions’ of new forms may be regarded as a report, which in 
their brevity, are often as much of a hindrance as they are a help to science. 

Dr. Chapman assembled his collections, published his descriptions of new 
species with praiseworthy detail and now presents us with a comprehensive 
report of the entire investigation, with discussions, not only of the relation- 
ship of the birds but of the varied characters of the country they inhabit — 
its forests, rainfall and other environmental conditions, and finally his 
deductions as to the limits of the present day life zones of Colombia, their 
history and the probable origin of the bird-life of the country. Needless to 
say this is no small task especially when we read that: “ so indefinitely 
is the physiography of the country diversified that our entire time in 
Colombia might have been devoted to a single mountain range and still 
not have given us the information needed to map its zones and faunas with 
a thoroughness which would begin to express all the facts and factors 
involved,’”’ and the author modestly adds: ‘‘ we must therefore, leave to 
future workers the task of filling in the details....with a hope that they 
will find the zonal and faunal boundaries here proposed at least fundamen- 
tally correct.” This hope we are sure will be more than realized. 


1 The Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia. A Contribution to a Biological Survey of 
South America. By Frank M. Chapman. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. XXXVI, 
1917. pp. i-x, 1-729; plates I-XLI; text figures, 1-21. New York, 1917. 


Vo ial Recent Literature. 243 


Up to this time the writers on Colombian ornithology have based their 
studies almost entirely upon the collections of others, mainly natives, who 
furnished no information regarding the country in which the specimens 
were obtained — usually not even definite localities, so that no intelligent 
consideration of the range or distribution of the species was possible. Dr. 
Chapman began his investigation in 1911 with a personal trip from Buena- 
ventura on the Pacific coast to Baranquilla on the Caribbean Sea, travers- 
ing nearly the whole length of the country down the Cauca and Magdalena 
Valleys, and crossing two of the three ranges of the Colombian Andes, 
while two years later he made another trip to the Bogota region, crossing 
the third range to Villavicencio at its eastern base. He thus obtained an 
intimate personal knowledge of the country as well as of its most character- 
istic birds, and was able to direct intelligently the operations of his assis- 
tants on the six additional expeditions which they conducted, so as to secure 
the most important returns; while by his personal association with his men 
in the field on the two trips above mentioned, he was able to instruct them 
in the object of the explorations and the best methods by which they might 
be attained. 

Bogota, as is well known, has been since about 1838 a shipping point for 
bird skins. While these were primarily intended for millinery purposes 
many found their way into the hands of ornithologists in France and 
England and hundreds of new species were described with Bogota as their 
type locality. Of later years it has become evident that most of these 
specimens did not come from the immediate vicinity of Bogota at all but 
were brought there by natives who secured them at various more or less re- 
mote spots often in quite different life zones or faunas. The determination 
of the actual habitat of such species became, therefore, a primary necessity 
in working out the distribution of bird-life in Colombia, and in ascertaining 
the proper relationship of the species and subspecies, and this led to Dr. 
Chapman’s careful investigation of this critical region —a piece of work 
which in itself is a contribution of the first importance to neotropical orni- 
thology. We cannot within the limits of this notice consider in detail the 
numerous interesting problems of local distribution presented by Dr. 
Chapman, but a few of his more general conclusions may be stated. In the 
first place he considers that the remarkable similarity in the fauna of the 
Pacific Tropical zone in Colombia and Ecuador, and that of the Amazonian 
forest, indicates that these regions, now totally separated, are parts of a 
formerly continuous area and that their fauna is pre-Andean. The evolu- 
tion of new forms has here, he contends, been practically at a standstill 
and therefore many species occur on both sides of the mountains today 
showing no differentiation. The tremendous upheaval of the Andean chain 
on the other hand has been responsible for the rapid evolution of a host of 
new forms in accordance with the great changes in topography in the area 
affected. 

Above the tropics Dr. Chapman recognizes three zones: the Subtropical; 
the Temperate; and the Paramo. The fauna of the first has been derived 


244 ; Recent Literature. Fees 


from the Tropical zone immediately below while the species characteristic 
of the last two have originated in the same zones at sea-level farther south. 
Many of these species moreover range north over the entire temperate 
zone with little or no modification which should be expected, since they 
have nowhere left the peculiar environment of their original zone. Species 
of the Subtropical zone on the other hand have pushed up from their 
original Tropical zone into an entirely different environment with the result 
that they have in nearly every instance been materially modified. Or as 
Dr. Chapman puts it: ‘‘ Uniformity of life increases with altitude.” The 
Cauca Valley, the fauna of which differs decidedly from that of the humid 
Pacific coast, Dr. Chapman considers to have been under water until 
post-tertiary time so that its bird-life is of comparatively recent origin. 

Another interesting fact brought out in the work before us is the curious 
break in the Subtropical forest zone, which extends along the Andes to 
northern Colombia and is then lacking until we reach the high mountains 
of western Panama and Costa Rica, where the same types, sometimes 
the very same species, reappear. This break Dr. Chapman ealls the 
“Panama fault,” and cites evidence to show that a former connecting 
range of high mountains, which carried the Subtropical zone over the 
present tropical interval, has been entirely reduced by erosion and subsi- 
dence in comparatively recent geological time. 

The chapters treating of these and other distributional problems, with 
their host of original facts and faunal lists of species will be studied with 
the deepest interest by all zodgeographers, while the itineraries of the eight 
expeditions, illustrated as they are by numerous admirable photographs, 
are fascinating reading for anyone interested in travel and exploration. 

The systematic portion of the report based upon the collection of 15,775 
skins secured by Dr. Chapman and his assistants, treats of 1285 species 
and subspecies of which 22 new species and 115 new subspecies have 
been described by the author in the course of his studies of this extensive 
material. Most of these were described in previous papers but eleven 
appear in the present volume for the first time, while for convenience the 
earlier diagnoses are all reprinted here. One of the novelties discovered 
by the expeditions is named T'roglodytes musculus neglectus (p. 520). This 
‘name, as has been pointed out to us by Dr. Charles W. Richmond, is pre- 
occupied by Troglodytes neglectus Brooks, an Old World form of Winter 
Wren, and it becomes desirable to give ita new name. It seems to us 
that Troglodytes musculus chapmani would be a fitting name for this Wren 
and we therefore propose this as a substitute for 7’. m. neglectus Chapman. 

The various species in Chapman’s report are numbered in accordance 
with Brabourne and Chubb’s ‘ Birds of South America.’ The synonymy 
includes a reference to the original description of the species with type 
locality, and other references to its occurrence in Colombia. This is fol- 
lowed by critical remarks upon range and relationship and a list of localities 
from which specimens were secured. Dr. Chapman estimates that the 
whole number of Colombian birds would be about 1700. While we fully 


Sais il Recent Literature. 245 


appreciate his motives in limiting his list strictly to species which were 
encountered by his expeditions, we cannot but regret — even though our 
attitude be admittedly selfish — that he did not in some way include at 
least the land birds reported by others from Colombia, thus making his 
report monographic. The knowledge of the relationships of such forms, 
which he must have acquired in working up his collections, would have 
been of the greatest value to others. 

The best test of a work of this kind is the actual use of the volume and 
having had occasion recently to study two neotropical collections, from 
adjacent areas, in which study Dr. Chapman’s work was extensively used, 
the writer can testify to the admirable style of its arrangement and to its 
thorough accuracy. 

As regards nomenclature, Dr. Chapman adopts subspecies rather more 
liberally than most recent writers — that is to say, he treats certain forms 
as subspecies which others would regard as of full specific rank. This is 
a practice of which we thoroughly approve, since to our mind a name should 
be made to express as much as possible, and if one form is clearly a deriva- 
tive of another, the trinomial appellation showing this relation carries 
more information than would the binomial, while the fact that actual 
intergradation between the two has not been proven is not of sufficient 
importance to warrant an expression in nomenclature. In regard to genera, 
Dr. Chapman expresses himself at some length against their undue multi- 
plication and rejects Hwpsychortyx as not separable from Colinus; and 
Dictiopicus as not distinct from Dryobates. While here again we are in 
sympathy with our author’s attitude it seems that while sacrificing the 
above mentioned genera, he retains quite a number apparently not any 
better differentiated. This question must probably be settled by con- 
vention as genera are matters of opinion and their relative importance 
cannot be settled by any criterion or rule. The opinion of one author 
is probably as good as that of another and all will differ to some extent. 

There are many other portions of this admirable work upon which we 
are unable here to comment — the discussion of climate and precipitation 
and their influence on the formation of life zones; the formation of the 
cloud forests; the various faunas into which the zones are divided, ete. 
Enough has been said however, to show the comprehensive character of 
the work, and the broad way in which the subject is handled. 

Mention must however, be made of the numerous excellent maps and 
distributional charts and the four attractive colored plates from paintings 
by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, who accompanied Dr. Chapman upon the two 
expeditions in which he took part—also the energy and ability of the 
corps of collectors to whose efforts the success of the several expeditions 
was largely due: W. B. Richardson, Leo E. Miller, Arthur A. Allen, Geo. 
K. Cherrie, Paul G. Howes, Geoffroy O’Connell, Thos. M. Ring, and 

Howarth Boyle. 
_ This volume is entitled ‘ A Contribution to a Biological Survey of South 
America.’ We feel sure that it will be the wish of every naturalist who 


246 Recent Literature. [ Fes 


reads it, that when this terrible war is over and Dr. Chapman resumes his 
ornithological work, he may be able to prepare other similar contributions 
for which much material is already available at the American Museum. 
Surely no one today is better equipped for the task.— W. 8. 


Gee and Moffett’s ‘ Birds of the Lower Yangtse Valley.’ — This 
little volume,! apparently reprinted from the columns of a newspaper, is 
a well prepared account of the more common birds of the region of which 
it treats, intended to meet the needs of those who wish to become familiar 
with the wild bird life of China. There is a good description of each 
species with an outline of its general distribution, an account of its nest and 
eggs and some general notes on its habits and history. The material is 
compiled from various reliable sources and includes as well the observa- 
tions of the authors and those of the late Dr. Paul D. Bergen. 

“ The greatest lack in ornithological literature of China,” say the authors, 
‘“‘ig not the scientific descriptions of species — perhaps few remain yet to 
be described — but the sort of careful popular study that has taught us 
so much of the intimate ways of the birds of America and England.” As 
an attempt to fill this want the present work is a very praiseworthy effort, 
and will be welcomed alike by those who are able to study Chinese birds 
on the spot and those in far away lands, who wish to know something of 
the everyday familiar birds of this interesting country.— W. S. 


Mathews’ ‘ Birds of Australia.’ — Part six? of volume six of this not- 
able work is now before us, completing the treatment of the Parrots. 
Eight species of the genera Neonannodes, Neophema, Lathamus, Melopsitta- 
cus, Pezoporus and Geopsittacus are figured and described. There is also 
an appendix giving the description of Platycercus elegans fleuriensis Ashby, 
already published in ‘The Emu,’ and some supplementary notes by the 
describer. Also a correction in which the generic name Swavipsitta (p. xix) 
is proposed for Nannopsittacus Matthews, preoccupied by Nannopsittaca 
Ridgway. 

In the main text of this part we find the following new name proposed: 
Neonannodes chrysostomus cyanopterus (p. 446), Victoria— W. 8. 


Kalmbach on the Crow and its Relation to Man. — The continued 
demand for information regarding the economic value of the Crow and the 
exhaustion of the supply of previous bulletins on the subject, have resulted 


1A Key to the Birds of the Lower Yangtse Valley with Popular Descriptions of the 
Species Commonly Seen. By N. Gist Gee, Soochow University and Lacy I. Moffett, 
Kiangyin. Shanghai: Shanghai Mercury Limited, Print. 1917. pp. 1-221, with index 
(i-xix) and errata (iii-iv). 

2 The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. VI, Part VI. December 11, 
1917. 


teas | Recent Literature. OAT, 


in a new investigation by Mr. E. R. Kalmbach,! Assistant Biologist of the 
Biological Survey. A large amount of new and more recent information 
has been collected through correspondence and the number of stomachs 
upon which conclusions on the food habits of the bird are based, has 
increased from 909 at the time of the previous report to 2118. 

The matter is clearly and concisely presented under various headings 
and the results and conclusions summarized at the close of the report. 
The omnivorous habits of the Crow and the resulting complexity of the 
problem of determining its worth to man can readily be appreciated when 
we learn that no less than 656 different items were detected in the stomachs 
examined. After carefully weighing all the factors in the case, Mr. Kalm- 
bach concludes that while the Crow undoubtedly does much damage in 
destroying corn and other crops, poultry, nestlings and eggs of wild birds, 
etc., nevertheless the enormous amount of good that it does in destroying 
noxious insects, especially in the early spring, when they are at the lowest 
ebb of their life cycle, constitutes a benefit that we cannot afford to dispense 
with. Therefore he considers that while the bird should not be protected 
no efforts directed toward its extermination should be tolerated. In other 
words it should be kept at about its present abundance and should be 
allowed to be shot whenever it is found doing damage. 

In the Delaware Valley, according to the reviewer’s experience, there 
seems no doubt but that the Crow has decreased considerably during recent 
years, owing apparently to the molestation of the roosts, and if this con- 
dition prevails over other parts of its range, it may be that by the time 
another report on the bird’s economic value appears, it will be necessary 
to give it some measure of protection. Ornithologists would be sorry to 
see a bird of such varied interest and historical association, seriously reduced 
in numbers, when there is no more call for such action than Mr. Kalmbach 
has shown, and we sincerely hope that his practical recommendations will be 
accepted throughout the country. 

This excellent report is illustrated by an admirable colored plate of the 
Crow from a painting by the author, a map of the United States locating 
174 Crow roosts, and a diagram showing graphically the food of the Crow 
throughout the year.— W. S. 


Arthur’s ‘ Birds of Louisiana.’ — This list published as a ‘ Bulletin 
of the State Department of Conservation’? is issued in response to the 
demands of schools, nature teachers and others interested in extending a 
knowledge of the wild birds of the state. Mr. Arthur has done his work 
well, giving us an authoritative list of species according to the A. O. U. 


1 The Crow and its relation to Man. By E. R. Kalmbach. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 
Bulletin No. 621. February 16, 1918. pp. 1-92. 

2 The Birds of Louisiana. Bulletin 5, State of Louisiana, Department of Conservation, 
M. L. Alexander, Commissioner. [By Stanley Clisby Arthur, Ornithologist.] pp. 1-80. 
New Orleans, January 1918, with several maps and other text figures. 


248 Recent Literature. hee 


‘ Check-List,’ with the several local vernacular names and brief comments 
on the time of occurrence, relative abundance, habits and more important 
color marks. No less than 368 species and subspecies are listed in this 
pamphlet, an increase of forty-five over the list of Messrs. Beyer, Allison 
and Kopman, published in ‘ The Auk’ (Vols. XXIII, XXIV and XXXII). 

An introduction of eight pages considers the history of Louisiana bird 
life, migration and other general topics, while a number of small maps and 
half-tone text figures illustrate this interesting and welcome publication.— 
W.S. 


Murphy on the Natural History of the Mexican Portion of the 
Colorado Desert.!— Mr. Murphy made two trips into this interesting 
region in March 1915, for the purpose of securing specimens of the Lower 
Californian Pronghorn and other desert animals for the museum of the 
Brooklyn Institute. In the present paper he presents some general infor- 
mation about the region, an exceedingly interesting and well illustrated 
narrative of his trips and an annotated list of the birds, as well as some 
account of the Pronghorn. 

The list of birds comprises 134 species and includes besides those observed 
by Mr. Murphy, a number of others which were secured or observed by 
Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads on a trip through this country in 1905 (Proc. Acad. 
Nat. Sci. Phila., 1905, pp. 679-690). Mr. Murphy’s excellent paper forms 
a valuable supplement to Dr. Grinnell’s recent report on the fauna of the 
Lower Colorado Valley, farther north.— W.S. 


Batchelder on New Birds from Newfoundland.?— An examination 
of a considerable series of Ovenbirds and Yellow Warblers taken during 
the breeding season in Newfoundland, has convinced Mr. Batchelder 
that they are separable subspecifically from individuals from the rest of 
eastern North America, and he therefore proposes for them the names, 
Seiurus aurocapillus furvior (p. 81) and Dendroica estiva amnicola (p. 82) 
respectively. In a general way these new forms are darker in coloration 
than the ‘ typical’ races. 

The establishment of very slightly differentiated geographical races in the 
east will soon bring us face to face with some of the problems that have 
troubled our friends in California and other parts of the west, in the matter _ 
of sight identifications. The advent of a ‘“‘ Brown-headed Chickadee ” 
in the eastern states a year ago, which could not be subspecifically identified 
without collecting the specimen, caused great speculation as to how obser- 
vations on the bird should be recorded and as these Newfoundland Oven- 


1Natural History Observations from the Mexican Portion of the Colorado Desert. By 
Robert Cushman Murphy. Abstract Proc. Linnzan Soc. of New York, Nos. 24-25, 1917. 
pp. 43-101, plates I-VI. 

2'Two Undescribed Newfoundland Birds. By Charles Foster Batchelder. Proc. New 
England Zoédl. Club, VI, pp. 81-82. February 6, 1918. 


ae | Recent Literature. _ 249 


birds and Yellow Warblers in all probability pass down our Atlantic coast 
in migration we shall in future be in doubt as to which form we have seen. 
Meanwhile it will be interesting for those who have good series of migrant 
specimens to see whether they can detect the new forms among them.— 


W:8. 


Murphy on a New Albatross.! — Under the name Diomedia sanfordi 
(p. 861), Mr. Murphy describes a single specimen of an Albatross secured 
at sea forty miles off Corral, Chile, by R. H. Beck who was engaged in 
obtaining specimens for the Brewster-Sanford Collection. The specimen 
is compared at length with D. exulans and the difference in the structure 
of the nostril is so great that in Mr. Murphy’s opinion the two should be 
separated subgenerically, and he therefore erects the subgenus Rhothonia 
(p. 861) for his new species. 

Whether Mr. Murphy compared his specimen with D. chionoptera Salv. 
we do not know but in the last number of the ‘ Bulletin’ of the British 
Ornithologists’ Club, Lord Rothschild, in commenting upon Mr. Murphy’s. 
paper, identifies his new species with this latter form, citing records to 
show that it ranges widely after the breeding season which would make its 
occurrence off the coast of Chile not unlikely.— W. S. 


Shufeldt on Fossil Birds from Vero, Florida. ?— This is an elaboration 
of a previous report on the same material published in ‘ The Journal of 
Geology ’ for January—February, 1917, pp. 18-19, and already noticed in 
these columns. A reference to the present publication seems desirable in 
order to prevent future complications by calling attention to the fact that 
the new species described in the former paper all appear as ‘‘ sp. nov.’” 
in this one as well, and may easily be quoted from it in mistake. Such 
practice is decidedly reprehensible. As the present paper is dated July 20, 
1917, at the end of the text, it would seem that the author had ample time 
to give the proper references to the earlier publication had he so desired.— 
W.S. 


Publications on Bird Protection.— From the Winter Number of 
‘ Bird Notes and News’ we learn that Venezuela has passed a law to stop: 
the killing of Egrets for their plumes, limiting the traffic to cast feathers. 
In England great damage has been done to the native birds by the indis- 
criminate destruction of both birds and eggs by members of the ‘ Sparrow 
Clubs’ which were organized for the purpose of reducing the numbers 
of the House Sparrows but whose activities, through ignorance, were 
extended to other species as well. 


1A New Albatross from the West Coast of South America. By Robert Cushman 
Murphy. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. XX XVII, pp. 861-864. December 10, 1917. 

2 Fossil Birds found at Vero, Florida, with Descriptions of New Species. By R. W. 
Shufeldt. Ninth Ann. Rep. Fla. State Geol. Surrey, 1917, pp. 35-42. 


250 Recent Literature. at 


‘California Fish and Game’ for January tells of the successful use of 
bombs and fireworks in frightening migrant birds from the rice fields and 
has an admirable article on the value of wild birds by Mr. J. G. Tyler. 

The ‘ Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey’ of the 
U. S. Department of Agriculture contains brief mention of investigations 
as to the food habits of the Starling which indicate that this bird has some 
desirable qualities and is not all bad. The question remains however, 
whether in spite of his destruction of ground insects he is not from shear 
force of numbers crowding out of existence many of our native species in 
areas inhabited by him. Another pamphlet issued by the Biological Sur- 
vey ‘ How to Attract Birds in the East Central States’ is by W. L. McAtee 
and is similar to those already published for other sections of the country. 
The ‘Audubon Bulletin’ of the Illinois Audubon Society for the winter 
of 1917-1918 and the ‘ Seventh Annual Report of the New Jersey Audubon 
Society ’ are full of interesting matter concerning bird protection and bird 
study in these states and the former has an anonymous biographical sketch, 
with portrait, of Mr. Robert Ridgway, which will be read with great 
pleasure by everyone interested in the development of ornithology in 
America. 

‘Current Items of Interest’ prepared by Mr. Henry Oldys contains 
an account of a Sparrow campaign at Davenport, Iowa, which seems to 
have been more successful than the English one already mentioned. 

Cornell University has issued a circular announcing courses of instruction 
on wild life conservation and game breeding during 1918, while from the 
National Association of Audubon Societies come some attractive ‘ Audubon 
Pocket Bird Collections’ — clever colored drawings by E. J. Sawyer of 
mounted specimens, represented as in a case with a ‘ catalogue’ on the 
back arranged by Dr. Frank M. Chapman. 

The ‘ Report of the National Zoélogical Park’ contains an interesting 
note on the park as a bird sanctuary and a list of some 180 species of birds 
now living in the collection.— W.S. 


Swarth on Jays of the Genus Aphelocoma.! — The much discussed 
California Jays are again reviewed in this paper with the result that A phelo- 
coma c. obscura of the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List ’ is found to be identical with 
typical A. californica from Monterey but the bird of interior California 
generally supposed to be californica is different and is the same as A. c. 
immanis, described from Linn Co., Oregon, by Dr. Joseph Grinnell. All 
this seems to hinge upon the question as to which of two forms a type from 
somewhat intermediate territory belongs, and we have no doubt Mr. 
Swarth’s deductions are correct. We would therefore be still in accord with 
the ‘ Check-List ’ so far as the number of races of A. californica is con- 
cerned were it not for the fact that Mr. Swarth comes to the conclusion 


1 The Pacific Coast Jays of the Genus Aphelocoma. By H.S. Swarth. University of 
California Publ. in Zool., Vol. 17, pp. 405-422. February 23, 1918. 


vol. 18 si Recent Literature. 251 


that the birds from the coast region north of San Francisco Bay are differ- 
ent from either of the above. These he separates as A. californica ooclep- 
tica (p. 413), type locality Nicasio. 

He also differs from Dr. Oberholser’s recent conclusion that A. hypoleuca 
is merely arace of A. californica, as maintained in the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List,’ 
and would give it full specific rank. The facts in regard to this group would 
seem to be now before us and any difference of treatment must be due to 
personal opinion.— W. 8. 


Wetmore on Paleochenoides mioceanus Shufeldt.1— This name 
was based upon the fossilized distal end of the right femur of a bird which 
Dr. Shufeldt considered as related to the Anseres. Quoting from Dr. 
Shufeldt’s paper we find “that this femur never belonged to any bird at 
all related to Sula, or to any of the Herons, or to Pelecanus, all of which 
have femora possessed of some characters, which, though not of wide dif- 
ference, are quite sufficient to constitute discriminating ones, and to point 
to the fact that this great extinct fowl did not belong in any of those 
groups, as we know them, osteologically.” 

Now comes Mr. Wetmore with the results of another careful examination 
of this same bone fragment and we read that of five characters of the femur 
“« Paleochenoides agrees with the Steganopodes in four, while in only one 
does it approach the Anseres....and it is referred without question to 
the Steganopodes.” He further suggests that it was a Pelican-like bird 
of a somewhat generalized type showing resemblances to the Gannets and 
remotely to the Cormorants and Darters. 

It would seem desirable that those who name fossil birds should not 
fashion their generic names on those of existing birds as it is embarrassing 
to find them shifted into other families or orders where the name becomes 
somewhat of a misnomer! 

Mr. Wetmore’s argument in the present case seems much the more 
convincing of the two that have been presented — W. S. 


Economic Ornithology in recent Entomological Publications.— 
Some interesting original observations of the relations of birds to insect 
pests have recently been published by entomologists. They relate to the 
following insects: 

Potato aphid (Marcrosiphum solanifolii). This new pest, because of 
the thoroughness and insidiousness of its attacks, is popularly known as 
the “ Kaiser bug” in Ohio where it destroyed many potato fields. The 
following birds were observed actively feeding on the aphids: Chipping 
Sparrow, Quail, and English Sparrow.” 


Lea ee ee eee 


1 The Relationships of the Fossil Bird Palaeochenoides mioceanus. By Alexander Wet- 
more. The Journal of Geology, XXV, No. 6, Sept.—Oct., 1917. 

2 Houser, J. S., Guyton, T. L. and Lowry, P. R., Bull. 317, Ohio Agr. Exp. Sta., Nov. 1917, 
p. 80. 


252 Recent Literature. [ Fe 

The sweet-potato leaf-folder (Pélocrocis tripunctata). This Pyralid 
moth larva was found to be very injurious to sweet potatoes near Browns- 
ville, Texas. Mr. M. M. High who studied it there, states that the Boat- 
tailed Grackle, feeds upon this species among ‘‘ a number of insects that 
attack truck crops and particularly on larve.....Observed it first feeding 
on the cabbage looper (Autographa brassice Riley) in 1913, two days after 
cabbage had been sprayed with an arsenical. Some species of larvee after 
being poisoned have a habit of crawling to the top of the leaves of the 
plant upon which they are feeding before dying, and here they fall easy 
prey to the grackle. The poison apparently does not seriously affect the 
birds, since none have been found dead in the vicinity of sprayed crops.”’ + 

The pecan-leaf case-bearer (Acrobasis nebulella). The larva of this 
Phycitid moth is a serious pest in the southern part of the pecan growing 
district. ‘‘Three species of birds —the Blue Jay,....Mockingbird,.... 
and the Orchard Oriole. ...—have been observed feeding upon the larvee 
of the pecan-leaf case-bearer. These birds, as well perhaps as those of 
other species, do much to check the ravages of this pest, and their protec- 
tion in the pecan orchard should be encouraged. The Blue Jay very likely 
is more beneficial than harmful to the pecan grower. In the writer’s 
opinion the good that this bird does in feeding upon injurious pecan insects 
more than offsets the injury that it is accused of doing in the fall of the year, 
when it may take a few nuts from the pecan trees.” ? 

The fall webworm ( Hyphantria textor). The facts concerning the serious- 
ness and ubiquity of this pest need no restatement. Dr. C. Gordon Hewitt 
informs us that, ‘‘ The study of the natural control of the fall webworm was 
extended to Nova Scotia in 1916, and it is interesting to record that of the 
different factors operating in the reduction of this insect the Red-eyed 
Vireo, Vireosylva olivacea L., appears to be the most important. It was. 
estimated that about 40 per cent of the larvee had been destroyed in the 
webs by this bird at the five observation points.’ * Other really effective 
bird enemies of the fall webworm, on the basis of their record in the United 
States are the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Baltimore Oriole. 

The emperor moth (Samia cecropia). This large moth, while attractin 
considerable attention on account of its size can hardly be classed as a pest. 
Dr. Hewitt’s comment on its bird enemies, nevertheless, is of interest. 
‘Studies in the natural control,” of this moth, he says, “‘ have been made, 
and... .it was found that most of the cocoons were destroyed by wood- 
peckers ”’ (op. cit., p. 9). 

West Indian mole cricket (Scapteriscus vicinus). In a recent important 
bulletin 4 on this ‘‘ most serious pest of general agriculture in Porto Rico,” 


1TIn Bull. 609, U. S. Dept. Agr., by Thos. H. Jones, Nov. 22, 1917, p. 9. 

2 Gill, J. B., Bull. 571, U. S. Dept. Agr., Dec. 15, 1917, pp. 14-15. 

3 Rep. Dominion Entomologist, 1917, p. 8. 

4Van Zwaluwenburg, R. H., Bull. 23, Porto Rico Agr. Exp. Sta., Feb. 12, 1918, pp. 
18-19. : 


~ 


acs Recent Literature. e 253 
full consideration is given to bird enemies. Wetmore’s account! of the 
subject is quoted almost in full and the statement made that ‘“‘ The most 


efficient enemies of the changa are to be found among the native birds.” — 
W. L. M. . 


Protection of Military Carrier-Pigeons.— An interesting article? 
by Professor Henri Blanc, informs us that the Military and Interior Depart- 
ments of the Swiss government in 1915 demanded that a warfare be carried 
on throughout Switzerland against birds of prey capable of destroying 
Carrier Pigeons in flight with messages. In following this order some of 
the cantons offered bounties of as much as four franes per bird. From 
Sept. 11 to Dec. 18, 1915, Professor Blanc states, 86 hawks were pre- 
sented for identification at the museum of which he is curator. Among 
these were 11 Cerchneis tinnunculus and 17 Buteo vulgaris which are 
deemed especially useful species. Examination of the stomachs of some 
of these birds revealed only small rodents in those of the former species 
and large grasshoppers and small rodents in those of the latter. 

Examination of the stomachs of Accipiter nisus, Astur palumbarius and 
Falco peregrinus yielded only remains of small birds, and in one case of a 
chicken. ‘‘ On the basis of these autopsies,” the author says, “‘ one must 
conclude that the rapacious birds killed in the canton of Vaud in 1915 
have not done the assumed damage to the carrier pigeons of the army.’ 
The total number of birds of prey killed in Switzerland in 1915 was 806, 
of which 506 were Accipiter nisus, 159 Astur palumbarius and 35 Falco 
peregrinus. This is a very high percentage (more than 80) of destructive 
bird hawks, and shows greater success in restricting slaughter to these 
species than has been attained in similar campaigns in the United States. 

A recent issue of the Official Bulletin * informs us that the United States 
army also is losing some of the carrier pigeons in training, but from another 
cause. The Bulletin says ‘‘ Any pigeon in the air may be a carrier pigeon 
flying from a loft under government supervision. Its destruction may be 
a serious loss to the American Army. All persons therefore, are urged 
40 refrain from the shooting of pigeons and to discourage the practice.” 
The birds bear bands with the legend ‘“ U.S. A— 18” and persons coming 
into possession of any birds so marked are requested to report the fact to 
the Chief Signal Officer, Land Division, Washington, D. C.— W. L. M. 


Birds Probably not Distributors of Hog Cholera.— The following is 
quoted from the Annual Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Animal 
Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1917 (p. 48). “ The belief 
that birds play an important part in the spread of hog cholera led to some 


1 Bull. 326, U. S. Dept. Agr., 1916, pp. 9, 10, 21, 31, 32. 

2 Destruction des Oiseaux rapaces diurnes dans le canton de Vaud et en Suisse pendant 
Vannee 1915. Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sci. Nat., 51, 1917, pp. 315-319. 

3 Washington, D. C. Feb. 5, 1918, p. 8. 


254 Recent Literature. Ne 


experiments with pigeons. Suitable pens were prepared facing each other, 
and the space between was inclosed by wire netting. The front of each pen 
was left open, so that pigeons which were placed in the inclosed space 
between the pens could have easy access to the pens on either side. In one 
pen pigs sick of cholera were kept and in the other there were healthy, 
nonimmune pigs. When the sick pigs died they were replaced with others, 
so that the disease was kept constantly present in one of the pens, and this 
pen was not cleaned during the course of the experiment. The healthy 
pigs were changed from time to time. The pigeons constantly flew from 
the infected pen to the opposite pen containing the well pigs, which was 
only 10 feet distant. In the different experiments healthy pigs were 
exposed to infection through the medium of the pigeons for from 30 to 40 
days. Inno case was the disease transmitted by the pigeons, although it is 
evident that every opportunity was afforded for this to occur. The exposed 
pigs were proved susceptible by subsequent exposure to cholera. While 
these experiments can not be said to prove that it is impossible for pigeons 
to carry hog cholera, it seems fair to conclude that the disease is probably 
not often carried from one farm to another in that way.” 

These experiments under conditions much more favorable to the trans- 
mission of the disease than ever occur in actual hog raising practice, would 
seem to indicate that birds, not carrion-feeders, probably never distribute 
the causative agent of hog cholera on their feet or other parts of their 
bodies. ‘The relations of the carrion feeders to the disease have previously 
been discussed in ‘ The Auk,’ ! and evidence adduced that they have little 
importance in spreading stock diseases. Nevertheless a violent campaign 
has been waged against buzzards and crows especially in farm journals, 
in southern states, and protection has been denied buzzards by legislative 
enactment in Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. 
All this on a suspicion which was controverted by facts available at the 
beginning of the campaign, and which the evidence since accumulated still 
further discredits— W. L. M. 


The Ornithological Journals. | 


Bird-Lore. XX, No.1. January-February, 1918. 

Photographs of Falkland Island Bird-Life. By Rollo H. Beck.— These 
are some of the pictures which appeared recently in the ‘ American Museum 
Journal’ but they do not compare with the latter in quality of printing. 

‘ Pauperizing ’ the Birds. By Henry Oldys.— A clever article discussing 
the possibility of diverting birds from insect diet by the introduction of 
feeding stations. The evidence is against such a theory, so that we may 
go on providing food with a clear conscience. 


130, No. 2, April 1913, pp. 295-8. 


Poin yi Recent Literature. 255 


A New Feeding Slab. By W. E. Saunders.— A slab that English Spar- 
rows will not frequent. 

The articles on migration and plumages treat of the Tanagers with a 
colored plate by Fuertes, in which by the way, the female and winter males 
of the Scarlet Tanager are altogether too yellow. The usual Christmas 
lists cover twenty-six pages, while exactly half of the magazine is devoted 
to reports of Audubon Societies. 

The Condor. XX, No. 1. January—February, 1918. 

The Barrow Golden-eye in the Okanagan Valley, B.C. By J. A. 
Monroe. 

The Destruction of Birds at the Lighthouses on the Coast of California. 
By W. A. Squires and H. E. Hanson. 

Early Autumn Birds in Yosemite Valley. By Joseph Maillard. 

A Note on the Tracheal Air-sac in the Ruddy Duck. By Alexander Wet- 
more. 

Notes on Some Birds from Central Arizona. By H.S. Swarth. 

A Return to the Dakota Lake Region. By Florence Merriam Bailey. 

Breeding Birds of Bexar County, Texas. By R. W. Quillin and Ridley 
Holleman. 

Wilson Bulletin. XXIX, No. 4. December, 1917. 

A Day with the Birds of a Hoosier Swamp. By B. W. Evermann. 

Keeping Field Records. By A. F. Gainer. 

The Saving of a Pond and the Resulting Bird List. By Howard C. 
Brown. 

Winter Birds about Washington, D. C. By W. L. McAtee, E. A. 
Preble and Alexander Wetmore.— Forty-eight species seen on December 
30, 1916. 

Another Unusual Laying of the Flicker. By B. R. Bales.— Thirty-nine 
eggs in the same number of days. 

The Odlogist. XXXV, No. 1. January, 1918. 

Ivory-billed Woodpecker not Extinct. By J. B. Ellis. One pair seen 
at Everglade, Florida in the spring of 1917. 

The Buffle-head in the Okanagan Valley, B. C. By J. A. Monroe. 

The Ibis. X Series, VI, No.1. January, 1918. 

Notes on Embernagra platensis and its Allies, with the Description of a 
new Species. By Charles Chubb.— Embernagra gossei (p. 9), Lujan, 
Mendoza, Argentina. 

Index-List of the Coloured Plates of Birds in ‘ The Ibis,’ 1859 to 1917. 
By Dr. E. Hopkinson. 

Notes on the Nidification of Some Indian Falconide. The Genera 
Ictinetus and Microhierax. By E. C. Stuart Baker. 

Erythrism in Birds’ Eggs. By E. C. Stuart Baker. 

On Birds Recently Collected in Siam. Part I. Phasianidee — Eury- 
lemide. By C. Boden Kloss.— Sixteen new species and subspecies are 
described. 

The Platycercine Parrots of Australia: A Study in Colour-change. By 
Gregory M. Mathews. 


256 Recent Literature. [ a 


Rejection by Birds of Eggs unlike their own: with Remarks on some of 
the Cuckoo Problems. By C. F. M. Swynnerton. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. No. CCXXVIII. 
Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker describes five new Bulbuls. 

Mr. Charles Chubb describes Scytalopus simonsi (p. 17), Choquecamate, 
Bolivia; Leptoptila intermedia (p. 17), Central south Peru; Columba ano- 
laime (p. 17), Anolaima, Colombia; and Gymnopelia cecilie gymnops 
(Gray ms.) (p. 18), Challapata, Bolivia. Parus flavipectus carruthersi 
(p. 19); Samarkand, and Herpornis xantholeuca interposita (p. 20), Teman- 
goh, Upper Perak, are described by Dr. Hartert. 

Mr. P. F. Bunyard discusses the effect of the unusually severe winter of 
1916-1917 on the birds. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. CCXXIX. Decem- 
ber 29, 1917. 

Lord Rothschild describes Turtur afer sclateri (p. 26), Entebbe, Uganda; 
and Dr. Hartert, Anthreptes hypogrammica intensior (p. 27), Sarawak, 
Borneo and three forms of Edolisoma, while Mr. Charles Chubb proposes 
six new Tinamous, four Doves and Pigeons and two Rails from various 
parts of South America as well as Conopophaga aurita occidentalis (p. 34), 
from eastern Ecuador. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. CCXXX. January 
28, 1918. 

Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker describes Prinia inornata herberti (p. 39), Bang- 
kok; and Mr. Charles Chubb Attagis gayi fitzgeraldi (p. 40), Horcones 
Valley, Argentina, and A. g. simonsi (p: 41), Lake Titicaca, Peru. 

British Birds. XI, No.7. December, 1917. 

Occurrence of the Buff-backed Heron in Norfolk. By F. W. Smalley. 

John Hunt. Part I]. By Hugh S. Gladstone. 

There is a lengthy discussion on the number of races of the Puffin and 
their nomenclature. 

British Birds. XI, No. 8. January, 1918. 

Notes and Observations on the Moor-Hen. By Frances Pitt. 

The Moults and Sequence of Plumages of the British Waders. By 
Annie C. Jackson. Part 1V.— Lapwing, Turnstone, Upland Plover, Ruff 
and Sanderling. 

British Birds. XI, No.9. February, 1918. 

On the Breeding Habits of the Hobby. By M. Ashley. 

Notes on the Relation between Moult and Migration as observed in 
some Waders. By Annia C. Jackson.— Unfortunately the Sanderling 
was not one of the species selected for study by Miss Jackson. In our 
experience it moults more freely in migration than any of the others but 
probably it would not alter the general conclusions reached. 

C. J. Alexander. Obituary. 

Avicultural Magazine. IX, No. 2. December, 1917. 

Several Papers on Old World Vultures, wild and in captivity. 

Variation in Colour of Wild Geese. By M. Paul. 


cea i Recent Literature. 257 


Avicultural Magazine. IX, No.3. January, 1918. 

Photograph of a running Apteryx. 

Popular Accounts of Bird-life in Australia. 

TheEmu. XVII, Part3. January, 1918. 

Fleurieu Peninsula Rosella. By Edwin Ashby.— With a colored plate. 

An Introduction to the Study of the Penguins on the Nobbies, Phillip 
Island, Western Port, Victoria. By Dr. Brooke Nichols.— With remarks 
on the validity of Hudyptula undina. 

Ornithologists in North Queensland. By Capt. W. Macgillivray. 
Part II. 

Notes upon Eggs of the Wedge-tailed Eagle ( Uroetus audax). By H. L. 
White. 

Two Singing Species of Gerygone. By A. H. Chisholm. 

Bird Notes from New South Wales. By Dr. E. A. D’Ombrain. 

The South Australian Ornithologist. III, Part 4. October, 1917. 

Birds on the River Murray. By A. M. Morgan. 

The South Australian Ornithologist. III, Part 5. January, 1918. 

Birds of Port Broughton. By A. M. Morgan. 

G. M. Mathews’ article on Birds of the North and North-west of Aus-, 
tralia and the Sketch of the Life of Samuel White, run through both num- 
bers. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie. No. 103. November, 1917. [In 
French. | 

The Rearing of the Ostrich in Madagascar. By C. Riviere— Completed. 

Anomalies and Individual Variation in Birds. By E. Anfrie.— Con- 
cluded. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologique. IX, No. 104. December, 1917. 

The Supposed Return to the Nest of Migrating Birds and the Instability 
of their Residence. By Dr. F. Cathelin. 

A Study of the Variation in Plumage in Halcyon albicillus and Chloropsis 
hardwicki. By J. Berlioz. 


Ornithological Articles in Other Journals.! 


Beck, Rollo H. Narrative of a Bird Quest in the Vicinity of Cape Horn. 
(American Museum Journal, January, 1918.) Concluded in the February 
number. 

Job, H. K. Game Farming for Pleasure and Profit. (Ibid.) 

Allen, Arthur A. Photography and Ornithology. ° (American Museum 
Journal, February, 1918.) 


1 Some of these journals are received in exchange, others are examined in the library 
of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The Editor is under obligations to 
Mr. J. A. G. Rehn for a list of ornithological articles contained in the accessions to the 
library from week to week. 


[Apri 


258 Recent Literature. 

Beebe, William. A Second Imperial Parrot. (N. Y. Zodlogical Soci- 
ety Bulletin, January, 1918.) 

Clarke, W. Eagle. Wild Life in a West Highland Deer Forest. (Scot- 
tish Naturalist, December, 1917.) 

Criddle, Norman. The Red-tailed Hawk in Manitoba. (Ottawa 
Naturalist, October, 1917.) 

Monro, J. A. Notes on the Winter Birds of the Okanagan Valley. 
(Ibid., November, 1917.) 

Tinsley, H.G. The Elusive Blue Quail of Texas. (Forest and Stream, 
March, 1918.) 

Allen, A. A. Preserving Black Duck and Canvasback. (Bull. Amer. 
Game Protective Assoc., October, 1917.) 

Job, H. K. The Audubon Society Experiment Station. (Ibid.) 

How a Ruffed Grouse Drums. By F. K. Vreeland. (/bid., January, 
1918.) — A series of excellent photographs. 

Oberholser, H. C. Description of a New Subspecies of Perisoreus 
obscurus. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 30, December 1, 1917.) —P. o. 
rathbuni (p. 185). Lake Crescent, Washington. 

Bangs, O. Vertebrata from Madagascar. Aves. (Bull. Mus. Comp. 
Zool., LXI, No. 14, February, 1918.)— An annotated list of 110 species. 
Oena capensis aliena (p. 491); Phalacrocorax africanus pictilis (p. 500); 
Anhinga vulsini (p. 501) and Agapornis madagascariensis ablectanea (p. 
503) are described as new. 

Hartert, Ernst. On the Crested Larks of the Nile Valley. (Novitat. 
Zool., Vol. XXIV, No. III, December, 1917.) 

Hartert, Ernst. Noteson Pheasants. (/bid.)— Complete list of genus 
Phasianus. 

Hartert, Ernst. A Few Notes on the Birds of Yemen. (Jbid.)— 
Anthus sordidus arabicus (p. 457); A. s. sokotrae (p. 457); Cu%sticola 
cisticola arabica (p. 458); Parisoma blanfordi distincta (p. 459); Monticola 
rufocinerea sclatert (p. 459). 

Hartert, Ernst. The Subspecies of Cyanopica cyanus. (Ibid.) C.c. 
interposita (p. 493) Tai-pai-shan, Tsin-ling Mts. 

Hartert, Ernst, and Goodson, Arthur. Further Notes on South 
American Birds. (Ibid.) Cymbilanius lineatus intermedius (p. 495) 
Rio Madeira, Brazil; Thamnophilus punctatus <interpositus (p. 496) 
“ Bogota ”’; Th. doliatus tobagensis (p. 497) Tobago; Th. bernardi baront 
(p. 498) Yonan River, Peru; Synallaxis unirufa meridana (p. 498) Andes of 
Merida, Ven.; Sclateria nevia trinitatis (p. 499) Trinidad; and Pseudo- 
colaptes boisonneantii meride (p. 499) Vale of Merida, are described as new. 

Pettitt, E. E. Some Further Notes on the Cuckoo. (Wild Life, IX. 
No. 11-12, November and December, 1917.) — Contains numerous half- 
tones and popular articles on birds. 

Stephens, T.C. Birds of the Past Winter, 1916-1917, in Northwestern 
Iowa. (Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., XXIV.) 

Gabrielson, Ira N. A List of the Birds Observed in Clay and O’Brien 
Counties, Iowa. (Ibid.) — 136 species. 


eae MT Recent Literature. 259 


Bennett, W. Notes on Bell’s Vireo. (Jbid.) — Observations on 13 
nests and other data, illustrated by half-tones, two of which, by the way, 
are printed upside down. 

Rintoul, L. J. and Baxter, E. V. Autumn Displays in. our British 
Birds. (Scottish Nat., November, 1917.) 

Decher, H. K. The Evening Grosbeak in Greater New York. (Proc. 
Staten Isl. Asso. Arts and Sci., VI). 

Davis, W. T. Interesting Work of the Woodpeckers. (Jbid.) 

van Someren, V.G.L. A Rare Forest Francolin (Francolinus lathami 
schubotzt). (Jour. E. Afr. and Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc., VI, March, 1917.) 

Loveridge, A. A Natural History Expedition through the Kedong 
Valley, B. E. A. (/bid.) — Interesting narrative full of bird notes. 

Baker, E. C. Stuart. The Game Birds of India, Burma and Ceylon. 
(Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., XXV, No. 2, September, 1917.) — Genus 
Gennzus; very full discussion. 

Donald, C. H. The Raptores of the Punjab. (Jbid.) 

Delacour, Jean. Resistance of Exotic Birds to Cold. (Bull. Soc. Nat. 
Acclim. France, 64 ann., August, 1917.) [In French.] 

Larcher, O. Contribution to the History of Female Birds which have 
developed the External Characters of the Male. (/bid.) [In French.] 

Delacour, Jean. On Schizorhis cristata. (Ibid., September, 1917.) 

Willett, George. Notes on Some Mollusc-eating Birds. (Lorquinea, 
II, pp. 33-36.) 

Oberholser, H. C. New Light on the Status of Empidonax traillit 
(Audubon). (The Ohio Jour. of Science, January, 1918.) The type 
proves to be the eastern race, so that ZF. t. alnorum becomes a synonym of 
E. t. trailli and the “‘ Traill’s Flycatcher ”’ of the west being left without a 
name is called LH. t. brewsteri (p. 93), type locality, Cloverdale, Nevada. 

Morgan, T. H. Inheritance of Number of Feathers of the Fantail 
Pigeon. (Amer. Nat., January, 1918.) — Figures the curious “ split 
feathers.” 

Bretscher, K. Bird Migration in Central Switzerland in Relation to 
Meteorological Conditions. (Nov. Mem. Soc. Helvet. Sci. Nat., Vol. 51, 
Mem. 2.) [In French.] — A Review of this interesting paper will be found 
in ‘ Nature,’ for September 20, 1917. While Dr. Bretscher does not 
consider temperature the inciting cause of migration, he claims for it consid- 
erable influence on the progress of the flight. 


Publications Received.— Anderson, R. M. Report of the Southern 
Division in Canadian Arctic Expedition, [with two other reports] pp. 1-56 
(reprinted and repaged from the Report of the Naval Service for the fiscal 
year ending March 31, 1917). 

Arthur, S. C. The Birds of Louisiana. Bulletin 5, Department of 
Conservation, pp. 1-80. January 19, 1918. 

Batchelder, C. F. Two Undescribed Newfoundland Birds. Proce. 
New England Zo6l. Club, VI, pp. 81-82. February 6, 1918. 


[Apri 


260 Recent Literature. 

Chapman, F.M. Audubon Pocket Bird -Collection Cases Nos. I-IV. 
Price 10 cents each, Nat. Asso. Audubon Societies. 

Chapman, F. M. The Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia; a 
Contribution to a Biological Survey of South America. Bull. Amer. Mus. 
Nat. Hist., Vol. XXXVI, 1917, pp. i-x + 1-729. 

Geo, N. Gist and Moffett, Lacy I. A Key to the Birds of the Lower 
Yangtse Valley. Shanghai, 1917, pp. 1-221 + index. 

Hartert, Ernst. (1)-On Some Rallide. (Novitates Zoologice, Vol. 
XXIV, pp. 265-274, May, 1917.) (2) Notes on Game-Birds. (Jbid., 
pp. 275-292, May, 1917.) (3) Some Further Notes on Anthreptes malac- 
censis. (Ibid., p. 323, May, 1917.) (4) Notes and Descriptions of South 
American Birds. (Jbid., pp. 410-419, August, 1917.) (5) On the Forms 
of Coturnix coturnix. (Ibid., pp. 420-425, August, 1917. (6) Scolopax 
rusticola mira. (Ibid., p. 437, August, 1917.) 

' Hollister, N. Report of the Superintendent of the National Zodlogical 
Park for the Fiscal year ending June 30, 1917. (Ann. Rept. Smithson. 
Inst. for 1917, pp. 71-87.) 

Kalmbach, E. R. The Crow and its Relation to Man. Bull. 621, 
U.S. Dept. of Agric., February 16, 1918, pp. 1-92, price 15 cents. 

Mathews, Gregory M. The Birds of Australia. Vol. VI, pp. 445-516 
+ i-xix. Part VI, December 11, 1917. 

McAtee, W. L. How to Attract Birds in the East Central States. 
Farmers’ Bull. 912, U. 8. Dept. Agric., February, 1918, pp. 1-15. 

Murphy, Robert C. (1) A New Albatross from the West Coast of 
‘South America. (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. XX XVII, pp. 861— 
864, December 10, 1917.) (2) Natural History Observations from the 
Mexican Portion of the Colorado Desert. (Abstr. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., 
No. 24-25, 1917, pp. 43-101.) 

Nelson, E. W. Report of Chief of Bureau of Biological Survey, pp. 
1-16 (repaged from the Ann. Reports of the Dept. of Agriculture.) 

Shufeldt, R. W. (1) Fossil Birds Found at Vero, Florida, with Descrip- 
tions of New Species. (Ninth Annual Report Florida State Geol. Survey, 
pp. 35-42, 1917.) (2) Anomalies of the Animal World — Parts VI and 
VII. (Scient. Amer. Supplement, Nos. 2196, February 2, 1918, and 2192, 
January 5, 1918.) (3) Western Quails Being Exterminated. (Amer. 
Forestry, Vol. 23, No. 285, September, 1917, pp. 565-566.) (4) Two Fine 
Collections of Mounted Birds (Nat. Humane Review, Vol. VI, No. 2, 
February, 1918.) 

Swarth, H.S. The Pacific Coast Jays of the Genus Aphelocoma, Univ. 
of Calif. Publ. in Zodl., Vol. 17, No. 13, pp. 405-422, February 23, 1918. 

Wetmore, Alexander. (1) The Relationships of the Fossil Bird, Paleo- 
chenoides mioceanus. (Journal of Geology, XXV, No. 6, September— 
October, 1917, pp. 555-557.) (2) A New Honey-eater from the Marianne 
Islands. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, pp. 117-118, May 23, 1917.) (8) 
On the Fauna of Great Salt Lake. (American Naturalist, Vol. LI; De- 
cember, 1917, pp. 753-755.) 


| Recent Literature. 261 


Abstract Proceedings Linnzan Society New York. Nos. 28-29, 1915- 
1917 (December 11, 1917), pp. 1-114. 

American Museum Journal, XVII, No. 8 and XVIII, Nos. 1 and 2, 
December, 1917—February, 1918. 

Audubon Bulletin, Winter 1917-1918, Illinois Audubon Society, pp. 1- 
48. 

Avicultural Magazine, (3), IX, Nos. 2-3, and 4, December, 1917- 
February, 1918. 

Bird Notes and News, VII, No. 8, Winter, 1917. 

Bird-Lore, XX, No. 1, January—February, 1918. 

British Birds, XI, No. 7, 8, and 9, December, 1917—February, 1918. 

Bulletin American Game Protective Association, Vol. 7, No. 1, January, 
1918. 

Bulletin British Ornithologists’ Club, Nos. CCX XVIII, CCXXIX and 
CCXXX, December 4, 1917—January 28, 1918. 

Bulletin Charleston Museum, XIII, Nos. 7 and 8, XIV, Nos. 1 and 2, 
November, 1917—February, 1918. 

California Fish and Game, IV, No. 1, January, 1918. 

Condor, The, XX, No. 1, January—February, 1918. 

Cornell University Official Publication, IX, No. 4, January 15, 1918. 

Emu, The, XVII, Part 3, January, 1918. 

Fins Feathers and Fur, No. 12, December, 1917. 

Forest and Stream, LX XXVIII, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, January—March, 1917. 

Ibis, The, (10) VI, No. 1, January, 1918. 

New Jersey Audubon Society, Seventh Annual Report, October 2, 1917. 

Odlogist, The, XXXIV, No. 12, XXXV, Nos. 1, 2, and 3, December, 
1917—March, 1918. 

Ottawa Naturalist The, XX XI, Nos. 7, 8 and 9, October-December, 
1917. 

Philippine Journal of Science, The, XII, Sect. D., Nos. 4 and 5, July 
and September, 1917. 

Records of the Australian Museum, XI, No. 12, November, 1917. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie, Nos. 103, 104, and 105, November- 
January, 1918. 

Science, N. S., Nos. 1198-1210. 

Scottish Naturalist, The, No. 72, December, 1917. 

South Australian Ornithologist, The, III, Parts 4 and 5, October, 1917, 
and January, 1918. 

Wilson Bulletin, The, X XIX, No. 4, December, 1917. 

Zoological Society Bulletin, XXI, No. 1, January, 1918. 


262 Correspondence. hes 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Epitor oF ‘THe Aux’: 


Anent “sight” records, the following has come to my attention and 
seems to be worthy of presentation. It is not a joke, but we have here 
the untrained observer who is sure of what he has seen and records the 
details minutely. I quote the letter verbatim, written under date of 
December 11, 1917: 

“On the 9th of December between 1:30 and 2 o’clock, under bright 
sunny conditions and with temperature around 10 or 15 degrees above zero, 
I was taking photographs in the village of Rockland County. 
Mr. — , artist, of and Mr. , farmer, of were with 
me at the time and support my statement from their own independent 
observations. 

““We saw several times, two male scarlet tanagers. They did not seem 
to be disturbed by the cold but flew around from tree to tree apparently 
seeking food. There could be absolutely no mistake as it was in an open 
country with only scattered trees and a fresh fall of snow on the ground 
that brought their bright plumage out in strong contrast. .... I wish to 
emphasize the fact that there could be no doubt as to these birds as I am 
familiar with the birds, seeing them almost yearly in the woods around 
in the spring of the year and I saw them several times that morn- 
ing for a period of twenty minutes to half an hour and at a distance 
varying from fifty to a hundred feet. Mr. and Mr. will be 
very glad to submit statements if you care to have them. You can do 
what you care to with this statement.” 

Comment is almost superfluous. The writer did not know that the 
Scarlet Tanager in autumn changes his red coat for a yellow-green one so 
that the birds he saw could not have been of this species. Most of us can 
guess what he really did see, but that is just what is the matter with so 
many “sight” records. Truly ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” 


Yours truly, 
JONATHAN DwiGuHT. 
New York, Feb. 1, 1918. 


[The undersigned has already presented the “‘sight”’ record problem to 
the readers of ‘The Auk’ (1917, p. 373), and to the members of the A. O. U. 
at the last stated meeting. He hoped for some suggestions — some 
approval or criticism of the tentative solution he offered, but no one seems 
inclined to discuss the question. Even Dr. Dwight in presenting this 
interesting and instructive example, fails to offer any advice. It should 
not be difficult for any editor to reject this record but there are others 
just as erroneous where the fault is by no means so easily detected.— W. S.] 


ee | Notes and News. 263 


NOTES AND NEWS. 


WALTER REAVES ZApphry, an Associate of the American Ornithologists’ 
Union, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, May 6, 1878, the son of 
Christian and Augusta Reaves Zappey. He early showed a keen interest 
in animal life, particularly in birds, and as a boy spent much time in the 
woods, hunting, trapping, and observing. When about nine years old 
he moved with his parents to Roslindale, Massachusetts, then a rather 
thinly settled part of the community, where he had easy access to the 
woods and fields, and brought home various live creatures as pets. During 
this time he attended the public schools of Boston, and eventually took up 
work in taxidermy with the Frank Blake Webster Co., of Hyde Park. 
In February, 1902, he was sent by Mr. Webster to the Isle of Pines, Cuba, 
to make zodlogical collections for the Hon. Walter Rothschild of London. 
This was the first of his collecting trips, from which he returned in the 
early summer of the same year. In the following spring he made a second 
expedition to the Isle of Pines for Mr. Outram Bangs of Boston, and was 
successful in securing an exceptionally fine and well prepared collection of 
birds, on which a report was published by Mr. Bangs and himself (Ameri- 
ean Naturalist, 1905, vol. 39, p. 179-215). It was on this trip that he also 
secured the specimens of the Isle of Pines representative of the Cuban 
Capromys pilorides, one of which was made the type of the subspecies C. 
relictus. 

In December 1906, his services were obtained as a collector in the inter- 
ests of the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy, to accompany Mr. E. H. 
Wilson, the botanist, on an expedition into the interior of China. He 
reached Shanghai in February, 1907, and spent most of his first year in 
the region of Ichang, whence he sent home a fine collection of vertebrates. 
The second year he travelled with Mr. Wilson in their house-boat up the 
Yang-tze to Kiating, thence overland, through the Province of Szechuan 
to the Tibetan border. He collected in many localities where no white 
man had been seen before, and made a particularly valuable collection of 
birds, mammals, and reptiles on the isolated Wa Shan range. A general 
report on his Chinese collections, with accounts of sundry new species 
appeared in the Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative ZoGlogy, Vol. 40, 
1912. In returning home from China, he came via the Indian Ocean and 
Red Sea, to England, arriving in Boston in May, 1909, thus completing a 
journey around the globe. 

In October of the same year, he again set forth, this time with Mr. 
Childs Frick of Pittsburgh, to British East Africa, to be gone eight months. 
Although the main object of the expedition was large game, he made an 
excellent collection of small.birds and mammals, which were given by Mr, 
Frick to the Museum of Comparative Zoédlogy, while most of the larger 
specimens were presented to the Carnegie Museum at Pittsburgh. 


264 Notes and News. [ ree 


After his return from Africa, he began work as preparator at the Museum 
of Comparative Zodlogy, and showed much skill in mounting and renovat- 
ing skins. A valvular trouble of the heart had already made its appear- 
ance but did not seem alarming. 

He was married on October 26, 1910, to Miss Nellie L. Krook, of Read- 
ing, Mass., and resided at Arlington and Cambridge up to the time of his 
death from valvular heart disease, February 20, 1914. There were no 
children. 

As an energetic and intelligent field collector, skilful preparator, and 
cheerful companion, Walter Zappey will long be remembered by those 
who knew him.— GLoverR M. ALLEN. 


Rowuanp Gipson Hazarp of Peace Dale, R. I., an Associate of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union since 1885, died of heart disease at Santa 
Barbara, Cal., January 23, 1918. Mr. Hazard was born in Philadelphia, 
Pa., January 22, 1855, the son of Rowland and Margaret Anna (Rood) 
Hazard of Rhode Island. He was graduated from Brown University, 
receiving the degree of A. B. and A. M. from his Alma Mater. At the 
time of his death Mr. Hazard was President of the Peace Dale Manufactur- 
ing Company, and a Director of several other large corporations — both 
manufacturing and financial. He possessed a fine ornithological library 
and although engrossed in business never lost his interest in birds. He 
contributed many notes to ‘The Auk’ on Rhode Island birds from 1884 
to 1908 and published an interesting account of the ‘Breeding habits of 
the King Penguin (A ptenodytes longirostris)’ in the October, 1894, number, 
pp. 280-282. Mr. Hazard was a genial whole-souled gentleman and a 
delightful man to meet. He was a Fellow of Brown University and a 
member of the Authors’ Club of London.— J. H.S. 


GrorceE Barren, Associate member of the Union since 1911, and one 
of the pioneer advertising men of New York, died February 16, 1918, at 
his home in Montclair, New Jersey, after an illness of several months. 
He was the son of Thomas Gaskill and Emeline Lane Batten, and was 
born on a farm in Gloucester, New Jersey, June 19, 1854. He is survived 
by his wife, who was Miss Lillie I. Shivers, and five children, Rollins M., 
Joseph L., George Jr., Mrs. A. Y. McNeill, and Miss Emeline Batten. 

Although he has written comparatively little on ornithology, he always 
has taken a keen interest in the science and in out of door sports with rod 
and gun. As president of the New Jersey Audubon Society during the 
years 1911-1915 he was active in developing it to the high standard of 
efficiency which it now enjoys. 

The conservation of wild life appealed to him, and as president of the 
Association of New Jersey Sportsmen, he was active in bringing about 
legislation for its protection and increase. 

Mr. Batten was always actively interested in farming and live stock 
breeding, and was owner of a herd of pure bred Jersey cattle. 


eae | Notes and News. 265 


At the age of twenty years he began his business career and in 1891 laid 
the foundation of a concern which later was destined to develop into one 
of the leading advertising establishments — The George Batten Company 
— with branches in New York, Boston, and Chicago. As a member of the 
1st Regiment National Guards of Pennsylvania, he served in the Pitts- 
burgh riots. 

He was director of the American Jersey Cattle Club, life member of the 
New York Agricultural Society, president of the Jersey Cattle Association 
of New Jersey, member of American Game Protective Association, presi- 
dent of Montclair Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, mem- 
ber Colonial Society of Philadelphia, member Montclair Club, Montclair 
Art Association, Outlook Club, Montclair Golf Club, Advertising Club of 
New York and the Sphinx Club. A very good portrait of him may be 
found in Bird-Lore for 1914, page 522. 

He was a man of high ideals, sound judgment and pleasing personality, 
a combination of virtues which won for him many friends, who recognize 
in his death a serious loss.— A. K. F. 


Dr. JAMES CLARKE Wuirts, an Associate of the American Ornithologists’ 
Union since 1913 was not a professional naturalist but throughout a busy 
life as a physician never lost altogether the keen interest in natural history 
of his early days. Born in Belfast, Maine, July 7, 1833, the fifth of seven 
children of James Patterson and Mary Ann Clarke White, sturdy New 
Englanders, he spent a boyhood in the healthy surroundings of a quiet 
Maine town, picking up an education in the local schools and finally 
entering Harvard College in 1849. He spent many leisure hours in the 
college library, where he attracted the attention of the librarian Thaddeus 
William Harris, on account of the frequency with which he asked for works 
on natural history. He was keenly interested in the Harvard Natural 
History Society, then a flourishing undergraduate association, with a 
small museum, in which a collection of stuffed birds was one of the chief 
exhibits. Of this collection he was ‘Curator’? and writes that he spent 
much time in mounting on perches the specimens he had shot during his 
summer vacations. After his graduation at the age of twenty, he deter- 
mined to study medicine and enrolled at the Tremont Medical School of 
Boston, obtaining his medical degree in 1856. He was the first American 
medical student to study at Vienna, where he took up the investigation of 
diseases of the skin and laid the foundation for his later eminence as a 
specialist in this branch of medicine. In 1857, he began a general medical 
practice in Boston, and in 1871 was made Professor of Dermatology at 
the Harvard Medical School, a position which he filled until his resignation 
in 1902. He married Martha Anna Ellis of Boston, in 1862, and was 
survived by two of his three sons. 

Although he took no active interest in ornithology in his later years, 
he was an honored member of the Boston Society of Natural History, and 


266 Notes and News. [ Aa 


from 1858 to 1868 was Curator of Comparative Anatomy in its museum, 
where he arranged the large Lafresnaye collection of birds. 

Dr. White died January 5, 1916, at Boston, an honored and eminent 
member of his community, and an example of the class of physician- 
naturalists, who in a former generation were largely responsible for the 
progress of natural science— GLovER M. ALLEN. 


Eric Brooke Dunuop, an Associate of the American Ornithologists’ 
Union, was killed in action in France, May 19, 1917. He was thirty years 
of age. 

He was the son of Arthur B. Dunlop of The Hove, Frontbeck, Winder- 
mere, England, and was educated at Rugby. From early boyhood he 
had devoted himself to the study of birds and prepared an appendix to 
Macpherson’s ‘Fauna of Lakeland.’ 

In 1913 he came to Canada and was located at Winnipeg where he con- 
tinued his studies and made contributions to ‘The Auk’ and ‘British Birds.’ 
He enlisted in 1915 in the 78th Canadian Grenadiers but in England trans- 
ferred to the Border Regiment. He reached France barely a month before 
his death._— W. S. 


Henry Justicr, an associate of the American Ornithologists’ Union, 
died at Philadelphia on March 1, 1918, in his seventy-fourth year. Mr. 
Justice came of old Colonial stock and his father, Wm. W. Justice, an inti- 
mate friend of John G. Whittier, was a conspicuous figure in Pennsylvania 
antislavery agitation. 

While Mr. Justice was for many years engaged with his brother in the 
wool business, he was deeply interested in the study and preservation of 
the native birds, and was an active member of the Pennsylvania Audubon 
Society.— W. 8S. ° 


Foreign Mempers or THE A. O. U.— The foreign members of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union comprise two groups, Honorary Fellows, 
elected on account of their eminence in ornithology, and limited to 25, 
and Corresponding Fellows limited to 100. These limitations were fixed 
at the founding of the Union and have never been changed. The two 
classes (known prior to 1902 as Honorary and Corresponding Members) 
correspond to the Honorary and Foreign Members of the British Orni- 
thologists’ Union but are considerably broader since the number of Hono- 
rary Members in the latter is restricted to 10 and the number of Foreign 
Members to 20. In addition to these, Colonial Members of the B. O. U., 
limited to 10, are placed in a special class. 

At the first meeting of the A. O. U., 21 Honorary Members were elected 
and four months later, on January 17, 1884, the first loss occurred through 
the death of the veteran ornithologist Hermann Schlegel. At the second 
meeting the list was filled and remained at the limit for more than five years 
when a vacancy occurred in January, 1890, through the death of Tacza- 
nowski. Since then the list has never been full and in 1911 the number 


Volos : Notes and News. 267 


declined to 11. Up to the present time 45 Honorary Fellows have been 
elected of whom 16 are still living. Of these Dr. Otto Finsch, Mr. F. D. 
Godman and Count Salvadori were elected at the first meeting in 1883. 
The others have been transferred at various times from the Correspond- 
ing list since it is now the custom to elect a foreign member first as a Cor- 
responding Fellow. The Honorary list of the A. O. U. includes some of 
the most eminent ornithologists of modern times. Among those now 
deceased will be found the names of Berlepsch, Cabanis, Huxley, Milne- 
Edwards, Alfred Newton, W. K. Parker, Schlegel, P. L. Sclater, Sharpe, 
and Wallace, while among those still living are several names equally well 
known. The only American ever elected to the Honorary class was the 
late George N. Lawrence. 

Unlike the Honorary list the class of Corresponding Fellows has never 
been filled although the total number of individuals elected has been 127. 
At the first meeting 20 were elected and at the second meeting the number 
was increased to 77 but apparently several failed to qualify as the secretary 
reported only 65 at the opening of the third meeting, although no deaths 
had then occurred. Seven years later, in 1892, the list reached its maxi- 
mum of 74, in 1895 it fell below 70, and since 1911 has been less than 60 
through losses both by death and by transfer. 

Of the total 127 thus far elected 17 have been promoted to the Honorary 
list and 2 to the list of Active Members. Seventy-one are still living; 57 
are now Corresponding Fellows, 13 are on the Honorary list and one is a 
Retired Fellow. One third of the present number have been on the list 
more than 30 years,— eight elected in 1883, 10 in 1884 and 3 in 1886. At 
various times 11 Americans have been elected as Corresponding Fellows. 
Of these, Dr. Abbott, Carriker, Chamberlain, ex-Governor Dole and Prof. 
Worcester are still on the list, Dr. Stejneger is a Retired Fellow, and the 
other 5, Bryant, Cooper, Prentiss, Scott (an Active Member 1886-1895), 
and Woodhouse are now deceased. 

Since its organization 143 foreign ornithologists have been associated 
with the Union either as Honorary or Corresponding Fellows. In 1885, 
when the Honorary list was filled and there were more Corresponding 
Members than Associates, the foreign members formed nearly 44 per cent 
of the total number. Now the membership of the Union has increased 
nearly five fold and the foreign members constitute only about 7 per cent 
of the total number.— T. 5. P. 


CaLLep To THE Cotors.— Since the first list of A. O. U. members in 
military service appeared in the January number of ‘The Auk,’ a number 
of additions as well as changes in rank and station have come to our notice. 
It seems desirable therefore to reprint the preliminary list with the neces- 
sary corrections and additions. 


Apams, Dr. Z. B., Brookline, Mass., Amer. Exped. Forces. In France. 


Antnony, H. E., New York City. Ist Lieut., 309th Field Artillery, Camp 
Dix, Wrightstown, N. J. 


[Apa 


268 Notes and News. 

Bascock, Dr. H. L., Dedham, Mass. Lieut., Med. Reserve Corps. 

Baker, JOHN Hopkinson, Dayton, O. Lieut., School for Aerial Observers, 
Fort Sill, Okla. 

Breese, C. Wixi1AM, New York City. Capt., American Flying Corps. 

Boye, Howartu Stanuey, New York City. In France. 

Brooks, ALLAN, Okanagan Landing, B. C. Major, Second Army School 
of Scouting ete., British Expeditionary Forces in France. 

Brooks, WintHRoP Spracue, Boston, Mass. Ensign in the Navy. 

Burweicu, Tuomas D., Pittsburg, Pa. .Y. M. C. A. Army & Navy Associ- 
ation. In France. 

Cuapin, JAMES Pau, New York City. 1st Lieut., 309th Infantry, Camp 
Dix, Wrightstown, N. J. : 

Derpy, Dr. Ricnarp, New York, N. Y. Major, Amer. Exped. Forces. 
In France. 

Eastman, F. B. Major, 344th Infantry, Camp Grant, Rockford, Il. 

Duntop, Eric B., Winnipeg, Man. Canadian Border Regiment. Killed 
in action, March 19, 1917. 

Fay, SAMUEL Prescott, Boston, Mass. Ist Lieut., Artillery, Camp Devens, 
Ayer, Mass. 

GotpMan, Epwarp Atronso, Washington, D.C. Major, Sanitary Corps, 
National Army. In France. 

Griscom, Luptow, New York City. 2d Lieut., Infantry, Leon Springs, 
Texas. 

Haacar, JosepH ARCHIBALD, Newtonville, Mass. 2d Lieut., Infantry, 
Camp Devens, Ayer, Mass. 

Harper, Francis, Washington, D. C. Ist Company Officers Training 
School, Camp Meade, Md. 

Hout, Ernest Gousan, Washington, D. C. 1st Company Officers 
Training School, Camp Meade, Md. 

KirrrepGE, JosEpH, Jr., Missoula, Mont. 1st Lieut., 10th Engineers 
(Forest). In France. 

Laine, Hamitton Mack, Portland, Ore. No. 170004 R. F. C., Jesse 
Ketcham School, Toronto, Ontario. 

Lewis, Harrison F., Yarmouth, N. S. Sergeant Major, No. 6 Special 
Service Co., Canadian Expeditionary Force, Halifax, N. 8. 

Masport, Doucuas C., Washington, D. C. Marine Corps, Paris Island 
near Charleston, 8. C. 

Marx, Epw. J. F. Capt. Battery B, 16th Field Artillery, Camp Greene, 
NG: ‘ 

MartTern, Epwin 8. Camp Meade, Md. 

McCook, Puitre James, New York, N. Y. Major, Governor’s Id., N. Y. 

Meyer, Miss Hetotsr, Lenox, Mass. Red Cross. In France. 

Meyer, G. Ratpu. Captain C. A. C., Ft. Kamehameha, H. I. 

Pepper, Dr. WitttAmM. Major, Medical Reserve Corps, Ft. Oglethorpe, 
Ga. 

Rosinson, Wirt. Colonel, U. 8. Military Academy, West Point, N. Y. 


So 


Men | Notes and News. 269 


Peters, JAMES Les, Harvard, Mass. 2d Lieut., Quartermaster’s Corps, 
Jacksonville, Fla. 

Purmuies, Dr. JoHN CHARLES, Wenham, Mass. Medical Corps, Fort 
Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Ind. 

SANBORN, CoLIN CAMPBELL, Evanston, Ill. Battery C, 149th U. 8S. 
Artillery, Fort Sheridan, Ill. 

ScHAEFER, Oscar FREDERICK, Geneva, N. Y. 10th Engineers (Forest). 
In France. 

ScHAEFER, V. F., Geneva, N. Y. Amer. Exped. Forces. In France. 

SHELTON, ALFRED C., Eugene, Ore. Pathologist Base Hospital, Camp 
Lewis, American Lake, Wash. 

SHUFELDT, Dr. Rosert Witson, Washington, D. C. Major, Medical 
Corps, Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. 

SmitH, Lester WuHeEADON, Meriden, Conn. First Class Seaman, Naval 
Reserve. In France. 

Stimson, Dr. ArtHuR M., Washington, D.C. Sanitary Officer, 2d Naval 
District, War College, Newport, R. I. 

Srorrer, Tracy Irwin, Berkeley, Calif. Co. G, 363d Infantry, Base 
Hospital, Camp Lewis, American Lake, Wash. 

Younc, Joun P., Youngstown, O. Captain, 5th Co., C. A. C. Fort 
Hancock, Sandy Hook, N. J. 

Woop, GrorceE B., Phila., Pa. Amer. Exped. Forces. In France. 


Relatives or friends who may have additional information concerning 
these or other members are requested to communicate with the Secretary 
giving any facts as to rank, branch of the service or present location of 
members in military service in order that necessary corrections in the list 
may be made from time to time. 


T. S. Palmer, 
1939 Biltmore St., N. W. Secretary. 
Washington, D. C. 


‘, 
“” Ld 
<8 
ee; 
ay 
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The Auk 


H Quarterly Journal of Ornithology 


a, | CONTINUATION OF THE ; New 


‘Vol. XXXV JULY, 1918 No. 3 


or: PUBLISHED BY 


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CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 


Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass, 


CONTENTS 


: PAGE 
Georcia’s RARITIES FuRTHER DISCOVERED IN A SECOND AMERICAN PORTFOLIO 

oF Joun Axssot’s Birp PLates. By Samuel N. Rhoads. (Plate IV.) . y 271 
NorTes ON THE ANATOMY OF THE CUBAN TroGon. By Hubert Lyman Clark . ; 286 — 
FurtHer Notes AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE BirDS OF HATLEY, STANSTEAD 

County, QuEBEC, 1916-1917. By H. Mousley . : é p ss . 289 
Home LIFE OF THE VESPER SPARROW AND THE Hermit TorusH. By E. M. and 

W. A. Perry . f y 4 8 ; : i : ‘ . : ° 320 
Tue DISTRIBUTION OF NUTTALL’s SPARROW IN CALIFORNIA. By Carl L. Hubbs . 321 
Tue LimicoL# OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. By J. H. Bowles i : 326 
Tue Brirps oF DESECHEO ISLAND, Porto Rico. By Alexander Wetmore . 6 333 
Some REcENT CoNNEcTICUT Birp Notes. By Aretas A. Saunders . ‘ E 340 
Notes on THE NESTING Birps oF WAHPETON, NorntH Dakota. By J. K. Jensen. 344 


GENERAL Notes.— Larus nelsoni in Juvenal Plumage, from the Hawaiian Islands, 349; 
Anas rubripes rubripes in North Dakota, 350; Melospiza melodia phzea in Southern 
California, 350; Numenius americanus americanus not a Breeding Bird of Michigan, 
850; The Rough-legged Hawk (Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis) at Washington, 
D.C., 351; Occurrence of Goshawks (Astur a. atricapillus) and Saw-whet Owl 
(Cryptoglauz acadica) in the Vicinity of Washington, D. C., 351; Large Flight of 
Great-Horned Owls and Goshawks at Hadlyme, Connecticut, 351; Megaceryle vs. 
Streptoceryle, 352; The Sapsucker Wintering in Central Maine, 353; A Crested 
Flycatcher injured by Swallowing a Grasshopper, 354; An Attempt to Breed the 
Pine Grosbeak in Captivity, 355; The Systematic Position of Calyptophilus, 356; 
Junco aikeni in New Mexico, 357; Notes on Some Bird Fossils from Florida, 357; 
A Note Concerning Bird Mortality 358; Birds and Mulberries, 359; An American 
Edition of Audubon’s ‘Ornithological Biography,’ 360. 


Recent LitERATURE.— Loomis on the Tubinares, 362; Murphy on Atlantic Oceanites, 
364; Cory’s ‘Catalogue of Birds of the Americas,’ 365; McAtee’s ‘Sketch of the 
Natural History of the District of Columbia,’ 366; Townsend’s ‘In Audubon’s 
Labrador,’ 367; Pearson’s ‘Tales from Birdland,’ 367; Mathew’s ‘ Birds of Australia,’ 
868; Lincoln’s ‘The Woodpeckers of Colorado,’ 368; ‘Cassinia’ for 1917, 369; 
Bangs and Penard on a Collection of Surinam Birds, 369; Riley on a New Bullfinch 
from China, 370; McGregor on New or Noteworthy Philippine Birds, 370; Gabriel- 
son on the Birds of Clay and O’Brien Counties, Iowa, 370; Recent Papers on Bird 
Preservation, 370; Bird Enemies of Brine Shrimps and Alkali- Flies, 372; Bird 
Enemies of the Varying Hare, 372; Curious Hording Habits of Birds, 372; Bird 
Enemies of Tree Hoppers (Membracidz), 373; The Ornithological Journals, 374; 
Ornithological Articles in Other Journals, 378; Publications Received, 379. 


Notes ano News.— Obituary; Otto Finsch, 381; Henry Reed Taylor, 382; The 
Principal Ornithological Societies, 382; Ornithological Endowment, 384; Members 
of me ai oat 384; Called to the Colors, 385; The thirty-sixth Meeting of the 

. O. U., 386. 


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‘saurq VIONOGY) JO SDNIMVUC, §,Lomay NHOP 


Cea 2 ryonr goo wonuhery, 


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THE AUK: 


A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF 


ORNITHOLOGY. 


VOL. XXXV: Juuy, 1918: Nora: 


GEORGIA’S RARITIES FURTHER DISCOVERED IN A 
SECOND AMERICAN PORTFOLIO OF 
JOHN ABBOT’S BIRD PLATES. 


BY SAMUEL N. RHOADS. 
Plate IV. 


Ir the expectant reader of this article will examine volume XIII 
of ‘The Auk’ for the year 1896 he will find, on page 204, the follow- 
ing title of a paper by Walter Faxon, ‘John Abbot’s Drawings of 
the Birds of Georgia’. I have worded my own subject to “carry 
on,” as it were, an amplification of what was there published more 
than twenty years ago. 

In brief, Dr. Faxon describes, with considerable minuteness, “a 
set of 181 water color sketches of birds,” owned by the Boston 
Society of Natural History and labeled “Drawings of the Birds 
of Georgia by John Abbot.” How the Society secured these was 
not known. They appear to have been originally classified, as a 
collection, by Abbot himself, and consecutively numbered from 1 
to 200, Dr. Faxon inferring that nineteen of the original series had 
been lost. Abbot’s handwriting, in pencil, consisting of names, 
largely in accord with the nomenclature of Wilson’s ‘ Ornithology,’ 
with memoranda of dimensions, migration data and color notes, 
appears on the plates, only one of which is inscribed (in ink) with 
Abbot’s signature and the date, “1810.” 

271 


ee 


212 Ruoaps, Abbot's Birds of Georgia. 

Unfortunately there is no mention of Jocality data, and the proof 
that they depicted specimens of the birds of Georgia only, and not - 
also of the closely adjoining regions of South Carolina, appears to 
rest in that case, quite as much as in the one about to be 
narrated, largely on circumstantial evidence. Undoubtedly the 
great majority are Georgia records but whether all could be 
accepted as such, without question, in a present-day check-list, is 
doubtful. 

Dr. Faxon goes on to give some account of this really remarkable 
naturalist, as the collector, artist and author of the earliest illus- 
trated monograph of American insects, that splendid folio work of 
two volumes in colors, depicting the ‘Rarer Lepidopterous Insects 
of Georgia.’ Abbot was fortunate in having, as his editor and 
patron, Sir John Edward Smith in this publication, which appeared 
in London in 1797. 

If he had been equally fortunate in securing an ornithological 
patron he would have forestalled by from fifteen to forty-five years 
many of the discoveries made in United States ornithology during 
the notable period covering the activities of Wilson, Audubon and 
Bonaparte. 

So much by way of introduction; now for my story. 

In December, 1916, I stopped at Savannah for two or three days, 
en-route for Cuba. During my stay I had the long anticipated 
satisfaction of visiting “Wormsloe,” the country seat and planta- 
tion of the late Wymberley J. De Renne, situated on the Isle of 
Hope, one of the coast islands about three miles from Savannah. 

Here is located, in a fine old colonial mansion the greatest and 
best single collection of books, manuscripts and other literature 
relating to the State of Georgia, and fittingly named by Lieut. 
Wymberley Wormsloe De Renne, the son and literary successor of 
Mr. De Renne, “ The Wymberley Jones De Renne Georgia Library.” 
I was kindly escorted thither by Mr. L. L. Mackall of Savannah, 
the enthusiastic and efficient librarian of this fine collection, who, 
knowing my special taste for nature studies, soon produced some 
very precious items in that line. Among these was a folio volume 
of exquisitely drawn and colored original delineations of the rep- 
tiles and batrachia of Georgia painted by and for members of ‘the 
noted Le Conte family. 


et ek Ruoaps, Abbot's Birds of Georgia. 273 


Some of these were the originals of published illustrations of 
articles in scientific journals of‘ an early day and in Holbrook’s 
Herpetology. A companion volume to this one, both in size and 
modern binding, contained the water-color sketches of birds, form- 
ing the subject of this article. Mr. Mackall was anxious to have 
the tentative identification of these, as being of John Abbot’s 
authorship, verified, but it was not until January of the present 
year that they were sent to me for that purpose. In this examina- 
tion I have naturally made the archives of the Academy of Natural 
Sciences of Philadelphia and the good offices of the Editor of ‘The 
Auk’ my chief assistants. 

The folio volume containing these illustrations was bound for 
Mr. De Renne in three quarter red morocco, say about twenty years 
ago, possibly longer. The date and source of purchase unfortu- 
nately cannot now be ascertained.!. On the back of the binding is 
printed in gold: — “ Birds of Georgia”; and at bottom: — “1797.” 
There is no other attempt, either inside or outside of the volume, 
to record its authorship, origin or subsequent history. 

A set of thirteen manuscript sheets, written in ink and of very 
recent date describes each plate in detail by number and name, 
with remarks as to pose, etc. These, together with a library 
reference filing card, stating that “the artist was probably John 
Abbot,” were laid within the volume. 

There are one hundred and twenty-two hand painted sheets of 
uniform size, make and quality of heavy, hand made, plate paper, 
some slightly discolored by age and moisture, one torn into and 
mended and the last one of the series lacking a considerable part of 
the upper margin, not affecting the illustration but removing the 
legend probably written on its back as in all other sheets in the set. 
There are no watermarks in the paper, as in the Faxon set, to indi- 
cate age, but it is similar in make-up to old English plate paper of 
the last two decades of the eighteenth century, and this, together 
with the nomenclature used by the artist, indicate that these 
sketches were made several years prior to those described by Dr. 
Faxon. The sheets measure nine and one-half by thirteen inches 
and evidently have not been trimmed since they were painted upon. 


1 As this paper goes through the press I learn that the plates were purchased for $100. 
from Geo. D. Smith, a well known dealer of New York City, on April 23, 1906. 


. 


274 Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. ae 


The accompanying half-tone illustrations (Plate IV) from two of 
the best of Abbot’s sketches in this series, together with a repro- 
duction of the artist’s signature at end of his letter to George Ord, 


ln Ai 


will give a fair idea of his work and his autograph. Owing to the 
English names of the birds, given by Abbot below each, being 
written in red ink it was necessary to trace them over carefully in 
black ink on the prints from which these half-tones were prepared. 
While this does not materially alter the character of the hand- 
writing it does not do justice to the neatness and smooth finish of 
the originals. With some exceptions, to be noted in the check-list 
of figured birds at the end of this paper, Abbot has aimed to write 
along the upper margin (or top) of the reverse side of each a repeti- 
tion of the English name, and below this the binomial, followed by 
“length” in “inches.” This also is written with red ink, which, 
curiously enough, has the same sort of peculiar sanguine, poke- 
berry tint which adorns alike the Cardinal, Scarlet Tanager, 
Purple Finch, and Red-headed Woodpecker! 

It should be stated that the numerical sequence of plates in this 
portfolio and their consecutive numbering in rather crude lead 
pencilling is evidently modern and with no regard to system, 
zoological or artistic, as the quoted list will show. 

Certainly Abbot had no hand in this feature of the collection. 
That he was responsible for all the red ink chirography on these 
sheets is however readily proved by a comparison of it with the 
handwriting of his fine folio autograph letter to Ord in the archives 
of the Academy of Natural Sciences which was published in full 
in ‘The Auk’ (1906, p. 365) by Dr. Witmer Stone. 

In a comparative analysis of the two bird portfolios it will be 
seen that, of the ninety-two species identified in the De Renne 
series, there are twenty-seven species not present in the set de- 
scribed by Faxon. There are also two unidentified hawks, 
Plates 27 and 59, one of them possibly representing an additional 
species. These two, for convenience of reference, are designated 


ee | Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. 275 


by an asterisk (*) in the list given. The two Abbot portfolios 
therefore represent 174 species, presumably all of birds procured 
in Georgia, and, for a period of approximately 110 years ago, a 
remarkable showing in the annals of early American Ornithology, 
produced as it was by an Englishman who was primarily a hard 
working field entomologist, dependent thereon for his living and 
at the same time remarkable for his accurate and beautiful sketches 
of insects and the trees and flowering plants upon which they feed. 
As intimated by Faxon, the number of bird species is also note- 
worthy because of the small number of marine or tide water forms 
depicted, due, no doubt, to the distance of sixty miles or more 
separating Abbot’s home in Screven County from the seacoast. 

Of gulls and terns, only two species each are given. Of the 
Limicoline Shore-birds, so abundantly represented by species 
frequenting the coast line of the Southeastern States, all of Abbot’s 
plates show but seven species of those peculiar to the coast and 
some of these are known to straggle inland along such a waterway 
as the Savannah River, near which’ our artist’s home was located. 
Comparing again with Faxon’s list, we note that the De Renne 
series numbers twenty-one Warbler species to sixteen: also in 
Flycatchers (Tyrannide) the ratio is four to one. 

The De Renne series has thirteen plates of Hawks showing 
variations of probably eight species as against four species in the 
other series. The disparity in number of water-bird plates in the 
two folios is markedly in favor of the Boston Society’s collection, 
being fifty-two to eleven. If our conjecture as to the Boston series 
being of later production is correct it is in accord with the natural 
trend of a collector’s researches to go farther afield, and may be 
found to tally with Abbot’s residence in or near Savannah for a 
period prior to his return to England. 

It is unfortunate that Dr. Faxon did not publish at least a repre- 
sentative series of quotations from the pencil annotations which 
Abbot is stated to have made on his drawings, especially of the 
names or localities there given. One of the most interesting fea- 
tures of the collection here described is Abbot’s nomenclature, 
both vulgar and technical, which I have taken pains to reproduce, 
without any alteration, and within quotation marks. It is desirable 
that some one, having access to the Boston Society’s portfolio, 


276 Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. Pais 


make a report on the noteworthy portions of those pencil notes 
which are said to lie in obscurity beneath the cryptic camouflage of 
Dr. T. M. Brewer. By so doing he may bring to light a few more 
secrets which time and patient research are adding to the real 
biography of the hermit naturalist of Georgia. 

Some of Abbot’s common names are recognizable as those of 
Catesby, Edwards and Pennant, his English models; a few are 
apparently quite local, as “Flax Bunting” for the American Gold- 
finch, “Cat Flycatcher” for the familiar Cat Bird, “ Blue Warbler,” 
not inaptly given to the Blue Bird, “ Black Bunting”’ for Snowbird, 
“Pigeon Hawk” for Mississippi Kite, “Little Sparrow” for the 
“Chippy,” etc. Some of the names are evidently Abbot’s own for 
species he thought undescribed, “very rare,’”’ or that he could not 
identify: as “Barred-tail Sandpiper” for the Solitary species, 
“Black-rumped Sandpiper” for the Pectoral, “Yellow Warbler” 
for the Blue-winged Yellow, “ Yellow-poll Warbler” for Chestnut- 
sided, “Georgia Wren” for Long-billed Marsh Wren and “ Magnolia 
Warbler” for the Cape May species. His name of “ Red-breasted 
Thrush” for our so-called “Robin” is worthy of universal adop- 
tion. His classing all the American “Starling” Blackbirds as 
“Oriole” strikes one nowadays rather strangely, though it has a 
more real and generic meaning than the vulgar name now applied 
to that group. It also seems a bit queer to think of Vireos as 
“Flycatchers,” though Wilson so termed them while Audubon used 
the name as an alternative and more than half their food is flies or 
flying. We are not a little indignant, too, to find our familiar and 
much loved Song Sparrow damned by such faint praise as to be 
called the “Spotted breasted Sparrow”! No doubt a careful 
analysis of these English names would reveal much as to the artist’s 
real sources of literary knowledge, both of books and _ persons. 
That he was in steady correspondence with English men of science 
is matter of record and no doubt some of his contemporaries abroad 
received from him the types and drawings of American birds, 
now recognized, which were there first described. His personal 
association with Alexander Wilson in Georgia is recorded by Ord, 
but to what extent the ‘American Ornithology’ is indebted to the 
discoveries of the Georgia naturalist may now be left to the re- 
search of others. 


| Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. 277 


Faxon has referred to the work of Abbot from both artistic and 
scientific aspects and I fully agree with his conclusions. It may 
seem invidious to compare his bird sketches with those of Wilson, 
whose perfected illustrations have so long been over-praised by 
many, who, appreciating his literary and field work and his desper- 
ate struggles in the publication of his ‘Ornithology,’ have been 
unduly biased in his favor as an artist. Anyone examining the 
uncolored pencil and pen drawings which formed the great bulk of 
the originals which Wilson handed to his engraver, Alexander 
Lawson, will be convinced that Abbot’s colored plates are in a 
different class. Several of Wilson’s original sketches, or rough 

drafts, on scraps of paper, are mounted in a portfolio presented to 
the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia many years ago 
by the descendants of Lawson. In this, Lawson has mounted the 
Wilson drafts opposite a highly finished proof impression of the 
engraved plate in two states, the one, plain, on India paper, the 
other, carefully colored, on heavy plate paper. An examination of 
these will convince the most skeptical how much of the credit given 
the authors of illustrated works is rightly due to their engravers. 
Even Audubon was no exception to this. Abbot’s great ability 
with the brush, as an off-hand colorist and at the same time a 
faithful recorder of seasonal and racial plumages in birds, is on a 
par with his work on moths and butterflies and their larvee. Con- 
sidering the difficulty of depicting, in natural pose and proportion, 
the mounted bird specimens which evidently were his models, as 
compared with copying from flat mounts of the Lepidoptera, it is 
surprising how well his portfolios were executed in one of the 
“Tost Towns of Georgia” at a period when the crude illustrations 
of ornithological literature had advanced little beyond those of the 
age of Linnzus. The remarkable similarity of make-up and style 
between Abbot’s bird plates and those of George Edwards in his 
fine old color plate quartos of the ‘Natural History of Birds,’ 
begun in 1743, convinces me that the inspiration came from that 
publication more than any other, especially in view of the large 
number of American species which were there figured for the first 
time. We see in both the stereotyped accessories of the taxider- 
mist,— a miniature tree, often leafless, decked with bits of moss and 
lichens, a conventional stand, or groundwork of grass patches, 


278 Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. ve 


moss, pebbles, frozen flowers, Dutch tulips, ete. On the margins, — 
sky, if you think so,— sports a curious fly or beetle, a gorgeous moth 
or even a bug or spider, in brilliant contrast to the sombre sparrow 
or blackbird that forms the centerpiece. 

On the other hand, to compare Abbot’s work to that of Audubon 
would be as far from the mark as to perpetuate the fallacy of 
making such comparisons between Audubon and Wilson. Of the 
three, Audubon alone was the real bird artist, revealing life, action, 
color, shade and landscape often in wondrous combination. As 
such, he was the greatest, and for many years, the only pioneer in 
artistic and natural illustration of faunal ornithology. 

None of Abbot’s birds in the De Renne portfolio show action, 
other than perfunctory woodpecking by a woodpecker, the eyeing 
of a green worm by the “Toupet Tit,” the half opened wings of 
the “Red-winged Oriole” to display his epaulets, the inspection of 
a curious red fish by the Kingfisher, whose quizzical look is quite 
amusing, but not more so than that of the “Tyrant Shrike” in the 
garb of a Kingbird leaning over to inspect a green grasshopper 
seated upon the ground! Abbot had a curious and unaccountable 
trick of placing the pupils of his bird’s eyes in a forward position. 
On this account, most of them may be said to be squinting or cross- 
eyed when there is no occasion for it. Not one in five has the 
pupil centered as is normally the case innature. The plate of two 
Common Crossbills has the eyes centered but in other respects as 
to markings, pose, ete., it is the only one which does not seem to 
belong to the collection. Such a rare bird is this, in the lowlands of 
Georgia, and so crude is the sketch, it seems likely he copied the 
drawing from some other source than the birds themselves. The 
fine mottling and vermiculation of the plumages of the Chick-wills- 
widow and the Night Hawk show not only great fidelity to nature 
but also most skilful handling of brush and colors. Perhaps the 
most artistic picture is that of a pair of Gnatcatchers, but those of 
the Goldfinches, the Redstarts and the Kinglets are nearly as good. 
His “ Bay winged Bunting” and “ Virginian Goatsucker”’ are here 
reproduced as two of the best examples of Abbot’s art. 

In conclusion, let me emphasize the conviction, that, not only in 
England, to which country Abbot returned and there ended his 
days at an advanced age, but also in the United States, there rest 


a 


ey | Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. 279 


- concealed many manuscripts and other archives which would not 


only satisfy our curiosity about the man but would reveal historic 
and scientific data. His portrait, in colors, was published in 
Secudder’s work on American insects, but in the same volume 
Scudder says that no specimen of his autograph name was available. 
The reproduction of an example of it with this paper and the in- 
formation in the fine letter from which it is taken should be an 
encouragement to our English brethren to “start something”’ in 
this line of enquiry. Here are some queries: — Where was Abbot 
born and when? When did he return to England and when de- 
ceased? Was he married, and a parent? Did he own land in 
either country and keep house or board in lodgings? Where was 
he buried, and is there any notice of his death in local newspapers 
or in genealogies of Abbot families? 

If the correspondence and manuscript collections of Sir James 
Edward Smith are preserved they will almost certainly yield some 
of these desiderata. This accomplished botanist, author and patron 
of science was founder and first president of the Linnzean Society of 
London. As Smith owned the unrivalled autograph collections of 
Linnzeus and of many of his celebrated correspondents, it is proba- 
ble these treasures yet exist in the archives and are accessible to 
students. 

Let us hear from them by return mail. 


List of John Abbot’s Water Color plates of the “ Birds of Georgia,” 
now bound in one folio, one-half red morocco binding, belonging 
to the “Wymberley Jones De Renne Georgia Library,” 
Wormsloe, near Savannah, Georgia. 

Copied from the plates and identified February, 1918, by S. N. 
Rhoads, Haddonfield, N. J. (In the order of binding.) 


1. “White eyed Flycatcher. Muscicapa cantatrix, length 5 
Inches” = Vireo griseus griseus, o. 

2. “Flax Bunting—length 43 inches.”= Astragalinus tristis 
tristis. (cand Q). 

3. “Fowl Hawk” = Accigniter velox. 

4. “Toupet Titmouse. Parus Bicolor: length 6% inches.” = 
Beolophus bicolor. 


280 Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. Fe 


5. “Chuck wills widow. Length 123 inches.”= Antrostomus 
carolinensis. 

6. “Bay-winged Bunting. Emberiza Graminea. length 6% 
inches” = Powcetes gramineus gramineus. 

7. “Virginian Goatsucker. Caprimulgus Virginianus, length 
8 inches.” = Chordeiles wirginianus virginianus. 

8. “Great Carolina Wren. Certhia Caroliniana, length 52 
inches.” = Thryothorus ludovicianus ludowmcianus. 

9. “Great Meadow Lark. Alawda Magna, length 9% inches.” = 
Sturnella magna argutula, o. 

10. “Cat Flycatcher Muscicapa Carolinensis, length 83 inches” 
=. Dumetella carolinensis. 

11. “Pine-creeping Warbler. Sylvia Pinus, length 53 inches.” 
= Dendroica vigorsi, 7 and @. 

12. “Chestnut-winged Oriole. Length 73 inches”= Agelaius 
pheniceus pheniceus, o. 

13. “Barred tail Sandpiper, length 85 ins.” = Helodromas 
solitarius solitarius. 

14. “Loggerhead Shrike. Lanius Carolinensis, length 8% 
Inches.” = Lanius ludovicianus ludovicianus. 

15. “White-throated Finch. Fringilla Pensilvanica, length 
63 Inches.” = Zonotrichia albicollis, &. 

16. “Brown Thrush. Turdus fuscus, length 7 Inches” = 
Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni? 

17. “Indigo Bunting. Emberiza cyanea, length 5 Inches.” = 
Passerina cyanea, o. 

18. “Golden-legged Sandpiper. Length 12 Ins.”’= Totanus 
melanoleucus. | 

19. “Black Bunting. Emberiza Hyemalis. length 53 Inches.” = 
Junco hyemalis hyemalis. 

20. “Black and White Creeper. Certhia maculata, length 5} 
Inches.” = Mniotilta varia, o. 

21. “Towhe Bunting Emberiza Erythrophthalma. length 8} 
Inches.” = Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus, co’. 

22. “Yellow breasted Warbler. Sylvia Trichas. length 5% 
inches.” = Geothlypis trichas ignota, o. 

23. “Black rumped Sandpiper. length 9 inches.”’= Pisobia 
maculata. 


Sarre iyi Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. 281 


24. “Little Thrush. Turdus Melodes. length 7 Inches.” = 
Hylocichla fuscescens. 

25. “Mottled Oriole. length 10 Inches” = Euphagus carolinus, 
co in winter. 

26. “Hairy Woodpecker. Picus villosus. length 84 inches.” = 
Dryobates villosus audubont. 

*27. “Sharp-tailed Hawk. Falco caudacuta. length 20 Inches. 
very rare.” Not identifiable. Possibly a Buteo. 

28. “Yellow bellied Woodpecker. Picus varius. length 8 
Inches.” = Sphyrapicus varius varius, & old adult in spring; with 
remarkable amount of white on upper parts. 

29. “Red shouldered Hawk. Female.’”’= Buteo lineatus alleni. 

30. “Cockaded Woodpecker. Picus querulus. length 8% 
inches.” = Dryobates borealis, 3. 

31. “Black cap Hawk. female.” = Accipiter cooperi. 

32. “Brown Lark. Length 63 inches.”= Anthus rubescens. 

33. “American Teal. Anas Carolinensis. length 14 Ins.”= 
Nettion carolinense, &. 

34. “Least Nuthatch. Sitta Pusilla. length 4 Inches.”= 
Satta pusilla. 

35. “Pewit Flycatcher. Muscicapa Nunciola. length 7 inches.” 
=Sayornis phebe. 

36. “American Crossbill. Curvirostra Americana. length 5? 
Inches.” = Lovia curvirostra minor. co and 9. 

37. “Carolina Chatterer. Ampelis Garrulus. length 7 Inches.” 
= Bombycilla cedrorum. 

38. “Marsh Hawk. Length 20 inches.” = Accipiter cooperi. 

39. “Rice Bunting. Emberiza Oryzivora. length 6} Inches.” = 
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, &, spring adult. 

40. “Red winged Oriole. Oriolus Pheniceous. length 8} 
Inches.” = Agelaius pheniceus pheniceus, adult o. 

41. “Canada Titmouse. Parus Atricapillus. length 43 Inches.” 
= Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis, o. 

42. “Painted Bunting. Nonpareil. Emberizis Ciris. length 
5% inches.” = Passerina ciris, adult @ and 9°. 

43. “Virginia Rail. Rallus Virginianus. length 13 Ins.” = 
Rallus elegans. 

44. “Hooded Warbler. Syloia Mitrata. length 55 Inches.”= 
Wilsonia citrina, 7 and @. 


282 Ruoaps, Abbot's Birds of Georgia. | Fae 


45. “Ground Pigeon. Columba passerina. length 7 Inches.” 
= Chemepelia passerina terrestris. 

46. “Yellow headed Warbler. Length 43 Inches. Very rare.” 
= Dendroica wirens, Juv. &, or Q in fall plumage? 

47. “Red breasted Thrush. Turdus Migratorius. length 10 
Inches.” = Planesticus migratorius migratorius. 

48. “Red Grosbeak. Female.’’= Zamelodia ludoviciana. 

49. “Swamp Sparrow. Fringilla Palustris. length 55 Inches.” 
= Melosmza georgiana. 

50. “Mimic Thrush Twrdus Polyglottus. length 93 Inches.” = 
Mimus polyglottos polyglottos. 

51. “Yellow poll Warbler. Length 5} inches. very rare.”’= 
Dendroica pensylvanica, spring adult o. 

52. “Common Creeper. Certhia Familiaris. length 63 Inches.” 
= Certhia familiaris americana. 

53. “Golden crowned Wren. Motacilla Regulus. length 4 
Inches.” = Regulus satrapa satrapa. 

54. “Fox coloured Sparrow. Fringilla Rufa. length 7 Inches.” 
= Passerella iliaca wliaca. 

55. “Ferruginous Thrush. TJurdus Rufus. length 11 Inches” 
= Toxostoma rufum. 

56. Passenger Pigeon. Columba Migratoria. length 16 Inches.” 
= Ectopistes migratorius, o. 

57. Carolina Pigeon. Columba Carolinensis. length 123 Inches.” 
= Zenaidura macroura carolinensis, . 

58. “Purple Swallow. Hirundo Purpurea length 7% Inches.” 
= Progne subis subis, &. 

*59. “Slate-coloured Hawk. Falco Pennsylvanicus. length 133 
Inches. Female 16. [Inches].’= Apparently a hybrid between 
Accipiter coopert and Falco columbarius! Not Buteo platypterus. 
May be Accipiter velox. 

60. “Sparrow Hawk. female.” Falco sparverius sparverius. 

61. “Blue Warbler. Sylvia Sialis. length 7 Inches.” Svalia 
sialis sialis, o&. 

62. “Blue eyed Warbler. Sylvia Citrinella. length 43 Inches.” 
= Dendroica estiva estiva, o. 

63. “Great Thrush. Turdus Magnus. length 73 Inches” = 
Hylocichla mustelina. 


Vo | Ruoaps, Abbot's Birds of Georgia. 283 


64. “Yellow rump Warbler. Sylvia Coronata. length 6 Inches.” 
= Dendroica coronata. Spring & and @. 

65. “Yellow throated Warbler. Sylvia Flavicollis. length 5% 
Inches.” = Dendroica dominica dominica. co Spring. 

66. “Belted Kingfisher. Alcedo Alcyon. length 12% Ins.”= 
Ceryle alcyon alcyon; Q with fish. , 

67. “Black-throated Warbler. Sylvia Canadensis. length 5% 
Inches.” = Dendroica cerulescens cairnst. Spring o’, with black- 
spotted back. 

68. “Black cap Hawk. Falco Atricapillus.” = Accipiter coop- 
ert. (See No. 31.) 

69. “Black-headed Nuthatch. Sitta Carolinensis. length 5% 
Inches.” = Sitta carolinensis carolinensis. 

70. “Pigeon Hawk, or Louisiana Kite. Falco Columbarius 
length 144 Inches.” = Ictinia mississippiensis. 

71. “Black-billed Cuckoo. Cuculus Erythrophthalma. length 
114 Inches.” = Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. 

72. “Noisy Plover. Charadrius Voceferus. length 10 Ins.” = 
Oxyechus vociferus. 

73. “Spotted breasted Sparrow. Fringilla Melodia. length 5 
Inches.”= Melospiza melodia melodia. 

74. “Yellow Warbler. Length 52 Inches. rare.”= Vermivora 
pinus; Spring co’. 

75. “Cardinal Grosbeak. Loaia Cardinalis. length 9 inches.” = 
Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis &. 

76. Chicken Hawk. Length 17 Inches.”= Buteo lineatus 
allent in immature plumage. 

77. “Carolina Cuckoo. Cuculus Americanus. length 12 Inches.” 
= Coccyzus americanus americanus. 

78. “Little Hawk. Length 10 inches.”= Buteo platypterus. 

79, “Water Thrush. Turdus Aquaticus. length 6 inches.” = 
Seiurus motacilla. 

80. “Boat-tailed Grackle. Gracula Barita. length 13 Inches.” 
= (Quiscalus quiscula agleus, o. 

81. “Wood Pee wee Flycatcher. Muscicapa Rapax. length 6 
Inches.” = Mytochanes virens.  — 

82. “Yellow red poll Warbler. Sylvia Petechia. length 53 
Inches.” = Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea, Sand 2. 


284 Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. are 


83. “Aculeated Swallow. Hirundo Pelasgia. length 5% Inches.” 
= Chetura pelagica. 

84. “Ruby crowned Wren. Sylvia Calendula. length 43 
inches.” = Regulus calendula calendula, @ and @. 

85. “Golden crowned Thrush. Turdus Aurocapillus, length 6 
Inches.” = Setwrus aurocapillus. 

86. “Sharp-tailed Finch. Fringilla Caudacuta. length 4? 
inches.” = Ammodramus lecontei, o’. 

87. Tyrant Shrike. Lanius Tyrannus. length 8 Inches.”= 
Tyrannus tyrannus. 

88. “Georgia Wren. Length 5 Inches. very rare.’= Telma- 
todytes palustris (subsp.?). 

89. “Red-shouldred Hawk. Falco Lineatus. length 19 Inches.” 
= Buteo lineatus alleni, &. 

90. “Red Tanager. Tanager Rubra. length 7 inches.” = Pir- 
anga erythromelas, . 

91. “Yellow breasted Flycatcher. Length 53 Inches.”= 
Lanivireo flavifrons. 

92. “Great Heron. Ardea Herodias. Length 4 feet.”= Ardea 
herodias herodias. 

93. “Summer Sparrow. Length 6 Inches.” = Peucea estivalis 
bachmant. 

94. “Prairie Warbler. Sylvia Minuta. length 4% Inches.”= 
Dendroica discolor, &. 

95. “Blue yellow backed Warbler. Sylvia Pusilla. length 4% 
Inches.” = Compsothlypis americana americana; 27'’s. 

96. “Crested Flycatcher. Muscicapa Crinita. length 93 In- 
ches.” = Myzarchus crinitus. 

97. “Yellow winged Sparrow. Fringilla Passerina. length 5 
Inches.” = Ammodramus savannarum australis. 

98. “Brown Gallinule. Length 12 Inches.” = Gallinula galeata. 

99. “Mottled Oriole. Female.’= Euphagus carolinus, 9. 

100. “Marsh Wren. Certhia Palustris. length 4 Inches.” = 
Cistothorus stellaris. 

101. “Spotted Heron. Length 235 Inches” = Nycticorax nyc- 
ticorax nevius. Juv. 

102. “Black-crowned Warbler. Length 5% Inches.’’= Den- 
droica striata, &. 


sare aan Ruoaps, Abbot’s Birds of Georgia. 285 


103. “Black headed Flycatcher. Muscicapa Ruticilla. length 
54 Inches.” = Setophaga ruticilla. & and Q, ad. 

104. “Redeyed Flycatcher. Muscicapa Olivacea, length 6 
Inches.” = Vireosylva olivacea. 

105. “Orchard Oriole. Oriolus Castanus. length 65 Inches” = 
Icterus spurtus, ad. o. 

106. “Blue Grosbeak. Loxia Cerulea. length 63 Inches” = 
Guiraca cerulea cerulea, ad. o. 

107. “Little Sparrow. Length 5} Inches.”= Sprzella passerina 
passerina, & and Q, ad. 

108. “White billed Woodpecker. Picus Principalis. length 20 
Inches.” = Campephilus principalis; ad. ol. . 

109. “Red headed Woodpecker. Picus Erythrocephalus. 
‘length 91 Inches.” = Melanerpes erythrocephalus. 

110. “Mississippi Kite. Falco Misisippiensis. length 2 feet.” 
= Elanovides forficatus. 

111. “Little Woodpecker. Picus Pubescens. length 6% Inches.” 
= Dryobates pubescens pubescens, o. 

112. “Worm eating Warbler. Sylvia Vermivora. length 5% 
Is.”’= Helmitheros vermivorus. 

113. “Black Oriole. Oriolus Niger. length 10 Inches.”= 
Euphagus garolinus, Spring o. 

114. Solitary Flycatcher.. Muscicapa Solitaria. “length 53 
Inches.” = Lanivireo solitarius (subsp.?). 

115. “Screech Owl. Length 8} Inches.” = Otus asio (subsp.?). 
Gray phase. 

116. “Brown Ibis. Tantalus Fuscus. length 2 feet.’= Guara 
alba, juv. 2. 

117. “Small blue gray Flycatcher. Muscicapa Cerulea. length 
44 Inches.” = Poltoptila cerulea caerulea. Ad. o and 9. 

118. “Wood Ibis. Tantalus Loculator. length 3 feet.”= Myc- 
teria americana. 

119. “Gold winged Woodpecker. Picus Auratus. length 12 
Inches.” = Colaptes auratus auratus; ad. o. 

120. “Carolina Woodpecker. Picus Carolinus. length 125 
Inches.” = Centurus carolinus; ad. o. 

121. “Prothonotary Warbler. Sylvia Protonotarius. length 53 
Inches.”’= Protonotaria citrea; Ad. & and @. 

122. “Magnolia Warbler.” = Dendroica tigrina, Ad. o. 


286 CuarK, Anatomy of the Cuban Trogon. [ae 


Iist of Insects represented in Abbot’s Portfolio of Georgia Birds. 


Plate 6. “Sphinx lineata.” 
“20. “Small blue Butterfly” = Lycena. 
“25. “Noctua guare.” 
~ 32. ~Great. Viger Moth” =" Arciza. 
“45. “Clouded yellow Butterfly” = Colias. 
“61. “Great meadow brown Butterfly” = Satyrus. 
“62. “Purple hair streak Butterfly”= Thecla. 
“ 65. “None so pretty Moth”= Deiopeia. 
“67. “Cream spotted Tyger Moth.” = Callomorpha. 
“ 85. “ Papilio arythia” = Junonia. 
“87. (Grasshopper on ground; not named) = Chorto- 
phaga. 
©. 88. “Ajax Butterily:’= Papilio. 
“91. “Yellow spotted Tyger Moth” = Alypia. 
“106. “Small yellow Butterfly” = Terias. 
“111. “Yellow hook tip Moth” (Bombycid?). 
“ 122. (Butterfly — name cut off) = Agraulis. 


NOTES ON THE ANATOMY OF THE CUBAN TROGON. 
BY HUBERT LYMAN CLARK. 


TuHANks to the kindness of Mr. Outram Bangs and Mr. J. L. 
Peters, a Cuban Trogon (Priotelus temnurus temnurus) collected by 
Mr. Peters, was some time ago placed in my hands for study. It 
was well preserved in alcohol and in excellent condition. 

The pterylosis of the trogons was described by Nitzsch, who 
examined four species, but probably from skins. Subsequent 
writers seem to have relied on Nitzsch’s figures. The spinal 
feather tract is quite passerine and those of the ventral surface are 
nearly as much so. The Cuban Trogon was not however seen by 
Nitzsch and shows some peculiarities which are worthy of descrip- 


ae | Cuark, Anatomy of the Cuban Trogon. 287 
tion. These are however, mostly confined to the head and neck for 
the humeral, femoral, sternal, ventral and dorsal tracts are very 
similar to those of Trogon viridis as shown by Nitzsch’s description 
and figures; the dorsal “saddle” however, is elongated elliptical 
rather than “elongated rhombic,” as there are no distinct lateral 
angles. 

The tracts of the head are entirely separated from those of the 
lower neck and throat, to a degree and in a manner which I have 
never seen in any other bird. On the middle of the forehead, be- 
tween the eyes, is a dense, sharply defined tract, which forks 
anteriorly, a broad band passing forward and downward to the base 
of the upper mandible on each side; posteriorly the median tract 
becomes diffuse and loses itself on the back of the head. There 
are no contour feathers on the upper surface or on either side of the 
anterior end of the neck. On the lower surface of the head, be- 
ginning close to the base of the bill in the median line is a sharply 
defined tract about five feathers wide which very soon divides, the 
two branches diverging and narrowing rapidly; each passes up 
onto the side of the head, where it ends below the ear. The only 
other contour feathers on the head are in a small tract on each side, 
just in front of the eye; some few of these feathers extend up over 
the eye but more comprise a narrow band running from the angle 
of the mouth to the ear; anteriorly this tract does not quite con- 
nect with the lateral fork of the forehead tract. 

On the upper side of the base of the neck, the spinal tract begins 
abruptly with a width of about five feathers; from its very start 
this tract is dense and well defined. On the lower surface of the 
neck, a lower cervical tract begins nearly as far forward as the ear; 
it is six or seven feathers wide and sharply defined from the first. 
It soon widens and forks, each fork giving rise to a sternal tract. 
From the anterior end of each sternal tract a branch passes upward 
onto the shoulder and joins the humeral tract. The outer distal 
corner of the humeral tract extends outward along the humerus 
to the elbow, the feathers of this area reminding one of tertiaries. 
The secondaries are eleven or twelve in number but one or two of 
those at the elbow are very small and in examination of a skin, 
there would seem to be but ten; Nitzsch says there are eight to ten 
secondaries in the trogons. The primaries are ten in number with 


288 CuarK, Anatomy of the Cuban Trogon. [rts 
the sixth longest; the sequence is 6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 3, 2, 1, 10; the 
eighth is 97 mm. long, the fourth is 90 mm. and the tenth, 45 mm. 

The rectrices are twelve with ten major coverts; there is no 
covert for rectrix no. 1 (middle pair); the covert for no. 2 lies over 
its outer side; those for nos. 3, 4 and 5 are in the same relative 
position while that for no. 6 lies over its inner side. This is the 
usual passerine arrangement. The posterior end of the spinal tract 
becomes broad (ten feathers) and dense at the oil-gland where it 
ends, instead of being narrow there as shown in Nitzsch’s figures; 
it is distinctly separated from the series of major upper tail coverts. 
The oil-gland itself is naked, without a tuft. The major under 
tail coverts are 14 in number but on each side pass into a well 
marked post-anal tract of covert feathers; the major coverts of the 
middle rectrices are pushed out of position, so that coverts 1 and 2 
lie, one over the other under rectrix 2, covert 3 is between rectrices 
3 and 4, covert 5 is under rectrix 4, 6 is under 5 and 7 under 6. It 
is not clear whether covert 7 is properly a major covert or is merely 
a large minor covert pushed into the major covert line. The whole 
question of the relation of under coverts to rectrices demands 
investigation. 

Passing to the internal anatomy, we find the palate is essentially 
as Forbes found it in Pharomacrus,! but the vomer is shorter and 
stouter than in that trogon and does not extend forward between 
the maxillopalatines. ‘The sternum, as in other trogons, has two 
deep incisions on each side, in the posterior margin, and the manu- 
brium though long and stout is not at all forked. Four pairs of 
ribs reach the sternum but the fifth pair falls short by over a milli- 
meter, its tip resting only against the base of the fourth. 

The tongue is not “short and three-sided,” as trogon’s tongues 
are said to be, but is 10 mm. long and has a bifurcate tip, each half 
of which is a pointed horny bit, one millimeter long. Posteriorly 
the tongue is 4 mm. wide with each posterior corner developed into 
a conspicuous conical horny point over a millimeter long. There 
is no crop and the gizzard is large and spherical, 18 mm. in diameter. 
It was crammed full of fruits 7-8 mm. long by 4-5 mm. thick; 
there were 10-12 of these fruits, some of which were considerably 


1 Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1881, p. 836. 


cea | Moustry, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 289 


macerated, however. The intestine was 180 mm. long while the 
ceca were 36 and 28 mm. respectively. The ceca are thus rela- 
tively very long, much longer than in the species of Trogon and 
Pharomaerus examined by Garrod. 


FURTHER NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE 
BIRDS OF HATLEY, STANSTEAD COUNTY, 
QUEBEC, 1916-1917. 


BY H. MOUSLEY. 


In ‘The Auk’ for 1916, Vol. XX XIII, pp. 57-73, 168-186; will be 
found my first account of the birds of this district covering a period 
of five years (1911-1915) and embracing 122 different species. 
Since that account was written a further 41 have been added to 
the list, and in this paper I propose to deal with these new species 
in the same way as previously, carrying on the numbering also 
from where it left off. Before proceeding with these however, I 
would like to make a few remarks on the seasons of 1916 and 1917, 
and the increase or otherwise of certain interesting birds, as well as 
to mention the fact that the breeding list has been increased from 
63 to 77 species, the fourteen new ones whose nests, eggs or young 
had not been previously taken being, Marsh Hawk, Red-shouldered 
Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Long-eared Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red- 
headed Woodpecker, Meadowlark, Pine Siskin, Scarlet Tanager, 
Nashville, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, and Black-throated 
Green Warblers, as well as the Water-Thrush. Of the two afore- 
mentioned seasons probably 1917 was the coldest, wettest and most 
backward of the two, and many species, especially the warblers, 
were held up on migration, and were from ten days to a fortnight 
behind time. Ruffed Grouse suffered severely, most of the chicks 
being lost in both seasons from exposure to the wet and cold, and 
these birds in my opinion badly need a three years close season, not 
only here but in many other parts of the country, to recuperate. 


290 Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. ae 


In contrast to the lateness of the warblers in arriving many of the 
earlier species were well on time, and I obtained my earliest records 
so far for several species, the most notable being amongst the 
Blackbirds and Sparrows, the latter family also being especially 
numerous, in fact, 1917 might be called a White-crowned Sparrow 
year judging from my own experience, and that of some of my 
friends, of the increase in the numbers of this otherwise somewhat 
rare migrant. Looking back over the past seven years, I have no 
hesitation in saying that the following birds are gradually increasing 
and spreading over this district, viz., Bronzed Grackle, Cedar Wax- 
wing, Prairie Horned Lark, Meadowlark, Migrant Shrike, Purple 
Finch, and Chestnut-sided Warbler, and I hope like other parts of 
the Province of Quebec (where it is said to be much on the increase 
of late) we may yet get the Killdeer Plover, for I saw three of these 
birds during March and April of the present year 1917, the only 
other previous record being one on July 31, 1915. 

Bronzed Grackles first invaded the village of Hatley in 1916, and 
nested in some of the firs and pines. Cedar Waxwings were un- 
usually abundant in 1916, and I had no difficulty in locating about 
a dozen nests, as against a total of only one or two for each of the 
previous four years. On September 18, 1916, I saw the largest 
flock of this species noted so far, which consisted of fifty birds. 
Migrant Shrikes are certainly most interesting birds, and I have 
found more nests during the past two years than all the previous 
five put together. The favorite site here is certainly an apple tree, 
for out of ten nests located, seven have been in these trees at an 
average height of ten feet, whilst the remaining three have been in 
firs, one at the record height of thirty-four feet: above the ground, 
(see Auk, Vol. XXXV, 1918, pp. 33-36), the other two being ten 
and eighteen feet. Purple Finches were a feature of 1916, and I 
saw birds in my garden all through the months of April to October. 
Prairie Horned Larks were first seen in 1917 on March 2, my 
earliest date so far, but only one nest was located in the two years 
with the characteristic paving as described in ‘The Auk,’ Vol. 
XXXIII, 1916, pp. 281-286, and Vol. XXXIV, 1917, p. 388. 

As an offset to the above increase may be mentioned the ‘status 
quo,’ if not actual decrease in the case of the two latter, of such 
interesting species as the Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 


et ie Si Movustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 291 
Catbird and Black-billed Cuckoo, and in this category not un- 
fortunately but most fortunately may be included the Cowbird, as 
the only other victim besides the Red-eyed Vireo and Yellow War- 
bler mentioned in my previous notes, is that of a Junco who was 
seen feeding a young Cowbird just able to fly on June 24, 1916. 
Of the Indigo Bunting only one pair was seen on the roadside half 
way between Hatley and Coaticook on June 4 of the present year 
1917, and of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak none were observed in 
1916, and only one male and female in May, 1917. As regards the 
Catbird and Black-billed Cuckoo they were never by any means 
plentiful, but during the past two years their numbers seem to have 
dwindled to almost the vanishing point. Of the former only one nest 
has been located in the past two years and very few birds observed 
at any time, whilst of the latter, none were seen in 1916, and only 
one in 1917 on May 28, and no nests were found in either year. 
The number of Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers is not at all satis- 
factory, and it is becoming quite an event to see one of the latter, 
and ever since 1912 (when they were so abundant) Vireos have 
been falling off in numbers, so much so that I have not found a 
single nest of the Warbling since, and only a very few of the Red- 
eyed, which latter in 1912 were found all over the place, sometimes 
three and four a day. Swamp Sparrows apparently since 1913 
have also been getting less and I rarely come across more than one 
or two nests a season now. Concerning my favorites, the Sand- 
pipers and Warblers, I regret to say that owing to the temporary 
raising of the outlet of the dam at the head of ‘the marsh,’ in 
1916, I saw very few of the Limicole, as the increased depth of the 
water submerged most of the mud banks, and only such species as 
the Greater Yellow-legs were able to use them, a party of seven 
(the largest so far) being seen on August 29. Two examples of 
Wilson’s Snipe were noted on May 4, of the same year, thus giving 
me my first spring record for this species. Early in May, 1917, I 
changed my residence temporarily for one some three miles further 
north and remained there until the end of the year, only visiting 
‘the marsh’ on a few occasions. On one of these however (Sep- 
tember 24), I was fortunate enough to add two new species to my 
list, securing an example of the American Pipit and Little Green 
Heron, the latter being an especial good find for these parts. But 


292 Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. Se 


what I missed in the Sandpipers by my change of residence, I more 
than made up for in the Warblers, as my new hunting grounds fur- 
nished me with two examples of the Tennessee, as well as a nest 
and set of eggs of the Nashville and Blackburnian, the first two 
birds being new to my list. An account of these will be found in 
the annotated notes. As regards the nest of the Blackburnian 
Warbler (the only one of the thirteen summer visitants remaining 
so far unfound, see ‘The Auk,’ Vol. XXXIV, 1917, p. 190). I was 
fortunate enough on June 8, to notice the female with building 
material in her beak, fly direct to the site, which was a fir tree on 
the outskirts of a small wood. At this date building operations 
had only just commenced, and it was not until June 19, that the 
nest held the full complement (usually four, sometimes five) of four 
eggs, which, by the way, were the most brittle I have ever handled, 
one collapsing as it was being lifted out of the nest, whilst two of the 
remaining three could not be drilled with a true round hole, the 
drill sinking into the shell immediately a little pressure was applied, 
and thus causing a somewhat jagged edge. The ground color is 
quite distinctive being of a bluish tint with somewhat hold blotches 
of rufous brown round the larger end, the average size of the set 
being .70 X .49. 

The nest (which was presented in situ to the Victoria Memorial 
Museum at Ottawa) was thirteen feet above the g >und and placed 
on a horizontal branch thirteen inches out from the trunk, and 
twenty-one from the tip of the branch, and was composed out- 
wardly of small fir twigs woven together and held by spider’s silk, 
the lining consisting of fine dry grasses, some usnea lichen, and a 
few fine rootlets, the dimensions being, outside diameter 34, inside 
1f inches. Outside depth 2, inside 14 inches. As regards the male 
I do not think he does any building at all, as I never once saw him 
at the nest, nor did he appear to accompany the female as was the 
case with the Nashville, but I could generally hear him some little 
distance off singing in the tree tops. 

Besides this I saw many Cape May Warblers in full breeding 
plumage, a little tamarack tree on one occasion holding no less 
than five males and one female, and later on in October, I obtained 
my first fall record for the Yellow Palm Warbler and Woodcock. 
Of the former I had only seen a very few examples in the spring, and 


ee | Moustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 293 


of the latter only one other bird, which with the present one makes 
two in seven years, so that the sport of woodcock shooting round 
Hatley cannot be said to be fast and furious. The Blackpoll 
Warbler was also a new and interesting addition to my list, but this 
was found at Ayers Cliff, some few miles away, and is dealt with 
fully elsewhere. 

Other interesting items include a nest and set of eggs of the Marsh 
Hawk and Meadowlark besides the taking of a small series of Dr. 
Townsend’s: new subspecies, the Labrador Chickadee (Penthestes 
hudsonicus nigricans), in May and early September, some of which 
were given to Dr. Townsend and the rest to the Victoria Memorial 
Museum at Ottawa, these examples being the first Canadian ones 
to be presented to that institution. 

Whilst working over this new ground (which in general was 
of a more swampy nature than the other) I also had the 
pleasure of finding the pitcher plant in bloom, as well as six new 
orchids, of which Hatley now possesses thirteen species to my 
knowledge. 

The nest of the Red-headed Woodpecker was likewise in this 
locality, but js dealt with in the following annotated list, in which 
the name of Mr. W. E. Greer also appears not only in connec- 
tion with this bird, but with several others as well. Mr. Greer, 
besides being Secretary-Treasurer of the Township of Hatley, 
farms about 150 acres of land at Hatley Centre, and is a taxidermist 
of some ability as well, and at one time possessed a fine collection 
of about one hundred birds of his own mounting, representing 
nearly eighty local species. This collection was unfortunately 
destroyed in a disastrous fire in 1909 that burnt Mr. Greer out of 
house and home, besides destroying all his records. The house was 
rebuilt and the collection is also in the slow process of being re- 
formed. In his connection as a taxidermist many rare birds were 
brought to him to be mounted, which had either been shot in the 
district, or caught in traps set for muskrats or other small mammals. 
He thus gained a more intimate knowledge of the ducks, hawks and 
owls of the district than I have been able to do, and I am much 
indebted to him for valuable help with regard to these species, as 
will be seen in the list that now follows, of the forty-one new species 
added since 1915. 


294 Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. Fae 


123. Podilymbus podiceps (Linneus). PIED-BILLED GREBE.— Not 
uncommon fall migrant. So far I have not come across any of these birds, 
but Mr. Greer tells me he has seen them occasionally but has never mounted 
any. Mr. Stephen Clarke of Hatley Centre however, informs me that he 
has shot a few on Lake Massawippi, usually in the month of September, and 
on one occasion when fishing in the company of Mr. Fleming of New York, 
he obtained three at one shot. On this gentleman relating the incident to 
some of his friends the story was put down as “ another of those fishing 
yarns ” from the fact that these birds in company with Loons are generally 
looked upon (to a large extent erroneously) as being almost unshootable, 
from their habit of rapidly diving at the flash or report of a gun, hence the 
local names of devil diver or hell diver which this species enjoys. 

124. Gavia immer (Briinnich). Loon.—Fairly common fall transient. 
My authority for including this species in my list rested at first on two 
mounted examples belonging to Mr. A. Murray of Ferncliff, Massawippi, 
one of which was shot on Lake Massawippi about twenty years ago, whilst 
the other was taken about the same time entangled in some fishing tackle. 
Mr. Greer however, informs me that he generally gets a few to mount most 
years, but never in the spring, only fall birds, and these, with only one 
exception, immatures. 

125. Uria lomvia lomvia (Linnezus). BriinnicH’s Murre.— Rare 
transient. Probably this bird is more of an accidental transient than 
anything else, being blown inland by easterly gales, one of which had been 
raging just previous to two examples being obtained on the river Massa- 
wippi, just below the village of North Hatley, on December 10, 1917. 
One of these two was shot by Mr. J. Robert of North Hatley and 
weighed 1 lb., 2 oz., the other by Mr. Alec McKay of Hatley Centre, 
which bird weighed 2 lbs. 1 0z. Both were in the hands of Mr. Greer 
(when I saw them on December 12) and were still in the flesh, waiting to 
be skinned and mounted for their respective captors. The great difference 
in the above weights would no doubt be accounted for, by one being practi- 
cally an adult, the other an immature. Mr. J. E. Harting in his ‘ Hand- 
book of British Birds’ 1901, p. 470, gives the weight of lomvia as 2 lbs., 
10 oz., and that of troile as 2 lbs. 5 oz., whilst Mr. Thos. H. Nelson in his 
‘The Birds of Yorkshire,’ 1907, p. 721, gives the average weight of the 
latter as 2 Ibs. 

126. Rissa tridactyla tridactyla (Linneus). Kirrrwaxe.— Rare 
and accidental transient. My authority for including this species in my 
list rests on a single immature example which Mr. Greer mounted for 
Mr. Clarence W. Clarke of Nepperhan Heights, Yonkers, N. Y., who on 
August 17, 1912, whilst staying at North Hatley, captured the bird on Lake 
Massawippi under somewhat peculiar circumstances, as will be seen from 
the following extract of a letter dated October 30, 1917, which Mr. Clarke 
wrote me on the subject. He says, ‘‘I was angling for bass, using live 
minnows for bait, without any sinker, the minnows swimming near the 
surface, when I noticed a lone bird circling around the boat. I had about 


eee Moustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 299 


seventy-five feet of line out, when it suddenly made a dive and flew off 
with the minnow carrying the entire line out of the water. This operation 
was repeated with two other minnows. I finally changed my bass hook for 
a small minnow or bait hook, and on the fourth try I hooked the bird and 
reeled it into the boat where it fought and struggled hard to get away, but 
it was well hooked. I put it in my bait can and took it alive to the taxi- 
dermist, and it now occupies a place over my mantelpiece at Yonkers. It 
was a very interesting and unusual catch, and few of my friends would 
believe that I captured the bird on a fish hook, setting it down for simply 
another one of those fish stories.” 

127. Larus argentatus (Pontoppidan). Hrrrinc Guiu.— Not un- 
common fall transient. Mr. Greer tells me this gull is fairly common 
in the fall on Lake Massawippi, and he has mounted several examples 
for various people. Mr. W. Bassett of North Hatley has one which he tells 
me he shot at North Hatley in November, 1911 or 1912. 

128. Mergus americanus (Cassin). AmMprRIcAN MrrcaNnser.— Not 
uncommon transient. October 11, December 6. On the above date in 
October, 1916, a head and neck only of a female merganser was given to me, 
the bird having been shot on the same day on the river Coaticook near 
Compton about seven miles from Hatley. On measuring the distance 
from the nostril to the end of the bill I found it to be 1.30 inches, and from 
the rear of the nostril to the lore feathers .55 of an inch, thus proving it to be 
one of the above species and not a Red-breasted Merganser. Mr. Greer 
has a mounted head and neck of a male in his collection which was shot on 
Lake Massawippi, and on December 6, 1917, I saw a small flock of seven on 
this same lake, one of which, a female, was shot a few days after, and 
shown to me by Mr. Greer in the flesh on December 12. This bird 
weighed 3 lbs. Mr. Stephen Clarke of Hatley Centre has a female 
mounted example of this species, or at least one of his sons has it now, and 
which I saw on December 138, 1917. 

129. Mergus serrator (Linneus). RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.— 
Not common transient. December 6. This Merganser is decidedly rarer 
than the preceding one, Mr. Greer telling me that previous to this year, he 
can only call to mind having mounted two examples. On the above date 
in December, 1917, I saw three examples on Lake Massawippi at North 
Hatley, one of which, a female, was shot on the following day by Mr. V. 
Thomas of North Hatley, on the Massawippi River just below North 
Hatley, and this bird Mr. Greer showed me on December 12, just after he 
had mounted it. I took the measurement from the nostril to the end of 
the bill and found it to be practically 13 inches. 

130. Lophodytes cucullatus (Linneus). Hooprp MErrGANSER.— 
Rare transient. My authority for including this species in my list rests 
on a female example which Mr. Greer tells me he mounted some years ago, 
the exact records of which are unfortunately not to hand, but as far as he 
can remember, the bird was either shot or caught ina muskrat trap at Little 
Magog Lake. 


296 Movustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. ae 


131. Querquedula discors (Linnzeus). BuLur-wincep TEau.— Rare 
transient. The only examples I have heard of so far are one-that Mr. 
Greer tells me he mounted in April 1910, the bird being a female, and a few 
that Mr. Stephen Clarke of Hatley Centre informs me he has shot from 
time to time but has never had mounted. 

132. Aix sponsa (Linnzus). Woop Ducx.— Rare transient. J have 
not come across this handsomest of ducks so far in life, but Mr. Greer tells 
me he has mounted three male examples, one for Mr. 8. J. Clarke of Hatley 
Centre, which was caught in a muskrat trap on Little Magog Lake in the 
middle of April about eight years ago, another for Mr. D. C. Bell of North 
Hatley, which was shot also on Little Magog Lake on April 26, 1910, and 
the third for Mr. 8. A. Ball also of North Hatley which was shot on the 
Magog River somewhere about the year 1908. The first two examples 
were shown to me on December 6, 1917, and at that time were still in the 
possession of their respective captors. It is probably only a matter of 
time before this beautiful duck will have to be numbered amongst the 
extinct species. 

133. Clangula clangula americana (Bonaparte). AMERICAN 
GoLpEN-EYE.— Rare transient. My authority for including this species 
in my list rests on an example which Mr. Greer tells me he mounted for 
Mr. R. G. Spriggins of North Hatley on December 5, 1909. The bird 
which is an adult male was shot by Mr. Spriggins along the eastern shore 
of Lake Massawippi, and when I saw it on December 6, 1917, was still 
in the possession of the captor. 

134. Oidemia americana (Swainson). AMmpRICAN ScoTeR.— Rare 
transient. My authority for including this species in my list rests on an 
adult male, which Mr. W. Bassett of North Hatley tells me he found dead 
on the ice on Lake Massawippi about December 6, 1915. Mr. Bassett had 
noticed the bird about for several days previously, on an open drain near the 
shore of the lake and had made up his mind to secure it, but on arrival at 
the spot about the above date he noticed the bird some distance out on the 
ice of the lake. For the purpose of heading it inland he made a detour on 
the ice, but on gradually drawing closer and closer he was surprised to find 
it did not move, and on eventually reaching the bird it was found to be 
dead. He kept it for several days and eventually sent it to Mr. Greer on 
December 13 who informs me that it was too far gone to preserve, 
but he confirms the record as being an adult male of the above species. 

135. Butorides virescens virescens (Linneus). Lirtnke GREEN 
Herron.— Rare transient; September 24. The above date in 1917 is the 
only one on which I have come across this handsome little heron, which in 
company with another was feeding in the center of ‘the marsh.”’ Both 
birds got up when I was a long way off and not being familiar with the 
species at the time, I was unable to make out what they were. One made 
for some adjacent woods whilst the other directed its course to a neighbor- 
ing small marsh and sheet of water, which my son and I call the “ Smiling 
Pool.” I followed the latter backwards and forwards from this pool 


ve | Moustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 297 


to ‘the marsh ” for two and one half hours, before I was able to secure it 
at last at the former place. The bird was sent in the flesh and presented 
to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa. 

136. Nycticorax nycticorax nevius (Bodd.). Buack-cROWNED 
Nicut Hrron.— Rare transient. I am indebted to Mr. Stephen Clarke 
of Hatley Centre for first being able to include the above species in my list. 
The record rests on a mounted example in the possession of Mr. Clarke, 
which he shot on or about April 15, 1908, at Fitch Bay some twelve miles 
from Hatley, and when shown to me on November 5, 1917, proved to 
be an adult bird. When obtained it had three occipital plumes but one 
of these has since been accidentally pulled out. Mr. Greer also tells me 
he set up one of these birds for the late Mr. Hollis J. Hitchcock of Massa- 
wippi about 1907 or 1908, which was caught in a muskrat trap at Lake 
Massawippi. 

Since writing the above I have had an opportunity of more carefully 
examining Mr. Clarke’s bird, and find that the three occipital plumes are 
still there, one plume having at some time so perfectly overlapped one of 
the others, as to give the bird the appearance of only having two, and 
thus causing Mr. Clarke to think that one had been abstracted. 

137. Cathartes aura septentrionalis (Wied). Turkry VuLTURE.— 
Rare transient from the South. July 31. On the above date in 1917 
whilst driving from Hatley to Massawippi, a bird of this species flew off 
the road and alighted on the fence alongside. My youngest son who was 
with me at the time, was the first to notice it, exclaiming “ why there is a 
white headed crow or something!”” I looked up just in time to catch sight 
of the bird as it left the fence and alighted on the ground not far from the 
road, and at the edge of a large wood. I got down and followed the bird 
about the wood for some time, flushing it out on one occasion quite close to 
my son who was standing in the road holding the horse, when he got a good 
view of it, telling me afterwards that it looked like a young turkey. The 
bird was evidently an immature as it only took short flights about the 
wood, and I got several good views of it, as it sat perched in the trees, the 
grayish down on its bare head, no doubt causing the allusion at the moment 
to the “‘ white-headed crow or something!” of my son. I visited the spot 
again the following day but nothing more was seen of it. 

138. Falco sparverius sparverius (Linnzeus). Sparrow HawKk.— 
Rare summer visitant. June 15, 30; July 8. The earliest of the above 
dates in June, 1916, was the first occasion on which I had observed this 
handsome little hawk. The bird was quite close to me so that identifica- 
tion was an easy matter. On the latter date in June I saw another, and 
one again on July 8. Of course it is possible that these three examples 
may have been one and the same bird, the dates certainly suggesting that 
on occasions it may be a rare breeder in the neighborhood, in seeming 
confirmation of which Mr. Greer tells me that he saw an adult bird with 
young near Waterville in the summer of 1917. 

139. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson). LoNG-EARED Owu.— Rare resident. 


298 Movustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. pak 


Mr. Greer tells me that a pair of these owls have nested in his cedar swamp. 
at Hatley Centre for at least four years if not longer, and that three or four 
examples have passed through his hands to mount during the past eight 
years, besides one which he has in his own collection. 

140. Asioflammeus (Pontoppidan). SHorT-EARED Ow1i.—Rare tran- 
sient. Mr. Greer tells me that he has only had one of these owls brought 
to him to mount by Mr. Oral Bean of North Hatley. Mr. Greer found one 
himself lying dead on the roadside not far from his house at Hatley Centre, 
which had probably been killed by flying against the telephone wires. 

141. Scotiaptex nebulosa nebulosa (J. R. Forster). Great Grey 
Owu.— Rare winter visitant. Mr. Greer tells me he has only mounted two 
examples of this large and rare owl, one for Mr. H. R. Worthen of Ayers. 
Cliff, which bird was obtained about January 19, 1911, near Ayers Cliff, and 
the other for Mrs. Elmer Colt of North Hatley, this bird being shot in her 
sugar woods by Mr. Brissette, so she tells me, some time in March about 
twelve years ago, and when I saw it on December 21, 1917, it was still 
in her possession. 

142. Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni (Bonaparte). RicHARDSON’S 
Ow.u.— Rare transient. Mr. Greer tells me he has only mounted one 
example of this rare winter visitant from the north, the exact records of 
which were unfortunately destroyed in the fire of 1909. 

143. Cryptoglaux acadica acadica (Gmelin). Saw-wHer OwnL.— 
Not uncommon resident. I have never seen this, the smallest of our owls, 
in life, but on April 4, 1916, I heard sounds proceeding from a wood near 
my house, which might well be likened to the filing of a saw, and no doubt 
proceeded from one of these small owls whose nest was probably in the 
locality, as the sounds were heard shortly before and after the above date 
by one or two other people. However, on October 20, 1917, an example 
was given to me in the flesh which had been shot the same day in a cedar 
swamp about a mile north of Hatley village, and which is being mounted 
by Mr. Greer, who tells me that he generally gets a few every year, only 
later in the fall, three examples being sent in last year, and from conversa- 
tions I have had with many other farmers in the district it appears this. 
little owl is fairly well distributed. 

144. Otus asio asio (Linneus). ScremecH Own.— Rare transient. 
When visiting Mr. A. Murray of Ferncliff, Massawippi, on July 27, 
1917, a nicely mounted example of this little owl (in the gray phase 
of plumage) was shown to me, which had been shot about two years 
ago on Mr. Murray’s estate. I have never seen the bird myself in life 
nor can I remember ever having heard it calling, and Mr. Greer tells me 
no examples have so far been brought to him to mount. : 

145. Bubo virginianus virginianus (Gmelin). Great HorNED 
Ow..— Rare resident. My only acquaintance with this large owl was on 
October 11, 1916, when an example was shown to me in the flesh, the bird 
having been shot in the neighborhood of Hatley. This example turned 
the scales at 3 Ibs. 14 oz., which will help to give some idea of its size, as 


Vol, XXXV] Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 299 


compared with the little Saw-whet Owl which only weighs some few ounces. 
Mr. Greer informs me that he mounted two examples of this owl in the 
winter of 1916-17, and has seen the bird in the summer months, so that 
* I think I am justified in calling it a resident species. 

fj 146. Nyctea nyctea (Linnzus). Snowy Ow..— Rare and irregular 
winter visitant.” In the winter of 1905-06 there was an unusual flight of 
these owls all over Maine and the adjacent states as recorded by the late 
Mr. Ora W. Knight in his ‘ Birds of Maine’ 1908, p. 263, wherein he 
states that fully two hundred were killed in Maine alone. In this same 
year they visited Hatley, and several were obtained, one by Mr. A. E. 
‘Gage of Hatley, which bird was mounted and is now in the possession of 
Mr. H. F. Pope also of Hatley. It is a fine specimen and quite regularly 
barred. Mr. Murray of Ferncliffe, Massawippi, also showed me a mounted 
example, which, if I remember rightly, he said was shot in his own grounds, 
at all events if not, it was in the immediate neighborhood. 

Mr. Greer informs me as well that he has mounted quite a number of 
these owls, eight or nine one winter (probably the one mentioned above), 
one of which was almost pure white, with only the faintest trace of dusky 
spots or barring. 

147. Surnia ulula caparoch (Miller). Hawk Owu.— Rare winter 
visitant. Mr. Greer tells me that he had one of these owls in his collection 
(previous to the fire) which was shot by his brother along the eastern shore 
of Lake Massawippi. He has also mounted two or three other examples, 
one for Mr. W. Bassett of North Hatley in February, 1913, which bird was 
also obtained along the eastern shore of Lake Massawippi, and when I 
saw it on December 6, 1917, was still in the possession of the captor. 

148. Picoides arcticus (Swainson). Arctic THREE-TOED Woop- 
PECKER.— Rare fall and winter visitant. I have to thank Dr. C. L. Brown 
of Ayers Cliff for drawing my attention to the fact that he had seen a 
mounted example of a Three-toed Woodpecker (but was unable to say 
which kind) that had been shot in the grounds of Ferncliff, the residence of 
Mr. A. Murtay of Massawippi. I called upon that gentleman on July 27, 
1917, and was shown the bird, which turned out to be a male example of 
the above species, and was shot in the fall of 1915 quite close to Mr. 
Murray’s house. 

Mr. Greer of Hatley Centre also informs me that he had a male in his col- 
lection (before it was destroyed) which was shot on his own farm by his 
brother some years previous to the fire in 1909. 

149. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linnzeus). RrEpD-HEADED Woop- 
PECKER.— Very rare summer visitant. May 15 to August 15; eggs, 
June, young, July. When on July 14, 1917, I received a letter from Dr. 
C. L. Brown of Ayers Cliff saying that he had noticed a Red-headed 
Woodpecker on several occasions at a certain spot, and thought there 
might be a nest, as he had that day seen the bird’s mate also, I marked 
the day as a red letter one, although I must admit I felt somewhat 
sceptical, as Red-headed Woodpeckers in these parts are certainly a 


300 Movustry, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. [nuk 


desideratum. However, July 16 found me at the spot indicated which was 
on the roadside between Massawippi and Hatley Centre, on the farm 
belonging to Mr. Geo. Raeburn, who informed me that he first noticed the 
birds about the middle of May, and that they had a nest and four young on 
the roadside not far off, so I went to investigate and sure enough it was not 
long before I caught sight of both parent birds making for a decayed maple 
tree close to the roadside, where the nest was found about fifteen feet above 
the ground. Not wishing to disturb the birds I did not climb to it then, 
nor have I done so since, and can therefore give no dimensions of nesting 
hole at present, as I am anxious to see whether the birds will return next 
year and occupy the old site again. I might however, casually mention 
that the entrance hole was not a perfect circle, being more of a heart shape 
from some cause or another. Five days later, or on July 21, I again visited 
the spot and took some photos of the nest site, with both parent birds near 
the hole. At first they were somewhat nervous on seeing me and kept up a 
great chatter before one of them ventured to the hole and fed the young. 
Afterwards they became accustomed to my presence (as I stayed there for 
about an hour during which time the parents fed the young about every 
quarter of an hour) and flew direct to the site without any fuss. 

On the thirty-first I visited them again, the young birds being still in 
the nest, but pushing their heads well out whenever they heard the parent 
birds coming with food. It was between this date and August 4 that they 
left the nest, as on visiting the site on the latter date they had gone, but I 
saw one of the parents in a field not far off and have no doubt the young 
were there also, but I was unable at the time to go after them. I left 
Hatley shortly after and did not return until the twenty-sixth, when I 
again visited the site, but failed to find either the parents or young, but 
Mr. Raeburn has since told me that he saw them on several occasions near 
his house up to the fifteenth of the month, after which date they disappeared 
and were not seen again, so that this would account for my failing to find 
them on the twenty-sixth. 

As regards other instances of this handsome and interesting bird having 
been seen in the district is one noted by Dr. Brown about three years ago 
at Burroughs Falls, which is not so very far from Ayers Cliff, and Mr. 
Greer tells me that his brother also saw one some twelve years ago or more 
near North Hatley. Mr. Stephen Clarke of Hatley Centre has a mounted 
adult bird, which he shot on his farm about ten years ago, in the month of 
September, and he also tells me that he had seen one other example some 
years previously. 

150. Antrostomus vociferus vociferus (Wilson). _WHIP-POOR-WILL, 
Uncommon summer visitant; May to September. To give the exact 
status of the Whip-poor-will at Hatley is not an easy matter owing to the 
secretive and nocturnal habits of the bird. Personally I have only seen 
one example on the evening of June 30, 1916 (when driving home from 
Coaticook a bird flew across the road from the outskirts of a large wood 
which I was enabled to identify as belonging to this species), but this may 


» 


Ree | Moustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 301 


be partly accounted for, seeing that I am a home bird and very rarely go 
out at night, still it cannot be plentiful or surely I should have flushed a 
bird or two in the daytime, during my constant field work for the past 
seven years. In the summer of 1917 two notices appeared in the local 
papers to the effect that the bird had been heard not far from Hatley on 
the Waterville road, and also at the head of Lake Massawippi near 
Ayers Cliff, and this unfortunately is the sum total of my data regarding 
the status of this most interesting and useful bird in the neighborhood 
of Hatley. Mr. Greer tells me he has never had one of them brought 
to him to mount, during his nineteen years residence in these parts, 
which is some indication that the birds are rarely obtained. 

151. Empidonax flaviventris (Baird). YELLOW-BELLIED FLy- 
cATCHER.— Rare transient; June 5,11; September 1. My first acquaint- 
ance with this interesting little Flycatcher was on the above date in Sep- 
tember, 1916, when I obtained an example which was the only one seen 
that year. On June 5 of the following year I secured another and this 
with the one already mentioned were sent in the flesh at the time and 
given to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa. It is probable that 
this species may breed here on rare occasions for on the latter date given 
in June I came across two more, which gave me the impression that they 
were a pair and might be nesting in the locality, which was of a moist 
nature with mossy hummocks about and entirely suited to their require- 
ments. However, I was unable to find the nest at the time nor did I see 
the birds again at subsequent visits, or any in the fall. 

152. Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm). AMERICAN CROSSBILL.— 
Irregular winter visitant, sometimes common. I have not yet had the 
pleasure of coming across this interesting bird so far myself, but Mr. Greer 
tells me that he had two mounted ones (a pair) in his collection before it 
was destroyed by fire, and has seen them in large flocks on several occasions, 
more especially during one winter when they and Pine Grosbeaks were 
unusually numerous. 

153. Loxia leucoptera (Gmelin). WHrtTrE-wINGED CrROssBILL.— 
Rare and irregular winter visitant; August 31, October 27. On August 31, 
1916, which is an early date for this species, I saw two strange birds feeding 
on the seeds of a tall hemlock tree in an open space of a somewhat large 
wood. Of these I secured one which turned out to be a female of the above 
species, and was sent in the flesh and given to the Victoria Memorial 
Museum at Ottawa. None were seen again until October 27, when out of a 
flock of fifteen I secured a young male. In describing the status of the 
Crossbills in Maine the late Mr. Ora W. Knight in his ‘ Birds of Maine’ 
1908, p. 376, uses the following words: Eccentric; Erratic; Irregularly 
Sporadic; and what better could be found to sum up the wandering nature 
of these curious birds. Mr. W. E. Greer of Hatley Centre informs me that 
he has only met with this species on one occasion in the nineteen years he 
has resided in the district. 

154. Progne subis subis (Linnzus). PurreLe Martin.— Rare tran- 


302 Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. yuk 


sient. Mr. Greer tells me that some twelve or fifteen years ago, he had a 
small martin house erected on his farm at Hatley Centre one summer, in 
order to try and induce a few martins he had noticed the year before to 
remain and breed. This house, however, became tenanted by Tree Swal- 
lows before the arrival of a pair of martins, which after investigating and 
hanging round for a few days, during which time sundry fights for the pos- 
session of the house took place, eventually left, as the Tree Swallows could 
not be ejected. At intervals since then Mr. Greer has seen odd pairs now 
and again, and as late as 1917 a pair were seen for one day only. It is 
evident from the above that a few stray birds pass through this district 
now and again, but neither Mr. Greer or myself know of any breeding 
records, nor do we think it at all likely that any exist in the immedi- 
ate neighborhood. 

155. Vermivora rubricapilla rubricapilla (Wilson). NASHVILLE 
Warsier.— Rare summer visitant; May 23 to September 22. EHggs, 
June 15. My first acquaintance with this interesting species was on 
August 16, 1916, when an example was obtained and sent to the Victoria 
Memorial Museum at Ottawa see ‘The Auk,’ Vol. 34, 1917, p. 214. I next 
saw the species on May 23 of the following year and from then to June 2 
nineteen examples were noted, see ‘The Auk,’ Vol. 34, 1917, p. 484. Out of 
this number apparently only one pair remained behind to breed (as no 
others were seen during the summer) the female being seen with building 
material in her beak on June 5. It was not however, until June 15 that 
their nest was located at the foot of a spirea bush on a little mound, well 
sunk into the surrounding hair cap moss (Polytrichum commune) and dwarf 
cornel or bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) of which the mound was car- 
peted. It was entirely hidden from sight and would never have been found 
had I not flushed the female from her set of five eggs. The nest was com- 
posed outwardly of some moss and fine dried grasses, the lining consisting 
of very fine grasses, hair like rootlets and some pine needles, the dimensions 
being as follows, viz.; outside diameter 3, inside 1$ inches; outside depth 

2, inside 1% inches. The eggs were nicely and evenly marked and zoned 
at their larger ends, the average dimensions of the five being .56 X .46. 
On several occasions when I observed the female with building material in 
her beak, she was accompanied by the male who always flew into a tam- 
arack tree and commenced to sing (and I often saw him in it afterwards) 
and it was not far from this tree that the nest was eventually found. Iam 
of the opinion that the male does very little if any nest building, contenting 
himself with following his partner about on foraging expeditions and singing 
the while no doubt to encourage her. 

In the fall I only saw two examples, one on September 1, and the other 
on the 22d, but this may be partly accounted for no doubt from the fact 
that I was absent from Hatley between the thirteenth and twenty-fifth 
of August, although I am inclined to think (judging from past experience) 
that the number seen in the spring was abnormal and was due to an 
unusual wave of the species. 


a | Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 303 


156. Vermivora peregrina (Wilson). TmENNesseEE WarBLER.— Rare 
transient; May 26-27. For the past six years I have been anxiously 
looking out for this warbler without success until May 26, 1917, when 
three examples were observed, out of which I secured two, and presented 
them to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa. The following ° 
day I saw another, thus making a total of four only for the year, as none 
were seen in the fall. The last example was by itself, but the other three 
were in the company of a mixed flock of other warblers, consisting of one 
Blackburnian, one Bay-breasted, one Chestnut-sided, two Nashvilles and 
several Myrtles and Magnolias, as well as a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets. 

157. Dendroica tigrina (Gmelin). Caps May Warsier.— Rare 
transient; May 22-80; August 27 toSeptember 12. My first acquaintance 
with this striking and usually rare warbler was on August 28, 1916, when 
an example was obtained as well as another on the thirtieth, both being 
given to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa. Two others were 
seen on the former date as well as one on September 12, making a total of 
five for that year. In the following spring they were first seen on May 22, 
and from that date to the thirtieth a total of twelve were observed, three of 
this number being obtained and again given to the Museum at Ottawa. 
In the fell they were first noticed on August 27, and from that date until 
the first of September another seven were noted, making a total of nineteen 
for 1917, or twenty-four for the two years. They were never very difficult 
to approach and could generally be found frequenting a certain restricted 
area. On one occasion I obtained a snapshot of five males and one female 
in a little tamarack tree, this female, if I remember rightly, being one of the 
only three seen out of the above total of twenty-four birds. It is a curious 
fact (not fiction) that the last example seen of this warbler in 1916 was on 
September 12, and it flew out of the very same birch tree, in which a week 
later I found the Myrtle Warbler imbibing sap (see ‘The Auk,’ vol. 34, 1917, 
pp. 484-485) from sapsucker holes. Could it have been engaged likewise 
I wonder?, for I have since learned that it has been recorded as doing so on 

‘New Providence, Bahamas, see ‘ The Auk,’ Vol. 30, 1913, p. 155. 

158. Dendroica striata (J. R. Forster). Buack-PpoLL WARBLER.— 
Rare transient; May 28. The only occasion on which I have come across 
this warbler was at Ayers Cliff — about six miles from Hatley, on the above 
date in 1917, when in a small alder bush near the junction of the river 
Tomifoby with Lake Massawippi, an adult male was seen at close quarters 
for several minutes, making identification absolutely sure. 

The elevation of this spot is only some 550 feet above sea level, which is 
a low one for migrating Black-polls in these parts I imagine, judging from 
Allen’s ‘ Birds of New Hampshire,’ 1903, pp. 57-58, 163-165, in which 
we are told that the Black-polls at all events in the central and northern 
parts of the state are only found migrating through the White Mountains 
at an elevation of 2000 to 4000 feet or more, and the same thing occurs, 
I believe, in the Green Mountains in Vermont. Judging then from my 
experience, it looks as though none of the vast multitude of Black-polls 


304 Moustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. Fars 


passing through these states reach their breeding grounds in the far north 
by way of Hatley, unless possibly by keeping to the tops of the Bunker and 
Massawippi hills at an elevation of 1400 feet, which theory I am not inclined 
to favor at present, in the absence of any further published records of the 
appearance of the birds until we reach Montreal and Quebec, my friend, 
Mr. L. M. Terrill, informing me that he did not observe it at Bury, a village 
some thirty-five miles to the northeast of Hatley. What I think is far 
more likely to be the case, is that the birds passing through New Hampshire 
branch off at Lancaster or thereabouts as their most northern point, and 
pass up through central and eastern Maine to New Brunswick, Nova 
Scotia and the Gaspé Peninsula, from whence they cross to the Magdalene 
Islands, Anticosti and Labrador, whilst those from Vermont evidently take 
a westerly course probably through the northern portion of the state of 
New York, and thence across the St. Lawrence and through Ottawa to the 
north, but this line of migration is not nearly so well defined as that through 
Maine. Dionne speaks of it as a rare migrant in spring at Quebec, Wintle 
as an irregular spring migrant at Montreal, and says he has not met with 
it in autumn, whilst Terrill writes me that he meets with it there com- 
monly in the fall, but irregularly in the spring. From this it looks as though 
the spring wave rarely reaches Quebec or Montreal, but in the fall some of 
the returning birds pass through these two places on their way south. 
This state of things seems to entirely favor my theory that Black-polls 
do not pass through Hatley or the eastern townships in the spring at all 
events, and as regards the fall when young of this species might be mis- 
taken for young of the Bay-breasted Warbler, I have on several occasions 
when any doubt, existed, shot the birds, but they have always turned out to 
belong to the latter species. Taking Montreal and Quebec as a base line 
and Hatley as the apex, the territory inside this triangle is practically 
virgin ground, and awaits its quota of good observers to settle some of these 
interesting problems. 

159. Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis (Gmelin). WaATER- 
Turusu.— Rare summer visitant, fairly common transient; May 19-28 
(summer); August 26 to September 8. My first acquaintance with this 
species was on August 26, 1916, when one example only was seen and 
obtained. In the following spring two more were obtained in May and 
given to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa, and six others seen; 
(five of this latter number at Ayers Cliff) but in the fall only one was again 
noted the same as the previous year, thus making a total of ten examples 
for the two years. Mr. Greer of Hatley Centre tells me that on one 
occasion in summer he came across a parent bird feeding young near Mas- 
sawippi Lake, and on this information I have ventured to include the bird 
as a summer visitant on rare occasions. It will be noticed that one half 
of my records were obtained at Ayers Cliff, which is in the immediate 
vicinity of the lake, and I quite think the species is more plentiful there 
owing to its damper surroundings than it is at Hatley. 

160. Anthus rubescens (Tunstall). American Piprtr.— Not com- 


a | Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 305 


mon transient; September 22-26. On the morning of September 22, 
1917, I had only crossed one field after leaving home, when I observed 
a strange bird on the fence rails, which I at once knew must either 
be a Pipit or a Wagtail from my experience of these species in the 
‘old country.’ I secured the example and found it to be an American 
Pipit. At the report of the gun another fourteen got up and started to 
fly away, but returned almost at once on my whistling them, which enabled 
me to view them at close quarters. Two days later I saw another flock of 
eleven securing one, which with the other I presented to the Victoria 
Memorial Museum at Ottawa. On the last date given above I only saw 
one example. ; 

161. Troglodytes aédon aédon (Vieillot). Houss Wren.— Rare 
transient; May 19; August 6 to September 22. In August of 1915 I got 
a fleeting glance of a wren which I took to be one of this species, but did 
not consider identification sufficiently good to include it in my 1911-1915 
list. However in the following year from August 11-15, I got on intimate 
terms with one of these birds, and visited him every day between these 
dates. He generally commenced by scolding me well, but on two occasions 
ended up with a little song, but nothing I imagine to be compared with his 
spring achievement in this line. He also had a pretty way of basking in the 
sun with his breast pressed closely to the branch or log, when he would put 
one leg under his wing, and extend it to its fullest extent. On the above 
date in May, 1917, I saw just one example which I secured and gave it to 
the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa. In the fall of the same year 
on August 6 and 10, I again saw an adult bird (practically in the same 
place each time), feed an immature well able to fly. Two other examples 
were seen, one on August 31, and the other on September 22. The above 
notes should prove interesting in view of the rareness of this wren in 
eastern Quebec, out of which no doubt it has been driven by the advent of 
the English Sparrow, the same as it was in Maine. 

162. Cistothorus stellaris (Naumann). SHorRT-BILLED Mars 
Wren.— Rare transient. May 21. On the above date in 1917, I saw one 
of these birds near a small stream running through the center of a damp 
meadow much overgrown with long rank tussocky grass and some alder 
bushes, and although I had my gun with me at the time, I must admit I 
was so surprised at seeing a new wren and one decidedly rare for these 
parts, that I failed to fire when I had the chance, and the bird slipped 
away amongst the long grass, and I was unable to find it again. In spite of 
my inability to produce the example I give the record as I know I neither 
confused it with a Winter or a House Wren, both of which I am familiar 
with, and whilst the general ochraceous buffy appearance of the bird with 
its short bill was still fresh in my mind, I went directly home (as the 
meadow was not far off) and after looking up plate No. 102 in Eaton’s 
‘Birds of New York’ 1914, I had no misgivings in my own mind that 
what I had seen was one of the above species. 

163. Penthestes hudsonicus nigricans (Chas. W. Townsend). 


306 Movstey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. [ue 


LABRADOR CHICKADEE.— Rare transient; May 14-30, September 3-21, 
(October 10 to November 12). Time was when I could not have told 
nigricans from littoralis in the field, but that is past history now, and 
probably I have had as much experience in the field with the former as any 
one, so that when a couple of Hudsonian Chickakees came into sight today, 
October 10, 1917, at close quarters, I had no difficulty in seeing that they 
were littoralis and not nigricans, not so much from the fact that their 
backs were brown instead of dusky, the caps undifferentiated, and the sides 
of a strong brown tint, but from their behavior and the tone of their 
voice, which was entirely different to that of any nigricans I have so far 
come across. The same wheezy note was certainly there but it was stronger 
and more insistent than in nigricans, which in my experience is a very 
feeble wheeze, and as regards their behavior they came close down to 
me of their own accord, and when whistled, the same as atricapillus will, 
whereas I have never been able to induce nigricans to do so, in fact it has 
always been difficult to get a shot at these latter owing to their nervous and 
restless state. In my ‘Birds of Hatley’ (Auk, Vol. XX XIII, 1916, p. 184) 
I record two Acadian Chickadees (littoralis) which from my late experi- 
ence I can now assert to be correctly named, and as regards the two Hud- 
sonian Chickadees (Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.?) (Auk, Vol. XXXIV, 
1917, pp. 215, 217). I have no hesitation in saying they were nigricans 
but as will be seen, the dates, October 10 to November 12, have been inserted 
in brackets. Returning to nigricans I first became acquainted with the 
species on May 14, 1917, when two examples were secured, and sent in 
the flesh to Dr. Townsend for verification. Two days later another was 
obtained and also sent to the same authority. These three proved to be 
adults, two males and one female. On the twenty-first three more were 
obtained and one on the thirtieth, which were all sent in the flesh and 
given to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa (proving to be two 
males and two females, see ‘The Auk,’ Vol. 34, 1917, pp. 486-487) which in- 
stitution at the time possessed only one example, and that not a Canadian 
taken one. No more were seen until the very early and no doubt record 
“ fall”? date of September 3, when two were obtained and sent to Dr. 
Townsend, but owing to a delay in the mails, they were unfortunately not 
in a fit state to preserve on arrival. Another male was secured on the 
thirteenth and again given to the Museum at Ottawa. Altogether from 
May 14 to September 21, sixteen examples were seen, and without ex- 
ception, as already stated, they were restless and difficult to approach, 
especially amongst the firs which they always frequented either alone, or in 
the company of flocks of Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, generally 
the former. 


her aia | Movustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 307 


SYNOPSIS OF PRINCIPAL Events. YEARS 1916-1917. 
1916. 


Pine Grosbeaks again made their appearance after an absence of 
three years. Evening Grosbeaks also seen. Black-throated Blue 
and Black-throated Green Warblers found breeding. Cedar 
Waxwings unusually plentiful and nesting in small communities. 
Goldfinches also plentiful and seen for the first time in every month 
of the year. Red-eyed Vireos more numerous again, than during 
the past three years, other vireos rare or absent. 

Kingbirds very scarce. Olive-backed Thrush found breeding 
for the second time. Purple Finches more numerous than ever 
before. Sharp-shinned Hawk wintered at Hatley. Bronzed 
Grackles first invaded Hatley Village and nested there. Obtained 
a fine example of Wilson’s Warbler, second one only seen in seven 
years. Found Myrtle and Black-throated Blue Warblers taking 
sap from sapsucker holes, and possibly the Cape May as well. 
White-winged Crossbills seen for the first time, and a female ob- 
tained on the early date of August 31. Nashville Warbler and 
Water-Thrush also seen for the first time. Black-capped Chick- 
adees and White-breasted Nuthatches more plentiful than usual. 


1917. 


Evening and Pine Grosbeaks again present, the flocks consisting 
of a much larger proportion of full plumaged males than usual. 
Early date for arrival of Savannah Sparrow, March 30. One 
example of Short-billed Marsh Wren seen May 21. White- 
crowned Sparrow unusually numerous. Nashville and Black- 
burnian Warblers found breeding for the first time, also Meadow- 
lark, Red-headed Woodpecker and Marsh Hawk, the latter on 
May 10, an early date for this species. Obtained first spring 
records for Cape May and Nashville Warblers, also Wilson’s Snipe, 
and first fall records for Woodcock and Yellow Palm Warbler, the 
first being the second bird only (Woodcock) seen in seven years. 
Black-poll (one only) and Tennessee Warblers (four) seen for the 


308 Movustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. ae 


first time. Pair of Indigo Buntings seen on June 4, the second 
only in seven years. Migrant Shrikes spreading and three pairs 
located breeding as against one only in previous years. Late date 
for departure of Cedar Waxwings, October 9. 

Obtained a small series of Dr. Townsend’s new subspecies, the 
Labrador Chickadee, both in spring and fall, the early date of 
September 3 being no doubt a record one for the latter season. 
Two Acadian Chickadees seen on October 11, making four only for 
seven years. Northern Shrikes somewhat numerous at the end of 
October. One Yellow Palm Warbler seen on November 8, a late 
date, which remark also applies to a Crow seen on December 6. 
Two Briinnich’s Murres shot on the Massawippi river on December 
10, after an easterly gale. Months of November and December 
noticeable for the almost entire absence of winter birds. 


For the convenience of those wishing to see at a glance, exactly 
what birds may be found at Hatley, I have prepared the following 
list, marking with an asterisk the seventy-seven species, whose 
nests, eggs or young have actually been found, and with a dagger 
the fifteen, some of which are known, and others believed to 
breed more or less regularly, but whose nests, eggs or young have 
so far escaped detection. It may also be mentioned that of this 
list thirteen species are Residents, seventy-four Summer Visitants, 
sixty-four Transient Visitants, whilst the balance or remaining 
twelve are Winter Visitants. 


Pied-billed Grebe Canada Goose 

Loon American Bittern* 
Briinnich’s Murre Great Blue Heron 
Kittiwake Little Green Heron 
Herring Gull Black-crowned Night Heron 
American Merganser Virginia Rail 
Red-breasted Merganser Sora* 

Hooded Merganser American Woodcock 
Black Duck Wilson’s Snipe 
Green-winged Teal Pectoral Sandpiper 
Blue-winged Teal Least Sandpiper 

Wood Duck Semipalmated Sandpiper 
American Golden-eye Greater Yellow-legs 
American Scoter Yellow-legs 


Snow Goose Solitary Sandpiper 


Vol. rican 
1918 


Bartramian Sandpiper* 
Spotted Sandpiper* 
Kulldeer 

Semipalmated Plover 
Canada Spruce Grouset 
Canada Ruffed Grouse* 
Turkey Vulture 

Marsh Hawk* 
Sharp-shinned Hawkj 
Goshawk 

Red-tailed Hawk 
Red-shouldered Hawk* 
Bald Eagle 

Pigeon Hawk 

Sparrow Hawk* 

Osprey 

Long-eared Owl* 
Short-eared Owl 

Barred Owlt 

Great Grey Owl 
Richardson’s Owl 
Saw-whet Owlt 

Sereech Owl 

Great Horned Owlt 
Snowy Owl 

Hawk Owl 

Black-billed Cuckoo* 
Belted Kingfisher* 

Hairy Woodpecker* 
Downy Woodpecker* 
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker* 
Northern Pileated Woodpeckert 
Red-headed Woodpecker* 
Northern Flicker* 
Whip-poor-willft 
Nighthawk 

Chimney Swift* 
Ruby-throated Hummingbirdt 
Kingbird* 

Crested Flycatcher* 
Pheebe* 

Wood Peweet 
Yellow-bellied Flycatchert 
Alder Flycatcher* 

Least Flycatcher* 


Movustey, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 309 


Prairie Horned Lark* 
Magpie 

Blue Jay* 

Canada Jay 

Crow* 

Bobolink* 

Cowbird* 

Red-winged Blackbird* 
Meadowlark* 
Baltimore Oriole* 
Rusty Blackbird 
Bronzed Grackle* 
Evening Grosbeak 
Pine Grosbeak 

Purple Fincht 

English Sparrow* 
American Crossbill 
White-winged Crossbill 
Redpoll 

Goldfinch* 

Pine Siskin* 

Snow Bunting 

Vesper Sparrow* 
Savannah Sparrow* 
White-crowned Sparrow 
White-throated Sparrow* 
Tree Sparrow 
Chipping Sparrow* 
Slate-colored Junco* 
Song Sparrow* 

Swamp Sparrow* 

Fox Sparrow 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak* 
Indigo Bunting* 
Scarlet Tanager* 
Purple Martin 

Cliff Swallow* 

Barn Swallow* 

Tree Swallow* 

Bank Swallow* 

Cedar Waxwing* 
Northern Shrike 
Migrant Shrike* 
Red-eyed Vireo* 
Warbling Vireo* 
Yellow-throated Vireo* 


Auk 


310 Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. July 


Blue-headed Vireo* 

Black and White Warbler* 
Nashville Warbler* 
Tennessee Warbler 
Northern Parula Warbler* 
Cape May Warbler 
Yellow Warbler* 
Black-throated Blue Warbler* 
Myrtle Warbler* 
Magnolia Warbler* 
Chestnut-sided Warbler* 
Bay-breasted Warbler 
Black-poll Warbler 
Blackburnian Warbler* 
Black-throated Green Warbler* 
Pine Warbler 

Yellow Palm Warbler 
Ovenbird* 

Water-Thrush* 

Maryland Yellow-throat* 
Wilson’s Warbler 


Canada Warbler* 
Redstart* 
American Pipit 
Catbird* 
House Wren 
Winter Wren* 
Short-billed Marsh Wren 
Brown Creepert 
White-breasted Nuthatchf 
Red-breasted Nuthatcht 
Chickadee* 
Acadian Chickadeet 
Labrador Chickadee 
Golden-crowned Kinglet 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 
Veery* 
Olive-backed Thrush* 
Hermit Thrush* 
Robin* 
Bluebird* 

(163 species) 


HOME LIFE OF THE VESPER SPARROW AND THE 
HERMIT THRUSH. 


BY E. M. AND W. A. PERRY.! 


ONE summer at Douglas Lake, Michigan, the Biological Station 
of the University of Michigan, we had an opportunity of studying 
the nesting habits of the Vesper Sparrow and the Hermit Thrush. 
The results of my observations are presented below. 


I. 


THE VESPER SPARROW. 


One usually associates the Vesper Sparrow with large, grassy 
fields and dusty roadsides. The region in which I made my study 


1 Observations were made by E. M. Perry, article was prepared by W. A. Perry. 


— 


Meera amal Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. rap 
was of a very different character. It had been cleared of the origi- 
nal forest of pines, and further denuded by forest fires. The ground 
was still strewn with charred logs and stumps. Here and there a 
tall, charred skeleton of a tree trunk towered high in the air. The 
living vegetation consisted of scattered tufts of blue grass; shrubby 
growths of aspen, huckleberry, sumac, and bracken, and a few 
taller trees of oak, aspen, and maple. One of the two nests that I 
observed was quite well hidden by a small blackberry bush, some 
tall blue grass, and a few brackens; the other was under the 
drooping branches of a sumac. 

Previous to the hatching, I used to visit the nests every day. 
They were simple structures consisting of shallow basins in the 
earth, made by the sparrows themselves; a coarse lining of the 
stems of bracken; and a softer lining of blue grass. Four white, 
brown-blotched eggs were laid in each nest. Only three of the 
four eggs hatched in each. 

As soon as the first bird began to peck its way out of the shell, 
I devoted from six to nine hours a day for eight days to observation. 
I used as a point of vantage a blind, or tent, four feet square, 
pitched within about thirty inches of the nests under observation. 
T had cut a slit three or four inches long in the side toward the nests 
for an observation window, and another, lower down, for the 
protrusion of the camera lens. I had to avoid making the slightest 
noise or any movement across the window. 

In order to determine the duties of the different sexes, I tried to 
distinguish the male from the female; but that is not an easy 
matter when the plumages are practically identical. After a day 
or two, however, I found that I could differentiate the parents by 
the shade of the back feathers, or the loss of such prominent ones 
as the white outer tail feathers. J am not sure that my distinction 
of the sexes was correct, but I give the results of my observation 
according to that distinction. 

From the first the sparrows were clean nest-keepers. Their 
work began as soon as the young cast aside the shells. These were 
not allowed to litter the nest, nor were they scattered carelessly 
about. They were simply eaten by the parents while at the nest. 
One parent did take a shell some few feet away from the nest before 
eating it. The shell seemed brittle and broke into many fine bits. 
These were all carefully picked up. Ants were numerous and 


[ Auk 


al2 Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. July 


were a'ways crawling through the lining and into the nest. I often 
used to see the’parents perched on the nest, with most of the upper 
part of the body hidden as they searched through the wall for re- 
treating ants. Frequently the wind blew bits of leaves or grass 
into the nest. These were never allowed to remain. The excreta 
of the young never soiled the home; it was eaten by the parent as 
soon as the nestling evacuated it. from the cloaca. Consequently 
the nest looked as clean when the family left as it did the first day 
of its use. 

Another duty of the sparrow parents was that of brooding, 
The greater amount of this was done by the one I took to be the 
female. In the second nest neither parent did much brooding, 
but the male did none. During the hottest part of the day the 
female, her mouth agape, often stood up in the nest with wings 
outspread to keep the heat of the sun from the nestlings. While I 
was observing the first nest, there was a heavy, driving rain storm 
that lasted nearly two hours. The female did duty then. She 
brooded facing the storm, the water running off her back in rivulets. 
She was a drenched bird when the storm decreased and the dry 
male came to relieve her. The nestlings, however, were perfectly 
dry. 

A third duty was that of feeding the young. The parents were 
kept busy bringing food on an average of every twenty minutes for 
the first few days. This interval decreased to ten by the fifth day, 
and then slightly increased to the seventh day. In the first nest 
the ratio of feeding was 11:7 in favor of the female, in the second, 
it was 2:1. The parents brought grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, 
sawfly larvee, and some hairy larve I could not identify. I rather 
thought they selected small specimens when the birds were small. 
At times, however, they brought such large grasshoppers, with legs 
and wings missing, that the young could swallow them only with 
much struggling. The parent bird always placed the food well 
down the throat of the nestling by inserting its own mandible into 
the mouth. Often the nestling still held its mouth agape after the 
food had been placed in it and did not seem able to swallow for a 
few seconds. The mother of one of the families had a difficult 
task in getting any of the nestlings to swallow a large brown cater- 
pillar. She placed it into mouth after mouth and then tried all 


eae | Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. ols 


over again. The larva by this time was torn and dripping. One of 
the nestlings findly swallowed it in this condition. 

A fourth duty had to do with guarding the nest. In order to 
keep the location of the nest a secret, the parents rarely flew 
directly to the nest or away from it. Even when they were fright- 
ened, they usually took time to hop away a short distance before 
flying. They approached the nest by comparatively definite 
routes. They would alight some ten or fifteen feet away. Then 
they would hop up slowly, stopping now and then on some observa- 
tion point, such as a stump or fallen log, look around, call “ Neen, 
neen,” and then hop up on one particular side of the nest’s rim. 

All the activities of the parents seemed to be part of a definite 
routine. This call, “Neen, neen,” seemed to be a signal call. If 
one of the pair was at the nest when the other called, it hurriedly 
left. Both parents were never found at the nest at the same time 
during my observation. I have even seen-a parent engaged in 
feeding, leave without completing the task when this call was 
given by the other. Each parent waited after feeding the nestling 
for it to mute, and then seizing the excreta, would either swallow 
it or leave with it in the mandibles. After feeding the nestlings, 
the parent sometimes brooded until compelled to leave at the call, 
“Neen, neen.” There was no variation in their routine except in 
the intervals between feedings, a decrease in the amount of time 
spent in brooding, and the breaking of the schedule caused by 
storms or other interruptions beyond their control. 

One day in the first nest, the brooding female flew directly from 
the nest. This was such a pronounced breaking of custom that I 
craned my neck to see what exceptional event could warrant the 
act. I saw her a few feet away trailing her wings on the ground as 
if injured. A short distance from her was a garter snake. I could 
not wait to see the outcome of what seemed like a pending tragedy, 
but killed the enemy immediately. Realizing that my observations 
might come to a premature end if another snake should be in search 
of a dinner while I was absent, I placed around the nest a circular 
fence of close-meshed wire 18 inches high and about 10 feet in 
diameter. I then thought that this would keep out snakes. I now 
doubt its efficiency. 

Soon after I had placed this fence around the nest, the male 


Fs 


314 Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. Taly 


approached in the usual manner of hopping toward the nest. When 
he reached the fence, he ran around it looking for an opening. He 
had to do this several times before he felt positive that he could 
not get through. He then became alarmed, and disappeared from 
my view for about twenty-four hours. The female was more 
determined than the male. It took her two hours before she felt 
convinced that there was no opening. She then flew over. My 
day was drawing to an end. So I picked up my camera, pocketed 
my note book, and went home, feeling confident that I had pro- 
vided against the danger of further snake enemies, and that the 
female now knew how to reach her young. 

‘The next morning when I came to the nest, I found what I feared 
was a castastrophe. There lay three cold, limp, apparently lifeless 
birds. I cast aside the fence and entered my tent, heartsick. 
The nestlings had been starved and unbrooded all the chill night 
through. In a little while the female came to the nest and in her 
efficient manner proceeded with the only sane treatment possible. 
She brooded in a quiet, untiring way for four uninterrupted hours. 
Finally hunger drove her forth. Then, still feeling guilty, I looked 
in and found all three nestlings able to move about. By noon 
they were again keeping the parent busy bringing food, and since 
the male did not appear all day, it was a double task for her. 

The second family also had a snake visitor that I had to kill. 
There seems little doubt that many young birds, especially those 
that live in nests on the ground provide food for snakes. Even 
after they leave the nest, they are likely to be attacked. I visited 
the first nest the day after the nestlings left. I had about decided 
that there was nothing to see but the chirping parents in the near- 
by trees, when I heard a screaming “ Zee, zee,” and saw the parents 
flying about in distress. Hurrying out, I found a nestling held in a 
snake’s jaw. The snake wriggled away, and the bird lost itself in 
the grass. I felt that the snake would come back. So I waited 
until I again heard the call. This time I succeeded in killing the 
snake and in capturing the bird. It had a jagged tear on its thigh 
where the snake’s teeth had held it. I put it in the nest, but it 
would not stay. 

The objects of all this parental care and of much of my interest 
were hatched blind and entirely naked, with the exception of a row 
of short down feathers extending from the crown of the head to the 


vac ee Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. 315 
tail. They were able from the first to raise their large heads on 
their long, wobbly necks, and open their mouths for food. In fact, 
they seemed able to do this before the down had scarcely dried. 
They soon became rather active, ill-mannered, aggressive nestlings, 
squabbling over their food. Their bodies began to be marked with 
distinct feather tracts. On the third day the wing pins had broken 
through the skin. Their eyes began to open about this time, and 
they could make a faint call. This became a loud “zee, zee” by 
the sixth day. They no longer remained quietly huddled in the 
bottom of the nest, but began to assume a definite position, with 
their heads resting on the rims of the nest, their breasts against 
the sides, and their claws firmly clasped in the lining. When they 
raised their heads and opened their mouths, they looked like a 
bowl of queer flowers. Now and then they stood up and flapped 
their wings. When they were six days old, they began to preen 
their bursting feathers. This they did by seizing each feather at 
the base, and drawing the mandibles over it toward the apex. 
This helped to remove the dried sheath. 

In order to estimate the rapidity of their growth, I weighed 
them every day. Since they soon became too active to keep on 
the scale pan, I made a cheese cloth bag to put them in while I 
weighed them. To distinguish one from another, I marked them 
with paint on different parts of the body. Having the birds 
marked also gave me an opportunity of determining if the parents 
fed them impartially. I decided that they fed indiscriminately. 
The nestling stretching out its neck the longest, received the most 
food. In spite of this, however, the following table shows an 
approximately equal increase in the weight of each of the three. 


TABLE I. 


SHOWING WEIGHT IN GRAMS OF NESTLINGS FROM DAY TO DAY. 


Date July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 
Bird I 2.92 4.82 7.48 9.07 
Bird II 2.85 4.76 (28 8.87 
Bird III 2.66 4.23 5.83 8.48 
Number of timesfood 16 23 27 35 
was brought to nest 
Weather Warm Cool Cool Clear 


Clear Cloudy Cloudy Cool 


316 Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. (oe 


July 
Table I continued. 
Date July 23 July 24 July 25 July 26 
Bird I 13.41 15.62 16.98 17.30 
Bird II 13.22 14.97 16.01 left nest. 
Bird III 12.23 14.45 16.88 16.88 
Number of timesfood 50 46 29 
was brought to nest 

Weather Rainy Rainy Cloudy Clear 

Rained Threatening 

in A.M. 


When the nestlings were eight days old, although they were not 
well feathered, the parents coaxed them from the nest. This. 
they accomplished by calling “Chirp, chirp” near the nest, some- 
times with and sometimes without food in their mandibles, and then 
waiting until a nestling hopped out. As soon as the nestling 
approached, they retreated a few feet and then again waited. If 
the nestling seemed disinclined to continue following, the parents. 
went back near it and again called “Chirp.” The nestling would 
probably start to follow. By a continuation of this process the 
parents of both nests enticed the young from the homes into the 
surrounding grass and shrubs while they were still unable to fly, 
and their only method of locomotion consisted of clumsy hopping. 
I could now see why the young had begun to assume the position I 
have before mentioned. This is the preparatory position for 
climbing out of the nest. Since the young seemed so helpless, I 
several times put them back into the nest. They only screamed 
when I touched them and again hopped out, ready for the adventures. 
of the world. 


Ta: 
THe Hermit THRUSH. 


The nest of the Hermit Thrush was about a mile from those of 
the Vesper Sparrows. It was on much lower ground, near a bog. 
The vegetation was similar, except that the trees were much taller. 
It was placed in a shallow depression of the sandy soil, at the bases. 
of a dwarf honeysuckle and several tall brackens, and extended 
above the surface of the ground about an inch and a half. It. 


Vel in| Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. OLt 


was much more neatly constructed than were the sparrows’ nests. 
The same building materials were used bracken stems and blue, 
grass, with the addition of a lining of pine needles. A few oak 
leaves on the margin helped to hide it from view, since the sur- 
rounding surface, too, was strewn with oak leaves. The nest 
contained four greenish blue eggs when I first discovered it. 

As soon as the eggs began to hatch, I had the tent pitched and 
began to study this family as I had studied the spatrows. My 
first discovery was that I had a much shyer bird with which to deal. 
I sat through the first day, waiting in vain for the parents to take 
care of their young. Neither one came to the nest from morning 
till noon, nor from noon until5 P. M. All I saw for my watching 
was four weak heads raised every now and then on unsteady necks, 
and four yellow, opened mouths close unfed. Fearing that the 
parents might desert the nest, I left at5 P.M. Toward evening I 
returned. The nestlings were cold, and had not been fed or brooded, 
I believe, since I left. I had the blind removed. Since the young 
were warm and in good condition the next morning, I had the blind 
pitched a second time. This time I cut a few leafy branches and 
placed them over the window end, to cover up any perceptible 
movement across the slit. I accomplished little more the second 
day than I had on the first. The parents approached the nest 
with food, but never became quite courageous enough to enter the 
home. On the third day I found that the parents had decided to 
conduct the affairs of their household regardless of the introduction 
of a staring white tent right beside their nest. 

I could not distinguish the parents from each other until the 
fifth day. I then found that one had a much grayer back, lores, 
and mid-tail feathers than the other. I called this the male. 

Their manner of conducting their home duties was so similar 
to that of the sparrows that they might well have been the same 
family. For a while I felt that they were not such clean nest- 
keepers. One of the nestlings had died the second day from a 
rupture near the anal opening, and was left in the nest until it 
swarmed with ants that came to feed upon it. On the fifth day, 
while I was away, it and all the excrement that had been allowed 
to accumulate were removed. No doubt this apparent laxity was 
due to the birds being disturbed. From then on, at any rate, 
everything was kept clean. The Hermit Thrushes removed the 


[nae 


318 Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. Tuly, 


excreta, ants and egg-shells just as the sparrows did. The female 
did most of the brooding. Neither parent did much. The female 
also did the greater part of the feeding. The food selected by the 
parents for the young consisted entirely of insects either in the larval 
or adult state. Katydids, grasshoppers, crickets, sawfly larve, 
robber flies, a few hairy caterpillars, and a moth or two made up 
their food. I noticed such a variation in the gain in weight of the 
different nestlings that I marked them on the head with paint in 
such a way as to distinguish one from the other, so that I could 
determine whether the parents fed impartially. Table II shows the 
number of times, from August 7 until August 9, that each bird 
was fed. 


Tasie II. 
FEEDING PERIOD. 


Each figure in the table gives number of feedings for each period. 


Period of August 7 August 8 August 8 August 9 
Observation 1:20-3:00 7: 05-11: 15 12: 15-3:0 7: 05-10: 30 Total 
Bird I 4 11 4 5 24 
Bird II 5 12 2 10 29 
Bird III 3 9 4 3 19 
Total 12 32 10 18 72 


Fach figure in the table gives number of feedings for each period. 
The parents fed indiscriminately. Bird III did not receive as 
many feedings as the others and therefore lost a greater amount in 
weight. Bird II received the most feedings and his weight from 
August 7 to 9 shows a gradual increase. Table III shows the share 
each parent took in caring for the young in so far as I was able to 
distinguish them. I could not distinguish them until the fifth 
day. 

Their method of approaching and leaving their nest was like 
that of the sparrows. The first few days neither parent gave a call 
when approaching, and it was only by close watching that I could 
tell that they had visited the nest. Often, however, they gave a 
deep, throaty “Cluck” when on the nest’s rim. Soon they began 
to give a robin like “Chirp” or a “ Neink, neink” call, when some 
distance from the nest. This was taken by the bird on the nest as 
a signal to leave. One day the male was having difficulty inducing 


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319 


320 Perry, Vesper Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. [suty 


any of the nestlings to swallow a green hairy larva, and in the midst 
of his difficulty the female’s call of “neink, neink” sounded. The 
male picked up the larva that had fallen from his mouth, and 
hurried away, just as the female reached the nest. After she had 
left, he came back with the same caterpillar he had taken away. 
I noted only one exception to this rule that the parent at the nest 
leave at the approach of the other. This time the male reached 
the nest carrying a large katydid in his mandibles. He spread out 
his wings and raised his crown feathers as if in anger, and pecked 
at the brooding female. She took the katydid from his mandibles 
and left by the usual route. 

- | thought the young Hermit Thrushes a little handsomer than the 
sparrow nestlings. They had long, black, downy feathers on the 
dorsal tract; yellow skins; and orange linings to their mouths. 
They began to make a faint call, “Tsit” on the second day. By 
the time they were four days old, the wing pins had pierced the skin, 
and all the other tracts on the body were pronounced. Their eyes: 
began to open on the fifth day. They began to preen their feathers. ~ 
on the ninth day. By the eleventh day they were much mottled 
birds. The feathers were fuscous, and ochraceous buff, on the 
upper parts; their tail feathers all buff; the wing feathers buff 
on one vane, and ochraceous on the others; the throat and breast. 
were streaked with black; and the under parts were creamy white. 
As they grew older, they were just as greedy as their coarser cousins, 
the sparrows, and screamed and stretched out their bodies toward 
the parent bringing the food. Table IV shows the variation in 
their weights from day to day. 


TABLE LY. 


WEIGHT OF YOUNG IN GRAMS. 


Date July 30 July 31 Aug. 1 Aug. 2 Aug. 3 Aug. 4 
Bird I 4.99 4.80 6.35 9.72 14.52 16. 25: 
Bird II >. 18 4.34 6.80 9.53 14.26 16.31 
Bird III 5.83 Dot 8.42 ORAZ hfs). Sill 18.45 
Bird IV 4.7 4.00 Died 


Date Aug. 5 Aug. 6 Aug. 7 Aug. 8 Aug. 9 
Bird I 268 23.18 25.95 23.62 23.62 
Bird II 19.04 21.48 22.92 26.21 26.59 
Bird III 20.58 23.28 29.77 25.56 23. 94- 


eo | Husss, Nuttall’s Sparrow in California. o21 


Although it was raining on the twelfth day, the nestlings began 
to climb out of their nest. The parents encouragingly chirped to 
them, a few feet away. I put the first one back. Although I had 
handled it every day while weighing it, now it screamed with 
fear. The parents forgot their timidity and flew down angrily 
close to my head, making a queer clicking noise. It was useless 
to try to prevent these little wanderers from leaving the nest. 
Although weather conditions were unfavorable, and they could 
not fly, they had to leave. The nest cycle of twelve days had 
been completed. 


THE DISTRIBUTION OF NUTTALL’S SPARROW IN 
CALIFORNIA. 


BY CARL L. HUBBS. 


Durine the months of May, June, and July, 1916, the writer 
was engaged in a collecting trip along the central California coast. 
During the trip observations were repeatedly made on Zonotrichia 
leucophrys nuttalli, as it soon became apparent that the peculiarly 
restricted distribution of this sparrow had not received the full 
attention that its significance deserves. These detailed records 
are briefly presented, as they are used to establish and justify the 
generalizations that follow. 

This White-crowned Sparrow breeds in the humid region along 
the Pacific Coast, occupying an area south of that inhabited by 
Z. 1. gambeli. The latter subspecies migrates southward to Cali- 
fornia in large numbers, whereas Z. /. nuttalli undertakes no ex- 
tensive latitudinal migration, merely occupying a slightly wider 
range during the winter months than in the breeding season. 

. DerinitE Recorps.— Dr. Grinnell has recorded the status of 
Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli in California as follows: “Common 
resident of the narrow humid coast belts’”;! “breeds south from 
Humboldt Bay through the San Francisco and Monterey Bay 


1 Grinnell, Pacific Coast Avifauna, 3, 1902, p. 52. 


322 Husss, Nuttall’s Sparrow in California. [nae 


regions, regularly at least to Port Hartford... .sparingly to Santa 
Barbara. Occurs scatteringly in winter beyond these limits, 
interiorly to McCloud River” and the San Joaquin Valley, “and 
southerly to Los Angeles” and vicinity; there has also been noted 
“a regular local migration within Marin County from the seacoast, 
where it breeds abundantly, to the interior, as at San Geronimo, 
where it winters plentifully.” + It also winters abundantly in its 
breeding zone, for instance near Monterey. 

Z. |. nuttalli occurs on the terrace between the hills of the San 
Francisco Peninsula and the sea. Near Monterey it bred abun- 
dantly in the tree lupines about Point Pinos before the improvement 
of this area; it entered the pine forests only in the open places near 
their coastwise margins. Along the southern shores of Monterey 
County the mountains of the Coast Range rise precipitously from 
the sea,— here our sparrow is “abundant in the narrow belt of 
yellow lupine (Lupinus arboreus) which lies along the coast from 
Monterey to San Carpojo [in northernmost San Louis Obispo 
County]. Also found as far inland as the blue lupine extends, 
which is sometimes two or three miles up the canyons on the shady 
side. Found nowhere else.’? At one point along this rugged 
coast there is a terrace, about a half mile wide, between the cliffs 
and the mountains; this.terrace is called “ Pacific Valley,” because 
it is the only level land in the region. A post office called Gorda 
is situated here, and at this secluded place the writer had the good 
fortune to observe Nuttall’s Sparrow in the height of its breeding 
season, when its pleasant little song added life to the rough shore 
line. Although time did not permit searching for them, a number 
of fresh nests were stumbled onto at the edge of the cliffs: May 17, 
one nest with three, and one with two eggs, both placed between 
‘one and two feet from the ground in thick clumps of sage (Artemisia 
californica); May 18, one nest with two eggs, and another with 
two newly hatched young and one egg, both placed lower than two 
feet in sage; lastly a nest with two eggs, located two feet. high in a 
blue lupine. This sparrow was entirely absent from the slope of 
the adjacent mountains, even at their bases, whether timbered or 
not (May 19). 


1 Grinnell, ibid., 11, 1915, p. 117. ° 
2 Jenkins, Condor, 8, 1906, p. 128. 


? 


mole ey Husss, Nuttall’s Sparrow in California. O20 


Further observations were made on this White-crowned Sparrow 
south of Monterey County during the summer, and while no fresh 
nests were found, it was abundant in all suitable localities south- 
ward to Point Conception. That the species was actually within 
its breeding range wherever found is evident from the following 
facts. The records were all taken before the end of July, and it is 
doubtful if migration en masse had occurred, especially as the sub- 
species makes no extensive migrations at all. The sparrow was 
not observed back of its breeding zone, nor on the narrow barriers 
which cut its range at several points, thus indicating that the breed- 
ing area was still being occupied. Finally at the various southern 
record stations to be given, both adults and half-grown young were 
seen; the bob-tailed young near Point Arguello, for instance, 
could hardly have moved far south along the wind swept coast. 
The following records then, are doubtless all within the breeding 
records of the subspecies. 

Many individuals were seen in the sandy Artemisia-Lupinus 
belt about Piedras Blancas (May 31), but none were found near-by 
where the coast line is hilly (June 1-5), and none were seen in the 
pine forests near Cambria (May 29). Adults and half-grown birds 
were plentiful in the sand dune region just north of Morro Rock, 
but absent in the marshy area about the mouth of Morro Creek; 
at the town of Morro they were seen busily picking up scraps about 
the wharves and the huts of the fishermen, who are well acquainted 
with the bird; both adults and half-grown young were further 
abundantly observed on the sage covered plain skirting the east 
shore of Morro Bay, north of the marshy mouth of Los Osos Creek; 
they were not found on the adjacent hill-slopes (June 6-9). 

The record-stations given in the preceding paragraph are in San 
Luis Obispo County. From the same county Willett! has pub- 
lished a note on this form. He wrote: “The commonest of the 
smaller land birds was the Nuttall Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys 
nuttalli) which was breeding abundantly in the low brush from the 
water’s edge to a mile or more back into the hills and canyons” 
(near Port Hartford). The writer observed the species in the 
same locality but did not find it in the hills (May 23-29). It was 


1 Condor, 11, 1909, p. 185. 


324 Husss, Nuttall’s Sparrow in California. ae 
apparently breeding along the edge of the cliffs between Port 
Hartford and Pismo (May 24). Both adults and half-grown were 
common at Oceano in the sandy regions, among the “forests” of 
blue lupine which attain here a height of 6 to 8 feet (June 11-12). 

The hilly coast line about Point Sal (June 14-17) cuts in two the 
range of this bird, which appears again in the sand dunes a few 
miles further south, near the station Casmalia, Santa Barbara 
County (June 14). At Surf (Lompoc Junction), this sparrow is 
very common in the sand dunes and along the tracks of the rail- 
road (June 18, 22); it is also common at Arguello station near 
Point Arguello where young with rectrices but half developed were 
seen (June 19-21); they are absent in such places as the high cliff 
“Espada” near Sudden. 

About Point Conception Z. 1. nuttalli is the commonest bird on 
the terrace between the hills and the wave swept cliffs; among 
those seen were a number of young of the year (July 13-17). 

Just around Point Conception, the rolling hills, rising from the 
shore line to the mountains, form the terminal barrier to the dis- 
tribution of the species. A single summer record has been pub- 
lished, based on observations made farther to the east or south. 
Bowles! noted two pairs near Santa Barbara: “One pair was 
feeding some bob-tailed young, evidently newly out of the nest, 
while the second pair showed every evidence of having a nest, 
though we failed to locate it.’ Had Mr. Bowles been near Point 
Conception, only forty miles east, he could have found not only 
two, but a hundred or more pairs. The writer spent a whole day 
(July 8) searching the various types of habitat between the shore 
and the foothills near Santa Barbara, and failed to find a single 
individual of the species. Its absence was still more striking along 
the coast near Goleta, for here its favorite breeding grounds, sandy 
soil overgrown with sage, and some (rather low) blue lupines, were 
wholly unfrequented by the sparrow, although scarcely more than 
thirty miles away it was abundant. Similar observations were 
made at numerous other points along the entire Channel coast 
south to middle Ventura County (June 23-July 12). 


1 Auk, 28, 1911, p. 174 (the only definite record the writer has found, based on observa- 
tions south of Port Hartford, San Luis Obispo County). 


eel Husss, Nuttall’s Sparrow in California. 329 

SUMMARY AND CoNcLUSION.— One may stand on Point Concep- 
tion with Nuttall’s Sparrows hopping about almost at his feet and 
look eastward along the Channel shore which harbors only rare 
stragglers of that bird; he may then turn northwest toward the 
splendid coast line which curves out to the headland of Point 
Arguello and see other abundantly populated habitats of the sub- 
species. Such sights impress one with the reality of the problems 
of distribution. 

Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli, as its relatively dark colors and 
small size indicate, is an inhabitant of the humid coast in Cali- 
fornia. Many subspecies of birds with these common characters, 
as is well known, are confined to this belt. These other birds, how- 
ever, have a range less restricted transversely, because they dwell 
in the forests ! covering the coastwise hills and mountains, but more 
restricted longitudinally, for these forests of the coast area of the 
transition zone extend southward only to Cambria, the “City of 
the Pines” in northern San Louis Obispo County. Nuttall’s 
Sparrow, on the other hand, shuns the forest and dwells along the 
wind-swept coast, nesting near the ground in low plants. It is 
usually commonest in sandy regions, and is closely associated with 
certain plants, particularly the large lupines and the sage-brush. 
In certain canyons the Sparrow is recorded as ranging inland during 
the breeding season as far as two or three miles, but we did not find 
it so far back; elsewhere it is confined to the coast line — the sand 
dunes and the first terrace above the cliffs — seldom occurring as 
far inland as a mile, and seldom higher than about three hundred 
feet above the sea. In brief, the distribution of Z. 1. nuttalli in 
California may be regarded as practically linear.2 It does not 
inhabit the hillsides, and its range is divided at many points where 
the waves cut directly into the hills. It also shuns all marshy 
ground, and is replaced here by Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia, 
subsp.), the distribution of the two being notably complementary. 

Though its range is restricted so closely, Z. /. nuttalli is uniformly 
the dominant bird in its particular habitat during its breeding 


1The marsh-inhabiting land birds, such as the Song Sparrows, have also notably narrow 
ranges, but their nearest relatives, unlike those of Nuttall’s Sparrow, are found in the 
adjacent highlands. . 

2 In Washington, Nuttall’s Sparrow has a much wider breeding range than in California. 


326 Bowtes, The Limicole of Washington. [uty 


season, at least along the California coast south of San Francisco. 
The species continues abundant along the coast south to Point 
Conception, where its range ends almost as abruptly as though this 
promontory were the ‘Land’s End’ of California, instead of a 
sharp angle in a continued coast line. 

The cause of this sudden termination of the distribution of 
Nuttall’s Sparrow is not hard to postulate, when we recall that 
this subspecies has the characters of birds frequenting humid 
regions. The outer coast of California is swept by moisture laden 
winds, causing fogs to form continually during the summer on the 
hills. These winds blow hard across Point Conception almost 
uninterruptedly during the spring and summer months, but cease 
just around the Point, where the famously sunny cliniate of Santa 
Barbara is encountered, and there the range of Zonotrichia lI. 
nuttallc is abruptly terminated. 


THE LIMICOLZ OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. 
BY J. H. BOWLES. 


APOLOGIES are seldom in good order when presenting a subject 
for scientific consideration, but the writer of this paper feels that 
something of the kind is necessary, perhaps, to justify him for 
offering the following more or less fragmentary notes. However, 
this most interesting family of birds has, of necessity, received so 
little attention in this northwestern corner of the United States 
that what little has been obtained may seem worthy of placing on 
record. 

For one reason or another it has seemed best to omit practically 
all of the older records, the data here given being made up from 
either the personal observations of the writer, or from specimens 
concerning which he feels absolutely positive. Unless otherwise 
specified, all of these notes come from the west, or ocean side, of the 
Cascade Mountains, the counties of Chehalis, Clallam, Jefferson, 
and Pacific bordering on the Pacific Ocean itself. Tacoma, in 


AL a aadl| Bowtes, The Limicole of Washington. o20 


Pierce County, is situated on Commencement Bay, which is the 
beginning of Puget Sound farthest inland, while Seattle, in King 
County, is some thirty miles farther down the Sound. Dungeness 
is in Clallam, Gray’s Harbor and Westport in Chehalis, with 
Willapa Harbor in Pacific County. East of the mountains is 
Kiona, in Benton County, and Brook Lake and Moses Lake in 
Douglas County, all three locations being of a sagebrush and 
alkaline character. 

It will be of interest to state that the year 1913 was remarkable 
for the immense flight of shorebirds, both spr’ng and fall, while in 
1915 there were practically none at all. 

I am greatly indebted to Mr. Carl Lien for all of the notes from 
Jefferson County and Westport. And also to Messrs. D. E. Brown, 
of Seattle, Ray Gamble, of Tacoma, G. G. Cantwell, of Puyallup, 
and F. R. Decker, of Kiona. 


Phalaropus fulicarius. Rep PHataropre.— One specimen taken by 
Mr. Clark P. Streator at Ilwaco, November 9, 1889. Mr. Carl Lien 
obtained a kecond specimen that killed itself by striking the light of the 
Destruction Island lighthouse, in Jefferson County, on May 8, 1916. 
These two, representing both spring and fall, are oddly enough the only 
records that I have for the state. 

Lobipes lobatus. NortTHERN PHALAROPE.— A common fall migrant 
on Puget Sound. My earliest record is a flock of about fifty on July 8, 1900, 
that were swimming in the tide-rips off Point Defiance, a part of the city 
of Tacoma. It seemed a trifle out of place to see them feeding where the 
water is about 200 feet deep, so that their habit of ‘‘ whirling ” for food 
could not have been very productive of results. The latest specimen taken 
_was by Mr. D. E. Brown at the Tacoma tideflats on August 19, 1913, though 

large flocks have been reported as late as early September. Mr. Lien 
reports, for spring records, numerous specimens that killed themselves on 
the Destruction Island light from April 27 to June 10, 1916, inclusive of 
both dates. 

Steganopus tricolor. Wu1Lson’s PHALAROPE.— Not rare as a summer 
resident on the borders of the alkaline lakes on the east side of the Cascades. 
The nest has, I think, never been found in the state, but it has been per- 
fectly evident to myself and other observers that they must breed. No 
westside records. 

Recurvirostra americana. Avocet.— Formerly this handsome wader 
was doubtless a common breeder on the alkaline lakes east of the Cas- 
eades, but lack of adequate protection has almost exterminated them. Mr. 
W. Leon Dawson and myself found a small colony breeding at Moses Lake 


Fete 


328 Bowuss, The Limicole of Washington. 
on May 15, 1906. The only record for the west side is a single bird seen 
by Cantwell on June 2, 1916, at Dungeness. 

Gallinago delicata. Wutson’s Snrpr.— Summer resident east of the 
Cascades, where it undoubtedly breeds. In the vicinity of Tacoma they 
arrive with great regularity during the second week of September, from 
which time they may be found in varying numbers until late in May, 
although it is my opinion that they do not nest. 

Cold weather does not seem to bother them much. On January 1, 1916, 
when all the fresh water marshes were frozen over, large numbers of them 
gathered on the Tacoma Flats. In a fresh water marsh, where a running 
stream kept itself free from ice for its width of some ten feet, I watched a 
snipe hunting for food. When it reached the stream I was considerably 
surprised to see it enter the water without the least hesitation. It made 
good speed in the swim across, holding its head close to its chest, with about 
an inch of the tip of the bill under water. Thinking the bird must be 
wounded I was again surprised to see it, after a search of the opposite bank, 
take wing and fly with all characteristic agility. 

Macrohamphus griseus scolopaceus. LoNnG-BILLED DowrTcHER.— 
Common during migrations west of the mountains, but less numerous in 
spring. Earliest fall record is July 13, 1918. Latest, September 31, 1917. 
Both records are from the Tacoma Flats. On May 11, 1913, Mr. Ray 
Gamble found them in small numbers at Willapa Harbor, where they were 
still present on May 18. No eastside records. 

Tringa canutus. Knor.— This species is probably a regular spring 
and fall migrant west of the mountains, and it seems likely that at least 
a few may winter. Mr. Lien gives the earliest fall record as August 21, 
1917, when he saw a single bird in company with a flock of Black Turnstones 
and four Wandering Tatlers. Knots were still present up to October 26, 
when he sent in his notes for this paper. Mr. Cantwell saw a Knot at 
Dungeness on February 25, 1915. 

During the spring migration they are at times extremely numerous. 
This was especially noticeable during the spring of 1913, when Gamble 
visited the flats at Willapa Harbor. Mr. Gamble’s first notes in that 
section were made on May 11, 1913, at which time he found the Knots 
litterally in thousands, bringing home an amply sufficient number in proof 
of his statement. On May 18 at the same place they were becoming 
scarcer, but were still in considerable numbers. Mr. D. E. Brown visited 
the same locality on May 16, 1914, and found them to be again fairly 
numerous. Mr. Lien records them on May 6, 1916. 

Arquatella maritima couesi. ALEeuTIAN Sanppiper.— Records 
for this sandpiper in the state are comparatively rare, though it seems not 
unlikely that the birds may occur more often than is generally supposed. 
Personally, I have never seen the species alive, but Cantwell, who has taken 
specimens, writes me concerning them as follows:— ‘“‘ The Aleutian Sand- 
pipers about which you enquire were noted at Dungeness from the 10th 
to the 18th of March, 1916, both on the Lighthouse Spit reservation and 


on | Bow.gs, The Limicole of Washington. 329 


on the tide flats opposite town. There were about twenty individuals, in 
small bunches of three to six, associated with other sandpipers. When 
flushed they invariably travelled together. In the middle of February the 
year previous there were none of these birds about at this point, nor on 
November 22 to 28 of 1916. Lien records another specimen, a male, col- 
lected in Jefferson County on the ocean shore on January 8, 1917. 

Pisobia maculata. PrcroraL SanpprpeR.— A tolerably regular and 
sometimes common fall migrant to the tideflats and freshwater marshes in 
the vicinity of Tacoma. I have no spring records. The earliest record 
is of one taken August 30, 1913, the latest one taken September 29, 1896. 
I have never seen them associating with the other sandpipers, always seem- 
ing to keep by themselves, but I have several times flushed this species and 
the Wilson’s Snipe only a few feet apart in the same marsh. However, I 
am inclined to think that this was accident rather than design of the birds. 

Pisobia bairdi. Barrp’s Sanpprper.— The only records that I have 
for this species were made by Mr. Stanton Warburton, Jr., and myself 
during the fall of 1916 on the Tacoma Flats. The first specimen taken 
was a female on July 26, from which date they were to be found at 
almost any time up to September 5, when the last was collected. They 

. were found in singles, pairs, or trios, most often associating with the Semi- 
palmated Plover (4igialitis semipalmata) when any were to be found. 
When flying with a company of the other small sandpipers they would 
separate as soon as the flock alighted to feed, the Baird’s going to com- 
paratively dry ground for their food while the others waded about in the 
water and at the water’s edge. They could not have been called common, 
but from one to three or four were to be found on almost any day. 

Pisobia minutilla. Least Sanpprper.— Although possibly not as 
abundant in the aggregate as the Western Sandpipers this tiny bird is the 
most often and most regularly found of all the Limicole. They make their 
first appearance during the first week of July, remaining well on towards the 
latter part of September. I have collected only a few of them, as it seemed 
a useless waste of life to take many specimens. Their tameness makes 
close approach to within a few feet easy, when their yellow-green legs at 
once distinguish them from the black-legged Western Sandpipers, the only 
species with which they can be confused. Earliest spring record, April 29, 
1917, on the Tacoma Flats by 8. Warburton, Jr. 

Pelidna alpina sakhalina. Rep-spackEpD SANDPIPER.— These birds 
are among the last of the Limicole to arrive in the fall migration, often 
reaching Washington after many of the other species have left for the south. 
‘They make up for it, however, by staying with us all winter and late into 
the spring. On the Nisqually Flats I have seen them in flocks of hundreds 
when the marsh was a solid pack of snow and ice, the rise and fall of the tide 
making sufficient feeding grounds to keep them fat and strong. The earli- 
est record, September 26, the latest being Mr. Gamble’s remarkable shore- 
bird flight of May 11, 1913, when they were plentiful. 

Ereunetes mauri. WerstTeRN Sanppiper.—In total numbers this 


330 Bowxes, The Limicole of Washington. [se 


species is probably the most abundant of all our Limicole, coming a few 
days after the Least Sandpipers and leaving, as a rule, a few days earlier. 
They are spring and fall migrants, the only exception being a specimen that 
I took on the Nisqually Flats on November 25, 1916. This was a female 
and very fat, in spite of the cold season. The primaries in one wing were 
not quite grown to full length, which may account for the delayed migration, 
but it was quite able to hold its own with a few Killdeer that were flying 
along with it. 

Calidris leucophzea. SanpEerRLING.— The Sanderling is one of several 
species concerning which we have very little accurate data. They cannot. 
be frequent visitors to upper Puget Sound, as I have no records. Cantwell 
reports them as abundant winter residents at Dungeness, his earliest arrivals 
being on August 18, 1916. He saw 200 on February 25, 1915, and also 
noted them between December 30, 1915, and January 16, 1916. 

Limosa fedoa. Marsiep Gopwit.— We have but one record for this. 
fine wader, the specimen being shot on the Tacoma Flats on September 3, 
1905, by Mr. T. C. Harmer, of Tacoma. This was secured from a flock of 
about fifteen large waders of a similar size, but in California I have found 
these godwits so often in the same vicinity with Hudsonian Curlew that 
possibly the flock in question may have been composed of both of these 
species. 

Totanus melanoleucus. GREATER YELLOW-LEGS.— While this bird 
is never actually common, it is probably more often seen than any of the 
other large waders, one or two generally greeting us upon every visit to the 
flats during spring and fall. It is among the first to reach us from the 
north in the fall migration, Brown taking one on the Tacoma Flats on 
July 4, 1914. They remain with us late into the season and are, to some 
extent, winter residents, as Cantwell reports them at Dungeness between 
December 30 and January 16, 1916. Latest spring record by Brown, is 
May 16, 1914, at Willapa Harbor. 

Totanus flavipes. YrLLow-Lecs.— Seen during the fall of 1913, when 
they were by no means rare, twice in 1915, and one on May 23, 1918. 
When not alone they were most often found in company with Long-billed 
Dowitchers. On August 16, 1913, a flock of forty-eight were seen on the 
Tacoma Flats by Mr. Brown, who collected specimens. ‘The writer was so 
fortunate as to take the first recorded, an adult male on July 25, 1913, 
and the earliest was seen July 7, 1915, at Tacoma. Brown saw one on 
August 7, 1915, at Seattle. 

Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus. WeEsTERN SouiTary SAND- 
PIPER.— A very rare fall migrant, and still more so in the spring. We have 
but four records in all, the first being one bird seen by myself August 22, 
1912, on the Nisqually Flats. While this bird was not actually collected, 
it was very tame and I watched it from a distance of only a few feet for 
some time. I am so well acquainted with these birds in other parts of the 
country that there was no possibility of a mistake. Mr. Brown collected 
another at Seattle on August 6, 1915, while Mr. F. R. Decker took one at, 


Vol. or 
1918 


Bow tes, The Limicole of Washington. jal 
KKiona, in eastern Washington, on August 6, 1916. Both these birds were 
females. The only spring records are a very fine male that was taken by 
Mr. Brown at South Tacoma on May 6, 1914, and three that he saw at the 
same place on the 7th. 

Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus. WesrerN WILLET.— 
I have heard of one or two that have been shot on the coast, but the only 
specimen that I have seen is a female taken by Mr. Brown on the Tacoma 
Flats, September 6, 1913. It was alone, not being in company with any 
other shorebirds. 

Heteractitis incanus. WANDERING TaTLER.— We do not know much 
about this species. Mr. Lien’s earliest record is of four seen August 21, 
in company with one Knot and a flock of Black Turnstones. His latest 
record is September 8, and six is the greatest number he has ever seen at 
one time. All of these records were made in 1917. 

Tryngites subruficollis. Burr-preastep SANDPIPER.— The only 
records of these birds that I have for the state are of a male and female 
taken by Mr. Lien at Westport, on September 3, 1917. He first saw the 
pair on September 1, and again on the 2d, visiting the place with a gun on 
the 3d and collecting them. Mr. Lien describes them as not at all wild, 
and that, ‘‘ They frequented a salt marsh, or grass covered tide flat, towards 
the upper end and where the marsh edges off into the sand.” 

Actitis macularia. Sporrep SanpprpeR.— These birds are summer 
residents throughout the state and breed, although nowhere to be found 
in abundance. Iam uncertain of the conditions east of the Cascades, but 
in the vicinity of Puget Sound they are resident throughout the year, 
being found on the tideflats even in the coldest winters. 

Numenius americanus. Lona-BILtep CurRLEW.— Civilization is 
working the inevitable with these birds. At one time they were doubtless 
common summer residents of eastern Washington, but my only record for 
the state in recent years is of a pair that I found at Kiona, in Benton 
County, during the second weék of May, 1904. At this time they had 
newly hatched young, concerning which they were most solicitous, hover- 
ing only ten or fifteen feet above my head and whistling continuously. 

Numenius hudsonicus. Hupsonian Curtew.— A regular and very 
abundant spring migrant, usually arriving with great regularity on April 
22, which is my earliest record. Latest spring record June 2, 1916. The 
only season when I have positively known it to visit us in the fall is during 
the present year of 1917, when they were very abundant. The first seen 
was a male that I collected on July 16, the last being shot on October 1. 
The record made on June 2, 1916, was at Dungeness where Cantwell saw 
about fifty in scattered flocks. 

Squatarola squatarola. Buack-BELLIED PLover.— A common fall 
* and spring migrant. I have no reports of them from the east side. Latest 
' spring record May 18, 1913. Earliest fall record August 20, 1916. They 
are doubtless winter residents, as Cantwell saw twenty-five at Dungeness 
on January 24, 1916. 


oo2 Bowes, The Limicole of Washington. [juts 


Charadrius dominicus dominicus. GoLtpEN PLover.— It seems 
more than possible that the Golden Plover are more numerous along the 
coast than is generally supposed, although doubtless very far from being 
common. I have only two records in which the dates and other items are 
perfectly satisfactory. The first is a female taken at Dungeness on Novem- 
ber 14, 1915, by Mr. F. P. McIntyre, of Tacoma. The second was taken 
by Mr. Lien at Westport on October 7, 1917. It was in the company of 
four other plover, which may have all been Black-bellied as was one of 
them that dropped with the same shot that killed the Golden Plover. 

Oxyechus vociferus. Kiniprrr.— Very abundant throughout the — 
state, though I am not certain whether it winters on the east side. West 
of the mountains, in the Puget Sound Region, the Killdeer may be called a 
fairly common resident the year around, although probably a considerable 
proportion of them migrate southward in the fall. However this may be, 
they are to be found regularly during the winter on such of the large tide 
flats as the Nisqually, in Thurston County. Their numbers at this season 
are largely dependent upon the extent to which the inland fresh water 
swamps and marshes are frozen over. In January, 1916, one of the longest 
spells of icy weather was experienced that has ever been known on Puget 
Sound, during which practically all fresh water was frozen over. During 
this period the Killdeer assembled in hundreds on the Nisqually, and also 
on the Tacoma Flats in Pierce County. : 

Nesting begins very early, as I have seen young a week old as early as 
April 21, and extends well into June at least. 

Egialitis semipalmata. SremrpaLtmMaTep PLover.— A regular spring 
and fall migrant. Never abundant, but frequently seen in twos and threes, 
either by themselves or in company with some of the smaller sandpipers. 
Earliest fall record: two taken on the Tacoma Flats on August 8, 1916. 
Latest spring record: two taken by Cantwell near Tacoma on May 18, 
1910. 

Aigialitis nivosa. Snowy Priover.— Brown found these birds at 
Willapa Harbor on May 16, 1914. There appeared to be a small colony of 
them, and a few specimens taken showed beyond a doubt that they were 
breeding at that time, although no nests were found. 

Aphriza virgata. Surr-srrp.— These birds are probably not uncom- 
mon along the coast as migrants and would appear to be resident in winter 
to some extent, as shown by the observations of Mr. Lien. Specimens 
were taken by him on the following dates:— July 20, 1915, November 27, 
1916, December 3, 1916, January 14, 1917, and April 28, 1917. The first 
specimens recorded were by Dr. A. K. Fisher, who took three from a small 
flock at the Blakeley Rocks, near Seattle, on August 30, 1897. However, it 
seems to me unlikely that they would be of frequent occurrence so far 
inland. 

Arenaria interpres morinella. Ruppy Turnstone.— Mr. Gamble 
found this species present in small numbers on his visit to Willapa Harbor 
on May 11, 1913, when he collected a few specimens. They were still 


Vol. Y] «= Wermore, Birds of Desecheo Island, P. R. 300 


present in that locality on’ May 18, 1913, when two more specimens were 
taken. Mr. Brown saw two at the same place on May 16, 1914, although 
circumstances prevented his collecting any. 

Arenaria melanocephala. Buiack TurNstonn.— Migratory, for the 
most part along the coast, although Mr. Brown shot a pair at Tacoma on 
August 24, 1913, that were sitting on a raft of logs out in the bay. Mr. 
Cantwell reports them as winter residents at Dungeness, where his records 
range from August 18, December 30, January 16, to February 25. 

Mr. Lien reports twenty as being the greatest number that he has seen 
at one time. 

Hematopus bachmani. Biack Oystrer-catcHeR.— Without doubt 
resident throughout the year, although specific records for every winter 
month are lacking. Mr. Lien has taken them in November and on Decem- 
ber 22, 1916. They breed fairly commonly on the rocky islands off the 
coast, fresh eggs being taken throughout the month of June. Three eggs 
is the number most commonly found. The nest is placed among the rocks 
fifteen feet or more beyond the reach of high water, and is composed of 
small stones, chips of rock, with a few small pieces of crab claws and shell. 


THE BIRDS OF DESECHEO ISLAND, PORTO RICO. 
BY ALEXANDER WETMORE. 


THE island of Desecheo, west of Porto Rico, in Mona Passage, 
is distant nearly seven leagues from the town of Aguadilla. Though 
Desecheo has been a prominent landmark for ships passing between 
Porto Rico and Santo Domingo since the early voyages of dis- 
covery, its rough broken shoreline, with difficult landings and lack 
of a certain water supply, have left it little known. Fray Inigo 
Abbad in 1788! describes the island as uninhabited but frequented 
at times by smugglers. It was said that there were wild goats on 
it at one time which, with crabs and shellfish, furnished food to 
these casual visitors. The banks off the southern shore have been 
noted for their fish, and fishermen coming at irregular intervals 


1 (Abbad y Lasierra, Fray Ifigo) Historia geografica, civil y politica, de la Isla de S. Juan 
Bautista de Puerto Rico, Madrid, 1788, p. 203. 


334 Wetmore, Birds of Desecheo Island, P. R. Fass 


from Porto Rico established temporary camps on the island where 
they lived for short periods and salted their catches. 

Gundlach passing north of Desecheo in 1874 remarked on the 
abundance of waterfowl around it but did not visit it during his 
work in Porto Rico. Bowdish crossed from Aguadilla on June 24, 
1900, and returned on the same day. He came again the following 
year and remained from July 6 to 10. All that was known of the 
bird life of the island prior to 1912 is embodied in his notes. 

During my stay in Aguadilla in June, 1912, I made many in- 
quiries concerning Desecheo and finally arranged to visit the island. 
With two fishermen, Juan and Pedro, who were familiar with 
Desecheo, I left Aguadilla on June 13 in a small open sailboat. 

-We reached the island about five that night and after some difhi- 

culty made a landing in a small sandy indentation in the cliffs. 
We camped on the beach while a small cave served as a work room 
and shelter from the intense heat of the sun. We worked here 
until June 16, when we returned to Aguadilla as a storm was 
brewing and our water supply was low. 

In December, 1912, Desecheo Island was made a bird reserve, 
a wise regulation, as sooner or later charcoal burners in search of 
wood would have visited it and destroyed the shrubs that now 
support and shelter part of the sea bird rookeries. 


PuHysicAL FEATURES. 


Desecheo Island is about one and one-fourth miles long by 
somewhat more than three-fourths of a mile broad. The island is 
rounded in general form with points projecting at the eastern and 
western ends. Inland the slopes rise steeply to a double pointed 
hill, the higher part of which is six hundred feet above sea level. 
The shore line is rocky and abrupt. In three places there are small 
bays with sandy beaches, back of which rise cliffs from thirty to 
fifty feet high. An ill-defined path leads around three sides of the 
island, but the eastern end is difficult of access. Strong currents 
sweep past, the surf is usually heavy, and there are rocks offshore 
in the little bays so that landings are made with diflicult, _ 

The soil is thin and rocky but above tidemark the island is cov- 


a | Wetmore, Birds of Desecheo Island, P. R. 330 


ered with vegetation. The core of the island is made up of voleanic 
rock upon which are deposits of limestone. Along the shore this 
limerock is eaten and eroded by wave action and shallow caves 
are found in several places. 

The island was very dry, with no springs or watercourses. I was 
to'd that heavy rains fell at irregular intervals, and small basins in 
the rock had been dammed to catch rainwater. The sun was 
intensely hot during my stay, but the nights were cool and pleasant. 


GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


The vegetation somewhat resembled that of wooded hills on 
Culebra Island. The short-stemmed, heavy-limbed West Indian 
Birch (Elaphrium simaruba) grew on the hill slopes mingled with 
the Palo de Burro (Capparis cynophallophora). Near the shore the 
Té de la Playa (Corchorus hirsutus) was common; the Bejuco de 
Paralejo (Stigmaphyllon lingulatum) grew everywhere. There 
were great beds of Opuntia along the cliffs, Cerews was abundant, 
and a large branched cactus formed dense thickets. Small openings 
in the brush were grown with Panicum utowaneum and Valota 
isularis. These grass-grown openings were few in number and 
small in extent. Cacti and thorny creepers, that bound the shrubs 
together, made a dense jungle through which progress was difficult, 
so that it was necessary to stay in the trail skirting the shore or 
make a new one with the machete. 

I noticed many signs of rodents in the grass and under the bushes 
and one evening after sunset found rats abundant and very tame 
while taking a walk beyond the rookeries above camp. Three 
that I shot with an automatic pistol were Rattus rattus, and as 
nearly as I could tell in the dim light all were of this small species. 
They were feeding on the seeds of low plants and tender herbage. 
A few bats were seen but under conditions that did not allow identi- 
fication. I saw no trace of the wild goats that were said to range 
here at one time. From the dense. growth of vegetation I judged 
that thev had disappeared many years before. 

The cu_ious Siguana (Ameiva sp.) a terrestrial lizard, was found 
in sandy localities and was fairly common. One that lived near 


336 Wetmore, Birds of Desecheo I sland, P. R. que 


my camp was more or less of a scavenger and ate bits of meat left 
on the fish bones that I threw out. An Anolis intermediate in its 
characters between Anolis cristatellus of Porto Rico and A. monensis 
of Mona Island was abundant and several specimens were pre- 
served. 


Brrp Lire. 


In his account of the birds of Porto Rico, Mr. Bowdish (1902-03) 
gives eight species found on Desecheo Island. I have added three 
more to this number, raising the known list to eleven species. One 
of the additions, the Sealed Pigeon, is included on the authority 
of the fishermen who were with me. The larger part of the species 
found here are forms that breed habitually on similar small isolated 
islands. These are the Boobies, Terns and Man-o’-War Birds. 
Among others, the Zenaida Dove is apparently resident. Only 
one passerine bird was found, the Pearly-eyed Thrasher, a species 
that in Porto Rico is very rare on the main island but is abundant 
on the small islands around it. The absence of Careba portoricensis 
is notable as this species is widespread in its occurrence. During 
the winter season it is probable that a number of migrant land and 
water birds stop here for short periods, and it is to these transients 
that we must look for other additions to the avifauna of the island. 
Bowdish (1900, p. 120) on his first visit says that he thought he 
heard the note of Vireosylva calidris but was uncertain. The 
“Sooty Tern’’ that he records (1900, p. 119) is Anoiis stolidus, and 
not Sterna fuscata. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


There are three papers that make direct reference to the birds of Desecheo 
Island. Stahl and Gundlach both mention species that were reported to 
occur on this island but neither of these authors makes definite statements 
concerning its avifauna. The papers mentioned follow: 


Bowptisu, B. S. 
1900. A Day on De Cicheo Island, Odlogist, 1900, pp. 117-120. 
1902-03. Birds of Porto Rico. Auk, 1902, pp. 356-366, and 1903, 
pp. 10-23. 
Wetmore, A. 
1916. Birds of Porto Rico, U. 8. Dept. Agric. Bull. 326, 1916, pp. 1- 
140, 10 plates (including map). 


Vol. XXXV]_ Wermore, Birds of Desecheo Island, P. R. Jou 


ANNOTATED LIST. 


1. Phaéthon sp. Tropic Brrp.— Bowdish (1902-3, p. 358) saw 
Tropic-Birds around Desecheo Island but did not determine to what species 
they belonged. These birds may have been Phaéthon americanus Grant as 
that is the common species of this region. (Cf. Wetmore, 1916, p. 18). 

2. Sula piscator (Linneus). Rep-roorep Boosny.— About two 
thousand Red-footed Boobies were present on the island at the time of my 
visit. All were in one colony. (Wetmore, 1916, pp. 18-19). 

3. Sula leucogastra (Boddaert). Boory.— The Common Booby out- 
numbered any other species of bird on Desecheo Island at the time of my 
visit. These Boobies were distributed through the dense brush on the 
slopes so that it was difficult to arrive at their exact number, but I estimated 
that from 8,000 to 10,000 individuals were present. The greater part of 
these birds remained within four hundred feet of the shore, but many spread 
inland over the entire island ranging to the tops of the hills. The young 
were all grown, though I saw a few with down feathers clinging to the 
feathers about the head. Though as strong on the wing as their parents, 
these immature birds were averse to flying and usually merely scrambled 
out of the way. The adults were unable to rise from a level surface, and as 
I passed along the narrow trails many remained stock still snapping and 
hissing at me. It was wise to avoid their powerful bills as they bit and 
fought viciously. They flew easily from the branches of low trees and 
bushes or sailed down from the cliffs until, gaining mometum, they rose 
with strong wing beats. On the whole they showed little fear and I caught 
several by pinning them down with the barrel of my gun. Others floun- 
dered away over the rocks and through the plant growth unmindful of 
cactus thorns and the rough limestone. Many were seen with thorns or 
even small lobes of cactus hanging to feet, neck or wings, easily demonstrate 
ing how these prickly plants might be carried from one island to another. 

On the wing Boobies were strong and graceful. Hundreds swung and 
circled about my head as I passed through the colonies. Collecting them 
was an easy matter. It was necessary only to pick out one desirable for a 
specimen, follow it until it was at a proper distance, and then drop it on 
the rocks. At a gunshot there was a great rush and commotion among 
those at rest and the air was filled with birds circling and sailing, that often 
passed close overhead. Gradually the confusion would cease and the 
birds would soon be perched all about me. On the rough limestone blocks 
above the sea they sat in rows and did not drop off until I approached 
closely. The call-note of the Booby was a loud quack, quack, quack. I saw 
them fishing far out at sea from the island and birds passed in and out 
above my camp all through the day. Even at night there was much 
commotion among them. 

Boobies are said to nest from late in June until October. From the size 
of many young seen in June I would extend the latter date to February. It 


338 Wermore, Birds of Desecheo Island, P. R. lire 


was said that egging parties visited Desecheo at times but the currents 
and the rocky shoreline make landing difficult and laborious so that the 
birds are not often disturbed. 

4. Fregata magnificens Matthews. Man-o’-War-Birp. — About 
175 pairs nested on Desecheo Island in 1912 and all had well grown young 
at the time of my visit. A pair of adults was collected on June 15. The 
female fell into the sea when shot and floated for some time with the bill 
submerged. On skinning this bird I found the air-sacs between skin and 
body filled with water. 

5. Hematopus palliatus (Temminck). OysTer-carcuer.— Three 
Oyster-catchers were found June 14 on flat rocks washed by the waves. 
Although other birds of this uninhabited island were very tame the Oyster- 
catchers were wary. When I came in sight they flew to some outlying 
inaccessible rocks and repeated this performance whenever I appeared. 
The whistle was louder and sharper than that of H. bachmani with whose 
notes I had been familiar in the Aleutian Islands. Others were seen on the 
following day but none were taken. Mr. Bowdish (1902-03, p. 360) noted 
this species. 

6. Larus atricilla atricilla Linneus. LavuaHina Guiu.— About 
thirty Laughing Gulls were seen on Desecheo but. no nests were found. 
These Gulls worked along the beaches hunting for food or perched on 
boulders commanding an outlook of the water line. An adult was col- 
lected June 14. 

7. Anotis stolidus stolidus (Linneus). Noppy.— The Noddy was 
abundant on Desecheo and was breeding in the limestone ledges near the 
sea. At the time of my visit there were about two thousand here while 
many more were feeding a few miles offshore. On the cliffs above camp was 
a colony of two hundred, that was never quiet day or night. Many had 
not picked their nesting sites as yet and were examining the ledges, quarrel- 
ing with the birds already settled and in turn getting their tail feathers 
tweaked sharply. When alarmed the Noddies flew all about me, calling 
harshly and there was great excitement among them at every intrusion. 
Some would leave their nests and dart fiercely at my head while others 
remained on their eggs until I was almost within reach. These terns were 
more or less active all night long, flying about and calling loudly. The 
common call note was a harsh Kar-r-rk and a scolding note resembled 
Kwok Kwok. In feeding the birds hovered over the water, darting quickly 
down, poising an instant while picking something from the surface and then 
rising again. Eggs taken ranged in incubation from fresh to well incubated. 
No young were found. Birds were collected for skins on June 13, 14 and 15. 
Mr. Bowdish (1902-03, p. 358) found a few well grown young on June 24, 
1900. 

8. Sterna anztheta Scopoli. BripLtep Tern.— A common breeding 
bird. I estimated that there were about 1500 of these terns on Desecheo 
Island. Many were gathered on some large rocks lying offshore that I 
could not reach, while others frequented the limestone cliffs and huge 


ae | Wetmore, Birds of Desecheo Island, P. R. 339 


boulders on the main island. At a gunshot all those near would rise and 
circle with the other birds. On the wing these terns were swift and grace- 
ful. Frequently half a dozen would dart out together over the water and 
then circle back more slowly. Males were seen standing on the rocks 
above the females on their nests and as I approached swooped at my head 
with angry cries. The nests examined were in hollows on the tops or sides 
of huge blocks of limestone in situations protected from the blazing rays of 
the sun. Some were placed in holes eaten into the rocks by the action of 
the water. The nests were made of a few loose pebbles and bits of loose 
limestone gathered together with perhaps a feather or two added. Two 
eggs collected were badly incubated. No young were observed. Appar- 
ently the breeding season varies from year to year as Mr. Bowdish (1902-03, 
p. 357-358) found fresh eggs on June 24, 1900, and notes an egg advanced 
in incubation taken July 6, 1901. I collected four males and one female 
on June 14. 

9. Zenaida zenaida lucida Noble. Porto Rican Dovr.— This 
Zenaida Dove was common in the growths of West Indian birch and other 
shrubbery that covered the arid slopes of Desecheo Island. The males 
called all day long, but*in the thorny growths it was difficult to approach 
them. I found scattered birds feeding in small openings or along the trails. 
At low tide these doves were seen frequently about pools of salt water left 
by the receding tide on the rough limestone of the shore. As there was no 
fresh water on the island it was a question in my mind as to whether or not 
they were drinking this sea water. 

Lowe ! remarks that Patagienas leucocephala is said to cross from Swan 
Island to Honduras, a distance of ninety-eight miles, to secure water in 
times of drought. I saw no indication, however, that these Zenaida Doves 
left Desecheo for this purpose. 

10. Patagicenas squamosa (Bonnaterre). ScaLep Pigron.— On 
June 15, the fishermen who were with me reported seeing several Scaled 
Pigeons. There seems to be some migration among these large pigeons, 
as at some seasons they are said to be fairly common here. 

11. Margarops fuscatus fuscatus  (Vieillot). PmARLY-EYED 
THRASHER.— These thrashers, the only passerine birds noted, were com- 
mon on Desecheo Island. In the dense brush it was difficult to locate them 
though their call-notes were often heard. The fishermen who visit the 
island occasionally had dammed a hollow in the rocks to catch rain water, 
and Thrashers came often to this tiny pool. There was no other fresh 
water on the island so that the birds must do without in dry seasons. A 
pair of Pearly-eyed Thrashers had their nest in the roof of a small cave 
which served me as a shelter from the sun while making up skins. This 
nest apparently was a bulky structure as grass and twigs projected from all 
the openings leading into the crevice in which it was located. The female 
was incubating. Both birds perched about on the rock shelves without fear 


1A Naturalist on Desert Islands, London, 1911, p. 46. 


340 SaunDERS, Recent Connecticut Bird Notes. [ni 
of me. They fought continually with the Noddies that were nesting there 
and though the terns were the aggressors in most cases, they were always 
worsted in the encounters. The male sang in the evenings from a cactus 
just above the cave entrance, frequently calling until it was almost dark. 


SOME RECENT CONNECTICUT BIRD NOTES. 
BY ARETAS A. SAUNDERS. 


Tue following notes are based on my observations in the past 
four years in Connecticut and relate to occurrences that are un- 
usual and especially interesting. 


Uria lomvia lomvia. Briinnicn’s Murre.— Four seen closely at 
Norwalk, December 31, 1916. 

Larus delawarensis. Rinc-prttep Guiu.— Three of these gulls were 
seen January 27, 1917, in Norwalk Harbor. They were feeding near one of 
the drawbridges in company with Herring Gulls. The gulls here have been 
fed by people until they have become exceedingly tame. These birds were 
watched for a long time in the best of ight. The markings on the bill and 
on the tips of the primaries that distinguish the species were quite plain. 
The difference in size was less apparent, than I had expected it to be. One 
or two gulls of this species were seen in this same spot several times in the 
month of February. 

Larus atricilla. Laucurnc Gutu.— This species is now becoming 
almost common along the Connecticut shore. Others have informed me 
of its presence since 1914. I first noted it at Grove Beach September 1, 
1916, and have since noted it several times in summer, both at Grove 
Beach and at Compo Cove near Westport. 

Phalacrocorax auritus auritus. DovustE-crEsteD CorMoRANT.— A 
flock of forty-five seen at Grove Beach May 27, 1916, and another, of 
seventy-four, seen at the mouth of the Saugatuck River, May 19, 1917. 

Mareca americana. Batppaty.— A rather late date for this species 
was that of a single drake seen on a small pond at Norwalk on the morning 
of March 31 and again on April 1, 1917. 

Charitonetta albeola. BurriLeHeap.— The past winter and spring, 
1916 and 1917, this species has been more abundant than I have ever seen 
it before in Connecticut. I first noted it at Grove Beach, December 25, 
1916, when several small flocks were seen. A few were seen all winter at 
Norwalk and Westport, and larger flocks appeared again in the spring 
migration from March 10 to April 7. 


oe | SAUNDERS, Recent Connecticut Bird Notes. 341 


Ixobrychus exilis. Least Birrern.— Two seen, and one, a male, 
secured in Great Marsh, near Norwalk, May 19,1917. This date is rather 
early for this species. 

Ardea herodias herodias. Great Bius Hrron.— This species 
remained later than usual in the spring of 1917, six being seen at the mouth 
of the Saugatuck on May 26. 

Herodias egretta. Ecaret.—A single bird has been reported in the 
marshes at Compo Cove, Westport, every summer since 1912. The bird 
usually stays for several days. I saw it during the summer of 1916, when 
it was present from July 24 to 28. It was again reported this summer, 1917. 

Pisobia maculata. PrcroraL Sanpprpper.—A single bird seen in 
marshes at Silver Sands, East Haven, May 13, 1916. This is the only 
spring record for Connecticut, but the bird was seen closely, and I examined 
skins in spring plumage shortly after I had seen it, and am sure of my iden- 
tification. 

Oxyechus vociferus. KituprEER.— This species is evidently increas- 
ing, and is now quite common in southwestern Connecticut. I observed 
a single bird at West Haven, March 21, 1914. I did not see it again till 
1916, when a pair were seen several times in a plowed field near Westport. 
In 1917 the species first appeared on March 31, and was seen commonly 
throughout the spring and summer. Mr. Wilbur F. Smith found several 
nests near Norwalk, and I found downy young at Norwalk on May 12. 

Arenaria interpres morinella. Ruppy Turnstonn.— A single bird 
was seen at Grove Beach September 1, 1916, and four others September 9. 
Two were seen at the mouth of the Saugatuck River May 19, 1917. 

Cathartes aura septentrionales. Turkey VuLTuRE.— One seen at 
Short Beach, May 23, 1914. 

Sphyrapicus varius varius. YELLOW-BELLIED SapsuckER.— A bird 
of this species in juvenal plumage, wintered in Norwalk in January, 1917. 
I first saw it, January 6 and continued to find it every time I visited the 
locality till January 27, after which I did not look for it again till March 3, 
when it was not to be found. The bird frequented a row of Norway Spruce 
trees, growing about the border of a large estate. 

Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Rep-HEADED WoopPECKER.— This 
species was almost common in Edgewood Park, New Haven, in the spring 
of 1915. I met with it several times between April 16 and May 4, four 
being seen at once on one occasion. The following year, 1916, a pair 
nested in a hole in a trolley pole at West Haven, where I saw them on May 
13, 19 and 20. 

Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina. EVENING GROSBEAK.— A 
single bird in the female plumage, seen at New Haven, April 15, 1916, and a 
flock of twelve at Cannondale, April 17, 1917. 

Carpodacus purpureus purpureus. PurpLte Fincno.— What was 
apparently the spring migration of this species began at Norwalk in 1917 on 
February 20. A few birds had been around all winter, but beginning with 
that date the birds were plentiful everywhere, singing a great deal, and 


342 SaunpErs, Recent Connecticut Bird Notes. as 

visiting various bird feeding stations, where they ate peanuts, buckwheat 
and sunflower seeds. These birds were abundant from this time all through 
the spring until May 21 when the last disappeared. 

Loxia leucoptera. WHITE-wINGED CrossBILuL.— Seen at Norwalk on 
various dates from January 13 to March 3, 1917. Never more than two 
birds were seen at once, but that they were not always the same two was 
evident from the fact that sometimes both were in female plumage and 
sometimes one in that of an adult male. 

Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus. LaprLtanp Loncspur.— A single 
bird seen in salt marshes at Norwalk in company with a flock of Horned 
Larks, January 20, 1917. 

Pocecetes gramineus gramineus. VESPER Sparrow.—A _ single 
bird seen at Norwalk March 10, 1917. Whether an extremely early spring 
migrant or a bird that had wintered it is hard to say. No others were seen 
until March 31, about the normal time for the:arrival of this species. 

Passerculus princeps. Ipswich Sparrow.— One seen at Norwalk 
April 1, 1916, and another November 11, 1916. 

Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.— 
May 16 to 18, 1917, a single bird was seen each day in such widely 
separated localities that it is not probable that they were the same indi- 
vidual. May 19 the species was almost common, but none were seen after 
that date. 

Junco hyemalis hyemalis. SiatTr-coLtorrp Junco.— This species 
remained very late in the spring of 1917. I secured one on May 12 and 
saw others up to May 17. 

Melospiza lincolni lincolni. LincoLn’s Sparrow.— One seen at 
West Haven, May 24, 1915, and another in Edgewood Park, New Haven, 
May 11, 1916. 

Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis. Carpinau.— A male Cardinal 
spent the winter of 1916-17 at Norwalk. It was first found by Mr. Geo. 
P. Ells in November, and from then on became an object of special interest 
to Norwalk’s many bird-lovers and students. I first saw it December 9, 
1916, and from then until April 9, 1917, was able to find it whenever I 
visited the locality it frequented, in the morning. In the afternoon I was 
not always so successful. It disappeared some time after April 9, and as 
far as I can tell was last seen by a conductor on a trolley line, which ran 
past its haunt, on April 11. I searched for it on the 15th and was unable 
to find it. 

Another Cardinal, a female, was seen at Clinton during the Christmas holi- 
days. I first saw it Christmas morning at 7 A.M. when its sharp call-note 
outside awoke me, and I observed it for a short time in the center of a 
gravel walk. The following morning and again on the 27th, the bird was 
seen at 7 o’clock on this gravel walk. I never succeeded in locating it 
anywhere in the vicinity at any other time of day. I am of the opinion 
that it spent the nights in a large arbor-vitae tree about 15 feet from the 
point where it was seen, and that each morning it began its daily program 


vot XY SaunveErs, Recent Connecticut Bird Notes. 343 


by picking up a little gravel from the walk. A hard rainstorm occurred on 
the 27th which evidently interfered with this program, for I did not see it. 
again on the mornings following that date. 

Lanivireo solitarius solitarius. BLun-HEADED VrrEo.— This species 
remained unusually late in the spring of 1917, one being secured on May 15 
and others seen until May 24. 

Vermivora peregrina. TENNESSEE WARBLER.— This species has 
greatly increased in numbers in the past few years, until, in 1917, it was 
one of the most abundant of migrant warblers. I first met with the species 
at Short Beach, on May 23, and 24, 1914, when a single male was found 
singing in the same tree, two mornings in succession. In 1915 I met with 
three adult males in song in the same tree at West Haven, May 20. In 
‘1916 the birds were fairly common in the vicinity of New Haven, from May 
20 to 26. In 1917 I first saw the bird May 22, though I think that I heard 
the song on the 18th. It became common by the 24th, and was seen 
almost daily, and often in large numbers until June 4. The last bird was 
seen June 9. 

Dendroica tigrina. Cape May Warsier.— This is another species 
that has evidently been increasing in recent years. In 1916 it was almost 
common in Edgewood Park, New Haven, from May 10 to 16. In 1917 it 
was less common than the previous year, but I saw several specimens at 
Norwalk and Bridgeport on May 19 and 25. 

Dendroica castanea. Bay-BREASTED WARBLER.— This is another 
warbler that deserves notice as one increasing in numbers. While it never 
was so rare as the Cape May and Tennessee, yet it always had some reputa- 
tion for rarity. The past two years, 1916 and 1917, it has been one of the 
most abundant migrant warblers, particularly late in the season, remaining 
in Norwalk in 1917 till June 2. ‘ 

Dendroica discolor. Prarrm WarsLEeR.— An exceptionally late fall 
bird was one seen at Norwalk on October 22, 1916. * 

Sitta canadensis. Rrp-sreastep NurHatcH.— A winter record for 
this species is one that I saw in Norwalk February 24, 1917. 

Beolophus bicolor. Turrep Trrmouse.— On March 10, 1917, I 
found a single bird of this species in a large red maple swamp. I first 
heard the bird calling from a distance, and being unable to enter the swamp, 
but suspecting the identity of the bird from previous acquaintance with it 
in the south, I imitated its whistle and succeeded in bringing it to a point 
about fifty feet above my head. The bird was observed by several others 
later, and sometimes from a distance of about ten feet. I found it several 
times in the latter part of March, and saw it last on April 1 after which it 
disappeared. 

Penthestes hudsonicus subsp.? NHupsontian CuickaDEE.— A bird 
of this species appeared in Norwalk in January 1917, where it remained 
for some time, feeding on suet that was hung in the bushes for birds. I 
saw it first on January 13 and again January 27. I presume that, like the 
others that appeared the same winter, it belonged to the new Labrador sub- 


344 JENSEN, Nesting Birds of Wahpeton, N. D. [sty 


species, but since the subspecies’ validity has not yet been determined I 
have not listed it as such. 

Regulus calendula calendula. Rusy-crowNep KinGLEetT.— This is 
another species that remained exceptionally late in the spring of 1917. 
I observed it up to May 18, securing a specimen on the last date. 


NOTES ON THE NESTING BIRDS OF WAHPETON, 
NORTH DAKOTA. 


BY J. K. JENSEN. 


THE region covered by the following notes is a small part of 
Richland County, forming a quarter of a circle with a radius of 
three miles, west and north of Wahpeton, with the Indian School 
as a center. The ground covered takes in the North Dakota side 
of the Red River, where a little timber is to be found. The rest 
consists mostly of cultivated fields, some prairie and a little swampy 
or wet ground and a few groves around the farm buildings. 

This list includes, with one or two exceptions, only birds I 
actually found nesting in 1917, and does not profess to be 
complete. 


Botaurus lentiginosus. Birrern.— Very common as a nesting bird. 
On June 6 I found a nest in a clover-field less than a thousand feet north 
of the Indian School. The Bittern would generally leave the nest when 
I was about ten feet away. The nest consisted of a handful of dry grass, 
and contained a set of four fresh eggs. 

Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Mournina Dovn.— Very com- 
mon. Nests and eggs were found from May 1 to September 1 both in trees 
and on the ground. Near the Indian School I found a nest, which first 
served as home for the White-rumped Shrike, later a pair of Brown 
Thrashers took possession and laid a set of five eggs and a Cowbird placed 
one of her eggs in the nest. About August 1, I again found the nest 
occupied, this time by a Mourning Dove incubating two eggs. 

Oxyechus vociferus. Ki~ipEER.— The Killdeer is very common in 
this part of North Dakota, but I only located one nest. This was placed 
about a hundred feet west of the Indian School in a little garden plot. 
The nest was a little hollow in the ground, lined with a few dry weedstalks, 
and on May 11 it contained four fresh eggs. 


an | JENSEN, Nesting Birds of Wahpeton, N. D. 345 


. Tympanuchus americanus. Pratrins Hen.—I only found one nest 
of this species. On June 3 it contained eleven nearly fresh eggs, and was 
made of dry grass and a few feathers of the owner. It was quite open and 
easy to locate. . 

Circus hudsonius. Marsa Hawx.— Very common and in evidence 
from morning to night. On prairie land west of the city I found several 
nests, sometimes only a few hundred feet apart. The nests were quite 
well made of grass and weeds, generally raised one or two inches above the 
ground. Most of them contained five eggs. One nest I located on May 27 
was raised thirteen inches above the level of the prairie and could be seen 
from quite a distance. It contained a set of seven eggs. Another found 
June 3 held a set of five fresh eggs, some of which were distinctly marked 
with brown. 

Accipiter cooperi. Cooprrer’s Hawx.— Nests quite commonly in the 
timber along the river and even in the small artificial groves near the farms. 
On May 20 I located two nests with four and five eggs respectively. Both 
were typical and both were placed in elm trees less than twenty feet from 
the ground. 

Buteo borealis krideri. Kriper’s HawK.— On May 6 I collected a 
set of two fresh eggs from a nest placed in an elm tree near the river. The 
nest was up about forty feet. The eggs are white, boldly marked with light 
brown spots. 

Falco sparverius sparverius. Sparrow Hawx.— This pretty little 
hawk seems to be quite common wherever there is an opportunity to find 
a suitable nesting site. On April 15 a pair were investigating some martin 
boxes I had set up in the spring of 1916. I then made two boxes more 
suitable for the hawks, and both were accepted. One placed near the 
Indian School contained on May 14 a set of five fresh eggs, and the other 
placed on a little island in the river had a set of five on May 23. 

Asio wilsonianus. Lonc-EARED Own.— On May 20 I discovered an 
owl of this species in an old crow’s nest in a little grove about three miles 
northwest of the city. I found five heavily incubated eggs in the nest. 
The owl stayed on the nest until I was only a few feet below it. 

Asio accipitrinus. SHoRT-bARED Own.— Walking across a last year’s 
wheat field on May 20, I flushed one of these owls from a nest with seven 
almost fresh eggs. On June 1 I found another nest containing four fresh 
eggs, but a horse had stepped in the nest and broken them. A few days 
later I found another nest in the same field which contained two fresh eggs, 
but these were also destroyed. 

Otus asio asio. ScrescH Owxi.— This little owl seems to be very 
common, and IJ have seen several, mostly on the little island in the river. 
On May 27 I found a Flicker nesting in a hole in a dead stump and under 
the tree were the shells of several eggs of the Screech Owl. A few days 
before I had found a dead Screech Owl near the same spot. 

Ceryle alcyon alcyon. Brtrep KinarisHpr.— Very common along 
the river, and one or more nest holes can be seen in almost every steep 
bank on both the North Dakota and Minnesota side. 


346 . JENSEN, Nesting Birds of Wahpeton, N. D. sue 


Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Rrp-HEADED WooppEeckeER.— Fairly 
common. On June 11 a nest with six fresh eggs was found in a dead stump 
on the island. Nest hole about fifteen feet from the ground. 

Colaptes auratus luteus. Fiicker.— Very common. One of my 
nesting boxes was'occupied and a set of seven eggs laid. Some boys broke 
off the top of the box, but the Flicker hatched the eggs and raised the young 
ones just as if mothing had happened. 

Cheetura pelagica. CHrmMNEY Swirr.— Very common and I find them 
nesting in several chimneys at the Indian School. 

Archilochus colubris. Rusy-THroaTteD Hummincpirp.— I have 
seen several Hummingbirds in this locality, and July 3 I collected a nest 
with two fresh eggs about a mile and a half north of Wahpeton, about 
fifty feet from the river. The nest was placed about twenty feet up in an 
elm and twelve feet out on a slender limb. June 28 I saw the female 
building, bringing nesting material every few minutes, and on July 1 the 
nest was finished and one egg laid. 

Tyrannus tyrannus. Kincpirp.— Very common. Fresh eggs can be 
found in the last part of June. Sets generally consist of three to four eggs, 
and nests are placed from two to sixty feet from the ground. On June 25 
I found a nest in which were three eggs of the Kingbird and two Cowbird's 
egos, 

Tyrannus verticalis. Arkansas Kinaprrp.— Very common. All the 
nests found were placed in the lower dead branches of Cottonwoods 
between ten and thirty feet up. Ina grove of about an acre I found seven 
nests with sets of three to four eggs. I never saw the nest placed on the 
ground but as I very often met both this and the former species on the 
prairie far from trees and saw them there in pairs for weeks I feel convinced 
that they either nest on the ground or in weeds. 

Myiarchus crinitus. Crrestep FiycatcHer.— On July 1 near the 
river I noticed a Crested Flycatcher entering a Flicker’s hole with nesting 
material. The nesting hole was in a dead stump thirty feet from the 
ground. I did not have an opportunity later to investigate the nest. 

Myiochanes virens. Woop Prewrn.— Very common along the river. 

Empidonax minimus. Last FiycatcHer.— Very common. I 
found several nests; each containing four eggs and sometimes a Cowbird’s 
egg. 

Cyanocitta cristata cristata. Buiun Jay— Not very common. A 
few pairs nest in the timber along the river. 

Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos. Crow.— Fairly com- 
mon. A set of six fresh eggs was collected from a nest placed in an elm on 
the island in the river on April 23, and May 20 a nest with five nearly full 
grown young was located in a small grove about three miles northwest of 
the Indian School. 

Dolichonyx oryzivorus. BoroLtinkK.— Very common. These birds 
nest in the cultivated grass and cloverfields. I have never found them 
nesting on the prairies. 


Soon | JENSEN, Nesting Birds of Wahpeton, N. D. tS BSAG 


Molothrus ater ater. Cowsrrp.— Very common. I found Cowbirds’ 
eggs in the nests of Brown Thrasher, Robin, Kingbird, Least Flycatcher, 
Yellow Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and 
Goldfinch. 

Agelaius pheeniceus pheeniceus. Rep-wincep Biackprrp.— Com- 
mon. The Red-wing nests in all low, damp places with tall grass or weeds. 
I have several times found two or three Cowbirds’ eggs in the nest of this 
Blackbird. 

Sturnella neglecta. WrstTeERN MrapowiarK.— Very common. The 
Meadowlark arrives in the last week of March, and nests may be found by 
May 1. Sets of four to six eggs are common but I have seen as few as two 
in a set. The Meadowlark is much more common in the vicinity of 
buildings than in the open. 

Icterus galbula. Batrimore OrtoLte.— Fairly common. Nests may 
be found about the middle of June in tall cottonwoods. 

Euphagus cyanccephalus. Brewer’s Biacksprrp.— A colony of 
about ten pairs was located in a plowed field near the Indian School. The 
nests contained five eggs each. 

Quiscalus quiscula eneus. Bronzep GrackLE.— Common. These 
noisy birds were nesting in the shade trees in the city streets. A colony of 
fifteen nests was found in a small grove of wild plums. On May 17 the nests 
contained five to six fresh eggs. 

Astragalinus tristis tristis. Gouprrnch— Common. Nests were 
usually found in small shade trees. August 6 I located a nest in a small 
elm, with a set of four fresh Goldfinch eggs and one Cowbird’s egg. 

Passer domesticus. ENncuisH Sparrow.— Very common. I found 
the English Sparrow nesting both in trees and buildings, wherever there 
was an opportunity to place a nest. 

Pocecetes gramineus gramineus. Vesper Sparrow.—In a wild 
plum thicket near the river I noticed a pair of this species feeding young. 

Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus. GrRassHOPPER SPAR- 
ROW.— Common in all grass fields. On June 3 I located a partly arched 
over nest containing five fresh eggs of this species in an alfalfa field. 

Passerherbulus lecontei. L»econtTr’s Sparrow.— Common. I was 
-only fortunate enough to find one nest of this little sparrow. It was placed 
in dry grass on the prairie. A set of four eggs was collected on May 27. 

Spizella passerina passerina. Cuiprinc SpaARROw.— One nest of 
this species was found in a shade tree on 8th Street. I did not look into 
the nest, but the bird was incubating. 

Spizella pallida. CiLay-coLoRED Sparrow.—I saw a pair of these 
birds feeding young near the State Science School. 

Spizella pusilla (arenacea?). Fretp Sparrow.— Fairly common. 
Nesting in the brushwood along the river. ; 

Melospiza melodia melodia. Sona Sparrow.— Have seen several 
-of these sparrows, but only located one nest. This was on June 30 and 
it contained five young sparrows and two addled Cowbird’s eggs. 


348 JENSEN, Nesting Birds of Wahpeton, N. D. [pus 


Zamelodia ludoviciana. Rosr-BREASTED GRosBEAK.— Fairly com- 
mon. On June 11 I found a nest with three eggs of this species and one 
Cowbird’s egg. June 27 another nest was located containing three heavily 
incubated eggs, and June 28 one more nest, with three newly hatched young. 
All were near the river. 

Spiza americana. DickcisseL,.— I have only seen one pair of these 
birds, and I did not locate a nest, but for about two weeks in June, the male 
could always be seen on top of bushes or weeds near the edge of an alfalfa 
field near the river. The alfalfa was then cut, and I did not see the birds 
again. 

Progne subis subis. PurrpLte Martin.— Very common. The Purple 
Martin was nesting all over the city. At the Indian School I set up a 
number of bird-boxes in which seven pairs were nesting. In June sets of 
four or five eggs were laid, but very few young ones were raised, as the 
English Sparrows were continually fighting the Martins and would go into 
the boxes and destroy the eggs. 

Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons. Ciirr Swattow.— Common. 
I located a colony of twenty-five nests on a barn near the Indian School. 
On June 26 most of them had young. 

Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swattow.— Verycommon. One pair 
were incubating a set of five eggs in a garage at the Indian School, when the 
building was lifted on rollers and carried about one hundred and fifty feet 
and turned, so the door, which had been facing east now is toward the south. 
In spite of all this disturbance the Swallows hatched their eggs and reared. 
their young ones. 

Riparia riparia. Bank SwaLttow.— Very common. I found them 
nesting in large numbers in the river banks. In one colony near the Indian 
School I counted more than five hundred nests. 

Stelgidopteryx serripennis. RouGH-wINGED SwaLLow.— Some of 
this species were nesting in the river banks, but not in such numbers as the: 
Bank Swallow. I only located two nests, on of which contained a set of 
five heavily incubated eggs on June 26. 

Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides. Wuitre-RuMPED SHRIKE.— One. 
nest of this species was located in a cottonwood about twelve feet from the 
ground, and on April 23 a set of six fresh eggs was collected. About two 
weeks later the birds were again incubating a set of six eggs. 

Vireosylva olivacea. Rep-ryep Vireo.— Fairly common in the 
shrubbery and timber along the river. 

Dendroica estiva estiva. YELLOW WarBLER.— Very common. 
Nesting wherever a few bushes were to be found. In about one half of the 
nests located, were deposited eggs of the Cowbird. Quite often the 
warblers would build a new nest on top of one in which a Cowbird’s egg 
had been laid. (See ‘The Auk,’ October, 1916). 

Dumetella carolinensis. CatTsirp.— Nests were common along the 
river and a few were found in the groves around the farm buildings. Sets. 
of five eggs are common in this locality. 


woe) General Notes. 349 


Toxostoma rufum. Brown THRASHER.— Common. Nesting from 
one to twenty-five feet from the ground. Sets of four and five eggs were 
common, and at times one or two Cowbird’s eggs were placed in a nest. 

Troglodytes edon parkmani. Western House Wren.— Very com- 
mon. I set up ten wren boxes, and eight were occupied. Fresh sets of 
six and seven eggs were found from June 10 to July 1. I made the boxes 
with, different sized entrance holes — ~ to 1} inches — and I noticed that 
the boxes with the largest holes were occupied first. 

Planesticus migratorius migratorius. Ropsrn.— Very common. 
Robins were found nesting both in trees and on buildings. One nest was 
placed on a fire escape at the Indian School. Some of the nests contained 
a Cowbird’s egg. 

Sialia sialis sialis. Buunpirp.— Not very common. The Bluebirds 
here seem to be nesting very late. July 22 a set of four eggs was found in 
one of my nesting boxes. 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Larus nelsoni, in Juvenal Plumage, from the Hawaiian Islands.— 
Nelson’s Gull, Larus nelsoni Henshaw, is one of the rarest of North 
American Laride, and its juvenal plumage is apparently undescribed. 
It was therefore with considerable interest that the writer discovered 
among the unidentified gulls in the United States National Museum a 
female specimen of Larus nelsoni in juvenal plumage, No. 169682, U. S. 
N. M., collected by Mr. H. W. Henshaw at Hilo on the Island of Hawaii, 
in the Hawauan Islands, March 13, 1899. This record adds the species 
to the list of Hawaiian birds. A few notes on this individual may be 
acceptable in the present connection. 

This Hawaiian Island individual is rather small, about the size of the 
smallest specimens of Larus hyperboreus in the United States National 
Museum collection, and measures as follows: wing, 400 mm.; tail, 155; 
exposed culmen, 55; tarsus, 66; middle toe without claw, 53. The colors 
of the soft parts, as indicated on the label, are: ‘‘ bill black; legs and feet 
pinkish; eyes hazel.” 

The juvenal plumage of Larus nelsoni, which this specimen evidently 
represents, is much like the corresponding stage of Larus hyperboreus, 
from which it differs conspicuously in its wholly black or blackish bill (in 
which respect it agrees with the juvenal plumage of Larus glaucescens), 
since the bill in even the nestling of Larus hyperboreus is blackish only 
at the tip. In plumage it differs principally from Larus hyperboreus in 
its darker posterior lower parts; more extensively dusky ocular region; 
and, on the terminal portion of the outer webs of the first three or four 


350 General Notes. [nuig 


primaries, in the presence of dusky streaks, similar to those in the adult, 
but less extensive. These, however, in this specimen, are barely noticeable 
on the left wing. ‘ 

From juvenal Larus glaucescens it differs noticeably in its much paler 
upper parts, wing-quills, and rectrices. Furthermore, the outer edges of 
the secondaries are broadly white or whitish terminally, forming a rather 
conspicuous whitish patch on the closed wing; and there are dusky streaks 
on the outer webs of the terminal portion of the first few outer primaries; 
both of which characteristics are absent in juvenal Larus glaucescens. 
The postocular dusky streak is, moreover, much shorter and less conspicu- 
ous than in the corresponding plumage of Larus glaucescens, but whether 
this is a specific character or merely an individual variation is not certainly 
determinable by the material at hand, though it appears to be constant.— 
Harry C. OBERHOLSER, Washington, D. C. 


Anas rubripes rubripes in North Dakota.— Through the courtesy of 
Mr. H. V. Williams of Grafton, North Dakota, I am able to place on record 
a North Dakota specimen of Anas rubripes rubripes. This bird was taken 
at Minto, Walsh County, in northeastern North Dakota, on April 10, 
1909, and is now in Mr. Williams’ collection. It appears to be the first 
definite record of this form for the State of North Dakota—— Harry C. 
OBERHOLSER, Washington, D. C. 


Melospiza melodia phea in Southern California.— A specimen of this 
form collected by me at Placerita Cafion, Los Angeles Co., on February 
18, 1917, appears to be the only one known from the southern part of the 
State, and is therefore noteworthy. The bird was a female, and is now 
in the U. 8. National Museum, where it was identified by Dr. H. C. Ober- 
holser. The few previous records of this subspecies in California appear 
to be restricted to the northern half of the State, in Del Monte and San 
Mateo Counties.— Epwarp J. Brown, Los Angeles, Cal. 


Numenius americanus americanus not a Breeding Bird of Michigan. 
— Mr. B. M. Swales has kindly called my attention to the unreliability of 
a Michigan breeding record in my recent paper on Numenius americanus 
(cf. ‘The Auk,’ XXXV, No. 2, April, 1918, pp. 189-190). In the United 
States National Museum there is a single curlew’s egg, supposed to have 
been collected by a Mr. C. P. Davis at Jackson, Michigan, and which is so 
entered in the catalogue and other records of the National Museum ological 
collection. The original entry, which by some inadvertence I failed to 
verify, made in 1860 by Professor Baird, shows that he was suspicious of 
the authenticity of this specimen and even of its being from America. 
Since it was obtained from Mr. Davis among a lot of miscellaneous birds’ 
eggs from various parts of the world, and since there is no positive evidence 
that it was really collected in Michigan, it seems altogether too doubtful 


a 18 | General Notes. 301 


to be upheld as a breeding record for that State. This explanation is here 
made in order that the facts in this case may be available to workers in 
Michigan ornithology. By the elimination of this record the eastern 
known limits of the breeding range of Nwmenius americanus americanus 
become restricted to southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.— Harry C. 
OBERHOLSER, Washington, D.C. 


The Rough-legged Hawk (Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis) at 
Washington, D. C.— The Rough-legged Hawk is of sufficient rarity in 
the District of Columbia to warrant placing on record a specimen which 
came into my possession on January 1, 1918. The bird, wounded and 
unable to fly, was picked up by some boys in the open country north of 
Woodridge, close to the eastern line of the District. Previous records 
from this region are as follows:! 

1859 — one. 

December 29, 1879 — one seen by H. W. Henshaw. 

1880 (winter) — one. 

December 23, 1882 — specimen in U. 8. Nat. Mus. 

March 17, 1888 — Sandy Spring, Maryland; specimen.? 

March 30, 1888 — one seen by Chas. W. Richmond. 

January 1, 1895—one seen on Potomac flats by E. A. Preble.— 
Artuur H. Howet.i, Washington, D. C. 


Occurrence of Goshawks (Astur a. atricapillus) and Saw-—whet 
Owl (Cryptoglaux acadica) in the Vicinity of Washington, D. C.— 
It is interesting to note that the Goshawk in the extended winter migra- 
tions of 1916 and 1917 reached the vicinity of Washington, D. C. Mr. 
T. A. Davis secured a fine adult at the Bureau of Animal Industry farm 
near Beltsville, Maryland, December 20, 1917. It was captured in a trap 
set beside a large rooster it had killed. 

Mr. Davis states that he shot two others of this species at the same 
locality September 1 and 2, 1916. The only previous record in this vicinity 
was of an adult female killed at Sandy Spring, Maryland, December 27, 
1887. 

A female Saw-whet Owl (Cryptoglaux acadica) taken in a grove of small 
pines at Sandy Spring, Maryland, November 30, 1916, was one of the north- 
ern species which drifted south in the autumn of 1916.— A. K. FisHEr, 
Washington, D. C. 


Large Flight of Great Horned Owls and Goshawks at Hadlyme, 
Connecticut.— Under date of December 29, Mr. Edward H. Forbush 
of Massachusetts wrote me that early in November, he had learned from 
Canada that probably because of the great dearth of rabbits in the north 
a great flight of Horned Owls and Goshawks was coming south. 


1 Cf. Cooke, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washirigton, X XI, 1908, p. 116. 
2 Fisher, Hawks and Owls of the U. S., Bull. 3, Div. Orn. & Mamm., 1893, p. 91. 


Boe General Notes. ares 


In November and December many Goshawks appeared at Hadlyme, also 
many Great Horned Owls; the latter being very commonly heard and 
seen until into February. The game keeper of a pheasant farm at Hadlyme 
trapped and killed during the fall and winter up to March 10: 91 Great- 
Horned Owls; 25 Barred Owls; 15 Screech Owls; 9 Long-eared Owls; 
and 84 Goshawks, and from September 1916, to March 10, 1918, 74 Red 
Shouldered Hawks; 60 Cooper’s and Pigeon Hawks; and 35 Sharp-shinned 
and Sparrow Hawks. 

The keeper placed eight Horned Owls in a wired enclosure and kept them 
for some time during the month of January until they began killing and 
eating each other. This was kept up until only two remained. They 
were well fed all of the time they were in captivity on dead pheasants 
killed by other hawks and owls, and Starlings were also shot for them. 

The Great Horned Owl has been fast nearing extermination in Connecti- 
cut as a permanent resident.— ArTHuR W. Brockway, Hadlyme, Conn. 


Megaceryle vs. Streptoceryle.— In a paper on the Classification of 
the Kingfishers (Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 1912), the writer showed that 
the range of variation in size, form and coloration in the genus Ceryle, as 
commonly recognized, is so great that the two subgenera of the A. O. U. 
Check-List (1910), Megaceryle and Chloroceryle, should unquestionably 
be given generic rank. Working independently, Mr. Ridgway (Bds. N. 
& M. Amer., VI, 1914, p. 407), treated not only these two groups as full 
genera but gave equal recognition to Streptoceryle, a segregate of Mega- 
ceryle. The former includes the two American species M. alcyon and M. 
torquata and the African M. maxima, while Megaceryle is restricted to the 
two closely allied Asiatic species M. lugubris and M. guttulata. 

Mr. Ridgway separates Streptoceryle and Megaceryle on account of sup- 
posed differences in the form of the bill, relative length of tarsus and inner 
toe, and coloration. Regarding the character of the feet, I can find no 
difference whatever, the relative length of the tarsus and toes being 
remarkably uniform in all the species of the group. So far as general 
coloration is concerned, the Asiatic species are not essentially differ- 
ent from the African M. maxima which connects the former with the 
American species. In fact, in the markings of the primaries the Old 
World species are in close agreement with each other, while those of the 
New World are decidedly different. The coloration of all the forms of 
Megaceryle (sensu lato) may be considered of one diversified type as opposed 
to the different styles of color or pattern seen in Chloroceryle and Ceryle. 

There remains as distinctive of Streptoceryle only the form of the bill. 
This is somewhat more slender, with straighter culmen, the tip of the 
maxilla more tapering and acute, and the gonys more strongly upcurved. 
In view of the close resemblance in all other points of structure and the 
essential agreement in size and coloration, I believe that Streptoceryle 
may profitably be relegated to synonymy. It is significant that Bona- 
parte in proposing Streptoceryle restricted it to the two American species, 


cok AY) General Notes. 303 


torquata and alcyon, the African maxima being considered a Megaceryle. 
It is a question whether M. alcyon is not actually the most distinct species 
of the genus, differing as it does in its small size, slender bill, and pointed 
wing, and in certain details of coloration. This fact also weighs against 
the recognition of Streptoceryle. 

As further bearing on this question, the case of Chloroceryle is worthy 
of attention. C.amazona differs from its three congeners in its distinct 
crest, nearly even tail, relatively longer second toe, eighteen (instead of 
fourteen or fifteen) secondaries, and in its larger size. While absolute 
consistency in our classification is probably impossible of attainment, yet 
in this particular case the proper course seems clear, namely that if 
Streptoceryle be recognized, then Chloroceryle must also be divided. In its 
coloration, eutaxic wing and scaleless tarsus, C. amazona agrees with the 
three other species of the genus, and as in the case of Megaceryle, it 
seems far better to leave this natural genus intact— W. DeW. Miter, 
American Museum of Natural History, New York City. 


The Sapsucker Wintering in Central Maine.— Inasmuch as the 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a bird of evil repute the facts about to be 
recorded may not be particularly welcome but as the couplet 


“In men whom men condemn as ill 
I find so much of goodness still,” 


may be true also of ‘ our little brothers of the air’ I wish to speak a good 
word for this much maligned bird. 

The Sapsucker is a bird which is not common in our locality. Previous 
to the winter of 1911-1912 I had seen it only rarely, during migrations, 
the dates being April 17-19 and October 3-5. Therefore I was much 
surprised on December 11, 1911, to observe one of these birds in our apple 
tree in company with a Downy. At first I thought it simply a tardy 
migrant, but when its visit was repeated on the 13th, 14th and 15th of the 
month, with snow falling on the last day, my curiosity was aroused to see 
whether it would winter with us. The nearest approach I could find to a 
statement of its wintering in our latitude was in an article which appeared 
in the ‘ Lewiston (Maine) Journal,’ under date of April 21, 1898, in which 
the writer says that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, “is said to be migratory, 
but if he is, he frequently stays with us very late and returns very early,” 
but this statement seems too indefinite to prove the point in question. 

My observations were made from the windows of my home and the trees 
which the bird visited so regularly were sufficiently near to allow most 
excellent views of him in all positions. He appeared on the 18th, 19th, 
and 30th of December and on New Year’s Day he spent nearly the entire 
forenoon in the apple trees near the house, lunching from the frozen fruit 
which had been left on the trees and hunting over the trunks and branches. 

On January 2, he evidently came as soon as it was light and remained until 
nearly dark, putting in a nine-hour day of hard work without intermission, 


354 General Notes. [i nF 


going at intervals to peck at the apples, but spending the greater part of 
the time upon the trunks of the trees. The vigorous way in which he 
threw off great flakes of bark was amusing, and quite a quantity of bark 
accumulated on the snow under the trees. Who shall say that this work 
on the trees was not beneficial? One pretty habit which may be worth 
noting is that while pecking at the apples he would often cling with his 
feet to the apple he was eating and hang, head-downward, as chickadees 
so often do. 

On January 3, he was here the greater part of the forenoon, but about 
noon there was a great commotion and we rushed to the window only to 
see an impending tragedy. A Northern Shrike was chasing our Sapsucker. 
Nearly two weeks elapsed during which time I grieved over the untimely 
fate of the little feathered friend I was watching with so much interest,— 
two weeks of extreme cold and of severe storms. On the afternoon of 
January 16, however, he returned to his old haunts, eating apples and 
hunting on the tree trunks alternately. He did not seem quite as strong 
and active as before, owing, perhaps, to the severe weather of the previous 
fortnight, the mercury having ranged from 28° to 32° below zero. 

It was interesting to me to notice on this occasion the perfection of his 
protective coloring. The trunks of the trees were quite snowy with the 
rather damp snow clinging to the bark and as the bird remained almost 
motionless for some time on the trunk of an apple tree his spotted back 
and the longitudinal stripes on his wings simulated the bark of the tree 
with the snow upon it so as to almost defy detection. I could locate him 
only with difficulty even though I knew just where to look. ‘The next day 
he came again and seemed as sprightly as ever and we also saw him 
January 19-22, 24 and 31, February 2, 6 and 9, and March 1, 3, 5, 10, 12 
and 20. He was also present April 2 and 5, after which date I surmise 
that he went farther north. 

Since that year I have seen the Sapsucker only occasionally during the 
migrations, the dates being approximately as previously given, in April 
and October.— Harriet A. Nyb, Fairfield Center, Me. 


A Crested Flycatcher injured by Swallowing a Grasshopper.— 
At Royal Palm Hammock, Dade County, Florida, January 24, 1918, I 
noticed a Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) fluttering along the 
road through the jungle, unable to fly. I caught it in my hand and found 
it weak and much emaciated. Closer examination and dissection showed 
a grasshopper’s femur about an inch long in the abdominal cavity, the 
larger end protruding for a distance of a quarter of an inch, but not having 
punctured the skin. This leg had apparently been swallowed by the bird 
and had worked through the wall of the stomach into the abdomen. 

I am indebted to Mr. Alexander Wetmore, of the Biological Survey, for 
the following notes on the injury to the stomach: 

“Examination of the stomach showed a hole through the wall at the 
extreme lower end of the ventriculus, slightly to one side, where the stomach 


eae General Notes. 309 


wall was thin. This opening was nearly a millimeter across and was 
evidently of old standing, as the corneous hardened gizzard lining extended 
through to the outer surface, completely sheathing the walls of the opening. 
There was a slight depression on the outer surface of the stomach, evidently 
made by the projecting leg. This depression was lined with a thickened, 
skin-like deposit. The stomach lining had been shed recently as part of 
the old inner surface still adhered at one side near the wound. 

The stomach was full, containmg berries, Pentatomid remains, tibia of 
a locustid, etc.’”— Arraur H. Howe u, Washington, D.C. 


An Attempt to Breed the Pine Grosbeak in Captivity.— The last 
week in January, 1917, I heard of a small flock of Pine Grosbeaks or ‘‘ Can- 
ada Robins”’ as they are called locally, in a grové of red cedars about a mile 
and a half from my home. The morning of January 28 with bright sun- 
shine and thermometer hovering around zero, I took a bamboo fish pole 
about eight feet long with a short stout piece of string and slip knot that 
would hold open three or four inches and went fishing for them. I found 
a flock of at least twenty-five Pine Grosbeaks all in the gray plumage and 
about the same number of Evening Grosbeaks, the first ever noted here. 
It was a beautiful sight to see half a dozen of each kind feeding on cedar 
berries from the same branch. The Pine Grosbeaks were very tame, as is 
usual when in this latitude, but I could only approach within about thirty 
feet of the Evening Grosbeaks when they would go off in a startled whirl 
like a bunch of English Sparrows. 

I soon secured three of the. Pine Grosbeaks, one of which was much 
darker than the other two and I judged it to bea female. Returning home 
I put them in a cage 24 x 18 x 12 inches which I placed in the living room. 
The birds quickly became contented and in a few days would take hemp 
seed from my hand or mouth. The second week in February the two 
brighter colored birds began to sing a low sweet warbling song and at 
other times kept up a pleasing conversation. 

Wishing to keep a pair, male and female, I sent one of the singing birds 
to the Bronx Zoo where it died in a week or two and was dissected and 
found to be a male. About the middle of June my singer dropped dead 
from the perch one morning, and dissection proved it a female. The 
remaining bird appeared lonesome and for about a week often made the 
whistling call. The cage was then hung outside the kitchen window over 
which a grapevine was growing, with a wide board over the top to keep 
off the rain and within a few days the bird began singing with even more 
vigor and vim thay the others had shown. The first week in July I noticed 
her hopping about the cage with bits of grass in her beak trying to fasten 
them somewhere so I placed a wire bowl in an upper corner and put in 
nesting material — shredded bark, sticks, grass and a few feathers, with 
which she at once began to fill the bowl and within a week had formed a 
very good nest. In this on July 9 she deposited an egg and by July 15 
she had completed the clutch of four perfectly typical eggs. Being infertile 
I had to add them to my collection. 


356 General Notes. [ete 


During the nesting period the bird would eat from one to three moderate 
sized angleworms aday. It did not bolt them down after the manner of the 
robin but bit off small pieces and chewed them before swallowing. Cuttle 
bone was also in demand. ‘This feeding continued for perhaps three weeks 
and again during the moult in September and October. At other times 
the bird would take no animal food although insects and worms of various 
kinds were offered. Its staple food was canary millet, rape, oats and a 
little sunflower seed with plenty of fruit and succulent grass, lettuce, 
cabbage and apple cores. The past winter the cage has hung outside 
with a hood of transparent celluloid to cover the upper two thirds for 
shelter and wind break. I hoped that the Pine Grosbeaks would visit 
us again and that my lady bird by calling might help me to obtain a mate 
for her. None visited this part of Connecticut the past winter, however, 
and I think but very few came below latitude 45°. I still have hopes of 
breeding them in captivity as they very soon become tame and contented 
with cage life. My bird did not mind the cold of the zero week during 
which she had an extra allowance of hemp and sunflower seed and a bit of 
suet.. She began singing February 1 and at present writing, March 24, 
1918, is singing much of her time, using her whistling call notes when 
Robins or Starlings fly near. Her song is identical with that of the male 
and rather reminds one of the song of their pigmy representative the 
Purple Finch but lacks the ringing quality. 

If I obtain a male to mate with my bird another year and should succeed 
in breeding them, there are several experiments to be made. One is to 
see if birds raised here and given their liberty would remain throughout 
the year and another in regard to color changes in the male.— Gro. M. 
Marckres, Sharon, Conn. 


The Systematic Position of Calyptophilus.— One of the most. 
peculiar of the many aberrant Antillean forms is the monotypic genus 
Calyptophilus of Haiti. This form was originally described by Cory in 
1883 as Phenicophilus frugivorus, and the following year the describer 
proposed for it the generic name by which it has since been known. 

Sclater (Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., XI, 1886), considered the two genera 
Phenicophilus and Calyptophilus to form a subfamily of the Tangaride: 
confined to the island of Haiti. At the same time he remarked, ‘“ I have 
some doubts whether the Phcenicophilinze ought to be included at all in the 
Tanagrine series.” 

Notwithstanding its peculiarities Calyptophilus was allowed to remain 
in the Tangaride until 1902 when Ridgway (Bds. N. and M. Amer., III, 
p. 1), after enumerating several genera that he considered out of place: 
in the Tangaride added, ‘‘ Another genus must also be removed. This is 
Calyptophilus Cory, usually placed next to Phenicophilus; but being a 
‘ten-primaried’ bird, it obviously does not belong here. Calyptophilus: 
is of very doubtful position, but probably is a member of the Mimidz.’” 
Accordingly in Part IV (1907) of the same work we find Calyptophilus as a. 


eas | General Notes. 357 


doubtful member of the Mimide, constituting the subfamily Calypto- 
philine. 

Cory, in the recently issued Part II, No. 1, of his ‘Catalogue of Birds of 
the Americas’, has raised the subfamily to family rank as ‘‘ ? Calyptophilide”’ 
with the comment that “ the monotypic genus may later be considered to 
represent a subfamily.” 

I have recently had the opportunity of examining nine perfect skins of 
this species in the collection of Dr. L. C. Sanford. These prove that 
Calyptophilus is not ten-primaried as stated by Mr. Ridgway, but typically 
‘nine-primaried,’ the tenth primary being a minute concealed vestigial 
quill varying from 4 to 8.5 mm. in length. There is no longer any reason 
for retaining this genus in the Mimida, and I believe that for the present, 
at least, it should be restored to its former position in the Tangaridze next 
to Phenicophilus, and in the neighborhood of Tachyphonus, Mitrospingus 
and Rhodinocichla. I would also suggest that the name of Chat-Thrasher 
bestowed by Mr. Ridgway be emended to Chat-Tanager.— W. DEW. 
Mitter, American Museum of Natural History, New York City. 


Junco aikeni in New Mexico.— In the last (1910) edition of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union ‘Check-List of North American Birds,’ 
Junco aikent is reported as of casual occurrence in New Mexico. Since 
there is no previous printed information that authenticates this statement, 
it seems worth while to place on record the single specimen that forms its 
basis, and this more since it forms the only record for New Mexico, and, 
furthermore, represents the southwestern limit of the known winter range 
of the species. This individual is now in the Biological Survey collection 
(No. 192902, U. S. Nat. Mus.) and is a female in juvenal plumage, col- 
lected two miles north of Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, at an altitude of 
8000 feet on January 20, 1904, by Mr. M. Surber.— Harry C. OseEr- 
HOLSER, Washington, D.C. 


Notes on Some Bird Fossils from Florida.— On May 15, 1918, Dr. 
E. H. Sellards, State Geologist of Florida, sent me a small lot of fossil 
bird bones from Tallahassee and they were received a few days after that 
date. In the letter of transmittal Dr. Sellards states that one of these 
specimens is “a bird bone that came from an Indian mound. This bone 
is marked merely x, no other number.” I find it to be the left humerus 
of a Florida Cormorant (Phalacrocoraz a. floridanus), nearly perfect, and in 
a subfossilized condition, being of a rather pale earth-brown color and very 
pliable. 

In referring to these ‘‘ scraps ’’ in his letter of the fourteenth of the same 
month Dr. Sellards says that “‘ The one small piece of bone differing from 
the others in color is from a different locality. I find it in a collection from 
the Pleistocene at Camp Dam on the Withlacoochee River, and presum- 
ably it was taken in that locality although it seems to have escaped getting 
a number assigned to it.’ This bone is the distal end of a right tarsometa- 


358 General Notes. are 


tarsus and belonged to a bird of medium size. It is well fossilized but is 
too fragmentary for definite reference. 

All the remaining bones in this collection belonged to the Wild Turkey 
(Meleagris gallopavo) and apparently to the same adult individual. They 
are thoroughly fossilized and as fragmentary parts of bones, more or less 
perfect. In color they are generally of a pale cream white, blotched and 
otherwise rather sparingly marked with deep brown and rusty. The right 
coracoid is slightly chipped, otherwise nearly perfect. This is likewise 
true of the distal third of the right ulna found in the lot, and the distal 
portions of the two carpometacarpi, of which there is the lower two-thirds 
of the right tarso-metatarsus. 

These turkey bones all came from the Pleistocene cavern deposits at 
Ocala, Florida, and bear the following original numbers, to wit: 7799, 
7800, 7934, 7946, and 7954. They will probably be added to the collec- 
tions of the U. S. National Museum, where they now are, and I have the 
permission of Dr. Sellards to publish the above notes in regard to them. 

Among these I find a vertebra of the neck of a turtle — the ninth in 
the chain, which, in this genus, is the one articulating with the first co- 
ossified vertebra of the carapace. It came from a large-sized, soft-shelled 
turtle that apparently belonged to a specimen of A pideretes, possibly feroz, 
the group to which the fossil soft-shelled turtles are usually referred, while 
the form of that genus now found in Florida is T’rionyx ferox or Amyda 
ferox. The last free vertebra of the neck in these turtles is very differently 
formed from any other in that section of the spine. It is spreading and 
much flattened from above downward. This is the fossil vertebra we have, 
and it is my present intention to describe it elsewhere; it is only noted 
here in that we may know what other animals were in existence in Florida 
at the time the Pleistocene Wild Turkeys flourished there.— RospErt 
Winson Suurewpt, Washington, D. C. 


A Note Concerning Bird Mortality.— On December 24, 1917, at 
Norwalk, Conn., while taking a Christmas census for ‘ Bird-Lore,’ I had an 
experience so unusual and interesting that I believe it worth putting on 
record. In the course of the morning I noted a Field Sparrow (Spizella 
pusilla pusilla) flying from one clump of bushes to another, and chipping 
rather excitedly. Not identifying it immediately I watched it for some 
time. It finally flew into the low hanging limb of a Norway spruce, and 
then dropped vertically down into a hollow in the snow, where I could not 
see it. The chipping noise ceased, and though I watched for some time, 
the bird did not reappear. I finally walked cautiously up to the hollow 
under the spruce limb, and found the bird lying upon its back. I picked 
it up. Every muscle in its body was rigid. Its feet were extended up 
straight and its eyes were open wide. Its breast was inflated as though 
the lungs were filled with air that it could not expel. Thinking it suffer- 
ing from cold, I tried to warm it in my hand. Soon its muscles relaxed, 
its eyes closed, its head drooped and it died in my hand. 


faa General Notes. 359 


» 


Dissection of the body later, showed no apparent cause of death save 
that there was little food in the stomach, a condition that could not be 
considered abnormal early in the morning. But the stomach contained 
no small pebbles or grit, such as are generally present in the stomachs of 
seed-eating birds. There had been snow on the ground for several days, 
so that possibly the bird could not get such material, and this might have 
been the cause of death. The body was not in the least emaciated, how- 
ever, so that if this lack caused death, it was rather by something akin to 
acute indigestion than by starvation. The previous night had not been 
unusually cold, and weather conditions up to that time were normal. 

That afternoon I picked up a dead Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia 
melodia) that had possibly met its death in the same manner. The number 
of birds that are found dead is larger than most of us realize. Last spring 
twenty-four birds were brought to me by pupils of the Bridgeport High 
School. The West Haven High School has a very good collection of 
mounted birds, nearly all birds that were found dead and brought in 
by pupils. Most of such birds that I have examined have shown no sign 
of injury. Probably many birds die in this sudden manner, but the 
chances of an observer actually witnessing such a death must be very 
slight.— Aretas A. SaunpERs, Norwalk, Conn. 


Birds and Mulberries.— Though it is well known that mulberries are 
very attractive to many species of birds, an instance of this attractiveness 
that seems worthy of record has recently been observed by the writer. 

On the farm of Mr. J. B. Golsan, near Prattville, Ala., is a small orchard 
of nine ‘“ Everbearing ’’ mulberry trees situated only a few rods from the 
barnyard in a corner of the pasture, and surrounded on three sides by 
woods and thickets. On April 29, 1918, these trees, covered with ripening 
fruit, were kept under close observation from 3:15 until 5:15 P. M., and 
though the day had been mostly cloudy, with some rain — by no means 
ideal for birds — twenty-two species were recorded in the orchard in that 
short time. Next day (April 30) three additional species (Towhee, Chat, 
and Carolina Wren) were recorded by the writer and one (Hairy Wood- 
pecker) by Mr. Lewis 8. Golsan. No attempt was made to count the host 
of individuals which was constantly passing between the mulberry trees 
and the surrounding woods. The list of species follows, the asterisk denot- 
ing that individuals of the species so indicated were seen to actually swallow 
mulberries (a six-power binocular was used): Dryobates v. auduboni, 
* Dryobates p. pubescens, *Melanerpes erythrocephalus, *Centurus carolinus, 
Archilochus colubris, *Tyrannus tyrannus, *Myiarchus crinitus, *Cyano- 
citta c. florincola, *Icterus spurius, *Icterus galbula, Passer d. hostilis, 
*Zonotrichia albicollis, *Pipilo e. canaster, *Cardinalis c. cardinalis, Zame- 
lodia ludoviciana, *Passerina cyanea, *Piranga erythromelas, *Piranga r. 
rubra, * Vireosylva olivacea, *Icteria v. virens, Mimus p. polyglottos, *Dume- 
tella carolinensis, *Toxostoma rufum, Thryothorus 1. ludovicianus, * Hylo- 
cichla mustelina, and Hylocichla f. fuscescens. 


Re 


360 General Notes. 

In almost every instance the Orchard Orioles would pluck a whole 
berry and then hold it under one foot and eat it piecemeal. Indigo Bunt- 
ings seemed very partial to a white variety of berry and paid little atten- 
tion to the others. It is perhaps worthy of note that at the time these 
observations were made dewberries were ripening in great profusion along 
almost every hedgerow.— Ernest G. Hout, Biological Survey, Washington, 
Dic. 


An American Edition of Audubon’s ‘ Ornithological Biography.’— 
In a recent bibliographical memoir of Audubon’s work,! Doctor Stone 
included the American (Philadelphia, 1831) edition of volume one of the 
‘Ornithological Biography,’ also mentioning that there was said to be 
another American edition of the same volume, dated 1832, and referring 
in a foot-note to Loomis’ description? of a copy of this edition. Loomis 
states that this edition, which bore the imprint Judah Dobson, Agent, 
and H. H. Porter, is “‘ wholly distinct so far as typographical features are 
concerned ”’ from the Edinburgh edition and mentions, casually, the exist- 
ence of an edition of the same year (1832) with the imprint of E. L. Carey 
and A. Hart, Philadelphia, which, apparently he had not seen, or had not 
at hand, as his statement that it is ‘‘ the Edinburgh edition with the Phila- 
delphia title-page ”’ is misleading. 

A copy of the E. L. Carey and A. Hart, 1832, Philadelphia edition is now 
before me. Like Loomis’ copy it is wholly distinct typographically from 
the Edinburgh edition, but typographically similar to the Dobson and 
Porter, Philadelphia, 1831, edition, except the imprint of the title. A com- 
parison of these two American editions of volume one, at hand, with the 
Edinburgh edition of volume one, seems to show that the first two were 
printed from the same setting of type, corresponding line for line through- 
out, all peculiarities of any given letter or alignment being the same. In 
this respect they differ from the Edinburgh edition, the minor differ- 
ences in the spacing of letters or words alone making it clearly evident, 
where gross differences are wanting, that the work is of another setting of 
type. 

So far as I am aware, the imprints on these two American editions of 
volume one have not been given. That of the Dobson and Porter, 1831, 
edition is as follows:— Philadelphia: (which is in black-letter)| Judah 
Dobson, Agent, 108 Chestnut Street; | and | H. H. Porter, Literary Rooms, 
121 Chestnut Street. | MDCCCXXXI. 

The imprint on the title of the Carey and Hart, 1832, edition is as fol- 
lows: — Philadelphia: (which is in black-letter) |E. L. Carey and A. 
Hart — Chesnut Street.| MDCCCXXXII. In this edition Chestnut 
Street is incorrectly spelled, as given. 


1 Witmer Stone. A Bibliography and Nomenclator of the Ornithological Works of John 


James Audubon. ‘The Auk,’ XXIII, 1906, pp. 298-312. 
2 Leverett M. Loomis. A Forgotten Volume. ‘The Auk,’ VIII, 1891, p. 230. 


ios | General Notes. 361 


On the reverse of the title-page in both these editions is:— Entered 
according to the act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred | 
and thirty one, by R. Harlan, M.D. in the Clerk’s office of the District 
Court of the! United States, in and for the Eastern District of Pennsyl- 
vania. | Philadelphia: | Printed by James Kay, Jun. & Co. | Printers to the 
American Philosophical Society. | No. 4, Minor Street. 

Both these editions, similar to one another, differ in minor points of 
typography from the Edinburgh edition. Loomis states that his copy 
differs from the Edinburgh edition in typography. It is likely that the 
several American editions of volume one were all printed from the same 
setting. The reading matter, so far as I have noted it, is the same in the 
two American editions as in the Edinburgh edition, also before me. 

A few differences in addition to the title-pages which will satisfactorily 
identify the printed-in-Philadelphia, volume one, editions, may be pointed 
out: Typographical variation of the American editions from the Edin- 
burgh edition, begin in the first page of the introductory address, (p. v), 
second line. In the American print this line ends with the word “ no’; 
with the word ‘“ wish” in the Edinburgh edition. The printer’s signatures 
are different throughout. On page 1, the ‘‘ A”’ in the American edition is 
at the lower left hand corner; it is in the lower right and smaller sized, 
in the Edinburgh volume. Finally, the pages at the back containing the 
list of subscribers in the American editions runs over onto the sixteenth 
page, while in the Edinburgh copy it is completed on the fifteenth. 

The pagination of the various editions is not different; the paper of the 
American editions is softer than the other. The size of the leaves is 
greater in the American editions, somewhat taller and half an inch wider. 
After discussing volume one of the ‘ Ornithological Biography,’ Stone, 
in the paper previously cited, says that he knows of but the one edition 
(i. e., the Edinburgh) of the remaining volumes. A copy of the American 
edition of volume two has however recently come into my hands in a set, of 
which volume one is the Carey and Hart, 1832, edition, full imprint of 
which is given above; and volumes three, four and five the Edinburgh 
edition. Volume two of this American edition has the following imprint:— 
Boston: (which is in black-letter | Hilliard, Gray, and Company. | 
MDCCCXXXV. _ The title-page is otherwise an exact transcription of 
the corresponding Edinburgh edition, except that “ &c. &e.”’ becomes in the 
American edition “‘ Ete. Ete.” On the reverse of the title of the American 
edition is:— Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1835, | by 
Victor Gifford Audubon and John Woodhouse Audubon, | in the Clerk’s 
Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. | J. D. Freeman, 
Printer, | 110, Washington Street. This American edition of volume two 
is printed throughout from an entire reset of type, any and every page of 
which shows minor or greater differences from the Edinburgh, 1834, edition 
of volume two. ‘To the casual reader, besides the differences in the title- 
page it may be pointed out that in the American edition the errata on | 
page 580 (unnumbered in both editions) are omitted, corresponding cor- 


s 


362 Recent Literature. ar 


rections having been made in the text in the later (American) edition. 
The paper differs from that on which the corresponding Edinburgh edition 
is printed, being of excellent quality, and entirely free from foxing, the 
pages are larger, slightly trimmed, and the volume altogether a fine example 
of American book making.— Witiram C. Bratstin, M.D., Brooklyn, 
IN Ke 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


-Loomis on the Tubinares.!— As is generally known Mr. Loomis has 
been engaged in a study of the Tubinares for a good many years past. 
As early as 1895 there appeared the first of his series of papers on Cali- 
fornian water birds and following these he, as Director of the museum of 
the California Academy, organized an expedition to the Revilla Gigedo 
Islands which brought back a large collection of these pelagic birds to a 
study of which Mr. Loomis at once devoted himself. All of this material 
was destroyed in the disastrous conflagration of 1906, but the Academy’s 
Galapagos Expedition under Mr. Rollo H. Beck, which returned in the 
same year, brought even richer material and upon this collection and other 
recent accessions, numbering upwards of two thousand specimens, Mr. 
Loomis’s study is based. He has likewise visited the leading museums of 
the United States and studied their material while he has embodied the 
results of his own field studies and the manuscript notes of members of 
the two expeditions above referred to — Messrs. E. W. Gifford, Rollo H. 
Beck and Dr. A. 8. Bunnell. Naturally his report constitutes a contribu- 
tion of very great importance to our knowledge of these puzzling birds of 
the high seas and has been looked forward to with much interest by orni- 
thologists. : 

The treatise has been prepared with much deliberation and in the schol- 
arly style that has always characterized Mr. Loomis’s writings while the 
author’s thorough acquaintance with the literature of the subject is mani- 
fest on every page. It is divided into six parts: I. Historical; giving a 
brief sketch of the men and publications which have contributed to our 
knowledge of the group, including portraits of Coues, Salvin and Godman, 
after whom he has named the principal periods in the literature of the 
Tubinares; II. Geographic Distribution; III. Migration; IV. Variation; 
VY. Classification and Nomenclature; VI. Results of the Study. 


1A Review of the Albatrosses, Petrels, and Diving Petrels. Expedition of the Cali- 
fornia Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, 1905-1906. By Leverett Mills 
Loomis. Proc. Acad. Calif. Sci. Fourth Series, Vol. II, Pt. II, No. 12, pp. 1-187, pll. 
1-17. April 22, 1918. 


ann . Recent Literature. 363 


The last part comprises nearly two-thirds of the entire report and to the 
student of the Tubinares is the most important portion. It treats of the 
forty-four species obtained by the expedition and goes into great detail 
regarding variation in size and coloration, migration and habits. A vast 
and important addition is made to our knowledge of these birds but the 
evidence presented may very likely be interpreted differently by other 
students of the group, where it relates to the systematic arrangement of 
the forms. 

In the section treating of classification and nomenclature Mr. Loomis 
considers all the known species, which he reduces to eighty-six in number, 
and gives his views upon these matters more concisely. His attitude as is 
well known is extremely conservative in regard to the recognition of spe- 

_ cies while subspecies he rejects entirely. To quote his own statement of 
his views: “Some ornithologists would differentiate all discernible geographic 
variation into subspecies: others would make selections and have ‘practi- 
cal subspecies.” Under the first method the separations become so fine 

that even typical examples can scarcely be determined. Under the second 
method the separations rest largely on the shifting sands of individual 
opinion. .... In the present paper geographic variation is considered in 
connection with the other variations of species, the subspecies theory being 
discarded as a theory that has outlived its usefulness.” 

The flaw in Mr. Loomis’s solution of this vexing question is that he 

- presumes that “‘species”’ are things definitely established while as a matter 
of fact they are matters of personal opinion just as are “subspecies”’ and 
his action simply shifts the issue from determining which subspecies shall 
be recognized to deciding which forms are species and which are subspecies. 

- When the custom of recognizing geographic forms by name, either bi- 

nomially or trinomially, is practically universal, and when students will 
agree upon the majority of such forms quite as readily as they will upon the 
number of ‘‘species” that are to be recognized, it seems that the value of 
a work is impaired in which such an ultra-conservative attitude is main- 
tained. 

Mr. Loomis has always been an ardent student of bird migration and his 
numerous contributions to the subject are well known, so that one turns 
-with especial interest to the chapter dealing with this fascinating problem 

in order to learn his present views. These we find rather disappointing 

inasmuch as he adheres closely to the old idea that ‘“‘the young learn to 
migrate through the example of the adults,” and “that the adults are 
guided by physical phenomena over areas that experience has rendered 
familiar.” Dr. John B. Watson’s well known experiments with Noddy 
and Sooty Terns are considered but the attempts to explain away the 
necessity for Dr. Watson’s conclusion that the birds were able to find their 
way back to their nesting ground over waters hitherto unknown to them, 
are by no means convincing. As regards the “‘return” migration Mr. 

Loomis discounts the part that physiological incentive plays in starting 

the birds back to their summer homes with such astonishing regularity of 


364 Recent Literature. [jus 


date, but he offers no adequate alternative reason. One point that he 
does emphasize however deserves careful consideration, i. e. that in judging 
whether the young or adult birds migrate first we are often basing our 
conclusions upon cases of arrested migration— young birds which have 
dropped out of the flight exhausted, and not upon the migratory flight 
itself. In the case of land birds however, the entire flight has to pause 
somewhere and we should at our stations of observation have just as good 
an opportunity of seeing one part of it as another. 

These are big problems however, and are only incidentally connected 
with the main subject of Mr. Loomis’s report which will take its place as 
one of the notable contributions to the natural history of a group of birds 
as baffling as they are fascinating. The key to their ultimate systematic 
arrangement will be found in the acquisition of adequate series of breeding 
birds from all of the scattered islets to which they resort to rear their 
young. Until we in a measure secure such material a reasonable conser- 
vatism in the description of new forms is perhaps the wisest course to 
pursue. 

The half-tone plates, beside the portraits already referred to, consist of 
photographs of Albatrosses on the Galapagos Islands and of numerous 
skins illustrating variations in coloration of adults and young. There is a 
detailed map of the Galapagos Group and another of the oceans of the 
world. 

A previous publication, No. VIII of this series, by Mr. E. W. Gifford, 
issued August 11, 1913, covered the other families of water birds and the 
doves obtained by the expedition. As we understand that Mr. Gifford is 
now engaged in other lines of work we fear that he may not contemplate 
completing his report on the remaining families contained in the collection. 
If not it is sincerely to be hoped that the authorities of the California 
Academy will arrange for their study by some one of the California orni- 
thologists as material of such value to ornithology should be reported upon 
without further delay.— W. S. 


Murphy on Atlantic Oceanites..— This is the second contribution 
by the same author from the Brewster-Sanford collection of sea birds in 
The American Museum of Natural History. Mr. Murphy’s conclusions 
are based on a study of more than two hundred skins of the Wilson’s 
Petrel in the collections in the American Museum (including those of Dr. 
Jonathan Dwight and Dr. L. C. Sanford), the Brooklyn Museum, and the 
Museum of Comparative Zodlogy. This wealth of material makes his 
conclusions correspondingly convincing. In the section on plumages 
and molts, it is shown that the juvenal plumage is recognizably different 
from that of the adult, and that the molt and growth of wing quills in the 
adult causes a seasonal variation in the wing measurement quite sufficient 


1A Study of the Atlantic Oceaniles. By Robert Cushman Murphy. Bull. Amer. Mus. 
Nat. Hist., Vol. XX XVIII, pp. 117-146, pll. I-III, March 26, 1918. 


xh 


ans | Recent Literature. 365 


s 


+o account for the different races of this bird, which have been claimed for 
the Atlantic. The taxonomic status, migration, breeding, occurrence in 
summer near New York, and food are taken up separately and in detail; 
and the paper is not only a satisfactory review of the species but will be 
found useful for comparison in work on the less well known forms of 
petrels. It is illustrated with interesting and attractive photographs from 
life by the author and Mr. Howard H. Cleaves.— J.T. N. 


Cory’s ‘ Catalogue of Birds of the Americas.’ !— The great activity 
in the study of neotropical birds during the past few years has rendered 
all of our catalogues out of date, while the most recent one dealing with 
South American birds, that of Brabourne and Chubb, is disappointing 
to the general student from the fact that the Central American species 
are necessarily omitted. A work therefore, such as Mr. Cory has begun, 
which is both up to date and at the same time covers the entire New World, 
is particularly welcome at this time. Under each species and subspecies 
are given the original reference with the type locality and one or more 
additional references to important papers, including always the first refer- 
ence to the name as adopted in the list. Then follows a brief statement 
of the range, and the number of specimens contained in the Field Museum 
‘Collection, with the localities which they represent. In the case of species 
not described in the ‘ British Museum Catalogue’ or in Ridgway’s ‘ Birds 
of North and Middle America,’ a brief description is given in a footnote. 
As to the species recognized, the author is guided by the two works above 
mentioned and by such monographic papers as have appeared subsequently. 
Recently described forms not considered in such works are admitted pend- 
ing future judgment. This plan seems to us an admirable one as it is 
not biased by the views of one individual which in such a work must needs 
be of very unequal value. 

The classification follows that of Bowdler Sharpe’s ‘ Hand List of Birds’ 
and the present part covers the families from the Owls to the Humming- 
birds inclusive. This plan, of beginning the work with ‘ Part II’ as the 
author explains, has been adopted with the idea of leaving to the last the 
families still to be treated by Ridgway in this ‘ Birds of North and Middle 
America ’ since the immediate treatment of these groups would have neces- 
‘sitated a very large number of footnote descriptions which can be avoided 
‘when reference to the above work is possible. 

As in most works of this nature the author has found it necessary to 
propose a certain number of new forms. Of these we note the following: 
Speotyto cunicularia minor (p. 40); Boa Vista, Amazonia; Aratinga 
cactorum perpallida (p. 59), Ceara, Brazil; Eupsittula pertinax margaritensis 
(p. 63), Margarita Island; Amazona amazonica tobagensis (p. 83), Tobago; 


1A Catalogue of Birds of the Americas. By Charles B. Cory. Part II, No.1. Field 
Museum of Natural History, Publication 197. Zodlogical Series, Vol. XIII. Chicago, 
iU. S. A., March, 1918. S8vo, pp. 1-315. 


366 Recent Literature. [ie 


Urospatha martii olivacea (p. 108), Moyobamba, Peru; Nephecetes niger 
guadeloupensis (p. 143); Guadeloupe Island; Lepidopyga goudoti zulice 
(p. 182), Rio Aurare, W. Venezuela; Colibri iolatus brevipennis (p. 210), 
Caracas, Venezuela. 

While we have not had an opportunity to test out the accuracy of the 
references they appear to have been carefully compiled and we have little 
doubt but that Mr. Cory’s ‘ Catalogue’ will prove to be an indispensable 
reference work to all who study neotropical bird-life. It is well printed, 
the type well selected and the arrangement clear and easily understood. 
Let us hope that nothing may hinder the appearance of the succeeding 
parts upon which Mr. Cory is now engaged.— W. 8S. 


McAtee’s ‘ Sketch of the Natural History of the District of Colum- 
bia.’ — There is no more important point in connection with the study of 
local natural history than for the student to have a clear idea of the relation 
of the fauna and flora to the environment and to appreciate just where 
his immediate locality stands in the classification of the larger zoégeo- 
graphic or phytogeographic areas as well as to know where to find the local 
literature. We often find admirable discussions of the faunal relations 
of the western states or of remote foreign countries, but concise accounts of 
the general features controlling the distribution of plants and animals in the 
neighborhood of the larger centers of population in the eastern states, are 
much harder to obtain. Such a work, therefore, as Mr. McAtee has con- 
ceived and carried to completion deserves the highest commendation, 
and should stimulate the preparation of similar sketches for other centers 
of natural history study. 

The first half of the ‘‘ sketch ” consists of an historical account of natu- 
ral history study in the vicinity of Washington with local bibliographies 
for the botany, insects, other invertebrates, fishes, reptiles and batrachians, 
birds, mammals and early history of man. The second part discusses 
the distribution of life in the region under the following heads: ‘ The 
Piedmont Plateau and Coastal Plain as Faunal and Floral Provinces’; 
‘Magnolia Bogs near Washington, D. C., and their Relations to the Pine: 
Barrens’; ‘ Other Types of Collecting Grounds in the District of Columbia 
Region’; and ‘The Upper Potomac Region.’ Following this is the index 
to the accompanying map with a bibliography of maps, historical works,,. 
etc., from which the locality names were compiled. The bird portion 
consists of an interesting historical sketch and a list of fifteen papers. 

This publication we notice is the first of a new series — ‘ Bulletins ’ — 
of the Biological Society which, if the present issue is a sample of what is to- 
come, will be well worth while.— W. S. 


1A Sketch of the Natural History of the District of Columbia together with an Indexed 
Edition of the U. S. Geological Survey’s 1917 Map of Washington and Vicinity. By 
W.L. McAtee. Bull. Biological Society, Wash., No.1. May,1918. pp. 1-142 with map- 
(in folder). Price $2.00, postpaid $2.15. 


ae | Recent Literature. 367 


Townsend’s ‘In Audubon’s Labrador.’ !— Dr. Townsend has written 
so many interesting accounts of the life and natural history of the Labrador 
coast that we have come to associate his name instinctively with the wild, 
rugged north-land which he so delights to tell us about. To those who are 
familiar with his previous books the announcement of another volume will 
mean another treat in store for them. The volume in question however, 
has an added charm in the fact that the course of the writer on this trip 
followed that of Audubon on his famous voyage of 1833. Stops were made 
at the same points, the same localities were visited, the same birds were 
studied and in several instances descendants of the very people whom 
Audubon visited were met with. 

The first chapter gives a brief resumé of Audubon’s trip, with appropriate 
quotations from his diary and some account of the men who were associated 
with him. Then follows the narrative of the voyage of Dr. Townsend and 
his companion Mr. Harold St. John, the botanist, from Natashquan to 
Blanc Sablon, while two chapters on the conservation of wild life in Labra- 
dor, and on the protection of the Eider, the latter of which appeared 
originally in ‘The Auk’ for 1904, complete the main text of the volume. 
There is however an appendix consisting of letters from George C. Shat- 
tuck, Jr., who accompanied Audubon, from his father, from B. Lincoln, 
brother of another member of the party, and from Audubon himself, all 
of which relate to the famous expedition. Dr. Townsend’s narrative is 
written in a delightful style giving one a vivid picture of the country and 
its inhabitants, while the pages teem with ornithological matter including 
many original observations on bird habits. 

The illustrations are half-tone reproductions of photographs of localities, 
general scenery, birds and plants as well as portraits of many of the persons 
mentioned in the text. A map of the coast of Labrador with the routes 
of the two expeditions recalls to mind the comparatively small portion of 
the coast which Audubon visited, and the fact that it lay entirely on the 
southern side of the peninsula bordering on the Straits of Belle Isle and the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. A good index completes this attractive volume.— 
W.S. 


Pearson’s ‘ Tales from Birdland.’ ?— With the constantly increasing 
interest in bird study there is a steady demand for bird books, not only for 
the advanced student, but for the little folks as well, and probably there is 
no better way to arouse a lasting interest in birds in the child than to tell 
him stories which are woven about the personality of some imaginary bird 
hero. As a contribution to this class of bird books Mr. Pearson has just 


1In Audubon’s Labrador. By Charles Wendell Townsend, M. D., with illustrations and 
amap. Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin Company. 1918. pp. i-ai + 1-354. 
Price $2.50 net. 

2Tales from Birdland. By T. Gilbert Pearson. Illustrations by Charles Livingston 
Bull. Doubleday, Page & Company, 1918. pp. 1-237. Price 70 cts. postpaid. 


368 Recent Literature. [jug 


published a little volume under the above title describing the experiences 
of ‘ Hardheart, the Gull’; ‘ Longtoe, the Gypsy Robin’; ‘ Jim Crow of 
Cow Heaven’ and other similar celebrities, ten in all, into which he has 
managed to incorporate a great deal of valuable suggestion regarding bird 
protection without destroying the interest of the stories. The book should 
prove a valuable one both as a story book and for school reading.— W.S. 


Mathews’ ‘ Birds of Australia.’ '— This attractive number of Mr. 
Mathews’ great work includes the Frogmouths, Rollers and part of the 
Kingfishers, groups which the author prefers to regard as distinct orders - 
rather than as families of the Coraciiformes. We notice however that 
through inadvertence the order heading for the ‘ Coraciiformes’ which 
should precede the account of the genus Hurystomus has been omitted so 
that this genus would appear to be included in the ‘ Podargiformes.’ 

The accounts of the life and habits of the Frogmouths are very interesting 
while the peculiar poses shown in the plates illustrate how much protective 
coloration and rigidity of posture figure in rendering them inconspicuous. ° 
We note the following new forms: Podargus strigoides centralia (p. 34), 
Central Australia; P. s. capensis (p. 35), Cape York; Aegotheles cristata 
tasmanica (p. 65), Tasmania; A. c. olivei (65), Cairns, N. Queensland; 
A. c. centralia (p. 67), Stevenson’s River; A. c. melvillensis (p. 67), Melville 
Island; Alcyone azurea wallaceana (p. 94), Aru Isls.; A. a. distincta (p. 94), 
Humboldt Bay, New Guinea; and Micralcyone pusilla yorki (p. 103) Cape 
York. ; 

In considering the Kingfishers five new genera are proposed as follows: 
Cyanoceyx (p. 96), type Ceyx lepida; Ceycalcyon (p. 97), type C. cyano- 
pectus; Argyroceyx (p. 97), type C. argentata; Ispidella (p. 97), type Halcyon 
leucogaster and Ceycoides (p. 98), type C. madagascariensis. The discussion 
on the relative value of color patterns and details of structure is interesting 
and the points brought out are well worthy of the attention of systematists. 
It might be mentioned in this connection that a similar discussion based 
largely upon the same group of species was published by the reviewer in 
1912, in a paper which appears to have been overlooked by Mr. Mathews 
(Journal Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. XV, pp. 313-319) — W. 8. 


Lincoln’s ‘ The Woodpeckers of Colorado.’ ?— This little pamphlet 
is published by the Colorado Mountain Club and is intended to give to 
the layman concise information on the habits and appearance of the wood- 
peckers of the state. A preliminary sketch of the habits and structure of 
woodpeckers in general is followed by detailed accounts of the nine Colorado 


1The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. VII, Part I, pp. 1-112. 
March 4, 1918. 

2 The Woodpeckers of Colorado. By F. C. Lincoln. Illustrated. Published by The 
Colorado Mountain Club. Publication No. 6. Denver, Colorado. December 8, 1917. 
pp. 1-22. 


vos | Recent Literature. 369 


species. The illustrations consist of photographs of specimens and groups 
in the Colorado Museum of Natural History. A good plan for showing 
the actual and relative size of the species consists of a photograph of a 
series of skins, one of each species, arranged side by side on a sheet of paper 
ruled with horizontal lines one inch apart. The pamphlet is well printed 
and forms an attractive and useful publication.— W. 8S. 


Cassinia for 1917.1— The Delaware Valley Club’s annual publication 
appears as usual in April covering the proceedings of the year 1917. The 
leading article is a biographical sketch of Samuel Wright, one of the active 
members of the Club who died early in the year, by Witmer Stone, with 
portrait. Then follows an admirable review of the summer bird-life of 
Pocono Lake, Pa., by John D. Carter; one of those boreal ‘ islets’ in the 
mountainous part of the state which for many years past has been a 
favorite resort for several members of the Club. The nest of the Golden- 
crowned Kinglet found by Mr. Carter in 1916 was one of the latest dis- 
coveries, the first actual nesting record of this species for the state. Samuel 
Scoville, Jr., writes of the influx of Evening Grosbeaks which marked the 
winter of 1916-1917 and brought this species within the Philadelphia 
district for the first time. The usual migration report based upon the 
schedules of fifty-one observers, and the abstract of proceedings complete 
the number. 

The average attendance at the sixteen meetings held during the year 
was twenty-one, notwithstanding the fact that twenty-two of the members 
are in the national service.— W. 5S. 


Bangs and Penard on a Collection of Surinam Birds.?— This 
paper is based on a collection of 2000 skins representing 301 species which 
was made for the Museum of Comparative Zoélogy under the direction of 
Mr. A. P. Penard, of Paramaribo, the greater part of the specimens being 
obtained in the immediate vicinity of the city. 

There is a brief introduction in which the physical features of Surinam 
are described, the country being divided into three parallel zones, the 
alluvial lowlands, the savanna lands and the highlands stretching back 
to the Tumuchumac Mountains of Brazil. Much of the last area is unex- 
plored and according to the authors the extreme difficulties to be overcome 
make it unlikely that any extensive work will be done there for some time 
to come. 

Under many of the species there is a mere mention of the specimens 
contained in the collection while under others there is considerable dis- 


1Cassinia: A Bird Annual. Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club of 
Philadelphia. 1917 (issued April, 1918). pp. 1-74. Price 50 cents. Address care of 
The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 

2 Notes on a Collection of Surinam Birds. By Outram Bangs and Thomas E. Penard. 
Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. LXII, No. 2. April, 1918. pp. 25-93. 


370 Recent Literature. ae 


cussion of relationships and nomenclature, and incidentally comment is 
made upon various species from other parts of South and Central America. 
Five new forms are described from Surinam and thirteen from other places 
— Panama, Mexico, St. Vincent, Trinidad, etc., while two new genera 
are erected; Helicolestes for Falco hamatus, and Hypocnemoides for Hypoc- 
nemis melanopogon. Thirteen names not in current use have been revived 
and recognized. 

The paper is a valuable contribution to the ornithology of a region upon 
which comparatively little has been written in late years.— W. S. 


Riley on a New Bullfinch from China.'— A single specimen of a 
Bullfinch from Peking recently presented by Mr. Geo. D. Wilder to the 
U.S. National Museum proves to belong to an undescribed race allied to 
Pyrrhula erythraca from Sikhim but widely separated geographically. Mr. 
Riley names it in honor of its discoverer, P. e. wilderi— W. 8. 


McGregor on New or Noteworthy Philippine Birds.2— This con- 
tribution consists of notes on twenty-two species of birds Philippine, includ- 
ing an additional record of the Monkey-eating Eagle, Pithecophaga jeffreyi, 
an account of a living specimen of Leucotreron merrilli with a colored plate. 
For this species the new subgeneric name Neoleucotreron, (p. 2) is proposed. 
The other notes deal mainly with terns, shore-birds and swifts.— W. 8. 


Gabrielson on the Birds of Clay and O’Brien Counties, Iowa.’— 
This list of 136 species is the result of a number of field trips during several 
years prior to 1912. It is not presented with any idea of its being complete 
but mainly because conditions in the last few years have so altered the 
region that any record becomes of great interest. Extensive draining, 
the author tells us has destroyed almost all the swamps and ponds, and 
he goes on to say: ‘‘ Where in 1909 and 1910 cat tails and other aquatic 
vegetation, teeming with bird life, flourished, solid fields of corn now 
stand and the birds have vanished.”’ Unfortunately this is not the only 
spot where such changes are going on and he who saves for posterity some 
record of the original faunal conditions deserves the highest commenda- 
tion.— W. 8. 


Recent Papers on Bird Preservation.— The Annual Report of the 
State Ornithologist of Massachusetts‘ is as usual full of interesting matter 
to the conservationist. We learn with regret of the depletion of the Heath 


1A New Bullfinch from China. By J. H. Riley. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 31, pp. 
33-34. May 16, 1918. 

2New or Noteworthy Philippine Birds, II. By Richard C. McGregor. Philippine 
Jour. of Science, D. Vol. XIII, No. 1, pp. 1-19. January, 1891. 

3 A List of the Birds of Glay and O’Brien Counties, lowa. By Ira N. Gabrielson. Proc. 
Iowa Acad. of Sciences, Vol. XXIV, 1917. pp. 259-272. 

4Tenth Annual Report of the State Ornithologist of Massachusetts. By E. H. Forbush. 
pp. 1-27. 1918. 


Vol. | 
1918 


Recent Literature. Bye 
Hen colony on Martha’s Vineyard by fires which swept the island in May 
1916. Starlings come in for a good deal of attention and in connection 
with the roosting of this species and the Blackbirds in shade trees, which 
habit often proves a nuisance, a novel method is described for driving 
them away. A heavy pad is fastened to the trunk of a tree which is then 
struck several times with a large sledge hammer. By repeating this for 
several nights the birds become discouraged and leave. 

Mr. W. 8. Taylor! has prepared a bulletin on the Bobwhite in Texas, 
which however, is much broader than its title would imply, being an 
admirable plea for the protection of game in the state, with information 
regarding bird conservation work in the schools and lists of publications 
available for study. 

The U.S. Biological Survey has issued two pamphlets recently, one by 
the late Prof. Beal? dealing with the food habits of the swallows which 
follows the plan of other similar publications issued by the Survey. The 
large numbers of dragonflies eaten by the Purple Martin leads the author 
to think that the birds must search especially for them. As a matter of 
fact along the coast of New Jersey where the Martins nest regularly they 
forage naturally over the great expanse of salt marshes where dragonflies 
abound, and it would seem difficult for the birds to avoid catching them. 
The other paper referred to is by Dr. Oberholser * on the breeding grounds 
of the water fowl on the Great Plains. This is a plea for the protection of 
the few suitable breeding grounds still remaining for these birds if we would 
save them from extermination. The Sand-Hill Region of Nebraska and 
the Lake Region of the Dakotas are especially considered as offering ideal 
conditions. 

The admirable ‘ Biennial Report of the Department of Conservation of 
Louisiana ’,4 contains the reports of E. A. Mellhenny, Superintendent of the 
State Game Farm and of S. C. Arthur, State Ornithologist which are full of 
valuable information. The fact that Night Herons, or ‘ gros becs’ as 
they are locally termed, are regarded as legitimate game in the state and 
form an important item ‘of food for the residents of many of the bayous 
will be news to most persons outside the boundaries of Louisiana. 

Wallace Craig® has recently prepared a valuable series of directions for 
making a wire bird cage which will be welcome to many who have tempo- 
rary use for some sort of receptacle in which live birds may be kept safely.— 
W.S. 


1The Bobwhite. By W.S. Taylor. Univ. of Texas Bulletin, No. 1748. August, 1917. 

2 Food Habits of the Swallows. By F. E. L. Beal. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bull. 619. 
March 8, 1918. pp. 1-28. 

3 The Great Plains Waterfowl Breeding Grounds and their Protection. By Harry C. 
Oberholser. Yearbook of the Dept. of Agriculture 1917. Separate from the No. 723, 
pp. 1-10. 

4 Biennial Report of the Department of Conservation State of Louisiana from April 1, 
1916 to April 1, 1918. pp. 1-180. M.L. Alexander, Commissioner. 

5 Directions for Making a Metal Bird-Cage. By Wallace Craig. Reprint from The 
Avicultural Magazine. August, 1917, pp. 1-6. 


[uly 


EY hr Recent Literature. 

Bird Enemies of Brine Shrimps and Alkali Flies.— Sweeping state- 
ments based on negative evidence are dangerous, and no exception may be 
noted for one which claims that ‘‘ enemies play no part in keeping down 
the numbers of Artemia (Brine Shrimps), or of Hphydra (Alkali Flies) 
in the larval stage.”! Dr, Alex. Wetmore, of the Biological Survey, who 
has had considerable experience about Great Salt Lake to which locality 
the quoted assertion relates, has pointed out 2 that Artemia and Ephydra 
are by no means free from enemies. Shovellers, Lesser Scaups, Golden- 
eyes, Green-winged Teal, Wilson’s and Northern Phalaropes, Avocets and 
Black-necked Stilts all feed extensively upon both of these animals. But 
for the fact that stomach analyses have not been made of other birds col- 
lected at the same place, it would undoubtedly be possible to add the 
names of a number of species to this list. Dr. Wetmore states that “ the 
toll taken by birds from the brine shrimp and alkali fly larve and pups 
during the course of a season constitutes a mass of individuals almost 
beyond comprehension. . . . The immense number of these creatures 

. must be attributed to the large number of offspring produced rather 
than to an absence of enemies.” 

If misinformation and mis-statements based thereon, are as prevalent 
throughout biological science, as they are in the field that has been most 
cultivated by the reviewer,— the food-habits of birds —the way of the’ 
student toward truth is indeed beset with pitfalls and obstacles, almost 
impassable.— W. L. M. 


Bird Enemies of the Varying Hare.— Mr. Norman Criddle in con- 
nection with an account of the destructiveness of snowshoe or bush rabbits, 
points out the value of their bird enemies. He states: ‘“‘ Three birds are 
prominent in the destruction of rabbits. The Goshawk which is also very 
destructive to grouse; both eagles are largely rabbit feeders, and lastly 
there are the Great Horned Owls. These owls have unfortunately been 
reduced much by man of late years, though there are no birds that take 
a heavier toll of bush rabbits. Preserve these birds and we should in 
time reduce rabbits very materially and by this means at least aid in 
conserving our forests.” 3 (p. 262.) 

To the birds named by Criddle as enemies of bush rabbits must be added 
the Great Gray Owl and the Snowy Owl. Mr. E. A. Preble reported 4 that 
the stomachs of the latter species collected by him almost invariably con- 
tained the remains of varying hares.— W. L. M. 


Curious Hoarding Habits of Birds.— Dr. L. O. Howard reports ® 
the recovery of moonstones, kernels of corn and wheat, and small acorns 


1 Vorhies, Chas. T. ‘‘ Notes on the Fauna of Great Salt Lake. Amer. Nat. 51. p. 498. 
August, 1917, 

2 Amer. Nat. 51, pp. 753-755. December, 1917. 

3 Varying hares of the prairie provinces. Agr. Gaz. Canada, Vol. 4. No. 41. April 1917. 

4N. A. Fauna, 27, 1908, p. 375. 

5 Entomological News, 29, No. 1, January, 1918, pp. 15-16. 


vol gis I Recent Literature. 373 


from cocoons of Emperor moths (Samia cecropia). The probability is that 
these objects are placed in the cocoons by birds addicted to hoarding. No 
very definite observations on the agents have been made, the most satis- 
factory being those of Dr. Alex. Wetmore of the Biological Survey who has 
seen Bluejays stuff grains of corn and small acorns into large cocoons,— 
W. L. M. 


Bird Enemies of Tree Hoppers (Membracidz).— In an admirable 
paper on the ‘ Biology of the Membracid of the Cayuga Lake Basin,’ 1 Dr. 
W. D. Funkhouser discusses the relations of birds to these insects. He 
presents records of seven definitely named species of birds feeding on tree 
hoppers, in addition to warblers (various species) and thrushes (various 
species), which we wish were particularized. 

The greatest interest in connection with the records relates to the al- 
leged protective adaptations of Membracids. Dr. Funkhouser states: 

“Very few of the local species are molested by birds. A few species 
of birds have been observed feeding on the nymphs but usually neglecting 
the adults, the latter being probably sufficiently protected from bird 
enemies by the hard pronotum and sharp processes. Various species of 
adult membracids have been thrown to birds in captivity; in general these 
have been refused but in a few cases they have been picked up only to be 
dropped again. Evidently the strong pronotal processes, which are often 
sharp and hard enough to pierce the skin if the insect is seized suddenly, 
are unpalatable and irritating.”” (pp. 416-7). 

In these remarks Dr. Funkhouser evidently has fallen, probably uncon- 
ciously, into the habit of speculation, which selectionist doctrine has 
almost ingrained in biologists and especially in biological teaching. That 
Dr. Funkhouser does not accept these views at face value is shown by the 
following further quotation from his paper: “Poulton * * * has called 
attention to the fact that it is hard to deny the theory of protective re- 
semblance when the same object is accomplished by both the nymph and 
the adult but in different ways. In the case of the local forms mentioned 
above, the nymph imitates the uncurling leaf or the irregular bark by spines 
on both thorax and abdomen — chiefly the latter — while the adult 
imitates an entirely different part of the plant by the development of an 

‘entirely different part of the body. On the other hand, some of the com- 
monest of the local species of Membracide in no respect seem to resemble 
any part of the host on which they live, although their shapes are decidedly 
peculiar. The high dorsal crest of the Telamonas, for example, can only 
by a stretch of the imagination be made to resemble any peculiarity of the 
oak twig on which the insects rest, and in fact they are very conspicuous 
on their host. Likewise the Ceresas, perhaps the most widely distributed 
genus in the basin, are plainly seen when in their natural surroundings, 
and the two prominent suprahumeral horns do not in the least resemble 
plant structures with which the insects are associated. The answer of 


1 Mem. 11, Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. June, 1917. 


374 Recent Literature. [juts 


the natural selectionist might be that at some previous time such adapta- 
tion had held, and this of course is unanswerable since we have no way of 
knowing what host plants may have been the home of the insects in bygone 
periods; but it is interesting to note that the genera Ceresa and Telamona, 
which now show little protective resemblance to parts of their hosts, are 
more numerous and apparently maintain an existence with greater ease 
than do those species that show very excellent protective resemblances. 

“Tt is unnecessary to take up separately each of the local forms in this 
respect. For each it is possible to suggest an explanation, reasonable or 
otherwise according to the degree of imagination possessed. But in general 
it must be said for the local forms, as for the family as a whole, that such 
speculation merely lies in the realm of conjecture.” (pp. 419-20). 

The realm of conjecture is a vast domain, illimitable in fact, otherwise 
we should have, under the necessity of inventing a new infinity, to accom- 
modate the unrestrained theorizing of the selectionists. Contact with 
the hard facts of what adaptations do and do not accomplish invariably 
removes the young and plastic naturalist from the thrall of protective 
adaptation doctrine. The reviewer has watched the course of this process 
in a number of cases of men beginning the work of analyzing the contents 
of bird stomachs. First, surprise is manifested that birds should eat things 
that college teaching has pronounced protected, then as other cases occur 
from time to time the old belief is entirely cast aside, and finally long expe- 
rience leads to the conclusion that in their respective ecological niches birds 
feed practically indiscriminately. 

To return to the Membracids, we must conclude that their protective 
adaptations have no especial significance in foiling predators. In Biological 
Survey investigations tree hoppers have been found in the stomachs of 
more than 120 species of birds, and in numbers up to 26 individuals in a 
single stomach. They have been found in 15 or more stomachs of each 
of the following species: Great-crested and Ash-throated Flycatchers, 
Meadow-lark, Brewer’s Blackbird, Bullock’s Oriole, English Sparrow, Cliff 
Swallow, Red-eyed, Solitary and Warbling Vireos, Bush-tit, and Ruby- 
crowned Kinglet. The tree hoppers identified belong to 21 different 
genera indicating that no partiality is shown. Membracids with the 
most prominent horns and spines of any in our fauna, as those of the 
genera Campylenchia, Platycotis, Ceresa and Platycentrus are taken with the 
rest.— W. L. M. 


The Ornithological Journals. 


Bird-Lore. XX, No. 2. March-April, 1918. 

Some Notes on Martin Colonies. Five contributions from as many 
writers. 

Notes on the Tree Swallow. By Verdi Burtch. ‘ 

The Song Sparrow. A Poem by Edw. J. Sawyer. 

How to Make and Erect Bird-Houses. By Hubert Prescott. 


Vol. eeu Recent Literature. 375 


Photography of Feeding Stations. By C. Breeder, Jr. 

Holbeell’s Grebe in Connecticut. By Wilbur F. Smith. 

The Migration of certain Tanagers and Swallows is considered by Dr. 
Oberholser while Dr. Chapman treats of the plumages of the former, with a 
colored plate by Fuertes. 

The Educational Leaflet describes the Raven. 

Bird-Lore. XX, No. 3. May—June, 1918. 

Three Years After. By Mable Osgood Wright.— An extremely inter- 
esting report on the condition of the Connecticut Audubon Society’s 
‘ Birderaft Sanctuary.’ During the season of 1917 there were 102 nests 
built on the grounds, belonging to 24 species. It was found necessary to 
destroy the English Sparrows, Starlings, Crows and Purple Grackles 
which visited the sanctuary. Traps with padded jaws were set for hawks, 
and all harmless speeies as well as owls were liberated. Northern Shrikes 
were found to be a serious menace to winter birds and striped snakes 
to nesting sparrows. The most serious enemy to the birds was the domes- 
tic cat, 107 of which were caught. 

The Whip-poor-will. By Melicent E. Numason. A good account of 
its breeding. 

My Nuthatch Tenants and a Pair of Red-headed Ruffians. By R. W. 
Williams. a 

The Waxwings and Phainopepla are treated in the usual papers on migra- 
tion and plumage, with an excellent color plate by Fuertes. 

The Condor. XX, No. 2. March—April, 1918. 

In Memoriam: Lyman Belding. By Walter K. Fisher. 

The Salt Marsh Yellowthroats of San Francisco. By George W. 
Schussler. 

A Return to the Dakota Lake Region. By Florence M. Bailey. 

Six Weeks in the High Sierras in Nesting Time. By Milton 8, Ray. 

The Scarlet Ibis in Texas. By R. A. Sell— The unearthing of this 
important record was in part the result of criticism of a supposed sight 
- record published in ‘ The Condor,’ Vol. XTX, p. 46. 

Both in this case and in that of the supposed Harpy Eagle published 
recently in ‘ The Auk’ it would seem that the best way to treat a doubtful 
record is to give it publicity in some reliable journal and someone will 
make it his business to supply the information that is lacking! 

The Subspecies of the Oregon Jay. By H.S. Swarth. 

Bird Notes from Forrester Island, Alaska. By George Willett. 

Seven New or Noteworthy Birds from East Central California. By 
Joseph Grinnell Two forms are described as new; Sitta carolinensis 
tenuissima (p. 88) from the Panamint Mountains and Hylocichla guttata 
polionota (p. 89), from the White Mountains. 

The Condor. XX, No.3. May-June, 1918. 

The Short-eared Owl in Saskatchewan. By Walter A. Goelitz. 

Notes on the Nesting of the White-throated Swift in Colorado. By 
W. C. Bradbury.— An excellent account with numerous photographs of 
habitat, etc. 


376 Recent Literature. [z ae 


A Return to the Dakota Lake Region. By Florence M. Bailey.— Birds 
of the Unbroken Prairie. 

Costa’s Hummingbird — Its Type Locality, Early History and Name. 
By T. 8. Palmer.— A valuable historical article showing that the type 
must have been taken at Magdalena Bay, Lower California. 

The Distribution of the Subspecies of the Brown Towhee (Pipilo crissa- 
lis). By H. 8S. Swarth. A valuable resume. 

The Wilson Bulletin. Vol. XXX, No.1. March, 1918. 

A Strange Case of Hybridism. By F. C. Lincoln.— Prairie Chicken 
and Sharp-tailed Grouse. The author will find two similar hybrids 
described in early volumes of the ‘ Nuttall Bulletin’ and ‘ The Auk.’ 

Birds Observed near Minco, Central Oklahoma. By Alexander Wetmore. 

Louisiana Bird Refugees. By Alfred M. Bailey. 

Harris Hawks in Ohio. By Thomas M. Earle. 

The Oologist. XXXV, No.6. June, 1918. 

Notes on Birds Observed at and near St. Teresa, James Island, Florida, 
in the Summer of 1901. By R. W. Williams.— An annotated list of 59 
species. 

Observations of Swainson’s Warbler. By A. J. Kirn.— Breeding at 
Copan, Washington Co., Oklahoma. 

The Ibis. X Series, VI, No. 2. April, 1918. 

On Birds Recently Collected in Siam. Part II. Passeres. By C. 
Boden Kloss. Concluded.— The following are described as new: Vol- 
vocivora koratensis (p. 193) East Siam; Chloropsis aurifrons inornatus 
(p. 198), East Siam; Otocompsa flaviventris minor (p. 200) 8. W. Siam; 
Mizxornis rubricapilla connectens (p. 206); Lat. 10 N., Siam.; Dicaewm 
cruentatum siamensis (p. 216), E. Siam; Chalcoparia singalensis koratensis 
(p. 218) E. Siam; Dicrurus annectens siamensis (p. 226); Koh Lak, 8. W. 
Siam. 

Some Additions and Corrections to the B. O. U. List of British Birds. 
By the Committee. 

A Note on the Structure of the Feather. By John 8. Gladstone.— 
Structure of the ‘tegmen’ or ventral ridge of the feather ramus. 

The Birds of the Isle of May: A Migration Study. By Evelyn V. 
Baxter and Leonora J. Rintoul.— Valuable data on the relation of migra- 
tion to winds, and full list of species observed. 

Notes on Some Birds of the Bessarabian Steppe. By Maud D. Haviland. 

Further Notes on the Birds of Macedonia. By Alexander G. L. Sladen. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. CCXXXI. March 
4, 1918. : 

Mr. W. L. Sclater described the following: Milvago chimango temucoensis 
(p. 43), Palal, South Chile; Micrastur plumbeus (p. 44), Carondelet, 
Esmeraldas, Ecuador; and Geranospiza niger balzarensis (p. 45), Balzar 
Mts., Ecuador, 

Mr. Charles Chubb described the following: Grallaria punensis (p. 47), 
. South Peru; Corythopsis torquata sarayacuensis (p. 48), Sarayacu, Ecuador; 
Aramides cajanea salmoni (p. 48), Antioquia, Colombia. 


oe | Recent Literature. old 


Mr. G. M. Mathews described: Pomatostomus ruficeps parsonsi (p. 48), 
Pungonda, S. Australia. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. CCXXXII. April 
2, 1918. 

Mr. P. F. Bunyard described the eggs and down of Nyroca nyroca. 

Mr. Charles Chubb described as new: Planesticus fredericki (p. 53), 
Bartica, British Guiana; P. fumigatus abariensus (p. 53), Abary River, 
British Guiana and P. f. ochro-fulvescens (p. 54), Trinidad. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. CCXXXIII. April 
30, 1918. 

Dr. Hartert described five new subspecies of Rhipidura and an Oriole, 
O. luteolus thaiaceus (p. 63), the latter from Siam. 

S. Clark described a new Pigeon from British Somaliland, Columba 
oliviae (p. 61). 

E. C. Stuart Baker described Garrulax moniliger fuscata (p. 64), Tavoy, 
Burma; Graucalus macei siamensis (p. 69), Siam, and Aethiopsar fuscus 
infuscatus (p. 70), Lower Chindwin. 

British Birds. XI, No. 10. March, 1918. 

Notes on the Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida ispida). By W. Rowan. 

A Note on the Nesting of the Swallow. By J. H. Owen—Important 
notes on the appearance and development of the young, nestling period 
etc. 

The Moults and Sequence of Plumages of the British Waders. By 
Annie C. Jackson.— The Knot and Dunlin. 

British Birds. XI, No. 11. April, 1918. 

Field Notes on the Marsh Warbler. By Lieut. D. H. Meares — With 
colored plate. 

Ornithological Notes from Norfolk for 1917. By J. H. Gurney. 

British Birds. XI, No. 12. May, 1918. 

The Effect of the Winter of 1916-1917 on Our Resident Birds. By F. R. 
C. Jourdain. 

The “ British Birds”” Marking Scheme. Progress for 1917. By H. F. 
Witherby. 

Avicultural Magazine. IX, No. 4. February, 1918. 

The White Pelicans of Oregon. By Mrs. C. E. Maud.— On Klamath 
Lake. 

Some American Quails. By P. A. Pichot.— Scaled and Massena Quails 
and Bobwhite in captivity. 

The Breeding of the Mexican Black-breasted Quail (Colinus pectoralis). 
-By W.S. Baily. 

Birds of the Gambia. By E. Hopkinson. 

The Pigeon Hollandais. By Graham Renshaw.— An account of the 
known specimens of the extinct Alectroenas nitidissima. 

The Emu. XVII, Part 4. April, 1918. 

Notes on North-western Birds. By F. L. Whitlock. 

Ornithological Notes from North Queensland. By Dr. W. Macgillivray. 
Part III.— Concludes this valuable annotated list. 


378 Recent Literature. [sly 


Alike in Difference. By E. J. Banfield — Migration notes on the Nut- 
meg Pigeon and Metallic Starling. 

Further Notes on Cormorants, their Food, Temperatures &e. By Capt. 
S. A. White. 

The Ground Parrot (Pezoporus formosus). By A. H. E. Mattingley. 

Notes on Some of the Birds met with in the Neighborhood of Pungonda. 
By E. Ashby. 

Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie. No. 105. January, 1918. [In 
French]. 

On a Small Collection of Birds from French West Africa. By A. Mene- 
gaux. 

Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie. No. 107. March, 1918. 

The Embryonic Life of the Ostrich. By M. Aubry.— Illustrated. 
. On Rhamphocorys clot-bey. By P. Bede. 

Ardea. VI, Nos. 8-4. December, 1917. [In Dutch.] 

Ornithological Observations in Holland. By E. D. Van Oort: 

Results of Bird-ringing at the Leyden Museum. By E. D. Van Oort. 

El Hornero. I, No. 1. October, 1917. [In Spanish.] 

The Ornithological Society of La Plata. 

The Swifts of the Republic of Argentina. By R. Dabbene. 

Some Birds of Puerto Deseado, Patagonia. By M. Doello-Jurado. 

Formation of the ‘ Gabinete del Rey’ in 1769. By Felix F. Outes. 

Ornithological Reflections. By Manuel Selva.—On classification 
according to habitat. 

Some Notes on a Collection of Birds from the Island of Martin Garcia. 
By R. Dabbene. 


Ornithological Articles in Other Journals. 


MacMillan, Donald B. Food Supply of the Smith Sound Eskimos. 
(Amer. Mus. Journal March, 1918.) — Data on the use of birds and eggs. 

Roosevelt, Theodore. Common Sense and Animal Coloration. (/bid.) 

Lang, Herbert and Chapin, James P. Nesting Habits of the African 
Hornbill. (Jbid., April, 1918.) — An interesting account with illustra- 
tions. ; 

Forbush, Edward H. The Heath Hen of Martha’s Vineyard. (Jbid.) 
— Illustrated with photographs by George W. Field. 

Vreeland, Frederick K. How a Ruffed Grouse Drums. (Bull. Amer. 
Game Protective Asso., January, 1918.) — An excellent series of photo- 
graphs of the bird ‘in action.’ 


1Some of these journals are received in exchange, others are examined in the library 
of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The Editor is under obligations to 
Mr. J. A. G. Rehn for a list of ornithological articles contained in the accessions to the 
library from week to week. 


ee ee | Recent Literature. 379 


Munro, J. A. Notes on the Birds in an Okanagan Orchard. (Ottawa 
Naturalist, January, 1918.) 

McWilliam, J. M. Notes on Some of the Birds of Bute (Scotland). 
(Scottish Naturalist, February, 1918.) 

Evans, William. References to the Early Bird-Life of the Isle of May. 
(Ibid, March, 1918.) 

Oberholser, H. C. List of the Birds Observed at Swan Lake, Minne- 
sota, July 25-27, 1917. (Fins, Feathers and Fur, No. 13, March, 1918.) 

Oberholser, H.C. Mutanda Ornithologica III. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 
XXXI, May 16, 1918.) — Several changes in names preoccupied viz. 
Hematopus quoyi Brab. & Chubb becomes H. townsendi Aud.; Totanus fus- 
cus Linn. becomes 7’. maculatus (Tunstall); Hos reciniata (Bechst.) becomes 
E. guenbyensis (Seop.); Leucotreron gularis Q. & G. becomes L. epia (p. 48) 
nom. nov. and Gymnopelia erythrothorax (Meyen.) becomes G. cecilioe (Less.). 

Grinnell, Joseph. The Subspecies of the Mountain Chickadee. (Univ. 
of Cal. Publ. Zool. XVII, No. 17, May 4, 1918). Besides the typical form 
of the Rocky Mts., Dr. Grinnell recognizes three others: Penthestes g. 
inyoensis (p. 509), Panamint Mts., eastern California; P. g. baileyi, Moun- 
tains of southern California and P. g. abbreviatus (p. 510), Siskiyou Moun- 
tains, northern California. 

Foster, Arthur H. A List of Birds which have occurred in North 
Hertfordshire, with Notes on each Species. (Trans. Hertfordshire Nat. 
Hist. Soc. and Field Club, XVI) — An excellent British ‘ local list.’ 

Coward, T. A. Observations on the Nesting of the Palm Swift, made 
by Arthur Loveridge in German East Africa. (Proc. Manchester Lit. 
and Philos. Soc., 1916-1917.) 

Gudger, E. W. An Old Record of Albino Turkey Buzzards. (Science, 
No. 1213.) 

Oberholser, H. C. Albino Turkey Buzzards. (Science, No. 1221).— 
Explains that the supposed albinos were in all probability King Vultures. 


Publications Received.— Bangs, Outram and Penard, Thomas E. 
Notes on a Collection of Surinam Birds. (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., LXII, 
No. 2, pp. 25-92, April, 1918.) 

Beal, F. E. L. Food Habits of the Swallows. A Family of Valuable 
Native Birds. Bull. No. 619, U. 8. Dept. Agriculture, March 8, 1918, 
pp: 1-28. 

Chubb, Charles. Nutes on Embernagra platensis and its Allies, with 
Description of a New Species. (The Ibis, January, 1918, pp. 1-10.) 

Craig, Wallace. Directions for Making a Metal Bird-Cage. (Avi- 
cultural Magazine, August, 1917. Repaged 1-6.) 

Cory, Charles B. Catalogue of Birds of the Americas, Part II, No. 1. 
Field Mus. of Nat. Hist., Publ. 197, Zool. Series. Vol. XIII, March, 
1918, pp. 1-815. 

Forbush, Edw. H. (1) The Heath Hen of Martha’s Vineyard. (Amer. 
Museum Jour., Vol. XVIII, No. 4, pp. 278-285, 1918.) (2) Tenth Annual 


380 Recent Literature. Fars 


Report of the State Ornithologist [of Massachusetts] for the Year 1917, 
pp. 1-27, December, 1917. 

Gabrielson, I. N. A List of the Birds Observed in Clay and O’Brien 
Counties, Iowa. (Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., Vol. XXIV, 1917, pp. 259-272.) 

Lincoln, F. C. The Woodpeckers of Colorado. Publ. No. 6, The 
Colorado Mountain Club, Denver, Colo., December 8, 1917, pp. 1-22.) 

Loomis, L. M. A Review of the Albatrosses, Petrels, and Diving 
Petrels. Publ. No. XII, Exped. of the California Acad. of Sciences to the 
Galapagos Islands, 1905-1906. Proc. Cal. Acad., Fourth Series, Vol. II, 
Part IJ, No. 12, pp. 1-187, pls. 1-17, April, 1918. 

Mathews, G. M. The Birds of Australia. Vol. VII, Part I, March 4, 
1918, pp. 1-112. 

McAtee, W. L. A Sketch of the Natural History of the District of 
Columbia, together with an Indexed Edition of the U. 8. Geological 
Survey’s 1917 Map of Washington and Vicinity. Bull. Biol. Soc. Wash., 
No. 1, May, 1918, pp. 1-142. $2.00, post paid, $2.15. 

McGregor, R. C. New or Noteworthy Philippine Birds. II. (Phil. 
Jour. Sci., Vol. XIII, No. 1, Sec. D, January, 1918, pp: 1-19, pls. 1-3.) 

Murphy, R.C. A Study of the Atlantic Oceanites. (Bull. Amer. Mus. 
Nat. Hist., XX XVIII, Art. IV, pp. 117-146, March 26, 1918.) 

‘Oberholser, H. C. The Great Plains Waterfowl Breeding Grounds 
and their Protection. (Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agric., 1917. Repaged, 
1-10.) 

Pearson, T. G. Tales from Birdland. 12 mo. Doubleday, Page & 
Company, 1918. pp. 1-237. 70 cts., postpaid. 

Riley, J. H. A New Bullfinch from China. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 
Vol. 31, pp. 33-34, May 16, 1918.) 

Shufeldt, R.W. Anomalies of the Animal World. Part VIII. (Scient. 
Amer. Suppl., No. 2202, March 16, 1918.) 

Taylor, W. 8S. The Bobwhite. Bull. 1748, Univ. Texas, August 25, 
1917, pp. 1-26. 

Townsend, C. W. In Audubon’s Labrador. Small 8vo, pp. 1-354. 
Houghton, Mifflin Company. $2.50 net. 

American Museum Journal, XVIII, Nos. 3 and 4, March and April, 
1918. 

Ardea, Vol. VI, No. 3-4. 

Avicultural Magazine, (3), IX, Nos. 5, 6, and 7, March—May, 1918. 

Biennial Report of the Department of Conservation [of Louisiana] from 
April 1, 1916 to April 1, 1918. 

Bluebird, X, No. 5, April, 1918. 

Bird-Lore, XX, Nos. 2, and 3, March-April and May-June, 1918. 

Bird Notes and News. VIII, No. 1, Spring, 1918. 

British Birds, XI, Nos. 10, 11 and 12, March-May, 1918. 

Bulletin British Ornithologists’ Club, Nos. CCXXXI, CCXXXII, and 
CCXXXIII. March 4, April 2 and 30, 1918. 

Bulletin American Game Protective Association, Vol. 7, Nos. 1 and 2, 
January and April, 1918. 


eae | Notes and News. 381 


Bulletin Charleston Museum, XIV, Nos. 3 and 5, March—May, 1918. 

California Fish and Game, Vol. 4, No. 2, April, 1918. 

Cassinia, Proc. Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, 1917. 

Condor, The, XX, Nos. 2, and 3, March-April, May-June, 1918. 

Current Items of Interest, No. 35, February 21, 1918. 

El Hornero, Revista de la Sociedad Ornitologica del Plata, Tomo 1, 
No. 1, October, 1917. 

Emu, The, XVII, Part 4, April, 1918. 

Fins Feathers and Fur, No. 13, March, 1918. 

Ibis, The, (10), VI, No. 2, April, 1918. 

New Jersey Audubon Bulletin, Nos. 24 and 25, March and May, 1918. 

Oologist, The, XX XV, Nos. 4 and 5 and 6, April-June, 1918. 

Ottawa Naturalist, The, XX XI, Nos. 10 and 11, January and February, 
1918. 

Philippine Journal of Science, The, XII, Sect. D., Nos. 6, XIII, Nos. 
1, 2, and 3, November, 1917, January, March and May, 1918. Contents 
and Index. 

Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie, Nos. 106 and 107, February and March, 
1918. 

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Twenty-seventh Annual 
Report. 

Science, N. 8., Nos. 1211-24. 

Scottish Naturalist, The, Nos. 74, 75 76, and 77, February—May, 1918. 

Wilson Bulletin, The, XXX, No. 1, March, 1918. 


NOTES AND NEWS. 


WE learn from ‘The Ibis’ of the death, on January 31, 1917, of Prof. Dr. 
Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch, an original Honorary Fellow of the 
American Ornithologists’ Union. He was born at Warmbrunn in Silesia 
on October 8, 1839 and published his first contribution to ornithology in 
1859. 

In 1861 he obtained a position in the Leyden Museum under Schlegel 
and in 1864 succeeded Hartlaub as curator of the Museum at Bremen. 
In collaboration with Hartlaub he published two notable ornithological 
works, ‘The Ornithology of Central Polynesia’ and ‘Die Vogel Ost- 
Afrikas.’ Resigning his position at Bremen in 1878 he engaged in an 
extensive tour of the South Seas which covered the years 1879-1882. 
Besides securing extensive and valuable collections he gained an intimate 
knowledge of the islands with the result that he returned on another expe- 
dition in 1884-1886 as Imperial Commissioner and through his influence 


_ 


382 Notes and News. [ae 


the German Colonies of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Land and the Bismark Archi- 
pelago were established. 

Returning to Leyden as the curator of the Rijk Museum in 1898 he 
continued his ornithological researches for some years but in 1904 he was 
appointed curator of the Ethnographic Section of the Museum at Bruns- 
wick, Germany, where he remained for the rest of his life, devoting his 
attention almost entirely to ethnology. 

Dr. Finsch was well known in England and published contributions in 
‘The Ibis’ and other British journals as early as 1870. In 1872 he visited 
California and a few years later travelled in Lapland and in Siberia. 

His ornithological work was entirely systematic and consisted besides 
the volumes already mentioned, of numerous contributions to the ‘Journal 
fiir Ornithologie,’ the ‘Ned Tijdschrift Dierkunde,’ and other journals. 
As has been truly said ‘‘he was one of the best of the old school of German 
workers.” 


Henry ReEep Taytor, well known as the founder of the ‘ Nidologist,’ 
died at Agnewo, Calif., Sept. 23, 1917. He was the son of Bishop William 
Taylor of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Isabella A. (Kimberlin) 
Taylor, both of whom were born in Virginia. Harry R. Taylor as he was 
generally known was born at Capetown, South Africa, Oct. 6, 1866, but 
spent most of his life at Alameda, Calif. He was an enthusiastic oologist 
and published many articles on nests and eggs of western birds especially 
Raptores and Hummingbirds. During the period of his ornithological 
activity, from 1884 to 1906, his field of work was confined to California 
and included chiefly the counties of Alameda, Monterey, Placer, San Benito 
and Santa Clara, and the Farallone Islands. His contributions were pub- 
lished chiefly in the ‘Young Oologist,’ ‘Ornithologist and Oologist,’ ‘ Nidol- 
ogist’ and ‘Condor.’ From 1893 to 1897 he edited the ‘ Nidologist’ which 
was then the organ of the Cooper Ornithological Club. One of his latest 
publications, issued in 1904, was his ‘Standard American Egg Catalogue,’ 
which included an appendix containing a directory of oologists. Shortly 
after the great earthquake of 1906 he became a patient in a sanatorium 
where he passed the last eleven years of his life. 

Taylor was one of the founders and vice president of the California 
Ornithological Club in 1889, and vice president in 1894 and president in 
1895 of the Cooper Ornithological Club. Although he never joined the 
American Ornithologists’ Union, he was known to a number of the members, 
attended the Washington meeting in 1895, and published the first group 
photograph of the Union (Nidologist, III, p. 41, Dec., 1895). He was 
active, energetic, always enthusiastic in any matter pertaining to oology, 
and was one of the most prominent of the little group of California field 
collectors of the eighties.— T. S. P. 


Tue PRINCIPAL ORNITHOLOGICAL SocretTiEs.— The following list of 
societies is given for the convenience of readers who may be interested 


an | Notes and News. 383 


in the organizations which have been founded for the advancement of 
ornithology. The name of each society is followed by the date of organiza- 
tion, the name of its publication, and the address of the secretary or other 
officer to whom communications should be sent. 

As this list is intended only for present addresses, it is unnecessary to 
mention societies in countries which cannot now be reached by mail. No 
attempt has been made to include bird protective and similar organiza- 
tions, but a list of 134 State Audubon Societies and local bird clubs may 
be found in ‘ Bird-Lore,’ XIX, pp. 381-390, Dec., 1917—T. 8. P. 


American Ornithologists’ Union. Founded Sept. 26, 1883, incorporated 
Nov. 14, 1888. The Auk. 
Secretary T. S. Palmer, 1939 Biltmore St., N. W., Wash- 
ington, D. C. 
Cooper Ornithological Club. Founded June 22, 1893. The Condor. 
Secretary Northern Division, Mrs. Amelia §. Allen, 37 Moss- 
wood Road, Berkeley, Calif. 
Secretary Southern Division, L. E. Wyman, 3927 Wisconsin 
St., Los Angeles, Calif. 
Secretary Intermountain Chapter, Ashby D. Boyle, 351 5th 
Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah. 
Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Founded Feb. 3, 1890. Cassinia. 
Secretary J. Fletcher Street, Beverly, N. J. 
Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union. Founded July 15, 1899. The Wilson 
Bulletin. 
Secretary-Treasurer Prof. M. H. Swenk, Lincoln, Nebr. 
Nuttall Ornithological Club. Founded 1873. Memoirs. 
Secretary Campbell Bosson, 30 State Street, Boston, Mass. 
Wilson Ornithological Club. Founded Dec. 5, 1888. The Wilson Bulletin. 
Secretary A. F. Ganier, 1221 17th Ave., South, Nashville, Tenn. 
The Avicultural Society. Avicultural Magazine. 
Hon. Correspondence Secretary, Dr. A. G. Butler, 124 Beck- 
enham Road, Beckenham, Kent, England. 
Hon. Business Secretary, Miss R. Alderson, Park House, 
Worksop, England. 
British Ornithologists’ Club. Founded Oct. 5, 1892. Bulletin. 
Editor, D. Seth-Smith, 34 Elsworthy Road, South Hampstead 
N. W. 3, England. 
British Ornithologists’ Union. Founded Nov. 17, 1858. The Ibis. 
Hon. Secretary E. C. Stuart Baker, Zoological Society, 
Regent’s Park, London. 
Dansk Ornithologisk Forening. Tidsskrift. 
Secretary P. Jespersen, Marstandsgrade 25c, Copenhagen, 
Denmark. 
Nederlandsche Ornithologissche Vereeniging. Ardea. 
Secretary Dr. L. F. De Beaufort, Eerbeek, Holland. 


384 N otes and News. [ae 


Club van Nederlandsche Vogelkundigen. Jaarbericht. 
Secretary Baron René C. E. G. J. van Snoukaert von Schau- 
burg, Doorn, Holland. 
Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. Founded Noy. 7, 1900. The 
Emu. 
Hon. Secretary W. H. D. Le Souéf, Zoological Gardens, Mel- 
bourne, Victoria, Australia. 
Sociedad Ornitologica del Plata. Founded 1917. El Hornero. 
President, Dr. Roberto Dabbene, Museo Nacional Historia Natural,. 
Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
South African Biological Society. Founded 1916. 
Secretary Chas. K. Brain, Box 513, Pretoria, Transvaal, 
South Africa. 
South Australian Ornithological Association. Founded 1899. South 
Australian Ornithologist. 
Acting Secretary F. M. Angel, 113 Grenfell St., Adelaide, South 
Australia. 


Tue Royal Australian Ornithologists’ Union is to be congratulated upon 
the generous gift of $5,000 received from one of its members, H. L. White, 
Esq. Mr. White is well known for his generosity and his splendid orni- 
thological collection has only recently been given to the Australian National 
Museum where he thought it would be of more use in advancing a knowl- 
edge of Australian ornithology. 

Science certainly owes a debt of gratitude to such benefactors. After 
all it is the ornithologists of the various countries who were originally 
responsible for the development of the popular interest in birds which has: 
resulted in the Audubon Societies and kindred organizations, which are 
doing such splendid work today. The patrons of this movement however 
should keep Mr. White’s example in mind and not forget the needs of the: 
parent organizations, like the American Ornithologists’ Union, whose 
activities in the lines of research and publication could be vastly increased 
by adequate endowment. 


WE are glad to welcome a new arrival in the field of ornithological 
journalism in ‘E] Hornero’ the Proceedings of the Ornithological Society 
of La Plata, with headquarters at Buenos Aires. The first number which 
appeared in October, 1917, deserves the highest commendation and we 
wish the publication every success. The cover following the example of 
most other ornithological journals bears a vignette of the bird after which 
the publication is named — a pair of ‘Horneros’ (Furnarius rufus) and their 
wonderful mud nest. 


Tue Members or THE A. O. U..— In 1901, under an amendment to the 
By-Laws, provision was made for a class of Members intermediate between 
Fellows and Associates. The number was limited to 75, nominations were: 


esas Hi Notes and News. 385 


made by the Council to the Union, and the affirmative votes of three- 
fourths of the Fellows present were necessary for election. The estab- 
lishment of this class was the result of several proposals to increase the 
number of Active Members (now known as Fellows) and to provide some 
form of recognition of the more active workers among the Associates. 
Fifty-three Members were at once elected and thirteen more in the fol- 
lowing year. 

Although the list was never filled the limit was increased to 100 in 1906 
and at the San Francisco meeting, in 1915, Members were given the right 
to vote for the election of officers, Members, and Associates. As a result 
the business sessions have since been well attended. The list has now 
reached 80 the largest number since the class was created. In addition 
16 others have been promoted to the class of Fellows, 13 have dropped out, 
and 11 are deceased, making a total of 120 persons who have thus far 
qualified as Members. Not more than five can now be elected at any one 
meeting and this limitation with losses through promotions, resignations, 
and deaths, makes the increase rather slow. Even if the maximum 
number are elected at each meeting the present limit is not likely to be 
reached for several years.— T. S. P. 


CALLED TO THE CoLors.— Since the publication in the April number 
of ‘The Auk’ of the second list of A. O. U. members in military service, 
several new names and a few changes have been reported. The additions 
are as follows: 


ANDERSON, Ernest M., Esquimalt, B. C. 

BrRADLEE, THOMAS STEVENSON, Boston, Mass. Major Quartermaster 
Corps, Personnel and Transportation Division, Governor’s Island, N. Y. 

CrosBy, MAUNSELL SHIEFFELIN, Rhinebeck, N. Y. Captain Quarter- 
master’s Corps, National Guard, Camp Mills, Hempstead, N. Y. 

Hatt, F. Grecory, Milton, Wis. In photographic work in the Army. 

LEISTER, CLAUDE WILLARD, Ithaca, N. Y. Private 103d Signal Corps, 
Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. 

Lincoin, FREDERICK CHARLES, Denver Colo. 

MayFteLp, Dr. Georce R., Nashville, Tenn. Am. Expeditionary Forces, 
in France. 

McManon, Watt. F., New York, N. Y. 

Mertcatr, FRANKLIN Post, Washington, D. C. Private Co. C, 303d 
Signal Battalion, Camp Dix, Wrightstown, N. J. 

MircHett, Dr. Watton IuncericH, Wichita, Kans. Captain Med. 
Corps, Camp Funston, Kans. 

NosBLE, GLADWYN KinaGsLEy, Cambridge, Mass. Seaman U.S. Naval 
Station, Hingham, Mass. 

Paumer, R. H., Pocatello, Idaho. 

PANGBURN, CLIFrFoRD Hayes, New Haven, Conn. Acting Lieut. Red 
Cross in France, now in the United States. 


386 Notes and News. [uty 


Rogers, Cuartes Henry, New York, N. Y. 9th Recruit Co., Camp 
Hancock, Augusta, Ga. 

StropparpD, HrersBert Len, Chicago, III. 

TyLer, Dr. Winsor M., Lexington, Mass. Captain Medical Reserve 
Corps, Ft. Adams, Newport, R. I. 

Woop, Dr. Casry ALBERT, Chicago, Ill. Major, Office Surgeon General, 
Washington, D. C. 

Wriaut, Horace Winstow, Boston, Mass. In the Navy. 


The following changes should also be noted. Captain C. Wm. Beebe, 
and Lieutenants James P. Chapin and James L. Peters are now in France; 
Lieut. Ludlow Griscom is on duty in the Military Intelligence Office in 
the War Department, Washington, D. C.; and Francis Harper and Ernest 
G. Holt have been commissioned Lieutenants. Thos. D. Burleigh is now 
in the 20th Engineers (Forest), and Colin C. Sanborn, 149th Artillery, is 
now in France. In the Navy Ensign W. Sprague Brooks, recently stationed 
at Newport, R. I., has been discharged on account of physical disability, 
and Private Douglas C. Mabbott, in the Marine Corps, is now in France. 

Relatives or friends who may have additional information concerning 
these or other members are requested to communicate with the Secretary 
giving any facts as to rank, branch of the service or present location of 
members in military service in order that necessary corrections in the list 
may be made from time to time. 

T. S. Palmer, 
Secretary. 
1939 Biltmore St., N. W. 
Washington, D. C. 


Frittows and Members are reminded that a provision of the By Laws 
requires that nominations to the classes of Fellows and Members shall be 
made in writing, signed by three Fellows or Members, and delivered to the 
Secretary at least three months prior to the Stated Meeting. At present 
there are no vacancies in the class of Fellows. Nominations for Members 
should be in the hands of the Secretary not later than August 15. Nomina- 
tion blanks may be had upon application. 


Tue thirty-sixth stated meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union 
will be held at the American Museum of Natural History, New York 
City, November 12-14, 1918, with a business session of the Fellows and 
Members on the evening of the 11th. All members of the Society should 
keep the date in mind and prepare to be present if possible. 


American Ornithologists’ Union 


Check-List of North American 
Birds 
Last Edition, 1910 


Cloth, 8vo, pp. 430 and two maps of North America, 
one a colored, faunal zone map, and one a locality map. 

The first authoritative and complete list of North 
American Birds published since the second edition of 
the Check-List in 1895. The ranges of species and 
geographical races have been carefully revised and 
greatly extended, and the names conform to the latest 
rulings of the A. O. U. Committee on Nomenclature. 
The numbering of the species is the same as in the 
second edition. Price, including postage, $3.00. 


POCKET EDITION 
A pocket Check-List (3: by 52 inches) of North 
American Birds with only the numbers and the scientific 
and popular names. Alternate pages blank for the 
insertion of notes. Flexible covers. Price, including 
postage, 30 cents. 


Address JONATHAN DWIGHT 
134 W. 7Ist St. New York City 


PUBLICATIONS OF THE 


AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION 


FOR SALE AT THE FOLLOWING PRICES: 


The Auk. Complete set, Volumes I-XXXII, (1884-1916) in origi- 
nal covers, $111.00. Volumes I-VI are sold only with complete 
sets, other volumes, $3.00 each; 75 cents for single numbers. 


Index to The Auk (Vols. I-XVII, 1884-1900) and Bulletin of the 
Nuttall Ornithological Club (Vols. I-VIII, 1876-1883), 8vo, pp. 
vii + 426, 1908. Cloth, $3.75 post-paid; paper, $3.25. 


Index to The Auk (Vols. XVIIIJ-XXVII, 1901-1910), 8vo, PP. 
xvill +250, 1915. Cloth, $3. 00; paper $2.00. 


Check-List of North American Birds. Third edition, revised.’ 
1910. Cloth, 8vo, pp. 426, and 2 maps. $3.00. Second edition, 
revised, 1895. Cloth, 8vo, pp. xi + 372. $1.15. Original edition 
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Abridged Check-List of North American Birds. 1889. (Abridged 
and revised from the original edition). Paper, 8vo, pp. 71, printed 
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Pocket Check-List of North American Birds. (Abridged from 
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Ixxxv. 50 cents. 
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occasions. Post-paid 50 cents. 


Address JONATHAN DWIGHT 
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The Cosmos Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 


a CONTINUATION OF THE | | Ate: 
Wol.XLin) BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB ? y,) xxxylf 
H Quarterly Journal of Ornithology 
|| Vol. XXXV OCTOBER, 1918 _ No. 4 

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PUBLISHED BY 


The American Ornithologists’ Union 


CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 


i Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. 
. “ Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 
1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on September 23, 1918.” 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
Tue Nestinc Grounps AND NestinG Hapits OF THE SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER. 
By Joseph Dixon. (Plate V.) 3 y 3 2 : ‘ F : ; 387 
A WInTER Crow Roost. By Charles W. Townsend, M.D. a k 5 405 
Tue PTERYLOSIS OF THE WILD PiGceon. By Hubert Lyman Clark . “ 5 416 
SexvaL SELECTION AND Birp Sone. By Chauncey J. Hawkins . 3 ‘ 421 
Some AppiTrons AND OTHER Recorps New TO THE ORNITHOLOGY or SoutTa 
Carouina. By Arthur T. Wayne i ° : * z 5 s « ) 4ST, 
List oF Birps CoLLecTED ON THE HARVARD PERUVIAN EXPEDITION OF 1916. By 
Outram Bangs and G. K. Noble - e ‘ - 4 F 442 
Notes on NortH AMERICAN Birps. VI. By Harry C. Oberholser . 5 . (5, 463 
Tse Susspecies oF Larus hyperboreus GUNNERUS. By Harry C. Oberholser. x 467 


GENERAL Norses.— Cause of the ‘‘Fishy’’ Flavor in Wild Ducks, 474; Cinnamon Teal 
(Querquedula cyanoptera) in North Dakota, 476; White-winged Scoter (Oidemia 
deglandi) in South Carolina, 476; The Specific Name of the Glossy Ibis, 476; Nesting 
of the Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) in the Delaware Valley, 477; Yellow-crowned 
Night Heron at Chicago, 477; The Black Vulture (Catharista urubu) in Indiana, 477; 
The Status of Buteo platypterus iowensis, 478; Flight of Horned Owls in Canada, 478; 


Picoides arcticus in Florida, 479; Early Nesting of the Northern Pileated Wood- | 


pecker in Pennsylvania, 479; Relative Length of the Intestinal Ceca in Trogons, 480; 
The Range and Status of Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca Ridgway, 480; The 
Starling at Plattsburg, N. Y., 481; The Northernmost Record of Icterus parisorum, 
481; The Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis) breeding near Boston, 482; 
Blue-winged Warbler Once More at South Sudbury, Mass., 482; A Winter Record 
of Bewick’s Wren from Northern Virginia, 483; Russet-backed Thrush (Hylocichla 
ustulata ustulata) in New Mexico, 483; Notes from the Vicinity of Washington, D. C., 
eel oes of Birds in the Spring Migration of 1918, 484; Notes on Six Birds from 
eorgia, ‘ 


Recent Lirerature.— Dwight’s Review of the Juncos, 486; Soper on the Birds of 
Edmonton, 489; Wood on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan, 489; Bangs on New 
South American Birds, 490; Wetmore on Duck Sickness in Utah, 490; Mathews 
‘Birds of Australia,’ 490; Grinnell on the Name of the American Barn Swallow, 491; 
Nichols on Some Aspects of Migration, 492; Birds of the National Parks, 492; 
Economic Ornithology in Recent Entomological Publications, 493; Centurus radio- 
latus in Relation to Cocoa in Jamaica, 495; Further Notes on the Possible Avian 
Distribution of Hog Cholera, 495; Recent Publications on Economic Ornithology, 496; 
The Ornithological Journals, 497; Ornithological Articles in Other Journals, 501; 
Publications Received, 503. z 


CorRRESPONDENCE.— Concerning a Certain Tendency in Systematic Ornithology, 505; 


A Correction, 507. 


Notes anp News.— Uniform Nomenclature, 507; the Proposed ‘Systema Avium,’ 509; 
Enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty, 509; Obituary: Col. William Vincent 
Legge, 510; Dr. Robert Latshaw Walker, 511; Prof. Jonathan Young Stanton, 511; 
The Elliot Medal Award, 512; Dr. Richmond Appointed Associate Curator, 512; 
Annual Meeting of the B. O. U., 512; The Associates of the A. O. U., 513; Called to 
the Colors, 513; The Thirty-sixth Meeting of the A. O. U., 514. 


InpDExX . 3 ‘ 3 3 t : i ps : A Z 2 f L SLs 
ERRATA . h - 5 A " - 5 : : S : 4 : : on OEE 
Datesorlssve . : : ; : UND iste : : : F ‘ ; Ate | 
OFFICERS OF THE A.O. U. Past aND PRESENT . 3 s 5 i e F ; i 
ConTENTS s : 3 : A 5 4 A csageae Z . S : F iii 


‘THE AUK,’ published quarterly as the Organ of the AmMericaAaN ORNITHOL- 
oaists’ UNIon, isedited, beginning with volume for 1912, by Dr. Wirmer STons. 
Terms :— $3.00 a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num- 


bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and Asso-. 


ciates of the A. O. U. not in arrears for dues. : 


nee OFFICE OF PUBLICATION Is AT 30 BortsTon St., CAMBRIDGE, Boston, 
ASS. 

Subscriptions may also be addressed to Dr. JonatHan Dwicut, Business 
Manager, 134, W. 7lst St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscribers may 
obtain ‘THe Avg’ through WiTHERBY & Co., 326, High Hotgorn, Lonpon, W. C. 


All articles and communications intended for publication and all books 
and publications for notice, may be sent to DR. WITMER STONE, 
AcADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, LOGAN SQUARE, PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 

Manuscripts for general articles should reach the editor at least six weeks 
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THE AUK, VOL. XXXV. PLATE V. 


1. Breeding grounds of Spoon-billed Sandpiper at Providence Bay, Siberia, 
showing ice conditions June 21, 1913. Two nests of the Sandpiper were found 
at points near middle and at extreme left of photograph. 


2. Nest and eggs of Spoon-billed Sandpiper (in situ), Providence Bay, 


Siberia, June 22, 1913. 


THE AUK: 


A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF 


ORNITHOLOGY. 


VOL. XXXv. OcToBER, 1918. No. 4. 


THE NESTING GROUNDS AND NESTING HABITS OF 
THE SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER.! 


BY JOSEPH DIXON. 
Plate V. 


THE Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Hurynorhynchus pygmeus) is 
essentially an Asiatic species. There are but three specimens 
claimed to have been taken in North America, as far as known to 
the author, with some doubt attached to the locality of capture of 
one of these, which fact probably indicates that the occurrence of 
the bird in North America is irregular or casual. If the species 
nests on the Arctic shores of Alaska, or even habitually visits the 
region, it is reasonable to believe that the presence of so peculiar a 
bird would have been detected by more of the naturalists that have 
collected along the Alaska coast between Bering Strait and Point 
Barrow. 

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper appears to be unknown to the 
American Eskimo, for the author was unable to find one among 
those interviewed who recognized it when skins were exhibited. 
On the other hand the “Chuckchies” of northeastern Siberia are 
familiar with the species, calling the bird by name when shown 
specimens. 


The species is included in the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List’ as a North 


1Contribution from the Museum of Vertebrate Zodlogy of the University of Cali- 
fornia. 
387 


388 Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Veer 
American bird on the basis of a “summer” specimen taken by 
Captain Moore of the British Ship Plover, on Choris Peninsula, 
Kotzebue Sound, Arctic Alaska, during the summer of 1849 
(Coues, 1884, p. 78, footnote). This was the first and, for many 
years, the only known example of the species in summer plumage, 
and from 1849 until 1915 it was the only recorded specimen from 
North America. Hence the position of this individual specimen 
has been unique, and we are able to check up discrepancies in differ- 
ent published accounts with the reasonable assurance that the 
varying statements encountered all refer to the same bird. The 
first record that the author has been able to find of this particular 
specimen is in the “ Proceedings’ of the Zoological Society of London 
for 1859 (p. 201) where it is mentioned as having been exhibited 
by Mr. Sclater at a meeting of the Society. At that time, ten 
years after its capture, the bird was supposed to have come from 
the “Northeastern Coast of Asia.” In 1903 this same specimen 
seems to have afforded the only basis for Coues’ statement (p. 813) 
concerning the species: “breeding” “on the Arctic coast of Alaska.” 
The history of this specimen in literature is shown on the following 
diagram (Fig. 1), illustrating the relation of all subsequent pub- 
lished statements to the original record in 1859, and also how the 
supposed locality of capture has shifted from Asia to North America. 


Original record 


es) 
(200) Choris Peninsula, Behring Straits Northeastern Coast 


Alaska of Asia 


Choris Peninsula, 
Alaska 


Fig. 1. Diagram of records relative to the first known ‘‘summer’”’ specimen of Spoon- 
billed Sandpiper showing: (1) relation of records; (2) gradual shifting of the records of the 
locality of this specimen from Asia to North America. ‘ 


1903. Coues, p. 813. ‘Breeding on the eastern Arctic coast of Siberia, 
and also on the Arctic coast of Alaska.” 


ee | Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 389 


1900. Grinnell, p. 74. ‘This specimen was in summer plumage and was 
taken on the Choris Peninsula by Captain Moore of H. M. S. 
Plover in 1849.” 

1887. Nelson, p. 112. ‘The presence of this remarkable little Sandpiper 
in the list of birds of Alaska is due to the capture of a specimen 
at Choris Peninsula, during the summer of 1849, by the captain 
of the British ship Plover — Proceedings of the Zoological 
Society (1871, p. 110).” 

1884. Coues, p. 78. ‘It is recorded by Harting, P. Z.S., 1871, pp. 111, 
114, from Choris Peninsula, the specimen said to have been 
procured there in 1849, and figured in the Ibis, 1869, p. 426, 
Ply Xe? ; 

1883. Nelson, p. 87. ‘The record of this specimen is in the proceedings 
of the London Zoological Society for 1871, p. 110.” 

1871. Harting, p. 111. ‘It was obtained by Capt. Moore on the Choris 
Peninsula. ...This specimen was described and figured in ‘The 
Ibis’ for 1869, p. 426, Pl. XII.” 

1869. Harting, p. 433. ‘‘24. One in summer plumage from Behring’s. 
Straits, by expedition under Capt. Moore in H. M. 8. ‘Plover’ 
(Proc. Zool. Soe. 1859, p. 201). Nowin new Museum at Oxford.”’ 

1859. Secretary Zool. Soc. London, p. 201. ‘Mr. Sclater exhibited 
specimens of two rare species of Arctic birds from the collection 
of John Barrow, Esq....One of these was the new species of 
Diver with a white bill, described by Mr. G. R. Gray as Colymbus 
adamsi....The other was an example of the exceedingly scarce 
Wader with a spatulated bill Hurinorhynchus pygmeus....in 
what was apparently its summer dress, the head, neck and breast 
being rufous....The locality of this specimen was supposed to 
be the North-eastern Coast of Asia.” 


The following data regarding the itinerary of the Plover on this 
particular voyage have been obtained chiefly from ‘The Tents of 
the Tuski’ by Lieut. W. H. Hooper, an officer under Capt. Moore 
during this voyage of the Plover. Seeman’s narrative of the 
voyage of H. M. S. Herald, 1845-51, also throws considerable light 
on this voyage of the Plover, as both ships were sent on the same 
mission. The Plover and Herald were two of several ships sent 
out between 1848 and 1852 from England to search for Sir John 
Franklin. The Plover sailed from England in January, 1848, on 
this voyage (Seemann, 1853, p. 191) but being a slow sailer did 
not reach her destination, Kotzebue Sound, that year. The 
Plover went into winter quarters in what is now known as Plover 
Bay, a small bay within Providence Bay, northeastern Siberia 


\ 


390 Dixon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Auk 


(Hooper, 1853, p. 12). The vessel remained frozen in the ice at 
this point from October, 1848, until the last of June, 1849. Hooper 
(1853, pp. 206-207) states “we sailed from Emma’s Harbor at the 
end of June, and proceeded up Behring’s Straits, anchoring several 
times near the Asiatic shore, on which occasions parties of our 
friends visited the ship. The last point of contact was the Bay of 
St. Laurence.”” From this point “we steered for Ké6tzebue Sound 
and anchored near Chamisso Island on the 14th of July.” Here 
Lieutenant Hooper started ashore but was called back by the 
arrival of the Herald, and “both ships’ crews were therefore im- 
mediately set to work to transfer stores and provisions. On the 
18th the ‘Herald’ and ‘Plover’ weighed at an early hour.” See- 
mann (1853, p. 193) states that the Plover was “off Wainwright 
Inlet on the 25th of July, 1849.” She returned from her Arctic 
cruise and again met the Herald at Kotzebue Sound on September 
2, 1849. From Simmonds (1852, p. 308) we learn that “the 
Plover was safely ensconced for the winter of 1849-50 in Kotzebue 
Sound.” 

In looking over the ten species of birds, specimens of which are 
indicated by Harting as having been obtained on the Choris 
Peninsula in 1849 by Captain Moore of the Plover (Harting, 1871, 
p. 114; Grinnell, 1900, p. 66), we find that the list contains no 
species peculiar to North America. However, we do find that at 
least two of the species (Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Mongolian 
Plover) are essentially Asiatic. To the author’s knowledge only 
two other American specimens of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and 
no other specimen of the Mongolian Plover have been claimed to 
have been taken in Alaska since 1849. 

The Plover and her crew wintered in 1848-49 and spent the main 
portion of the breeding season of 1849 along the coast of north- 
eastern Siberia, the region which has recently been proved to be 
the main breeding ground of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Brooks, 
1915, p. 382). On the other hand, only four days (July 14-18, 
1849) were spent at Choris Peninsula, Kotzebue Sound, most of 
this time being devoted to transferring stores aboard the ships 
(Hooper, 1853, p. 213).!_ Under the circumstances it would seem 


1 Mr. W. L. Sclater, Editor of ‘ The Ibis,’ was written to in regard to the present condition 
of Captain Moore’s specimen of Eurynorhynchus pygmeus. At his kind solicitation, both 


ae | Dixon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 391 


that the first record (1859) was correct and that Captain Moore’s 
specimen really did come, as first recorded, “from the North- 
eastern Coast of Asia.” The present author believes this to have 
been the case. 

Two other questionable American records of the Spoon-billed 
Sandpiper have been reported. Ridgway (1881, p. 85) states: 
“Spoon-billed Sandpiper — Point Barrow, Arctic Coast of Alaska, 
fide Dr. T. H. Bean.” Bean (1882, p. 165), however, records a 
single specimen, secured by a native boy at Plover Bay, Siberia, 
“most probably late in August, 1880.’’ Seebohm (1888, p. 441) 
states: “Nelson obtained a specimen in Alaska.” This appears 
to have been an error, since Nelson (1887, p. 112) states that he 
secured a single specimen at Plover Bay, on the Siberian shore in 
1881 and then adds “but not another individual of this rare bird 
was seen.” 

The only well established occurrence of the Spoon-billed Sand- 
piper in America is that vouched for by Fred Granville of Los 
Angeles, California, who on August 15, 1914, took two specimens 
at Wainwright Inlet, on the Arctic Coast of Alaska (referred to 
heretofore only casually, by Swarth, 1915, p. 136). One of these 
specimens, a female, is now number 3552 in the collection of A. B. 
Howell, of Covina, California, while the other, a male, is number 
1698 in the collection of G. Willett of Los Angeles. Through the 
courtesy of these gentlemen, the writer has been enabled to examine 
the Granville specimens and to compare them with a male bird 
taken at Cape Serdze, Siberia (no. 16699, Mus. Vert. Zool.), and 
another male taken by Granville, July 12, 1914, at Russian Spit, 
Siberia (no. 3551, Howell coll.). Both of the Wainwright speci- 
mens, although taken the middle of August, are still in the summer 
plumage, with the chestnut edgings of the feathers on the upper 
parts, and the chestnut wash on the head and throat almost as 


the bird and the museum records concerning it have been examined by Mr. Henry Balfour, 
curator of the Pitt Rivers Anthropological Museum at Oxford, England. The specimen is 
still (February, 1918) mounted and in a good state of preservation at the Oxford Museum, 
having been kept under a small bell-glass and away from strong light. No additional 
information regarding the locality of capture of this specimen was, however, forthcoming. 
The entry in the Catalogue of the Comparative Anatomy Department of the University 
Museum at Oxford is as follows: ‘In summer plumage, obtained in Behring Strait by Capt. 
Moore, 1849’’; while according to the label on the stand on which the specimen is mounted, 
“This specimen was taken in Behring Straits.”’ 


392 Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. bes 


bright as in breeding birds. The writer has been unable to dis- 
cover any indication of the fall molt in these two specimens. 

Mr. Granville has given me a full account of the circumstances 
under which he took these two Spoonbills at Wainwright Inlet. 
The following extracts, slightly modified in wording, are from his 
letter of January 9, 1918. “On August 15, 1914, I and my assist- 
ant hiked back of Wainwright to what I judged to be a distance of 
about ten miles, traveling in a northerly direction... .The tundra 
where I found the Spoonbills was interlaced as far as the eye could 
see with little lagoons and long channels of water, and in this 
territory I collected the two Spoon-bills.... These birds were shot 
out of a flock of possibly ten. I followed them for about an hour 
before I could get a shot at them. The birds would run along the 
tundra en masse and were undoubtedly gleaning food from the 
moss. The minute they would catch sight of me they would fly 
out of shot-gun range. There were about six birds that looked 
to me through field glasses to be in markedly different plumage 
from the birds I shot. These six birds, immature as I supposed, 
seemed to be of a solid color and that a dark gray. On the first 
shot fired, with which I got two, the birds flew across a lake and I 
lost track of them, though I spent four or five hours looking for 
some more... .I believe that these birds breed in the neighborhood 
of Wainwright and hope that at some close future date someone 
will bear out my statement ” 

It is a common occurrence for whaling and exploring vessels to 
visit both the Siberian and American shores during a summer 
cruise in the Arctic, hence reliability of the collector is the only 
guarantee as to places of capture of specimens gathered on such a 
cruise. Since the species under discussion is rare on the American 
shore and occurs in relatively much greater abundance on its 
breeding ground on the Siberian side, it is one regarding which 
mistakes might easily occur. Mr. Granville, while not a well- 
known collector, has been a member of the Cooper Club for several 
years, and is a man whose observations we can accept without 
question. 

The writer spent several days at Wainwright Inlet two weeks 
after Mr. Granville’s departure and although the various flocks of 
sandpipers present, then mostly in winter plumage, were examined 


coun | Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 393 


with binoculars, no Spoon-bills could be found. The fall migra- 
tion was much in evidence at this time. Whether Granville’s 
birds were some that had bred at Wainwright, as he supposed, or 
were merely stragglers from Siberia after the breeding season, is 
uncertain. ‘The true status of the species at this point can only 
be settled by further field work at Wainwright Inlet during the 
breeding season. 


St.Lawrence Id. sw Nome’ 


+ Breeding Record 
eAmerican fecord 
a Asiatic nor-breeding Record |  KA=f 


Fig. 2. Map showing summer record stations of Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 


From our present data, the range of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper 
may be defined as follows: The breeding habitat lies along the 
Arctic coast of northeast Siberia, possibly also at favorable locali- 
ties on the Alaskan coast (see Fig. 2), spring and fall migration route 
along the Asiatic shores of Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and 
winter home in southern India. The following record of speci- 
mens from the ‘ Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum’ (Sharpe, 
1896, p. 537) affords an outline of the migration route of this bird. 
An adult male, still in summer plumage, was taken August 8, at the 
mouth of the Amur River in southwestern Russia. An immature 


394 Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. lau 


was secured on October 8 at Hokodadi [Hakodate], Japan, while 
an adult female was collected at Ragoon, India, on December 1. 
The spring migration is represented by an adult male in summer 
plumage taken in April at Shanghai, China. 

Although this bird has been known for many years, at least as 
far back as the time of Linnzeus in 1764 (Harting, 1869, p. 428), it 
was only the winter plumage with which ornithologists were 
familiar. The summer dress was unknown until 1849, when 
Captain Moore of the Plover took his single specimen. The 
breeding ground of this species was not definitely known until 
Johan Koren found young Spoon-billed Sandpipers able to run 
on July 24, 1909, on the mainland near Koliuchin Island, northeast 
Siberia. Koren also took a half-fledged young on July 28 or 29, 
1909, at Cape Wankarem about seventy miles west of Koliuchin 
Island (Koren, 1910, pp. 14-15). To John E. Thayer, we are 
indebted for the first published description of the nest and eggs 
of this rare wader, based upon a nest with four eggs and the male 
parent, together with eight downy young, secured by Captain F. E. 
Kleinschmidt at Cape Serdze, northeast Siberia, July 15, 1910. 
This article, published in ‘The Auk’ for April, 1911, was illustrated 
by colored plates of the eggs and the head and bill of the downy 
young and adult stages. 

Nordenskiéld (1881, p. 43) reports that birds of this species 
appeared in numbers in June near the winter quarters of the Vega. 
This locality was near the east shore of Koliuchin Bay. Norden- 
skidld, however, discovered no evidence of the species breeding at 
this point and it was nearly thirty years later that Koren found 
young Spoon-billed Sandpipers in this region. 

The present author met his first living Spoon-billed Sandpiper at 
Providence Bay, Siberia (see Plate V, Fig. 1) the middle of June, 
1913, when upon an ornithological cruise in the Arctic in the ~ 
interests of John E. Thayer, who has kindly permitted the use of 
such notes and material as were needed in the preparation of this 
article. 

In color, size and actions the Spoon-billed Sandpiper closely 
resembles the Eastern Least Stint (Pisobia minuta ruficollis), the 
marked similarity between them resulting in both the author and 
his fellow collector W. S. Brooks, failing to distinguish between the 


cane | Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 395 


two species until June 20, after we had been among them for some 
days. However, despite our initial failure to secure the birds, it is 
my belief that the Spoon-bill begins to arrive on its breeding grounds 
by the end of the first week in June. A pair of sandpipers was 
encountered near the east shore of Emma Harbor, in Providence 
Bay, on June 6, 1913, which evidently belonged to this species. 
The male was at this time energetically engaged in his characteristic 
nuptial song flight while the female fed quietly among the tussocks 
near the edge of a pond on the tundra. 

Although the spatulate tip of this bird’s bill is very noticeable 
when viewed from directly above or below, it is not a character 
which can be advantageously used to identify the species in the 
field, for the simple reason that in nearly all close views of the 
living bird only lateral or frontal aspects of the bill are obtained. 
Viewed from the side, as shown in Thayer’s illustration (loc. cit., 
Plate II, Fig. 5), the bill is not sufficiently peculiar in outline to be 
distinguished from those of other small sandpipers at any great 
distance. Even when a bird was feeding, and the bill was ob- 
served under the most favorable conditions, the peculiar shape was 
not nearly as conspicuous as one would expect. In the author’s 
experience, the most reliable method of identifying the bird in the 
field was by noting the glint of light that was reflected from the 
broad tip of the upper mandible when the sunlight struck the bill 
ata certain angle. Even in flight, the bird could often be identified 
by this faint beam of reflected light. Our first specimen was 
collected on June 20, suspicion having been directed to this particu- 
lar bird by seeing the sunlight reflected from the tip of the bill, as 
above described. 

We found that the Sandpiper had a decided preference for the 
grassy margins of fresh-water ponds, while single birds were 
frequently found feeding along the alge-bordered rims of tundra 
pools. Sandy lagoons where rivers entered the bay were favored 
by them as well. 

The song and nuptial flight of the male Spoon-bill, attractive as 
they were to the collector, in sight of such rare birds at last, were as 
elusive as a will-o’-the-wisp. In fact we were never able to locate 
a female Spoon-bill on the nest and I have always believed that 
our lack of success in this regard was due to the warning given 


4 


396 Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. ak 


by the male. Upon approaching the nest site, while we were yet 
afar off, we were greeted by the male in full song. This song, 
ventriloquial, pulsating, and cicada-like in quality, seemed to come 
first from one and then from another point in the heaven above. 
Sometimes we searched the sky altogether in vain, but usually the 
bird was discovered in rapid flight at an altitude of two or three 
hundred feet above the earth. 


Ne st Sile 


undra 


on tundra 


Nests 


AMMO 001 MUNN AVA nn EL 28 A TTI a ee . dane HCL WUCLTLA We VOCE ALA OA 40 0001 POTEET EE AUDRY Hw rett aM Armee VITA Needl 


Fig. 3. Diagrams of the nuptial flight of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Upper figure 
represents the flight as viewed from above. Lower figure depicts one half of the same 
evolution as seen from one side. (s) start, (a) Poise or hover accompanied by song, (6) 
short dip (no song), (c) rapid sweep down over nest site, ending in new position, (d) gentle 
glide to earth, (X) nest site on tundra. Flight e to e’ in upper figure is represented by the 
broken line e to e’ in the lower figure. 


oe | Dixon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 397 

The nuptial flight consists of momentary poises alternating with 
rapid dips (Fig. 3). When the bird hovers or poises, the rapid 
beating of the wings is accompanied by a fine, rhythmical, pulsating, 
buzzing trill: zeé-e-c, zeé-e-e, zeé-e-e, rapidly repeated (Fig. 3a). 
Following this the bird approaches the intruder, swinging down in a 
sharp curve until ten feet lower than the previous hovering point 
(Fig. 3b) where he again poises on rapidly beating wings, pouring 
forth anew his insistent, musical trill. After repeating this per- 
formance four or five times, the songster sweeps down in a long 
graceful curve (Fig. 3c) until he almost touches the earth near 
his brooding mate, then curving off, he turns and rises rapidly 
and almost perpendicularly until almost out of sight. From this 
new point of vantage the whole performance is repeated. After 
four or five such excursions, in each of which the intruder is 
approached from a different direction, the guardian of the nest 
descends by raising his wings nearly vertically until they form 
in anterior outline the letter V. The bird thus gliding on 
motionless wings drops lightly but quickly to earth, uttering © 
the zeé-e-e in a richer yet more subdued tone (Fig. 3d). As 
soon as he touches the earth the song ceases and the silent bird 
trots quietly off over the moss, where his trim form blends with 
the lichen and mossy tussocks so that, upon remaining motionless 
he disappears with amazing rapidity. Time and again we thus 
lost sight of the birds, which we later discovered by the aid of 
binoculars, to be standing or squatting motionless within fifty feet 
of us. Although this “fading out”? method of exit is commonly 
employed by many shore birds, in the case of the Spoon-billed 
Sandpiper it seems to have been developed to an extreme degree. 

The two nests of this bird that came under the author’s observa- 
tion were discovered through flushing the brooding male. The 
birds were very shy and as there was no cover other than a thin 
growth of grass about six inches high, approach by stealth was 
difficult (see Plate V, Fig. 2). The birds usually sneaked off while 
the observer was forty or fifty yards distant, and in order to find the 
nest it was necessary. to hide, as best one could, near the place where 
the sandpiper had flushed, until it returned again to the nest. In 
one instance a depression partly filled with water was the only 
available hiding place. Fortunately for the watcher the water 


398 Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. es 


was not cold and the male bird returned in twelve minutes to the 
nest, which contained two fresh eggs (Plate V, Fig. 2). 

The most striking fact in the domestic life of the Spoon-billed 
Sandpiper is that the major portion of the household duties, aside 
from the actual laying of the eggs, is performed by the male and 
not the female bird. In addition to our own observations Klein- 
schmidt also has found this to be the case. He states: “ Although 
our observations were limited to but a few, still I believe the male 
solely attends to the hatching and rearing of the young” (Thayer, 
1911, p. 154). In the author’s experience, none of the several 
females taken were found on or within fifty feet of the nest. It is 
possible, however, that they may have been warned by the male 
birds and had sneaked off before we were close enough to detect 
their leaving. 

In the unequal division of domestic duties conditions among the 
Spoon-bills are similar to those among the Phalaropes where the 
male, after he has been courted and won by the larger and more 
brilliant female, takes upon himself almost all of the household 
cares. However, in the case of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper there 
is nothing to show that the female does the courting although she 
is the larger of the two. Mr. Thayer in commenting on the rela- 
tive size of the sexes states: “In looking over my series of fourteen 
skins, all adults, I find that the females are larger and their mandi- 
bles noticeably so” (Thayer, 1911, p. 154). The female Spoon-- 
bill is thus seemingly content to merely lay the eggs, while she lets 
the male build the nest, incubate the eggs, and take care of the 
young. In corroboration of the latter statements the author 
observed a male bird building a nest at Providence Bay, Siberia, 
June 22, 1913, another male was flushed repeatedly from a nest. 
containing two fresh eggs near the same place on the same day, 
while a third male was found tending three downy young at Cape 
Serdze, Siberia, on July 17, 1913. 

The nest of this Sandpiper was found to be merely a cavity 
scratched out among the dead grass blades. It was a shallow 
affair placed where the grass grew thickest (Plate V, Fig. 2). On 
June 22, 1913, at Providence Bay, the writer witnessed the con- 
struction of a nest from a distance of about forty feet. The bird, 
a male, scratched and then picked at the dead and matted grass. 


ea | Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 399 
blades and moss until he had dug out quite a hole. Then he 
squatted down in the depression and twisted about, pressing against 
the moss that formed the sides of the nest, until a cavity about 
three and one-half inches in diameter and an inch deep was formed. 
Dead leaves from a creeping Arctic willow that grew in the moss 
nearby, were used to line the nest. 

We have the following data regarding the dates at which the 
eggs are laid and the number of eggs in a set. A clue is also 
afforded as to the time required for the eggs to hatch. 


Locality Date Nesting evidence Collector 
Providence Bay, Siberia June 22,1913 2 fresh eggs in nest J. Dixon 
Providence Bay, Siberia June 22,1913 Nest in course of construc- J. Dixon 

tion 
Cape Serdze, Siberia July 15,1910 4eggs ‘‘just ready to hatch’’ F. E. Kleinschmidt 
Cape Serdze, Siberia July 17,1913 3 young just out of nest J. Dixon 


From the above data it seems probable that the set is of three 
or four eggs; June 20 to 25 may be taken as the time when laying 
begins. The eggs of the Spoon-bill found by the author at Provi- 
dence Bay were not markedly different in markings, shape or color 
from those of other small sandpipers, such as the Eastern Least 
Stint. In the field, the eggs of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper ap- 
peared to be slightly larger than those of the Stint. The measure- 
ments of the four eggs collected by Kleinschmidt are given by 
Thayer (1911, p. 154) as follows: “1.20 X .92; 1.22 X .90; 
1.20 X .88; 1.30 X .90 inches.” For positive identification, we 
found it advisable to secure the parent bird with the eggs, and in 
order that there might be no mistake, the incubating male was 
secured just as he jumped from the nest. 

Regarding the time required for incubation, we have only 
circumstantial evidence to offer (see preceding table), but our 
observations lead us to believe that about eighteen or twenty days 
elapse between the time the last egg is laid and the first young 
hatched. 

On July 17, 1913, at Cape Serdze, Siberia, while strolling along 
the spongy green turf beside a fresh-water pond, my attention was 
attracted by the “broken wing” antics of a Spoon-billed Sand- 
piper. Although my eyes remained “glued” on the spot from 
which the bird arose, no nest or sign of young could be found when 


400 Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. ae 


I reached the place. Soon a second bird, presumably the female, 
arrived on the scene. Both appeared much concerned and from 
their actions I felt sure that there were young near by. A careful 
search of the short grass, which was not over two inches high, 
failed to reveal any living creature. I therefore retired to a grassy 
mound about twenty yards away and awaited developments. 
Both parent birds, giving their alarm notes, circled about overhead, 
where they were soon joined by a pair each of Eastern Least and 
Temminck’s Stints. The two pairs of stints were later found to have 
broods of downy young in the grass on the opposite shore of the 
lagoon near by. Soon both Spoon-bills flew off across the lagoon 
and disappeared, but the male returned promptly, alighting quietly 
near the margin of the pond. Here he stood motionless for nearly 
a minute, and then trotted through the grass directly to the spot 
from which I had first flushed him. At this point he stood still 
for another full minute, during which time he looked all around, 
seemingly to make sure that the coast was clear. Having satisfied 
himself that no active enemy was in sight he stepped forward and 
bending over uttered a soft call in a low tone “ plee-plee-plee.” 
This call was repeated a second time, and instantly there arose 
directly in front of him a tiny mouse-like brown form, seemingly 
rising from out of the very ground. With tottering unsteady steps 
the downy young sandpiper stumbled and fell toward the parent, 
who continued calling and encouraging it. 

Upon my sudden appearance, the old bird gave a quick warning 
note and at this signal the youngster squatted motionless with neck 
stretched forward on the ground. Although I knew the exact spot 
where it disappeared, it was some time before I was able to locate 
the tiny form, so well did it blend with the clump of reddish moss 
upon which it had squatted. A careful search revealed no other 
young sandpipers so I returned to my hiding place. This time I 
had to wait longer for the male to return and, while I was waiting, 
a second sandpiper which I believed to be the female arrived but 
did not go near or call the young. 

Two or three minutes elapsed this time between the return of 
the male and the giving of the low call notes, when as before 
another downy young quickly arose at the signal and toddled over 
to its parent. After this second experience I was forced to change 


| Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 401 


my hiding place, as the male Sandpiper refused to return to the 
young until I moved. He seemed much concerned upon this last 
visit, probably realizing that it was high time the young should be 
hovered and warmed. 

I could not understand why all the young had not risen at once 
in answer to the parent’s call but I noticed that he had in each 
case gone up to within less than two feet of the one in hiding, 
and then with lowered head facing the chick, gave the call note. 
In each case it was the youngster thus directly addressed that 
responded to the signal and arose. The note of the young was a 
low rusty squeak, scarcely audible to human ears. It was very 
similar to the note of the young Semipalmated Sandpiper (see 
Dixon, 1917, p. 190). 

As far as my observations went, there was no attempt on the 
part of the parent to feed the young, and it is my belief that from 
the time they are hatched the young Spoon-bills hunt their own 
food. The exercise thus gained was found in the case of young 
Semipalmated Sandpipers to be essential to the health of the 
chicks. In addition to keeping warm by running about the young 
Spoon-bills are hovered and warmed at regular intervals by the 
parent. The brood mentioned above had survived a fairly severe 
snowstorm on the preceding day. 

An effort was made to carry the three downy Spoon-bills back 
to the ship alive, and as we had “hopped, skipped and jumped” 
ashore over a mile of drifting ice cakes, the packing was done with 
care. A thick nest of cotton was made in the collecting basket, 
but within an hour the young sandpipers began to go into con- 
vulsions and although they were placed inside of the author’s 
“parka” next to his body, they all soon died. Their death seemed 
to be due to lack of exercise, as they were kept warm, and cer- 
tainly could not have starved to death in an hour. Manniche 
(1910, p. 146) reports a similar experience with two downy young 
of the Sanderling, on the breeding grounds of this species in north- 
east Greenland. 

As has been pointed out by Thayer (1911, p. 154), the bill of the ~ 
newly hatched young of this Sandpiper shows the characteristic 
“spoon” well developed. The narrow part of the bill of a downy 
young Spoon-bill is short compared with that of the adult, while 


[oc 


402 Dixon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 
the spatulate tip is more oval, as compared with the angular out- 
line of the bill of the adult bird. In outline the bill of the young 
closely resembles the conventional “spade” on playing cards. 

Our observations disclosed no peculiar advantage attending the 
singular shape of this sandpiper’s bill, though careful watch was 
kept to see just how this member was used. On July 17, 1913, a 
pair of Spoon-billed Sandpipers was watched for half an hour as 
the two birds fed within fifty feet of the observer, concealed behind 
a sandy dune. Their favorite feeding ground was a fresh-water 
pond with a fringe of green algee about the sandy border. Under 
these conditions the birds used their bills as any other sandpipers 
would, as probes to pick out insects or larvee from the alge. Occa- 
sionally one would hesitate a moment, when the vascular tip of the 
mandible quivered slightly as though the bird were straining some- 
thing out of the green alge. At this time the bill was held at 
nearly right angles to the surface of the water; it was never used 
as a scoop along the surface. 

The width of the tip of the bill varies greatly in freshly killed 
specimens, regardless of sex, as shown at time of capture among the 
twelve specimens we secured. Of two males at hand, one (Mus. 
Vert. Zool. no. 16699) has a bill with a width of 11.6 mm., while the 
other (Willett coll., no. 1698) measures only 9.4 mm. in width. 

Comparatively little seems to be known regarding the develop- 
ment and molt of the young of this species. Koren found young 
able to run about on July 24, 1909, on the mainland near Koliuchin 
Island. On July 29 at Cape Wankarem he found young “half 
fledged” and got one of these on the wing at fifty yards. Gran- 
ville, as previously detailed, saw what he thought were six im- 
mature birds of this species in the gray or winter plumage at 
Wainwright Inlet, Alaska, on August 15, 1914. In spite of the 
considerable accumulation, during recent years, of data relative 
to the nesting habits of this peculiar spoon-billed wader, there 
are many important facts in the life history of this species yet to 
be ascertained. 


en | Drxon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 403 


LITERATURE CITED. 


Bean, T. H. 
1882. Notes on birds collected during the summer of 1880 in Alaska 
and Siberia. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 5, pp. 144-178. 
Brooks, W. 8. 
1915. Notes on birds from east Siberia and Arctic Alaska. Bull. 
Mus. Comp. Zool., 59, pp. 361-413. 
Covss, E. 
1884. [Review of] Nelson’s Birds of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. 
Auk, 1, pp. 76-81. 
1908. Key to North American birds. (Boston, Page), 5th ed., 2, 
pp. vi + 1152, profusely illustrated. 
Dixon, J. . 
1917. Children of the midnight sun. Bird Lore, 19, pp. 185-192, 
10 figs. in text. 
- GRINNELL, J. 
1900. Birds of the Kotzebue Sound region. Pacifie Coast Avifauna, 
i pp. 1-80) 1 map: 
Hartina, J. E. 
1869. On rare or little-known Limicolz. Ibis, 5, pp. 426-434, 1 pl. 
and 1 fig. in text. 
1871. Catalogue of an Arctic collection of birds presented by Mr. 
John Barrow, F. R.8., to the University Museum at Oxford; 
with notes on the species. Proc. Zool. Soe. London, 1871, 
pp. 110-123, 2 figs. in text. 
Hoover, W. H. ; 
1853. Ten months among the tents of the Tuski. (London, Murray), 
pp. xv + 417, 1 pl., 10 figs. in text, 1 map. 
Koren, J. 
1910. Collecting on Tchonkotsk Peninsula. The Warbler, 6, pp. 2- 
15, 19 figs. in text. 
Mannicue, A. L. V. 
1910. The terrestrial mammals and birds of north-east Greenland. 
Danmark-Ekspeditionen Til Gr@énlands Nordostkyst 1906— 
1908, K@benhavn, Bianco Lunos Bogtrykkeri, Bind. V. Nr. 
1, pp. 1-199, pls. I-VII, 48 figs. in text., 1 map. 
Netson, E. W. 
1883. Birds of Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. Cruise of Revenue 
Steamer Corwin in Alaska and the north west Arctic Ocean 
in 1881 (Washington, Govt. Printing office), pp. 55-118, 
4 pls. 
1887. Report upon natural history collections made in Alaska be- 
tween the years 1877 and 1881. Arctic Series of Publica- 
tions issued in connection with the Signal Service, U. S. 
Army, 3, 337 pp., 21 pls. 


404 Dixon, The Spoon-billed Sandpiper. fees 


NORDENSKIOLD, A. E. 

1881. The voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe. (London, 
Macmillan Co.), 2, pp. xvii + 464, with 5 steel portraits, 
numerous maps and illustrations. 

Ripeway, R, 

1881. Nomenclature of North American birds chiefly contained in 
the U. S. National Museum. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 21, 
pp. 1-94. 

SEEBOHM, H. 

1888. The geographical distribution of the family Charadriide or the 
plovers, sandpipers, snipes and their allies. (London, 
Sotheran), pp. xxiv + 524, 21 pls., many unnumbered figs. 
in text. 

Seemann, B. 

1853. Narrative of the voyage of H. M.S. Herald 1845-51. (Lon- 

don, Reeves), 2, pp. vii + 3802, 1 pl. 
Suarpr, R. B. 

1896. Catalogue of the Limicole in the collection of the British 

Museum. 24, pp. xii + 794, 6 pls., many figs. in text. 
Stmmonps, P. L. 

1852. Sir John Franklin and the Arctic regions. (Buffalo, Derby), 

pp. xvii + 396, many illustrations, 1 map. 
Swart, H. 8. 

1915. Minutes of meeting of Cooper Ornithological Club. Condor, 

17, p. 136: 
Secretary Zoou. Soc. Lonpon. 

1859. [Report of Meeting of May 10, 1859.] Proc. Zool. Soc. Lon- 

don, 1859, p. 201. 
THayer, J. E. 

1911. Eggs of the Spoon-bill Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmzus), 

Auk, 28, pp. 153-155, 2 pls. 


ro v1 TownsEennD, A Winter Crow Roost. 405 


A WINTER CROW ROOST:! 
BY -CHARLES W. TOWNSEND, M.D. 


Prior to the winter of 1916-17 most of the Crows of the eastern 
parts of Essex County, Massachusetts, spent the nights in roosts 
in the pine thickets at Annisquam and West Gloucester. Hither 
from all directions in winter afternoons these birds could be seen 
wending their way. The general course of flight over the Ipswich 
dunes was from north to south. There were, however, several 
small roosts in the Ipswich region. One was in a grove of white 
pines and cedars on the south side of Heartbreak Hill; another, 
which lodged about five hundred birds, was in one of the pitch pine 
thickets of the Ipswich dunes. In November, 1916, I discovered 
that the ground under and near the large thickets of evergreens 
and hard woods on the southerly side of Castle Hill close to Ipswich 
beach was covered thickly with Crow pellets and droppings. I 
was not surprised, therefore, to find that the afternoon flight of 
Crows was directed towards these thickets, and that the birds were 
passing over the dunes in an opposite direction to that taken in 
former years. Whether the great roosts at Annisquam and West 
Gloucester have been deserted or not I cannot say, but it is evident 
that the larger number of birds have transferred their winter 
nights’ lodgings to Castle Hill. 

Twenty-five years ago the whole southerly side of Castle and 
High Hills was pasture and mowing land. The owner at that 
time began planting trees on a large scale. At first only visible 
in the grass these have grown to a height of thirty or forty feet, 
and there is now a respectable forest over twenty or thirty acres 
of land. The evergreen trees are largely European species — 
Scotch and Austrian pines with spruces and firs. There is a large 
grove of European larches, and there are patches of willows, 
maples, ashes, buttonwoods and other deciduous trees. 

In the short winter afternoons the Crows begin their flight to 
the roost long before sunset. By three o’clock or even as early as 
one o’clock, especially in dark weather and in the short December 
days, this bed-time journey begins, while in the latter part of 


1 Read before the Essex County Ornithological Club, December 10, 1917. 


406 TownsEenD, A Winter Crow Roost. lane 


February the flight is postponed until half past four or a quarter of 
five. From every direction but the seaward side the Crows direct 
their course towards the roost. Three main streams of flight can . 
be distinguished: one from the north, from the region of the 
Ipswich and Rowley “hundreds,’’— the great stretches of salt 
marsh that extend to the Merrimac River,— a second from the 
west and a third,— apparently the largest of all, broad and deep 
and highly concentrated,— from the south. 

It was the last of these rivers that on a cold December afternoon 
with a biting wind from the northwest I first studied in company 
with Mr. Francis H. Allen. It was an impressive sight. About 
3 o'clock the Crows began to appear, singly and in small groups, 
beating their way in the teeth of the wind towards the north. In 
flying over the estuary of the Castle Neck River they kept close to 
the water as if to take advantage of the lee behind the waves; 
over the land they clung to the contour of the dunes. As we 
walked among these waves of sand the Crows often appeared 
suddenly and unexpectedly over the crest of a dune within a few 
feet of us. Silently for the most part, except for the silken rustle 
of their wings, they flew over in increasing numbers until it was 
evident that they were to be counted, not by hundreds, but by 
thousands. Many of them alighted on the dunes to the south of 
the roosting place; sand, bushes and stunted bare trees were alike 
black with them. Others assembled on the bare hillside to the. 
east. About sunset a great tumult of corvine voices issued from 
the multitude,— a loud cawing with occasional wailing notes,— 
and a black cloud rose into the air and settled in the branches of 
the bare trees to the west of the roost. From here as it was growing 
dusk they glided into the evergreens for the night. 

The last day of the year 1916, I spent with Dr. W. M. Tyler in 
the dunes. The wind was fresh from the northwest,— the tempera- 
ture was 15° Far. at 6.30 A. M., 18° at noon and 20° at6 P.M. As 
early as one o’clock in the afternoon a few Crows were seen strug- 
gling north over and close to the surface of the dunes. Others 
were noticed flying high and towards the south. This southerly 
flight came from over Castle Hill to the north, passed the roost and 
continued on over the dunes. At half-past three some of these 
birds, which were apparently turning their backs on their usual 


ae | TownsEnD, A Winter Crow Roost. 407 


night’s lodging place, met with a large company coming from the 
south and all settled together in the dunes about two miles south 
of the roost. Some of the birds coming from the north, however, 
settled on the bare fields by the roost, and their numbers here 
were augmented by a stream from the west. This concourse on 
the hillside set up a great tumult of cawings just before four o’elock. 
At five minutes after four the united multitude of northerners and 
southerners rose from their meeting place in the dunes and flew 
low to join their noisy brethren on the hillside. This river of 
black wings from the south was a continuous one and it was joined 
just before its debouch on the hillside by the stream from the west. 
The river from the north had split into two layers: the lower 
flying birds came to rest on the hill,— the higher flying ones 
favored by the strong northwest wind, continued on their way 
south, notwithstanding the great current that was sweeping north 
below them. They joined their comrades in the dunes and re- 
traced their steps. No signs of starvation and impaired vigor in 
these unnecessary flights, or in the games of tag in which two or 
more of the birds would at times indulge! : 

The pace is now fast and furious. The birds are anxious to get 
within touch of the roost before it is dark but none have yet entered 
it. At 4.15 P. M., 135 birds pass in a minute from the south alone 
on their way to join the concourse on the hillside. A little later 
this southern river becomes so choked with birds that it is im- 
possible to count them. From our point of vantage in a spruce 
thicket on the hill we can see that this flock stretches for two miles 
into the dunes and it takes four minutes to pass. The speed of 
flight, therefore, must be roughly about thirty miles an hour. 
At 4.15 P. M. the sun sets, but in the yellow glow of the cloudless 
sky the birds can be seen pouring by from the west and south. 
The bulk of the stream from the north now comes to rest on the 
hillside for only occasionally can a crow be seen flying to the south 
over the heads of the southern stream. 

At 4.35 P. M. Dr. Tyler and I again counted the southern stream 
for a minute as they flew silently between us and the lighthouse. 
One of us counted 160 the other 157 birds, so it is probable that 
our counts were fairly accurate. This constant watching of the 
black stream from the south against the white light-house pro- 


408 TownsEeNnD, A Winter Crow Roost. (Gun 


duced in both of us a curious optical illusion. The light-house 
and dunes seemed to be moving smoothly and swiftly from north 
to south! 

At 4.37 P. M. a great cawing arose from the hillside and a black 
cloud of birds rose up, some to enter the roost, others to subside on 
the hillside. It was evident that the birds from time to time had 
been diving into the roost. At 4.40 P. M. it was rapidly growing 
dark and the tributary streams were evidently dwindling. Only 50 
went by the light-house in a minute. Five minutes later it was 
nearly dark and only a few belated stragglers were hurrying to 
the concourse on the hill. 

At 4.45 P. M. Dr. Tyler and I walked around to the north of 
roost and although we could see nothing in the darkness we could 
hear the silken rustle of wings and feathers as the Crows were 
composing themselves for the night’s rest among the branches of 
the trees. The babble of low conversational notes that went up 
from the company suggested the sounds of a Night Heronry al- 
though cawings and carrings were interspersed with the kis and uks 
and ahhs. The odor was that of a hen-yard. The temperature 
in the grove, with its hundreds of corvine furnaces breathing out 
air heated to 105° or thereabouts, was probably distinctly higher 
than in the open. We refrained from entering the thicket, for any 
attempt to do so aroused the birds to flight. 

In the dim light we could make out that the hillside field be- 
tween the roost and the sea was still blackened with birds that were 
continually rising up and entering the trees. Some of them perched 
temporarily on the bare tops of the hard woods where they were 
visible against the sky. The noise and confusion were great. It 
would seem as if the roost was so crowded that the birds had to 
wait their time for a chance to get in and that a constant shifting of 
places and crowding was necessary before the Crows could settle 
in peace for the night. Hence the prolonged and varied conversa- 
tion; hence the profanity. 

It was an intensely interesting experience, this observation of 
the return of the Crows to their night’s lodgings, and one wished, 
for eyes all about the head, well sharpened wits to interpret and a 
trained assistant to take down notes. How many birds spent the 
night in the roost? That is a difficult question to answer, but a 


eae | Townsenv, A Winter Crow Roost. 409 


rough estimate can be made. There were three streams entering 
the roost beginning at one o’clock and continuing until a quarter 
of five. The largest of these was from the south, the next largest 
from the west and the smallest from the north. The greatest 
flight occurred in the hour before dark. From counts made in the 
stream from the south this flow averaged at least a hundred in a 
minute or 6,000 in the hour. If we suppose that an equal number 
arrived in the combined western and northern streams there would 
be 12,000 occupants in the roost, a very moderate estimate, I 
believe. 

Crows were not the only species that sought refuge for the night 
in these evergreens. At half-past four a Starling was seen flying 
thither. But the great flight of Starlings appeared shortly after 
four. There were about two hundred of them —a mere nothing 
compared with the enormous multitudes that are soon destined to 
inhabit these regions, for the European Starling, introduced in 
some evil moment to these new lands of the western Hemisphere, 
is increasing by leaps and bounds. This flock of two hundred 
Starlings flew by with a whistling of wings straight for the roost, 
but on its arrival at once began a series of aerial evolutions which 
lasted for half an hour by the watch, before the flock finally entered 
the roost for the night. At times the birds would spread out like 
a mist on the hillsides at times they would combine to form a com- 
pact dark ball; again they would stream off like a whisp of smoke, 
and turn and twist and snap the whip in a most amazing manner. 
The exhibition of this troop of Starlings was that of well trained 
performers executing difficult and intricate evolutions without 
hesitation and without fault. The rhythm and harmony of all 
their movements was perfect; the speed of action was so great 
that it was at times difficult to follow them with the eye. They 
opened or closed their ranks, they deployed to the right or to the 
left, they descended or ascended as if impelled by a common mind 
or as if possessed of perfect telepathic intercommunication. One 
could hear no word of command and there appeared to be no leader. 
The spirit of play was in it all and the joy of untiring energy, of 
perfect mastery of the air and of consummate grace and skill. It 
was a marvelous and mysterious exhibition. 

I have often watched from my house the western stream of 


410 Townsenp, A Winter Crow Roost. Fae 


Crows go by bound for the roost. With a strong northwest wind 
the greater number fly in the lea of the hill close to the marsh. A 
smaller number push their way in the valley to the north partly 
sheltered from the wind by the trees. It is rare that one exposes 
himself to the full sweep of the wind over the top of the hill. When 
the wind is in the east the Crows fly close to the marsh and follow 
the windings of Castle Creek. With a westerly breeze, however, 
the birds fly high and, silhouetted against the sunset glow, the 
birds pass over the hill at great speed, alternately flapping and 
sailing. ‘Those that fly over the marshes keep at the level of the 
top of the hill instead of skimming close to the ground as they do. 
in unfavorable winds. I have counted eighty and at times as 
many as one hundred and twenty passing in a minute in this 
western tributary to the roost. 

The afternoon of the twenty-second of February, 1917, was cold 
and clear with a wind from the northwest. I made my way to the 
top of Castle Hill in order to watch the stream of Crows from the 
north. The first arrivals came at half past four o’clock. They 
were flying over the ice-filled marshes of the Ipswich and Plum 
Island Rivers, on the lookout perhaps for a last scanty portion of 
food before bedtime. On reaching Castle Hill they flew up over 
its crest and glided down into the hard woods to the east and west 
of the evergreen roost. Here they took part in the regular noisy 
evening crow reception of the three streams before retiring for the 
night. 

At the full of the moon on the sixth of January I visited the 
roost at 9 P. M., a time when all well regulated crows should, I 
had supposed, be sound asleep. As I approached the roost much 
to my surprise I heard distant sleepy cries like those of young 
herons, and when I reached the edge of the roosting trees there was. 
a tumultuous rush and bustle of Crows flying from tree to tree and 
overhead. Strain my eyes as I would only occasionally could I 
catch sight of a black form, although the air was brilliant with the 
moonlight and the reflection from the snow. I turned back at 
once as I had no desire to disturb the birds’ slumbers but it was 
evident that many, even at this late hour, had not settled down 
for the night. 

The morning flight from the roost takes less time than the evening 
return. As I approached it in the semi-darkness at 6.25 A. M. on 


tien | Townsend, A Winter Crow Roost. 411 


January 7, a distant cawing could be heard and a minute later nine 
Crows were seen flying off to the south, and three minutes later, 
nine went off to the west. At half past six, after a great uproar of 
caws and uks, occasional rattles and wailing ahhhs, a broad stream 
boiled up from the roosting trees and spread off towards the west, 
obscurely seen in the dim light except when the birds stood out 
against the beginning red glow in the east or against the light of 
the setting moon in the west. As I stood concealed on the hillside 
among a grove of spruces, the Crows passed over my head, noiselessly 
except for the silken swish of their wings, fully a thousand strong. 
Then no more for over five minutes although the tumult in the 
roost continued in increasing volume. At 6.40 the roost boiled 
over again, but the birds spreading in all directions soon united 
into a black river that flowed over the dunes to the south. The 
settings for this black stream were the white sand dunes and the 
luminous glow in the east which had become a brilliant crimson 
fading to orange and yellow and cut by a broad band of pink haze 
that streamed up to the zenith. The morning star glowed brightly 
until almost broad daylight. The sun rose at 7.14. At 7 I 
entered the roost and hurried away the few hundred remaining 
birds some of whom were in the bare tops of the hardwoods ready 
to depart, while others were still dozing in the evergreens below. 
The air was close and smelt like a hen house. Pellets and droppings 
were everywhere. 

On the last day of 1916, Dr. Tyler and I watched the crows 
leaving the roost. We arrived at 6.40, too late to see the first 
departures. From time to time we counted the birds going by in 
the stream to the south and as our counts showed a remarkable 
agreement they may be taken as substantially accurate. At 6.45, 
105 passed in a minute; at 6.50, 125 passed at 6.55, 58 passed,. 
at 6.58, 121 passed and at 7.00, 63 passed. 

The Starlings left the roost at 7 o’clock and passed us with a 
chorus of shrill cries or perhaps it was the swish of their wings that 
we heard. They were intent on the day’s hunt for food and did 
not waste time on setting-up evolutions. At 7.13 the sun rose and 
the roost was silent and deserted. 

In the early part of the winter there is plenty of food for the 
Crows. The bayberry and staghorn sumac bushes, the poison 
ivy, cat briers and red cedars are laden with their fruit. The salt 


. 
. 


412 Townsend, A Winter Crow Roost. es 


marshes and beaches furnish a bountiful supply of food in the form 
of molluses and crustaceans as well as in dead fish and other carrion 
brought up by the tides. In fact it is these marshes and beaches 
that make such a great concourse of crows possible; — the inland 
country is able to support but a mere fraction of such a multitude. 
If the winter is a prolonged and severe one, the food problem be- 
comes more and more difficult. All the bayberry bushes that are 
not covered with snow are stripped of their berries; the red flames 
of the sumac are battered and reduced to a spindling central 
stalk with but a few red furry seeds remaining. ‘The upper beach, 
the source of so much food supply in dead fish, crabs and molluscs, 
is encased in ice and built up into a wall; the marshes with their 
wealth of small snails and mussels is sealed several feet deep in 
tumbled cakes of ice, and the tide rises and falls in the creeks and 
larger estuaries under an unbroken icy mantle. All the uplands 
are buried in snow. It is difficult to conceive how this multitude 
of red-blooded active birds can glean enough food under these 
conditions. The number of food calories needed by each Crow 
must be large. But the Crow like the Indian and all creatures of 
nature is well able to take care of himself and to utilize every 
possible source of food supply. Neither a feast nor a famine 
disturbs his equanimity unless the latter is too prolonged. 

Although most of the birds appeared to be endowed with plenty 
of strength and energy, one at least on February 22 seemed to be 
suffering from the hard times. This Crow alighted in a feeble 
tottering manner on a post within forty yards of me, and balanced 
himself with difficulty. I walked to within thirty yards of him 
when he wearily took wing only to alight in a similar way on an- 
other post a couple of hundred yards away. When flushed from 
this he managed to fly a few rods to the roosting grove. 

Two other Crows previous to this incident were found dead 
near the roost. Both were normal in size as shown by measure- 
ments,! and neither showed any signs of injury. One was very thin. 
The case of the other is worth recording in detail. It was on 


1In ‘The Birds of Essex County,’ p. 243, I recorded the examination of a Crow found 
dead early in March, 1904. ‘‘The body was greatly emaciated, the intestines nearly 
empty, and the stomach contained only a husk of oats and a piece of coal ashes. There 
was no evidence of disease. The bird weighed only ten ounces and was small in every 
way,— a case of the small and unfit perishing.”’ 


Ve al Townsend, A Winter Crow Roost. 413 


January first, 1917, that I discovered a Crow in the topmost branch 
of a slender fifty-foot ash tree on the edge of the roost. A string 
had in some way become entangled about one foot and the branch 
of the tree. Struggle as he would he could not free himself and 
although he could perch at ease on the branch, he often hung head 
~downwards from it exhausted by his fruitless efforts. While I 
watched him and searched my brain for some means for his release, 
another Crow repeatedly swooped down and passed within a few 
feet or even inches of the poor captive. Both birds were cawing 
violently. As it was impossible to climb the slender tree I decided 
to go on to the beach, hoping that in my absence fortune would 
favor the bird, and that the string might become untangled. On 
my return an hour later the victim was still tied fast while on the 
ground a few yards from the foot of the tree and directly in my 
path was the body of a Crow still warm. No other Crow was in 
the neighborhood. The dead Crow was a male of normal size as 
shown by measurements, its plumage was in good condition and 
it showed every evidence of perfect health. No injury could be 
found anywhere — there was no sign of hemorrhage under the skin 
in the abdominal cavity or in the skull. Fat was present in con- 
siderable amount, especially about the vicera. 

In order to finish the story it may be recorded here that by the 
forcible bending down of the top of the slender ash so that the 
captive Crow could be reached from another tree this unfortunate 
bird (of its sex I am ignorant) was released only to die on the follow- 
ing day. I shall not attempt to answer the question as to the 
cause of the death of the Crow whose autopsy I have related, but 
one is tempted to say that he died of grief for the captive one. 

During the greater part of the day the roost is deserted, but there 
is much to be learned of the ways of the Crow even under these 
conditions. Pellets and droppings are everywhere on the ground 
under the trees as well as in the surrounding fields and they are 
especially obvious when the ground is covered with snow. The fact 
that the snow in the fields near the roost is well trodden by the 
‘Crows and spotted with droppings and pellets might lead one to 
think that the birds had spent the night there, but these studies 
have shown that the field was merely a reception room where the 
birds met before retiring for the night. 


414 TownsEenp, A Winter Crow Roost. lose 


The pellets which are ejected from the mouths of the birds after 
a meal and are composed of the useless and indigestible portions of 
the meal, are cylindrical in shape, rounded at the ends and measure 
one to two inches in length and about half an inch or more in 
diameter. In warm or wet weather they speedily break up and 
mingle with the soil, but in cold weather they freeze and retain 
their form. A study of these pellets reveals the nature of the 
corvine dietary. In times of plenty, as in the early fall when 
berries are everywhere, the Crows are extravagant and wasteful 
in their feeding habits. Much nourishment is thrown out in these 
pellets before it has had time to be digested in the stomach. Like 
the ancient Romans they empty their stomachs that they may feast 
the more. Crows take no interest in food conservation; the pellets 
at these times show much wasted food. Not so in severe winters 
when famine is close at hand. Then every bit of the waxy coat 
of myrtle berries is digested off and there are no intact cranberries, 
as in the bounteous autumn, but only the remnants of skin and 
seeds. At these times also some ashes are to be found in their 
pellets, as if the birds were trying to quiet the stomach craving by 
bulk, and hunger had made them bdld in visiting the refuse piles 
near houses. 

I collected at various times, from November to February, several 
hundred of these pellets, amounting in bulk to 662 cubic centimeters 
of material after the pellets were broken up into their composite 
parts. This I sent on to the Biological Survey at Washington and 
received from Mr. Nelson, Chief of the Survey, the following report: 

“The examination of crow roost material sent in by you has 
been completed by Mr. Kalmbach. It proved to be a most interest- 
ing lot of pellets containing many more specifically different items 
than are to be found in similar material from roosts in this vicinity. 
I am appending herewith the result of this examination. The 
numbers connected with the more abundant seeds are approximate, 
as they were secured by carefully counting the seeds in a portion 
of the material and then multiplying to get the total. 


Insects. 


1 Spheroderus lecontei (Ground beetle) 
Trace of another carabid 
Traces of two other unknown beetles 
3 Hypera punctata (clover-leaf weevil) 


aie | Townsenp, A Winter Crow Roost. 415 


1 Sphenophorus sp. (bill-bug) 

1 Rhodobenus tridecimpunctatus (bill-bug) 
1 Sitona hispidula (clover-root curculio) 
17 acridids (shorthorned grasshoppers) 

2 Gryllus (crickets) 

1 hymenopteron 

Trace of a fly 
2 jaws of caterpillar 
3 small Tineid cocoons 


Other invertebrates. 


Spider fragments and cocoon 
Jaws of 3 Nereis sp. (marine worm) 
100 Melampus sp. 
A few fragments and about 750 operculi of Littorina sp.? 
Mytilus sp. 
Other mollusk fragments 
’ Parts of a crab 


Vertebrates. 


Bones of fish 
Bones and scales of snake 
Shell of hen’s egg 
4 Microtus pennsylvanicus (Meadow mouse) 
1 Condylura cristata (Star-nosed mole) 
2 Blarina brevicauda (Short-tailed shrew) 
Several larger bone fragments (carrion) 


Plants. 


10,000 seeds of Myrica carolinensis (Bayberry) 
“ 


200 “ Rhus radicans and R. vernix (Poison Ivy and Poison 
Sumac) 
MOORS “ typhina and glabra (Staghorn and Smooth Sumac) 
SOn a. “ Berberis sp. (Barberry) 
Sue). “ Oxycoccus sp. (Cranberry) 
a0) “ Juniperus sp. (Red Cedar and Low Juniper) 
50 “ Smilax sp. (Cat-brier) 
100 “ Ilex verticillata (Winter berry) 


Dia “ Vitis sp. (Grape) 
PANES “ Solanum sp. (Night shade) 
A few kernels of oats and hulls 
A few kernels of wheat and hulls 
A few kernels of barley and hulls 
A few kernels of corn (fragmentary) and hulls 
Trace of buckwheat 
Fragments of seeds of pumpkin or squash 


416 Cuark, Pterylosis of the Wild Pigeon. (aca 


Seed and skin of apple 
Pulp of pear (?) 
Acorn 
Meat of an unknown nut 
A piece of rotten wood 
A piece of cork 
Miscellaneous. 


Arubber band 
Gravel 


THE PTERYLOSIS OF THE WILD PIGEON. 


HUBERT LYMAN CLARK. 


REcENTLY, Dr. Jonathan Dwight called my attention to the de- 
sirability of placing on record an account of the pterylosis of the 
Wild Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), since material suitable for the 
purpose is accessible to me. For the use of this material, I take 
pleasure in acknowledging my debt to Mr. Henshaw and Mr. 
Bangs, of the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy. 

The Museum is so fortunate as to have the skin of a very young 
nestling (M. C. Z. no. 73216) from Wisconsin, which although 
covered with its nearly uniform coat of neossoptiles yet shows 
fairly well the main tracts of the pterylosis. This nestling meas- 
ures about 90 mm. in length, with the bill about 15 mm. more. 
The skin is light brown, the neossoptiles are rather bright tawny 
yellow and the feather-buds of the coming contour feathers are 
nearly black. The wings and little stump of a tail are too badly 
dried up to make any study of the quills profitable, but perhaps. 
the most striking feature of the pterylosis is the marked develop- 
ment of the “pelvic wing” so well described and figured by Beebe 
in the White-winged Dove (1915, Zoologica, vol. II, no. 2). In the 
young Ectopistes this consists of nineteen quills as against eighteen 
in Melopelia, but owing to the position of the tibia and the dryness. 
of the skin, it is not possible to determine satisfactorily whether 
the arrangement of these quills is in reality as different from that 


| Cuark, Pterylosis of the Wild Pigeon. 417 


shown in Melopelia as it seems to be. Apparently twelve of the 
quills are on the tibia, crossing its entire width; six and possibly 
seven of these are main quills and six or perhaps only five are 
coverts; the outermost are smallest. The other seven feathers 
are four main quills and three coverts and they he along the 
posterior margin of the femur. The two groups of feathers are 
divided by a break similar to that which separates primaries and 
secondaries in the wing, but this may be an artificial condition due 
to the way in which the skin was prepared and dried. It is notable 
that all the quills of the “pelvic wing” are much more advanced 
in development than are any of the quills of the wings or tail. 
When the main pterylosis of this young Ectopistes is compared 
with Nitzsch’s figure of the condition in Columba livia, we find 
some striking differences. Dorsally, the upper cervical tract with 
its limiting apterium on each side and its conspicuous fork between 
the shoulders is fairly well marked but the branches of the fork are 
narrower, and the fork itself is deeper. The humeral tracts are 
evident but narrower than in Columba. The dorsal tract however, 
instead of having an insignificant apterium, a mere line at its 
center, is made up of two parts, separated from the cervical fork 
by a space of 5 or 6 mm. and from each other by a dorsal ap- 
terium 3 or 4 mm. wide; the two halves of the tract run nearly 
parallel to a point about 12 mm. anterior to the oil-gland when they 
curve inward slightly and unite in a short terminal part about 5 mm. 
wide, ending at the oil-gland. Each half of the dorsal tract is about 
four feathers, or 3 mm. wide near its middle, but is much narrower 
anteriorly. There is no trace of a femoral tract save the inner half 
of the “pelvic wing.” The lower cervical, sternal and ventral 
tracts in the young Ectopistes are continuous as in Columba but 
are much narrower. The most striking feature however, is the 
complete separation of the two sides. In Columba, the lower 
cervical is a single tract only slightly forked where it joins the 
sternals, but in Ectopistes (juv.), the fork is so deep, reaching clear 
to the chin, that the lower cervical tract apparently consists of two 
entirely separated longitudinal tracts. It is possible that this 
separation has been accentuated by the way in which the throat 
has been stuffed in this particular specimen, but I think there is no 
doubt that in the living bird at this stage, the two parts were 


418 Cuark, Pterylosis of the Wild Pigeon. kes 


separate. At the posterior margin of the sternum, there is a 
distinct notch on the znner side of each ventral tract, which seems 
to indicate the end of the sternal tract, widest just above the notch. 
It is not certain that this notch is not an artefact but I believe it 
would be at least indicated in the living bird. The ventral tracts 
end at the anus but scarcely surround it. There is no connection 
between the lower cervical or sternal tracts and the anterior end 
of the humerals. 

The pterylosis of the adult Wild Pigeon has been determined by _ 
the study of two excellent alcoholic specimens. Certain features 
not clearly shown by one are easily distinguished on the other. 
The striking feature of the pterylosis is the extent to which the 
tracts cover the bird; the increase in their width during growth 
from nestling to adult is really extraordinary. Looking at the 
dorsal surface of the plucked bird the first impression is that there 
are no apteria but a closer inspection reveals a few small areas free 
from contour feathers and brings out the fact that the contour 
feathers are thickly placed on the main tracts and more sparsely 
distributed on the intervening spaces. The whole upper surface 
and sides of head and neck are quite uniformly feathered, some- 
what sparsely on the occiput but quite densely on the neck. The 
fork of the upper cervical tract can be distinguished by its thicker 
feathering but there is no apterium between its halves or between 
it and the dorsal tract. There are no apteria either between the 
dorsal tract and the humerals but the intervening skin is uni- 
formly, though not thickly, covered by contour feathers. The 
humeral tracts are wide and thickly feathered; just outside them 
there is, on each wing, an apterium about 25 mm. long by 8 mm. 
wide, running nearly parallel with the humerus. The mid-dorsal 
apterium is about 60 mm. long, 4 mm. wide at middle and tapering 
to each end. It is therefore relatively larger than in Nitzsch’s 
figure of Columba, but it is greatly reduced (relatively of course) 
from the condition shown in the young Ectopistes. At the upper 
end of each femur there is a small apterium about 10 mm. in vertical 
length by 7 mm. in width. At the side of the pygidium, at the 
base of the outer rectrices is a still smaller space not quite 6 mm. 
square. All the rest of the dorsal surface is covered by the contour 
feathers of the dorsal and femoral tracts. The outer posterior 


vale | Cuark, Plerylosis of the Wild Pigeon. 419 
series of the femoral tract are composed of relatively large closely 
placed feathers and there are two or three widely separated series 
of three or four feathers each on the tibia, but one would never 
suspect the existence at any time of a “ pelvic’”’ wing so conspicuous 
in the young bird. The oil-gland itself is well developed, has the 
surface free from feathers, and lacks entirely a terminal tuft of 
small feathers. 

Ventrally the apteria are more marked than on the upper side, 
yet the covering of contour feathers is very extensive. The two 
halves of the lower cervical tract are still separated by an apterium 
4 mm. wide, as in the young bird, but contour feathers are now 
present on the chin and upper throat, so that they are united at 
their upper ends. The pterylosis of the neck in Ectopistes is thus 
very different from that shown for Columba, in Nitzsch’s figure, 
for there are no lateral cervical apteria in Ectopistes and there is 
no lower cervical apterium in Columba. The sternal tracts in the 
Wild Pigeon cover the sides of the breast clear to the wings, con- 
necting with the humeral tract above and extending far out on the 
humerus below; there is a small apterium on the side of the breast 
just beneath the head of the humerus. Posteriorly the sternal 
tracts run into the femorals on the side and extend upward to 
merge into the dorsal tract. There is a little triangular apterium, 
with sides about 8 mm. long, just anterior to the middle of the 
femoral tract, but excepting this space and the one at the upper 
end of the femur, the sides of the bird are entirely clothed in. 
contour feathers. The sternals pass without a break or even a 
notch into the broad but short ventral tracts. These do not reach 
the anus nor do they meet each other clearly in the midventral line. 
Posterior to them is a rather large and distinct area, lacking contour 
feathers, but the lower side of the pygidium is well feathered. The 
ventral apterium is only 5 or 6 mm. wide over the crop, but be- 
comes 20 mm. wide at the middle of the sternum and is 10 mm. wide 
on the belly. 

The wing shows four well-developed feathers in the alula, ten 
long primaries and fourteen visible secondaries, but the “fifth” 
secondary is conspicuous by its absence! The relative length of 
the primaries is 9, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. There are twelve 
rectrices, their relative lengths being 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 1. e. the middle 


aoe 


420 Cuark, Pterylosis of the Wild Pigeon. Gan 


pair longest, the outer shortest. Rectrix 1 is inserted almost 
directly above 2 but the others lie in the same plane. There are 
six major upper coverts on each side, but 6 is quite small and lies 
close beside 5 above rectrix 5, while covert 1 though large is pushed 
outward by the position of rectrix 1 and so lies nearly over rectrix 2. 
There are six major lower coverts but they lie beneath rectrices 
2-5; covert 1 is largest and covert 6 is smallest. 

The feathering of the lower part of the legs is sparse but con- 
tinues down on the front of the tarsus 10-12 mm. Posteriorly 
the feathers do not extend over the joint. 

If the above account of the pterylosis of the Wild Pigeon be 
compared with the account and figures of the pterylosis of the 
Columbide given by Nitzsch, it is evident that Ectopistes has a 
distinctive arrangement of its feather tracts, of which the most 
striking character is their tendency to merge with each other. 
Comparison of the pterylosis of the adult and young Wild Pigeon 
reveals the highly interesting and important fact that the nearly 
uniform feather coat of the adult is not a primitive but a secondary 
condition, just as is known to be the case with the nearly uniform 
feathering of the ostrich. Perhaps the usual opinion that a uni- 
form coat of feathers was the original condition from which spe- 
cialized pterylee have been derived, may prove to be a mistake. 


we | Hawsgins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 421 


SEXUAL SELECTION AND BIRD SONG. 
BY CHAUNCEY J. HAWKINS. 


TuE place of song in the life of the bird has since the days of 
Darwin been a question of dispute between the scientists. Darwin 
was the first to deal with bird song in a satisfactory philosophical 
manner. He formulated the theory of sexual selection which 
down to the present day is still held by many ornithologists to be 
the most satisfactory explanation of the use of song as well as the 
best explanation of its evolution. He maintained that the males 
possessing the best song would naturally be the choice of the 
females; and that the song characteristics which had made a male 
the choice of his mate would naturally be handed on to his off- 
spring, in other words, would become secondary sexual characters. 
This Darwin called sexual selection in distinction to natural selec- 
tion whose operation had a wider scope. 

To do Darwin justice we should state the theory in his own 
language; Sexual selection “depends on the advantage which cer- 
tain individuals have over others of the same sex and species solely 
in respect of reproduction.”....In cases where “the males have 
acquired their present structure, not from having transmitted this 
advantage to their male offspring alone, sexual selection must 
have come into action.”....“ A slight degree of variability, leading 
to some advantage, however slight, in reiterated deadly contests, 
would suffice for the work of sexual selection.”....So too, on the 
other hand, the females “have, by a long selection of the more 
attractive males, added to their beauty or other attractive quali- 
ties.”....“If any man can in a short time give elegant carriage 
and beauty to his bantams, according to his standard of beauty, 
I can see no reason to doubt that female birds, by selecting during 
thousands of generations the most melodious or beautiful males, 
according to their standard of beauty, might produce a marked 
effect.” “It has been shown that the largest number of vigorous 
offspring will be reared from the pairing of the strongest and best 
armed males, victorious in contests over other males, with the 


422 Hawsins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. ees 


most vigorous and best nourished females, which are the first to 
breed in the spring. If such females select the more attractive, 
and at the same time vigorous males, they will rear a larger number 
of offspring than the retarded females which must pair with the 
less vigorous and less attractive males. So it will be if the more 
vigorous males select the more attractive, and at the same time 
healthy and vigorous females; and this will especially hold good 
if the male defends the female and aids in providing food for the 
young. The advantage thus gained by the more vigorous pair 
in rearing a larger number of offspring, has apparently sufficed to 
render sexual selection efficient.” 

Wallace was the first critic of the sexual selection theory. He 
admits that the display of gorgeous colors, the antics and songs 
of the male bird before the female, as fully demonstrated by Darwin 
but he says, “it by no means follows that slight difference in the 
‘ shape, pattern, or colors of the ornamental plumes are what lead 
a female to give the preference to one male over another; still less 
that all the females of a species, or the great majority of them, 
over a wide area of country or for many successive generations 
prefer exactly the same modifications of colors or ornament.” 
Thus he rules out the idea that the female makes a conscious 
choice of the male most highly colored or who is the best singer. 
But this does not destroy the idea that there may be an uncon- 
scious choice. Indeed, Wallace seems to admit this possibility 
when he says, “As all the evidence goes to show that, so far as 
female birds exercise any choice, it is of the most ‘ vigorous, defiant, 
and mettlesome’ males, this form of sexual selection will act in the 
same direction (as natural selection), and help to carry on the 
process of plume development to its culmination.” If this choice 
exercised by the female is unconscious rather than conscious, 
Darwin’s theory is not vitally affected. All he is anxious to 
demonstrate is that the most vigorous bird succeeds in winning 
the most desirable mate, however the choice may be made, and if 
he succeeds in this the bird may pass to his offspring his own char- 
acters which in succeeding generations will become permanent. 

But Wallace goes deeper in his criticism than the mere matter 
of choice. He attributes the origin of song to natural selection 
rather than to sexual selection. Darwin begins with sober colors 


vol | Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 423 


and attributes the gay colors of the males to selection on the part 
of the female. Wallace starts with the gorgeous colors and de- 
clares that the gray colors of the females are due to natural selection. 
Bright plumage would render the mother bird sitting on her nest 
conspicuous and make her the easy prey to hawks and other 
natural enemies. Hence all the highly colored females, through 
generations have been destroyed, only the more sober colored birds 
remaining. “The original brightness has been forfeited by the 
sex as a ransom for life. Female birds in open nests are similarly 
colored like their surroundings; while in those birds where the 
nests are domed or covered, the plumage is gay in both sexes.” 

The same principle of natural selection may be attributed to the 
call of birds. “These are evidently a valuable addition to the 
means of recognition of the two sexes, and are a further indication 
that the pairing season has arrived; and the production, intensifica- 
tion, and differentiation of these sounds and odours are clearly 
within the power of natural selection. The same remark will apply 
to the peculiar calls of birds, and even to the singing of the males. 
These may well have originated merely as a means of recognition 
between the two sexes of a species and as an invitation from the 
male to the female bird. When the individuals of a species are 
widely scattered, such a call must be of great importance in enabling 
pairing to take place as easily as possible and thus the clearness, 
loudness, and individuality of the song becomes a useful character, 
and therefore the subject of natural selection.” 

The increase and development of beautiful plumage is caused by 
the superabundant energy of the male bird. “During excitement 
and when the organism develops superabundant energy, many 
animals find it pleasurable to exercise their various muscles, often 
in fantastic ways, as seen in the gambols of kittens, lambs, and 
other young animals. But at the time of pairing male birds are 
in a state of the most perfect development, and possess an enormous 
store of vitality, and under the excitement of the sexual passion they 
perform strange antics or rapid flights, as much probably from the 
internal impulse to motion and exertion as with any desire to please 
their mates.’”’ So, also, “the act of singing is evidently a pleasurable 
one, and it probably serves as an outlet for superabundant nervous 
energy and excitement, just as dancing, singing, and field sports 


lau 


424 Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. Oct. 


do with us.” If superabundant vigor can account for the songs 
and ornaments of birds “then no other mode of selection is needed 
to account for the presence of such ornament.” 

Brooks attacks the theory of Wallace that the duller colors of 
the female are acquired by natural selection. Thus there is found 
a difference in the colors of lizards where the female does not 
incubate and does not require the duller colors for the purpose of 
protection. In domestic fowl where danger from natural enemies 
is almost nothing the same difference in the color between the male 
and female continues. Thus the explanation is more fundamental 
than the one proposed by either Darwin or Wallace. Brooks bases 
his explanation upon a theory of heredity which supposes that the 
body gives off gemmules and that “the male reproductive cell has 
gradually acquired, as its special and distinctive function, a peculiar 
power to gather and store up these gemmules.”’ The male cell, 
therefore, has acquired the power to transmit variation while the 
female cell keeps up the constancy of the species. “We thus look 
to the cells of the male body for the origin of most of the variations 
through which the species has attained its present organization.” 
Darwin said that the plumage and song of the male bird were trans- 
mitted by the selection on the part of the female of the gayest bird 
and the best singer. Brooks goes deeper and finds the cause for 
these secondary sexual characteristics in the power of the male cell 
to transmit the variations. He does not deny that the female may 
choose the best singer but affirms that the male must lead in varia- 
tions from his very nature. 

Geddes and Thompson carry forward still further the criticism 
of Wallace and Brooks. Wallace accounts, on the theory of 
natural selection, for the dull colors of the female and for the more 
brilliant colors and song of the male. Darwin on the other hand 
rivets his attention upon the gorgeous colors, the plumes, combs 
and wattles of the male, accounting for them by the theory of 
sexual selection but fails to tell us why the same process does not 
brighten up the coat of the female. The mere statement of the 
position must make it clear that there is some deeper cause than 
that discovered by either Darwin or Wallace, some internal factor 
much more powerful in its operation than any external cause. 
Geddes and Thompson finds this in the essential difference be- 


Vol. XXX] Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 425 


tween the sexes. “The females incline to passivity, the males to 
activity. The female cochineal insect “spends much of its life 
like a mere quiescent gall on the cactus plant. The male, on the 
other hand, in his adult stage is agile, restless, and shortlived.” 
So with the other insects and other animals. The male is more 
active while the female is passive. 

“For completeness of argument, two other facts may here be 
simply mentioned. (a) At the very threshold of sex-difference, we 
find that a little active cell or spore, unable to develop itself, unites 
in fatigue with a larger more quiescent individual. Here, at the 
very first is the contrast between male and female. (b) The same 
antithesis is seen, when we contrast the actively motile, minute, 
male element of most animals and many plants, with the larger 
passively quiescent female-cell or ovum. 

“To the above contrast of general habit, two other items may 
be added, on which accurate observation is still unfortunately very 
restricted. In some cases the body temperature, which is an index 
to the pitch of life, is distinctly lower in the females, and has been 
noted in cases so widely separate as the human species, insects, and 
plants. In many cases, furthermore, the longevity of the female 
is much greater. Such a fact as that women pay lower insurance 
premiums than do men, is often popularly accounted for by their 
greater immunity from accident, but the greater normal longevity 
on which the actuary calculates, has, as we begin to see, a far 
deeper and constitutional explanation. 

“The agility of males is not merely an adaptation to enable that 
sex to exercise its functions with relation to the other, but is a 
natural characteristic of the constitutional activity of maleness; 
and the small size of many male fishes is not an advantage at all, 
but simply again the result of the contrast between the more 
vegetative growth of the female and the costly activity of the male 
So brillianey of colour, exhuberance of hair and feathers, activity 
of scent glands, and even the development of weapons, cannot be 
satisfactorily explained by sexual selection alone, for this is merely 
a secondary factor. In origin and continued development they are 
outcrops of a male as opposed to a female constitution. To sum 
up the position in a paradox, all secondary sexual characters are 
at bottom primary, and are expressions of the same general habit 


426 Hawkrns, Serual Selection and Bird Song. eee 


of body (or to use the medical term, diathesis), as that which results 
in the production of male elements in the one case, or female ele- 
ments in the other.” 

This essential difference between the two sexes which expresses 
itself in differences of plumage and song is further emphasized by 
the facts, first, that many of the secondary sexual characters 
appear only at sexual maturity. Thus some of the male birds are 
dull colored when young like the female and acquire the brighter 
colors only on full development. Again when the sex organs are 
removed by castration the male ornaments or weapons of battle 
disappear. In cattle castration reduces the size of the horns and 
after castration of the stag he never renews his antlers. 

In the case of young cocks the effects of castration are very 
variable, sometimes increasing, sometimes decreasing the secondary 
sex characters. One result is clear, however, that the whole body 
is affected; the larynx is intermediate in size between that of cock 
and hen, the syrinx is weakly developed and the capons seldom 
crow or do so abnormally, the brain and heart are lighter in weight, 
fat accumulates in the subcutaneous and subserous connective 
tissues, and the skeleton shows many abnormalities. 

The conclusion seems inevitable that neither Darwin nor Wallace 
reached the root of this matter. ‘The males are stronger, hand- 
somer, or more emotional, simply because they are males, 1. e. of 
more active physiological habit than their mates.” This view 
does not wholly eliminate either natural or sexual selection. These 
may be limiting, and, in a sense, directive factors, but it is funda- 
mentally the nature of sex which determines the gay color or the 
vigorous song. 

To complete our review of this controversy which has been 
waged between ornithologists, we must record some of the more 
recent discussions of the Darwinian theory of sexual selection. 
Hudson says; “The result of such independent investigation will 
be a conviction that conscious sexual selection on the part of the 
female is not the cause of music and dancing performances in birds, 
nor of the brighter colors and ornaments that distinguish the male. 
It is true that the females of some species, both in the vertebrate 
and insect kingdoms, do exercise a preference; but in a vast 
majority of species the male takes the female he finds, or that he is 


Vol XY] = -Hawxins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 427 
able to win from other competitors; and if we go to the reptile class 
we find that in the ophidian order, which excels in variety and 
richness of colour, there is no such thing as preferential mating; 
and if we go to the insect class, we find that in butterflies, which 
surpass all other creatures in their glorious beauty, the female gives 
herself up to the embrace of the first male that appears, or else is 
captured by the strongest male, just as she might be by a mantis 
or some other rapacious insect.” He accounts for the singing of 
birds by the abounding energy of birds. ‘“‘ We see that the inferior 
animals, when the conditions of life are favorable, are subject to 
periodical fits of gladness, affecting them powerfully and standing 
out in vivid contrast to their ordinary temper. And we know what 
this feeling is — this periodic intense elation which even civilized 
man occasionally experiences when in perfect health, more espe- 
cially when young. There are moments when he is mad with joy, 
when he cannot keep still, when his impulse is to sing and shout 
aloud and laugh at nothing, to run and leap and exert himself in 
some extravagant way. Among the heavier mammalians the 
feeling is manifested in loud noises, bellowings and screamings, and 
in lumbering, uncouth motions — throwing up heels, pretended 
panics, and ponderous mock battles.” 

This is simply a repetition of Herbert Spencer’s surplus energy 
theory which was based on the earlier theory of Schiller who in his 
letters ‘On the Aisthetic Education of Mankind’ wrote: “Nature 
has indeed granted, even to the creature devoid of reason more 
than the mere necessities of existence, and into the darkness of 
animal life has allowed a gleam of freedom to penetrate here and 
there. When hunger no longer torments the lion, and no beast of 
prey appears for him to fight, then his unemployed power finds 
another outlet. He fills the wilderness with his wild roars and 
his exuberant strength spends itself in aimless activity. In the 
mere joy of existence, insects swarm in the sunshine, and it is 
certainly not always the cry of want that we hear in the melodious 
rhythm of bird songs. There is evidently freedom in these mani- 
festations, but not freedom from all necessity. The animal works 
when some want is the motive of his activity, and plays when a 
superabundance of energy forms his motive when overflowing life 
itself urges him to action.” ‘ 


(ace 


428 Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. Oct. 


It is too superficial a theory to satisfy the modern mind. We are 
compelled to ask the question, why does the male bird have more 
surplus energy than the female? This question throws us back to a 
consideration of the fundamental difference between the male and 
the female. There is only one answer to that question. The male 
sings more vigorously because he is a male, in other words because 
there is some fundamental difference between the sexes. 

Karl Groos has contributed one very serious modification of the 
Darwinian theory which has not been given sufficient consideration 
by ornithologists, namely, that the song and antics of the male 
bird are not for the purpose of compelling her choice by the female 
but to overcome and break down her instinctive coyness. Nature 
has given the female coyness as a dam to nature’s impulses to 
prevent the “too early and too frequent yielding to the sexual 
impulse.” A high degree of excitement is necessary to break this 
down and hence the necessity for all the vigorous songs and antics 
of the male. 

I am confident that this theory is destined to find wider accept- 
ance in the future than it has in the past, indeed, that a large part 
of the song of birds before the nesting season is for the purpose of 
breaking down the reluctance of the female rather than compelling 
her choice of a particular male. At Bakersfield, California, I spent 
an hour watching a male Flicker sitting on a small limb a foot or 
more above his mate while both birds went through motions that 


were interesting and at times almost ludicrous. The proud male_ 
would extend his head in a line with his body, then turn both body 


and neck first to one side and then the other, like a weather vane 
hung on a central shaft, at the same time jerking his head back and 
forth in a sort of kick-up motion, and pouring out all the time a 
quick succession of notes which might be represented by the words 
pick-up, pick-up, pick-up, closing the whole performance by a 
right-about-face, when he would rest a minute and repeat the 
process. His less gaily colored mate was not so vigorous in her 
antics as her proud-lord nor did she indulge in them so frequently 
but it was evident that he was making his impression and she could 
not refrain from expressing her feelings. I was certain that these 
birds had mated their lives “for better, for worse.’ Hence the 
love song could not have been for the purpose of mating but to 


= 


Vol. XXXV] - Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 429 


furnish the necessary excitation to make productive the season 
that was at hand for the reproduction of their race. There is no 
other explanation that can be given for birds already mated, 
unless it be that of the overflow of superabundant energy and this 
is too superficial an explanation for the deep laid plans of mother 
nature. Were this the only cause for the songs and antics of birds 
the mere overflow of nature might never terminate in anything or 
it might lead to unregulated abuse. But nature protects and 
regulates her ways by safety valves, of which the reluctance of the 
female is one, and this must be overcome before the reproductive 
process can become effective. 

This view seems to be strengthened by the fact that the display 
of song and antics is used by polygamous birds and animals as 
well as by those which mate for the season or for life. The rooster 
with his harem about the barnyard is just as vigorous in his per- 
formances as the bird which is devoted to his single mate. The 
doe in her breeding time calls to the buck who rushes to her side, 
then she, “half in coyness, half in mischief, takes to flight at his 
eager approach, makes towards an open space, and runs in a 
circle. The buck naturally follows, and the chase grows hot and 
exciting as a race of horses on a track. To the frequent high calls 
of the fleeing doe are added the deep, short cries of the panting 
buck; but suddenly the roguish doe disappears like a nymph into 
the thicket near at hand, and the baffled buck stands with head 
erect and ears thrown forward; then we see his head lowered as he 
catches the scent, and he too vanishes in the wood.” But this 
deer is a polygamist and his antics cannot be for the purpose of 
mating. 

Watch the finch as he dances about his mate, fairly losing him- 
self in a frenzy of ecstasy, flashing his wings in a wild delight and 
prancing about and chattering, the antics of the noisy street 
sparrow, the prancing and cooing of the pigeons, and there is only 
one evident conclusion. It is not for the purpose of mating but 
the more immediate purpose of hastening the female to fulfill her 
natural function. There are times when two or more males are 
involved in these antics, in which case there must be at least an 
unconscious choice on the part of the female, or a battle royal 
which will drive the competing males away, but in the vast majority 


430 Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. oun 


of cases there is only one ardent male bird in the presence of the 
female and he is often the bird with which she has already mated. 

A weakness of the sexual selection theory that has not been 
given sufficient consideration is that the song of birds has been 
treated too exclusively in connection with the mating season. 
Men have riveted their attention on those rapturous bursts of song 
which precede and continue through the mating time, and have 
given too little attention to the fact that few birds are ever wholly 
voiceless, that most birds speak the sign or voice language, at least 
to some extent, ail through the year. 

Most of our best singers have two distinct song periods. One 
begins with the arrival of the advance guards of the migrating 
hosts and continues until the broods of young birds are hatched. 
When the young birds have left the nest and are able to care for 
themselves there is a cessation of the full, joyous songs, September 
being generally the silent month. Then many of the birds begin 
to sing the last of September or the first of October and continue 
until November. Bicknell has determined definitely the limits 
of these song periods for many of our birds. The House Wren 
begins to sing its love song in April and continues to the last of 
July or the first of August. After a period of comparative silence 
it begins its autumn song which has none of the spontaneity of the 
spring song but consists of a “low rambling warble”? which con- 
tinues to the middle of October. The Black and White Creeping 
Warbler sings from April to the late June. Its second period begins 
from the ninth to the twenty-second of August and lasts only a few 
days. The first period of the Oven-bird stops by the end of June. 
The second period begins in August, at first haltingly, as though 
it had forgotten how to sing, but finally bursts into full song by 
October. The Wood Thrush sings from its arrival in late April or 
early May until the middle of August. It is not heard again until 
October and then only the call notes, never the full song. 

Bicknell attributes this period of silence to the moult of the bird. 
In many cases the moulting periods of our song-birds correspond 
more or less closely with periods of silence, voice being renewed 
with the renewal of plumage. The general statement may there- 
fore be made, that birds are predisposed towards silence during the 
height of the moult. Though this fact may by many be regarded 


reall Hawgins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 431 
as one not requiring demonstration, it is by no means without 
exceptions. In the earlier and later stages of the moult the vigor 
of the birds in general seems little impaired. Not only do many 
species enter on their migrations while yet the moult is in prog- 
ress or before the complete maturity of their renewal plumage 
but birds may be found sitting upon their eggs with evident indi- 
cations of activity on the growth of feathers. Still we must regard 
it as a general fact that singing and moulting are in some degree 
complementary. 

Some birds have no second song period. The Catbird sings from 
April through July but it is not heard in the autumn. The Brown 
Thrasher sings from April to the first week in July but is silent in 
October. After August the Scarlet Tanager is not heard again 
in full song. Where this second period is lacking it is probably 
due to the excessive fatness of the bird. Thus the Scarlet Tanager 
undergoes its moult in August. The growth of the new feathers 
continues until October when the bird becomes very fat. The 
Wood Thrush moults in August but is not fat. By the last of 
September its plumage is nearly perfect and the bird is fat. Hence 
the song seems to be interrupted first by the moult and then by the 
adipose condition. 

There are some cases where the birds’ best song is outside of the 
mating season. It is a significant fact that the male birds arrive 
first in the migration and soon after their arrival begin their full 
song though there are no females to hear. It may be said this is 
for the purpose of attracting the females on their arrival or that 
the male is practising his art but this seems too superficial an 
explanation. There must be something within the bird himself 
which causes him to sing though there is no ear to listen. Hudson 
calls attention to a small yellow field finch of La Plata which does 
its best singing in August. There birds gather in great flocks in 
the tops of trees and sing in concert, producing a “ great volume of 
sound, as of a high wind when heard at a distance.’’ Later this 
choir breaks up, love infects the individuals, and they scatter over 
fields and pasture lands. But during courtship the male has only 
a feeble, sketchy song. 

There are birds which sing more or less the entire year. Hudson 
found several birds in Patagonia with good voices, one a mocking- 


432 Hawsrns, Serual Selection and Bird Song. (any 


bird, which were autumn and winter songsters. Olive Thorne 
Miller tells of a Gray-checked Thrush in captivity which sang all 
winter. “All through the long winter this charming thrush, with 
his two neighbors delighted the house with his peculiar and match- 
less music, and endeared himself by his gentle and lovely disposi- 
tion. No harsh sound was ever heard from him, there was no 
intrusion upon the rights of others, and no vulgar quarrels dis- 
turbed his serene soul.” (In Nesting Time, pp. 168-169.) The 
voice of the Crow is as vigorous in January as in June and while I 
write these lines, in February, a Blue Jay is screaming from a tree 
in a neighbor’s yard as though April had come. The Chickadee 
sends out his cheery song the coldest day in winter with almost as 
much vim as he does in the nesting time. The metallic notes of 
the Flicker ring over the hill sides through the coldest months with 
a vigor becoming the hardy bird. Indeed, the man who goes forth 
into the New England hills in winter, especially if the sun happens 
to be shining brightly, must be impressed by the number of bird 
notes he will hear during the day. I went forth one day in Janu- 
ary when the earth was encased in ice, over which was a thin layer 
of fluffy snow. A strong wind was blowing, whipping the bare 
branches of the trees. The thermometer was low and the air 
stinging, surely as unfavorable a day as one could find for birds. 
What was my delight to find a large flock of Robins and another 
of Goldfinches. The latter were as active and cheerful as though 
it had been a day in May. Defying the wind, they were in the 
tree tops, swinging on the tips of the branches, sometimes hanging 
up side down, hunting eagerly for food. And from the tops of the 
trees their sweet, unobtrusive notes dropped down like bubbles of 
melody floating leisurely through the air. They were such a 
friendly company, no one showing jealousy because another had 
been more fortunate in finding food. Their concert of song was 
a free expression of their genial disposition, some birds uttering 
only single notes while others rolled out three or four syllables. I 
never heard a more hearty Goldfinch chorus in the spring than they 
uttered on this cold January day, except it was not quite so loud 
as in April. The Robins showed more effect of the cold weather, 
sitting on a branch with their feathers fluffed out, as though to 
increase the size of their feather coat, but with all their discomfort 


ee | Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 433 


they too indulged in song. Most of them gave the single Robin 
note but occasionally a more ambitious bird would roll out a 
longer phrase, one bird answering another that called from a 
distant tree. Then the entire flock would rise on wing, chirping 
as they flew, as though glad they were living and could not with- 
hold an expression of their joy. From the top of the pines the 
Crows cawed at each other, tipping their bodies as they called in a 
tilting motion, and protruding their necks and heads with each note. 

The fact that is too seldom taken into consideration is that while 
the bird usually sings his most vigorous song and indulges in his 
most frantic efforts around the nesting season, he does use his 
voice at other times during the year, that there are few birds that 
are entirely voiceless at any time. Sometimes he utters only a 
call note, again the note of alarm, caused by sudden flight, while 
again he sings apparently only for the pure joy of living. But 
throughout each month of the year either a sign or spoken language 
plays a part in the ceremony of his existence. His song is not 
merely a thing related to his sexual life. It has a relationship to 
his total existence. It is no more to be explained by the principle 
of sexual selection than is the existence of the human voice, even 
in its higher and finer modulation, by the same law. It is the 
means by which the bird expresses himself to the outer world. 
It is used according to the need of the hour or the season, the 
instrument by which the bird communicates his needs or feelings. 

It is significant in this connection that so little has been said 
concerning the voice of the female. The question may reasonably 
be raised whether her voice is not much more important in nature’s 
scheme than that of the male. He is a much more ardent, vigorous 
and accomplished singer. But after all that can be said about his 
song the fact remains that it is not so very important. It is a 
sort of grandstand performance. He is a sort of trobadour who 
comes forth to please those who hear but it contributes nothing we 
can see toward the protection or rearing of the young. But who 
that has listened to the sweet, low notes of the mother to her young 
or the alarm notes or clucks which cause her helpless brood to run 
to hiding, can doubt that the voice of this female is very important 
in the struggle for existence. If the purpose of selection is the 
improvement of the race why might not some genius show that 


434 Hawxrns, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. Auk 


the males select the mate with the best cluck or call for the pro- 
tection of her brood? It would certainly be a theory far more in 
harmony with nature’s plans. But, while no person would proba- 
bly have the courage to prove such a theory, it cannot be doubted 
that the female has a language and that it is far more important 
in the preservation of the race than the more modulated language 
of the male. 

All of these facts must be taken into consideration before we can 
adequately account for the song of birds. The sexual selection 
theory is based too exclusively upon one period in the bird’s life. 
The bird has more than one season of song and there is no month 
of the year when his voice does not play some part in his life. The 
female has a language as well as the male. It must be evident that 
any explanation which will be adequate to account for bird language 
must cover every season and must be found in the inner life of the 
bird rather than in outward circumstances or choices. 

Again there are certain types of sign language which are much 
more universal among birds than has generally been assumed. 
Much emphasis has been placed upon the displays and love dances 
of pheasants and birds of paradise which, it has been assumed, was 
the cause of the beautiful plumage of these birds. The female 
choosing the best performer or the most highly colored male has 
resulted through slight modification, generation after -generation, 
in these elaborate decorations. But we have, since Darwin, dis- 
covered that the love dance or display is in some measure used 
by many birds, often birds of dull color, like the English Sparrow, 
and they are still, in spite of the love dance, dressed in gay or 
sober plumage. Howard, in his remarkable ‘ History of the British 
Warblers,’ has shown “that these birds of sober hues perform 
during moments of sexual exaltation, antics which in every way 
reflect the display supposed to be peculiar to birds of brilliant 
plumage.” Savi’s Warbler, also, indulges in these antics even 
when feeding his young. Furthermore, these dances are not 
confined to the period of courtship. 

From whatever point of view we approach this subject the 
’ evidence is so strong that we are compelled to look for our explana- 
tion in the internal life of the bird rather than in any external, 
exciting cause. Most of the theories thus far set forth have in 


2 


Vol. i | 


1918 Hawsins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. 435 


them an element of truth. If the purpose of song is excitation of 
the female to break down her coyness, this very act may compel 
her to exercise an unconscious choice and thus sexual selection may 
exert a limiting and directive force in the life of the bird. Even 
Hudson’s theory that the bird sings out of the abundance of its 
very being, joy and life, is not to be ignored. But the question 
forces itself upon us, why does the bird sing and dance to overcome 
the female coyness and what gives the male more vitality than the 
female? The answers to these questions force us back into the 
inner life of the bird to seek our answer in the essential difference 
between the. sexes. 

So far as song, as well as other displays, in the mating season are 
concerned they are due to the ripening of the sexual glands from 
which, as Pycraft has shown, hormones “are set free, and, pervad- 
ing the body, stimulate the nervous system, and at the same time 
the secondary sexual characters — the antlers of the stag, the mam- 
mary glands of the female, the ‘breeding plumage’ of the bird. 
When they are obviously secondary sexual characters, as in the 
case of dull colored birds, the result is the same, a state of physical 
exaltation expressed in ‘display.’ Males or females wherein these 
‘hormones’ are but feebly developed, display and respond in- 
differently, and so cease to please the opposite sex. As Mr. 
Howard has pointed out, in the case of the Warblers, no amount 
of display on the part of the male will avail until the female has 
attained a like pitch of preparedness for the work of procreation. 
The courtship of the ruffs and reeves, already referred to, afford 
another illustration. Here it will be remembered the males for 
weeks spend laborious days in endeavoring to gain some responsive 
sign from their prospective but phlegmatic mates, yet without 
receiving the slightest sign of encouragement or recognition. As 
soon, however, as the female has become ‘sexually ripe,’ as soon 
as the hormones secreted by her generative glands have done their 
work, she herself indulges in a species of nuptial dance, waltzing 
round her lord, and setting down before him with her tail directed 
toward his head. Thus the sexual activity displayed by the male 
comes to mean simply that he is more ardent at this time than his 
mate. The advantage of this is obvious: for thereby the more 
vigorous males, by proclaiming their desire to pair, defeat their 


[gus 


436 Hawkins, Sexual Selection and Bird Song. Oct. 


less vigorous rivals, who might otherwise be chosen. The earlier 
they can take the field, the more persistent their advances, the 
greater their chance of ultimate success, and this because they 
slowly instil a preference which cannot be overcome by later and 
less virile comers.” 

This fact makes it clear why many of the sober tinted birds are 
as ardent in their love dances and displays as some of the more 
brilliantly colored birds like the peacock and the pheasant. It 
may also explain why some of the more beautifully colored birds 
sing as vigorously as the duller tinted species. Their nervous 
system is in a condition of intense stimulation through the action 
of secretions thrown off by the sex glands. But the important 
fact is that it completely modifies the theory of sexual selection, so 
modifying it that there is little of the significance attributed to it 
by Darwin and his followers remaining. The antics, display and 
songs of birds are germinal variations which have survived and are 
not the result of conscious or unconscious choice on the part of the 
female. This is “borne out by the fact that birds of the most 
sober hues affect displays of a character precisely similar in kind 
to those of birds in which this display appears to be made for the 
sole purpose of exhibiting to the best advantage some specially 
modified or beautiful colored feathers.” 

This view which seeks the cause of song in the internal life of 
the bird rather than in external causes, also gives a more satis- 
factory view of the total language of the bird, the call and alarm 
notes, the gentle notes of the mother bird over her young and the 
songs that are uttered outside of the mating season. The sexual 
selection theory has fallen down, in my judgment, from the fact 
that it has confined itself too exclusively with one short period in 
the language of the bird. It has failed almost exclusively to 
recognize that birds have a language which extends throughout the 
entire year, either sign or tone language, and that there must be 
something in the feathered creature which will account for this 
less vigorous expression of life and needs which occur outside of the 
mating season. It is here that the theory of germinal variations 
comes to our assistance. Voice having originated in the hisses 
and groans of the reptile, it was inevitable that there should be a 
difference both of tone and vigor between the male and female 


om | Wayne, South Carolina Bird Notes. 437 
birds, due to the essential difference of sex and any variations in 
voice which might arise would be preserved in the male germ which 
assures the variation in the species while the germ of the female 
guarantees the constancy of the species. 


| 


\ 


SOME ADDITIONS AND OTHER RECORDS NEW TO THE 
ORNITHOLOGY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 


BY ARTHUR T. WAYNE. 


StncE “My Birds of South Carolina’ was published in 1910, I 
wish to announce the addition of four species new to the fauna as 
well as the noteworthy capture of many birds, and the early breed- 
ing of Bachman’s Warbler. Information of this kind is gained 
slowly, and requires constant, if not daily, exploration of fields, 
forests, and water areas. 


Puffinus griseus. Sooty SHEARWATER.— A specimen of this species 
was picked up dead on the beach of Bull’s Island on, or about, the last of 
May, 1916, by Mr. Clarence Magwood. I examined the bird about a 
week after it was found. This date probably represents the time when 
the birds make their appearance in the spring on the South Carolina coast. 

Histrionicus histrionicus. Hariequin Duck.— During the in- 
tensely cold weather which began on December 30, 1917, and continued 
through the third week of January, 1918, I was constantly on the lookout 
for far northern birds. On January 14, I saw four of these ducks, and on 
the 16th, I saw two more near the place where the first were seen on 
January 14. These ducks were probably not more than 75 or 80 yards 
from me and the identification was established without a doubt despite 
the fact that I was unable to shoot one. All the examples were in the 
plumage of the female and must have been that sex or else young males of 
the first winter plumage. Near at hand were small flocks of Buffle-head 
(Charitonetta albeola), Old-squaw (Harelda hyemalis), and Ruddy Ducks 
(Erismatura jamaicensis), and the Harlequin’s were easily identified. This 
is an addition to the avifauna of South Carolina. 

Chen hyperboreus hyperboreus. Snow Goosr.— On October 16, 
1916, Mr. Lucian L. Porcher shot on Porcher’s plantation, Christ Church 


[oct 


438 Wayne, South Carolina Bird Notes. 
Parish, a beautiful young female of this species and gave it to me, which is 
now in my collection. This specimen is very small and scarcely larger 
than Ross’s Snow Goose (Chen rossi). The form of the Snow Goose that 
was known to occur in South Carolina was the Greater Snow Goose (Chen 
hyperboreus nivalis), therefore the capture of C. h. hyperboreus is an addi- 
tion to the ornithology of South Carolina. 

Chen cerulescens. Briur Goosr.— Among a small collection of birds 
at the Santee Gun Club, Santee River, is a fine specimen of this bird, being 
shot on the preserves of the Club by Mr. Frank Carnegie, and presented 
by him to the Club. Mr. Carnegie shot this goose about ten years ago. 
This is another addition to the fauna of South Carolina. 

Herodias egretta. HEaretr.— On December 18, 1917, I saw a beautiful 
specimen of this bird flying near at hand over a frozen pond near my home. 
Heretofore I have not observed this species later in the autumn than the 
first week in November, for this bird is susceptible to cold. I could easily 
have procured it, but as I never molest them at any season, hoping for 
those remaining to increase, I let it remain. I, however, did not observe it 
again after the intense cold, beginning on December 30, and which lasted 
uninterruptedly until the third week in January, 1918, therefore the bird 
undoubtedly migrated. 

Nyctanassa violacea. YELLOW-cROWNED Nicut Hrron.— A most 
exquisite specimen of this heron that I shot on October 5, 1916, according 
to Mr. Ridgway’s ‘Color Standards and Color Nomenclature,’ 1912, has 
the back, wings and upper parts (exclusive of head) 7 Deep Gull Gray, 
while the under parts are near to the shade 8 Gull Gray. The forehead, 
crown, and occiput are white or yellowish white in which are numerous 
chestnut or reddish brown feathers. Although this lovely bird is in fresh, 
unworn, autumnal plumage the occipital feathers and the long dorsal 
plumes of the supposed breeding plumage are present and as perfectly 
developed as in the latter season. The specimen is the largest I have yet 
seen or taken, and my experience with this bird goes back to 1884. I 
realized as soon as I saw it near at hand that it was the most beautiful 
example I had ever seen. 

Numenius hudsonicus. Hupsonran CurLtEw.— On December 11, 
1917, while I was en route to Long Island (Isle of Palms) in search of 
Ipswich Sparrows (Passerculus princeps) I heard, then saw, a Hudsonian 
Curlew near Bullyard Sound (Santee Path). The case was so novel that 
I could scarcely believe my ears and eyes, as the latest record upon which 
I had detected this bird in the autumn was October 2, 1885, when I shot 
two on Sullivan’s Island. I determined to obtain this bird, as the desire 
of possession of a winter example was most keen with me! 

The bird was very shy and flew about a half mile to an adjacent sound 
where I marked it in a superficial manner. About this time the wind 
began to blow hard from the northeast with about freezing temperature. 
I followed this bird from place to place and, after firing six shots at it at 
long range, I finally secured it with a heavy charge on my seventh shot. 


yoy | Wayne, South Carolina Bird Notes. 439 


The specimen was not crippled, being very fat and very wild, and is in 
fine, unworn plumage. Although Audubon! says that ‘‘ I once saw a large 
flock of them near Charleston, in the month of December,” he must have 
confused this species with the Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) 
which latter bird wintered along the South Carolina coast in vast numbers 
up to 1885 or a few years later. 

Arenaria interpres interpres. TurNstonr.— On May 30, 1918, I 
shot on Dewees Island five birds at one shot and from the same flock, all 
of which are in perfect nuptial plumage. One specimen — an adult male — 
having more black in the upper parts than any individual I had previously 
taken led me to compare it with an European specimen, Mr. J. H. Riley 
having sent me an adult male from the U. 8. National Museum collection 
taken at Havre, France, on May 15, 1875. This French bird has the wing 

3 inches, and the wing of the South Carolina specimen is of the same 
length. According to ‘The Water Fowl Family’ Dr. Bishop gives the wing 
measurement for A. interpres as more than 6 inches, and for A. interpres 
morinella as under 6 inches. The South Carolina bird is identical in 
coloration with the European except that it has more reddish in the 
wing-coverts; and if interpres is really distinct from morinella (which is . 
doubtful, as a typical morinella in coloration has the wing more than 6 
inches) an European bird has been added to the fauna of South Carolina. 
Ruddy Turnstone’s, i. e. males in perfect nuptial plumage, vary endlessly 
in the amount of black in the upper parts. A lovely male taken by me on 
May 26, 1910, has very little black on the upper parts, the reddish color 
everywhere prevailing. The specimen taken May 30, 1918, that is referable 
to A. i. interpres, has two coal black feathers among the white feathers 
of the abdominal regions. 

Falco columbarius columbarius. Picron Hawx.— While watching 
a pair of Rough-winged Swallows (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) building a 
nest in an ancient limekiln from which a round limb had rotted leaving a 
long, round symmetrical hole, in which the Swallows were depositing 
pieces of sedge on May 15, 1918, a Pigeon Hawk attacked and caught a 
Barn Swallow ( Hirundo erythrogastra) with superlative ease and flew with 
it first to the beach then to a high, dead pine about 400 yards away. I 
hastened to the tree hoping to secure it; but as I was almost in proper 
range the hawk which had already devoured the swallow flew to such a 
distance that I could no longer follow it with my eyes. 

The Pigeon Hawk is now a very rare bird on the coast of South Carolina 
and has always been very rare in the spring, the last time I observed one 
was on April 13, 1900, an adult male in beautiful plumage, that I shot, and 
which is now in my collection. 

Myiarchus crinitus. Crestep FiycatcHpErR.— On December 11, 
1914, I heard the note of a Crested Flycatcher and upon following the 


1 Birds of America, Vol. VI, 1843, p. 42. 


440 Wayne, South Carolina Bird Notes. aes 


sound found the bird perched upon a tall water oak tree in a large forest. 
Although the ponds were frozen over this bird was calling as though it was 
the month of May or June, and it was indeed an anomaly! I collected the 
bird. The specimen is in fine, unworn plumage and was very fat. Had 
I not shot this bird it would have undoubtedly wintered. It is now in 
my collection. 

Quiscalus quiscula eneus. BronzeED GRACKLE.—I shot on March 
14, 1918, a superb adult male of this bird near Mount Pleasant. I was 
following some Florida Grackles through a large dense swamp trying to 
collect a large male, but the birds were so wild it was difficult to get within 
range. At last I hid behind a large tree and a large bird came within range 
which I promptly shot. Upon securing it I was surprised to find that I had 
at last taken a Bronzed Grackle, which is an addition to the fauna otf the 
coast. 

The Bronzed Grackle is without doubt a species, as I cannot find any 
intergradation among specimens taken from South Carolina to Kansas. 

Quiscalus quiscula quiscula. CaroLina GRACKLE.— The type local- 
ity of this Grackle is stated to be South Carolina founded on The Purple 
Jack Daw, Monedula purpurea. Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, I, 1731, 12, 
pl. 12, in Linnzus’ Syst. Nat., ed. 10, I, 1758, 109. 

An examination of the text of Catesby’s book, however, proves con- 
elusively that the birds to which he refers were in reality the Florida 
Grackle (Quiscalus q. agleus). Catesby’s birds undoubtedly came from 
the coast of South Carolina. He says: “‘ They make their Nests on the 
branches of trees in all parts of the country, but most in remote and un- 
frequented places; from whence in Autumn, after a vast increase, they 
assemble together, and come amongst the Inhabitants in such numbers 
that they sometimes darken the air, and are seen in continued flights for 
miles together, making great devastation of grain [rice] where they light.” 
The Florida Grackle belongs strictly to the region near or adjacent to the 
coast, but always avoiding salt water; its nest is invariably built in trees 
or in low bushes over water, but never in woodpecker holes or in natural 
cavities of trees. The Florida Grackle therefore becomes the type of the 
genus with the type locality fixed as the coast of South Carolina, and I 
suggest the name’of Carolina Grackle for the species. 

This will leave the Purple Grackle without a name, the earliest available 
one seems to be versicolor Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., XXVIII, 
1819, 488 (North America). The name of the Purple Grackle will there- 
fore be Quiscalus quiscula versicolor Vieillot, and the Carolina (i. e. Florida) 
Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula quiscula Linneus. 

Passerculus princeps. Ipswich Sparrow.—I made three trips to 
Long Island (Isle of Palms) in the autumn and winter of 1917 and each 
trip represented a walk of fifteen miles over low sand hills. It was not 
until my last visit on December 28 that I was able to detect even one 
of these birds which was secured after a long chase. This bird, although 
a young male of the year, has the superciliary stripe marked somewhat 


~® 


a | Wayne, South Carolina Bird Notes. 441 


strongly with canary yellow. It was also undergoing a moult embracing 
the head, jugulum and upper breast feathers. 

Passerherbulus lecontei. Lrconrr’s Sparrow. In ‘Birds of 
South Carolina,’ 1910, page 120, I expressed my belief that many of these 
birds remain until April. During the past winter of 1917-1918 Leconte’s 
Sparrows were present in considerable numbers. As usual fires were of a 
daily occurrence on account chiefly of a long protracted drought so that 
fields of broom grass, as well as dense forests, were completely burned over. 
I, however, succeeded in saving a field of broom grass near my home, which 
embraced about ten acres, from the flames. In this field I procured speci- 
mens in March and April as follows: March 22, one; April 4, one; April 
17, one undergoing a spring moult was taken; April 27, one in very worn 
plumage was secured. Of the series of thirty-one birds taken only five 
were males, which was the case in the winter of 1893-94, when the birds 
were here in great numbers, showing that the males remain farther north. 

Lanivireo solitarius alticola. Mounrain Sonitary Vrreo.— On 
January 11, 1912, I secured a perfectly typical example of this large race 
near Mount Pleasant. The specimen is an adult male and the taking of 
it in January shows that a few sporadic individuals must winter regularly 
here. 

Vermivora bachmani. Bacuman’s Warsier.—I found on March 
28, 1918, on the extreme northeastern edge of I’?On Swamp, near Wither- 
wood plantation, a nest containing five eggs of the rare Bachman’s Warbler. 
These eggs were incubated for at least five or even seven days and show 
that, although this bird does not winter, it arrives very early in the spring 
and breeds even much earlier than the resident Pine Warbler ( Dendroica 
vigorsii) and Yellow-throated Warbler ( Dendroica dominica). 

Dendroica magnolia. MaGnoiia WarBLER.— On October 10, 1915, 
I shot a young male of this species about 300 yards of the spot where the 
first one for the coast region was taken on September 29, 1912, and re- 
corded by me in ‘The Auk,’ XXX, 1913, 277. It is evident that the 
Magnolia Warbler migrates in small numbers along the coast of South 
Carolina, in the autumn. 

Dendroica virens. BLAcK-THROATED GREEN WarBLEeR.— The brief 
account of this bird written in ‘Birds of South Carolina’ is, in the main, 
correct. Although I had never found it breeding when the book went 
to the press I was absolutely certain that it really bred on the coast in 
widely separated places due to the presence of original heavily timbered 
forests, which is requisite for the birds in the breeding season. And the 
reason for not stating that the birds breed here was that I respected the 
opinion of other persons whose views did not coincide with mine. On 
April 11, 1917, however, I found a female building a nest in a tall pine tree 
in ’On Swamp, and on April 25, 1918, I saw another female carrying 
nesting materials, but could not locate the place by following her, as the 
swamp was too dense. According to Mr. Loomis the birds breed in the 
mountains of Pickens County and also at Cesar’s Head, Greenville County 


442 Banas anp Nosue, Birds of Peru. ees 


(see Auk, VII, 1890, 128, and VIII, 1891, 331). As far as I am aware, 
after searching the literature on the breeding range, there is no breeding 
maritime record south of Long Island, New York, which is nearly 600 
miles northeast of the region where the birds breed on the South Carolina 
coast. This is indeed truly remarkable. 

Oporornis agilis. Connecticut WArBLER.— Misses Louise Petigru 
Ford and Marion J. Pellew saw at Aiken on May 12, 1915, an adult male 
on the ground among highland ferns. These ladies watched this bird for 
a long time through powerful opera glasses and no mistake whatever was 
made by them, as they are familiar with the resident as well as migratory 
birds found about Aiken. The Connecticut Warbler is very rare in the 
spring east of the Alleghenies. Mr. Loomis took one at Chester on May 
10, 1889, but I have yet to take one in South Carolina. 


LIST OF BIRDS COLLECTED ON THE HARVARD 
PERUVIAN EXPEDITION OF 1916. 


BY OUTRAM BANGS AND G. K. NOBLE. 


TuE birds listed in the following notes were collected by one of 
us — Noble who accompanied as naturalist the Harvard Peruvian 
Expedition of 1916. 

This was a short summer vacation trip, financed by friends of the 
Museum of Comparative Zoélogy, into the northwestern corner of 
Peru. Roughly speaking the expedition covered a triangular 
course from Payta to Tabaconas and thence out to the coast again 
at Chiclayo. The regions traveled were mostly desert or semi- 
desert ones; at a few places only was real sub-tropical forest met 
with. 

A careful itinerary by Noble will be published later with his 
account of the Reptiles and Batrachians, upon which he was 
working when he answered the call to the service of his country 
In war. 

For the loan of, often very necessary, specimens we are much 
indebted to Dr. Chas. W. Richmond of the United States National 
Museum, Dr. Frank M. Chapman of the American Museum of 


ea | Banes AND Nose, Birds of Peru. 443 


Natural History, Mr. W. E. Clyde Todd of the Carnegie Museum, 
Mr. Chas. B. Cory of the Field Museum of Natural History and Mr. 
T. E. Penard of Arlington, Mass. 


Phalacrocoracide. 


Phalacrocorax vigua vigua (Vieill.). One 9, Perico, September 14. 


Falconide. 


Polyborus cheriway cheriway (Jacq.). One adult 9, Perico, Sep- 
tember 14. 

This specimen agrees, with two others — one from Punto Caiman, Santa 
Marta, Colombia, one from Rio Caura, Venezuela — kindly let us by W. E. 
Clyde Todd of the Carnegie Museum. The bird of northern South 
America, as shown by the three skins now before us, two of which are fine 
adults, is clearly different from the North American Caracara. 

The South American form is much more intensely black, less brownish 
black, is slightly smaller throughout and has a shorter, and more feeble bill. 

We would therefore suggest the large, heavy-billed, brownish black 
North American bird, be known as 


Polyborus cheriway auduboni Cassin, 


based upon Audubon’s Florida specimen, which Audubon presented to the 
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. This form occurs in Cuba, 
and on the mainland ranges from northern Lower California, Arizona, 
Texas and Florida south to Panama. Skins from Panama differ but little 
from those from northern localities, and are decidedly referable to P. 
cheriway audubonii rather than to P. cheriway cheriway (Jacq.). 

The Caracara was observed throughout most of the lowlands. Along 
the Upper Piura River Valley Caracaras were very abundant. Several 
were nearly always to be seen in the vicinity of every clearing. 

Ibycter megalopterus (Meyen). One adult o, Lake Warinja, August 
18. This bird was seen only at the highest altitudes visited, the single 
specimen was secured at about 9000 feet. 

Accipiter bicolor bicolor (Vieill.). Five specimens, immature of both 
sexes, and one adult. 9, Perico and Bellavista, September. 

Chapman, in ‘ The Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia,’ p. 242, does 
not recognize a western form of this hawk, A. b. schistochlamys Hellmayr, 
and the series of twelve skins in the Museum of Comparative Zodlogy 
wholly supports what he has said. 

The present specimens agree in color with skins from Panama and Costa 
Rica and even with those from so far north as Quintana Roo. There is, 
however, a gradual increase in size northward and examples from Vera 
Cruz — practically, the northern limit of the species,— are very large. 
The one adult female we possess from this State is besides much darker in 


444 - Banes anp Noste, Birds of Peru. lave 


color than any from farther south, and for this large dark northern form, 
we propose the name — 


Accipiter bicolor fidens subsp. nov. 


Type from Buena Vista, Vera Cruz, Mexico, fully adult 9, No. 2289 
Bangs Coll. (in Museum of Comparative Zodlogy). Collected June 14, 
1901, by A. E. Colburn and P. W. Shufeldt. 

Characters. Larger and darker than A. b. bicolor (Vieill.), upper parts 
blackish slate, under parts slate gray. Type @ ad., wing, 260; tail, 209, 
tarsus, 67; culmen from cere, 20.5. Topotype, No. 2290, 2 immature, 
wing, 255; tail, 212; tarsus, 68; culmen from cere, 18. 

Only one of the five specimens in the series contained food in its crop. 
This consisted of five or six large cockroaches. 

Heterospizias meridionalis (Lath.). One young (<7?) with the under 
tail coverts still in down, Perico, September 16. 

Rupornis magnirostris occidua Bangs. Ten specimens, one imma- 
ture 9, and adults of both sexes. Bellavista and Perico, September. 

These skins are very uniform in character and agree exactly with the 
type. Compared with a fine series of true R. magnirostris from Para- 
maribo, Surinam, kindly lent us by T. E. Penard, they are very different. 

By far the commonest hawk met with throughout the Valley of the 
Marafion and Chenchipe was this species, but the bird was not seen to the 
west of the Andean range. 

The crops and stomachs of the ten specimens collected contained the 
following variety of food: 


4. Burrowing Snakes (Glauconia). 
1. Burrowing Lizard (Bachia). 

2. Muce: 

1. Chilopod. 

1. Grasshopper. 


Herpetotheres cachinnans maestus subsp. nov. 


Two females, one immature, one adult Bellavista and Perico, September. 

Type from Bellavista, Peru, adult 9 No. 80152 M. C. Z. Collected 
September 19, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 

Characters. Size small, and under wing coverts heavily spotted as in 
H. cachinnans fulvescens Chapman of western Colombia, but with the 
under parts very much whiter — buffy white. Similar also to H. c. cachin- 
nans (Linn.) of Guiana, but smaller; the under wing coverts more heavily 
spotted, and the underparts paler — whiter. 


Measurements. 


Culmen 
No. Sex. Locality. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. from Cere. 
80152 9 ad. Bellavista 230: 185. 67. 21. 


80151 Q@imm.  Perico 229. 169. 69. 24 


ae | Banas and Nosry, Birds of Peru. 445 


All of the Crying Falcons observed were found in the immediate vicinity 
of the river beds. They were very fond of remaining perched throughout 
most of the day upon some tall tree which commanded a wide stretch of 
the river valley. 

One of the specimens collected contained in its crop a large Chilopod, 
Scolopendra gigantea (Linné) and the legs of a lizard (either Stenocercus or 
Liocephalus). 

Chondrohierax! uncinatus megarhynchus (Des Murs). Two 
adults, o and 9, Bellavista, September 24. 

Our specimens have larger bills than any in a considerable series of skins 
from eastern South America, still they fall somewhat short of the maximum 
measurements given for true megarhynchus and are probably intermediate 
between that form and uncinatus. They afford the following measure- 
ments. 


No. Sez. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Culmen from Cere. 
: 80153 oO ad. 282 188 36. 34. 
80154 9 ad. 303 PAN 38.5 35. 


Probably a breeding pair taken together in a wood near the banks of the 
Marafion. The gonads were well developed in both. 

Falco deiroleucus Temm. One adult 2, Perico, September 7. This 
bird is one of a pair that had a nest on a high tree upon which she was 
perched when shot. The tree was near the border of a vast stretch of 
tropical arid lands. 

Cerchneis sparverius caucze Chapman. One adult <’, Sullana, 
August 1. Only seen in the dry coastal deserts, where it was decidedly 
uncommon. 


Tinamide. 


Crypturellus tataupa inops subsp. nov. Three adult males, Bella- 
vista and Perico, September. 

Type from Perico, northwestern Peru, adult o&, No. 80123 M. C. Z. 
Collected September 10, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 

Characters. Similar to true C. tatawpa (Temm.) of Brazil, but under 
parts paler and more whitish, middle of breast and belly pale grayish 
white (brownish gray in true tatawpa); upper parts browner — less 
vinaceous or reddish brown, but not darker. Similar also to C. t. peruviana 
Cory of San Ramon, west central Peru, but much paler throughout, the 
under parts much more whitish and the upper parts much less vinaceous 
brown (C. peruviana is a darker bird than C. tatawpa), and wing shorter. 


1For change from Leptodon to Chondrohierax see Chubb, The Birds of British Guiana, 
Vol. I, p. 267, 1916. 


446 Bancs AND Nosue, Birds of Peru. eee 


Oct. 
Measurements. 

No. Ser. Locality. Wing. Tarsus. Culmen. 
80123 oO ad. Perico slilee 32.5 Pal als 
80124 oO ad. Bellavista 118. 34. Depp 
80125 oad. ef 119. 3y5), 22h 


Found only in the grassy uplands. 


Rallidez 


Pardirallus rytirhynchus rytirhynchus (Vieill.). One adult 0, 
Huancabamba, August 22. 

The only specimen secured was taken near the Plaza of the little village 
of Sondor, a suburb or outlying town of Huancabamba. A number of 
rails, probably all referable to this species were observed in the meadows of 
an affluent of the Huancabamba River, but none of these could be secured. 
A little later a pair of rails were seen feeding with some of the village 
chickens in a slough near the plaza. One of these was singled out from 
the chickens and shot. . 


Charadriide. 


Ptiloscelys resplendens (Tschudi). Three adults, one male, two 
females, Lake Warinja, August 18. At this point the plover was abun- 
dant, but was seen at none of the many other high lakes visited. 


Scolapacide. 


Actitis macularia (Linn.). One adult &, Huancabamba, August 27. 
Seen now and then along the stony bed of the Huancabamba River through- 
out the month of August. 


Columbide. 


Chlorceenas cenops (Salvin). One adult 9, Perico, September 11. 
Apparently rare in northwestern Peru, as only one or two small flocks 
were seen. These frequented the banks of a deep river vailey, and were 
very shy. 

Zenaida auriculata pallens subsp. nov. 


Four adults, both sexes, Sullana and Huancabamba, August. 

Type from Huancabamba, northwestern Peru, adult o, No. 80019 
M.C.Z. Collected August 22, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 

Characters, similar to Z. auriculata auriculata (Des Murs) but upper parts 
slightly paler and grayer; under parts much paler, the vinaceous of neck 
and chest much lighter and more pinkish; lower breast, belly, sides and 
under tail coverts pale pinkish buff — almost whitish. 


ee | Banes AND Nosie, Birds of Peru. 447 


Measurements. Type adult o, wing, 148; tail, 98; tarsus, 23; ex- 
posed culmen, 19. Topotype adult 2, No. 80022, wing, 143; tail, 95; 
tarsus, 20; exposed culmen, 16. 

Remarks. This very pale form was a common bird along the streams 
that cross the coastal deserts. No specimen among the numbers we have 
examined from various parts of South America approach our birds in the 
general pallor of the under parts, and the form appears to be a well marked 
subspecies. 

There is some probability that the type of Zenaida hypoleuca Bp. col- 
lected by Capt. Kellett and Lieut. Wood, now in the British Museum, did 
not really come from the Pearl Islands, but we hardly believe even so that 
it represents the local desert form we have just named. 

Eupelia cruziana (Prev. & Knip.). Five adults, both sexes, Huanca- 
bamba, August. 

A common bird in the cultivated lands about Huancabamba, but not 
observed elsewhere. - 

Leptotila decolor Salvin. Eight specimens, oneimmature 9 and adults 
of both sexes, Bellavista and Huancabamba, August and September. 

Frequently met with throughout the whole region traversed, except at 
the higher altitudes. 


Psittacide. 


Ara militaris militaris (Linn.). Four adults, both sexes, Bellavista, 
September. 

Scattered flocks of these Aras passed each morning and evening up or 
down the Marafion. The birds chattered to each other as they flew. 
Their call was deep, and not unpleasant, very different from the raucous 
crys of most parrots. The flocks generally consisted of three or four 
individuals. Never more than seven birds were seen in a single flock. 

Aratinga rubrolarvatus Massena et Sauancé. One immature 9, 
Sullana, July 29. This skin has no red whatever on the head or the bend 
of the wing; the small under wing-coverts are however, mostly red. It 
resembles immature examples of A. finschi (Salv.), but is darker, less yel- 
lowish green, with the under surface of the wing darker, more olive, less 
yellowish, and has a much larger bill. 

This Paroquet is very abundant along the river valleys which cross the 
coastal deserts. Flocks of several thousand individuals were often seen 
flying up the Chira River during the early evening. 

Aratinga frontatus Cab. Seven adults, both sexes, Perico and Taba- 
conas, September. 

A bird of the subtropical arid lands and the arid valleys of the Chinchipe 
and Marafion. It entirely replaces A. rubrolarvatus in the hills, and 
eastern river valleys where it is common in the thickets of acacias and 
cacti. 


448 Banes AND Nosie, Birds of Peru. (Gee 


Psittacula coelestis coelestis (Less.). Fourteen specimens, immature 
and adults of both sexes, Huancabamba, August. 

Although this species was found most abundantly at Huancabamba it 
was also observed in the humid subtropical region of Tabaconas, and the 
dry valley of the Marafion. 

Pionus corallinus Bp. One adult <, Perico, September 14. This was 
the only individual seen, it was shot in the dense woods which fill the river 
valley at this point. ; 


Cuculide. 


Piaya cayana nigricrissa Scl. Eight adults, both sexes, Perico and 
Bellavista, September. 

Abundant in the humid subtropical region as well as the dry tropical 
zone of the eastern Andean range. Several specimens were observed at 
Tabaconas. 

Tapera nevia nevia (Linn.). One 9, Perico, September 16. 


Bubonide. 


Otus roboratus sp. nov. 


Two adult males, Perico and Bellavista, September. 

Type from Bellavista, Peru, adult &, No. 80073 M. C. Z. Collected 
September 25, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 

Characters. Unlike any south American form; in color somewhat 
similar to O. cassini (Ridg.) of Vera Cruz, Mexico, but considerably larger; 
toes perfectly naked; tarsus densely feathered. 

Color. Both skins in brown phase. Pileum brownish black, the feathers 
with small lateral spots of paler brown; a broad whitish nuchal collar, the 
feathers of which are somewhat banded with dusky; ear-tufts mixed 
grayish white and warm brown; general color of upper parts grayish brown, 
somewhat barred or marked with dusky, and with some paler or browner 
irregular spots; outer webs of outer scapulars chiefly buffy white; outer 
webs of middle wing coverts also chiefly buffy white; alula notched and 
spotted with buffy white towards tips on outer webs and with cinnamon 
basally and on inner webs; primaries with large spots of buffy white on 
outer webs; inner webs dusky, with broad bands of cinnamon brown; 
tail grayish brown, with narrow bands of cinnamon brown, and freckled 
with dusky; face grayish white, browner on ear coverts, narrowly barred 
with dusky; under surface white, the feathers of breast, chest and sides 
with mesial streaks and narrow irregular cross bars of black, heaviest 
on chest and here bordered with warm brown; middle of belly clear white; 
legs buffy white, slightly vermiculated with brownish; under tail coverts 
white faintly vermiculated with dusky. 


| Banas AND Nostp, Birds of Peru. . 449 


Measurements. 


Culmen 
No. Ser. Wing. Tail. Tarsus _ from Cere. 
80073 Bellavista oft 168. 82. 39. 14. 
80072 Perico of 164. 87. 36. 14. 


Remarks. Undoubtedly this is the Scops Owl, recorded by Salvadori 
and Festa (Boll. Mus. Zool. Torino. XV, p. 33, 1900) from Vinces, western 
Ecuador, and referred by them with much doubt to Scops guatemale 
Sharpe. 

Our specimens are easily told from O. guatemale or O. vermiculatus 
(Ridg.), but strangely enough are very like the more northern and very 
local O. cassini in color. Their much larger size will, however, at once 
distinguish them. 


Pulsatrix perspicillata perspicillata (Lath.). One adult 9, Perico, 
September 10. 

This skin agrees almost exactly with specimens in the collection of T. E. 
Penard, from the vicinity of Paramaribo, Surinam. The toes are feathered 
almost to the claws, and it certainly belongs here and not to P. melanonota 
(Tschu.). 


Glaucidium jardinii (Bp.). Three adults, one male, two females, 
Perico, September. 

All of the Pygmy Owls secured were taken during the daytime in the 
thick but very dry patches of wood which border the Chinchipe at various 
points. 


Speotyto cunicularia punensis Chapman. Five adults, both sexes, 
Sullana, August. 

This strikingly pale form was lately described from Puna Island; our 
record slightly extends its range southward. 

The five specimens were all collected at one colony. This colony of 
about two dozen burrows was situated on the gentle slope of a sandy hill 
which overlooked the green valley of the Chira River near Sullana. 


Tytonide. 


Tyto alba contempta (Hartert). Two adults, o and 9, Bellavistal 
and Chongollapi, September and October. 


Nyctibiide. 


Nyctibius griseus cornutus (Vieill.). One adult 9, Perico, September 
10. 


450 Bancs AND Nosue, Birds of Peru. hes 


Caprimulgide. 


Nyctidromus albicollis albicollis (Gml.). Five adults, both sexes, 
Perico, Bellavista, Tabaconas and Huancabamba, August and September. 

These skins agree well enough with typical albicollis to be referred to that 
form. Mr. Cory has kindly compared them with his N. albicollis obscurus 
from Yurimaguas, Peru, and tells us that our bird has nothing to do with 
that dark colored subspecies. 

Very abundant in all of the zones except the coastal desert. Several of 
the birds collected were induced to alight in open clearings by imitating 
their guttural whistle. 


Alcedinice. 


Chloroceryle americana cabanisi (Tschudi). Three adult females, 
Bellavista and Huancabamba, August and September. 


Picide. 


Hypoxanthus rivolii brevirostris Tacz. One adult o, Tabaconas, 
September 11. 

This species was seen on one or two occasions only, always in wooded 
valleys. 

Chrysoptilus atricollis lymani Bangs & Noble. Chrysoptilus atri- 
collis lymani Bangs and Noble, Proceedings of the New England 
Zodlogical Club, Vol. VI, p. 85-86, June 7, 1918, original description. 

Six specimens, two immature (co and @) and adults of both sexes, 
Huancabamba, August. 

Veniliornis callonotus major (Berl. & Stolz.). Two adult females, 
Sullana and Bellavista, July and September. 

Veniliornis agilis (Cab. & Hein.). One adult <, Bellavista, Sep- 
tember 29. 

Ceophleus lineatus lineatus (Linn.). Two adults, @ and 9, 
Perico, September. 

Scapaneus melanoleucus (Gml.). One adult 9, Perico, September 
15. 

Picumnus lafresnayei Malh. One adult, (¢), Bellavista, September 
24. : 


Trogonide. 


Pharomachrus auriceps (Gould). One adult 9, Tabaconas, August 
19. This specimen is in no way smaller than Colombian skins, and we 
therefore do not refer it to P. auriceps heliactin (Cabs. and Hein.) which on 
geographical grounds it should represent. 

Observed only in the humid subtropical forest of Tabaconas. 


aS | Banes AND Nose, Birds of Peru. 451 


Trogonurus collaris (Vieill.). Three specimens, an immature 9 and 
adult o’ and 9, Perico and Charapi, September. 

Frequently noted in the subtropical forests between Tabaconas and the 
Chinchipe Valley. 


Trochilidz. 


Thaumasius taczanowskii fractus subsp. nov. 


Four adult males, Huancabamba, August. 

Type from Huancabamba, northwestern Peru, adult o, No. 80118 
M.C. Z. Collected August 9, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 

Characters. Similar to true T. taczanowskii (Sclater) but upper parts 
darker and purer green, less mixed with grayish and less coppery; bill 
much shorter. 


Measurements. 

No. Ser. Wing. Tail. Exposed culmen. 
80115 oO ad. 69. 38. Pallas 
80116 oad. 69.5 39. DD. 
80117 oO ad. 70. 40.5 21.5 
80118 oO ad. 68. 39. Dam 


Remarks. We have made our comparison with skins of true 7’. tac- 
zanowskii collected by O. T. Baron at Malea Cajabamba, 8000 feet altitude, 
and Otusco, 4000 feet altitude, Peru, received in exchange, some years‘ago 
from the late Count Von Berlepsch. These agree almost exactly with the 
measurements and description of the type series. 

By far the commonest hummingbird about Huancabamba was this 
species. It was observed very often in the shrubbery along the roadsides. 

Patagona gigas peruviana Boucard. Three adults, two males and 
a female, Huancabamba, August. 

Ocreatus cissiurus cissiurus Gould. One adult male, Perico, 
September 9. 

Adelomyia melanogenys maculata Gould. One adult male, Taba- 
conas, September 2. This specimen appears to belong to this form rather 
than to chlorospila Gould of more southern Peru. Compared with skins 
from Ecuador, our one specimen is paler below and if others should prove 
to be the same, it represents a pale unnamed race. 

Psalidoprymna gouldi chlorura (Gould). One adult male, Taba- 
conas, August 29. 

Conopophagide. 


Conopophaga peruviana Des Murs. One adult female, Perico, 
September 12. With but a single female we are not sure this identifica- 
tion is correct, possibly our bird is the female of C. castaneiceps Scl. 


452 Banes AND Nosts, Birds of Peru. lees 


Formicariide. 


Taraba melanura debilis Berl. & Stolz. Three specimens, an im- 
mature male and adult male and female, Bellavista, September. 

Apparently our specimens belong to this form, described from Central 
Peru, agreeing much better in size and proportions with it than with true 
T. melanura (Gould) of Ecuador. 

Thamnophilus radiatus variegaticeps Berl. & Stolz. One adult o, 
Bellavista, September 29. Our skin agrees fairly well with the descrip- 
tion of this form from Central Peru. 

Erionotus albiventris (Tacz.). Seven specimens, an immature male 
and adults of both sexes, Perico, September. 

This is apparently a very distinct species; the male has a large white 
belly patch and a pale gray throat, in the female belly and throat both are 
whitish. 

Dysithamnus semicinereus Sclater. One male (not quite adult, 
still having a little yellow on lower belly), Perico, September 12. 

In spite of Todd’s recent review of the group of Ant Thrushes to which 
this bird belongs, there is still much doubt as to the number of forms that 
should be recognized. Chapman in his Distribution of Bird Life in Colom- 
bia, p. 370, says that the small race from the Pacific Coast of Ecuador and 
another from the western slope of the Central Andes in Colombia, are 
both good and as yet unnamed. 

Our bird is not large, like Peruvian examples from the general region 
whence came the type of D. tambillanus Tacz. nor is it small as are west 
Ecuador skins, but affords the following measurements: wing, 66; tail, 
41; tarsus, 20; culmen, 15, which are about those of Colombian speci- 
mens. 

Hapalocercus meloryphus fulviceps (Scl.). One adult 92, Perico, 
September 11. 

Ridgway considers that Hapalocercus belongs in the Formicariide and 
we follow him in this disposition of the genus. 

Grallaria albiloris Tacz. One adult female, Tabaconas, September 2. 

The only representative of the genus observed throughout the entire 
trip was the specimen collected. It was found while scratching among 
the wet mosses of the forest floor near Tabaconas. 


Furnariide. 


Geositta peruviana paytz Ménégaux and Hellmayr. Five adults, 
Paita, July. 

These are topotypes. Whether or not this much paler bird should stand 
as a species, as the original describers considered it, or as a subspecies of 
G. peruviana Lafr., is of course a matter of opinion. 

The Miner was the commonest bird about Paita. Flocks of them were 


on | Banes and Noste, Birds of Peru. 453 


nearly always to be seen on the sandy hills surrounding the town, but the 
bird was not noted at all a few miles inland. 

Furnarius cinnamomeus (Less.). Seven adults, both sexes, Huanca- 
bamba and Sullana, July and August. 

The Oven-bird was often seen about the towns of Huancabamba and 
Sullana but in the sparsely inhabited interior it was not met with at all. 

Synallaxis maranonica Tacz. Four adults, both sexes, Bellavista, 
September. 

Synallaxis stictothorax Scl. Four adults, both sexes, Bellavista and 
Perico, September. 

Siptornis cisandina (Tacz.)? Three specimens, two immature 
females and one adult male, Huancabamba, August. 

We have compared our birds with a series of skins in the American 
Museum of S. antisiensis Scl. from which they differ in having the super- 
ciliary stripe grayish white (quits fulvous in S. antisiensis) and the ear 
coverts much grayer less fulvous or rusty. We have seen no specimens of 
S. cisandina and refer our birds to that form with some doubt. If they 
do represent it, it certainly is only subspecifically to be separated from 
antisiensis. 

Phacellodomus rufifrons (Wied.). Sixteen specimens, both sexes, 
apparently all adult, Bellavista and Perico, September. 


Dendrocolaptide. 


Picolaptes warscewiczi (Cab. & Heine). Two adults, ~ and 9, 
Tabaconas, August 29 and September 1. 


Cotingide. 


Heliochera rufaxilla (Tschudi). One adult o, Tabaconas, Sep- 
tember 3. 

The single specimen collected was the only one observed. It was found 
singing on the top of a tall tree in the subtropical forests of the Tabaconas 
River Valley. 

Cephalopterus ornatus Geoff. Two adults, male and female, from 
the woods northeast of Perico, September 16. 


Pipride. 


Pipra erythrocephala berlepschi Ridg. Three adult males, Perico, 
September. 
Tyrannide. 


Myiotheretes striaticollis (Scl.). One adult female, Huancabamba, 
August 22. 

Serpophaga cinereacana Bangs. Three adults, one male, two females, 
Huancabamba, August. 


454 Banes AND Nosiz, Birds of Peru. lane 

These specimens may be somewhat intermediate, but are nearer to 
cana than to the southern form, true S. cinerea (Strick.). 

This little Flycatcher was seen only along the torrents of the central 
Andes. It runs nimbly over the rocks, and on several occasions was seen 
to pick up tidbits from the surface of the stream. 

Tyranniscus uropygialis (Lawr.). One adult female, Tabaconas, 
September 1. 

We have compared this skin with the type of Lawrence’s Mecocerculus 
uropygialis kindly lent us for the purpose by the authorities of the American 
Museum of Natural History. The two specimens are very similar. 
Lawrence supposed his type came from Ecuador. It is a little larger than 
our bird, but if it is a male — ours is a female -— sexual difference in size 
would just about account for the difference exhibited by the two specimens. 
‘The only other point of dissimilarity is that the back in the type is dull 
reddish olive whereas the back in our bird is olive. This difference is in 
all probability due to actual fading in the older specimen, such as so often 
occurs with olive in many species of birds. 

The species is certainly not a Mecocerculus, but so far as we can see is a 
Tyranniscus. ) 

The two skins afford the following measurements: 


Exposed 

No. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. culmen. 
42421 1 Type 62 49, 16.5 ihe 
79910 ? Q 58 45. 16.5 te 


Camptostoma sclateri (Berl. & Tacz.) Three adults, one male, two 
females, Huancabamba, August and September. 

Pheomyias murina tumbezana (Tacz.). Two adults, male and 
female, Perico and Bellavista, September. 

Elznia leucospodia Tacz. One adult female, Sullana, July 29. 

Myiozetetes similis connivens Berl. & Stolzm. Five adults, both 
sexes, Bellavista and Perico, September. 

Our series bears out all characters claimed for the subspecies by its 
authors, and besides our birds average smaller with slightly smaller bills, 
than numerous examples from Bahia. 

Mionectes striaticollis poliocephalus Tacz. One adult male, Taba- 
conas, September 1. 

Leptopogon superciliaris pcliocephalus Cab. & Heine. One adult 
female, Perico, September 12. 

This specimen obviously belongs with the northern race, and is not 
different from birds from western Colombia. 

Hellmayr, P. Z. S. 1911, p. 1132 has pointed out that the Central 
American bird must be referred to poliocephalus unless it represents still 


1 American Museum of Natural History. 
2 Museum of Comparative Zodlogy. 


wan | Banes AND Noste, Birds of Peru. 455 


another race. In this connection we have carefully compared ten adults 
from Costa Rica with five from Colombia and can find no way in which 
they differ. 

Our Perico female is not at all small, in all measurements being similar 
to females from Colombia and Costa Rica, and we believe the subspecies 
transandinus Berl. and Stolz. cannot be maintained. This was Hellmayr’s 
opinion, also. 

Pyrocephalus rubineus heterurus Berl. & Stolz. Hight specimens, 
one immature male and adults of both sexes, Paita, Sullana, Huan- 
cabamba, and Bellavista, July, August and September. 

A very conspicuous and abundant bird in all of the lowlands. 

Empidochanes pecilurus peruanus Berl. & Stolzm. Two adults, 
o@ and 9, Charapi and Perico, September. 

Myiobius villosus Scl. One adult female, Perico, September 12. 

Myiobius cinnamomeus cinnamomeus (d’Orb. & Lafr.). One 
adult female, Tabaconas, August 29. 

Myiochanes fumigatus ardesiacus (Lafr.). Two adult males, 
Tabaconas, August 29 and September 2. : 

Myiochanes punensis (Lawr.). Three adults, two males and a female, 
Huanecabamba, August. 

Myiophobus fasciatus saturatus Berl. & Stolam. Three specimens, 
one immature female, and adult male and female, Huancabamba, 
August. 

Sayornis nigricans angustirostris Berl. & Stolzm. One adult 
male, Perico, September 13. 

Our skin agrees in all color characters with Berlepsch and Stolzmann’s 
description of the central Peruvian form. Its bill, however, is not smaller 
than is usual in examples of S. . cineracea (Lafr.) from Venezuela and 
eastern Colombia. Berlepsch and Stolzmann in one of their papers 
(Ornis, Vol. XIII, p. 85) speak of a specimen with a larger bill than the 
type, and in another article refer a bird with a small bill from Ecuador to 
this form. The size of the bill would therefore seem to be somewhat 
variable, and we have little hesitation in allotting our specimen to this 
subspecies. 

Myiarchus tyrannulus chlorepiscius Berl. & Leverkiihn. Two 
adult males, Bellavista, September. 

Myiarchus ferox pheocephalus Scl. Four adults, both sexes, 
Bellavista and Perico, September. 

Myiarchus cephalotes Tacz. Two adults, male and female, Taba- 
conas, September. 

Myiarchus atriceps Cab. Two adults, male and female, Tabaconas, 
September. 

Myiarchus semirufus Scl. One adult female, Sullana, July 30. 

Tyrannus melancholicus melancholicus Vieill. Six adults, both 
sexes, Tabaconas, Huancabamba, and Bellavista, August and September. 

It was a rare exception to find a bird in several life zones. Nevertheless 


456 Banes AND Noste, Birds of Peru. Eves 


this species was observed everywhere but in the high mountains and along 
the coastal deserts. 


Mimide. 


Mimus longicaudatus punensis Hellmayr. Four adults, both sexes, 
Sullana, July. 

Although the Mockingbird was perhaps the most characteristic bird of 
the coastal deserts it was not seen at all in any of the deserts of the interior. 
At Sullana it was observed to feed on lizards (Tropidurus). 


Turdida. 


Turdus reevei Lawr. Three adults, one male, two females, Huanca- 
bamba, August. 

Turdus maculirostris Berl.? One immature female, Huancabamba, 
August 17. 

Apparently our bird belongs here, having but one immature specimen 
makes our identification not positive. 

Turdus gigas gigantodes Cab. Two specimens, male and female, 
both immature, Huancabamba, August. 

A very common species in all the highlands. 

Turdus chiguanco conradi Salv. & Festa. Seven specimens, one 
immature o’, and adults of both sexes, Huancabamba, August. 

The most abundant thrush in the central Andes of northern Peru. 

Turdus maranonicus Tacz. Seven adults, both sexes, Tabaconas, 
Perico, Bellavista, Charapi and Huancabamba, August and September. 

Unlike the two above mentioned species this thrush was found only in 
the trees or bushes. It was never seen in the open, feeding on the ground, 
like the other species. 


Polioptilide. 


Polioptila anteocularis maior Hellm. Two adult males, Huanca- 
bamba, August. 

Polioptila bilineata bilineata (Bp.). Twospecimens, male and female 
adult, Sullana, July 29. 

These clearly are referable to the typical form and not to P. b. andina 
Hellmayr of the Cajabamba region of northern Peru. 


Troglodytide. 


Heleodytes balteatus (Baird). Two adults, male and female, Sullana, 
July. 

The Cactus Wrens were perhaps the noisiest of the small birds found 
about Sullana. They were always fighting and their scolding note is very 
unpleasant. This cry is a raucous, gurgling sound emitted at short inter- 


Roa | Banes anp Nosux, Birds of Peru. 457 


vals and with great force. The sound is very rhythmic and often so pro- 
longed that it becomes exceedingly monotonous. 

Heleodytes fasciatus (Swainson). Five specimens, one immature 
male and adults of both sexes, Huancabamba, August. 

The young bird differs from the adult in having the whole crown uniform 
dark brown, and in having a conspicuous superciliary stripe. 

This form in spite of its decidedly darker coloration is possibly only 
subspecifically distinct from the former. The ranges of the two species are 
adjacent and apparently do not overlap. The light colored form ocgurs 
only in the coastal desert, and is replaced by the dark one at the foothills 
of the Andes. Both species,— or geographical races — were found abun- 
dantly, and their harsh scolding note was often heard, but never in the 
region east of Tabaconas. 

Pheugopedius sclateri (Tacz.). Two adults, male and female, 
Bellavista, September. 

Troglodytes musculus albicans Berl. & Tacz. Four specimens, 
three adult males and an adult female, Huancabamba and Bellavista, 
August and September. 

We have no hesitation in referring the three males taken at Huan- 
cabamba to this west Ecuador form, which they very closely resemble. 
The one adult female from Bellavista is however, slightly larger and darker 
in color, and though in somewhat well worn plumage, the obsolete dark 
barring of the back is more evident. It is, we consider, an intermediate 
approaching 7’. musculus tecellatus (Lafr. and d’Orb.). 


Corvide. 


Cyanocorax mystacalis (Geoffr.). One adult female, Sullana, August 
il 

On the western range of the Andes and even along the coast this Jay is 
fairly abundant, but it is replaced on the other ranges and in the interior 
by the following species. 

Xanthoura yncas yncas (Bodd.). Seven specimens, one immature 
male and adults of both sexes, Tabaconas, August and September. 

An adult male No. 79885 has a queer asymmetrical tail, which made 
him very conspicuous in life, as he hopped about in the scrub, occasionally 
spreading it. The three outer rectrices, normally yellow, on the left hand 
side are pinkish salmon color (varying on the different feathers or parts of 
the feathers from Orange Pink and Light Salmon Orange to Salmon Color, 
of Ridgway). A few of the under tail coverts and some feathers on the 
flank on the left side, are also of this pink color. 


Vireonide. 


Vireosylva chivi griseibarbatus Berl. & Tacz. Four adults, both 
sexes, Bellavista and Perico, September. 


[ocr 


458 Banas AND Nose, Birds of Peru. 

Vireosylva josephe josephe (Scl.). Two adult males, Tabaconas, 
August. 

Cyclarhis virenticeps Scl. One adult female, Tabaconas, September 
4. 

This bird was shot in a heavily wooded region, strongly Ecuadorean in 
its fauna (especially shown by the reptiles and amphibians), one of the 
very few really forested areas through which the expedition passed. 

Cyclarhis coutrerasi Tacz. Three specimens, one immature and two 
adywt females, Perico and Huancabamba, August and September. 

All three were taken in open, sandy country. 

The immature bird has the crown mixed ferruginous and green and gray, 
a ferruginous band surrounding the occiput and passing through the eye 
on each side to the front, which is also ferruginous. 

Both adults are extreme of this form; the bird from Tabaconas is an 
extreme of C. virenticeps and we are therefore forced to regard these two 
forms as distinct species. 


Hirundinide. 


Stelgidopteryx . ruficollis uropygialis (Lawr.). One adult male, 
Bellavista, September 24. 

Pygochelidon cyanoleuca (Vieill.). Six specimens, three immature, 
three adult, both sexes, Huancabamba, Perico and Charapi, August and 
September. 

The adults have completed or nearly completed the postnuptual moult, 
and are greenish steel blue above. In examining a large series from Costa 
Rica we find autumnal specimens constantly more greenish, steel blue less 
violaceous than spring killed examples. Peruvian birds agree exactly, so 
far as we can see, with the Costa Rican ones. On the other hand all skins 
from eastern Brazil to the Santa Marta region of Colombia, regardless of 
seasonal differences, are much more truly violaceous above, and while the 
difference is slight it appears to be constant and it may still be found 
expedient to use the name P. cyanoleuca montana (Baird) for the northern 
and western form. 


Mniotiltide. 


Myioborus verticalis verticalis (d’Orb. & Lafr.). Six adults, both 
sexes, Tabaconas and Huancabamba, August. 


Cerebide. 


Diglossopis cerulescens pallida Berl. & Stolzm. One adult (sex not 
determined), Tabaconas, September 3. 

This example is wholly referable to the southern form, agreeing per- 
fectly with a skin collected by O. T. Baron at Leimabumba, which had 
been determined by the late Count Von Berlepsch. 


‘ee | Bancs anp Nosie, Birds of Peru. 459 


Dacnis cayana glaucogularis Berl. & Stolzm. One adult male, 
Perico, September 12. 

Cereba magnirostris (Tacz.). Six adult males, Huancabamba, 
Perico and Bellavista, August and September. 

This is a very distinct form, its enormous bill (exposed culmen 16-18 mm.), 
grayish back and large white speculum at once separating it. Berlepsch 
and Stolzmann P. Z. 8., March 3, 1896, p. 337, have suggested that perhaps 
C. peruviana (Cab.) is an earlier name for the species. After carefully 
reading Cabanis’s original description we can see no way of ever being 
certain what his bird, based, he himself says, on an imperfect specimen, 
really was, and prefer for the present, anyway, to use Taczanowski’s 
appropriate name. 


Icteride. 


Ostinops alfredi alfredi (Des Murs). Ten adults, both sexes, Perico 
and Bellavista, September. 

Molothrus bonariensis occidentalis Berl. & Stolz. Seven adults, 
both sexes, Sullana, July and August. 

Only seen on the coastal deserts where it occurs in large flocks. 

Icterus mesomelas taczanowskii Ridg. Three adult males, Perico 
and Bellavista, September. 

Some of the natives at Sullana kept this Oriole as a cage bird. It is 
probable that they captured the bird in the immediate vicinity, although 
the expedition did not meet with it there. 

Trupialis bellicosa (De Filippi). Eight adult males, Huancabamba, 
August. 

Inhabits the grassy interandean valleys, never observed in the lowlands. 


Tanagride. 


Tanagra taczanowskii (Scl.). Nine adults, both sexes, Perico and 
Bellavista, September. 

Tanagra xanthogaster quitensis Nelson. One adult male, woods 
west of Perico, September 11. 

Compsocoma sumptuosa sumptuosa (Lesson). Two adults, male 
and female, Charapi, September 6. 

Tangara chilensis (Vig.). Four adult males, Charapi, September. 

Tangara pulchra pulchra (Tsch.). One adult male, Charapi, Sep- 
tember 12. 

Tangara gyroloides catharine Hellmayr. Two adults, male and 
female, Charapi, September 11. 


Tangara parzudakii florentes subsp. nov. 


One adult female, Charapi, September 6. 
Type from Charapi, northwestern Peru, adult 9, No. 79675, M. C. Z. 
Collected, September 6, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 


460 Banes anp Nosts, Birds of Peru. laa 


Characters. Similar to true 7. parzudakii (Lafr.) of Bogotd, but larger, 
and belly and under tail coverts much paler,— the belly Warm Buff, the 
under tail coverts pale Ochraceous Tawny. Wing, 87; tail, 57; tarsus, 
20.5; exposed culmen, 10 mm. 

Remarks. We have compared our bird with the two cotypes of the 
species and with ‘‘ Bogoté”’ skins, and believe, in spite of having but a 
single specimen, that it represents a well marked race. In “ Bogota” 
skins, the wing runs from 78 to 81 mm. 

Tangara cyaneicollis c#ruleocephala (Swains.). Two adults, male 
and female, Perico and Tabaconas, September. 

Tangara venusta (Sclater). Three adults, two males and a female, 
Charapi, September. 

Tangara argentea fulvigula Berl. and Stolz. Four adults, three males 
and a female, Tabaconas and Huancabamba, August and September. 

Thraupis celestis major (Berl. and Stolz.). Six specimens, one imma- 
ture female and adults of both sexes, Huancabamba and Tabaconas, 
August and September. 


Thraupis cana quaesita subsp. nov. 


Three adults, two males and a female, Sullana, July. 

Type from Sullana, northwestern Peru, adult o, No. 79692, M. C. Z. 
Collected, July 30, 1916, by G. K. Noble. 

Characters. Very similar to true 7. cana (Swainson) of Venezuela and 
northern Colombia, but darker in general coloration, grayish blue of under 
parts darker and bluer; back slightly darker; lesser and middle wing 
coverts much darker blue — Dark Diva Blue (Campanula Blue in true 
T. cana). 


Measurements. 
Exposed 
No. Ser. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. culmen. 
79692 oO ad. 90. 66. Papee Td 
79693 oO ad. 88. 67. 20. 8. 
79694 @ ad. 87. 65. 19. 7.5 


Remarks. Our three skins agree exactly among themselves, and cannot 
be matched in a very large series of true 7.cana. The darker and different 
blue of the wing coverts is the chief character of the new subspecies which 
occupies the extreme southwestern corner of the range of the species. 

The range of this subspecies apparently does not overlap that of Thraupis 
celestes major. This subspecies was found only in the coastal desert and 
never in the interior as the latter species. 

Thraupis darwini leta Berl. and Stolz. Twenty-one specimens, 
immature and adults of both sexes, Huancabamba, August. 

Sporothraupis cyanocephala cyanocephala (d’Orb. and Lafr.). 
One adult male, Tabaconas, September 2. 


a. | Banes AND Noste, Birds of Peru. 461 


Piranga testacea tschudii Berl. and Stolz. Eight specimens, one 
immature male, three adult (red) males and four females, Tabaconas and 
Huancabamba, August and September. 

On comparing these skins with the large series, including all the forms 
of testacea (except Piranga hemalea Salv. and Godman of Mt. Roraima 
which Berlepsch considers specifically distinct) in the Museum of Com- 
parative Zodlogy, it was at once apparent that the form occupying western 
Colombia needs a name. Of this bird we have nine specimens — six fully 
adult red males and three females, all collected by Mervyn G. Palmer, and 
received some few years ago from W. F. H. Rosenberg of London. They 
come from La Maria, Dagua Valley and San Antonio, Rio Cali. This 
form is nearer to true P. testacea Scl. and Salv. Nicaragua to Veragua and 
Chiriqui, than to any of the others, and has been referred to true testacea 
by Chapman in his ‘ Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia,’ we however, 
cannot agree to this and propose to call it 


Piranga testacea desidiosa subsp. nov. 


Type from La Maria, Dagua Valley, west Colombia, No. 23477 Bangs 
Coll. in M. C. Z., adult &. Collected May 23, 1908, by M. G. Palmer. 

Characters. Adult <, similar to same sex in P. testacea testacea Scl. & 
Salv. but more intense and brilliant red, lacking the dull brownish-red chest 
of true testacea; underparts scarlet red slightly paler and more scarlet on 
belly and but little shaded on sides and not at all on chest with brownish 
red; upper parts slightly richer brownish-red. Adult 9 similar to same 
sex in P. t. testacea but yellower, less greenish below. 

Hemithraupis guira guira (Linn.). One adult female, Perico, Sep- 
tember 11. 

Thlypopsis inornata (Tacz.). Six adults, both sexes, Tabaconas, 
Bellavista and Perico, September. 

Ramphocelus carbo connectens Beri. and Stolz. Nine adults, both 
sexes, Perico and Bellavista, September. 

Tachyphonus rufus (Bodd.). Five adults, both sexes, Perico and 
Bellavista, September. 


Fringillide. 


Spinus ictericus peruanus Berl. Stolz. and Stolzm. 

Five specimens, one immature male and adults of both sexes, Bellavista 
and Huancabamba, August and September. Our specimens are not quite 
typical of true S. 7. perwanus of Central Peru, though probably nearer 
that form than any of the others. Compared with one or two specimens 
of peruanus they are brighter yellow below with brighter yellow rumps, 
thus closely approaching S. 7. allent Ridg. of Matto Grosso, but our birds 
have grayish not olive-yellow edges of tertials. They differ at once from 


462 Banes AND Nose, Birds of Peru. lan 


S. i. capitalis (Cab.) in being smaller and in having yellow not white 
femoral region. On the whole we feel content to call them, for the present, 
peruanus somewhat approaching allent. 

Astragalinus psaltria croceus (Jouy). Four adults, one male, three 
females, Bellavista, September. 

The male and one of the females are extreme of this form, with the maxi- 
mum amount of white in the tail; the male with the characteristic light. 
yellow underparts. Of the two remaining females, one has very little 
white, this whitish not pure white, in the tail; the other none. We can- 
not however, bring ourselves to refer these two to another form — A. p. 
columbianus (Lafr.). 

This was written before the appearance of Chapman’s ‘ Distribution of 
Bird-Life in Colombia’ and we refer to his remarks, p. 564, where the equally 
puzzling examples from Colombia are discussed at length. 

Myiospiza aurifrons (Spix). Three adults, one male, two females, 
Bellavista, September. 

Brachyspiza capensis peruviana (Less.). Eight adults, both sexes, 
Huancabamba, August. 

Phrygilus alaudinus (Kittl.). One adult female, Huancabamba,. 
September 3. 

Phrygilus ocularis Scl. Six specimens, two immature males and 
adults of both sexes. Huancabamba and Sullana, August. 

Coryphospingus cucullatus (Miill.). Two adult males, Bellavista. 
and Perico, September. 

Sicalis flaveola (Linn.). Three adult males, Huancabamba, Sullana,. 
and Bellavista, August and September. 

Volatinia jacarini splendens (Vieill.). Four specimens, one im- 
mature male, and three adult males, Bellavista, September. 

These do not appear to differ from Central American examples. One 
adult male has the under wing coverts and axillars wholly black; the others’ 
have some slight admixture of white, but only to the same extent often 
shown by specimens from the very northern part of the range of the sub- 
species. 

Piezorhina cinerea Lafr. Two adults, male and female, Sullana, 
July. 

Sporophila simplex (Tacz.). One adult male, Bellavista, September 
20. 

Sporophila gutturalis inconspicua Berl. and Stolzm. One female, 
Bellavista, September 25. 

It is doubtful if the subspecies can with certainty, be told by a single: 
female, and we refer our bird to inconspicua, only because the chances. 
seem to favor its being that form. 

Catamenia homochroa Scl. Two immature males, Tabaconas, 
September. 

Pheucticus chrysogaster (Less.). Six adults, both sexes, Huan- 
cabamba, August. 


Soe | OxBERHOLSER, Notes on North American Birds. 463 


Saltator striatipectus peruvianus Cory. Six adults, both sexes, 
Huancabamba, August. 

Cory’s seven specimens, upon which he based this subspecies were from 
Hda. Limon, 10 miles west of Balsas, northern Peru, and agree almost 
perfectly with ours. Possibly ours are not quite so dark. 


NOTES ON NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 
VI. 
BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


THE present paper continues the writer’s notes on North Ameri- 
can birds.! In the following pages there are discussed six species 
and subspecies, belonging to the families Alcedinide, Tytonide, 
Certhiide, Paride, Mniotiltide, and F ringulide. 


Streptoceryle alcyon caurina (Grinnell). 


The western form of Streptoceryle alcyon was originally described 
by Dr. Joseph Grinnell,’ from a specimen taken on Montague 
Island, Prince William Sound, Alaska. Its geographic distribu- 
tion has been considered to extend in western North America from 
Alaska to western Mexico. Recently, however, its validity as a 
race has been questioned,®? because of the occurrence in British 
Columbia of specimens similar to eastern birds. A good series of 
eastern examples, however, compared with Pacific Coast birds, 
shows that Streptoceryle alcyon caurina is a readily recognizable 
race. That specimens occur difficult to distinguish does not of 
course invalidate a subspecies which is based, and properly so, on 


TS sa Se ee ae 


1 For previous papers in this series, cf. ‘The Auk,’ XXXIV, April, 1917, pp. 191-196; 
XXXIV, July, 1917, pp. 321-329; XXXIV, October, 1917, pp. 465-470; XXXV, January, 
1918, pp. 62-65; and XXXV, April, 1918, pp. 185-187. 

2 Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., V, No. 12, March 5, 1910, p. 388, fig. 4. 

3 Taverner, Summary Rep. Geol. Surv. Dept. Mines Canada, for 1916 (1917), p. 361. 


on 


464 OBERHOLSER, Notes on North American Birds. Oct. 


average characters. It seems worth while also to call attention 
to the point that the larger general size of Streptoceryle alcyon 
caurina is a better and more reliable character for the identification 
of specimens than the long wing tip, since the latter is liable to be 
affected by the makeup of the skin. 


Tyto- pratincola (Bonaparte). 


Mr. Ridgway has recently ! placed the American Barn Owl (Tyto 
pratincola) as a subspecies of the South American Tyto perlata. 
Comparison, however, of a series of specimens of Tyto pratincola 
with examples of the European Tyto alba alba and Tyto alba guttata 
indicates that the North American bird is only subspecifically 
related to the races of Europe. It differs from Tyto alba alba in its 
larger size, darker coloration above, and usually more ochraceous 
suffusion below. The difference in coloration, however, is not 
strongly marked, and is at once seen to be but average; and T'yto 
pratincola is in this respect even more like Tyto alba guttata of 
middle Europe than like Tyto alba alba of the Mediterranean region. 
The larger size of the American bird is really the only striking 
character which separates it from the European forms; but even 
this, on comparison with a sufficient number of specimens, proves 
to be bridged over by individual variation. In fact, many speci- 
mens of South American races which certainly but subspecifically 
differ from Tyto pratincola are of practically the same size as 
European birds. There seems, therefore, no alternative but to 
consider the American Barn Owl a subspecies of the typical Euro- 
pean bird, and its name will therefore become Tyto alba pratincola. 


Certhia familiaris americana Bonaparte. 


In a comparatively recent publication,? Dr. C. E. Hellmayr has 
treated Certhia familiaris americana and all the other American 
forms of this genus as subspecies of Certhia brachydactyla Brehm. 


1 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, part VI, 1914, pp. 601, 602, 605. 
2 Wytsman’s Genera Avium, XV, 1911, p. 8. 


va EY | OBERHOLSER, Notes on North American Birds. 465 
This latter species differs from Certhia familiaris Linneeus princi- 
pally in its shorter, more curved hind claw and its longer bill. The 
color differences assigned by Dr. Hellmayr for these two species do 
not always correlate with the structural characters. There seems 
to be some mistake in this allocation of the American forms, since 
Certhia familiaris americanais very closely allied to Certhia familiaris 
familiaris of Europe, and, judging by the shape and size of its 
hind claw and bill, certainly conspecific. All the American forms 
are well known to be certainly but subspecifically different from 
Certhia familiaris americana, and, therefore, all should be regarded, 
as they formerly have been, subspecies of Certhia familiaris 
familiaris. 


Penthestes carolinensis (Audubon). 


In a revision of the Paride, published a few years ago,! Dr. 
C. E. Hellmayr relegated Penthestes carolinensis (Audubon) to 
subspecific rank under Penthestes atricapillus (Linneus). <A close 
study of these birds in life and in the cabinet indicates that this 
view of their relationship does not best represent the facts; for, 
while the characters of plumage and of size separating them are 
relatively slight, these are likewise relatively constant, and it is 
possible to identify all normal specimens. Their songs, or rather 
love notes, are radically different in quality and form and can 
never be mistaken. Furthermore, wherever their breeding ranges 
meet or overlap, as they do in places in the eastern United 
States, particularly in the southern Allegheny Mountains, both 
birds remain just as distinct in all respects as elsewhere. Hence 
they should evidently be considered distinct species. 


Dendroica coronata hooveri McGregor. 


This race of the Myrtle Warbler was originally described by Mr. 
R. C. McGregor ? from a specimen taken at Palo Alto, California. 
Most subsequent authors, however, with the exception of Dr. 


1 Wytsman’s Genera Avium, XVIII, 1911, p. 34. 
2 Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, I, No. 2, March, 1899, p. 32. 


[axe 


466 OBERHOLSER, Notes on North American Birds. Oct. 


Joseph Grinnell and a few western ornithologists, have refused it 
recognition, and Mr. J. H. Riley has recently | expressed serious 
doubts regarding its validity. Its failure of recognition has 
probably been due chiefly to the statement of the original describer, 
that it differs from Dendroica coronata coronata only in somewhat 
greater size. Examination of a large series now shows that Den- 
droica coronata hooveri is a recognizable race and that it differs from 
Dendroica coronata coronata not only in its larger size but in the 
coloration of male, female, and even young. The male has less 
black on the lower parts, that on the jugulum and on the sides of 
the breast being more broken by white; and the yellow of rump 
averages paler. The female has the upper parts more grayish 
(less rufescent brownish) and also the yellow of the rump usually 
somewhat lighter. Juvenal birds are usually darker, duller, less 
rufescent brown above than examples of Dendroica coronata 
coronata in the same stage. 

The geographic distribution of Dendroica coronata hooveri is as 
follows: Western North America. Breeds north to northwestern 
Mackenzie, northern Yukon, and north central Alaska; west to 
western Alaska; south to southern Alaska, central British Colum- 
bia, and central Alberta; and east to eastern Alberta and central 
Mackenzie. Winters north at least to California, New Mexico, 
and Texas; south to the state of Vera Cruz in Mexico, and south- 
ern Lower California. 


Acanthis hornemanni exilipes (Coues). 


Redpolls are among the most difficult of American Fringillide. 
The relationships of the forms of the genus Acanthis were for many 
years imperfectly understood. Recently, also, the subspecific 
assignment of Acanthis hornemanni exilipes has been questioned,” 
but on the basis of winter specimens, which are always more or 
less unsatisfactory for the delimitation of geographic races. It is 
claimed by this author? that Acanthis hornemanni exilipes is a 


1 Canadian Alpine Journal, Special Number, 1912 [February 17, 1913], pp. 70-71. 
2 Brooks, ‘ The Auk,’ XX XIV, No. 4, January, 1917, p. 44. 
3 Brooks, loc. cit. 


ee OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. 467 


subspecies of Acanthis linaria, because it intergrades perfectly 
with that species, but not with Acanthis hornemanni. While of 
course in some plumages certain specimens are difficult to dis- 
tinguish, the same is true of many another distinct species. Pres- 
ent comparisons, based on specimens in breeding plumage, show 
that Acanthis hornemanni exilipes and Acanthis linaria linaria are 
usually separable by the white rump and the slight streaks on the 
under tail-coverts of the former, which are the characters that ally 
Acanthis hornemanni exilipes to Acanthis hornemanni hornemanna; 
in fact, in ordinary condition Acanthis hornemanni exilipes is a 
miniature of Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni, though it averages 
somewhat darker. A further and serious obstacle to considering 
Acanthis. hornemanni exilipes a subspecies of Acanthis linaria 
lnaria is that both breed on the same ground over a wide geo- 
graphic area extending from Ungava to southern Keewatin and 
Alaska, and that they retain their distinctive characters every- 
where, although apparently sometimes hybridizing. It is evident, 
therefore, that whatever the relationship of Acanthis hornemanni 
exilipes to Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni, the former cannot 
by any means be a subspecies of Acanthis linaria. 


THE SUBSPECIES OF LARUS HYPERBOREUS 
GUNNERUS. 


BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER. 


No subspecies of Larus hyperboreus have hitherto been formally 
recognized. Recent investigation, however, has shown that the 
bird of Alaska, described by Mr. Ridgway as Larus barrovianus, is a 
readily separable race. Its relationships with Larus hyperboreus 
hyperboreus are set forth below. 

For the purpose of the present study the writer has been priv- 
ileged to examined 240 specimens, including the type of Larus 
barrovianus, which number represents the entire material of this 


lace 


468 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. Oci. 


species in the collections of the following institutions and indi- 
viduals: the United States National Museum, including the 
Biological Survey; the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 
delphia; the American Museum of Natural History; the Museum 
of Comparative Zodlogy; and the Brooklyn Museum of Arts and 
Sciences; Mr. John E. Thayer, Mr. William Brewster, Mr. A. C. 
Bent, Dr. J. Dwight, Dr. L. B. Bishop, and Dr. L. C. Sanford. 


Larus hyperboreus hyperboreus Gunnerus. 


[Larus] glaucus Briwnnicu, Ornith. Bor., 1764, p. 44 (Iceland) (nec 
Larus glaucus Pontoppidan, 1763, qui Larus canus Linnzeus). 

Larus hyperboreus GUNNERUS, in Leem’s Beskr. Finm. Lapper, 1767, 
p. 226, footnote (northern Norway). 

Larus giganteus BENIcKE, Ann. Wetterau. Gesellsch., III, 1812, p. 140 
(Baltic Sea, northern Europe) (Temminck MS.). 

Larus maximus O’Rettty, Greenland, the Adjacent Seas, etc., 1818, 
p. 141, pl. XIII (Greenland Seas) (nee Larus maximus Forster, 1817, 
qui Larus marinus Linneus) (Bullock MS.). 

Larus leuceretes ScHLEEP, Ann. Wetterau. Gesellsch., IV, Heft II, 1819, 
p. 314 (in text) (far north [of Europe]; accidental on coast of Germany) 
(Meyer MS.). 

Larus consul Born, (Wiedemann’s) Zool. Mag., I, pt. III, 1819, p. 126 
(near Helsingér, Denmark). 

Larus medius Breum, Beitr. Vogelk., III, 1822, p. 810 (Seeland L., 
Denmark). 

Larus islandicus EpmMonston, Mem. Wern. Soc., IV, 1822, p. 185. 

Larus minor Brexm, Handb. Naturg. Vég. Deutschl., 1831, p. 736 
(nom. nov. pro Larus medius Brehm). 

Larus glacialis BrexM, Lehrb. Naturg. Europ. Vogel, II, 1824, p. 704 
(extreme northern colony of Greenland) (Benicke MS.). 

Larus Hutchinsii RicHarpson, Fauna Bor.-Amer., II, 1831 (1832), p. 
419 (Albany River, Ontario). 

Cuars. suBsp.— Size large; mantle pale. 

M®EASUREMENTS.!— Male: wing, 457-483 (average, 468) mm.;_ tail, 
190-213 (198); exposed culmen, 60-69 (63.8); height of bill at base, 21-26 
(23); tarsus, 70-75 (72); middle toe with claw, 69-74 (71). 

Female: wing, 432-451 (average, 441) mm.; tail, 184-206 (191); ex- 
posed culmen, 56-61 (57.9); height of bill at base, 19-22 (20.2); tarsus, 
66-73 (69); middle toe with claw, 63-72 (67). 


1 From Dwight, ‘ The Auk,’ XXIII, No. 1, January, 1906, p. 28, except for dimensions 
of bill, which have been remeasured for the present use. 


Molex ” OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. 469 


Type LocaLiry.— Northern Norway. 

GEOGRAPHIC. DISTRIBUTION.— Europe, Asia, eastern and middle North 
America. Breeds north to Wrangell Island in northeastern Siberia, New 
Siberia Islands north of Siberia, Crown Prince Rudolph Island in Franz 
Josef Land, Spitzbergen, northern Greenland, Grant Land, and Prince 
Patrick Island in Franklin Territory; west to Prince Patrick Island, 
Melville Island, and Coronation Gulf in Mackenzie; south to Coronation 
Gulf, Cape Fullerton in Keewatin, Great Whale River in central western 
Quebec (Ungava), Newfoundland, Hopedale in eastern Labrador, southern 
Greenland, Iceland, northern Norway, and the coast region of north- 
eastern Europe and northern Siberia; and east to the Pribilof Islands, 
Alaska, and the Diomede Islands, northeastern Siberia. Winters north 
to the coast region of northern Siberia, the coast of northern Europe, 
Iceland, southern Greenland, and Baffin Land; and south to Japan, the 
northern part of the Caspian Sea, Akaba on the northern part of the Red 
Sea, Gibraltar, England, Ireland, North Carolina, northern Pennsylvania, 
northwestern Indiana, and casually to northern Texas. 


© 

Remarks.— In this, the typical form of the species, the mantle is 
very constantly pale, but size as a differential character is more 
variable. Birds from Davis Strait and Cumberland Sound, west 
of Greenland, seem to be as large and pale as Old World examples. 
All of the birds examined from eastern Siberia and Japan belong 
also to this race. A single adult from Walrus Island in the Pribilof 
group, taken, June 13, 1890, and now in the United States National 
Museum, is very large and pale; in fact, is of maximum size, and 
in color fully as light as the palest specimens of the present race; 
and, since the species is known to breed on this island, probably 
represents the resident form. A single specimen from Akaba on 
the northeastern arm of the Red Sea is the southernmost record 
for any form of Larus hyperboreus. 

The well-known wholly white plumage phase of this gull, which 
was described by Richardson as Larus hutchinsii,! seems to be, as 
indicated by Dr. J. Dwight,? a subadult plumage of the second 
year, although it is possible that not all individuals pass through 
this condition. As explained under Larus hyperboreus barrovianus, 
the specimen of Glaucous Gull already recorded from northern 
Texas proves to belong to that race; but there is in the collection 


1 Fauna Bor.-Amer., II, 1831 (1832), p. 419 (Albany River, Ontario). 
2° The Auk,’ XXIII, No. 1, January, 1906, p. 32. 


foe 


470 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. Oct. 


of the Museum of Comparative Zoélogy at Cambridge, Massa- 
chusetts, where it is number 32371, an additional Texas specimen, 
taken by Mr. G. H. Ragsdale in northern Texas, presumably near 
Gainesville, but without exact date of capture, which is an example 
of Larus hyperboreus hyperboreus. 

The name Larus glaucus Briinnich,! which has until recently 
been used for this species, is found to be preoccupied by Larus 
glaucus Pontoppidan,? which is a synonym of Larus canus Linnzeus. 
The proper name for the species, therefore, becomes Larus hyper- 
boreus Gunnerus,’? which, in point of date, is the next available 
name. 

Of Larus hyperboreus hyperboreus 129 specimens have been 
examined, from the localities in the subjoined list: 

Alaska.— Walrus Island, Bering Sea (June 13, 1890). 

Franklin.— Brevoort Island, Ellesmere Land (May 21, 1900; 
June 10, 1901; Aug. 1, 1900; July 25, 1900 [nestling]); Rice 
Strait, Ellesmere Land (June 5 and 8, 1901); Cape Sabine, Elles- 
mere Land (Sept. 15, 1900); Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere Land 
(June 10 and 16, 1901); Alexander Haven, Ellesmere Land (July 
25, 1900); Cumberland Sound (June 27, 1878; Sept. 6, 1878); 
Niantilik, Cumberland Sound (Aug. 8, 1876; Sept. 17, 1877); 
Observatory Island, head of Cumberland Sound (June 4 and 6, 
1878); Davis Strait (Aug. 12 and 15, 1879); Cary Island, Baffin 
Bay (July 24, 1894); Simpson Bay, Victoria Land (July 26, 
1911 [nestling]); Meteorite Island (Aug. 13, 1897 [nestling]). 
 Greenland.— Sukkertoppen (Sept. 1, 1904; Oct. 24, 1905; 
April 25, 1906; Dec. 3, 1909); Kahkoktah Cove (Sept. 1, 1893); 
Anniversary Lodge (Sept. 11, 1893); Bowdoin Bay (Sept. 9, 1893); 
McCormick Bay (Aug. 4, 1892 [nestling]); Robertson Bay (Aug. 
23, 1892); Itiblu (July 22, 1892); Littleton Island (July 22 and 27, 
1892); Cape York (July 26, 1892); Port Foulke; Holsteinborg 
(June 20, 1895; July 6, 1895; May 12, 1897; Sept. 21, 1898); 
Parker Snow Bay (Aug. 11, 1896); Julianehaab (April 6, 1908; 
May 4, 1909); Nyskotefjord (Aug. 17, 1900); Etah (July, 1910); 


1 Ornith. Bor., 1764, p. 44 (Iceland). 
2 Danske Atlas, I, 1763, p. 622. 
3 In Leem’s Beskr. Finm. Lapper, 1767, p. 226 (footnote). 


Vol. X*V]  Opernoiser, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. 471 


Umanak (August, 1896); Hakluyt Island (July 19, 1901); North- 
umberland Island (July 11, 12, and 18, 1901). 

Labrador.— Ramah (July, 1898); Lance au Loup (Dee. 1 and 
17, 1899); Okak (July 19, 1896); Ailik (Nov., 1899); Nakvak 
(autumn, 1883). 

Mackenzie.— Coronation Gulf (July 20, 1911 iieatlie June 
15) 1011), 

New Brunswick.— Grand Manan I. (March, 1883; March 1, 
1884; Feb. 10, 1898; Jan. 25, 1874). 

Newfoundland.— Curselet (Dec. 31, 1894). 

Nova Scotia.— Sable Island (Jan. 2, 1895; Feb. 12, 1895). 

Quebec.— Tadousac (winter, 1901); Fort Chimo, Ungava (Dec. 
18, 1882). 

Maine.— Portland (Jan. 19, 1900; Mar. 4, 1891); Kittery Point, 
York County (Feb. 14, 1891); Ilsford (Dec. 20, 1886). 

Massachusetts —— Charles River, Boston (April 4, 1881); Chatham 
(Feb. 13, 1917). 

New York.— Washington County (January, 1860); Sag Harbor, 
Suffolk County (Dec. 11, 1890); Montauk, Long Island (Feb. 8, 
1890). 

Texas — [near Gainesville]. 

Great Britain.— Breakness, Orkney Islands (March 18, 1869). 

Norway.— Bergen (Feb. 2, 1882). 

Spitzbergen.— Isfjarden (June 16, 1900); Green Harbor (August, 
1881). 

Japan.— Otaru, Hokkaido Island (Feb. 20, 1899); Shiribeshi 
(November, 1906); Hakodate (March 25, 1887). 

Siberia.— Kolyuchin Bay (July 9, 1909 [5 nestlings]); Cape 
Serdze (July 29, 1910); Novo Marinsk, at head of Gulf of Anadyr 
(1901); Diomede Islands, Bering Strait (July, 1881); Gichiga 
(Sept. 21, 1900); Whalen Bay (July 20, 1910); Indian Point 
(August 9, 1910); Cape Bolshaja Baranow (July 6, 1912); Koliut- 
schin Island (July 3 and 9, 1909 [nestlings]); northeastern Siberia 
(June 4 and 5, 1907); Semiavine Strait (= St. Lawrence Bay). 

Turkey in Asia.— Akaba, Red Sea (April 18, 1914). 


472 OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. four 


Larus hyperboreus barrovianus Ridgway. 


Larus barrovianus Ripaway, ‘ The Auk,’ III, No. 3, July, 1886, p. 330 
(Point Barrow, Alaska). 

Cuars. suBsP.— Similar to Larus hyperboreus hyperboreus, but smaller, 
the bill particularly so, and relatively as well as actually more slender; 
mantle decidedly darker; and the line of demareation between the white 
tips to the primaries and the pale grayish basal portions usually more 
evident. 

MEASUREMENTS.'— Male: wing, 444-470 (average, 458) mm.;_ tail, 
178-197 (189); exposed culmen, 56-65 (61.1); height of bill at base, 20-22 
(20.9); tarsus, 69-74 (71); middle toe with claw, 66-72 (69). 

Female: wing, 425-457 (average, 436) mm.; tail, 171-190 (180); ex- 
posed culmen, 46-60 (52.7); height of bill at base, 17-21 (18.7); tarsus, 
62-73 (66); middle toe with claw, 58-71 (63). 

Typr LocaLiry.— Point Barrow, Alaska. 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.— Western North America. Breeds on the 
Arctic coast and islands north to Franklin Bay, northwestern Mackenzie, 
Hershel Island, Yukon, and Point Barrow, Alaska; west to the western 
coast of Alaska and to Unalaska Island; south to Unalaska Island, Amak 
Island, and the coast region of northern Yukon and northwestern Mac- 
kenzie; east to Amak Island, and the coast region of western Alaska and 
Franklin Bay in northwestern Mackenzie. Winters north to the Pribilof 
Islands and the Aleutian Islands; and south along the Pacific Coast to 
Monterey, California. Accidental in northern Texas. 


Remarks.— Mr. Robert Ridgway first noticed the differences 
characterizing this race, and many years ago described it from a 
specimen taken at Point Barrow, Alaska, as a distinct species, 
under the name Larus barrovianus.2 His emphasis on the rela- 
tively greater depth of the bill at the angle of the gonys, as com- 
pared with its depth at base, which now proves to be an inconstant 
character, was the evident reason for the rejection of the form by 
Dr. Dwight,’ and its relegation as a synonym to Larus hyper- 
boreus. Although the relatively greater depth of the bill at the 
angle of the gonys proves to be valueless as a character to separate 
Larus barrovianus, this bird is very readily recognizable by its 
usually smaller size and particularly smaller bill, but especially 


1From Dwight, ‘ The Auk,’ XXIII, No. 1, January, 1906, p. 28, except for dimensions 
of bill, which have been remeasured for the present use. 

2° The Auk,’ III, No. 3, July, 1886, p. 330. 

3‘ The Auk,’ XXIII, No. 1, January, 1906, pp. 27-29. 


wwf 


oe el OBERHOLSER, Subspecies of Larus hyperboreus. 473 
by its decidedly darker mantle. Although it really is but sub- 
specifically different from Larus hyperboreus, the restoration of 
this form of Mr. Ridgway’s to standing among North American 
gulls is a pleasurable privilege. 

This race appears to be confined in the breeding season to Alaska 
and the territories of Yukon and western Mackenzie. No Japanese 
specimens have been detected among those examined, but itis not 
at all unlikely that Larus hyperboreus barrovianus does occasionally 
migrate to Japan. The specimen of Glaucous Gull already re- 
corded from the Red River in Clay County, Texas, proves to 
belong to the present race. The type of Larus hyperboreus barro- 
vianus is No. 88913 of the United States National Museum register, 
and is still in the collection. It was taken on August 4, 1882, by 
Middleton Smith, at Point Barrow, Alaska. It agrees with other 
specimens of this subspecies in size, but is somewhat paler.on the 
mantle than usual individuals, and is possibly not quite adult. 

We have examined 111 specimens of the present race, from the 
following localities: 

Alaska.— St. Michael (June 15, 1880; June, 1866; Sept. 21, 
1877; Sept. 18, 1875; Sept. 1, 1876; July 15, 1866; July 15, 1915; 
Sept. 3, 8, and 13, 1899; June 28, 1915; Aug. 8 and 14, 1915); 
Point Barrow (Aug. 5 and 18, 1882; July 26, 1883; May 21, 1881; 
Sept. 9 and 15, 1882; June 1, 1882; Sept. 5, 17, 23, and 28, 1897; 
Aug. 11, 20, 24, 26, and 27, 1897; June 1, 2, 8, and 17, 1898; Oct. 
5, 1897); Kowak River; St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands (June 
21, 1890); Bethel (July 14, 1914; Aug. 18, 1914; July 24, 1915); 
Unalaska, Unalaska I. (June 9, 1911; Nov. 1, 1903; Nov. 12, 1904); 
Beaver Inlet, Unalaska Island (July 4, 1901 [nestling]); near 
Bering Strait; Nome (Sept. 19 and 21, 1913; Sept. 2 and 11, 1910; 
July 28, 1902; Aug. 20, 1903; Aug. 10, 1902; Sept. 14, 1900; 
summer, 1901); Pikmiktalik River (July 1-15, 1877); Amak 
Island (July 18, 1911 [nestling]; Camden Bay (Aug. 4, 1913); 
Port Clarence (July 27, 1895; July 24, 1897); Yukon Delta (June 
29, 1914); Wainwright Inlet (Aug. 17, 1914); Gwydyr Bay (July 
16, 1910); Barter Island (Sept. 4, 1908); Kulugrua River (July 
13, 1898 [nestling]); Demarcation Point (June 10, 1914); Griffin 
Point (July 12, 1914); Nelson Island (July 24, 1911); near Flaxman 
Islands, Arctic Ocean (July 31, 1913); Chamisso I. (Aug. 1, 1914). 


474 General Notes. Wes 


British Columbia.— Comox (Nov. 9 and 15, 1903). 

Mackenzie.— Langton Bay, arm of Franklin Bay (Sept. 12, 
1910); Franklin Bay (June, 1905); Mackenzie River Delta (July 
28, 1908; Sept. 8, 1909); mouth of Horton River, Franklin Bay 
(spring or summer, 1908). 

Yukon.— Mouth of Firth River (Aug. 1, 1914 [nestling]). 

California Monterey (Jan. 26, 1897; March 15, 1897); 
California (no further data given). 

Texas.— Red River in Clay County (Dec. 17, 1880). 

Washington. Tacoma (May 2, 1914); Seattle Harbor (May 
12, 1896). 


GENERAL NOTES. 


Cause of the “Fishy” Flavor of the Flesh of Wild Ducks.— Occa- 
sional specimens of wild ducks, apparently of any of the species, prove upon 
trial to have an unpleasant taste, which usually is called “fishy.” The 
general conclusion in such cases is that the particular bird involved ac- 
quired its unusual flavor by feeding upon fishes. In other words fishiness 
is caused by eating fishes and everything that lives upon fishes is fishy. 

To the writer it has long seemed that this theory, statement and con- 
clusion are open to challenge. In the first place the majority of the species 
of wild ducks ordinarily eat very few fishes and secondly it is entirely 
improbable that an individual wild duck would depart so widely from the: 
habitual feeding habits of its kind, and for so long a time, that as a result 
its flesh would be tainted. 

Let us inquire into the matter of fish-eating causing fishiness. The 
importance of plentiful and cheap sources of protein has led to investiga-- 
tions of the value of fish as food for various animals, and among other 
points, that of the influence of this food upon the meat and other products 
has received attention. Investigations of the United States Department 
of Agriculture are summarized! as follows: “ From the feeding experi- 
ments it appears that there has not been just cause for the assumption that. 
the feeding of fish meal of good quality imparts a fishy taint to such products 
as milk, butter, eggs and meat. .... if fed in reasonable amounts in con- 
junction with other foods.” 2 


1 Weber, F.C. Bull. 378, p. 20, 21, Aug. 22, 1916. 

2 This conclusion is corroborated in the following’ publications also. Live Stock Journ. 
(London), 77, 1913, No. 2039, pp. 463-4; Rev. Centro, Estud. Agron. y Vet., 7, 1914, No. 
72, pp. 258-270; Bull. 610, U.S. Dept. Agr. Dec. 7, 1917, pp. 9. 


vo | General Notes. 475 


What is the case with wild birds, even of those species that feed very 
largely upon fishes? William Brewster informs me that he has eaten young 
of both Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers and found them very good; 
the old birds he found tough and undesirable but not fishy. Dr. A. K. 
Fisher has tasted Mergansers of all three of our native species and reports 
that none of them tasted fishy. E. A. Preble agrees with this, but re- 
members that an adult Loon he tried was very bad and of a flavor he would 
eall fishy. Vernon Bailey says that in his experience Mergansers have a 
rank but not fishy taste, and that the Hooded Merganser in fall is as delicious 
as any duck. Dr. Fisher has eaten both Hell-divers and Eared Grebes and 
found neither of them fishy. The writer’s experience is the same; the 
latter has tested terns also and found them with a strong flavor like salted 
and smoked meat but not fishy. Mr. Preble has found young Gulls very 
palatable. Dr. Fisher gives the same finding for Razor-billed Auks and 
Murres. Bitterns are reported excellent by Messrs. Bailey and Brewster, 
the latter stating that one baked in a pit, was the most delicious bird he 
ever ate. The little Green Heron and Night Heron are favorably reported 
upon by Dr. Fisher. The Night Herons, or ‘Gros-becs’ as they are known 
in the region are a prized delicacy among the Louisiana Creoles. Mr. 
Brewster found Kingfishers very good. 

Now all of the birds above mentioned feed more or less extensively upon 
fishes, the approximate proportion of their diet consisting of fish being 
indicated in the following list: Grebes 25%, Loons 80%, Razor-billed Auk 
and Murres 60%, Gulls 50%, Terns 75%, Hooded Merganser 25%, other 
Mergansers 90%, Bittern 15%, Little Green Heron 40%, Night Heron 40%, 
and Kingfisher 75%. It is thus perfectly evident that even habitual feed- 
ing upon fishes to a large proportion of the total subsistence, does not 
necessarily cause a fishy flavor in the flesh of the predator. 

A fact that has a converse hearing upon the argument is that a definitely 
fishy flavor exists in various media with which fishes have no connection. 
For instance water in wells and even in large reservoirs and lakes some- 
times has a pronounced fishy taste. Public opinion attributes this to the 
influence of fishes in these bodies of water; the real cause however, is the 
presence of certain alge in great abundance.!. The development of a fishy 
flavor has been observed in milk and butter and seems to be due to chemical 
or bacterial changes when these products have an abnormally high acidity.” 
These cases establish the fact that fishy flavor does not necessarily result 
from contamination from fishes. 

From the facts adduced it appears that: (1) certain individual birds of 
species not habitual fish eaters have their flesh tainted by a flavor which 
popularly is called “ fishy,’ but that, (2) habitual fish-eating birds do not 
necessarily taste fishy nor do the products of animals fed upon fish-meal, 


1See Bull. 64, U.S. Bur. Plant Industry, 1904, 44 pp. 
2See Circ. 146, U. S. Bur. Animal Industry, 1909, 20 pp., and Research Bull. 38, Iowa 
Agr. Exp. Sta. 1917, pp. 235-246. 


A76 General Notes. lar 


as milk, butter, eggs and meat, and finally (3) a distinctly fishy flavor is 
evident in water, milk and butter under circumstances that preclude its 
being derived from fishes. I conclude therefore that the occasional so- 
called fishy bird probably does not taste thus because it has been feeding 
upon fishes. More probably the flavor of its flesh results from the physio- 
logical condition of the individual bird.1. It may be due to by-products of 
the breaking down of fat, the reserve upon which such an individual has 
made great drafts, and the process may be similar to what takes place in 
fishy butter— W. L. McAten, Washington, D. C. 


Cinnamon Teal (Querquedula cyanoptera) in North Dakota.— In 
the course of investigations of the wildfowl of North Dakota the writer 
was fortunate enough to find a pair of Cinnamon Teals (Querquedula 
cyanoptera) on June 15, 1918, in a slough adjoining Cherry Lake, Kidder 
County, in the south central part of the State. These birds were in the 
same pond with a number of Blue-winged Teals; were evidently mated; 
and were without much doubt breeding in the immediate vicinity. The 
locality is some three or four miles west of the northern end of Horsehead 
Lake, which is one of the largest lakes of the immediate region. So far 
as we are aware there is no other authentic summer record for the Cinna- 
mon Teal in North Dakota.— Harry C. OBERHOLSER, Washington, D. C. 


White-winged Scoter (Oidemia deglandi) in South Carolina.— A 
mature male of his species was taken by me on January 31, 1918, on the 
eastern branch of Cooper River. The water was perfectly fresh and no 
unusual weather conditions existed. The specimen was alone, flying quite 
low and vigorously. No others have been seen by me either then or at any 
other time.— E. A. Srwons, Charleston, S. C. 


The Specific Name of the Glossy Ibis.— The Glossy Ibis is commonly 
known scientifically as Plegadis autumnalis (Linneeus) (Tringa autumnalis 
Linnavus, in Hasselquist, Reise Palist., 1762, p. 306. [Egypt]). Since, 
however, Hasselquist’s Reise Palistina is merely a translation of the same 
book in Latin published prior to 1758, the scientific names it contains are 
undoubtedly untenable, according to the International Code of Nomen- 
clature, as interpreted by Opinion 57 of the International Commission on 
Zoological Nomenclature. If this be satisfactory as a guide for our North 
American ornithological nomenclature, as we think it should be, we must 
change the name of the Glossy Ibis from Plegadis autumnalis (Linnzeus) to 
Plegadis falcinellus (Linneeus) (Tantalus falcinellus Linnm=us, Syst. Nat., 
ed. 12, I, 1766, p. 241), as already shown by Mr. G. M. Mathews (Birds of 
Australia, III, pt. 5, 1914, pp. 396-397)— Harry C. OBERHOLSER, 
Washington, D.C. 


1 [t should be noted that animals in poor order often have a rank taste. 


Vol at | General Notes. AUT 


Nesting of the Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) in the Delaware 
Valley.— The Bittern is erroneously supposed to be a rare breeder in 
New Jersey, but recent researches by Mr. Richard C. Harlow along the 
maritime marshes have proven that it is a regular summer resident there; 
although it seems to be an extremely rare breeder anywhere in the Dela- 
ware Valley and particularly in the vicinity of Philadelphia. 

On June 5, 1915, while exploring the marshes and swamps along a small 
creek at Woodbury, Gloucester County, N. J., in company with Turner 
MeMullen, of Camden, N. J., we discovered a Bittern’s nest; it was placed 
flat upon the muddy ground near the edge of a small patch of calamus and 
contained three nestlings and one rotten egg. The young birds were about 
a week old and the egg contained a dead chick. The nest was a mass of 
green and dead reed stalks, unattached to the tules and was fairly well 
hidden. 

Woodbury is about eight miles from Philadelphia, to the south, situated 
upon Woodbury Creek and about a mile inland from the Delaware River. 
The nest was at the southern end of the town and is the first one 
ever found in the vicinity of Philadelphia, to my knowledge.— RicHARD 
F. Mitier, Philadelphia, Pa. 


Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Chicago.— On Sunday, April 14, 
1918, a friend and I were studying the birds in Jackson Park, Chicago, III. 
I was told that a specimen of Nyctanassa violacea had been seen in the park, 
At first I was incredulous, as the occurrence of this species in this latitude 
so early in the season is extremely unusual. Having approached within 
fifty feet of the bird I was able to assure myself of its identity. Un- 
fortunately I was unable to secure the specimen. The bird allowed me to 
study it at close range for several minutes. At the expiration of this time 
it flew, confirming my opinion that its wings were not clipped. The bird 
was observed by many others. The next day, although I searched dili- 
gently, I was unable to find it.— Natuan F. LEopo.p, JR., Chicago, Ill. 


The Black Vulture (Catharista urubu) in Indiana.— Professor 
Butler, in his ‘ Birds of Indiana’ p. 769, states that the Black Vulture is 
“‘ Resident in the southern part of the State; generally not numerous, but, 
in the lower Wabash Valley, at least from Knox County southward, it is 
common.” Mr. McdAtee, in his ‘ Birds of the University of Indiana,’ 
notes the bird as quite rare in the State. 

While en route from St. Louis to Washington on May 5, 1918, over the 
B. & O. Southwestern R. R., about five miles east of North Vernon, in 
Jennings County, Indiana, I saw two Black Vultures just after they had 
risen from the ground near the train and were ascending some thirty feet, 
where they joined a Turkey Vulture which was leisurely sailing around the 
locality — R. W. Witut1ams, Washington, D. C. 


A78 General Notes. [oct 


The Status of Buteo platypterus iowensis— The new race of Buteo 
platypterus described by the late Prof. B. H. Bailey as Buteo platypterus 
iowensis (‘The Auk,’ XXXIV, No. 1, January, 1917, p. 73) was based on a 
specimen from Eagle Lake, Hancock County, Iowa. Its distinction from 
Buteo platypterus platypterus consists in its sooty brown plumage both 
above and below; and its geographic distribution extends from Manitoba 
to Iowa. It develops, however, on further investigation that examples of 
Buteo platypterus of the ordinary light type inhabit the same breeding 
range in Manitoba, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Since, of course, two 
geographic races of the same species cannot have identical breeding areas, 
it follows that we must seek some other reason for the existence of the dark 
Broad-winged Hawks that live in the upper Mississippi Valley. Mr. 
Robert Ridgway has already recorded (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., [X, 1886, p. 
248) a dark Buteo platypterus from Iowa as an example of melanism in this 
species; and this evidently is the correct explanation. That nearly all 
these dark birds come from Iowa, Minnesota, and Manitoba is interesting, 
but does not militate against the view of their melanistic character, for it 
is well known that melanism and similar color phases may occur in one 
part of the range of a species and be totally absent in another. Further- 
more, melanism in the genus Buteo is of common occurrence; and notable 
examples of this are Buteo borealis, Buteo swainsoni, and Buteo ferox. 
From the foregoing it seems necessary to treat Buteo platypterus iowensis 
as a synonym of Buteo platypterus platypterus— Harry C. OBERHOLSER. 


Flight of Horned Owls in Canada.— The article by Mr. Arthur W. 
Brockway in ‘The Auk’ (Vol. XXXV, No. 3) upon the ‘ Large Flight of 
Great Horned Owls and Goshawks at Wadlyme, Connecticut’ has prompted 
me to revert to the subject in connection with the phenonenon here. Any 
occurrence of this nature is particularly interesting and especially so among 
the Raptores of the North. 

His information regarding the early November flight in Canada is per- 
fectly correct; vast numbers having appeared at that time throughout the 
country. Mr. C. W. Nash, of the Provincial Museum, Toronto, informed 
me that hundreds of Great Horned Owls were noted in that region and in 
every locality that I have visited the same news of excessive numbers of 
these birds has reached me. 

During the latter part of October, 1917, and the fore part of November 
I was in the wilderness northeast of Lake Superior. During my entire 
time there, I never once heard an owl, although they are frequently heard 
in wilderness camping. JI remarked on the apparent absence of the species 
at the time, and often sat alone on the quiet shores of the lake at night, 
listening for the voice I had learned to enjoy, but not once did a lonely 
“hoot ” disturb the silence of the solitude. 

Every one there also remarked on the scarcity of the Varying Hare, as 
compared with the numbers usually present. After the first fall of snow 


Vole | General Notes. 479 


I noted occasional signs, and also procured a specimen, but their numbers 
were negligible. Grouse too, were scarce. 

The significance of the whole thing dawned upon me when on November 
7, the first day after my return to Southern Ontario, I noted several Horned 
Owls, which was an uncommon occurrence. The day previous a friend had 
observed three. These birds were lazily perched in the open hardwoods 
enjoying the sunshine, and quite apparently oblivious to their surroundings. 
This is contrary to the usual secretive habits of the birds when here. 

Continuously throughout November these owls were frequently ob- 
served and many were shot for taxidermic purposes. After this month 
their numbers were reduced but signs of their killmg, usually a luckless 
‘Cottontail, was noted with greater frequency than is usually the case. 

Personally, the ingress of Goshawks was not noted as exceptional, 
although greater numbers may have prevailed in other localities. Each 
fall sees a certain influx of these destructive birds, with their bold propensi- 
ties for domestic fowl, much to the vexation of most poultry-men. 

To reiterate: The point of interest lies in the fact that the Horned Owls 
were apparently absent from the north country at the time of my trip 
‘October 20-November 6; common on my return to Preston, Ont. November 
7, and apparently so at other points in southern Canada; with their 
subsequent invasion of the northern States, which I assume immediately 
followed as indicated by Mr. Brockway’s communication to ‘ The Auk.’— 
J. Dewey Sopsr, Preston, Ont. 


Picoides arcticus in Florida.— Through the courtesy of Mr. J. D. 
Allen, of Mandan, North Dakota, the writer is privileged to record a 
specimen of the Black-backed, or Arctic, Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides 
arcticus), which Mr. Allen collected himself on Pablo Creek, northeastern 
Florida, about March 20, 1875. Pablo Creek enters the St. John River 
a few miles west of Mayport, and the point at which this Three-toed 
‘Woodpecker was taken lies well up toward the source of this stream, which 
would make it some distance southwest of Mayport, the exact number of 
miles being now not determinable. The specimen is an adult male in 
perfect plumage, although by reason of being mounted is now in somewhat 
‘dilapidated condition. It has never been out of Mr. Allen’s possession, 
and his recollection of the circumstances cf its capture are perrectly clear 
and conclusive. It is an astonishing record for the State of Florida, and 
one that is not likely ever to be duplicated. The occurrence of a far 
northern species such as this so far south of its normal range naturally 
invites speculation as to the probable cause of its presence there, but it 
‘certainly was not a cage bird — Harry C. OBERHOLSER, Washington, D.C. 


Early Nesting of the Northern Pileated Woodpecker in Penn- 
‘sylvania.— According to the experience of field odlogists of Pennsylvania, 
the right time to find fresh clutches of the Northern Pileated Woodpecker 


480 General Notes. me 


Oct. 


(Phleotomus pileatus abieticola) in this State is May 10-15, consequently 
I was surprised to find a nest on May 20, 1918, in northern Huntingdon 
County containing three nestlings about one week old. The nest was 
seventy feet up in the dead top of a large rock oak in a thick forest. 

Judging by the age of the young birds and allowing eighteen days for the 
incubation of the eggs, this early pair must have had a fresh set about 
April 25. 

Three other nests found by Richard C. Harlow and the writer this year, 
in the same county held fresh and slightly incubated eggs on May 16 and 17, 
respectively — RicHarp F. Mruumr, Philadelphia, Pa. 


Relative Length of the Intestinal Ca#ca in Trogons.— In his article 
on ‘ The Anatomy of the Cuban Trogon’ in ‘The Auk’ for July, 1918 
(p. 286), Dr. H. L. Clark records the length of the intestines and ceca of 
this trogon and remarks “ The ceca are thus relatively very long, much 
longer than in the species of Trogon and Pharomacrus examined by 
Garrod.” 

I have examined the viscera of twelve specimens, representing six species, 
of Central American Trogons. These with the four individuals recorded 
by Garrod and Clark give us for comparison a total of eight species be- 
longing to three very distinct groups of Neotropical Trogonidze. The 
following figures express the ratio of the length of the ceca to that of the 
intestines, the latter being represented by 100. 


Pharomachrus mocinno (7 specimens), 9.3 
Trogonurus mexicanus (1 specimen), 10.6 

4 puella (2 specimens), 13.8 

ss curucut (1 specimen), 14.6 
Chrysotrogon caligatus (1 specimen), 16.2 
Trogonurus elegans (2 specimens), 16.7 
Trogon melanocephalus (1 specimen), 17.2 
Priotelus temnurus (1 specimen), 17.8 


Thus in Pharomachrus the ceca average slightly more than one-eleventh 
of the total length of the intestinal tract, while in Priotelus they exceed 
one-sixth of the intestinal length. In Pharomachrus they are relatively 
shorter than in the other genera but Trogonurus mexicanus connects the 
two groups. The figures indicate that the ceca of Priotelus are a trifle 
longer than those of Trogonurus, Chrysotrogon and Trogon, but there is 
great individual variation in the length of these appendages and additional 
specimens will undoubtedly show that there is at most only a slight average 
difference— W. DEW. MILLER, American Museum of Natural History, 
New York City. 


The Range and Status of Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca Ridgway. 
— As information supplemental to Mr. H. 8. Swarth’s excellent revision 


‘ beac General Notes. ASI 


of the North American forms of the genus A phelocoma occurring on the 
Pacific coast (Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. Vol. 17, No. 13, Feb. 23, 1918, pp. 
405-422), the following may be of interest: 

The lack of pertinent material has led Mr. Swarth to restrict the dis- 
tribution of Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca to the extreme southern end 
of the Lower California peninsula, and because its range is thus seemingly 
isolated, to consider it a species distinct from Aphelocoma californica. 
Material in the Biological Survey Collection in the United States National 
Museum proves that jays of the A phelocoma californica type have a practi- 
cally continuous distribution throughout Lower California. Mr. Swarth 
refers to Aphelocoma californica obscura, or, as he calls it, Aphelocoma 
californica californica, specimens from Santana, which is some distance 
south of the San Pedro Martir Mountains, and about one-third of the way 
down the peninsula to Cape San Lucas, at approximately north latitude 
29° 20’. Birds from Yubay, Lower California, which lies only a short 
distance southeast of Santana in about north latitude 29° 15’, are de- 
cidedly intermediate between Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca, of the 
Cape San Lucas region, and Aphelocoma californica obscura of the San 
Pedro Martir Mountains, being darker both above and below than the 
former, but not sufficiently so to be referred to the latter. Birds from 
Calmalli, some distance farther southward, at about north latitude 
28° 15’, are nearly the same, though nearer in characteristics to A phelocoma 
californica hypoleuca; and a specimen from San Andres, between Yubay 
and Camalli, is similar. These seven specimens, together with specimens 
from San Bruno and Mulejé, which lie still farther to the south, form a 
complete chain of intermediates between Aphelocoma californica obscura 
and Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca, making necessary, of course, the 
use of a trinomial for the latter. The geographic distribution of Aphelo- 
coma californica hypoleuca should, therefore, be extended from the region 
about Cape San Lucas northward to the vicinity of Yubay, Lower Cali- 
fornia, at approximately North Latitude 29° 15’— Harry C. OBER- 
HOLSER, Washington, D. C. 


The Starling at Plattsburg, N. Y.— While at the second officers’ 
training camp, I observed a flock of five Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) flying 
over the town some time the first week in October, 1917. It is believed 
that this is the farthest north that this species has been noted.— LupLow 
Griscom, 2nd Lieut., Inf.,O. R. C. 


The Northernmost Record of I/cterus parisoruam.— While engaged 
in field work for the Biological Survey, the writer was fortunate enough 
to obtain a specimen of Icterus parisorum in central western Nevada, 
which considerably extends the range of the species. This bird is an adult 
female and was taken in the mountains ten miles east of Stillwater, Nevada, 
and northeast of Carson Lake. It was obtained on May 11, 1898, among 


482 General Notes. on 


the junipers in a little valley, and was accompanied by its mate, which 
Mr. Vernon Bailey was fortunate enough to collect at the same time. 
These captures extend the known range of the species one hundred miles 
north of Queen Mine, in the White Mountains of Nevada (cf. Fisher, North 
American Fauna, No. 7, 1893, page 76), its previous limit in this region. 
They also form the northernmost record of the species— Harry C. OBER- 
HOLSER, Washington, D. C. 
9 


The Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis) breeding near 
Boston.— On June 4, 1918, Miss Agnes J. Galligan discovered a pair of 
Juncos (Junco hyemalis hyemalis) in some rocky oak woods in West 
Roxbury, Mass. I visited the place with her on June 7 and found the male 
bird with one young one in the speckled juvenal plumage, pretty well 
fledged and able to fly. We did not see the female, and we saw but the 
one young bird, though I thought at one time that I heard another calling. 
The note of the young was a trisyllabic z%-zi-zi. On July 1, Miss Galligan 
found the pair in another locality, about an eighth of a mile away, feeding 
a young bird which was evidently of a second brood, as it could not fly 
and was apparently just out of the nest. I visited the spot July 3, but 
saw nothing of the birds in the limited time at my disposal, though I heard 
the male singing. The breeding of the Junco in eastern Massachusetts 
is sufficiently uncommon to make the occurrence seem worth recording, 
especially as it is evident that two broods were hatched. West Roxbury 
is a part of Boston, and I know of no previous record of the breeding of this 
species within the limits of that city.— Francis H. Auten, West Roxbury, 
Mass. 


Blue-winged Warbler Once More Nesting at South Sudbury, 
Mass.— On May 24, 1918, in a walk in South Sudbury in the Wayside Inn 
region, I came upon a Blue-winged Warbler ( Vermivora pinus) singing. 
The location was within a mile of the nesting in 1909, recorded in ‘ The 
Auk,’ Vol. XXVI, October, 1909, pp. 337-345. The bird disappeared after 
several repetitions of his song before I had secured a view of him. But 
there remained in my mind no uncertainty that I had heard the song of a 
Blue-wing. This assurance, however, was happily substantiated by Mr. 
Richard M. Marble, to whom I had mentioned the occurrence, who, 
visiting the locality on June 19 and again on July 2, both times found the 
bird singing at the same spot where I had heard him on May 26. Mr. 
Marble writes me that he regrets that he did not have time to look for the 
nest. But the fact of a male in song being present from May 24 to July 2, 
a period of forty days, would indicate with reasonable certainty that once 
more a pair of Blue-wings had nested in this region. The locality was 
quite different from that of 1909, being a rather dry extent of second 
growth in the rear of a sandy woodlot of white pines and a variety of 
deciduous trees, but well supplied with undergrowth. In this woodlot we 


pea ee ‘i General Notes. 483 


have been accustomed to find year by year two or three Blackburnian 
Warblers ( Dendroica fusca) singing throughout the month of May upon 
their arrival, and continuing in June on the testimony of other observers, 
giving assurance that the Blackburnian is a resident bird in this wood. 
The Blue-headed Vireo (Lanivireo solitarius solitarius) is also found year 
by year singing there much beyond the time of its migration. Both of 
these species were represented in song on May 24, June 19, and July 2 of 
the present year. Thus was had the unusual experience of hearing a Blue- 
winged Warbler sing with one ear and Blackburnian Warblers with the 
other, as probable nesting species. If the testimony presented may be 
accepted as furnishing reasonably reliable evidence of a nesting of Blue- 
winged Warbler in this locality in 1918, it may go on record as the second 
authentic occurrence in this region of Massachusetts, South Sudbury 
having the distinction of possessing both nestings within her borders.— 
Horace W. Wricut, Boston, Mass. 


A Winter Record of Bewick’s Wren from Northern Virginia.— 
On my way to the cars at Falls Church, Va., the morning of February 8, 
1918, I was surprised by having a Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewicki 
bewickt) fly up from the ground and alight on the top of a fence within a 
foot or so of my face. From the fence it flew down to a small stub where 
it sat for about a half minute, affording me an excellent unobstructed view 
at only a few feet distance, before it finally hopped under a box bush where 
Thad to leave it. The past winter has been one of the worst in this vicinity 
for a number of years, with the ground covered with snow and ice from 
early in December until after the event recorded above. Bewick’s Wren 
is more or less rare and local in this locality at any time but not an uncom- 
mon breeding bird some fifty miles west of here, in the Blue Ridge Moun- 
tains.— J. H. Ritny, Washington, D. C. 


Russet-backed Thrush (Hylocichla ustulata ustulata) in New 
Mexico.— Some time ago, in identifying some other specimens of the 
genus Hylocichla in the United States National Museum, the writer 
unearthed a specimen of Hylocichla ustulata ustulata from New Mexico. 
It is No. 130328, U.S. Nat. Mus., an adult male, taken by Dr. E. A. 
Mearns on May 3, 1892, about one hundred miles west of El Paso, at 
the so-called ‘‘ Upper Corner’? Monument No. 40 on the Mexican bound- 
ary line, which is in the extreme southwestern corner of Luna County, 
New Mexico. There is, so far as I am aware, no previous authentic 
record of this subspecies from the State of New Mexico.— Harry C, 
OBERHOLSER, Washington, D.C. 


Notes from the Vicinity of Washington, D. C.— The following notes 
from localities within ten miles of the Capitol seem worthy of record. 

Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. Buiack Trern.— Three were 
seen May 3, 1917, and about a dozen May 12, 1917, over Hunting Creek, 


484 General Notes. faee 


just below Alexandria, Virginia. As far as I am aware, this is the first 
time Black Terns have been seen in this vicinity in spring, though there are 
several autumn records. 

Botaurus lentiginosus. AmprRIcCAN BiTTERN.— One was seen near 
Dyke, Virginia, on May 2, 1918. The latest previous spring record of 
which I am cognizant is April 30, 1859. 

Spinus pinus. Prine Siskrin.— Two flocks containing about 35 indi- 
viduals were seen October 22, 1916, above Cabin John, Maryland. Fall 
records of Siskins seem to be rare, and this is two days earlier than any 
previously recorded. Throughout the autumn of that year Siskins were 
quite common. 

Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi. Hrnstow Sparrow.— One 
seen near New Alexandria, Virginia, April 1, 1917. The average date of 
arrival for this species is about April 18, and the earliest previous record 
April 10, 1889. This record was inadvertently reported by Dr. H. C. 
Oberholser (Bird-Lore, XIX, page 153) as March 25. ; 

Oporornis formosus. Kentucky WarsBLeR.— Heard in Zodlogical 
Park, April 26, 1917, one day earlier than previously recorded. 

Geothlypis trichas trichas. MaryLtanp YELLOW-THROAT.— One 
seen above Cabin John, Maryland, October 22, 1916. The latest previous 
fall record for this species is October 21, 1895. 

Polioptila ceerulea cerulea. BuiurE-GRay GNATCATCHER.— On Janu- 
ary 1, 1917, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was observed for some time at the 
Arlington Experiment Farm, Virginia. It was very active and several 
times uttered its characteristic squeaking note. As far as I am aware, this 
is the first record of the occurrence of the species near Washington in winter. 
Through a clerical error this occurrence was recorded by Dr. H. C. Ober- 
holser (Bird-Lore, XIX, page 153) as January 2. The average date of 
spring arrival is April 7, and the earliest March 30, 1907— M. T. Cooxn, 
Washington, D. C. 


Scarcity of Birds in the Spring Migration of 1918.— I have seen 
no reference, either in ‘ The Auk’ or ‘ Bird-Lore,’ to a general scarcity of 
birds this year, especially of the warblers and other small birds. 

Here, the robins, grackles, starlings, and, perhaps, the thrashers, are as 
numerous as usual; the jays, and, perhaps, the towhees, more so. Taking 
the birds as a whole, however, the difference from other years may be 
indicated by the following figures: — best record to June 30, 104; average 
record to June 30, for fourteen years, 91; this year, 67. 

Not only is the number of species seen notably smaller, but the number 
of individuals is smaller. For instance, I could count on the fingers of one 
hand all that I have seen of such common warblers as the Redstart, Wil- 
son’s, the Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Black- 
and-White; and the record is not much better for the Myrtle, the Yellow, 
and the Maryland Yellow-throat. 

I might say the same thing about the Vireos, and the Flycatchers. 


oad General Notes. 485 


The testimony of every bird student with whom I have talked, either 
here or in Central Park, New York, is in entire harmony with my own 
experience.— Rost. Barsour, Montclair, N. J. 


Notes on Six Birds from Georgia— Sturnus vulgaris. STARLING. 
—A young male was shot near Savannah by Mr. Ernest Cunningham on 
November 11, 1917, and brought to Mr. Gilbert R. Rossignol, Jr., who 
preserved it and presented the specimen to me. This is the first occurrence 
of this bird in Georgia. , 

Piranga erythromelas. Scarier TANacer.— Among a collection of 
birds, made near Savannah by Mr. Troup D. Perry, and which I have 
acquired, is a male of this species that was taken by Mr. Perry on October 
14, 1906. The Scarlet Tanager is a very rare bird in the south Atlantic 
States particularly on or near the coast and I have yet to detect it in the 
autumn in South Carolina. 

During the past thirty-five years that I have devoted to ornithology in 
South Carolina I have seen but four birds, three of which I procured, as 
follows: April 30, 1889, an adult male taken on Oakland plantation, 
Christ Church Parish; May 4, 1911, a fine adult male taken, the late Dr. 
Edgar A. Mearns being at my side when I shot it; May 1, 1912, a male in 
very high plumage, Dr. Louis B. Bishop being near me when I shot it. 
The other specimen was seen on April 29, 1884, on the plantation of Mr. 
F. W. Heyward near Oakley and about thirty odd miles from Charleston. 

Vermivora pinus. BuuE-wINGED WARBLER.— Mr. Gilbert R. Rossig- 
nol, Jr., shot on September 6, 1909, near Savannah, a beautiful male of 
this bird and presented it to me. The Blue-winged Warbler is very rare 
in the south Atlantic States and I have yet to see one alive. 

Dendroica dominica albilora. Sycamore Warsier.—I have an 
adult male of this western form of D. dominica taken by Mr. D. V. Hem- 
bree at Roswell, Ga. (near Atlanta), on July 2, 1913. This bird was from 
the collection of Mr. Troup D. Perry and labeled by Mr. Hembree “‘ Yel- 
low-throated Warbler.”’ The superciliary stripe is almost immaculate 
white, there being the faintest tinge of yellow when placed under a magnify- 
ing glass. This bird is in high plumage and the yellow of throat intense 
and hence not faded, and without doubt was mated and raised a brood of 
young at Roswell for the date on which it was taken was too early for a 
migrant from some other region, as birds do not migrate in the autumn, 
that is land birds, until they have renewed their plumage — and this one 
had not done so. 

Thryomanes bewicki bewicki. Brwick’s Wren.— Mr. Perry shot 
near Savannah on March 19, 1909, a fine male Bewick’s Wren, which is 
the only one he has ever seen during all the years he has been observing 
birds near his home in Savannah. This specimen is now in my collection. 
Bewick’s Wren is a bird of the Upper Austral Zone during the breeding 
season in North and South Carolina as well as Georgia, and it is resident 
even in the mountains of North Carolina where I have seen and heard it 


486 Recent Literature. [oct 


sing during the coldest winters. That afew migrate to the coast of South 
Carolina and Georgia at times is evinced by the capture of one by Mr. 
Herbert Ravenel Sass at the Navy Yard, Charleston, on October 17, 1907, 
and by the writer seeing one near his home on October 16, 1907. (See 
Bull. Chas. Mus. III, 1907, 54; and Auk, X XV, 1908, 87.) 

Hylocichla alicie bicknelli. BrckNneLu’s THrusH.— In the collec- 
tion of birds received from Mr. Perry there is a very small specimen of this 
race that is wrongly labeled by him “‘ Olive B.[acked] Thrush.” Although 
the sex was not determined it is doubtless a female, and was taken at 
Savannah by him on May 16,1910. There is a malformation of the maxilla 
‘which is very nearly a quarter of an inch shorter than the mandible. Upon 
comparing this bird with specimens of alicia from South Carolina, in which 
both males and females are represented, Mr. Perry’s bird is an inch smaller 
‘in length than any female I have and the “ make up ”’ of the bird is‘much 
lengthened. Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare bird in South Carolina, and I have 
taken but a single individual on May 10, 1900. How this bird manages 
to reach its breeding grounds in the Catskills and Nova Scotia without 
passing through South Carolina, is a puzzle— ArtHur T. Wayne, Mt. 
Pleasant, S. C. 


RECENT LITERATURE. 


Dwight’s Review of the Juncos.'— Dr. Dwight, in the brochure 
before us, has contributed to ornithological literature a philosophical dis- 
cussion of a high order. His paper is most welcome not only because we 
have too few of like character, but also because of the amount of pains- 
taking study and deep thought that this especial treatise represents. 

The paper may be considered under two heads, (1) as a systematic 
arrangement of the species and subspecies of the genus Junco, and (2) as 
an attempt to define by criteria the species, subspecies and hybrid. 

The results from a systematic point of view may conveniently be com- 
pared with those of Mr. Robert Ridgway’s study of the same group. 
Comparison with the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List’ is hardly necessary since it 
is no secret that the arrangement of the genus there adopted was in the 
nature of a compromise and represented no detailed original research. 
Comparing, therefore, the species and races recognized respectively by 
Dwight and Ridgway and the names employed by them we find that each 


1The Geographic Distribution of Color and of other variable Characters in the Genus 
Junco: a new Aspect of specific and subspecific Values. By Jonathan Dwight, M. D. 
Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. XX XVIII, Art. IX, pp. 269-309. June 1, 1918. 


Pane | Recent Literature. 487 


distinguishes nineteen kinds of Juncos, although two of these, montanus 
and dorsalis, regarded as species by Ridgway, are considered to be hybrids 
by Dwight and therefore unworthy of formal recognition in his scheme. 
In the other forms the names employed are identical in thirteen cases and 
in three of the remaining four they differ only in being treated as subspecies 
by Dwight and as full species by Ridgway. The other form shufeldti of 
Ridgway is renamed couesi by Dwight on the rather questionable claim 
that the type specimen of shufeldti is a winter straggler of oreganus. 

That Mr. Ridgway, always a “liberal” in the matter of geographic 
races, and Dr. Dwight, a pronounced “ conservative ” in systematic work, 
should come to such substantial agreement is doubly gratifying because 
it was unexpected, and we have the satisfaction of feeling that the arrange- 
ment of the Juncos is substantially settled. Viewed from the second stand- 
point Dr. Dwight’s paper opens up a wide field for discussion. Years ago 
in ‘Science’ Drs. C. Hart Merriam and J. A. Allen engaged in a lengthy 
discussion on the relative values of intergradation and degree of difference 
in the designation of species and subspecies. Whether we are any nearer 
to a solution of the problem now than we were then or whether the determi- 
nation of what is a subspecies and what is a species can, from the very 
nature of the case, ever be anything but a matter of individual opinion is 
a question. 

Dr. Dwight lays down the law that “The species is the unit; the sub- 
species is part of the unit; and the hybrid is an individual that is part of 
two units,’ and again states that: ‘a species has one or more intrinsic 
characters or a combination of characters not shared by another species. 
The characters are qualitative,” while ‘‘ a subspecies shares all the characters 
of its parent species in greater or less degree. The characters are quantita- 
tive and without a break in the continuity.” 

This is all very well but would we not be quite as justified in saying that 
the subspecies is the unit and that the species is an assemblage of subspecies 
having certain characters in common? Furthermore how are we always 
to distinguish between qualitative and quantitative characters? We must 
all admit that a species in the course of evolution is derived from a sub- 
species and we must therefore necessarily find all intermediate stages in 
the change from quantitative to qualitative characters and in deciding 
where to draw the line we are confronted by the same old problem which is 
bound to bring in personal opinion. Dr. Dwight is apparently endeavoring 
to devise a method of naming specimens from the characters which they 
present and no doubt intentionally he discards so far as possible the geo- 
graphic problems involved — isolation, intergradation, environment etc. 
This it seems to the reviewer we cannot do. We are naming forms which 
are the result of evolution and are bound to consider every factor involved. 
We necessarily find species and subspecies differing from one another by 
every conceivable degree of difference and no set of criteria will serve as a 
rule by which everyone can decide which forms are species, which sub- 
species and which are not worthy of recognition at all. We cannot solve 


[oct 


488 Recent Literature. 
such a problem by mathematical rules or with mathematical accuracy 
because systematic zodlogy is of necessity not an exact science. 

To take an example from another group we wonder how Dr. Dwight 
would arrange the smaller Thrushes according to the criteria which he has 
laid down. Could not the differences between the Olive-backed and Gray- 
cheeked Thrushes be regarded as quantitative or qualitative according to 
the viewpoint of the individual? As a matter of fact the Gray-cheek was 
regarded as a subspecies of the Olive-back until it was found that forms 
of the two bred side by side without intergradation. In this connection 
it is interesting to note Dr. Frank M. Chapman’s method of handling the 
subspecies problem in his recent work on the birds of Colombia. He 
says; “‘ To lay down a certain rule and blindly be governed by it, is to 
handicap one’s discrimination and experience. .... The degree, and . 
particularly the character of the differences exhibited, range, environ- 
ment, faunal areas, the relative plasticity of the species in question, the 
action of other organisms in the regions concerned under similar circum- 
stances, these and other factors, such as habits, voice etc., are to be con- 
sidered in reaching a conclusion regarding the status of any form.” 

In this discussion we would not be understood as reflecting upon the 
excellent work that Dr. Dwight has done on the Juncos with the results of 
which we are in substantial accord. Furthermore we have always believed 
(cf. The Condor, March, 1903) that a plan might be devised — an arbitrary 
consensus of opinion if need be—by which a long series of races widely 
divergent at the extremes of the series but all apparently intergrading, 
could be broken up into specific groups, while forms widely separated 
geographically but differing very slightly from one another could be re- 
garded as subspecies. A happy compromise as it were between the ‘ degree 
of difference’ principle and that of ‘ geographic intergradation’ which 
would vastly enhance the meaning which our names are supposed to convey. 
This is apparently just what Dr. Dwight is striving for but that any set of 
rules can be laid down by which anyone may determine the proper rank of 
a given form seems from the very nature of the case impossible. 

One point that Dr. Dwight brings up in connection with his discussion 
of the race of Junco oreganus deserves special consideration. At a single 
locality within the range of J. 0. thurberi he finds some breeding specimens 
which would on color alone be better referred to J. 0. oregonus and J. o. 
couesi and he contends that if we are naming the birds and not the locality, 
these specimens should bear the names of these races rather than that of 
the race to which the vast majority of the individuals at that locality belong. 
Here our author is disregarding everything but color. It is a foregone 
conclusion that all the breeding birds at this locality belong to the same 
stock and should bear the same name with a comment if need be on 
aberrant characters. They are simply evidence of that intergradation of 
the three forms which shows them to be subspecies. This intergradation 
may be found in the area where the breeding ranges join, in which case it 
is manifest in a majority of the individuals, or it may be found in a large 


Vol. Anal 
1918 


Recent Literature. 489 
series well within the range of any one of the races, where it will be manifest 
in only a few individuals. The serious point is that migrating or winter 
individuals are often recorded as representatives of races not normally to be 
found in the locality in which they are taken, whereas as Dr. Dwight shows 
they may very likely be merely aberrant examples of the race regularly 
occurring there — individuals such.as we have been discussing. Such 
records in the case of slightly differentiated races had better not have been 
published no matter how experienced the authority who has identified 
them, and they should be given very slight attention in connection with 
questions of distribution or migration. 

In discussing this matter Dr. Dwight in order to emphasize his points 
makes use of two provisional names ‘ cismontanus’ and ‘ transmontanus’ 
which cannot according to our code of nomenclature be construed in any 
other way but as new names which will become synonyms respectively 
of Junco hyemalis hyemalis and J. oreganus couesi although there is no 
knowing when they may come in for serious consideration should it be 
deemed desirable to erect other races or should one of the above names 
become invalid. They will then form bad stumbling blocks for the sys- 
tematist as no types or type localities are mentioned. Dr. Dwight departs 
from the rules of nomenclature too when he emends Townsend’s name 
oreganus into oregonus for which there seems no excuse since Oregan was 
the spelling generally used in Townsend’s time.— W. S. 


Soper on the Birds of Edmonton.'!— Mr. Soper has prepared a briefly 
annotated list of 143 species found in the vicinity of Edmonton, Alberta, 
based upon his observations during the years 1912 to 1914 together with 
such notes on the region as occur in Macoun’s ‘ Catalogue of Canadian 
Birds.’ The whole makes a useful and apparently pretty complete list 
for the locality. In commenting upon the character of the bird life the 
author calls attention to the fact that Edmonton is in the same latitude as 
southern Labrador and Ungava although its climate compares favorably 
with that of southern Ontario which accounts for the presence of many 
birds which would hardly be expected at such a high latitude.— W. 8S. 


Wood on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan.’— To further the 
work of the University of Michigan’s zodlogical explorations in the Upper 
Peninsula, Mr. George Shiras, 3rd., placed his summer home in Alger 
County at its disposal as a field headquarters and the present paper com- 
prises a list of 120 species of birds observed there by Mr. Wood during a 
residence, from May 24 to July 27, 1916. The list is briefly annotated 
and some previous observations of Mr. Shiras are included.— W. 8S. 


1The Birds of Edmonton. By J. Dewey Soper. The Ottawa Naturalist, February 
and March, 1918. pp. 129-134 and 145-149. 

2 Notes on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan. By Norman A. Wood. Occasional 
Papers, Mus. Zool. Univ. of Mich., No. 50, April 8, 1918. pp. 1-15. 


490 Recent Literature. [oct 


Bangs on New South American Birds.'— In a review of the races of 
Tangara gyroloides Mr. Bangs describes as new 7’. g. nupera (p. 76) the 
form found in western Ecuador, formerly considered identical with the 
T. g. bangsi ranging from Costa Rica to Veragua. In conjunction with 
Mr. G. K. Noble he has described a new woodpecker, Chrysoptilus atricollis 
lymani (p. 85) from Huancabamba, Peru.— W. 8S. 


Wetmore on Duck Sickness in Utah.’— The present bulletin is a 
final report upon the investigations conducted by Mr. Wetmore on behalf 
of the U. 8. Biological Survey in the vicinity of Great Salt Lake, where the 
mortality among water fowl has been particularly noticeable. A prelimi- 
nary report was issued in 1915 and reviewed in ‘ The Auk’ for October of 
that year. The present paper while going into the subject in much greater 
detail confirms the conclusions set forth in the preliminary report that the 
trouble was due to the water becoming charged with alkali. Certain salts 
contained in it, notably chlorides of caletum and magnesium, have been 
shown by actual experiment to produce the duck sickness. 

The way in which the birds become infected is described by Mr. Wetmore 
as follows. Irrigation has decreased the amount of water supplying the 
marshes on the lake front, and the resulting slow drainage induces stagna- 
tion over large areas. Surface evaporation and capillary attraction rapidly 
draw the salts held in solution in the mud to the surface and there con- 
centrate them. Strong winds bank up the water in the larger bays and 
blow it over the drying flats taking up the salts in solution and carrying 
with it quantities of seeds and insects upon which the ducks feed eagerly 
taking in naturally quite an amount of the salts. Complete draining of 
affected areas, increase in the supply of fresh water and caring for the sick 
birds, which can in a large percentage of cases be brought back to perfect 
health, are recommended as means to counteract the trouble. 

Mr. Wetmore has done an admirable piece of work in seeking out the 
cause of this malady which has become a serious menace to ducks in Utah 
as well as in regions to the south where these birds would naturally go in 
the winter season.— W. S. 


Mathews’ ‘Birds of Australia.*— Part II of Volume VII of Mr. 
Mathew’s work is a bulky number dealing with the Kingfishers and the 
Bee-eater, eight species being figured. As was to be expected the com- 
posite genus Halcyon comes in for some serious treatment at the author’s 


1 Notes on the Geographical Races of Tangara gyroloides. By Outram Bangs. Proc. 
N. E. Zool. Club, VI, pp. 73-76, December 21, 1917. 

Description of a New Woodpecker from Peru. By Outram Bangs and G. K. Noble. 
Proc. N. E. Zool. Club. vi, pp. 85-86. June 7, 1918. 

2 The Duck Sickness in Utah. By Alexander Wetmore. Bulletin 672, U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, June 21, 1918. pp. 1-25. 

3 The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Part II, Volume VII. May 15, 
1918. 


oa mi Recent Literature. AOL 


hands and some twenty pages are devoted to a history of the nomenclature 
of the group and the relationship of the species. No less than fourteen 
new genera of Kingfishers are proposed so that with those previously 
available every really distinct species must now be provided with a generic 
name. It is not for us to criticise Mr. Mathews’ work for upon the stand- 
ards now prevailing in other families, this subdivision is apparently perfectly 
justifiable if one desires to be consistent, but it only goes to prove that the 
utility of the generic name is being reduced to nil and it would seem that 
the time is not far distant when we must begin the reverse process of group- 
ing ‘natural genera’ together into ‘ genera de convenience’ if the first term 
of our technical names is to mean anything more than the second. The 
more we use generic nomenclature to designate facts in differentiation the 
less use it becomes as a means of indicating to some one else what we are 
talking about. 

In the discussion of Syma torotoro three new subspecies are described 
from New Guinea while one new race of Dacelo leachii from Australia and 
one from New Guinea are described. Monarchalcyon cyanocephalus Sharpe 
is renamed Dacelalcyon confusus— W. 8S. 


Grinnell on the Name of the American Barn Swallow.'— Dr. 
Grinnell has brought up in this note a matter of no little importance. The 
Barn Swallow was originally described as Hirundo erythrogaster. In the 
first edition of the A. O. U. ‘ Check-List’ it appears as Chelidon erythrogaster 
although Dr. Stejneger in referring it to this genus had written it erythro- 
gastra. In the second edition where it is still referred to Chelidon and in 
the third where it is put back into Hirundo the feminized form erythrogastra 
is used. Recently Dr. Oberholser has claimed that the proper feminine of 
gaster is gastris and writes it erythrogastris and finally comes Dr. Grinnell 
with the explanation that the word is not an adjective at all but a noun 
and therefore should retain its original form erythrogaster under all circum- 
stances. He seems to be absolutely right and the action of the original 
A. O. U. Committee should be upheld. In spite of all this Dr. Elliot Coues 
always employed erythrogastra and in commenting upon the form Chelidon 
erythrogaster said ‘“‘ wrong for genus and wrong for gender.’”’ It would be 
interesting to know what his argument in the case would be. It is perhaps 
one where even Latin experts will disagree. 

A glance at the index to Sharpe’s “Hand-List of Birds’ shows many 
discrepancies in handling such cases. Both -gaster and -gastra are used 
with feminine genera, -venter with both masculine and neuter and -ventris 
with masculine and feminine. So there seems much to correct no matter 
what view we adopt. Drs. Grinnell and Oberholser have apparently 
discovered another ‘mare’s nest’ for the nomenclatorist. — W. 8. 


1 The Name of the American Barn Swallow. By J. Grinnell. The Condor, XX, p. 92, 
March 19, 1918. 


492 Recent Literature. ae 


Nichols on Some Aspects of Migration.'— Those who are interested 
in speculating upon the origin of bird migration will find much food for 
- thought in this short article of Mr. Nichols. Referring to the irregular 
southward migrations of the Red-breasted Nuthatch and other species 
of similar habit, he advances the theory that these movements are the 
result of a great increase in abundance within the permanent range of the 
species from which it then sweeps outward as it were in waves. We have 
all noticed how few Nuthatches return northward in the spring following 
an enormous autumn flight and Mr. Nichols explains this by the sugges- 
tion that the bulk of them are utterly dissipated and lost, and that only a 
small minority ever find there way back to their permanent range. This 
type of migration he terms ‘ centrifugal,’ and considers it to be the original 
condition. Next comes the condition where the species has become so 
adjusted to conditions as to maintain itself in unvarying though compara- 
tively small numbers, here there is overcrowding and consequently no 
migration at all. Then come species that retire from one part of their 
range to another during winter but never leave it entirely, simply adjusting 
themselves to changed conditions; this is ‘ intraspecific’ migration; and 
finally an extension of this condition where the winter and summer ranges 
become entirely separated and the passage from one to the other constitutes 
the ‘ centripetal’ migration so familiar in our spring and fall migrants 
where ‘highly developed homing instincts in the individual bird take the 
place of the futile centrifugal ‘ wanderlust ’ of the race in its initial condi- 
tion.” 

The irregular movements of the Red-bellied Nuthatch and similar species 
have always been a puzzle to students of migration and the failure of food 
supply in their regular range never appealed to the reviewer as an adequate 
explanation. Mr. Nichols’ theory on the other hand has much to commend 
it: 

While his last three conditions and the development one from the other 
have been pretty generally recognized and will be generally accepted we 
do not think that he has been very happy in the selection of the White- 
breasted Nuthatch as an example of an absolutely resident species that 
does not migrate at all. Certainly in many places familiar to the reviewer 
it is much more abundant in autumn and winter than at other seasons. 
It may indeed be difficult to find a species in which there is not some migra- 
tory movement within its range.— W. S. 


Birds of the National Parks.’— Three of the National Park ‘ Circulars 
of Information’ for 1918 — those for Glacier, Sequoia, and Yellowstone 


1An Aspect of the Relation between Abundance, Migration and Range in Birds. By 
J.T. Nichols. Science, August 16, 1918. pp. 168-170. 

2 General Information regarding Glacier Park, season of 1918 (birds, pp. 52-64); Ibid., 
Sequoia and General Grant National Parks (birds, pp. 20-27); Ibid., Yellowstone National 
Park (birds, pp. 61-66). National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Free on 
application to the Director of the National Park Service, Washington, D. C. 


Rages | Recent Literature. 493 


National Parks — contain lists of birds. The list for Glacier Park, Mont., 
published this year for the first time is by Mrs. Florence Merriam Bailey 
and consists of brief notes on 184 species. Lack of space made it necessary 
to condense the statements as much as possible and consequently less than 
half a dozen lines are devoted to any one species. The list for Sequoia 
Park, Calif., including also the neighboring General Grant Park was 
prepared by the Superintendent, Walter Fry, and has been published each 
year since 1912. It contains 182 species but only about 50 of them are 
marked with an asterisk to indicate presence in General Grant Park. 
Evidently much more work remains to be done on the birds of this park. 
Moreover the notes are less than a line in length and are confined to mere 
statements of the status of each bird as ‘‘ common resident’ etc. The list 
for the Yellowstone Park, Wyo., is the work of M. P. Skinner and appears 
under his name for the first time, having been published anonymously in 
1915, 1916 and 1917. It contains 194 species but the notes like those 
of the Sequoia list state merely whether the species are residents, summer 
residents, migrants, or occasional visitants. More space should be given 
‘such lists so that notes of local interest can be included and exact dates and 
localities given for species which occur irregularly or only occasionally. 

When it is recalled that Glacier Park is larger than the state of Rhode 
Island, that the Yellowstone Park is two thirds the size of Connecticut, 
and that these reservations are visited by thousands of tourists every year, 
the importance of having complete and accurate lists of the birds can 
hardly be overestimated. Similar lists should be published at an early date 
for several of the other parks especially Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, 
‘Rocky Mountain and Yosemite.— T. 8. P. 


Economic Ornithology in Recent Entomological Publications.— 
A decrease in items includable under this heading is apparent and the 
‘present fasciculus of papers noted is the whole fruit of more than six months 
waiting. The articles relate to: 

The Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros). This species kills annually 
something more than one percent of the coconut trees of the Philippine 
Islands entailing a yearly money loss of nearly three million dollars. The 
natural enemies are few but among them are two birds, the Philippine 
Crow (Corone filipina) and the common roller (Hurystomus orientalis)! 
Adults of the Rhinoceros beetles are of heavy build and from one and one 
half to two inches in length and the larve are even larger. It is to be in- 
ferred therefore that the large size ot the insect is an important factor in 
limiting the number of its predatory enemies. 

The round-headed apple-tree borer (Saperda candida). In the Ozark 
‘region of Arkansas whole apple orchards have been abandoned because 
-of the destruction of trees by this pest. A single individual of the species 


‘Mackie, D. B. Oryctes rhinogeros in the Philippines. Philippine Agr. Rev. Vol. X, 
Fourth Quarter 1917, p. 326. 


494 Recent Literature. [oct 


can kill a small tree and if two or three are present they are almost certain 
to cause death. The author of an extensive bulletin on this pest, states 
that he has seen evidences that woodpeckers prey upon the species in Ozark 
orchards, and that other natural enemies are few.1 Other entomologists 
have testified to the value of woodpeckers in destroying larve of various 
species of Saperda, but it will be well also to draw attention to the fact 
that other birds feed upon adult Saperda and are of some value in keeping 
the species in check. These birds, so far as known, include the Magpie, 
Bluejay, Cassin’s Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo and Robin. 

The southern corn rootworm ( Diabrotica duodecimpunctata). This. 
abundant flower beetle is the most familiar black-spotted yellow beetle 
over the whole United States. It is seriously destructive to corn in the 
southeastern states, its ravages frequently necessitating replanting. Full 
credit is given to its bird enemies in a Bureau of Entomology publication,” 
but more recent information makes it possible to improve upon the account. 
Thirty-seven species of birds are known to feed upon this species of Dia- 
brotica. The largest number of specimens found in the stomach of a single 
bird was 18 taken by a Cliff Swallow. Twenty-three species of birds are 
known as enemies of the southwestern rootworm, a form which although 
called a separate species (D. soror) probably is only varietally distinct. 
The Diabrotica are typical of what are called warningly colored insects. 
and which are supposed to be more or less shielded from predatory attack. 
The relations of birds to them however, give little comfort to believers in 
this theory. 

The southern green plant-bug (Nezara viridula). This insect agrees 
with the last discussed, in being a pest in the south, and in belonging to- 
the category of theoretically protected insects. The basis for the latter 
thought is alluded to in a recent statement * about bird enemies. ‘‘ In 
spite of the disagreeable odor of the species of the genus, the Bureau of 
Biological Survey has recorded finding specimens of Nezara in the stomachs. 
of certain birds, but it appears to have been always hilaris that was found. 
N. viridula is probably also eaten.” 

Confirmation of this prophecy is now at hand as WN. viridula has been 
identified in a number of stomachs of Franklin’s Gull. From 20 to 40 
specimens of the bug were taken by individual birds. The species has been 
found also in the stomach of Say’s Phoebe. Probably many of the speci- 
mens from bird stomachs identified merely to the genus Nezara were of the 
species viridula for there is no reason to believe that discrimination would 
be shown. Thirty-one different kinds of birds are known to feed upon 
Nezara, further unidentified, and no fewer than 26 specimens were obtained 
from the stomach of a Purple Martin and 100 from a Franklin’s Gull. 


1 Becker, Geo. G. Bull. 146, Ark. Agr. Exp. Sta., July 1918, p. 25. 

2 Luginbill, Philip. The southern corn rootworm and farm practices to control it.. 
Farmers’ Bull. 950, U. S. Dept. Agr., May 1918, p. 8. 

3 Jones, Thos. H. The southern green plant-bug. Bull. 689, U. S. Dept. Agr., July 30,. 
1918, p. 21. 


a | Recent Literature. 495 

White grubs (Lachnosterna spp.). The award to birds of first place 
among natural enemies of white grubs, cited in ‘ The’ Auk ’ (Vol. 30, No. 4, 
Oct., 1913, p. 602) is repeated in a revision of the bulletin ! there quoted. 
Added information is to the effect that: ‘“‘ The U. 8. Biological Survey has 
found these insects in the stomachs of 78 species of birds and 2 species of 
toads. 

Insects that carry stock diseases. The writer cannot forbear to add 
another to the contributions he has made to the discussion of the distribu- 
tion of stock diseases. In the very first article on the subject,” the state- 
ment was made, regarding anthrax, that ‘“‘ The fact that the disease may 
be carried by flies is more than sufficient to explain the most severe epi- 
demics ” (p. 298). The author of one of the papers reviewed at that time 
now has published the results of further experimentation and reports * 
the positive findings that the horn fly, horse flies and mosquitos are capable 
of transmitting anthrax by feeding upon a healthy animal after biting an 
infected one. In the face of such evidence, of which much was available 
years ago, the waging of a severe campaign against Turkey Buzzards as 
the most important carriers of stock diseases, is a deplorable example of 
popular disregard of scientific teachings— W. L. M. 


Centurus radiolatus in relation to Cocoa in Jamaica.— The 
Jamaica Woodpecker has been the subject of many complaints of doing 
damage to cocoa pods. The matter has been investigated by Mr. A. H. 
Ritchie, Government Entomologist, and his report has recently been pub- 
lished.4. By stomach analysis and field observation he finds that the 
normal food of the bird is fruit pulp, seeds and insects. Most of these 
items were specifically identified and lists of the names are given. Mr. 
Ritchie found no direct evidence of damage to cocoa, a conclusion supported 
by letters reproduced in the previous issue of the Journal (22, No. 2, 
February, 1918, pp. 65-69). Two or three writers state that they have 
long had standing rewards for woodpeckers with remains of cocoa pods 
or seeds in their crops, but have never had a bird presented. One of these 
writers also gives a number of stomach analyses. The investigation so 
far as it has proceeded, is clearly in favor of the Jamaica Woodpecker and 
the burden of proof of damage done rests upon the accusers.— W. L. M. 


Further Notes on Possible Avian Distribution of Hog Cholera.— 
The full report of the experimental investigations of the distribution of hog 


1 Davis, J. J. Common White Grubs. Farmers’ Bull. 940, U.S. Dept. Agr., May, 1918, 
p. 12. 

2° The Auk,’ 30, No. 2, April, 1913, pp. 295-8. Succeeding articles are in Vol. 35, No. 
2, April 1918, pp. 253-4 and in Farmers’ Bull. 755, U. S. Dept. Agr., Oct. 26, 1916, pp. 
37-9, 

3 Morris, Harry. Blood-sucking Insects as Transmitters of Anthrax or Charbon. Bull. 
163, La. Agr. Exp. Sta., March 1918, p. 15. 

4 Journ. Jamaica Agr. Soc. 22, No. 3, March 1918, pp. 102-107. Issued separately 
and repaged 1-6. 


496 Recent Literature. aes 


cholera by pigeons, that was noticed in the last issue of ‘ The Auk,’ ! has 
now been published.2, No further comment on the experiments is neces- 
sary except to state that the conditions were exceedingly severe and that 
the authors would have been justified in concluding that pigeons, and any 
other birds of similar habits, probably never are concerned in the spread 
of hog cholera. 

Other experiments reported on in the same publication (pp. 102-115) 
are of interest in connection with the study of carrion feeders as distributors 
of the disease. One of the findings is that “‘ fresh collected secretions and 
excreta [of the hogs] proved to be non-infectious when fed,’ with one 
possible exception. This disposes of one theory to the effect that buzzards 
may get the virus from hog droppings and distribute it. It was also shown 
that the flesh of rats which were fed on the meat of cholera hogs for periods 
up to three weeks was non-infectious when fed to susceptible animals. 
These findings, if of general application, so narrow the possibilities of trans- 
mission of hog cholera by carrion feeders, that there is no doubt a great 
mistake has been made in pronouncing buzzards guilty and even condemn- 
ing them by statute, in advance of thorough and careful investigation of 
their relation to stock diseases— W. L. M. 


Recent Publications on Economic Ornithology.— The Biological 
Survey of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued its usual ‘ Direc- 
tory of Officials and Organizations Concerned with the Protection of Birds 
and Game,’ * compiled this year by W. F. Bancroft, while another pamphlet ¢ 
described under ‘ Notes and News’ deals with the Migratory Bird Treaty 
and its Regulations. Bulletin 715° of the same Department, by W. L. 
MeAtee is entitled ‘ Attracting Birds to Public and Semipublic Reserva- 
tions’ and should be in the hands of all park superintendents, as well as 
those in charge of cemeteries, school grounds, ete. County road super- 
visors too could learn a valuable lesson from its perusal. 

From ‘ Bird Notes and News’ we learn of the increase of insect pests in 
England owing to the abnormally large areas under cultivation and the 
decrease in the number of insectivorous birds during severe weather, a 
condition which brings forth strenuous appeals for the better protection 
of birds. On the other hand the War Agricultural Committees are advo- 
cating the total destruction of the Rooks which are however, known to be 
at certain seasons very beneficial, and much opposition to the order is 
manifested. 

Mr. Oldys’ ‘Current Items of Interest’ * ‘The Bluebird’’ and the 


1 Vol. 35, No. 2, April 1918, pp. 253-4. 

2 Journ. Agr. Research, Vol. 13, No. 2, April 8, 1918, pp. 125-129. 

3 Tssued August 19, 1918. 

4 Issued August 26, 1918. 

5 Issued August 12, 1918, price 5cts. 

6 No. 37, June 29, 1918. No. 38, July 1. 

7 Published monthly in co-operation with the Cleveland Bird-Lovers Association, 1010 
Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. 


vera | Recent Literature. 497 


‘New Jersey Audubon Bulletin’! present a variety of notes on economic 
subjects. 

‘The Audubon Bulletin’ of the Illinois Audubon Society ? has become 
more than a mere bird conservation publication and the Spring and Sum- 
mer issue for 1918 is full of local ornithological information of permanent 
value, the Snowy Owl coming in for considerable attention. Migration 
is also discussed and Mr. Frank Smith presents data to show the direct 
effect of weather conditions on the arrival of birds. The late expert on this 
branch of ornithology, Prof. Wells W. Cooke, held exactly opposite views. 
(see Auk, 1913, p. 205) but the reviewer is inclined to favor Mr. Smith’s. 
contention.— W. S. 


The Ornithological Journals. 


’ Bird-Lore. XX, No. 4. July—August, 1918. 

Notes on the Nesting of the Nashville Warbler. By H. E. Tuttle. 

How I Mothered a Pair of Hummingbirds. By P. G. Cartlidge. 

The Black-billed Cuckoo. By C. W. Leister— Good photograph of 
the young. 

Bird Walks. By Charles B. Floyd.— Brookline, Mass. Bird Club. 

Spotted Sandpiper Colonies. By J. W. Lippincott.— Six nests in close 
proximity in one locality and three in another. 

The Shrikes form the subject of the notes on migration and plumage 
with a colored plate by Fuertes. 

The Condor. XX, No. 4. July-August, 1918. 

Notes on the Nesting of the Redpoll. By Lee R. Dice.— On the north 
fork of the Kuskokwim River, Alaska. 

A Return to the Dakota Lake Region. By Florence M. Bailey.— (Con- 
tinued.) 

The Yolla Bolly Fox Sparrow. By Joseph Mailliard— Passerella iliaca 
brevicauda (p. 1389) subsp. nov., Yolla Bolly Mts., Trinity and Tehama 
Counties, California. 

The Wilson Bulletin. XXX, No.2,. June, 1918. 

A Hummingbird’s Favorite Nesting Place. By F. N. Shankland. 

A Second Bird Survey at Washington, D.C. By Harry C. Oberholser.— 
Seventeen parties saw in all 166 species and 17,074 individuals. Dr. 
Oberholser uses his own nomenclature instead of that of the A. O. U. 
Check-List and as only technical names are used a number of them are 
meaningless to the general reader. 

Some Florida Herons. By John Williams. 

Birds Observed near Minco, Central Oklahoma. By Alexander Wet- 
more.— (Continued.) 

The Oologist. XXXV, No. 7. July 1, 1918. 


1No. 26, July, 1918. 
21649 Otis Building, Chicago, III. 


498 Recent Literature. [oer 


Contains excellent photographs of a live Trumpeter Swan and the nest 
of a Dipper. 

In a list of exceptionally large and other unusual sets Mr. R. M. Barnes 
gives a list of species in the nests of which he has found eggs of the Cowbird. 

The Ibis. X Series, VI, No.3. July, 1918. 

Remarks on Hawks of the Genus Micrastur. By W. L. Sclater. With 
colored plate of the recently described M. plumbeus Sclater. 

Ornithological and Oological Notes from the River Somme Valley at its 
mouth and near Peronne. By Major W. M. Congreve. 

Further Ornithological Notes from the Neighborhood of Cape San 
Antonio, Province of Buenos Ayres. Part I. Passeres. By Ernest 
Gibson.— A valuable account in the form of a fully annotated list by a 
resident of the country for over forty years, with an interesting descriptive 
and historical preface. 

A List of the Birds of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, based on the Collec- 
tions of Mr. A. L. Butler, Mr. A. Chapman and Capt. H. Lynes and Major 
C. Cristy. By W. L. Sclater and C. Mackworth-Praed. Part I, Corvide- 
Fringillide. This is an important technical paper as might be inferred 
from the wealth of material upon which it is based. In the course of their 
critical studies the authors have had occasion to describe several new 
forms both from the Sudan and from adjoining regions. We note the 
following: Estrilda astrild gaboonensis (p. 448), new name for EH. rubri- 
ventris Sharpe and Shelley, (nec Vieill.), Anomalospiza butleri (p. 460) 
Lado Enclave; Serinus mozambicus tando (p. 465), North Angola; S. m. 
aurifrons (p. 466) Sennar. 

Further Notes on Birds Observed at Alix, Buffalo Lake, and Red Deer 
in the Province of Alberta, Canada, in 1915 and 1916. By Charles B. 
Horsbrugh. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. No. CCXXXIV. 
May 22, 1918. 

Dr. Hartert described as new Dicewm trigonostigma megastoma (p. 74), 
Natuna Isls.; D. ¢. flaviclunis (p. 75), Java. 

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. No. CCXXXV. 
July 25, 1918. 

The following new forms were described: By Lord Rothschild; Lioptilus 
abyssinicus ansorget (p. 78) Mucuio, Benguella; by Dr. Hartert, Phenicurus 
frontalis sine (p. 78), Kansu, China; by Mr. Charles Chubb, Myrmophila 
vavasourt (p. 83), Ituribisi River, British Guiana; Rhopias spodionota 
juninensis (p. 84), Junin, Peru; Cercomacra cinerascens immaculata (p. 84), 
Supenaam River, British Guiana; C. tyrannina saturatior (p. 85), Ituribisi 
River, British Guiana; C. ¢. pallescens (p. 85), Esmeraldas, Ecuador; 
Rhopoterpe torquata equatorialis (p. 85), Sarayacu, E. Ecuador; Hylopezas 
macularia macconelli (p. 86), Ituribisi River, British Guiana; Grallaricula 
nana kukenamensis (p. 86), Kukenam Mts., British Guiana; Furnarius 
leucopus hauxwelli (p. 87), Pebas, Peru; and Lochmias nematura castano- 
nota (p. 87), Kukenam Mts., British Guiana. 


MeL] Recent Literature. 499 

British Birds. XII, No. 1. June, 1918. 

Some New Facts about Grit. By Dugald Macintyre.— Sometimes 
ejected in castings, sometimes in droppings. Retention in the stomach 
determined by its condition, whether sharp or worn. Curlew eject the 
whole lining of the stomach with the grit inside, in autumn. 

The Moults and Sequence of Plumages of the British Waders. Part VI. 
By Annie C. Jackson. 

Bird Notes from Macedonia. By J. M. Harrison. 

British Birds. XII, No. 2. July, 1918. 

The Effect of the Winter of 1916-1917 on our Resident Birds. By 
Rey. F. R. C. Jourdain and H. F. Witherby. Part II. 

The Moults and Sequence of Plumages of the British Waders. Part VII. 
By Annie C. Jackson. 

British Birds. XII, No. 3. August, 1918. 

The First Nesting Record of the Great Skua in the Orkneys. By Rev. 
F. R. C. Jourdain. 

Heather and Grouse Disease. By Dugald Macintyre.— Considers 
climatic conditions, which cause a blight in the heather, the fundamental 
cause of ‘ grouse disease’ although the immediate cause may be, as the 
grouse disease Commission reported, the presence of internal parasites. 

Some Breeding Habits of the Sparrow Hawk. No.6. By J. H. Owen.— 
Laying and Incubation. 

Avicultural Magazine. IX. No.7. May, 1918. 

Nesting of the Long-eared Owl on the Ground. By J. H. Gurney. 

Avicultural Magazine. IX, No.9. July, 1918. 

Puffins on the Saltee Islands. By G. E. Low.— With an interesting 
photograph of the colony. 

The Austral Avian Record. Vol. III, No. 6. June 25, 1918. 

Alfred John North, Ornithologist: An Appreciation. By Gregory M. 
Mathews.— With portrait. 

On Pachycephala melanura Gould. By Gregory M. Mathews. 

On Turdus mazillaris Latham. By Gregory M. Mathews.— The 
specific name as applied to the Australian Sphecotheres is rejected as Mr. 
Mathews considers that the Watling plate, here reproduced, cannot repre- 
sent this bird which therefore becomes S. vieilloti Vig. and Horsf. The 
genus he would remove from the Oriolide to the Campophagide following 
Pycraft. The species S. stalkeri he thinks must have been taken in New 
Guinea and not in Australia as it has never since been found in the latter 
country. 

A Forgotten Ornithologist. By Gregory M. Mathews and Tom Iredale.— 
Through the courtesy of Mr. C, Davies Sherborn an apparently rare and 
hitherto overlooked work by F. P. Jarocki, a Polish naturalist, is here 
described and considered in relation to ornithological nomenclature. The 
volume in question is the bird volume of a ‘ Zoologia’ which was never 
completed, stopping for some reason with volume six. It appeared in 
1821. A number of new generic names occur in Jarocki’s work of which 


500 Recent Literature. [oor 


the following demand recognition: Pheniculus replaces Irrisor Less; 
Crinifer must replace Chizerhis Wagl.; Vestiaria dates from here instead 
of from Fleming and Remiz replaces Anthoscopus Cab. 

The most serious matter so far as American ornithology is concerned is 
however the presence of a genus Cardinalis based on the Scarlet Tanager! 
While this becomes a synonym of Piranga and does not affect the names of 
our Tanagers it antedates Bonaparte’s name Cardinalis for the Cardinal 
Grosbeak and renders it untenable. 

To meet this contingency the authors propose for the Cardinal the 
generic name Richmondena (p. 145) ‘as our small meed of recognition of 
the immense work, so invaluable as to be almost incalculable, performed 
by our friend Dr. C. W. Richmond, and the association of the name of 
our brilliant co-worker in the least showy side of ornithology with the 
brilliant Cardinal seems a pleasing item.’ 

Incidentally the question of the genera in Oken’s list (Isis, 1817) comes up 
for comment and Mr. Mathews contends that all or none of them should 
be accepted and that the A. O. U. Committee had no right whatever to 
accept those which happened to be in Latin form and reject Hider, Mous- 
tache, Souchet and Macreuse. With this opinion the reviewer has always 
been in hearty accord. 

Validity of Some Generic Terms. By Gregory M. Mathews and Tom 
Tredale.— This is a consideration of the Lacépéde genera under which no 
species are mentioned. The authors call for a definite decision by the 
International Commission as to whether the citation of species by a sub- 
sequent author validates the name from the date of such citation or from 
the original date of publication, or whether the original publication should 
be regarded as unrecognizable and any subsequent use of the name be 
forbidden. 

It would seem to us that the opinion of the Commission quoted by Mr. 
Mathews to the effect that the genus be regarded as including all the 
species of the world that would come under the published diagnosis covers 
the case. Even though the diagnoses of the four genera of Accipitres — 
Circus, Buteo, Astur and Milvus— are not sufficiently definite to dis- 
tinguish the four groups of species involved, we can nevertheless include 


all the known hawks under each, if necessary, and let the next user of the ~ 


names restrict each one, which is the plan followed by the A. O. U. Com- 
mittee. As a matter of fact we have very few cases of this sort and the 
danger of encouraging carelessness in the future by giving any recognition 
to such names is negligible. 

South Australian Ornithologist. III, Part 6. April, 1918. 

A Trip on the Coorong and Amongst the Bristle Birds on Younghusband 
Peninsula. By S. A. White. 

A Sketch of the Life of Samuel White. By 8. A. White —— An interest- 
ing biography continued in the July issue. 

South Australian Ornithologist. III, Part 7. July, 1918. 

A Visit to the Breeding Grounds of Swan and Pelican on the Coorong. 
By S. A. White. 


vo ‘1918 mi Recent Literature. 501 


Some Observations on the Nesting and the Young of Cormorants. By 
A. N. Morgan. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie. X, No. 108. April 7, 1918. [In 
French.| 

An Apparent Hybrid between the Pigeon and Dove. By X. Raspail. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie. No. 109. May 7, 1918. 

Birds of the Valley of the Ancre during the Winter of 1916-1917. By 
Capt. J. N. Kennedy. 

On a Small Collection of Birds from the Belgian Congo. By A. Mene- 
gaux and Van Saceghem.— Continued in the next issue. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie. No. III. July 7, 1918. 

On Color Vision and Color Sensitiveness in Birds. By R. Dubois. 

Notes on the Ornithology of Tunis. By A. Blanchet. 

Ardea. VII, No. 1-2. [In Dutch.] 

Bird Migration Observations in Holland in 1917. By Dr. H. Ekama. 

Report from the Netherlands Ornithological Experiment Station at 
Heumen. By Jan J. Luden Van Heumen.— An eleborate analysis of the 
food of the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) and Turtle Dove (T'urtur 
turtur) with detailed contents of stomachs and crops and extensive charts. 


Ornithological Articles in Other Journals.! 


Grinnell, Joseph. Bird Migration in its International Bearing. (The 
Scientific Monthly, August, 1918.) 

Beebe, William. A Kashmir Barrage of Hail. (Zodlogical Society 
Bulletin, May, 1918.) — Contains a list of western Himalayan birds. 

Crandall, Lee 8. Bird Life of a Big City. (/bid.) — Contains a list 
of wild birds of the New York Zodlogical Park. 

Brooks, Major Allan. Brief Notes on the Prevalence of Certain Birds 
in British Columbia. (The Ottawa Naturalist, February, 1918.) 

Criddle, Norman. Bird Notes from Manitoba. (Jbid., March, 1918.) 

Johnson, C. E. Mammal Food of the Great Horned Owl. (Jbid., 
April, 1918.) 

Gormley, A. L. The Evening Grosbeak at Arnprior, Ont. (Ibid.) — 
Present every winter from 1912-13 to 1916-17, but absent last winter not 
only here but throughout eastern North America. 

Saunders, W. E. A Protected Nest of the Bald Eagle. (Ibid.) — 
Nested in the same woods for the last 25 years. 

Collinge, Walter E. On the Value of the Different Methods of Esti- 
mating the Stomach Contents of Wild Birds. (The Scottish Naturalist, 


1Some of these journals are received in exchange, others are examined in the library 
of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The Editor is under obligations to 
Mr. J. A. G. Rehn for a list of ornithological articles contained in the accessions to the 
library from week to week. 


[oer 


502 Recent Literature. 
May, 1918.) — An endorsement of the methods of the U. 8. Biological 
Survey. 

Chapman, Alfred. Notes and Observations on the Birds of North 
Uist in May, 1883. (Jbid., June, 1918.) 

Shufeldt, R. W. Anomalies to be Found Among Ordinary Birds. 
(Scientific American Supplement, No. 2207.) 

Wetmore, Alexander. Description of a New Subspecies of the Little 
Yellow Bittern from the Philippine Islands. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 31, 
pp. 83-84, June 29, 1918.) — Ixobrychus sinensis astrologus (p. 83) Luzon. 

Hollister, N. The Yellow Rail in the District of Columbia. (Jbid., 
p. 93, June 29, 1918.) — One captured May 20, 1917. 

Zimmer, John T. Instinctive Feeding Habits of Young Herons. 
(Ibid., p. 94.) — Young herons invariably speared fish placed in a pan of 
water on the first thrust and as invariably missed those placed on the floor. 
The refraction of light passing through the water is suggested as the reason, 
the birds being accustomed to take their food from shallow water aim their 
thrusts accordingly. 

Oberholser, H. C. Aristonetta a Good Genus. (Jbid., p. 98.) —In 
the opinion of the author this name should be revived for the Canvasback. 

Oberholser, H. C. Spizilla monticola (Gmel.) the Correct Name for 
the North American Tree Sparrow. (Jbid., p.98.) Fringilla canadensis 
Bodd. has been cited as an earlier name for this bird but it proves to be 
based on the young of some other species, possibly the White-throated 
Sparrow. 

Pitt, Frances. The Colour Changes of the Beak and Shield of the 
Young Moorhen (Gallinula c. chloropus). (Novitates Zool., XXV, No. 1, 
May 1918.) 

Hartert, Ernst. Types of Birds in the Tring Museum. (Jbid.) — 
The Brehm Collection. 

Hartert, Ernst. On the Genus Calandrella. (Jbid.) 

Van Someren, V.G. L. A Further Contribution to the Ornithology 
of Uganda (West Elgon and District).— (Ibid.) — Linurgus elgonensis 
(p. 283) sp. nov. 

Baker, E. C. Stuart. Some Notes on the Dicruride. (Ibid.) — New 
forms described are: D. leucophaeus disturbans (p. 293), Amherst, Malay 
Peninsula, D.1. hopwoodi (p. 294), Dacca, D. 1. stevensi (p. 295), Darjeeling, 
India and D.1. minimus (p. 296), Ceylon, D. ater harterti (p. 299), Formosa 
and D. paradiseus nicobariensis (p. 302), Nicobars. 

Hartert, Ernst. Notes on Penduline Tits. (Jbid.) 

Allen, A.A. The Diurnal Birds of Prey — Hawks, Eagles and Vultures. 
(American Forestry, XXIV, pp. 281-284.) 

Allen, A. A. The Pigeons and Doves. (Jbid., pp. 428-432.) 

Allen, A.A. The True Hawks. (Jbid., pp.357-361.) Admirable popu- 
lar articles with a wealth of excellent illustrations from photographs. 

Oberholser, H.C. The Common Ravens of North America. (Ohio 
Jour. of Sci., XVIII, No. 6, April, 1918.) — Corvus corax europhilus (p. 


Meets ‘| Recent Literature. 503 


215), type locality Alabama, is proposed for the Raven of eastern U. S. 
and southern Canada. C. c. sinuatus is limited to central U.S. and Central 
Mexico, and C. c. clarionensis extended to include birds of extreme N. W. 
Mexico and S. W. United States. C.c. principalis remains the form of the 
far north. 

Oberholser, H. C. Diagnosis of a New Genus of Timaliide. (Jour. 
Wash. Acad. Sci., VIII, No. 12, January 19, 1918.) — Sterrhoptilus (p. 
394), new genus based on Mizornis capitalis. 

Baker, E. C. Stuart. The Game Birds of India, Burmaand Ceylon. Pt. 
XXIII. (Jour. Bombay, Nat. Hist. Soc. XXV, No. 3, January 15, 1918.) 

Anderson, Johannes C. New Zealand Bird-song. Further Notes. 
(Trans. and Proc. N. Z. Inst. XLIX, December 20, 1917.) — Claims a 
similarity to human music. 

De Ferris, F. Contribution to a Study of the Cries and Songs of Birds 
in Relation to Music. (Bull. Inst. Gen. Psychologie, XVII, No. 4-6.) 
{In French.] 

Colthrup, C.W. Some Observations on Birds’ Songs and Calls. (Wild 
Life X, No. 3, March 1918.) 

Mullens, W.H. Bullock’s London Museum. (The Museum’s Journal 
[London], XVII, Nos. 4, 9 and 12.)— An important account of this 
historic museum and its collections. 

Swales, B. H. The Purple Sandpiper at Cleveland, Ohio. (Occa- 
sional Papers of the Museum of Zoélogy, Univ. of Mich., No. 57, June 20, 
1918.) — September 3, 1883. 

Oberholser, H. C. The Criterion of Subspecific Intergradation in 
Vertebrate Zoédlogy. (Science, August 16, 1918.) —In the course of his 
discussion the author says that the ‘degree of difference principle’ so 
strongly advocated by Dr. C. Hart Merriam “has been found unsatis- 
factory.” This statement would seem to be rather too sweeping as many 
ornithologists of the highest standing regard as subspecies forms which 
differ but slightly but do not intergrade, so long as their ranges are distinct. 
In a very large number of cases too our judgment is actually based on the 
amount and character of the difference, the intergradation being inferred. 
As in many other evolutionary problems we shall probably ultimately 
consider several factors in reaching a conclusion rather than try to bind 
ourselves to one principle only (cf. p. 487). 


Publications Received.— Bailey, Florence Merriam. Birds of Glacier 
National Park. (General Information regarding Glacier National Park 
Season of 1918, pp. 52-64.) 

Bancroft, W. F. Directory of Officials and Organizations Concerned 
with the Protection of Birds and Game, 1918. (U. 8. Department of 
Agriculture, Biological Survey.) 

Bangs, Outram. (1) Vertebrata from Madagascar. (Bull. Mus. 
Comp. Zool., LXI, No. 14, pp. 489-511.) (2) Notes on the Geographical 
Races of Tangara gyroloides. (Proc. N. E. Zool. Club, VI, pp. 73-76, 
December 21, 1917.) 


504 Recent Literature. On 


Bangs, Outram and Noble, G. K. Description of a New Woodpecker 
from Peru. (Proc. N. E. Zool. Club, VI, pp. 85-86. June 7, 1918.) 

Dwight, Jonathan, M. D. The Geographical Distribution of Color 
and of other variable Characters in the Genus Junco: a new Aspect of 
specific and subspecific Values. (Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. Bull., XX XVIII, 
pp. 269-309. June 1, 1918.) 

Grinnell, J. (1) The Name of the American Barn Swallow. (The 
Condor, XX, p. 92, March, 1918. (2) Seven New or Noteworthy Birds 
from East-Central California. (Ibid., pp. 86-90.) (8) The Subspecies of 
the Mountain Chickadee. (Univ. of Cal. Publ. in Zool., Vol. 17, pp. 505- 
515. May 4, 1918.) 

Hollister, N. The Yellow Rail in the District of Columbia. (Proc. 
Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 31, pp. 93, June 29, 1918.) 

McAtee, W. L. Attracting Birds to Public and Semipublic Reserva- 
tions. (Bull. 715, U. S. Dept. Agriculture, August 12, 1918.) 

Mathews, Gregory M. The Birds of Australia. Vol. VII. Part II. 
May 15, 1918. London, Witherby & Co. 

Nichols, J.T. An Aspect of the Relation Between Abundance, Migra- 
tion and Range in Birds. (Science, XLVIII, No. 1233, August, 16, 1918.) 

Shufeldt, R. W. Anomalies to Be Found Among Ordinary Birds. 
(Scient. Amer. Suppl., No. 2207, April 20, 1918.) 

Skinner, M. P. Birds of the Yellowstone National Park. (General 
Information Regarding Yellowstone National Park. Season of 1917, 
pp. 54-59.) 

Soper, J. Dewey. The Birds of Edmonton. (Ottawa Naturalist, 
XXXI, Nos. 11 and 12, February and March, 1918.) 

Swales, Bradshaw H. The Purple Sandpiper at Cleveland, Ohio. 
(Oceas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. of Mich., No. 57, June 20, 1918.) 

Swarth, H.S. The Subspecies of the Oregon Jay. (The Condor, XX, 
pp. 83-84, March, 1918.) 

U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Migratory Bird Treaty and Regu- 
lations. (August 26, 1918.) 

Wetmore, Alexander. The Duck Sickness in Utah. (Bull. No. 672, 
U.S. Dept. of Agr., June 21, 1918.) 

Wocd, Norman A. (Occas. Papers Mus. of Zool. Univ. of Mich., No. 50, 
April 8, 1918. Notes on the Birds of Alger County, Michigan.) 

American Museum Journal, XVIII, No. 5, May, 1918. 

Ardea, VII, No. 1-2. 

Audubon Bulletin, Spring and Summer 1918. 

Austral Avian Record, The, III, No. 6, June 25, 1918. 

Avicultural Magazine, (3), [X, Nos. 8 and 9, June and July, 1918. 

Bird-Lore, XX, No. 4, July-August, 1918. 

Bird Notes and News, VIII, No. 2, Summer, 1918. 

Bluebird, The, X, Nos. 6 and 7, May and June, 1918. 

British Birds, XII, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, June-August, 1918. 

Bulletin British Ornithologists’ Club, Nos. CCX XXIV and CCXXXV, 
May 22, and July 25, 1918. 


tS 


xe is | Correspondence. 505 

California Fish and Game, Vol. 4, No. 3, July, 1918. 

Condor, The, XX, No. 4, July—August, 1918. 

Current Items of Interest, Nos. 37 and 38, June 29 and July 1, 1918. 

Emu, The, XVIII, Part I, July, 1918. 

Fins, Feathers and Fur, No. 14, June, 1918. 

Ibis, The, (10), VI, No. 3, July, 1918. 

New Jersey Audubon Bulletin, No. 26, July 1, 1918. 

Odlogist, The, XX XV, Nos. 7 and 8, July and August, 1918. 

Ottawa Naturalist, The, XX XI, No. 12, March, 1918 and XXXII, 
No. 1, April, 1918. 

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, LXX, 
Part I, 1918. 

Revue Frangaise d’Ornithologie, Nos. 108, 109, 110, 111, April—July, 1918. 

Science, N. S., Nos. 1225-1237. 

Scottish Naturalist, The, No. 77 and 78, June, 1918. 

South Australian Ornithologist, The, III, Nos. 36 and 7, April and July, 
1918. 

Wilson Bulletin, The, XXX, No. 2, June, 1918. 

Zoological Society Bulletin, X XI, Nos. 3 and 4, May and July, 1918. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Concerning a Certain Tendency in Systematic Ornithology. 


Epiror oF ‘THe Aux’: 


The more I think of it, the more dangerous appears to me to be the stand 
of those few who would assign to an extreme of one subspecies or species 
(an individual from within the breeding range of that form as typically 
represented by the mean) the name of an essentially different subspecies 
or species which that individual happens to resemble. 

To illustrate, Dr. Dwight in his recent essay on the Genus Junco (Bull. 
Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. XXXVIII, 1918, pp. 269-309, 5 text-figs. 
[maps], pls. XI—XIII), cites (p. 293) the case of a series of breeding juncos, 
one hundred males, all from one locality in the Sierra Nevada of central 
California. He finds in this series, with regard to one character, color, 
variations which lead him to refer about seventy-five percent (with pinkish 
brown backs) to thurberi, fifteen percent (with browner backs) to ‘‘couesi,”’ 
and a smaller percentage (with deeply ruddy backs) to oregonus. Of 
course, as pointed out by him, there are further variations, and also these 
categories are not sharply demarked. Dwight says (p. 294): “I do not 
see how we can escape the necessity of calling a specimen oregonus or 


506 Correspondence. (aa 


thurberi, or any other name, if it shows the characters of the form, no 
matter where it is taken.” 

Do not my readers immediately see, with me, the extreme danger into 
which the spread of this conviction will inevitably lead our science? What 
will be the value of subspecific determinations by Dwight, Bishop and the 
others of like mind, in accurate studies of migration and of distribution in 
general? Can they be used at all, without incurring the risk of making 
wholly incorrect inductions? If such practice becomes universal, wherein 
could there be any further use at all for recognizing subspecies and slightly 
differentiated species? Would we not have to restrict ourselves to dealing 
with simply black-headed juncos, slate-colored juncos, and gray-headed 
juncos, or, safer yet, with just juncos? 

The rational employment of the subspecific concept as different from 
the specific one requires the exercise of judgment based on experience — 
just such as is needed in any other advanced field of knowledge. Further- 
more, the essential factor involved in the use of trinomials (as designating 
subspecies as distinguished from species) is variation. After years of 
study on the part of scores of systematists in ornithology and mammalogy, 
there are admitted by all, I believe, but two criteria for use of the trinomial: 
(1) relatively small degree of difference, and (2) the fact of intergradation 
either through individual variation (as in insular races) or through geo- 
graphical blending, where the ranges are continuous. Intergradation has 
always been, among the greatest number of vertebrate systematists, the 
basis for the use of the subspecies concept, and it should continue so to be. 
Now, the existence of normal fluctuational variation in two forms means 
that there has to be overlapping where the means are sufficiently close 
together; in other words, intergradation occurs, and the convergent 
extremes will be alike. In any case, if we take a considerable number of 
representatives of an animal which is subject to geographic differentiation, 
from one locality, and another lot from another locality, in a separate 
area of differentiation, and plot graphically their different characters 
separately, which is essentially what Dwight has done with color in the 
Genus Junco, we find that some of the specimens fall together, as demon- 
strated by him in this particular case; but who, until now, would think 
of calling such individuals as fall in the small area of coincidence of the 
polygons by other than the name of the race to which they geographically 
and genetically belong! 

I insist, Dwight’s repeated assertions to the contrary notwithstanding, 
that we simply must consider locality inhabited as one of the most import- 
ant characters possessed by a species or subspecies. Otherwise, our 
efforts to classify specimens as to species and subspecies are liable to be 
worthless. From time immemorial “habitat’’ has been included as one 
of the first and most important diagnostic characters of a species. Why 
begin to disregard it now! 

The main object of classification, from top to bottom, is to express 
genetic relationship, irrespective of superficial resemblances or such as may 


oe "| Notes and News. 507 


obtain in the normal behavior of fluctuational variation. This is, as 
everyone knows, a formidable problem, one that is likely never to be solved 
to our complete satisfaction because of some of just those difficulties that 
Dwight complains of throughout the paper cited. But we are going to 
approach far closer to the ideal than the present stage — provided the 
work of the open-minded, painstaking yet optimistic student continues 
to dominate the field. 
JOSEPH GRINNELL. 
California Museum of Vertebrate Zodlogy, 
July 9, 1918. 


A Correction. 
Epitror oF ‘THe AUK’: 


My thanks are due to Mr. Alexander Wetmore, not alone for the pleasure, 
shared with other readers of “The Auk,’ in perusing his valuable con- 
tribution on ‘The Birds of Desecheo Island, Porto Rico,’ but also for hav- 
ing therein called my attention to a hitherto overlooked slip of the pen in 
my article ‘A Day on De Cicheo Island’ (Odlogist, 1900), whereby (page 
117, second paragraph), I referred to the “Sooty Tern” instead of to the 
Noddy, as should have been the case. This error certainly requires cor- 
rection, even at this late date. 

Of course the character of the slip is at once apparent on referring to my 
paper on the ‘Birds of Porto Rico’ (Auk, 1902-03), wherein (1902, pages 
357-358) the Sooty Tern is correctly recorded as noted only on Mona 
Island, the Bridled Tern and Noddy, however, having been noted on both 
Mona and Desecheo Islands. 


B. S. BowptsH. 
Newark, N. J., July 11, 1918. 


NOTES AND NEWS. 


Aut readers of ‘The Auk’ are familiar with the changes which are con- _ 
tinually being proposed in the technical names of our birds and are doubtless 
reminded of the old saying that ‘A rose by any other name will smell as 
sweet.’ Those actively interested in nomenclature know that many of 
these proposed changes, as well as similar ones in other branches of zodlogy 
and botany, are necessary in order to conform to the rules adoped to bring 
about uniformity in scientific nomenclature. What strides have been 
made toward uniformity and stability in bird names under these rules 
may be realized by comparing the ‘Hand-List’ of the B. O. U. and the 
A. O. U. ‘Check-List’ (cf. Auk, 1915, p. 2438). 

Other proposed changes involving the acceptance or rejection of newly 
described races, subdivisions of genera etc., depend upon individual opinion 
and can only be decided by an authoritative list prepared by a committee 


508 Notes and News. lee 


of arbitration. Such a list is our A. O. U. ‘Check-List’ prepared by the 
A. O. U. Committee on Classification and Nomenclature, and the great 
majority of our readers who are not interested in the technicalities of 
nomenclature turn to this check-list when they wish to make use of scien- 
tific names. 

This work can of necessity never be up to date and for the convenience 
of those who wish to keep up with the technicalities a series of annual lists 
of proposed changes and additions to the ‘Check-List’ appears in the April 
issue of ‘The Auk,’ compiled by Dr. Harry C. Oberholser and embodying 
the compiler’s opinions upon certain of the cases. These lists however, 
carry no further authority and no action has as yet been taken by the 
A. O. U. Committee on any of the cases contained therein. 

It seems desirable that this fact be strongly emphasized since the ‘Lists’ 
have been confused by some with the ‘Supplements to the Check-List’ 
issued under the authority of the Committee. A case in point is Mrs. 
Florence Merriam Bailey’s excellent ‘List of the Birds of Glacier National 
Park’ which is stated to follow the ‘1910 A. O. U. Check-List revised to the 
April 1918 Auk.’ As the list of proposed changes in the April 1918 ‘Auk’ 
and its predecessors contain no decisions by the A. O. U. Committee it is 
obvious that any ‘‘revision’’ of the ‘Check-List’ based upon them is purely 
the selection or rejection of such names there included as the author may 
choose. 

While in technical papers representing original research in nomenclature 
it is perfectly proper for an author to propose or endorse names differing 
from those used in the ‘Check-List,’ it seems most undesirable to do so in 
local North American lists or in popular articles or such as are written for 
public instruction, as Mrs. Bailey’s list above quoted or Dr. Oberholser’s 
census of birds in the vicinity of Washington, D. C. (see antea p. 492). 
In the latter only technical names are used and as the average reader of the 
census will be unable to locate a number of them in the A. O. U. ‘ Check- 
List,’ the only check-list available to him (or in any other, for that matter) 
he will be unable to understand what birds Dr. Oberholser is writing about. 
We do not question the accuracy of Dr. Oberholser’s nomenclature — there 
are few better authorities on the subject — nor the probability that the 
A. O. U. Committee will ultimately endorse most of his decisions, but until 
they do so it seems that the use of these “‘advanced”’ names in such publi- 
cations retards instead of advances ornithology. We must consider our 
readers and write in the language that they can understand. 

That it is not necessary to be “up to the minuit”’ in matters of nomen- 
clature in order to do excellent ornithological work may be seen in the 
publications of the members of the Cooper Ornithological Club. Our 
Californian co-workers it is true recognize certain races not accepted in the 
A. O. U. ‘Check-List’ but in matters of pure nomenclature, generic divi- 
sion, etc., they are content to follow the ‘Check-List.’! ‘The Auk’ has not 


1 Names of new races not yet included in the “ Check-L’st’ may of course be employed 
if desired with footnotes showing their equivalents in the “ Check-List’ nomenclature. 


<i pay ted oS 


eae | Notes and News. 509 


been as careful as it should have been in this matter but in the future all 
contributors will be requested to conform strictly with the ‘Check-List’ 
in all local lists unless footnote equivalents are given. 

This whole matter takes on a very much more serious aspect just at 
present, for, as will be seen below, the time is ripe for a very much wider 
uniformity in nomenclature, through the co-operation of all English speak- 
ing ornithologists, and unless we agree to sink our personal preferences so 
far as ordinary publications go and use the nomenclature endorsed by our 
national organization, what hope can there be for international agreement? 

We do not in any way wish to criticise the excellent papers which we have 
used as examples. They simply happened to be among the publications 
reviewed in this issue. It is the principle that we are considering and we 
feel sure that most or all of those who have employed ‘‘advanced nomen- 
clature” for “every day use” did so thoughtlessly or were mislead as to 
the character of the ‘Lists of Proposed Changes’ published in ‘The Auk.’— 
WITMER STONE. 


In reviewing the recent ‘Hand-List of British Birds’ by Dr. Hartert 
and his associates the Editor of ‘The Auk’ had occasion to comment upon 
the remarkable correspondence between the nomenclature there adopted 
and that of the A. O. U. Check-List in cases where the same genera or 
species were considered and concluded with the following: “This com- 
parison shows that it will now be very easy for American and British 
ornithologists to come together on matters of nomenclature.” 

The time for bringing about this result seems to have arrived, thanks 
to the initiative taken by the Committee of the British Ornithologists’ 
Union. Some months ago they appointed a committee on a ‘Systema 
Avium’ consisting of Lord Rothschild, Drs. Eagle Clark and Hartert, 
Messrs. G. M. Mathews, T. Iredale, W. L. Sclater, E. C. Stuart Baker and 
C. Chubb. It was proposed that this committee enter into correspondence 
with the A. O. U. to propose a joint list of bird names of the world to be 
known as the ‘Systema Avium.’ The suggestion is that the work consist 
of six volumes covering the six great zodlogical regions, the A. O. U. being 
responsible for North and South America and the B. O. U. for the Old 
World volumes, and that a joint committee settle all questions of nomen- 
clature of genera and species where they are not already in accord. 

The matter will come before the A. O. U. at its next meeting and it is to 
be hoped that in the near future the actual work may be under way al- 
though publication will of course be out of the question until after the war. 
Such a work endorsed by all the English speaking people of the world 
would go a long way toward establishing a universal nomenclature for birds. 


As is generally known legislation for the protection of migratory birds 
in North America has taken the form of a treaty between the United States 
and Great Britain, putting the matter on a more stable and permanent 
basis than could be done in any other way. After being ratified by both 


510 Notes and Neus. lass 


governments the treaty was proclaimed by the President on December 8, 
1916. Canada by an act of Parliament gave full effect to the convention 
August 29, 1917, and issued regulations, May 11, 1918. Congress took 
similar action on July 3, 1918 and on the 31st of the same month President 
Wilson issued a proclamation containing regulations for the enforcement 
of the treaty in the United States, so that the treaty is now in full force. 

The birds covered by the regulations include the Anatide, Gruide, 
Rallide, Limicole, Columbide and all migratory insectivorous birds as 
well as Grebes, Loons, Auks, Herons, Gulls and Terns, Petrels and Shear- 
waters. The open seasons correspond closely with those previously in 
force under the Migratory Bird Law, but everyone should secure a copy 
of the pamphlet issued by the Department of Agriculture which contains 
the text of the treaty and the regulations. 

The section which especially interests field ornithologists is that dealing 
‘with collecting for scientific purposes. Every collector of birds or eggs 
must hereafter have a permit from the Secretary of Agriculture, and anyone 
collecting without such permit will be vigorously prosecuted by the Federal 
authorities. Permits may be obtained without cost by applying to the 
Secretary of Agriculture but the applicant must have the endorsement 
of two well-known ornithologists. Blanks for application may be had from 
the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 


Cou. WILLIAM VINCENT LEGGE, a Corresponding Fellow of the American 
Ornithologists’ Union, died at his home in Tasmania on March 25, 1918, 
in his 75th year. He was born at Fullenswood, near St. Mary’s, Tasmania, 
September, 1841, the son of R. V. Legge one of the earliest settlers of the 
country. We learn from ‘The Emu,’ that he went to England with his 
parents at the age of 12, crossing the isthmus of Panama on mule back. 
He was educated at Bath and also in France and Germany, becoming an 
accomplished linguist. Receiving his commission in the British Army in 
1862 he was successively stationed in England, Melbourne and Ceylon his 
final appointment being Commandant of the Tasmanian Military forces, 
which position he held for eleven years, retiring from the service after the 
Boer War. His later years were spent in agricultural pursuits on his home 
estate. ; 

Col. Legge’s chief interests outside of his profession were, forestry, 
physiography and ornithology. He was one of the founders of the Royal 
Australasian Ornithologists’ Union and its first president. During his 
nine years service in Ceylon he gathered the materials for his most impor- 
tant ornithological work, ‘The Birds of Ceylon’ in two volumes, quarto, 
with colored plates, which he published during a subsequent staff appoint- 
ment in England. During his sojourns in that country he was very inti- 
mate with the late Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and frequently visited John Gould, 
the ‘‘father of Australian ornithology.’ Among Col. Legge’s other orni- 
thological publications may be mentioned, his ‘Systematic List of Tas- 
manian Birds. The Geographical Distribution of the Australian Limicole’ 


a | Notes and News. ey 


while he took an important part in the compilation of the List of Vernacular 
Names of Australian Birds’ and the R. A. O. U. Check-List. 


Dr. Rosert LatsHaw WALKER, an Associate Member of the A. O. U., 
died at Carnegie, Pa., November 19, 1916, in his seventy-ninth year. Dr. 
Walker was born in Pittsburgh, July 26, 1838, and at the age of sixteen 
removed with his parents to Woodville, where he grew to manhood. His 
early education was obtained at the Western University of Pennsylvania 
(now University of Pittsburgh), and he took his medical degree at the 
University of Pennsylvania. In 1866 he began the practice of his profes- 
sion in what was then Mansfield Valley, now the borough of Carnegie. 
Dr. Walker was always a lover of outdoor sports and natural history, and 
had amassed a library of considerable size on these subjects, of which 
ornithological books formed a large part. He was elected an Associate 
Member of the A. O. U. in 1888, and while he did not, so far as known to 
the writer, contribute to the ornithological magazines, he was well informed 
on the subject in general, and took a great interest in the progress of the 
science. Dr. Walker had a personality that endeared him to a large circle 
of friends and acquaintances, by whom he is surely missed.— W. HE. 
CiypE Topp. 


PROFESSOR JONATHAN YOUNG STANTON, an Associate of the American 
Ornithologists’ Union, 1883-1918, died at his home in Lewiston, Maine, 
February 17, 1918, of pneumonia after a short illness. 

Professor Stanton was born in Lebanon, Maine, in June, 1834, and 
graduated from Bowdoin College in the class of 1856. He took up the 
study of law in the office of D. C. Christie, Dover, N. H., for a time; but 
relinquishing the law, with the exception of two or more years at the 
Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass., devoted himself to the office of a 
teacher: two years in the New Hampton Institution, New Hampshire, 
and two years as principal of Pinkerton Academy, Derry, New Hampshire. 
In 1863 he was elected Professor of Greek and Latin in Bates College, 
Lewiston, Maine, holding this position until 1906 when failing health forced 
him to resign his active professorship, when he was made Professor emeritus. 
In 1874 he travelled abroad. 

Professor Stanton was a man of broad scholarship, and among numerous 
other subjects, took a deep interest in the study of ornithology. For 
many years he conducted classes in this subject both in the lecture room 
and in the field, and after his retirement in 1906 until about a year before 
his death continued to give lectures and conduct field classes. 

Though of a modest and retiring nature, through a correspondence 
with prominent naturalists in this country and in Europe, including Dar- 
win and Wallace; and through his long labors at the College, he became 
widely known to ornithologists and bird lovers. Many a teacher today is 
passing on the inspiration received from Professor Stanton. 

Early in life he began the formation of a collection of birds and an orni- 


512 Notes and News. [oct 


thological library, which became quite notable and were recently installed 
in the College museum and library. 

With his splendid equipment and profound knowledge, it is to be re- 
gretted that he wrote almost nothing for publication. Deeply as he loved 
the works of nature, his deepest love and sympathy was directed to man, 
and especially to the young men and women of the College, who came to 
regard him with an unusual degree of reverence. 

At the first meeting of the Maine Ornithological Society, held in Gardiner, 
Maine, December, 1896, he was elected to Honorary membership. 

In 1866 he was married to Harriet P. Woodman of Portland, whom he 
survived by about twenty-two years. 

Two good photographs of Professor Stanton are to be found in Carrie 
EK. Miller’s, Birds of Lewiston-Auburn and Vicinity, published at Lewiston, 
1918.— A. H. Norton. 


Tue National Academy of Sciences at its April meeting awarded to 
Dr. Frank M. Chapman, curator of ornithology at the American Museum 
of Natural History, the first Daniel Giraud Elliot medal and honorarium, 
for his recent work on the distribution of bird-life in Colombia. 

The Elliot fund was established by Miss Margaret Henderson Elliot 
in memory of her father and the award is to be made annually for pre- 
eminence in zodlogy or paleontology. Ornithologists throughout the 
country, we feel sure, will heartily endorse the action of the National Aca- 
demy. It is particularly gratifying that an ornithologist should be the 
first to be so honored and peculiarly appropriate that one so closely asso- 
ciated with Dr. Elliot should receive the first Elliot medal. Incidentally 
it may be mentioned that on March 1, 1918, Dr. Chapman completed his 
thirtieth year of connection with the American Museum, being now second 
in point of seniority on its scientific staff. 


Dr. Cuartes W. Ricumonp, for many years Assistant Curator of the 
Division of Birds in the United States National Museum, has recently 
been appointed Associate Curator. Mr. B. H. Swales has been appointed 
Honorary Curator of birds’ eggs in the same institution. 


AGITATION for increasing the catch of fish as an emergency measure for 
food supply during the war has caused undue agitation against the Pelicans. 
especially in the Gulf States. The National Association of Audubon 
Societies and the Conservation Commission of Louisiana have undertaken 
an investigation of the food of the bird and the Audubon Society of Florida 
has issued a pamphlet in its defence. The reports of its destruction of 
food fishes have evidently been greatly exaggerated. 


Ar the annual meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union held on 
March 13, 1918, Dr. W. Eagle Clarke was elected president to succeed 
Col. R. Wardlaw Ramsey who had served for the last five years. The 
membership of the Union stands as follows: Ordinary 423, Extraordinary 


- 
- 
-“~ ae 


Nhais | Notes and News. 513 


1, Honorary 8, Honorary Lady (the only lady members) 8, Colonial 9, 
and Foreign 19. The Honorary and Foreign (equivalent to the Corre- 
sponding Class of the A. O. U.) it will be noticed are much more 
restricted than in the A. O. U. The American ornithologists represented 
in these classes are as follows: 

Honorary, Dr. J. A. Allen, Dr. Frank M. Chapman, Dr. Harry C. Ober- 
holser, Dr. Chas. W. Richmond and Mr. Robert Ridgway. 

Foreign, Dr. Leonhard Stejneger and Dr. Witmer Stone. 


Tue ASsocrATEes OF THE A. O. U.— The By-Laws of the Union provide 
that Associates shall be unlimited in number but shall be residents of 
America. So long as a person maintains residence in America he may keep 
his status as an Associate even though he may reside temporarily in a 
distant part of the world. Thus at the present time one Associate is 
living in British Papua, another in Ceylon, and a third in Samoa. 

At the first meeting 87 Associates were elected but apparently several 
failed to qualify, for at the next meeting in spite of the fact that only two 
deaths had occurred during the year the number was reported as only 63. 
In April 1918, the total number as shown by the list published in ‘The 
Auk’ was 745 including 5 Life Associates. Of these, 142, or nearly 20 per 
cent were women. Practically all of the 120 persons that have been 
elected Members and about one half of the present Fellows were originally 
elected as Associates. In addition to losses by resignation or otherwise 
the losses by death since the organization of the Union have been 165. 

The class of Associates includes several distinct groups. It comprises 
not only the younger bird students and those who on account of a general 
interest in birds wish to keep in touch with the progress of bird study, but 
also those who have a temporary interest in ornithology. The more active 
ornithologists and especially those who are engaged in bird study in a 
professional capacity are usually promoted to the classes of Members and 
Fellows. Unfortunately many of those whose interest is only temporary 
drop out after a few years so that changes are frequent and extensive. 
But in spite of these changes the class of Associates forms a very important 
part of the membership. It includes much of the enthusiasm, vigor and 
strength of the Union and every effort should be made to stabilize it and 
increase it to several times its present size.— T.S. P. 


CALLED TO THE CoLors.— Since the publication of the July number of 
‘The Auk’ of the third list of A. O. U. members in military service, a few 
additional names and changes have been reported. The additions are as 
follows: 


Breratoup, Dr. Witt1aM Harry, Denver, Colo. Major Medical Corps, 
U.S. Gen. Hospital No. 21, Denver, Col. 

Britren, Dr. GrorGcE Srmpney, Syracuse, N. Y. Captain Medical Corps, 
American Expeditionary Forces, in France. 

Dicr, Lez Raymonp, Washington, D. C. Private 5th Co., 2d Training 
Battalion, 154th Depot Brigade, Camp Meade, Md. 


514 Notes and News. lace 


Fow.er, FreDERIcK Hatt, Palo Alto, Calif. Captain of Engineers, Office 
Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C. 

Fry, Rev. Henry Jacos, Montclair, N. J. Chaplain U.S. Navy. 

Lorine, JoHN ALDEN, Owego, N. Y. Captain of Ordnance. 

Morin, Ouvaus JoHan, Moorhead, Minn. Cadet Army Balloon School, 
Fort Omaha, Nebr. 

Overton, Dr. Frank, Patchogue, N. Y. Captain Medical Corps, Fort 
Oglethorpe, Ga. 

Poor, Earu L., Reading, Pa. Signal Service, in France. 

Sweeney JosepH A. Halsey, Nebr. Private Co. E, 2d Battalion, 20th 
Engineers (Forest), American Expeditionary Forces, in France. 


The following changes and corrections should also be mentioned. Major 
Philip J. McCook is now Adjutant of the 9th Brigade in France. Lieut. 
Francis Harper and Lieut. E. G. Holt have been promoted to Ist Lieutenant 
and transferred to the Sanitary Corps. Tracy I. Storer has also been 
commissioned a Ist Lieutenant in the Sanitary Corps and detailed on the 
laboratory car ‘Metchnikoff,’ at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. 
F. C. Lincoln is an acting sergeant in the Pigeon Section of the 293d Aero 
Squadron at March Field, Riverside, Calif., and Charles H. Rogers is a 
Sergeant in the 31st Machine Gun Battalion, 11th Division, Camp Meade, 
Md. Private F. G. Hall is in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps at 
Madison Barracks, N. Y. Private F. P. Metcalf has been transferred to the 
U. S. Signal Corps Radio School at College Park, Md., and Walt. F. 
McMahon a private in Infantry is now in France. The name of Horace 
W. Wright was included in the last list through error. 

In the Canadian Forces Ernest M. Anderson is in A Co., R. C. R., B.C. 
Special Service Unit at Quebec; Harrison M. Laing is in the Instructional 
Section of the School of Aerial Gunnery at Beamsville, Ontario; and 
Harrison F. Lewis has been discharged on account of disability and is now 
District Auditor in Militia District No. 5 at Quebec. 

Relatives or friends who may have additional information concerning 
these or other members are requested to communicate at once with the 
Secretary giving any facts as to rank, branch of the service or present 
location of members in military service in order that necessary corrections 
in the list may be made before the annual meeting. 


T. S. Palmer, 
1939 Biltmore St., N. W. Secretary. 
Washington, D. C. 


ATTENTION is again called to the thirty-sixth stated meeting of the 
A. O. U. to be held at the American Museum of Natural History, New York 
City, November 12-14, 1918. As many of our members are now serving 
their country the duty of keeping alive the activities of the society in which 
all are so deeply interested, devolves upon those who are still at home. It 
is to be hoped that everyone who can possibly do so will arrange to attend 
the New York meeting. 


INDEX TO VOLUME XXXV. 


[New generic, specific, and subspecific names are printed in heav face type. 
; vi YP 


Asszot, John, drawings by, 271-286. 
Acanthis hornemanni exilipes, 466. 
h. hornemanni, 461. 
linaria, 466. 
1. linaria, 150, 232. 
Accipiter bicolor bicolor, 443. 
b. fidens, 444. 
cooperi, 24, 45, 279, 281, 283, 
345. 
nisus, 253. 
velox, 24, 45, 279. 
Actitis macularia, 22, 43, 331, 446. 
Adelomyia melanogenys maculata, 
451. 
AEchmophorus occidentalis, 42. 
Aigialeus, 205. 
Agialitis hiaticula major, 205. 
meloda, 23. 
nivosa, 206, 332. 
semipalmata, 332. 
gotheles cristata centralia, 368. 
c. melvillensis, 368. 
c. olivei, 368. 
c. tasmanica, 368. 
Aeronautes melanoleucus, 235. 
#strelata diabolica, 202. 
fisheri, 221. 
hasitata, 202. 
Zthiopsar fuscus infuscatus, 377. 
thopyga scheriz tonkinensis, 100. 
Agapornis madagascariensis ab- 
lectanea, 258. 
Agelaius gubernator californicus, 
209. 
pheeniceus californicus, 209. 
p. neutralis, 149. 
p. pheeniceus, 137, 280, 281, 
347. 


Aix sponsa, 20, 296. 

Alabama, 224. 

Alaska, 221, 387-404. 

Alauda arvensis kiborti, 100. 

Alberta, 489. 

Alcyone azurea distincta, 368. 

a. wallaceana, 368. 

Alectroenas nitidissima, 377. 

Allen, Francis H., the Slate-colored 
Junco breeding near Boston, 482. 

Allen, Glover M., obituary of W. R. 
Zappey, 263; obituary of Dr. 
J. C. White, 265. 

Alphapuffinus, 215. 

Aluco pratincola, 25. 

Amazona amazonica 

365. 

American Ornithologists’ Union, 
thirty-fifth stated meeting of, 
65-73; fellows of, 110; foreign 
members, 266; members of, 384; 
associates of, 513. 


tobagensis, 


Ammodramus savannarum auSs- 
tralis, 138, 284, 347. 
s. bimaculatus, 151. 
Ammospiza, 210. 
caudacuta caudacuta, 210. 


c. nelsoni, 210. 
ce. subvirgata, 210. 


 Amphispiza nevadensis nevadensis, 


152. 
Anas fulvigula, 216. 
f. maculosa, 216. 
platyrhynchos, 20, 42. 
rubripes, 20, 350. 
r. tristis, 203. 
Andropadus importunus noomel, 
102. 


515 


516 


Anhinga vulsini, 258. 
Anomalospiza butleri, 498. 
Anous stolidus, 338. 
Anser albifrons, 94. 
gambeli, 94. 
Anthoscopus, 500. 
Anthreptes hypogrammica inten- 
sior, 256. 
Anthus rubescens, 156, 212, 281, 
304. 
sordidus arabicus, 258. 
s. sokotre, 258. 
spinoletta rubescens, 212. 
Antrostomus carolinensis, 280. 
vociferus vociferus, 27, 300. 
Aphelocoma californica, 250. 
c. californica, 481. 
. hypoleuca, 480. 
. Immanis, 250, 208. 
. obscura, 250, 481. 
. ooclepta, 250. 
c. woodhousei, 208. 
cyanotis, 217. 
woodhousei, 208. 
Aphriza virgata, 332. 
Aquilla chrysztos, 45. 
Ara militaris militaris, 447. 
Aramides cajanea salmoni, 376. 
Aratinga cactorum perpalida, 365. 
frontatus, 447. 
rubrolarvatus, 447. 
Archibuteo ferrugineus, 45. 
lagopus sancti-johannis, 45, 
35l. 
Archilochus alexandri, 49. 
colubris, 28, 346, 359. 
‘Ardea,’ reviewed, 101, 257, 378, 
501. 
Ardea cinerea firasa, 100. 
herodias herodias, 20, 284, 341. 
h. occidentalis, 204. 
h. olgista, 216. 
h. treganze, 42. 
h. wardi, 204. 
occidentalis, 204. 
thula, 204. 


QO © © © 


Index. 


[oce: 


Ardenna, 201. 
carneipes, 201. 
creatopus, 201. 
gravis, 201. 

Arenaria interpres interpres, 439. 

i. morinella, 332, 341. 
melanocephala, 333. 

Argyroceyx, 368. 

Arquatella maritima couesi, 328. 
m. maritima, 233. 

Arthur, Stanley C., review of his 
‘Birds of Louisiana,’ 247. 

Asio accipitrinus, 345. 

asio wilsonianus, 207. 

flammeus, 25, 46, 223, 298, 345. 

wilsonius, 25, 46, 183, 297, 345, 
207. 

Astragalinus psaltria arizonew, 217. 

p. croceus, 462. 
p. mexicanus, 217. 
tristis pallidus, 150. 
t. tristis, 137, 279, 347. 
Astur atricapillus, 185, 206. 
a. atricapillus, 24, 351. 
a. striatulus, 45. 
gentilis atricapillus, 206. 
g. striatulus, 186, 206. 
palumbarius, 253. 
Asyndesmus lewisi, 49. 
Attagis gayi fitzgeraldi, 256. 
g. simonsi, 256. 

Audubon, John J., uncolored prints 
of his bird plates, 29-32; notice 
of life of, 86-89; ‘Ornithological 
Biography,’ 360. 

Australia, 97, 246, 368, 490. 

‘Austral Avian Record’ reviewed, 
499. 

‘Avicultural Magazine,’ reviewed, 
100, 256, 377, 500. 

Avocet, 235, 327, 372. 


Bmo.opuus bicolor, 146, 279, 348. 
inornatus murinus, 213. 
wollweberi, 214. 

w. annexus, 214. 


Vol. ae | 
1918 


Bailey, Florence M., notice of her 
‘List of Birds of Glacier National 
Park,’ 492. 

Baldpate, 42, 74, 238, 340. 

Bancroft, W. F., notice of his 
‘Directory of Officials and Organi- 
zations Concerned with the Pro- 
tection of Birds and Game, 1918,’ 
496. 

Bangs, Outram, notice of his ‘ Notes 
on the Geographical Races of 
Tangara gyroloides,’ 490. 

Bangs, Outram and Noble, G. K., 
notice of their ‘Description of a 
New Woodpecker from Peru,’ 
490; list of birds collected on the 
Harvard Peruvian Expedition of 
1916, 442-463. 

Bangs, Outram and Penard, Thomas 
E., notice of their ‘Notes on a 
collection of Surinam Birds,’ 
369. 

Bannermania, 216. 

Barbour, Robert, scarcity of birds 
in the spring migration of 1918, 
484. 

Bartramia longicauda, 22, 43. 

Batchelder, Charles F., notice of 
his ‘Two Undescribed New- 
foundland Birds,’ 248. 

Batten, George, obituary notice of, 
264. 

Bayliss, Clara K., a study of the 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 161-164. 

Beebe, William, review of his ‘ Trop- 
ical Wild Life in British Guiana,’ 
91-93. 

Belding, Lyman, obituary of, 106. 

Bent, A. C., Pterodroma gularis in 
North America, 221. 

Bergtold, W. H., the Harpy Eagle 
in Colorado, 77-78. 

Bird Conservation, notice of re- 
ports on, 97, 249, 370. 

Bird Song, 133-135. 


Index. 


517 


Birds as distributors of Hog Chol- 
era, 253. 

‘Bird-Lore,’ reviewed, 98, 254, 374, 
497. 

Bittern, 20, 42, 345, 477, 484. 

Least, 20, 341. 
Blackbird, Brewer’s, 150, 347. 
Red-winged, 137, 238, 347. 
San Diego Red-winged, 149. 
Yellow-headed, 81, 149, 224. 
Bluebird, 147, 349. 
Mountain, 159. 
Western, 159. 

Bobolink, 136, 346. 

Bob-white, 23, 43. 

Bombycilla cedrorum, 140, 154, 212, 

281. 
garrula, 81, 154, 226. 
g. pallidiceps, 212. 
Bonasa umbellus togata, 44. 
u. umbellus, 23. 
Booby, 337. 
Red-faced, 337. 
Botaurus lentiginosus, 20, 42, 345, 
477, 484. 

Bowdish, B. S., Noddy Tern in 
Porto Rico, 507. 

Bowles, J. H., the Limicolze of the 
state of Washington, 326-333. 

Brachyramphus craverii, 215. 

hypoleucus, 215. 

Brachyspiza capensis 

462. 

Braislin, William C., an American 
edition of Audubon’s ‘Ornitho- 
logical Biography,’ 360-362. 

Brannon, Peter A., the Starling in 
Montgomery, Alabama, 224. 

Branta bernicla bernicla, 204. 

b. collaris, 204. 
b. glaucogastra, 204. 

Brennen, George A., Sharp-tailed 
Grouse at Tremont, Indiana, 75. 

Brewster, William, the European 
Widgeon in Massachusetts, 75; 


peruviana, 


518 


nesting of the Red Crossbill 
(Loxia curvirostra minor) in Essex 
County, Massachusetts, 225; the 
subspecific name of the Northern 
Parula Warbler, 228. 

‘British Birds,’ reviewed, 100, 256, 
377, 499. 

British Columbia, 234. 

British Guiana, 91-93. 

British Ornithologists’ Club, re- 
view of ‘Bulletin,’ 100, 256, 376, 
498. 

British Ornithologists’ Union, an- 
nual meeting of, 512. 

Brockway, Arthur W., large flight 
of Great Horned Owls and 
Goshawks at Hadlyme, Connecti- 
cut, 351. 

Brooks, W. Sprague, Massachusetts 
notes, 234. 

Brown, E. J., Melospiza melodia 
phea in southern California, 350. 

Bubo virginianus heterocnemis, 233. 

v. lagophonus, 47. 

v. pallescens, 47. 

v. subarcticus, 217. 

v. virginianus, 26, 298. 
v. wapacuthu, 217. 

Buffle-head, 42, 340. 

Bunting, Indigo, 139, 359. 

Lazuli, 153. 
Painted, 281. 
Snow, 241. 

Burleigh, Thomas D., breeding of 
the Pied-billed Grebe (Podilym- 
bus podiceps) near State College, 
Center Co., Pa., 218; the Hud- 
sonian Chickadee (Penthestes hud- 
sonicus subsp.?) in northeastern 
Pennsylvania, 230. 

Buteo borealis borealis, 24. 

b. calurus, 45. 

b. krideri, 345. 

b. umbrinus, 207. 
lineatus alleni, 281, 283. 
]. lineatus, 24. 
platypterus, 24, 283. 


Index. lace 


Buteo p. iowensis, 207, 478. 
swainsoni, 45. 
vulgaris, 253. 

Buteola, 207. 
brachyura, 207. 

Butorides virescens virescens, 21, 


85, 296. 

Calamanthus campestris peroni, 
100. 

Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus, 
342. 


Calidris leucophza, 205, 330. 

1. rubida, 205. 
California, 94, 250, 321-326, 350. 
Calonectris, 201. 

kuhlii borealis, 201. 
Calyptophilus, 256. 
Campephilus principalis, 285. 
Camptostoma sclateri, 454. 
Canada, 479. 
Cardinal, 139, 342, 359. 
Cardinalis, 499. 

cardinalis cardinalis, 139, 283, 


342, 359. 
Carpodacus mexicanus obscurus, 
209. 


purpureus purpureus, 137, 341. 
Cary, Merritt, notice of his ‘Life 
Zone Investigations in Wyoming,’ 
96. 
‘Cassinia’ for 1917, reviewed, 369. 
Catamenia homochroa, 462. 
Catbird, 145, 156, 348. 
Catharista urubu, 233. 
Cathartes aura septentrionalis, 23, 
45, 84, 297, 341. 
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus in- 
ornatus, 331. 
Centrocercus urophasianus, 44. 
Centurus carolinus 27, 285, 359. 
radiolatus, 495. 
uropygialis brewsteri, 208. 
Ceophlceus lineatus lineatus, 450. 
Cephalopterus ornatus, 453. 
Cepphus snowi, 215. 
Cerchneis sparverius caucz, 445. 


Vol. a | 
1918 


Cerchneis tinnunculus, 253. 
Cercomacra cinerascens immacu- 
lata 498. 
tyrannina saturata, 498. 
t. pallescens, 498. 
Certhia brachydactyla, 464. 
familiaris, 464. 
f. americana, 146, 282, 464. 
f. montana, 156. 

Ceryle alcyon, 184, 283, 355. 

a. alcyon, 26, 234. 

Ceycalcyon, 368. 

Ceycoides, 368. 

Cheetura pelagica, 28, 284, 346. 

vauxi, 49, 235. 
Chalcoparia singalensis koratensis, 
376. 
Chamepetes fagani, 100. 
Chemepelia passerina terrestris, 
282. 

Chapman, F. M., review of his 
‘Distribution of Bird Life in 
Colombia,’ 242-243; awarded 
the Elliot medal, 512. 

Charadrius dominicus, dominicus, 

43, 332. 
hiaticula septentrionalis, 205. 
melodus, 205. 
semipalmatus, 205. 
Charitonetta albeola, 42, 340. 
Chat, Long-tailed, 155. 
Yellow-breasted, 144. 

Chen, 123. 

-ccerulescens, 222, 438. 
hyperboreus hyperboreus, 437. 
h. nivalis, 234. 

Chickadee, 146. 

Carolina, 146. 
Chestnut-backed, 158. 
Hudsonian 230, 231, 343. 
Labrador, 37, 83, 306. 
Long-tailed, 157. 
Mountain, 157, 379. 

Childs, John Lewis, notice of the 
catalogue of his library, 93. 

Chile, 249. 


Index. 


519 


China, 246, 370. 
Chizcerhis, 500. 
Chloroceryle, 353. 

americana cabanisi, 450. 
Chlorcenas cenops, 446. 
Chloropetella suahelica, 102. 
Chloropsis aurifrons inornatus, 376. 
Chondestes grammacus grammacus, 

138. 

g. strigatus, 151. 

Chondrohierax uncinatus mega- 
rhynchus, 445. 

Chordeiles minor aserriensis, 208. 
. chapmani, 208. 
. henryi, 208. 
. hesperis, 208. 
. howelli, 208. 
. minor, 208. 
. sennetti, 208. 
virginianus hesperis, 49. 
v. virginianus, 28, 280. 


BEEBE Bs 


_Chrysoptilus atricollis lymani, 450, 


490. . 
Chrysotrogon caligatus, 480. 
Chuck-will’s-widow, 280. 
Circus cyaneus hudsonius, 206. 
hudsonius, 23, 206, 345. 
Cirrepidesmus, 205. 
mongolus, 206. 
Cisticola cisticola arabica, 258. 
Cistothorus stellaris, 145, 284, 305. ° 
Clangula clangula americana, 296. 
Clark, Hubert Lyman, tail feathers 
and their major upper coverts, 
113-123; notes on the anatomy 
of the Cuban Trogan, 286-289; 
the pterylosis of the Wild Pigeon, 
416-420. 
Clarkona, 97. 


Coale, Henry K., Summer Tanager 


(Piranga rubra rubra) in north- 
western Illinois, 226. 
Coccyzus americanus americanus, 
26, 283. 
erythrophthalmus, 26, 283. 
minor nesiotes, 208. 


520 Index. as 
Coereba magnirostris, 459. Corvus brachyrhynchos _ brachy- 


Colaptes auratus auratus, 285. 
a. luteus, 27, 346. 
cafer collaris, 49. 
c. rufopileus, 208. 
rufopileus, 208. 
Cole, L. J., feather pigments, 105. 
Colibri iolatus brevipennis, 366. 
Colinus virginianus virginianus, 23, 
43. 
Colombia, 240, 242. 
Colorado, 77-79, 81-82, 223, 229, 
236. 
Columba anolaima, 256. 
ogilvie-granti, 100. 
Colymbus auritus, 218. 
nigricollis californicus, 234. 


Comey, Arthur C., _ Black-poll 
Warbler lingering in Massa- 
chusetts, 82. 

Compsocoma sumptuosa sump- 

tuosa, 459. 
Compsothlypis americana ameri- 
cana, 284. 


a. pusilla, 228. 
a. usner, 142, 228. 

‘Condor, The,’ reviewed, 99, 255, 
375, 497. 
Connecticut, 

351. 

Conopophaga aurita occidentalis, 

256. 
peruviana, 451. 

Cooke, M. T., notes from the 
vicinity of Washington, D. C., 
483. 

Coot, 22, 42. 

Copeland, Ada B., Bohemian Wax- 
wing in Grand Junction, Colo., 
81. 

Coprotheres pomarinus camtschati- 

cus, 200. 
p. pomarinus, 200. 
Cormorant, Double-crested, 340. 
Florida, 357. 
Corthylio calendula cineraceus, 214. 


229, 232, 340-344, 


rhynchus, 136, 246. 
b. hesperis, 149. 
corax clarionensis, 209, 503. 
europhilus, 502. 
c. principalis, 136, 503. 
c. sinuatus, 149, 503. 
ossifragus, 136. 

Cory, Charles B., review of his 
‘A Catalogue of Birds of the 
Americas,’ 365. 

Coryphospingus cucullatus, 462. 

Corythopsis torquata sarayacuensis, 

376. 
Coturnix coturnix, 102. 
c. confissa, 102. 
c. conturbans, 102. 
c. inoperata, 102. 
Cowbird, 137, 347. 
Nevada, 149. 

Crane, Sandhill, 42. 

Creciscus jamaicensis, 21, 85. 

Creeper Brown, 146. 

Rocky Mountain, 156. 

Crinifer, 500. 

Crossbill, Red, 137, 225, 301. 

White-winged, 236, 301, 342. 

Crow, 136, 247, 346, 405-416. 

Fish, 136. 
Western, 149. 

Cryptoglaux acadica, 351. 

a. acadica, 26, 47, 298. 
funerea richardsoni, 217, 298. 
tengmalmi richardsoni, 217. 

Crypturellus tataupa inops, 445. 

Cuckoo, Black-billed, 26. 

Yellow-billed, 26. 
Curlew, Hudsonian, 331, 438. 
Long-billed, 48, 331. 
Cyanoceyx, 368. 
Cyanocitta cristata cristata, 136, 346. 
ce. florincola, 359. 
stelleri annectens, 148. 

Cyanocorax mysticalis, 457. 

Cyanopica cyanus interposita, 258. 

Cyclarhis coutrerasi, 458. 


Vol. eal 
1918 


Cyclarhis virenticeps, 458. 

Cymbilaimus lineatus intermedius, 
258. 

Cymochorea, 216. 


Dacnis eayana glaucogularis, 459. 
Dafila acuta, 238. 
Dendragapus obscurus richardsoni, 
44, 
Dendrocygna viduata, 216. 
Dendrocygnine, 203. 
Dendroica xstiva wstiva, 142, 155, 
282, 348. 
a. amnicola, 248. 
auduboni auduboni, 155. 
cerulescens czerulescens, 142. 
castanea, 343. 
cerulea, 142. 
coronata, 383, 465. 
c. hooveri, 465. 
discolor, 143, 284, 343. 
dominiea albilora, 485. 
d. dominica, 283. 
fusca, 143. 
magnolia, 142, 441. 
palmarum hypochrysea, 283. 
p. palmarum, 232. 
pensylvanica, 142, 282. 
striata, 284, 303. 
tigrina, 285, 303, 343. 
townsendi, 155. 
virens, 143, 282, 441. 
vigorsi, 143, 280. 
Diceum cruentatum siamensis, 376. 
trigonostigma megastoma, 498. 
Dice, Lee Raymond, the birds of 
Walla Walla and Columbia Coun- 
ties, southeastern Washington, 
40-51, 148-159. 
Dickcissel, 348. 
Dicrurus annectens siamensis, 376. 
ater, 502. 
leucophzeus, 502. 
Dictiopicus, 245. 
Diglossopsis czrulescens pallida, 
458. 


Index. 


521 


Diomedia sanfordi, 249. 
chionoptera, 249. 

Dionne, C. E., the Whistling Swan 
at Cap St. Ignace, P. Q., 222. 

District of Columbia, 85, 351, 366, 
483. 

Dixon, Joseph, the nesting grounds. 
and nesting habits of the Spoon- 
billed Sandpiper, 387-404. 

Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 136, 281, 

346. 
Dove, Mourning, 23, 344. 
Porto Rica, 339. 
Western Mourning, 44. 
White-winged, 76. 
Dowitcher, Long-billed, 
Dryobates borealis, 281. 
pubescens homorus, 48. 
p. medianus, 27, 223, 236. 
p. pubescens, 285, 359. 
villosus auduboni, 281, 359. 
v. monticola, 48. 
v. villosus, 26. 
Duck, Black, 20. 
Harlequin, 437. 
Lesser Scaup, 20, 372. 
Wood, 20, 296. 
Ducks, sickness of, 490. 
Dumetella carolinensis, 145, 156, 
280, 348, 359. 

Dunlop, Eric B., obituary notice of, 
266. 

Dutch Guiana, 369. 

Dysithamnus semicinereus, 452. 

Dwight, Jonathan, a new species of 
Loon (Gavia viridigularis) from 
northeastern Siberia, 196-199; 
sight records, 262; review of his 
‘The geographic Distribution of 
Color and other variable Charac- 
ters in the genus Junco,’ 486-489. 


235, 328. 


Eaa te, Bald, 25, 78. 
Harpy, 77, 78. 
Economic Ornithology, recent pa- 
pers on, 253, 372-374, 496. 


522 


Economic ornithology in recent 
entomological publications, 251- 
. 253, 493-494. 
Ectopistes migratorius, 
416-420. 

Edolisoma, 256. 

Egret, 438. 

Egretta candidissima, 204. 
thula thula, 204. 

. +. brewsteri, 204. 

Eider, 499. 

‘E] Hornero,’ reviewed, 378, 384. 

Elaenea leucospodia, 454. 

Elanoides forficatus, 285. 

Elseya, 206. 
dubia, 206. 

Embernagra gossei, 255. 
platensis, 255. 

Empidochanes peecilurus peruanus, 

455. 

Empidonax difficilis, difficilis, 51. 
flaviventris, 28, 301. 
hammondi, 51. 
minimus, 29, 346. 
trailli, 259. 

t. alnorum, 28, 259. 
t. brewsteri,. 259. 

t. trailli, 51, 259. 
virescens, 29, 232. 


23, 282, 


wrighti, 51. 
‘Emu, The,’ reviewed, 100, 257, 377. 
Eno, Henry Lane, MHudsonian 


Chickadee (Penthestes hudsoni- 
cus subsp.?) at Princeton, N. J., 
231. 
Eos guenbyensis, 379. 
reciniata, 379. 
Ephthiaura crocea, 100. 
Ereunetes mauri, 329. 
Erionotus albiventris, 452. 
Erismaturine, 203. 
Erolia ferruginia chinensis, 204. 
Eroliine, 204. 
Estrilda astrild gabonensis, 498. 
Eudyptila undina, 257. 
Eupelia cruziana, 447. 


’ 


Index. 


[oct 


Euphagus carolinus, 251, 284, 285. 
cyanocephalus, 150, 347. 
Eupsittula pertinax margaritensis, 

365. 
Eupsychortyx, 245. 
Eurynorhynchus pygmzeus, 
404, 


387- 


Fatco esalon, 216. 

columbarius columbarius, 46, 
439. 

dieroleucus, 445. 

mexicanus, 45. 

peregrinus, 253. 

p. anatum, 25. 

regulus, 216. 

sparverius sparverius, 25, 46, 
282, 297, 345. 

Falcon, Prairie, 45. 

Finch, Purple, 137, 341. 

Finsch, Friedrich Hermann Otto, 
obituary notice of, 381. 

Fisher, A. K., obituary notice of 
George Batten, 264; occurrence 
of Goshawks (Astur a. atricapil- 
lus) and Saw-whet Owl (Crypto- 
glaux acadicus) in the vicinity of 
Washington, D. C., 351. 

Flicker, Northern, 27, 346. 

Red-shafted, 49. 


"Florida, 357, 479. 


Florida cerulea, 75. 
Flycatcher, Acadian, 29, 232. 
Alder, 28. 
Crested, 28, 346, 354, 489. 
Hammond’s, 51. 
Least, 29, 346. 
Olive-sided, 28, 51. 
Traill’s, 51. 
Western, 51. 
Wright’s, 51. 
Yellow-bellied, 28, 301. 
Francolinus lathami  schubotzi, 
259. 
Fratercula arctica arctica, 200. 
a. deleta, 200. 


Vol. ae 
1918 


Fregata, 203. 
aquila, 203. 
magnificens, 338. 
m. rothschildi, 203. 
minor palmerstoni, 203. 

Fry, William, notice of his ‘List of 
Birds of Sequoia National Park,’ 
492. 

Fulica americana, 22, 42. 

Furnarius cinnamomeus, 453. 

leucopus hauxwelli, 498. 


GABRIELSON, Ira N., notice of his 
‘A List of the Birds of Clay and 
O’Brien Counties, Iowa,’ 370. 

Gallinago delicata, 22, 42, 328. 

Gallinula galeata, 22, 284. 

Gallinule, Florida, 22. 

Ganier, A. F., notice of his ‘Pre- 
liminary List of the Birds of 
Tennessee,’ 93. 

Garrulax moniliger fuscata, 377. 

Gates, F. C., notice of his ‘Bitds of 
Carthage, Illinois,’ 94. 

Gavia arctica arctica, 196. 

a. suschkini, 196. 
immer, 19, 294. 
stellata, 219, 235. 
viridigularis, 198. 

Gee, N. Gist, and Moffett, L. L., 
notice of their ‘Birds of the 
Lower Yangtse Valley,’ 246. 

Gelochelidon nilotica, 215. 

anglica, 215. 

Georgia, 76, 271-286, 485. 

Geositta peruviana paytze, 452. 

Geothlypis trichas brachydactyla, 

212. 

t. ignota, 280. 

t. occidentalis, 155. 

t. trichas, 144, 484. 

beldingi goldmani, 212. 
Geranospiza niger balzarensis, 376. 
Glaucidium gnoma californicum, 48. 

g. hoskinsi, 208. 

hoskinsi, 208. 


Index. 


523 


Glaucidium jardinii, 449. 
Glaucomorpha, 102. 
Glottis melanoleuca, 205. 
Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 146, 484. 
Goelitz, Walter A., the destruction 
of nests by farming operations in 
Saskatchewan, 238-240. 
Golden-eye, 372. 
American, 296. 

Goldfinch, 137, 347. 
Pale, 150. 

Goose, Blue, 222, 438. 
Canada, 238. 
Greater Snow, 234. 
Snow, 437. 
White-fronted, 94. 

Goshawk, 24, 241, 351, 372, 478. 

Western, 45. 

Goudot, Justice, historical sketch of, 
240. 

Grackle, Bronzed, 137, 440. 

Florida, 440. 
Purple, 137, 440. 
Grallaria albiloris, 452. 
punensis, 376. 
Grallaricula nana kukenamensis, 
498. 
Graucalus macei siamensis, 377. 
Grebe, Eared, 234. 
Horned, 218. 
Pied-billed, 19, 218, 294. 
Western, 42. 

Grinnell, George Bird, Blue Goose 
on Long Island, 222. 

Grinnell, Joseph, notice of his ‘The 
Name of the American Barn 
Swallow, 491; concerning a cer- 
tain tendency in systematic orni- 
thology, 491. 

Griscom, Ludlow, the Starling at 
Plattsburg, N. Y., 481. 

Grosbeak, British Columbia, Even- 

ing, 150. 
Black-headed, 153, 235. 
Evening, 170-181. 
Pine, 241, 355. 


524 


Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, 139, 348, 


359. 

Grouse, Canada Ruffed, 44. 
Columbian Sharp-tailed, 44. 
Richardson’s, 44. 

Ruffed, 23. 

Sharp-tailed, 75, 376. 

Grus, 204. 
canadensis mexicana, 204. 
mexicana, 42, 204. 

Guara alba, 285. 

Guiraca czrulea cerulea, 285. 

Gull, Franklin’s, 494. 
Glaucous, 221, 233. 
Herring, 295. 

Ivory, 220. 

Kumlien’s, 233. 

Laughing, 19, 338, 340. 

Nelson’s, 349. 

Ring-billed, 241, 340. 
Guttera edouardi symonsi, 102. 
Gyldenstolpe, Nils, notice of recent 

papers by, 96. 

Gymnopelia cecilioe, 379. 

c. gymnops, 256. 

erythrothorax, 379. 


Hamatopus bachmani, 333. 
palliatus, 338. 
quoyi, 379. 
townsendi, 379. 
Halizetus albicilla, 207. 
a. brooksi, 207. 


leucocephalus _leucocephalus, 
25, 78. 

Hapalocercus' meloryphus  fulvi- 
ceps, 452. 


Harelda hyemalis, 85. 

Harlow, Richard C., notes on the 
breeding birds of Pennsylvania 
and New Jersey, 18-29, 136-147. 

Harper, Francis, the White-winged 


Dove (Melopelia asiatica) in 
Georgia, 76. 
Harris, Harry, uncolored prints 


from Havell’s engravings of Au- 


Index. 


[oct 


dubon’s ‘Birds of America,’ 29— 
32. 

Hawk, Broad-winged, 24. 
Cooper’s, 24, 45, 345. 
Krider’s, 345. 

Marsh, 23, 238, 345. 
Pigeon, 46, 439. 
Red-shouldered, 24. 
Red-tailed, 24. 
Rough-legged, 45, 351. 
Sharp-shinned, 24, 43. 
Sparrow, 25, 46, 297, 345. 
Swainson’s, 45. 

Western Redtailed, 45. 
Duck, 25. 

Hawaii, 349. 

Hawkins, Chauncey J., sexual se- 
lection and bird song, 421-437. 
Hazard, Rowland Gibson, obituary 

notice of, 264. 

Heleodytes balteatus, 456. 
fasciatus, 457. 

Helicolestes, 370. 

Helinaia swainsoni, 236. 

Heliochera rufaxilla, 453. 

Helmitheros vermivorus, 141, 285. 

Helodromas solitarius solitarius, 22, 

280. 

Hemipuffinus, 201. 

Hemisula, 216. 

Hemithraupis guira guira, 461. 

Herodias egretta, 438. 

Heron, Black-crowned Night, 21, 

85, 297. 
Great Blue, 20, 341. 
Green, 21, 85, 296. 
Little Blue, 75. 
Treganza’s Blue, 42. 
Yellow-crowned Night, 438, 
477. 
Herpetotheres cachinnans maestus, 
444. 
Herpornis xantholeuca interposita, 
256. 
Herrick, Francis H., review of his 
‘Audubon the Naturalist,’ 86-89. 


Vol. ae | 
1918 


Hesperiohona vespertina brooksi, 
150, 209. 
v. californica, 209. 
v. vespertina, 170-181, 341. 
v. warreni, 209. 

Heteractitis incanus, 331. 

Heterospizias meridionalis, 444. 

Himantopus mexicanus, 372. 

Hirundo erythrogastra, 140, 154, 

212, 348, 491. 
e. palmeri, 217. 
rustica erythrogastris, 212. 
Histrionicus histrionicus, 437. 
Hog Cholera distributed by birds, 
2538, 495. 

Hollister, N., notice of his ‘The 
Yellow Rail in the District of 
Columbia,’ 502. 

Holt, Ernest G., birds and mulber- 
ries, 359. 

Howell, A. H., the Rough-legged 
Hawk (Archibuteo lagopus sancti- 
johannis) at Washington, D. C., 
351; a Crested Flycatcher in- 
jured by swallowing a_grass- 
hopper, 356. 

Hubbs, Carl L., the distribution of 
Nuttall’s Sparrow in California, 
321-326. 

Hummingbird, Black-chinned, 49. 

Calliope, 50. 
Ruby-throated, 28, 79, 346. 
Rufous, 49. 
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, 
483. 
Hylocichla alicie bicknelli, 486. 
fuscescens fuscescens, 147, 281, 
359. 
f. salicicola, 83. 
guttata pallasi, 147. 
g. polionota, 375. 
mustelina, 146, 237, 282, 359. 
ustulata, 158. 
u. swainsoni, 147, 158, 280. 
u. ustulata, 483. 
Hylopezas macularia macconelli, 
498. 


Index. 


525 


Hypocnemoides, 370. 
Hypoxanthus _rivolii 
450. 


brevirostris,. 


IsicteR megalopterus, 443. 
‘Ibis, The,’ reviewed, 99, 255, 376, 
498. 
Ibis, Glossy, 476. 
Icteria virens longicauda, 155. 
v. virens, 144, 359. 
Icterus bullocki, 150. 
galbula, 137, 347, 359. 
mesomelas taczanowskii, 459. 
parisorum, 481. 
spurius, 137, 285, 359. 
Ictinia mississippiensis, 283. 
Ictinaétus, 255. 
Iliornis, 205. 
flavipes, 205. 
Illinois, 94, 226, 234, 477. 
Indiana, 75, 228, 477. 
Irena cyanea megacyanea, 102. 
Trenidee, 102. 
Indiprocne bicolor, 140. 
Trrisor, 500. 
Ispidella, 368. 
Ixobrychus exilis, 20, 341. 
sinensis astrologus, 501. 
Ixoreus nzvius nevius, 159. 


JACANA spinosa, 206. 
s. gymnostoma, 206. 
s. violacea, 206. 
Jaeger, Long-tailed, 233, 234. 
Jay, Blue, 136, 252, 346, 493. 
Black-headed, 148. 
Florida, Blue, 359. 
Rocky Mountain, 149. 

Jensen, J. K., subsequent nestings, 
83-84; notes on the nesting birds: 
of Wahpeton, North Dakota, 
344-349. 

Junco, 486. 

aikeni, 357. 

caniceps, 211. 

dorsalis, 486. 

hyemalis carolinensis, 211. 


526 


Junco h. connectens, 210. 

h. hyemalis, 1389, 211, 280, 342, 
482. 

h. shufeldti, 152, 486. 
montanus, 486. 
oreganus annectens, 211. 

. couesi, 486. 

. mearnsi, 211. 

. montanus, 211. 

. oreganus, 211. 

. pinosus, 211. 

. shufeldti, 211. 

. thurberi, 211. 

. townsendi, 211. 
phzonotus caniceps, 211. 

Junco, Shufeldt’s, 152. 
Slate-colored, 139, 342, 482. 
White-winged, 357. 

Justice, Henry, obituary notice of, 

266. 


(2) (9) fey Ne) [e} Kop fe} ©) 


Kaumpacu, E. R., review of his 
‘The Crow and its Relation to 
Man,’ 246. 

Kennard, Frederic H., ferruginous 
stains on water-fowl, 123-132. 
Killdeer, 22, 43, 238, 332, 341, 344. 

Kingbird, 28, 346. 

Cassin’s, 493. 
Arkansas, 346. 
Eastern, 50. 
Western, 50. 
Kingfisher, Belted, 26, 184, 234, 
345. 
Western Belted, 48. 

Kinglet, Golden-crowned, 146, 369. 
Ruby-crowned, 58, 344. 
Western Golden-crowned, 158. 

Kittiwake, 294. 

Knot, 328. 


LABRADOR, 367. 
Lamb, Charles R., Massachusetts 
notes, 233. 
Lanivireo flavifrons, 141, 284. 
solitarius alticola, 441. 


Index. 


[oct 


Lanivireo s. cassini, 155. 

s. solitarius, 141, 285, 348. 
Lanius borealis, 154. 

b. invictus, 212. 

ludovicianus excubitorides, 154, 

348. 

1. ludovicianus, 280. 

1]. migrans, 140, 237. 

Lark, Desert Horned, 239. 

Dusky Horned, 148. 

Pallid, 148. 

Prairie, Horned, 136. 

Larus affinis, 201. 

argentatus, 220, 295. 

a. thayeri, 201. 

atricilla, 19, 201, 338, 340. 

a. megalopterus, 201. 

delawarensis, 240, 241. 

fuscus affinis, 201. 

glaucescens, 350. 

hyperboreus, 221, 233. 

h. barrovianus, 472. 

h. hyperboreus, 467. 

kumlieni, 220, 233. 

‘leucopterus, 220. 

nelsoni, 349. 

ridibundus, 201. 

thayeri, 201. 

Legge, Col. W. V., obituary notice 
of, 510. 

Leopold, Nathan F., Jr., Yellow- 
crowned Night Heron at Chicago, 
477. 

Lepidopyga goudoti zuliz, 366. 

Leptophaethon, 202. 

catesbyi, 202. 
Leptopogon  superciliaris 

cephalus, 454. 

s. transandinus, 454. 
Leptoptila intermedia, 256. 
Leptositta, 213. 

Leptotila decolor, 447. 

Leucopolius, 205. 

alexandrinus nivosus, 205. 
Leucotreron epia, 379. 

gularis, 379. 


polio- 


Meee | Index. 527 
Limnogeranus americanus, 204. Macrorhamphus griseus scolopa- 


Limosa, 204. 
fedoa, 330. 
Linurgus elgonensis, 502. 
Lioptilus alyssinicus ansorgei, 498. 
Lloyd, Hoyes, the extraction of fat 
from bird-skins, 164-169. 
Lincoln, F. C., the Harpy Eagle in 
Colorado, 78; notes on some 
species new to the Colorado list 
of birds, 236; notice of his ‘The 
Woodpeckers of Colorado,’ 368. 
Lobipes lobatus, 75, 327. 
Lochmias nematura castanonota, 
498. 
Longspur, Chestnut-collared, 238. 
Lapland, 342. 
Loomis, Leverett M., review of his, 
‘A Revision of the Albatrosses, 


Petrels, and Diving Petrels’, 
362-364. 
Loon, 19, 294. 


Red-throated, 219, 235. 
Lophodytes cucullatus, 20, 295. 
Lophortyx californica catalinensis, 

206. 
Loxia curvirostra bendirei, 209. 

¢. minor, 137, 225, 281, 301. 

leucoptera, 236, 301, 342. 


McAtesr, W. L., early bird records 
for the vicinity of Washington, 
D. C., 85; cause of the “fishy” 
flavor of the flesh of wild ducks, 
474; review of his ‘A Sketch of 
the Natural History of the 
District of Columbia,’ 366; notice 
of his ‘Attracting Birds to Public 
Parks,’ 474-476. 

McGregor, Richard C., notice of 
his ‘New or Noteworthy Philip- 
pine Birds, II,’ 370. 

McHatton, Henry, obituary notice 
of, 107. 

Macreuse, 499. 


ceus, 235, 328. 

Magpie, 148, 493. 

Maine, 170-181, 220, 224, 353. 

Man-o’-war-bird, 338. 

Marcres, George M., an attempt to 
breed the Pine Grosbeak in 
captivity, 255. 

Mareca americana, 42, 340. 

penelope, 75. 

Margarops fuscatus fuscatus, 339. 

Marila affinis, 20. 

Martin, Purple, 140, 301, 348. 

Massachusetts, 37-40, 75, 80, 81, 
82, 182-185, 219, 223, 224, 225, 
233, 234, 405-416, 482. 

Mathews, Gregory M., notice of 
his ‘The Birds of Australia,’ 97, 
246, 368, 490. 

Meadowlark, Western, 149, 238, 

347. 

Mearns, Edgar Alexander, 
graphical sketch of, 1-18. 

Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 27, 

84, 232, 285, 299, 341, 345, 
359. 
Melanoperdix nigra borneensis, 100. 
Meleagris gallopavo, 358. 
g. silvestris, 23. 
Melopelia asiatica asiatica, 76. 
Melospiza georgiana, 139, 282. 
lincolni gracilis, 211. 
1. lincolni, 342. 
1. striata, 211. 
melodia fallax, 211. 

. Inexpectata, 187, 211. 

. melodia, 139, 283, 347, 359. 

. merrill, 153. 

. montana, 211. 

. phea, 350. 

. saltonis, 211. 

Merganser, 20, 42. 

American, 295. 
Hooded, 20, 295. 
Red-breasted, 183, 295. 


bio- 


BS 8b poo 


528 


Mergus americanus, 20, 42, 295. 
serrator, 183, 295. 

Meriden Bird Club, notice of its 
third report, 96. 

Merwin, Mabel Melcalf, Common 
Tern nesting at Thousand Is- 
lands, 74. 

“Messager Ornithologique,’  re- 
viewed, 101. 

Mexico, 248. 

Michigan, 75, 350, 489. 

Micraleyone pusilla yorki, 368. 

Microhierax, 255. 

Micrositta, 213. 

Migration, 484, 492. 

Miller, Richard F., nesting of the 
Bittern (Botaurus  lentiginosus) 
in the Delaware Valley, 477; 
early nesting of the Northern 
Pileated Woodpecker in Penn- 
sylvania, 479. 

Miller, W. DeW., Megaceryle vs. 
Streptoceryle, 352; the syste- 
matic position of Calyptophilus, 
356; relative length of the in- 
testinal ceca in Trogons, 480. 

Micrastur plumbeus, 376. 

Milvago chimango, 376. 

Mimus longicaudatus punensis, 456. 


polyglottos polyglottos, 144, 
229, 282, 359. 
Mionectes striaticollis poliocepha- 
lus, 454. 


Mirafra africanoides harei, 102. 
Mixornis capitalis, 503. 
rubricapilla connectens, 376. 
Mniotilta varia, 141, 280. 
Mockingbird, 144, 229. 
Moffett, L. I., see Gee, N. Gist. 
Molothrus ater ater, 137, 347. 
a. artemisize, 149, 209. 
bonariensis occidentalis, 459. 
Montana, 492. 
Monticola rufocinerea sclateri, 258. 
Morss, Charles B., King Rail (Ral- 


Index. 


[oer 


lus elegans) in Massachusetts, 
223. 

Morus, 203. 

bassanus, 203. 

Mousley, H., the breeding of the 
Migrant Shrike at Hatley, Stan- 
stead County, Quebec, 1916, 
33-36; Labrador and Acadian 
Chickadees at Hatley, Stanstead 
County, Quebec, 83; uncommon 
birds at Hatley, Stanstead 
County, Quebec, 84; subsequent 
nestings, 237; unusual dearth 
of winter birds, 241; further 
notes and observations on the 


birds of Hatley, Stanstead 
County, Quebec, 1916-1917, 
289-310. 


Moustache, 499. 

Mullens, W. H. and Swann, H. 
Kirk, notice of their ‘A Bibli- 
ography of British Ornithology,’ 
98. 

Munroe, J. A., Short-eared Owl 
(Asio flammeus) eating birds, 
223; notes on some British 
Columbia birds, 234. 

Murphy, Robert C., notice of his 
‘Natural History Observations 
from the Mexican Portion of the 
Colorado Desert,’ 248; notice of 
his ‘A Study of the Atlantic 
Oceanites,’ 364. 

Murre, Briinnich’s, 241, 294, 340. 

Myadestes townsendi, 158. 

Mycteria americana, 285. 

Myiarchus atriceps, 455. 

cephalotes, 455. 

crinitus, 28, 284, 346, 354, 359, 

439. 

crinitus residuus, 208. 

ferox pheocephalus, 453. 

semirufus, 455. 

tyrannulus chlorepiscius, 455. 
Myiobius villosus, 455. 


‘Vol. al 
1918 


Myiobius cinnamomeus cinnamom- 
eus, 455. 
Myioborus verticalis verticalis, 458. 
Myiochanes fumigatus ardesiacus, 
455. 
punensis, 455. 
richardsoni richardsoni, 51. 
virens, 28, 283, 346. 
Myiophobius fasciatus saturatus, 
455. 
Myiospiza aurifrons, 462. 
Myiotheretes striaticollis, 453. 
Myiozetetes similis connivens, 454. 
Myrmophila vavasoori, 498. 


Nawnnvs hiemalis hiemalis, 145, 156. 
National Parks, birds of, 492. 
Nemospiza, 210. 
henslowi henslowi, 210. 
h. occidentalis, 210. 
Neoleucotreron, 370. 
Neonannodes chrysostomus cyan- 
opterus, 246. 
Neonectris, 216. 
Nephcecetes niger guadeloupensis, 
366. 

Nettion carolinense, 20, 42, 281. 

Nevada, 481. 

New Jersey, 18-29, 81, 136-147, 
227, 231, 477, 484. 

New Mexico, 223, 357, 483. 

New York, 38, 74, 222, 481. 

Newfoundland, 248. 

Nichols, John T., concerning 
Brewster’s Warbler, 82; notice of 
his ‘An Aspect of the Relation 
between Abundance, Migration 
and Range in Birds,’ 492. 

Nighthawk, 28. 

Pacific, 49. 

Noble, G. K., see Bangs, Outram. 

Norton, Arthur H., the Evening 
Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vesper- 
tina) in Maine, with remarks on 
its distribution, 170-181; the 
Ivory Gull (Pagophila alba) at 


Index. 


529 


Portland, Maine, 220; the Star- 
ling (Sturnus vulgaris) at Port- 
land, Maine, 224; obituary notice 
of Prof. Jonathan Young Stanton, 
taille 
North Dakota, 83, 227, 344-349, 
350, 476. 
Nucifraga columbiana, 149. 
Numenius americanus, 48, 188, 331. 
a. americanus, 188, 350. 
a. occidentalis, 191. 
a. parvus, 192. 
arquatus, 205. 
hudsonicus, 331, 488. 
Numida papillosa damarensis, 102. 
Nutcracker, Clarke’s, 149. 
Nuthatch, Pygmy, 157. 
Red-breasted, 146, 157, 348, 
491. 
Slender-billed, 157. 
White-breasted, 146, 492. 
Nuttallornis borealis, 28, 51. 
Nyctanassa violacea, 488, 477. 
Nyctea nyctea, 47, 299, 372. 
Nyctibius griseus cornutus, 450. 
Nycticorax nycticorax nevius, 21, 


85, 284, 297. 
Nyctidromus albicollis albicollis, 
450. 


Nye, Harriet A., the Sapsucker 

wintering in central Maine, 353. 
Oberholser, Harry C., a revision of 
the races of Toxostoma redivivum 
(Gambel), 52-61; notes on North 
American birds 62-65, 185-187, 
463-467, notes on the subspecies 
of Numenius americanus Bech- 
stein, 188-195; third annual 
list of proposed changes in the 
A. O. U. Check-List of North 
American Birds, 200-217; Soli- 
tary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria 
solitaria) in New Mexico, 223; 
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireosylva 
philadelphica) in North Dakota 
in summer, 227; Prothonotary 


530 


Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) in 
New Jersey, 227; Larus nelsoni 
in juvenal plumage from the 
Hawauan Islands, 349; Anas 
rubripes rubripes in North 
Dakota, 350; Numenius ameri- 
canus not a breeding bird of 
Michigan, 350; Junco aikeni in 
New Mexico, 357; the subspecies 
of Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 
467-474; Cinnamon Teal (Quer- 
quedula cyanoptera) in North 
Dakota, 476; the subspecific 
name of the Glossy Ibis, 476; 
Picoides arcticus in Florida, 
479; the range and status of 
Aphelocoma californica hypoleuca 
Ridgway, 480; the northernmost 
record of Icterus parisorum, 481; 
Russet-backed Thrush (Hylo- 
cichla ustulata ustulata) in New 
Mexico, 483; the status of Buteo 
platypterus iowensis, 476; notice 
of his, ‘A Review of the Sub- 
species of the Leach Petrel,’ 95; 
notice of his, ‘Birds Collected by 
Dr. W. L. Abbott on Various 
Islands in the Java Sea,’ 95; 
notice of his ‘The Birds of the 
Anumba Islands,’ 95. 


OCEANITES oceanicus, 85. 
Oceanodroma beali, 95, 202. 

beldingi, 95. 

hornbyi, 202. 

keedingi, 95. 

leucorhoa, 85, 95. 

1. beali, 202. 

monorhis socorroensis, 202. 
Ocreatus cissiurus cissiurus, 451. 
Oena capensis aliena, 258. 
Oidemia americana, 296. 

deglandi, 476. 

perspicillata, 85. 
Olor columbianus, 42, 222. 
‘Oologist, The,’ reviewed, 99, 255, 

376, 497, 


Index. leu 


Oporornis agilis, 442. 
formosus, 143, 484. 
philadelphia, 144, 232. 
tolmiei, 155. 
Oreoica cristata lloydi, 100. 
Oriole, Baltimore, 137. 
Bullock’s, 150. 
Orchard, 137. 
Oriolus luteolus thaiacus, 377. 
Ornithological Articles in other 
journals, 101, 255, 376, 501. 
Osprey, 25, 46. 
Ostinops alfredi alfredi, 459. 
Otocompsa flaviventris minor, 376. 
Otocoris alpestris, arcticola, 148. 
a. merrilli, 148 
a. praticola, 136. 
Otus asio asio, 26, 298, 345. 
a. cinerascens, 217. 
a. gilmani, 217. 
a. macfarlanei, 47. 
roboratus, 448. 
Owl, Barn, 25. 
Barred, 26. 
Burrowing, 47. 
California Pygmy, 48. 
Great Horned, 26, 298, 351,. 
372, 478. 
Great Gray, 47, 298, 372. 
Hawk, 299. 
Labrador Horned, 233. 
Long-eared, 25, 46, 183, 297,. 
345. 
Macfarlane’s Screech, 47. 
Northern Spotted, 235. 
North-western Horned, 47. 
Richardson’s, 298. 
Saw-whet, 26, 47, 298, 351. 
Screech, 26, 298. 
Snowy, 47, 299. 
Short-eared, 25, 46, 223, 238,. 
298, 345. 
Western Horned, 47. 
Oxyechus vociferus, 22, 43, 283, 
332, 341, 344. 
Oyster-catcher, 338. 
Black, 333. 


Vol. ae | 
1918 


Paacopui.a alba, 85, 201, 220. 
eburnea, 201. 
Palzeochenoides mioceanus, 251. 
Palmer, T. S., thirty-fifth stated 
meeting of the American Orni- 
thologists’ Union, 65-73; obitu- 
ary notice of Lyman Belding, 106; 
ornithological work in 1917, 107- 
110; the list of fellows of the 
A.O.U., 110; called to the colors, 
111, 267, 385, 513; Goudot’s 
explorations in Colombia, 240; 
foreign members of the A. O. U., 
266; obituary notice of Harry 
Reed Taylor, 382; the principal 
ornithological societies, 382-384; 
members of the A. O. U., 384; 
endowment of ornithological so- 
cieties, 384; associates of the 
AS OM Us S13: 
Pandion haliztus carolinensis, 25, 
46. 
Parasula, 203. 
nebouxii, 203. 
cyanops cyanops, 203. 
Pardirallus rytirhynchus rytirhyn- 
chus, 446. 
Parisoma blanfordi distincta, 258. 
Partridge, Hungarian, 43. 
Parus flavipectus carruthersi, 256. 
Passer domesticus, 347. 
d. hostilis, 151, 210. 
Passerculus princeps, 232, 342, 440. 
sanwichensis alaudinus, 151. 
s. savanna, 138, 232. 
Passerella iliaca altivagans, 
211. 
i. iliaca, 236, 282. 
i. monoensis, 99, 211. 
i. schistacea, 153. 
Passerherbulus, 210. 
caudacutus, 138, 284. 
henslowi henslowi, 138, 484. 
lecontei, 347, 441. 
maritimus maritimus, 138. 
nelsoni nelsoni, 210. 


186, 


Index. 


531 


Passerherbulus n. subvirgatus, 210. 
Passerina amoena, 153. 
ciris, 281. 
cyanea, 139, 280, 359. 
Patagioenas squamosa, 339. 
Patagona gigas peruviana, 451. 
Paxson, Henry D., review of his 
‘The Last of the Wild Pigeon in 
Bucks County, Pa.,’ 95. 
Pearson, T. Gilbert, review of his 
‘Birds of America,’ 89-91; notice 
of his ‘Tales from Birdland,’ 367. 
Pedicecetes phasianellus campestris, 
75. 
p. columbianus, 44. 
p. jamesi, 206. 
p. phasianellus, 376. 
Pelagodroma marina, 202. 
m. hypoleuca, 202. 
Pelican, Brown, 512. 
Pelidna alpina sakhalina, 329. 
Penard, Thomas E., Starlings at 
Barnstable Mass., 80; see also 
Bangs, Outram. 
Penelope brooki, 100. 
Pennsylvania, 18-29, 75, 82, 83, 95, 
136-147, 218, 221, 230, 479. 
Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus, 
146, 465. 
a. septentrionalis, 157. 
carolinensis carolinensis, 146, 
281, 465. 
gambeli abbreviatus, 379. 
g. baileyi, 379. 
g. gambeli, 157. 
g. inyoensis, 379. 
hudsonicus, 343. 
h. columbianus, 214. 
h. hudsonicus, 37. 
h. littoralis, 37, 83, 306. 
h. nigricans, 37, 83, 230, 305. 
h. subsp.?, 230, 231, 343. 
rufescens rufescens, 158. 
Perdix perdix, 43. 
Perisoreus canadensis capitalis, 149. 
obscurus rathbuni, 209. 


932 


Perissolalage chalepa, 95. 

Perry, E. M. and W. A., home life 
of the Vesper Sparrow and the 
Hermit Thrush, 310-321. 

Peru, 442-463. 

Peters, James L., notice of his 
‘Birds from the Northern Coast 
of the Dominican Republic,’ 96. 

Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons, 

140, 153, 348. 
Peucea xstivalis bachmani, 223, 
284. 
Pewee, Western Wood, 51. 
Wood, 28, 346. 

Pezoporus formosus, 377. 

Phacellodomus rufifrons, 453. 

Phzomyias murina tumbezana, 454. 

Phzopus, 205. 

borealis, 205. 
hudsonicus, 205. 
phzopus phzopus, 205. 
tahitiensis, 205. 
Phaéthon, 202. 
Phalacrocorax 
258. 
auritus auritus, 340. 
a. floridanus, 357. 
carbo, 203. 
c. americanus, 203. 
vigua vigua, 443. 
Phalarope, Northern, 75, 327, 372. 
Red, 327. 
Wilson’s, 327, 372. 
Phalaropus fulicarius, 327. 
Pharomachrus auriceps, 450. 
mocinno, 480. 
Phasianus, 258. 
torquatus, 44. 

Pheasant, Ring-necked, 44. 

Pheugopedius sclateri, 457. 

Pheuticus chrysogaster, 462. 

Philippines, 370. 

Philohela minor, 22. 

Phiceotomus pileatus abiticola, 27, 

479. 
p. picinus, 48. 


africanus __pictilis, 


Index. 


[oct. 


Pheebe, 28. 

Say’s, 50. 

Pheenicophilis, 356. 
Pheeniculus, 500. 

Phoenicurus frontalis sine, 498. 
Phrygilus alaudinus, 462. 

ocularis, 462. 

Phyllastrephus terrestris rhodesie, 
102. 

Piaya cayana nigricrissa, 448. 

Pica pica hudsonia, 148. 

Picoides americanus, 48. 

arcticus, 48, 85, 299, 479. 
Picolaptes warscewiczi, 453. 
Picumnus lafresnayei, 450. 
Piezorhina cinerea, 462. 

Pigeon, Scaled, 339. 

Wild, 23-95, 416-420. 
Pigeons, Carrier, protection of, 253. 
Pinicola enucleator kamtschathen- 

sis, 209. 

e. leucura, 355. 
Pintail, 238. 

Pionus corallinus, 448. 
Pipilo crissalis, 376. 

ce. carole, 211. 

’ erythrophthalmus 
359. 

e. erythrophthalmus, 139, 280. 

maculatus curtatus, 153. 
Pipit, 156, 304. 

Pipra erythrocephala berlepschi, 
453. 
Piranga, 499. 
erythromelas, 140, 284, 359, 
485. 

ludoviciana, 153. 

rubra rubra, 226, 359. 

testacea tschudii, 461. 

t. desidiosa, 461. 

Piscatrix, 202. 

sula, 203. 

Pisobia bairdi, 42, 329. 

damacensis, 204. 

maculata, 280, 329, 341. 

minutilla, 329. 


canaster, 


Vol. ee | 
1918 


Pisobia m. subminuta, 204. 
Pithecophaga jeffreyi, 370. 
Planesticus fredericki, 377. 
fumigatus abariensis, 377. 
f. ochro-fulvescens, 377. 
merula merula, 214. 
migratorius caurinus, 214. 
m. migratorius, 147, 282, 349. 
m. propinquus, 158. 
Platycercus elegans fleuriensis, 246. 
Plectrophenax nivalis, 85. 
Plegadis autumnalis, 476. 
falcinellis, 476. 
Plover, Black-bellied, 331. 
Golden, 438, 332. 
Piping, 23. 
Semipalmated, 332. 
Snowy, 3382. 
Upland, 22, 43. 
Podargus strigoides centralia, 368. 
s. capensis, 368. 
Podilymbus podiceps, 19, 218, 294. 
Polioptila anteocularis maior, 456. 
bilineata bilineata, 456. 
cerulea cxerulea, 146, 285, 484. 
plumbea, 214. 
p. margarite, 214. 
Polyborus cheriway auduboni, 443. 
c. cheriway, 448. 
Pomatostomus ruficeps 
377. 
Pocecetes gramineus confinis, 151. 
g. gramineus, 138, 280, 342, 
347. 
Porter, Louis H., Connecticut notes, 
- 2382, 
Porto Rico, 333-340. 
Porzana carolina, 21. 
Prairie Chicken, 245, 276. 
Lesser, 236. 
Prinia inornata herberti, 256. 
Priofinus cinereus, 202. 
Priotelus temnurus, 480. 
t. temnurus, 286. 
Procellaria szequinoctialis, 202. 
cinerea, 202. 


parsonsi, 


Index. 


533 


Procellaria diabolica, 202. 
Progne subis subis, 140, 282, 301, 
348. 
Protonotaria citrea, 227, 285. 
Psalidoprymna gouldi chlorura, 451. 
Psaltriparine, 214. 
Psaltriparus minimus saturatus, 
214. 
Psephotus, varius, 97. 
v. thele, 97. 
v. orientalis, 97. 
Pseudocolaptes boisonneautii meri- 
dee, 258. 
Psittacula ccelestis ccelestis, 448. 
Pterodroma gularis, 221. 
fisheri, 222. 
Pterylosis, 113-340, 416-420. 
Ptiloscelys resplendens, 446. 
Publications Received, 102, 259, 
379, 503. 
Puffinus assimilis, 201, 215. 
a. baroli, 215. 
a. godmani, 201. 
auricularis, 215. 
carneipes, 201. 
couesi, 215. 
griseus, 85, 233, 437, 
kuhli borealis, 201, 215. 
k. flavirostris, 215. 
opisthomelas, 215. 
pacificus alleni, 202. 
sphenurus, 202. 
Pulsatrix perspicillata perspicillata, 
449, 
Pygochelidon cyanoleuca, 458. 
Pyrocephalus rubineus heterurus, 
455. 
Pyrrhura erythaca wilderi, 370. 


QualL, 251. 
Quebec, 33-36, 83, 84, 222, 289-310. 
Querquedula cyanoptera, 476. 
discors, 235, 296. 
Quiscalus zeneus, 440. 
agleus, 440. - 
quiscula zneus, 137, 347. 


534 Index. (on 


Quiscalus q. agleus, 283. 
q. quiscula, 137. 
q. versicolor, 440. 


Ratt, Black, 21. 
Clapper, 21. 
King, 21, 223. 
Virginia, 21. 
Rallus elegans, 21, 223. 
crepitans, 21. 
longirostris caribzeus, 216. 
virginianus, 21, 281. 
Ramphocelus carbo connectens,461. 
Raven, Mexican, 149. 
Northern, 136. 

Recurvirostra americana, 235, 327. 

Redpoll, 150, 232, 241. 

Redstart, 144, 155. 

Regulus calendula calendula, 158, 

284, 344. 
regulus olivaceus, 186, 214. 
r. satrapa, 186, 214. 
satrapa satrapa, 146, 214, 282. 
s. olivacea, 214, 158. 
Remiz, 500. 
_ Remizine, 214. 

Rett, E., Downy Woodpecker in 
Colorado, 223; the Canada War- 
bler again in Colorado, 229. 

‘Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie’ 
reviewed, 100, 257, 378, 501. 

Richmond, Charles W., in memo- 
riam: Edgar Alexander Mearns, 
1-18; appointed Associate Cura- 
tor of Birds U. S. Nat. Museum, 
52: 

Rhipidura, 377. 

Rhoads, Samuel N., Georgia’s rari- 
ties further discovered in a sec- 
ond American portfolio of John 
Abbot’s bird plates, 271-286. 

Rhode Island, 37-40. 

Rhopias spodionota juninensis, 498. 

Rhothonia, 249. 

Rhyacophilus glareola, 216. 

g. affinis, 216. 


Rhynchodon, 207. 
peregrinus anatum, 207. 
p. peali, 207. 
p. peregrinus, 207. 
Rhynchofalco, 207. 
fuscoceruleus septentrionalis, 
207. 

Richmondena, 499. 

Riley, J. H., a winter record of 
Bewick’s Wren from northern 
Virginia, 483; notice of his ‘A 
New Bullfinch from China,’ 370. 

Riparia riparia, 140, 154, 348. 

Rissa tridactyla tridactyla, 294. 

Robin, 147, 231, 349, 493. 

Western, 158. 

Rogers, Charles H., Horned Grebe 
rising from the ground, 218. 

Rothrock, Boyd P., Little Blue 
Heron in Pennsylvania, 75; Wil- 
low Thrush in Pennsylvania, 83. 

Rupornis magnirostris occidua, 444. 

Rynchops nigra, 19. 


Sacer, John H., obituary of R. G. 
Hazard, 264. 

Sage Hen, 44. 

Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus, 156. 

Saltator striatipectus peruvianus, 

463. 

Sandpiper, Aleutian, 328. 

Baird’s, 42, 329. 
Buff-breasted, 331. 
Least, 329. 

Pectoral, 329, 341. 
Purple, 233. 

Solitary, 22, 223, 229. 
Spotted, 22, 43, 331. 
Red-backed, 329. 
Spoon-billed, 387-404. 
Western, 329. 

Santo Domingo, 96. 

Sapsucker, Red-naped, 48. 
Yellow-bellied, 27, 341, 353. 
Williamson’s, 48. 

Saskatchewan, 238-240. 


> 
} 
5 
| 
¢ 


he 


ee. ee 


Vol. Secupal| 
1918 


Saunders, Aretas A., some recent 
Connecticut bird notes, 340-344; 
a note concerning bird mortality, 
358. 

Sayornis nigricans angustirostris, 


455. 
phoebe, 28, 281. 
sayus, 50. 


Sezeophaethon, 202. 
rubricaudus, 202. 

Scapaneus melanoleucus, 450. 

Schorger, A. W., European Widgeon, 

at Madison, Wis., 74. 

Sclateria nevia trinitatis, 258. 

Scoter, American, 296. 
White-winged, 476. 

Scotiaptex, 217. 
nebulosa lapponica, 217. 

n. nebulosa, 47, 298. 

Scytalopus symonsi, 256. 

Seiurus aurocapillus, 143, 284. 

a. furvior, 248. 

motacilla, 143. 

noveboracensis notabilis, 155. 

n. noveboracensis, 143, 283, 
304. 

Selasphorus rufus, 49. 

Serinus mozambicus tando, 498. 
m. aurifrons, 498. 

Serpophaga cinerea cana, 453. 

Setophaga ruticilla, 144, 155, 285. 

Shearwater, Sooty, 233, 437. 

Shoveller, 42, 74, 372. 

Shrike, Migrant, 140, 237. 
Northern, 154, 241. 
White-rumped, 83, 154, 348. 

Shufeldt, R. W., notes on some fossil 

bird from Florida, 257; notice of 
his ‘Fossil Birds found at Vero, 
Florida, with Descriptions of 
New Species,’ 249. 

Sialia currucoides, 159. 
mexicana occidentalis, 159. 
sialis episcopus, 215. 

s. sialis, 147, 282, 349. 

Siberia, 196-199, 387-404. 


Index. 


535 


‘Sicalis flaveola, 462. 


Sight Records, 262. 

Simmons, E. A., White-winged 
Scoter (Oidemia deglandi) in 
South Carolina, 476. 

Siptornis cisandina, 453. 

Siskin, Pine, 138, 151, 241, 484. 

Sitta atkinsi littorea, 217. 

carolinensis carolinensis, 146, 
213, 283. 

ce. aculeata, 157. 

ec. cookei, 213. 

ce. tenuissima, 375. 

canadensis, 146, 157, 343. 

pygmea pygmea, 157. 

pusilla, 281. 

Skimmer, Black, 19. 

Skinner, M. P., notice of his ‘List 
of Birds of Yellowstone National 
Park,’ 493. 

Snipe, Wilson’s 22, 42, 328. 

Solitaire, Townsend’s, 158. 

Song, Bird, 421-437. 

Soper, J. Dewey, flight of Horned 
Owls in Canada, 476; notice of 
his ‘The Birds of Edmonton,’ 
489. 

Sora, 21. 

Souchet, 499. 

‘South Australian Ornithologist’ 
reviewed, 257, 500. 

South Carolina, 437-442, 476. 

Spatula clypeata, 42. 

Sparrow, Bachman’s, 226. 

Brewer’s, 152. 
Chipping, 139, 251, 347. 
Clay-colored, 347. 
English, 151, 251, 347. 
Field, 139, 358. 

Fox, 236. 

Gambel’s, 151. 
Grasshopper, 138, 347. 
Ipswich, 232, 342, 440. 
Henslow’s, 138, 484. 
Lark, 138. ; 
Leconte’s, 347, 441. 


536 


Sparrow, Lincoln’s, 342. 
Merrill’s, Song, 153. 
Nuttall’s, 321-326. 
Sage, 152. 

Savannah, 138, 232. 
Seaside, 188. 
Sharp-tailed, 138. 
Slate-colored Fox, 153. 
Song, 139, 347, 359. 
Swamp, 139. 


Vesper, 138, 310-316, 342, 347. | 


Western Chipping, 152. 
Western Field, 236, 347. 
Western Grasshopper, 151. 
Western Lark, 151. 
Western Savannah, 151. 
Western Tree, 152. 
Western Vesper, 151. 
White-crowned, 342. 
White-throated, 138, 232. 
Speotyto cunicularia floridana, 207. 
c. hypogzea, 47. 
c. minor, 365. 
c. punensis, 449. 
floridana, 207. 
Sphecotheres, 499. 
Sphyrapicus ruber, 79, 217. 
thyroideus, 48. 
t. natalie, 208. 
varius nuchalis, 48. 
v. ruber, 217. 
v. varius, 27, 341, 281. 
Spinus ictericus peruanus, 461. 
pinus, 138, 484. 
p. pinus, 151. 
simonsi, 102. 
Spiza americana, 348. 
Spizella breweri, 152. 
monticola, 502. 
m. ochracea, 152. 
pallida, 347. 
passerina arizonee, 152. 
p. passerina, 139, 285, 349. 
pusilla pusilla, 139, 358. 
pusilla arenacea, 236, 347. 
Sporophila gutturalis inconspicua, 
462. 


Index. 


[oct 


Sporophila simplex, 462. 
Sporothraupis cyanocephala cyano- 
cephala, 348. 

Squatarola squatarola, 331. 

Stanton, Jonathan Y., obituary 
notice of, 511. 

Starling, 80, 136, 224, 409, 481, 485. 

Steganopus tricolor, 327, 372. 

Stelgidopteryx ruficollis uropygialis, 

458. 
serripennis, 140, 154, 348. 

Stellula calliope, 50. 

Stercorarius longicaudus, 233, 234. 

Sterna anztheta, 338. 

antillarum, 19. 
caspia, 182. 
dougalli, 182. 
fuscata, 215. 
hirundo, 19, 74. 

Sterrhoptilus, 503. 

Stilt, Black-necked, 372. 

Stone, Witmer, Yellow-headed 
Blackbird in New Jersey, 81; — 
Glaucous Gull (Larus  hyper- 
boreus) at Philadelphia, 221; 
correction, 242. 

Street, J. Fletcher, Hudsonian 
Chickadee on the Pocono Moun- 
tain, Pa., 230. 

Streptoceryle, 352, 463. 

aleyon caurina, 48, 463. 

Strix, 217. 

occidentalis caurina, 235. 
varia varia, 26. 

Strong, Reuben M., the description 
of the voice of birds, 133-135; 
the song of Bachman’s Sparrow 
(Peucea estivalis bachmani) 226; 
notice of his ‘Some Observations 
on the Origin of Melanin Pigment 
in Feather Germs,’ 97. 

Stuart, G. H. 3rd., Brewster’s 
Warbler in Pennsylvania, 82. 

Sturnella magna argutula, 280. 

neglecta, 149, 347. 
n. confluenta, 209. 
Sturnus vulgaris, 80, 224, 481, 485. 


‘Vol. eal 
1918 


Sturnus v. vulgaris, 136. 

Suavipsitta, 246. 

Sula, 203. 

dactylatra californica, 216. 
leucogastra, 337. 
piscator, 203, 337. 

Surf-bird, 332. 

Surnia ulula caparoch, 299. 

Swales, B. H., Northern Phalarope 
(Lobipes lobatus) in Michigan, 75. 

Swallow, Bank, 140, 154, 348. 

Barn, 140, 154, 348. 

Cliff, 140, 153, 348, 494. 
Northern Violet-green, 154. 
Rough-winged, 140, 154, 348. 
Tree, 140. 

Swan, Whistling, 42, 222. 

Swarth, H. 8., review of his ‘The 
Pacific Coast Jays of the Genus 
Aphelocoma,’ 250. 

Swarth, H. S., and Bryant, H. C., 
review of their ‘A Study of the 
White-fronted Geese in Cali- 
fornia,’ 94. 

‘Swift, Chimney, 28, 346. 

Vaux’s Swift, 49, 235. 
White-throated, 235. 
Sylvia deserticola maroccana, 100. 
Synallaxis maranonica, 453. 
stictithorax, 453. 
unirufa meridana, 258. 
Systema Avium, 509. 


‘Tacuycineta thalassina lepida, 154. 
‘Tachyphonus rufus, 461. 
Tachytriorchis, 207. 

albicaudatus sennetti, 207. 
‘Tanager, Scarlet, 140, 485. 

Summer, 226. 

Western, 153. 

Tanagra taczanowskii, 459. 
xanthogaster quitensis, 459. 
‘Tangara argentea fulvigula, 460. 
chilensis, 459. 

cyaneicollis 
460. 
gyroloides, 490. 


ceeruleocephala, 


Index. 


537 


Tangara g. bangsi, 490. 
g. catharine, 459. 
g. nupera, 490. 
pulchra pulchra, 459. 
parzudakii florentes, 459. 
venusta, 460. 

Tapera nevia nevia, 448. 

Taraba melanura debilis, 452. 

Tatler, Wandering, 331. 

Taylor, Harry Reed, obituary notice 
of, 382. 

Taylor, Walter P., Bohemian Wax- 
wing (Bombycilla garrula) breed- 
ing within the United States, 226. 

Teal, Blue-winged, 235, 296. 
Cinnamon, 476. 

Green-winged, 20, 42, 372. 

Telmatodytes palustris, 284. 

p. estuarinus, 213. 
p. palustris, 146. 
p. plesius, 156. 

Tennessee, 93. 

Tern, Black, 483. 
Bridled, 338. 
Caspian, 182. 
Common, 19, 74. 
Least, 19. 
Noddy, 338, 507. 
Roseate, 182. 
Sooty, 507. 

Thalassidroma hornbyi, 202. 
hypoleuea, 202. 

Thamnophilus bernardi baroni, 258. 
doliatus tobagensis, 258. 
punctatus interpositus, 258. 
radiatus variegaticeps, 452. 

Thaumasius taczanowskii fractus, 

451. 

Thlypopsis inornata, 461. 

Thrasaetus harpyia, 77-79. 

Thrasher, Brown, 145, 349. 
Pearly-eyed, 339. 

Thraupis ccelestis major, 460. 
cana quesita, 460. 
darwini lta, 460. 

Thrush, Bicknell’s, 486. 

Hermit, 147, 158, 316-321. 


538 


Thrush, Olive-backed, 147, 158. 
Russet-backed, 145, 483. 
Willow, 83. 

Wood, 146, 237. 
Varied, 159. 


Thryomanes bewicki bairdi, 212. 


. bewicki, 483, 485. 

. eremophilus, 212. 

. drymeecus, 213. 

. marinensis, 213. 

. nesophilus, 213. 

. cataline, 2138. 

. leucophrys, 213. 

leucophrys, 213. 

Thryospiza, 210. 

maritima fisheri, 210. 
m. macgillivrai, 210. 
m. maritima, 210. 

m. peninsule, 210. 
m. sennetti, 210. 
nigrescens, 210. 

Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovi- 

clanus, 145, 280, 359. 
Thyellodroma, 202. 

bulleri, 202. 

cuneata, 202. 
Tinnunculus, 207. 

columbarius «salon, 207. 

ce. columbarius, 207. 

richardsoni, 207. 

suckleyi, 207. 

Titmouse, Tufted, 146, 343. 

Todd, W. E. Clyde, obituary notice 
of, Dr. Robert Latshaw Walker, 
511. 

Totanus flavipes, 330. 

fuscus, 379. 
maculatus, 379. 
melanoleucus, 22, 48, 205, 280, 


(op (eplio lop on ep usz 


330. 
Towhee, 139. 
Nevada, 153. 
Townsend, Charles W., Ipswich 
bird notes, 182-185; a winter 


crow roost, 405-416; review of 
his ‘In Audubon’s Labrador,’ 267. 


Index. wie 


Oct. 


Toxostoma redivivum, 52-61. 

r. helvum, 60. 

r. pasadenense, 52, 54. 

r. redivivum, 52. 

r. sonome, 56. 

rufum, 145, 282, 349, 359. 

Tringa canutus, 328. 
solitaria solitaria, 223. 

Tringine, 204. 

Trochilus colubris, 79. 

Troglodytes aedon aedon, 145, 305. 
a. parkmani, 156, 349. 
musculus albicans, 457. 

m. chapmani, 244. 
m. neglectus, 244. 
neglectus, 244. 

Trogon melanocephalus, 480. 
viridis, 287. 

Trogons, 480. 

Trogonurus collaris, 451. 
curucul, 480. 
mexicanus, 480. 
puella, 480. 
elegans, 480. 

Trotter, Spencer, Pied-billed Grebe 
(Podilymbus podiceps) in Chester 
Co., Pa., in summer, 218. 

Trupialis bellicosa, 459. 

Tryngites subruficollis, 331. . 

Turdus chiguanco conradi, 456. 
gigas gigantodes, 456. 
maculirostris, 456. 
maranonicus, 456. 
reevel, 456. 

Turkey, Wild, 23, 358. 

Turnstone, 439. 

Black, 333. 
Ruddy, 332, 341. 

Turtur affer sclateri, 256. 

Tympanuchus americanus, 345. 
pallidicinctus, 236. 

Tyranniscus uropygialis, 454. 

Tyrannus melancholicus melan- 

cholicus, 455. 
tyrannus, 28, 50, 284, 346, 359. 
verticalis, 50, 346. 


Mines et OLE EE ALE CLES a sapneepeti capil elias = 


Vol. a | 
1918 


Tyto alba alba, 464. 
a. contempta, 449. 
a. guttata, 464. 
a. pratincola, 464. 
perlata, 464. 


Urtia lomvia lomvia, 294, 340. 
Uroaétus audax, 257. 
Urospatha martii olivacea, 366. 
Utah, 490. 


Vrrry, 142. 
Venilornis agilis, 450. 
callonotus major, 450. 
Vermivora bachmani, 228, 441, 
celata orestera, 212. 
chrysoptera, 83,, 142. 
leucobronchialis, 82. 
lucie, 237. 
peregrina, 232, 303, 343. 
pinus, 82, 141, 283, 482, 485. 
rubricapilla guturalis, 155. 
r. rubricapilla, 142, 302. 
Vetola, 204. 
hemastica, 205. 
lapponica baueri, 205. 
Vireo, Blue-headed, 141, 343. 
Cassin’s, 155. 
Mountain Solitary, 441. 
Philadelphia, 227. 
Red-eyed, 141, 154, 252, 348, 
493. 
Warbling, 141. 
Western Warbling, 154. 
White-eyed, 141. 
Yellow-throated, 141. 
Vireo bellii arizone, 212. 
griseus griseus, 141, 279. 
Vireosylva chivi griseibarbatus, 457. 
gilva gilva, 141. 
g. swainsoni, 154. 
josephz josephe, 458. 
olivacea, 141, 154, 252, 285, 
348, 359. 
philadelphica, 227. 
Virginia, 483. 


Index. 


539 


Volatinia jacarini splendens, 462. 

Volvocivora koratensis, 376. 

Vulture, Black, 233, 477. 
Turkey, 23, 45, 84, 297, 341. 


WarBLER, Audubon’s, 155. 
Bachman’s, 228, 441. 
Bay-breasted, 343. 
Black and White, 141. 
Blackpoll, 82, 303. 
Black-throated Blue, 80, 142. 
Black-throated, Green, 143, 

441. 

Blackburnian, 143. 
Blue-winged, 141, 482, 485. 
Brewster’s, 82. 
Calaveras, 155. 
Connecticut, 442. 
Canada, 144, 229. 
Cape May, 303, 348. 
Cerulean, 142. 
Chestnut-sided, 142. 
Golden-winged, 142. 
Hooded, 144. 
Kentucky, 143, 484. 
Lucy’s 237. 
Macgillivray’s, 155. 
Magnolia, 142, 441. 
Mourning, 144, 232. 
Nashville, 142, 302. 
Northern Parula, 142, 228. 
Palm, 232. 
Pileslated, 155. 
Prairie, 143, 343. 
Pine, 143. 
Prothonotary, 227. 
Swainson’s, 236. 
Sycamore, 485. 
Tennessee, 232, 303, 343. 
Townsend’s, 155. 
Worm-eating, 141. 
Yellow, 142, 155, 348. 
Yellow Palm, 283. 

Warblers, 484. 

Walker, Robert L., obituary notice 

of, 511. 


540 


Washington, 40-51, 148-159, 226, 
326-333. 

Water-Thrush, 148, 304. 

Grinnell’s, 155. 

Louisiana, 143. 
Waxwing, Cedar, 140, 154. 

Bohemian, 81, 154, 226. 

Wayne, Arthur T., some additions 
and other records new to the 
ornithology of South Carolina, 
437-442; notes on six Georgia 
birds from, 485. 

Wetmore, Alexander, the birds of 
Desecheo Island, Porto Rico, 333- 
340; notice of his ‘The Relation- 
ship of the Fossil Bird Palwoche- 
oides mioceanus, 251; notice of 
his ‘Duck Sickness in Utah,’ 
490. 

Whip-poor-will, 27, 300. 

White, Francis B., Yellow-headed 
Blackbird at Ipswich, Mass., 224. 

White, James Clarke, obituary 
notice of, 265. 

Widgeon, European, 74, 75. 

Willet, Western, 331. 

Williams, Robert W., the Black 
Vulture (Catharista urubu) in 
Indiana, 477. 

Wilmot, Nelson E., Mockingbird 
(Mimus polyglottos polyglottos) 
spending the winter at West 
Haven, Conn., 229. 

Wilson, Etta 8., Bachman’s War- 
bler and Solitary Sandpiper in 
Indiana, 228. 

‘Wilson Bulletin’ 
255, 376, 497. 

Wilsonia, canadensis, 144, 229. 

citrina, 144. 
pusilla pileolata, 155. 

Wisconsin, 74. 

Wood, Norman A., notice of his 
‘Notes on the Birds of Alger 
County, Michigan,’ 489. 

Woodcock, 22. 


reviewed, 99, 


Auk 


Index. Oxt. 


Woodpecker, Arctic Three-toed, 48, 


85, 299, 479. 
Batchelder’s, 48. 
Downy, 27, 223, 236. 
Hairy, 26. 
Jamaica, 495. 
Lewis’, 49. 
Northern Pileated, 27, 479. 
Red-bellied, 27. 
Red-headed, 27, 84, 232, 299, 
341, 346. 
Red-cockaded, 
Rocky Mountain, Hairy, 48. 
Three-toed, 48. 
Western Pileated, 48. 
White-headed, 48. 

Woodruff, Frank M., notes from 
the Chicago area, 234. 

Wren, Bewick’s, 145, 483, 485. 

Carolina, 145. 

House, 145, 305. 

Long-billed, Marsh, 146. 

Rock, 156. 

Short-billed, Marsh, 145, 284, 
305. 

Western House, 156, 349. 

Western Marsh, 156. 

Winter, 145, 156. 

Wright, A. A. and A. H., drinking 
sap by Sapsuckers and Humming- 
birds, 79-80. 

Wright, Horace W., Labrador 
Chickadee (Penthetes hudsonicus 
nigricans) in its return flight from 
the fall migration of 1916, 37—40; 
a Red-throated Loon on Chest- 
nut Hill Reservoir, Boston, Mass., 
219; a Robin which migrated 
tailless, 231; Blue-winged War- 
bler once more nesting in South 
Sudbury, Mass., 482. 

Wyoming, 96, 493. 


XANTHOCEPHALUS xanthocephalus, 
81, 149, 224. 
Xanthoura ynceas yneas, 457. 


Vor “4 Errata. 5Al 


Xenopicus albolarvatus, 48. Zenaida auriculata pallens, 446. 
zenaida lucida, 339. 
YeLLow-THROAT, Maryland, 144, Zenaidura macroura carolinensis, 


484. 23, 282, 344. 
Western, 155. m. marginella, 44. 
Zonotrichia albicollis, 138, 232, 280, 
ZAMELODIA ludoviciana, 139, 282, 359. 
348, 359. gambelii, 210. 
melanocephala, 153, 235. leucophrys gambeli, 151, 210, 
m. capitalis, 211. 321. 
Zappey, Walter Reaves, obituary 1. leucophrys, 342. 
notice of, 263. 1. nuttalli, 321-326. 
ERRATA. 
Page xxii, line 6 from bottom, after Grecory, Sreruen S., for 1916, 
read 1906. 
“xxii, “ 10, for Harrison, Ricwarp C., read Harrison, Ricwarp EF. 
“xxx, “ 26, for Storer, Tracy Irvin read Storer, Tracy Irwin. 
«78, “ 14, for Happy Eagle read Harpy Eagle. 
“ 110, “ 8 from bottom, for eighty-three read eighty-four. 
“111, “ 9,add “and Walter Faxon, 1896-1904.” 
“112, “ 7, for Stenson read Stimson. 
+) 12 1G onait) (EF): 
“ 147, “ 16, for last read first. 
“ 235, “ 15, for griseus read scolopaceus. 
“268, “ 17, for March 19, 1917 read May 19, 1917. 
“ 269, “ 9, omit Scuarrer, V. F. 
“ 347, “ 31, for bimaculatus read australis. 
“ 350, “ 28, for Del Monte read Monterey. 
Soo)" oSitor Bi MM. read: B, H. 
“ 375, “ 8, for Mable read Mabel. 
“ 382, “ 17, for Agnewo read Agnews. 
“ 382, “ 20, for Oct. 6, 1866 read Oct. 1, 1866. 


“ 386, “ 8, omit Wricut, Horack WINSLOW. 


DATES OF ISSUE. 


Vol. XXXIV, No. 4 — October 10, 1917. 
« XXXvV, No. 1— January 5, 1918. 
“« XXXV, No. 2 — April 6, 1918. 

« XXXV, No. 3 — July 5, 1918. 


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PUBLICATIONS OF THE 


AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION 


FOR SALE AT THE FOLLOWING PRICES: 


The Auk. Complete set, Volumes I-X XXII, (1884-1916) in origi- 
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Check-List of North American Birds. Third edition, revised. 
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Address JONATHAN DWIGHT 
134 W. 7Ist St., New York, N. Y. 


Meetings of the American Ornithologists’ Union 


Since its organization in 1883 the American Ornithologists’ Union has 
held one special and 34 annual meetings. 
These meetings have been held in six cities: 11 in New York, 10 in 
Washington, 7 in Cambridge (including 1 in Boston), 5 in Philadelphia, 


and 2 (one special) in San Francisco. 


held in November and eight in other months. 

The number of Fellows (known as Active Members prior to 1902) has 
always been limited to 50 and the number present at any meeting has 
_varied from 7 to 28. The attendance of other classes of members in 


recent years averages over 100.. 


Twenty-seven meetings have been 


Fellows 
Present 


Total 
Meim- 
bershp 


1883, Sept. 26-28 


1884, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 


1885, Nov. 17-18 
1886, Nov. 16-18 
1887, Oct.. 11-13 
1888, Nov. 13-15 
1889, Nov. 12-15 
1890, Nov. 18-20 
1891, Nov. 17-19 
1892, Nov. 15-17 


1893, Nov. 20-23. 


1894, Nov. 12-15 
1895, Nov. 11-14 
1896, Nov. 9-12 
1897, Nov. 8-11 


1898, Nov. 14-17 


1899, Nov. 13-16 
1900, Nov. 12-15 
1901, Nov. 11-14 
1902, Nov. 17-20 
1903, May 15-16 
1903, Nov. 16-19 


Ist New York 
2d New York 
3d New York 
1st Washington: 
lst Boston 

2d Washington 
4th New York 
3d Washington 
5th New York 
4th Washington 
2d Cambridge 
6th New York 
5th Washington 
3d Cambridge 
7th New York 
6th Washington 
1st Philadelphia 
4th Cambridge 
8th New York 
7th Washington 
lst San Francisco 
2d Philadelphia 


1904, Nov. 28—Dec. 1] - 5th Cambridge 


1905, Nov., 13-16 
1906, Nov. 12-15 
1907, Dec. 9-12 
1908, Nov. 16-19 
1909, Dee. 6-9 
1910, Nov. 14-17 
1911, Nov. 13-16 
1912, Nov. 11-14 
1913, Nov. 10-13 
1914, Apr. 6-9 
1915, May 17-20 
1916, Noy. 13-16 
1917, Nov. 12-15 


9th New York 
8th Washington 
3d Philadelphia 
6th Cambridge 
10th New York 
9th Washington 
4th Philadelphia 
7th Cambridge 
11th New York 
10th Washington 
2d San Francisco 
5th Philadelphia 
8th Cambridge 


The next regular meeting —the 36th Stated — will be held at New York, 
Nov. 12-14, 1918. 
* Decrease due largely to change from Spring to Fall leaving 18 months 
without an election. 


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