IJC2O cha G2ULA THE VARIED THRUSH, * This is one of the most beautifully plumaged jand pleasing songsters whose presence and affect the wild woods in the lower Frazer valley, in British Columbia. In size it notes is about the same as the Hermit Thrush, and | its song notes closely resemble those of the mustelinus, but to me these did not appear to be so loud or prolonged, yet, was still early, and before the nesting period had begun when I had the pleasure of listen- ing to its lays, it may be that, as the Thrush season advanees, it pitches its notes in as the season a higher key, and devotes more time and | energy to the emission of its charming music, and, while the ear is delighted with its song, the eye of the student of nature who rambles in these primeval wilds, which it makes its haunts and home, is no less pleased with its jvaried plumage of dark fyellow. And when ‘tages of song brown and golden natural are added its graceful move- the deep green foliage and | snowy blossoms, which in the early summer to these ‘ments among ‘intermingle in the Columbian forest, it may ‘be imagined that this species is among the ‘most noteworthy of all the avifauna families ) west of the Rocky Mountains. The tourist, whatever be his object, who suddenly finds himself in the woods bordering the streams or waye-washed shores of the Pacific Coast of our western province, is at once astonished at the different appearance of his surroundings to what he had previously observed nearer the Atlantic sea-board. ‘The woods, the rocks, the mountains, have all a different aspect, even the air has a different smell, and for a time produces different effects on the physical system and impressions on the mind, and many of the birds whose forms meet his gaze and music falls upon his ear, have differently hued plumages, and notes, Favored by a rich soil and temperate cli mate, giant firs raise their waving tops to an wltitude surpassing those in most other lands monster cedars rival these in tallness and trunk proportions; balsams and other ever- igreens, though much smaller, nevertheless standing close together, cast a deep shade on ‘the damp earth, from whence spring, while limtermingling with these, species of white |wood, alders, and large flowering dogwood, which altogether make a forest so dense that it can scarcely be penetrated, and few attempt to do so except on matters of business. It is late in the forenoon before the sun’s rays pen- etrate these gloomy woods, and though out in the clearing the heat is at times oppressive, | ,yet in these shades there is always a coolness, | Taried | advan- | } ‘hues. Amid such scenes are the haunts and home of the Varied Thrush, and should it appreciate views of scenery, which perhaps it ; does, it has only to move a short distance | from the deepest,shade to the lakelet shore, the river bank, or the margin of the rippling brook, to view the azure sky, the noonday sun, and the dark outlines of rock-formed moun- tains whose summits are capped with eternal snows. Such feeble outline of some of the localities affected by the presence of this species may assist in conveying to the mental vision of the reader not otherwise attainable, yet inseparable from its life history, and should the eastern reader wander on a summer morn- ing in some dark wood, and hear in the higher branches the sone notes of the | Grosbeak and the Scarlet Tanager, and ideas tose-breasted in unison with these, in the lower woods, the soul-inspiring lays of the Wood Thrush, he | may without much stretch of the imagination i) assume that he is passing through a part of a | British Columbian forest and listening to the | musical strains of the Black-headed Goshawk, the Western Tanager and the rather melan- choly refrains of the Varied Thrush. Among the vines and bushes, as well as the jferns, flowers and mosses, this species finds | the berries and lower forms of animated exis- 'teneces, as its daily needs require. } | Its nest, of which I saw a few specimens jof the past year, is composed almost wholly ‘of mosses, lined with lichens and other soft, This is placed in bushes, or among branches not far off the ground, or in much similar situations as that of the Hermit ‘Thrush. The eggs, four or five in the set, are }of a bluish hue, mottled with reddish brown |dry materials. jspots. This species, known also as the Varied ‘Robin and Oregon Thrush, is reported to be more abundant on the sea-shore, where it remains throughout the year, than further ‘inland, and here among the stunted firs, rocks jand sanls it finds a scenery much different \from that of the more inland valleys, as well as the effects of the sea-breezes and the rolling ‘waves. In the museum at Victoria I saw |some fine, mounted specimens, and in the deep woods near Port Kells its songs strongly |reminded me of the Wood Thrush of Ontario; but wuler the cireumstances the effects were ‘more melancholy than pleasing. 0.8 0. Vol.17, Mar.1892 7 . L. Kells, 40-41 though the wind’s influence is seldom felt and) storms cannot rage, while in most places, as} the spring and summer advances, the ground) ‘is covered with mosses intermingled with | plants and flowers of varied and beautiful | a (64 Frans : . 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Ee (ut Jetamed fare Pd a i Peden’, Ag senn fo Pakeaks wie or / b / $— Vi m a ome = Ay COS, eee ofp. tin Beiloswh eux La Lotl a Was ie pepe foe, ea cel } Le, a) ] ae ? fd AO JON BO. We 7 ty, Yh pana Oo CoO a ees TEEN Ce YL Ww ee Ax vi ah itA on Woo Garand dnd “fed BOA far Pron Cn joae ‘ fe Pet SS. gpk , ep ons ku forllosk a fevrel Bars aaa e Ste ge get Gon TAT RT 9 eee Oe a bast, emrbinrd One Ah ho,5 ree Ne as Nat crewed EAR | Oe ee a wrile fsa bt Dn, Cena up arnedd Hredinrp ie Ufo achastag A aghast fies fet as ae Me ee Bes i” ate ee oe Pfraece aaa Wi, sea) jp ‘ igh oP /59/ ews, | @ bo kh. Poe ees a ep Pe reer Sie at ‘ . bird (Mimus polyglotius), a male, I infer from Chel uth '¢ > wtYwo ae let ee his persistent singing. . (2. Gases H.+l S Foe arrwo. (Jeera) S ares I first observed him Sunday, June 30, and ren 7 intl watched him all the afternoon to see if there Qitanrd - Cush REM, [4 : ‘fo 6 ‘ pb. 3¢3~ SU¢ was a pair of them. The locality is intervale as , with a few elms and several small clumps of pe \h Ad 4 bn » Jee wuyt it bushes, so I had every chance to discover Sy L ares another if it wasthere. Being convinced that Chakhk- urs = un) he was alone I started to bag him at 4 o’clock A.M., next morning; could hear him before I reached the intervale, and in a few minutes shot him from the top of a tall elm. Hecame down and I found that I had knocked about quarter of an inch off of his upper mandible, and with this exception he was apparently un- hurt. Of course my first thought was that it was | possibly an escaped cage bird, but a moments | examination showed that the idea was un- founded, as his plumage was perfect, wings and tail unchafed, and feet and claws clean and unmarked by the perch as cage birds al- ways are. I see by ‘‘Coues’ Key”’ and ‘Birds of New England”’ that this capture places the Mock- ingbird further north than any recorded. I could not kill him when I found how little | hurt he was, but put him ina cage where he is at present, and seems likely to live and be- | come reconciled to his new quarters, 0.&0. XIV. -1889 p. /2@ Yura, Arve Sectin: July ¥. /96% ET. ee awk, STV, Apr, 189%, De 224-5’ The Mockingbird at Portland, Maine, in Winter.— On January 19, 1897, at noon, a Mockingbird (Adimus folyglottos) appeared in a gutter which runs beneath the south window of my study. The thermometer was below zero, and there was no snow, but an unclouded sun had softened the ice in the gutter so that the bird could moisten his tongue; and this he seemed to be doing when I first saw him. He was perhaps five feet distant from my chair, and I noted at once that he looked like a wild bird, his ruffled plumage being in prefect condition, unfrayed and unstained. In a moment he caught sight of me and flew away. A heavy snow-storm set in the next day. It was followed within the week by another. Wintry weather prevailed generally up to January 29. On that day I was told by a neighbor —Edward Woodman, Esq. — that he believed a Mockingbird had been visiting his grounds for several days. There, on January 31, I saw the bird again. He was rather shy and quite silent, and soon flew away. I published a notice of this interesting winter visitor in the Portland ‘Daily Press’ of February 2, hoping, if he were an escaped cage bird, that the fact would thus be brought out. Nothing, however, was elicted. Enquiries of local bird fanciers also failed to lead to the knowledge of any lost pet bird. 7 I now met with the wanderer nearly every day. About three o’clock of the afternoon of February 11, the sun shining warmly in a still, crisp air, he took up a position in the top of a tall elm before the same window from which I first saw him, and sang loudly for a few moments when he was apparently frightened away by passers-by. On February 15,1 saw him for the last time, feeding on the berries of a mountain-ash. Four days later, — just one month from his first appearance, — Mrs. Charles J. Chap- man, a neighbor and an entirely competent witness, reported to me that he had that morning visited her grounds in search of mountain-ash berries. I have been able to find but one previous record of a supposed wild. Mockingbird in Maine,—a very indefinite note by Mr. G. A. Boardman in the ‘American Naturalist, Vol. V, April, 1871, p. 121. It is this note, apparently, to which reference is made in ‘New England Bird Life,’ Vol. I, p. 62. — NATHAN CLIFFORD Brown, Portland, Me. Auk, ZIV, July, 1897, »p.324, Reappearance of the Mockingbird at’ Portland, Maine.— On March 6, 1897, just after my note! on his previous visits had gone to press and more than a fortnight after his last appearance up to that time, the Portland Mockingbird was seen by my mother in the woodbine on her house. ‘I was at once sent for to make the identification certain. I had no difficulty in doing so, for he stayed quietly for a long time in the top of a small tree close to the house. A period of eighteen days followed during which he was not to be found, though I looked for him constantly about the city and its suburbs. On March 24 he was seen by Mr. Charles E. Noyes, who reported him singing. On March 28 he was seen by Mr. W. H. Dennett, and was carefully studied through an opera glass within a distance of some thirty yards. On neither of these occasions was he more than an eighth of a mile from the spot where he first appeared in January. Finally, on April 4, 1 met with him again myself, this time in an old and little used cemetery in the same section of the city as before. I walked within a few yards of him, and watched him for several minutes while he disputed with some Robins the right to a cluster of sumacs, the fruit of which had no doubt helped to carry him through the winter. Up to the present time (June 1), I have neither seen him nor heard of him since. If he stayed no later than April 4, he passed nearly eleven weeks in the neighborhood of Portland at the most inclement season of the year. —Natruan Criirrorp Brown, Portland, Me. |!-4uk XIV. pp &4% q-s Pals ict Phase Ce Pancet Joc. BiH, Narheong 5. Mimus polyglottus. Mocxine-Birp. — A young male, evidently a wild bird, was shot by Mr. Mackay at Nantucket, October 8, 1878. 1954 While at Nantucket Monday Aupust I2, I drove out to see if yvhere were any birds. On the outskirts of the town a Mockingbird flew across the road. I endeavored to shoot him, but he flitted about so among the houses that I was unable to do so without the risk of putting a charge of shot through some window, and he suc- eseded in eseaping. It was apparently a wild bird of the year. At times I was within ten yards of him. --- George H. Mackay, let- ter of august I4, I889. @) Ood Wass 1890 maar vod, Maas 1820, G,8, Miller /Mimus polyglottos.—On September ir I saw a single bird of this spe- cies near Highland Light. The bird was very shy and I was not abso- lutely sure of my identification until the next day when I saw two more JaDE one of which I secured. Several others were seen at about the same time and place by Mr. W. M. Small of Highland Light. The specimen taken is in first plumage, though fully grown and evidently old enough to have come_ from some distance.—G. S. MiLLErR JR : AS a8 ~ FSS) at Mass. AUK. VIII,Jan, 180lp, 49-7200 Mimus polyglottos. Mockinc Birp.—On November 20, 1890, while driving on the western part of the island, and passing near a large swamp, close to which was an unoccupied farmhouse, I saw a Mocking- bird running along the ridge pole of one of the small buildings. On getting out of my wagon to secure it, the bird flew into the middle of the swamp and perched on the top of a bush in full sight. Although a very difficult matter, owing to the water, I determined to go in after it. I had just started, when the bird flew towards me and alighted on a fence post, from which 1 shot it. This is the ¢zrd instance of my shooting this bird here, besides seeing another flitting among the houses in the town on August 11, 1889. These birds were all full-grown, and probably migrants, as I have never heard of their breeding on the island. They have never before to my knowledge been noted here. VILL, Jen, 1801 P,/20. George 7. Mackay, Martachar, Mars. Birds near Springfield, Massachusetts. —Throughout the early summer / of 1888, near the main highway between Springfield and Westfield, and in the immediate vicinity of three farmhouses, a male Mockingbird re- mained, singing incessantly. This year at exactly the same spot the bird has again appeared. Although I have never seen the female, still there is very little doubt that there is one there and that they bred there last year and are doing the same this year. ¥ Y Le Mee ee 7 Soe Auk Vi. Gel. 189, p. S¥o, The Mockingbird at Springfield, Massachusetts.—For the last three sea- sons a pair of Mockingbirds have located themselves at the same place in West Springfield. This year the male arrived from the South on the twenty-second day of April, but the female was not seen until about the first of June; they both sacich ted mies in August.—RogBerr O. Morris, Springfield, Mass. AUS; Vill, Jan, 189) 117. Ghrual Noteq. A pair of Mockingbirds, whose presence in West Springfield I have -— heretofore recorded, passed this their fourth successive season in the same locality in that town.—Rosert O. Morris, Springfield, Mass. Auk, 9, Jan. 1892. p, 4 ~ General Notes, A Belated Mockingbird in Eastern Massachusetts. — On Nov. 25, 1894, I secured.a male Mockingbird in good condition in a buckthorn hedge near my house. The weather was rough, with squalls of snow, but not cold. Previously, however, the thermometer had registered as low as 14°, with snow enough to make good sleighing. The ‘escaped cage bird’ theory, which naturally occurs at once, does not apply here (unless braced up with a supplementary theory that the escape was remote enough to allow the bird to make himself over), the plumage and feet being in perfect condition. There are quite a number of records for eastern Massachusetts, the latest appearing to be as follows: One reported by Torrey, Marshfield, Aug. 15, 1889 (O. & O., Sept., 1889); one by Miller, Provincetown, Sept. 11, 1890 (Auk, Jan., 1891) ; one by Mackay, Nantucket, Nov. 20, 1890 (Auk, Jan., 1891); one by Cory (young of the year), Hyannis, Aug. 30, 1891 (Auk, Oct., 1891). The first named is of special interest, being in the spotted plumage and accompanied by three or four others, a fair inference being that a brood had been hatched in the vicinity. The breeding of the species farther west, near Springfield, has been a matter of several records, the latest, I think, being that of R. O. Morris (Auk, Jan., 1892), who says “a pair passed this, the fourth successive season, in West Springfield.” In view of the above, can we not abandon the cage bird idea for this section ?>—F. C. Browne, Framingham, Mass. Auk XII, Jan, 1895 p. 84-85 pig Mee Mockingbird seen by E. J. Smith at Sherborn, Mass., October 23d, 1889. Showed no signs of confinement, though quite tame, allowing approach within a short distance. 0,&0, XIV, Nc v.1889 p.176 Birds of Bristol County, Mass. ¥F.W.Andros. Mimus polyglottos (Linn.), Mockingbird. Ac-| cidental visitant. One shot by Mr. J. C.| Cahoon on March 26th, 1883. O.&0, XII, Sept. 1887 p.14). <0. | Pecurrence of the Mocking Bird in Massa- is: | ‘i ee 34 chusetts, Sale S > TReaa before the Nuttall Ornithological Club.] ét This afternoon my attention was called by a friend to | a bird which I supposed to be a Shrike, sitting upon a cherry tree back of the house. While I was loading my gun the bird flew a few yards and perched upon a tree much nearer the building, which gave mean excel- lent opportunity to shoot from the window where I stood. After discharging the first barrel the bird flew, though it was plainly seen that he was badly wounded. Mocking Bird in Massachusetts in Winter. About February 4, while looking for spe- cimens of winter birds, I saw a strange bird ‘that I had never before met with, but thought little of it until the r4th of Febru- ary I shot the bird near the spot where first seen. It was a Mocking Bird (AZmus Polyglotus) which confronted me as I |My friend watched him closely, and saw where he alighted. I went in pursuit and the bird fell, and my surprise was great, upon looking at the specimen, to find itto be a Mimus polyglottis. Emiry C. GREENWOOD, Newtonville, Mass, [This specimen was exhibited ata meeting of the Club /and the members were of the opinion that it was not an escaped bird, as might be supposed, for the plumage was in good condition, “and had not the worn look as is usual with caged birds. This is the second specimen taken@within four months in the same locality, one hav- ing been shot by Mr. H, A. Purdie in November, 1874, and a specimen was also seen earlier in the season, near where the above mentioned specimens were taken, Another was seen in Salem, Mass., by Mrs. E. Harring- ton, in June, 1874 RuTHVvEN DEAnzE, Sec. | —_—— ° > 0 oe—__—_— went to pick up my specimen. The bird had lived here certainly for about two weeks without succumbing to the cold of this climate, which shows the bird can live here even in cold weather. The only way I can account for its being here at | this time of year is that it must be an es- caped cage bird. (The bird was identified by “‘ Coues’ Key” and Stearn’s “New Eng- land Bird Life.’’) HT. F-. Barton. Duxbury, Mass. ©,&O,Vol18, Mar.1898 p.45 Breeding of the Mockingbird near Boston, Mass. —On August 15, 1883, my brother, Mr. W. J. Townsend, shot two nearly full-grown Mocking- birds (Mimus polyglottus) at Arlington, Mass. He found them in a small thicket near a meadow, in company with an old one and two other young ones, which, however, he was unable to secure. The two he obtained were young birds, quite well fee athered, their wings fully grown, but their tails decidedly shorter than in the adult. Later J made frequent excursions to the same and neighboring places, but did not succeed in discovering the rest of the family. On inquiry I learned that a farmer of the place, who had lived down in the South and was familiar with the Mockingbird, had seen one several times during the early part of the summer near his house, and heard him sing. There seems, therefore, no reason to doubt that a pair of these birds bred at Arlington. Mr. William Brewster tells me there are no records of the breeding of the Mockingbird in Eastern Massachusetts, but the fact of their breeding several times near Springfield, Mass., is well known.— CHARLES W. Townsenp, Boston, Mass.Aak, I, April, 1884. p. Hee oM Another Massachusetts Record for the Mockingbird.—A specimen of * * . ow Mimus polyglot/os (Linn.) was shot by the writer at Great Island, near = Hyannie; Mags, on August 30, 1891. The bird is in young plumage, ot still showing the spotted breast.—Cuartes B. Cory, Boston, Mass. xe . Auk, 8, Oct. 1891, laa Editor of O. & O.: T received your postal and will give you | -_W, Marsden A 2 epee ned Mass., Dec. Q any information I can. On the afternoon of Que Se saheed ae noe = cage bird, About August 15, while Ping Sardug Wepe sews as the same time another was shot about twenty- Marshfield, I saw a bird fly from a tree, which five miles i om this locality. 186. from description, I judged to be a Mocking- GY. Dat, 1890, Ry bird, and thus it proved. I immediately =a Vichauy) Lynne, pp Inadd., started in pursuit, and while climbing a fence ) gawd a Mocking-Bird on April 4. The three others started from some bushes ahead as nt psa a ghee en ene party who shot the Mocking-Bird reported shy and kept hidden in the bushes. T followed | that there was a pair, but he failed to secure them, starting first one and then another, for but the one. ‘some time, and finally obtained a shot at one and killed it. It wasa young female, having the under parts speckled. This bird as well as some of the others must | have been reared near by there. I will look sharp for them next season. H, A, Torrey. 0.& 0.Vol,18, April,1898 p,.61 Rockland, Mass. 0,&0, XIV, Any. 1839 QR, /HY 4 Julv. 1 f ; Auk, XII, July, 1895, pp-328-7, Nesting of Mimus polyglottos in Eastern Massachusetts.— On June 3, 1895, while walking along a narrow country road in Groton, Massa- chusetts, my attention was suddenly attracted by the strange sight of a Mockingbird flying across an adjoining field. It alighted on a fence post near by, and, as I turned back to make sure that I had seen aright, my surprise was increased by the appearance of a second one. The two birds flew off together with such an evident air of being mates that I immediately began to look for a nest. The road was bordered on each side by a broad stretch of grassy fields, divided by rail fences: an eighth of a mile away it crossed a much travelled highway, strung along which a dozen houses could be seen; while at about the same distance in the opposite direction was the beginning ofa large tract of deciduous woods. Besides these woods, there was hardly a tree anywhere near, save a few small apple-trees by one of the houses and one or two more—stunted, chance-sown seedlings — grow- ing by the roadside. To one of the latter, a few steps away, I directed my search. In a moment I discovered a clumsily built nest a dozen feet from the ground, amid the thick foliage of a branch that overhung the road. I climbed the tree and, though I found the nest empty, I was rewarded by a scolding visit from the birds. When I came again on June 13 they gave mea still more unfriendly greeting though they were so wary that I obtained only the male to accompany the nest and four half-incu- bated eggs which I secured. This locality, which is in the northern part of Middlesex County, hardly six miles south of the New Hampshire boundary, is the most northern point in New England where the Mockingbird has yet been known to breed, and the only one in Massachusetts, east of Springfield, where its nest actually has been taken. The only other recorded evidence I can find of the breeding of the species in eastern Massachusetts is based on two families of well-grown young, found, one at Arlington (Auk, I, 192), the other at Marshfield (O. & O. XIV, 144). In each of these cases the birds were not discovered until August 15, although it seems probable that they had been bred in the neighborhood.— CHARLES F. BATCHEL- DER, Cambridge, Mass. . Auk, XIV, Jan., 1897, p./j¢o skein Laas: if Buds om Wen Wasachineds eens: 1896. Mimus polyglottos.— For a few days during the last part of May a Mockingbird was observed in Ludlow. , Auk, XIV, July, 1897, p- 344% A Mockingbird at Worcester, Mass. — A Mockingbird (Alimus poly- glottos) visited us at Worcester, Massachusetts, this spring. The bird was heard singing at Green Hill, April 26, was seen on the 29th, and continued in the same locality through the month of May. Hesang well, imitating notes of the Blue Jay, Phebe and Brown Thrasher. — HELEN A. BALL, Worcester, Mass. Auk, XV, Jan., 1898, pp. 77-6 Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) at Taunton, Mass.— Mr. A. R. Sharp of this city shot and presented to me a fine specimen of this bird on Noy. 11, 1897. It proved to be a female in good condition and its stomach contained a number of seeds and part of the skin of a tomato. The plumage showed no signs of wear and tear which would brand it as an escaped cage bird, ; It was killed just outside of this city near Mr. Sharp’s farm, and was mistaken for a Shrike at the time. This is very late in the season for a Mockingbird to be found so far north, yet I cannot think that it had recently been in captivity. —A. C. BENT, Taunton, Mass. Minor ORNITHOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.—365. Rarer birds of Mass- achusetts. By Arthur P. Chadbourne. Quarterly Fournal of the Boston Zoblogical Society,t Vol. 1, 1882, pp. 4, 5, 20-24, 30-35.—A. list of about 80 species, with references to the original authorities for their occurrence. Minus polyglottus is given as doubtfully entitled toa place in the list, “owing to many [of the specimens taken] being escaped cage-birds,” the author haying apparently overlooked the fact of its having been found breeding at Springfield (see Proc. Essex Inst., IV, p. 67). We may add that we are credibly informed of two later instances of its breeding at Springfield. Cardinalis virginianus is placed in the same category, but it is hardly ‘‘probable” that all the specimens recorded were escaped cage- birds. eUar, Jour, Bos, Zool. Soc, 619. Mocking-Bird in Massachusetts. By John C. Cahoon. » Jbéd., For, No. 10, p. 185.— Taken at Taunton, March 26, 1883, by the writer. 1807. Mockingbirds in Massachusetts. By E.H. Lathrop. /bzd., Oct. 3, p. 202. For, &Stream, Vol, 33 > Auk, XV, Oct., 1898, p, 3733, Tr ern Julyploetis Ut 2. Brwhh G.\waas. April 30, 1896, a Mockingbird appeared and established himself emoms the shrubbery in a neighbor’s grounds. This was no escaped cage-bird, as his perfect, unfrayed feathers evinced. He was in constant song during his stay, frequently singing half the night when eee vanes was bright. After enjoying a week of Mockingbird music I was cisappotrted to find the singer gone, owing to a late driving snow storm, and he did i fe not again appear. BF. Seuckler , 7 eunlon, mead See aay dive WL. ABBOTT FRAZAF,, ™~Taridermist— AND DEALER IN Naturatists’ SuPPLIES AND SPECIMENS. ALSO, BUYER OF RAW FUR. No. 93 Sudbury Street. BRANCH -- Send Stamp for Catalogue. GREENVILLE JUNCTION, MAINE. BOSTON, MASS ic ast Sete. 158 G Mr. Wm. Brewster, cambridge, Masse Dear Sir;- I thought you might be interested to know that on Sunday the 15the, there was a mocking bird about my house’ all the morn- inge I got a look at him several times. He made himself quite at homee I do not think it was a caged bird and by the notes it gave, TI judged it was a male. Yours truly, M. Abbott Frazar. * [Belt] M2477 Vitocttuns fou . T Rafbas fay Wie Be dee oe, Vie Sa A Mockingbird near Boston.-—I observed a Mockingbird (Mzmus polyglottos) at Roslindale, a suburb of Boston, March 23 of this year. I had learned of the bird’s presence through Mrs. S. Stevens of Roslindale, who saw him first Feb. 27 and afterward several times during March. She last observed the bird March 27. When I saw him he was in full song and mocked with varying degrees of accuracy, the songs of the Bluebird, Robin, White-eyed Vireo and Bobolink, the long call of the Downy Woodpecker, and the wéck-wp call or song of the Flicker. I detected no hint of any domestic sound in his mimicking, and this, together with the fact that his tail-feathers were in perfect condition, suggest that he was a wild bird and not an escaped captive. This Mockingbird was very likely the same as the one observed on several different dates and in localities at some little distance from this by Dr. A. L. Reagh. — Francis H. Atten, West Roxbury, Mass. Auk, XIX, July, 1902, B.292. Saeeie 0 For Nok Vir A Nene A pxé LAs CAPES ee Ola~ a q Cc ye f = ar (2 AS EN (a ree » ¢ 5 be Ar a WA) Tle eles, kan F “fog Belen foorten one wi be baer (Fmsars FA elite, or Cees, f BLE Gove) estes Varney CR ARC 1 hoa Wee CUP os RE Iv ~ (Ge < iS »~ won led x ue - Ly [ee Weak ty 5 LOSER a C., Jon t7 [08 Go | Sag 6 ene oe, AE Bi Tha aS u SG nN » ° f=) ne ee: ae Oo D Mimus polyglottos. One passed the winter in Jamaica Plain, Mass. We last recorded it on April 6, 1904. frees S. oad Wenner C. Fes, RrrMt lhernr : P. O92, Auk 2. aK July = A Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) in Lexington, Mass., in Winter and Summer.— A Mockingbird appeared near my house in Lexington on the 8th of February, 1907, and was seen by me at intervals up to the 29th of March. On the 31st of March and the 4th of April a Mockingbird, doubt- less the same one, was seen by several persons in another part of the town, about a mile to the eastward. He was neither seen nor heard again until the 9th and 10th of July, when he reappeared near my house. This bird sung at the end of March, early April, and on both the days when he was seen in July. He was an unusually fine singer, even for a Mockingbird. Among his very perfect imitations the notes of the Phoebe and Great, Crested Flycatcher were conspicuous. The winter of 1906-07, it should be remembered, was an unusually cold one in eastern Massachusetts.— Waurrr Faxon, Levington, Mass, Cw), XXiVy Oots 9o7, p. 446. with few exceptions, feeding on suet, barberries we had a Mockingbird — Mimus polyglottos — on our place The bird, presumably a female, as it did not sing, Mockingbird in West Medford, Mass —— From November 17, 1907, until April 20, 1908, scolded and drove away the Shrike, Jays, Cedar Birds and Robins — Livin E. Brings, West Medford, Mass. the greater part of each day, and cedar berries. lear Bss/ore, MES. Breeding of the Mockingbird near Boston.— A pair of Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) nested near my house in the West Roxbury district of Boston this year (1909) and successfully raised a brood of four young, which when I last saw them were fully fledged and taking full care of themselves. One of the birds made its appearance near my house Nov. 22, 1908, and it (presumably the same one) was seen occasionally all through the winter. Up to April 2, 1909, only one bird was seen, and that one had advertised itself as a male by beginning to sing on March 21. On- April 2 or earlier it was joined by a female, and from that time on the pair were often seen together, and the male sang assiduously. The nest, which when first discovered, May 20, contained four eggs, was placed about fifteen feet from the ground near the top of a Japanese conifer within about a hundred feet of my house. The young left the nest June 12, and I caught and banded two of them with the aluminum bands furnished by Dr. Leon J. Cole of the Peabody Museum, New Haven. The numbers of the bands are 1453 and 1460. I sincerely hope that neither of these birds will be shot by any ornithologist for the purpose of ascertaining the number on the band, and if any banded Mockingbird is seen in Massachu- setts this fall or next year, I shall be grateful if the observer will communi- cate the fact to me (as well as to Dr. Cole) and will spare the bird’s life. I have been unable to find any more recent Massachusetts breeding- records for this species than those cited by Messrs. Howe and Allen in “The Birds of Massachusetts’ (1901), though Dr. A. L. Reagh tells me that he is credibly informed that a pair of Mockingbirds built a nest and laid eggs in Roslindale, Boston, in 1902, the male being probably the bird observed by me near there March 23 of that year and reported in ‘The Auk’ (XIX, July, 1902, p- 292), but that the nest was broken up. The records include two sets of eggs taken, one in Springfield by Dr. J. A. Allen and one in Groton by Mr. C. F. Batchelder. The only cases where young birds have been found with their parents in Massachusetts, thus giving satisfactory evidence of a successful nesting within the State, are of two nearly full-grown young taken by Mr. W. 8S. Townsend at Arlington, Aug. 15, 1883 (C. W. Townsend, Auk, I, April, 1884, p. 192), and of one young female with speckled under parts shot by Mr. H. A. Torrey at Marshfield, Aug. 15, 1889 (O. and O., XIV, Sept., 1889, p. 144). The present instance seems to be the first to be recorded where the entire nesting has been under observation in Massachusetts.— FRANcis H. ALLEN, West Roxbury, Mass. Auk 26, Oct-1909,p. YI7-4uIy SRringhre kd, Patassac tal. Mimus polyglottos. About the “20th of last November, a Bonen ied appeared in the residential part of Springfield, where the ie es rounded by ample grounds, and in that vicinity made its home ick iy past winter. Very soon after it was first observed, food was oe ay and it became quite tame. So-called mocki ngbird food, rice, bread ne S, and suet, were provided for it, which latter it seemed to prefer. J a severe storms this bird would disappear for a day or two, but mae ‘ : return of pleasant weather would again be seen. The suggestion tha i was an escaped cage bird has not the force it would have had a oes ee, ago, as in Massachusetts, we now have a generally respected law forbide ae the sale or confinement of these birds. Mockingbirds have been frequently seen in the vicinity of Springfield during the warmer months, and. a rarely bred here, but never before has one been known to pass the winter in this pa the Connecticut Valley. . - es en for last October, Francis H. Allen stated that a pair $f Mockingbirds successfully raised a brood of four young in the eastern ee of Massachusetts, and this bird may be one of that family.— Ropert O. Morris, Springfield, Mass. Auk 23'%.Apr-1010 p. 3 2/. The Mockingbird near Boston.— In ‘The Auk’ for October, 1909, I recorded the breeding of a pair of Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) in West Roxbury, Mass., last year. I have recently learned that a pair of these birds bred at Roslindale, about a mile and a half from this locality, in the spring of 1902. My informant is Mrs. Seriah Stevens of Roslindale, who published an account of the nesting in ‘Zion’s Herald,’ a Boston Methodist weekly, for March 3, 1909. Mrs. Stevens assures me that the account there given is entirely true except as to the location of the nest, which was not on her own grounds, as stated for literary purposes, but elsewhere in the neighborhood. Four young were hatched, but when they were about half grown the mother bird was found dead near the nest. The male, however, brought up the brood and launched them from the nest. The father bird and two of the young were seen together near their old home as late as August of that year, but then disappeared and have not been seen there since. The male bird was the one recorded by me in ‘The Auk’ for July, 1902 (Vol. XIX, p. 292), as having been observed by me on March 23 of that year, and this is the reported unsuccessful nesting referred to in my note of last October. In this connection I wish to report that the male which bred near my house last year remained in the neighborhood all the autumn and winter and began singing March 21 of this year, the exact anniversary of the beginning of his song the year before. He sang finely and imitated the notes of many birds not due to arrive here for a month or two later. In fact, he introduced imitations which I had not heard from him last year, exhibiting what seemed a remarkable memory for bird-notes. He sang every morning near the house for four weeks, but his mate never arrived and after April 19 he gave it up. I saw him once or twice afterwards and heard of him a few other times, but since about the middle of May he seems to have disappeared entirely. Another Mockingbird was seen in the Arnold Arboretum, about two miles and a half away, in winter and early spring by several observers. He sang freely in April but not very well and seemed not to imitate the notes of other birds. He was believed to be a young bird and very possibly was one of the brood raised by my pair. This bird also disappeared without having found a mate. All this goes to support the view held by Mr. Brewster (Birds of the Cam- bridge Region, pp. 62-64), that birds breeding bevond their normal range are unlikely to found permanent colonies of regular summer residents. — Francis H. Auuen, West Roxbury, Mass. Auk 2'7.Oct-1910 p. v6 0-964 A Pair of Mockingbirds near Boston in 1902.— Concerning the note in the October ‘Auk’ of 1910 entitled: “The Mockingbird near Boston,” signed by Mr. Francis H. Allen of West Roxbury, I would say, that in 1902 a pair of Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) built two nests within sight of my home in Roslindale. The male was constantly under our kitchen windows. He entertained us the entire summer, not only with his singing, but also by his gymnastics while doingso. He would frequently light on the ridge-pole of my neighbor’s house, and vertically bounce up and down, five to ten feet, singing all the while. He would do this fre- quently eight or ten times in succession. I first noticed the male when the apple trees leaved out, but neglected to record the exact date. Shortly afterward he was joined by a female. They built in a large white oak tree situated midway between Congress and Fletcher Streets on Center Street, Roslindale. The nest was quite high up. Four young were raised, but were pre- sumably stolen by a laborer who was working on a sewer, then in construc- tion, on Center Street. When the young were about to leave the nest, one of my sons heard the man in question say, that he was “coming out early to-morrow morning and take those birds.” As the nest was empty on the day designated, it is quite probable he succeeded in doing so. The parent birds were inconsolable for a time. Soon, however, they built again; this time low down in a golden elderberry bush which grew, within twenty feet of the house, on the front lawn of one of my neighbors. Here three young were raised and successfully launched from the nest. I saw two of the young birds killed by neighbor’s cats. This same fate overtook the mother. One day while sitting on my piazza, I saw in the vacant lot opposite, a cat spring into a hollow apparently in the act of catching a bird. Hearing the great distress of the male mockingbird directly over the hole, I ran to the place, but alas! too late. The cat bounded away but in her fright dropped the bird. Immediately picking it up, I recognized the still beautiful though lifeless mate of the distracted father who was hovering over me. The father mockingbird and one of the young were constantly seen about the neighborhood until autumn, when they probably went South. In passing, I may say that it was this particular pair of mockingbirds which first incited me to the study of bird life. Whether the pair of mocking- birds described above are the pair referred to by Mrs. Seriah Stevens or not I do not know, but I have never heard of other than this pair nest- ing in Roslindale in 1902.— Junia WinGate SuprMan, Roslindale, Mass. 9A. Auk 28, Jan-MMM //6-/7. Mockingbird Notes from Massachusetts.— On October 23, 1911, T took at, Nantucket a young Mockingbird, and at the same time I saw the two parent birds. There is no doubt from the condition of the plumage that this bird was bred not far from the spot where it was taken. Mr. Francis H. Allen recorded in ‘The Auk’ (Auk, XX VII, 1910, p. 460) a pair which successfully raised a brood of four young near his house in West Roxbury in 1909, one of the parent birds having been seen off and on from November 22, 1908, the other parent bird was first seen early in April, and the birds were last seen August 8. A Mockingbird was seen in the same locality October 7, 1909, to May 14, 1910, November 6, 1910, to April 14, 1911, and again November 5, 1911; this was presumably the same bird. Mr. Horace W. Wright reports seeing Mockingbirds in the Parkway near the Longwood railway station several times in the winter of 1910 and the spring of 1911; three if not four birds were seen repeatedly. These birds were also seen by Mr. H. E. Cadue and other observers. None of these birds was seen after the middle of April. Dr. Charles W. Townsend reports seeing a Mockingbird at Ipswich August 26 and 28, 1910. Mr. Winthrop S. Brooks saw a pair at Manomet, Plymouth County, on December 14, 1911. One of these, a female, he shot and gave to the Boston Society of Natural History. These records show that the Mockingbird is more common in Massachusetits tgan is generally supposed.— THomas 8. Brapier, Boston, Mass. ~ KK IK Ape. 19/ 2. je. 2 Wf, Notes on a Massachusetts Mockingbird.— The notes on the Mocking- bird, published in a recent issue of ‘ The Auk,’ recall to mind some pleasant and interesting observations I made on this species in eastern Massachu- setts a few years since. In looking over my notebooks I find under date of June 5, 1908: ‘An unusual bird visitor seen today. While working in the field my attention was attracted by the (supposed) note of the ‘Crested Flycatcher. I was somewhat surprised to hear it, as this fly- catcher is found here only in a few restricted localities. This being outside of the localities where usually found, I hastened to investigate and found that these notes, and a varied collection of others also, came from a Mock- ingbird. By good fortune he proved to be yery approachable, affording a fine chance to see and watch him. “ He was for the most part singing all the time; a pause of a few minutes now and then, during which time he fed more persistently than when singing, although his time when in song, was not entirely devoted to that, but he was frequently changing his perch in order to catch some insect, but making no noticeable pause in song. Much the same style and manner as the Red-eyed Vireo in this respect. I do not know what the powers of mimicry may be for the average mocker but I should think that this one was more than ordinarily skilled in that difficult art. “ A multitude of call-notes and songs of the commoner birds, and some that I hear but infrequently, he ran over apparently as easily as the pianist plays the scale, and with perfect imitation. In many cases not even an acute and practised ear could detect a variation from the genuine. He ‘seemed to be especially well skilled in the performance of the song or calls of the Crested Flycatcher, giving that peculiar inflection one notes in the whistle of this particularly interesting species. Again, without any apparent pause, he would be “ whipping-poor-will ” with spiteful accent or trilling the amicable “ cheer-up ’’ of the robin. The squall of the Blue Jay and also the Jay’s more musical bell like note, were rendered with correct expression. The mew of the Catbird and the clicker of the King- bird, the laughing call of the Flicker, and the Downy Woodpeckers metallic note, all these came in easier and quicker time than I can write. And so on throughout a long list of some twenty to thirty species. “To me, unfamiliar with the mocker before, this was a rare treat. What his own individual song might have been I can only guess, but perhaps a rolling, lyrical song like that of the Brown Thrasher, which came in occasionally as an interlude in his long roll of imitations. No doubt, also, there may have been notes of several southern birds that we here in the north would not recognize, because of unfamiliarity with them; for his song was ever full and varied, shifting from one to another without any warning or apparent aim.” The following list, are species certainly recognized in his imitations: Blue Jay (two notes). 16. Indigo Bird. Whip-poor-will. 17. White-bellied Swallow. Kingbird. 18. Scarlet Tanager. Crested Flycatcher. 19. Red-eyed Vireo. Chebec. 20. Yellow-throated Vireo. Phoebe. 21. Summer Yellowbird. Wood Pewee. 22. Maryland Yellowthroat. Red-winged Blackbird. 23. Chickadee. Meadowlark (Zee-ce-p note). 24. White-breasted Nuthatch. Baltimore Oriole. 25. Catbird. Downy Woodpecker. 26. Brown Thrasher. Flicker. 27, Wood Thrush. English Sparrow. 28. Robin. Vesper Sparrow. 29. Bluebird. 15. Song Sparrow. ee TE SOHN SAR YNE i b Se Besides the above there may have been, as I have previously stated, two or three southern bird notes that I am unfamiliar with. The twenty- nine named were clearly enunciated and readily identified. This bird remained in the locality for nearly a week and was enjoyed by several persons interested in bird study.— 8. Watpo Baitny, Newbury- port, Mass. Auf. x*viIlh ager 2 GU fr: 272-27]. Mockingbird at West Haven, Conn.—A Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos polyglotios) appeared near the center of West Haven, Conn. on November 8, 1916, and has been observed almost every day up to January 22, 1917. It usually appears with a flock of Starlings. It pays no attention to food put out for the birds but prefers to eat the berries of the Bitter Sweet and Honeysuckle vines which grow along the fence. It does not appear to be wild as on two occasions I have walked under the apple tree in which it was perched.— N. E. Wiumor, West H aven, Conn. | AecAe, XXX. Apo. 1917, Joo LIS 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. f 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. During 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 it was a young bird when it passed the winter of 1916 and 1917 with us.— Neuson E. Wimor, West Haven, Conn. huh areh. xxx y, F139: P42, A Mockingbird in New Hampshire.— A Mockingbird (Mimus poly- glottos) appeared near my home on the outskirts of Manchester, N. H., November 5, 1916, apparently accompanying a flock of Robins; and stayed in the neighborhood two days. It was seen by Mr. Lewis Dexter, and by a number of other bird lovers whom I was able to notify. It did not act like an escaped cage bird, as it did not care to have me approach closer than thirty or forty feet, although we could not rule out the possibility. I have not seen a caged Mockingbird in this region for years. Allen’s ‘List of the Birds of New Hampshire’ mentions one record for New Hampshire and that is the only one I have been able to find.— Winuram R. Varicx, Manchester, N. H. AvHe XXXIV, Jase. 19/7 Jt. GL. Mocking Bird at Newport, R. nN Epiror of O. &. O.:— While sketching along the Cliff Walk at New- port, R. I., a week or so ago (Nov. 2.) I was much surprised to see a mocking bird among the shrubbery. When first seen, it was per-_ ched upon the roof of a rustic arbor and sing- ing in a low tone. As I remained perfectly still, it was not alarmed, but when I made a sudden movement, it flew toa thicket near by, and the white of the tail, and wing-bars was very conspicuous. At one time I was not further than ten feet from the bird, and there can be no room for eR») 0, doubt as to the species. ie nee Yours truly Ill. Dec. 1888 py e Si Me f é HARRY GORDON WHITE. A Mockingbird in Rhode Island.— Miss Julia Herreshoff of Bristol, R. I., communicates to me the following in a letter dated November 8, 1910: “The Mockingbird came with the Blackbirds, first noticed March 12 (1910). He was near the house for a fortnight and then deserted his black friends for Robins and lived at the Old House (the Herreshoff home- stead next door). I did not see him after July 25 when tenants took pos- session. He was quite friendly though I think by his early coming there was no chance of his being an escaped cage-bird.”— RecinaLp Hmpur Hows, Jr., Thoreau Museum, Concord, Mass. Auk 23, Jan-301L,m //é. ———— Nest of the Mocking Bird in Con- necticut. About the 20th of June the young man who carries the United States mail be- tween Jewett City and Voluntown reported | that he had found a bird's nest containing five eges quite unlike any he had ever seen. He described both the bird and the eges as well as he could, and succeeded in arousing my curiosity. I asked him to bring me an egg, hoping thereby to deter- mine the species. A few days later he in- formed me that the eggs had all been taken. Fortunately the bird was not easily _ discouraged, and very soon she commenced | to be seen. | see her. to lay a second set of eggs in the same nest. Saturday morning, June 28th, Uncle Sam’s man found three eges and brought me one. In color and markings it resem- bled the eggs of the Scarlet Tanager and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, but could hardly have been mistaken for either. Af- ter examining the egg I was exceedingly anxious to see the bird. As luck would have it I could not leave to visit the nest that day, so I notified my friend and sym- pathizer, Dr. Geo. H. Jennings, and he | promptly sallied forth to make a “ diagno- sis” of the case and report. He found the nest in a blue-berry bush by the side of a railfence that separated the barren fields from the highway across ‘“‘ Pachaug Plains.” It was composed outwardly of twigs and the dried stalks of field plants, and was yery neatly lined with fine fibrous roots and horse hairs. The Doctor brought home one egg and gave a good description of the female bird. The male was nowhere The intelligence gained from this reliable source made me still more anxious to see the bird for myself, but as her eggs had all been taken but one, I | feared she would desert the nest and the | locality before I could get time to go and Monday, June 380th, the Doctor and I visited the nest together, and were | pleased to find that she had laid another ege. She flew from the nest as we ap- proached, and in order to get a good view of her we had to crawl on our hands and | knees for quite a distance behind the walls and fences. She was very shy, and the male bird did not appear. Feeling that we had before us a rare specimen, we went back to Pachaug and borrowed a gun with which we secured the bird. We also took the bush containing the nest and the two eggs. After examining the bird carefully I felt quite certain that it was a Mockingbird. We found a brief description of MWimus | polyglottus in “ Minot’s Land and Game Birds of New England,” and as our speci | men just filled the bill we entertaied no | further doubts. This bird seemed much more beautiful | when flying than any caged specimen that | I haye ever seen, her white wing-patches and tail-feathers showing to excellent ad- vantage. She had a curious way of tossing herself into the air when about to fly, and she would bound over the fields much like the Golden-winged Woodpecker. The only note we heard was between a squeal and a grunt, and cannot well be described. Fearing that some expert ornithologist may think this a case of “mistaken iden- tity,” I will add that the bird was shown to a lady who has spent many seasons in | Florida and she unhesitatingly pronounced it a Mockingbird. July 3, I received from a friend in De- _ Land, Florida, an egg of this species which was almost exactly like those that I col- lected. I experienced a great degree of satisfaction in writing to him that I had just taken a set of Mockingbird’s eggs within four miles of my door. I would like to know if the Mockingbird has ever _been known to breed in Connecticut be- fore—Chas. Edw. Prior, Tewett City, Connecticut.0.8& OQ. TX, Aug.1884. p 99-9, Brief Notes. Nest OF THE MocKINGBIRD IN CONNECTICUT. writing about the Mockingbird’s nest, I have learned that there are several other nests in the same locality, and that the birds were seen by many. A farmer’s boy showed me two eggs that he collected, and he reported having seen . | young birds. He showed me one of the nests, which was exactly like the one taken by Dr. Jennings and myself. | Perhaps they will all come back to this region next season. | —C. FE, Prior. 0.&0. IX. Sept.1884. p. //37 Bire Notes from Long Island, N.Y. William Dutcher. 25. Mimus polyglottos. Mockincsirp.—Mr. Arthur Tepper, of Flat- bush, Kings Co., brought to me a specimen of this species for indentifica- tion, and informed me that it had been shot in his neighborhood, in the early part of November, 1884. He also stated that another one had been shot a short time previously in the same locality. On two other occasions he saw what he was positive were Mockingbirds, both being in the sum- mer. Mr. Giraud says of it: ‘‘ This unrivalled songster occasionally passes ths season of repreduction on Long Island.” * * Birds of Long Island, p. 82. Auk, V; April, 1888. p. 188 237. Mocxine Brrv.—(Mimus polyglot- Bice { bonaliit tus.) (Linn.) Boie. A specimen of this bird, 7 Jule an adult male in full breeding plumage, 44 duorter, Waseldt was taken during the month of May, 1881,% Rathbun. by John M. Manro at Throopsville, N. Y., a few miles from Auburn. This bird, now in his cabinet, was undoubtedly in its wild state, as it showed _no traces of confine- a age 0,0, Vil, Jun. 1882.p./32 INTERESTING Brrps FOUND ON Lone Istanp, N. Y.— Mimus poly- glottus. — I shot a young Mocking-bird at Gravesend, L. I., on August 9, 1879, in such immature plumage as to render it probable that it had been bred in the neighborhood. I am not sure that this bird can be considered rare on Long Island though it is at least uncommon. Bat Penced eo ee ee te, Bul, N.O.0, 5, Jan,,1880,p, Y6 . Birds observed in Naval Hospital Grounds, Brooklyn, G.H,Coues 18. Mimus polyglottus. Mocxine-Birp. — One specimen seen in 1877, which I unfortunately could not secure. Bull N.O.0, 4,Jan.,1879, v.32 Notes on Brrps RARE or ACCIDENTAL on LonG IsLtanp, N. Y.— 1. Mimus polyglottus. MocKINGBIRD. Two specimens taken: a young bird, on October 1, 1880: an adult on October 2, 1880; both cap- ured at Fort Hamilton. ER) Geeky (Sexe Panunhe Bull, N.0,0, 6,April, 1881, p, 729° Pron Me SONS Sey CLO Ty Se ee oe Ake, 24. bo A ES? Lack nll. Mimus polygiottis. Mocxine-Birp. An individual of this species was seen on October 28, 1877, and on November 21, of the same year, a specimen was shot froma fence by the roadside, by a friend, and kindly presented to me. The bird had been observed near the same place on the previous day feeding on the berries of a cedar (Juniperus virginiana), It proved to be a female, and was in good condition, the stomach contain- ing cedar berries, and also those of the common poke or pigeon berry (Phytolacca). I am aware of two specimens haying been seen in the C/en- tral Park within the last few years, probably wild birds ; and two have recently been killed on Long Island by Newbold T. Lawrence.* * Forest and Stream, Vol. X, No. 18, p. 235, May 2, 1878. Bull. N.O.0, 3,July,1878, p/29. The Mockingbird at Barnegat, N. J., and on Long Island, N. Y.— On August 25, while in the vicinity of Barnegat, N. J., 1 was surprised to see a pair of wild Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos), and on inquiry I found a man who said he had heard a Mockingbird singing several times during the spring and early summer. On the following day I saw another Mockingbird, presumably one of those I had seen the day pre- vious, as it was near the same locality. On August 27, at Floral Park, L.I., I saw a strange bird light on the top of one of the full-grown maple trees that line the avenue along which Iwas walking. Before I had approached very near the bird again took wing and from the manner of its flight, its size, and prominent white patches upon its wing, Iam confident that it was a Mockingbird. While the distance was rather great to identify it absolutely, I know of no other bird which could have shown such wing color, except the Red-headed Woodpecker, but its manner of flight was not that of the Woodpecker, and we certainly would not expect to see a Woodpecker perched on the top branches of a tree like a Robin. —JouNn Lewis CuHILps, Floral Park, Loug Island, N. Y, Auk, XVII, Oct., 1900, p. SGO, VV van CA Waccs lin Su fi. Mimus polyglottos. A Mockingbird, in immature (breast- spotted) plumage was killed on Rockaway Beach Sept. 14, 1902, and kindly presented to the writer by Mr. Robt. L. Peavey of Brooklyn. Another was reported killed here two weeks previously. Auk, XX, Jan., 1908, pp.58: ” Notes on Birds ip vic. ef Kauglewood, N.J. by F.M.Chapman, 15- Mimus polyglottos. MockincBirp.—I take from my note-book the following record concerning the breeding of Mockingbirds at Tenafly, N. J., three miles north of Englewood. These notes were given me by Mr. Martin, an old resident of the locality, and are corroborated by Mr. J. F. Paulison on whose lawn the birds were found nesting. After learning of their occurrence I visited the place on a number of occasions in what proved to be a vain hope of seeing these birds, but so faras known they did not return after the year 1885. Mr. Martin’s story as I received it from him January 3, 1886, is substantially as follows: Ten or twelve years ago a pair of Mockingbirds appeared on Mr. Paulison’s lawn, but a short dis- tance from Mr. Martin’s home; he watched their movements and discoy- ered their nest, placed in an evergreen about ten feet from the ground. When three eggs had been laid the female was killed, a few feathers found near the nest suggesting a cat as the probable murderer. The male, how- ever, remained in the vicinity for several weeks, singing at times continu- ously for an houror more; but apparently becoming discouraged at the non-appearance of his mate, he finally disappeared. Not another bird of this species was observed until May, 1884, when a pair was seen in the same garden and observed constructing a nest ina rose bush. Here they were undisturbed until their young, four in number, were nearly ready to leave the nest; these young were then taken and successfully raised in confinement. April 17, 1885, a Mockingbird, presumably the male, was seen in the same locality ; later its mateappeared. The male was frequently heard singing, and although the nest was not found, young birds were seen, and there is little doubt that this time they succeeded in raising their brood. So far as I have been able to ascertain the birds have not been observed in the locality since this last-mentioned occurrence. Auk, VI. Oct., 1880. p. 20H ~ 305, pn ee I Ae SL aie? 2» EE UR 2 PON es fae fe BpoA 2s brandy’, ne Pao a DAL fone’ Glad iedine Me tmAle. vail B fens at any Fikes. Ven as halle “if Coma ea & i goteth gis Mrerk haneglor | aay . angen og ™ Aen, / Aa 4 a AAs bef bs Ore? by as ptr ri oe 7 1p .- Faaed A Pesce, rhe: ’ ¢ / Mt ' 4 A , / Py ca Vr ory tertebhtten VE LicBai be ALA Cho, oes ¥ a Wiad A, ” fh. Boot ony Vag Ash lade hotle ee LI ti Tr? he tZ wees tar : Phun Attn of hay Cn A ate tote LA Mdadlted ot “ Avtar = WH? drth Es . ahr brndak, brine A bear p~ mn} Zon A BELL adh. it? 4s € f fist. a arrow Birds Observed at © N.C. Bre 4, Mimus polyglottus, (L.) Boie. Mocxine-sirp. — Abundant resi- dent. I heard the first song February 25,—a week after the birds began to sing in Montgomery. Two weeks later I observed several pairs desul- torily at work on their nests, but, with the exception of a single comple- ment found on the 12th of April, discovered no eggs until about April 21. After a brief sojourn at Coosada, I came to regard this bird with intense dislike, on account of its extreme quarrelsomeness. Those in the imme- diate vicinity of my lodgings were almost constantly employed in driving other birds from the neighborhood. Upon one occasion, a Robin sitting quietly in a tree over my head was so fiercely attacked by a Mocking-bird that he fell almost lifeless at my feet. A friend rescued him from further injury, and after the bird revived gave him his liberty ; he had scarcely flown a dozen yards, however, before he was again savagely set upon by a Mocking-bird, and escaped only through his greater power of wing. VOL, III. 12 Bull, N.O,.0, 3,Oct,, 1878, p,169 Sirds Of Bayou Sara, La. A 40°19 C,W. Beckham, , 3. Mimus polyglottus (Z.) Bove. Mockinesirn. — Very abundant, both in the town about gardens and yards, and in the country. IFrequent- ing open ground exclusively. Four sets of eggs were taken; two perfectly fresh, and two about half incubated. Mr. Wederstraudt called my atten- tion to a curious foraging habit of this bird. We noticed one hopping along the ground in an’ open grassy place, pausing at every three or four hops to extend and close its wings. It repeated this several times until a grasshopper was flushed, when the bird immediately “reached” for it, and having captured it, made off to a neighboring bush to eat it. Mr. Weder- straudt says that he has observed this interesting performance many times. Bull, N.O.O, '7,July, 1882, p.160 Birds of Houston, Texas, and Vicin- ity - H. Nehrling 5- Mimus polyglottus, Boze. Mockrncpirp.—A very abundant resident. Only a few remain to winter, in protected localities; the ma- jority migrate further south. They arrive from their winter quarters early in March and are by the end of that month again common. Nest- building commences usually in the middle of April. Many are killed by farmers and gardeners on account of their fondness for ripe figs and grapes. Besides insects, they feed eagerly on the berries of the poke (Phytolacca decandra), the elder (Sambucus canadensis), and the Mexican mulberry (Callicarpa americana). In winter the berries of the myrtle-holly (Ove- ophila myrtifolia) and those of the mistletoe (Phoradendron Slavescens) are their principal food. Bull, N,O,0, 7,Jan, 1882, p,7 9Y} SULINp JUBpUNGe s10Ur ynq ‘JaaJ OOOS Jo apnziq]¥ UL Oo} dn UOTSa1 OYJ JNO -ySno.1y] JUIpIsed UOWIMIOI W—‘duIAONIMOO| ‘soywozpsAjod snunryy “6172 “rvaX 9} JO SYJUOW 19430 oY} Sulinp Auv dAsISqo jou PIp | puv ‘aavo] 0} urseq Loy [iidy uy “juepunqe ‘youve, { uowWoOs ‘A1eniqey fuouturos rayjea ‘Kavnuvl toresr ‘roquieasaq a1 99U9.1.1N990 $qI JO sp.10d0r AWN “Joay OOS 03 dn seureyeg oy} JO s][IyJOoOy ay} uO sadquinu {[vws UL JUSPISAL 19]UIM PUY JUBISTUI UOUIMIOD {sUIvJUNO; [vUIg oy} UI jus -IUi [[vfJ UOWIWIOD W—*YAHSVYH]T, AOVS ‘snueyuour sajdooso1Q ‘giz Lvov {[—-y1¥p pur pro.sg A[ensnun ysvorq ay} uO syvo1js Aysnp oy} sey 2uQ ‘esvuinjd Surids y{npe ul aie 9914} ‘Juas suouttoads anoy 941 JQ | ‘uouRyD vones 1sddog jo yynout oy} ye *Sggr ‘yore UL IIATY O1PIg UBS 9Y} UO SYIOY UL UOMTWIOD SYM YT “YoIVL UI puv ‘1oquia -AON A]1¥9 puv 19q0}9Q UT ‘yaaz OOOS apnqyye ‘osuvyY vulpeyVD vULS yy UT aoudi11N990 Tay} JO sproder aavY [ “Jutod yvy} Jo yynos pu uosony, jnoqe suryyd ay4 uo sojurm A[quqoid auios puv uolsat ayy ynoysnory} juviIstu uowwooun jou Y—‘LidiIg NVOINaWYy ‘snoueatisued snyjuy ‘Liz (oF *Puo4f papnz2uo? ) uayy ‘ph Ag suorvjouun y7274 “LLOOS "dd ‘oH *M Ad “YNOZIMNW. ‘SALTILNAOD WII General Notes. The Mockingbird in Wyoming.—During the afternoon of May to, I was collecting birds among the stunted cottonwoods and willow brush of Crow Creek about two miles east of Cheyenne, when I drove out a large gray bird which appeared from a distance to be an entire stranger to me. I chased it down creek a quarter of a mile, when it doubled on me and went back to the place from which I at first flushed it. I was unable to get near enough to kill with No. 12 shot, but was compelled to use a charge of No. 6, and at a distance of sixty-five yards, while on the wing, brought down my specimen. The bird proved to be Mimus polyglottos in fine plumage. Continuing down creek another Mockingbird was flushed from the willow brush but was too wild for me to capture it that evening, although [ devoted a full hour to the chase, following the bird for a mile or more. The next morning, the 11th of May, I visited the same locality and found my bird again, but only succeeded in shooting it after stalking it, antelope fashion, by crawling prone upon the ground for sixty yards through stunted rose bushes. I succeeded in getting near enough, how- ever, to shoot the bird with No. 12 shot. I have mounted beth birds and placed them in the Cheyenne High School collection. On May 23 while collecting about a half mile below where these two birds were shot, I heard a singer which I at first thought was a Brown Thrasher, but on listening I heard strange notes and at once concluded it was another Mockingbird. The singer was located in a clump of willows about forty yards from the creek, and an equal distance from the nearest willow brush. I tried a charge of the small shot but did not reach him. He flew out and I killed him with No. 6 shot on the wing, the bird falling about seventy yards from where I stood. The individual killed on the evening of the roth was a female and the other two were males. All were fat and their stomachs were well filled with worms and water grubs, larve, etc. Their feet were perfect in every way, the claws being sharp and showing not the slightest indication of having grasped the perch of a bird cage; and besides, the birds were exceedingly wild and shy. Then again cage birds as rare as the Mockingbird is in this latitude, and espe- cially lecality, do not go about in flocks, so, on the whole, I am satisfied that the birds came north with a flock of Brown Thrashers with which they were associating at the time I found them. Iam not at all familiar with Mimus polygtottos, but one feature presented by the specimens captured appeared a little odd. The iris of the female was brown while that of both males was greenish yellow, much like the iris of Oroscoptes monta- nus, but not quite so yellow.—FRank Bonn, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Auk XI. July. 1894 p, 968.50 Birds of Pinal Co. with Remarks on Some Birds of Pima and Gila Cos. Ariz. W.H.D. Scott, a~ notated by J.A Allen 219. Mimus polyglottos. Mockincsrrp.—A common resident through- out the region up toan altitude of 5000 feet, but more abundant during the spring migration and in the summer season. In the Catalina Range they are abundant at all times, save in midwinter, up to the altitude indicated, and breed in numbers, raising three broods of three to five young each, during the spring and early summer months. The first brood is hatched by late April or early May, and the final brood late in July or the first week in August. In this connection some experience that] had with young of this species may be of interest. About May 20, 1885, I captured a young Mockingbird which could fly short distances pretty well. It was probably four weeks old. It soon became accustomed to the cage, which was a large one, and ate readily from the hand or from the feed cups. By the time it had become fully tamed, about ten days or two weeks after it was captured, two other young birds were obtained from a nest. They were pretty well feathered, but the tails and wings were not at all grown, and the little fellows knew nothing about feeding themselves. By this time the bird first captured was fully feathered and grown, being very like an old bird in everything save some details of plumage. The younger birds were put in the same cage with the one first captured. I fed the birds largely on grasshoppers, which were very abundant. From the time that the younger birds entered the cage, they opened their mouths very wide, and made a twittering sound whenever the older birds seized on one of the insects to kill and eatit. After the first twenty-four hours, the elder bird seemed to realize that certain duties devolved upon it, and began to feed and care for the younger birds with the solicitude ofa parent. This was continued for a couple of weeks, when the small birds had learned to feed themselves. May not this be considered as either an instance of considerable mental capacity, or a strongly inherited parental instinct? [Mr. Scott’s series of seven adult birds are very much lighter above than specimens from the Atlantic States, with generally more white on the tail feathers, and always much more white on the wings, the white area on the inner primaries being one-fourth to one-third greater than in Flor- ida and South Carolina birds. The white wing-bars are broader, the secondaries are much more broadly tipped with white, and the white is much purer; the primaries are a//,in some specimens, narrowly tipped with pure white—a feature absent in the eastern bird—and the outer edge of all the remiges and greater coverts is more broadly bordered witha much lighter shade*of gray. The throat is white, and the lower parts generally are of a much lighter shade. ‘The white of the tail isa clearer, more snowy white —not silvery or grayish white, as is usually the case in eastern birds; the fourth feather often has a blotch of white at the end. The gray of the upper parts is very much lighter in the Arizona birds, this difference being a striking feature. In size and proportions there seems to be no tangible difference, the tail being not disproportionately longer in the western bird. This form is therefore not identical with the bird from Lower Cal- ifornia Professor Baird at one time proposed to call Mimus caudatus, although this name has been used to designate the Mockingbird as found in Arizona (Cowes) and Colorado (Ridgway). Mr. Sennett’s specimens from Texas agree very closely in general fea- tures with the Scott birds from Arizona.—J. A. A.] IGF - Auk, V. April 1888, P,161 were fat and their stomachs were well mirea wit worms anu wares geewwy larvee, ete. Their feet were perfect in every way, the claws being sharp and showing not the slightest indication of having grasped the perch of a bird cage; and besides, the birds were exceedingly wild and shy. Then again cage birds as rare as the Mockingbird is in this latitude, and espe- cially locality, do not go about in flocks, so, on the whole, I am satisfied that the birds came north with a flock of Brown Thrashers with which they were associating at the time I found them. Iam not at all familiar with Minus polyglottos, but one feature presented by the specimens captured appeared a little odd. The iris of the female was brown while that of both males was greenish yellow, much like the iris of Ovroscoptes monta- nus, but not quite so yellow.—FRaNxK Bonn, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Auk XI. July. 1894 p, 258-59 ADDITIONAL CASES OF ALBINISM AND MELANISM IN NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. BY RUTHVEN DEANE. In Volume I (pp. 20-24) of this Bulletin I gave a list of sixty species which were affected by albinism, either partial or complete, and five species representing a melanistic phase of plumage. Since then I have been enabled to add twenty-seven species to the list of albinistic birds, and one case of melanism. ; In March, 1878, Mr. N. C. Brown of Portland, Me., saw a pair of pure white Mocking-Birds confined in a cage at Coosada, Ala. ; they had been taken from the nest, and retained the snowy whiteness of their plumage. Mr. George A. Boardman of St. Stephens, N. B., writes me that he has in his possession a specimen of the Mocking- Bird which is nearly white, which he shot at St. Augustine, Fla. Bull, N.O.C. 4,Jan., 1879, eae ae The Mockingbird as a Mimic. The Singing of Birds. H. P. Bicknell, BY H. R. TAYLOR. It has somehow happened that in my re- Mimus polyglottus. Mocxincsrrp. searches in ornithological literature I have never inet withl-a desoription! of the Motkingbird's re-|| I obseryed a Mockingbird by the Harlem River on October markable genius as a mimic, and so the other ; i 29 oe ‘ a tra ; afew notes of its day, when I heard a wonderful medley proceed. ' 1880, my attention being attracted to it by a ing from a cage by the window of a cottage, 1 | song, which would doubtless have been continued had not the bird stopped to listen and was richly rewarded for | been startled. The species is of casual occurrence in the locality so doing. of my observations, but on no other occasion have I heard any As Thad thought, the musician was a Mock- 71 ingbird, and a better singer Ineyer heard. The ile of his wepantotne was Something wonder- Auk, I, April, 1884, p. / 3/ ; ul and he imitated the notes of some of our wild birds and domestic fowls with a facility that surprised me. Song after song poured forth from his little throat without intermis- sion, ‘till he stopped for a moment’s rest, soon to go on again as before with an almost infinite variety of notes. A partial list of the birds and animals he so well imitated may prove of interest: American Goldfinch, Canary, Blue-fronted Jay, Park- /man’s Wren (song and scolding notes), Brew- er’s Blackbird, Humming bird, dog barking, Crimson House-finch, Turkeys and young, Hen clucking and cackling, Yellow-bellied Fly- catcher, young chickens, howling of a puppy, frogs croaking, rooster’s crow. The crowing of a rooster was of course in miniature but a charming mitation and it was always followed by an artistic little trill or flourish. It is but just to give this talented Mockingbird credit for his own music also, which was of great merit and should, I think, properly entitle him to the name of composer. The lady who owned the bird soon observed my interest and kindly volunteered some infor- mation regarding him. He could imitate, I was told, almost any sound he heard. At one time the lady had a cough and was considerably an- noyed to hear her pet mimicking her contin- ually. The bird used to imitate a neighbor who whistled for his dog. ‘The whistle was re- peated so exactly by the Mockingbird that someone in the house would often remark, ‘there, Charlie has lost his dog again.” —O,& Orsi Aug. 1888 p.117 sound from it save a sharp alarm note. [aland, Bahamas Joon 1, Northrop AUE, VII, Jan, 1891,p. 66-67. Mimus polyglottos (Zzzn.).—Locally known as Brown Thrasher and Mocking Bird. My specimens were all collected near the northern end of Andros, the first on March 25, the last on April 16. They were quite common about our house at Nicol’s Town, and their song could be heard at almost any hour of the day. It was loud and varied, each syl- lable usually being repeated three times. It often sounded as if they were trying to decline the familiar ‘kéc, hac, hoc’ after a fashion of their own, and we imagined we could plainly distinguish ‘hujus, hujus, hujus,’ ‘huic, huic, huic,’ ‘his, hés, his,’ given with great emphasis. While on the western coast in June, we noticed what was undoubtedly one of these Mockingbirds, perched on the top of a palmetto. He was singing, ap- parently with all his heart, and attracted our attention by springing up into the air a few feet, then dropping to his perch again. This he re- peated three times, singing all the while; we afterwards saw another bird go through the same performance. The stomachs of the specimens examined contained the remains of the fruit of the gum elemi (Bursera gummifera), white ants, and pieces of snail shells. [The three specimens referred to this species are indistinguishable from MZ. polyglottes of the Carolinas or Florida. They are hence very unlike the small form of Miémus from Inagua, recognized by Mr. Sharpe as M. elegans.—J. A. A.] Notes- Hggs of Thrushes & Thrashers, H.G. Parker. Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottus). A series of these eggs presents a beautiful sight, as they vary from a light blue ground through several | darker shades, rendered doubly dark by reason | of blotches of chocolate, purple, russet and brown. In some specimens much of the sur- face is of an unmarked plain blue, and a mass of chocolate or yellowish brown-spots form a well defined wreath around the larger end. Four or five eggs are generally laid, though six are found occasionally; and the bird is an abundant inhabitant of the southern part of the United States. A large specimen measures 1.13 x.76, and a smaller one .81 x .63. 0,&0, XII, May.1887 p. 71 Mockingbird. Standard set, four. Varia- tion, three to five. Per cent of variation, | nearly .50. 6 oe OD, ae Oot, i89 O «DB, 146 be va oe Birds Known to Breed at Raleigh, N.C. 0.8. Brimley, Rale igh, N.O. Mocking Bird (Mimus polyglottus). May 4 to July 30. Breeds commonly. Eggs four or five, ovcasionally only three. 0.&0. XIII, Mar. 1888 p.43 On 8 Collection of Bees from Georgia, H.B. Bailey, 1. Mimus polyglottus. Mocxincsirp.—Nests in low trees and shrubs, near settlements; eggs four or five. A set taken April 1. Bull, N,O.0, ¥, Jan, 1888, v.37 Lance Ser. R. M. Mitchell, Sandford, Florida, reports finding et of seven Mockingbird’s eggs April Ge 3, Vill. Aug. 1899 The Mockingbird. BY ©. S. BRIMLEY, RALEIGH, N. C. The Mocker has always been one of my fa- | vorite birds since the first time we became mu- tually acquainted; his courage, conspicuous | appearance and lively song all combining with his distinguished manners to make a favorable impression on strangers. The Mockers have only just arrived from the South, but have already settled down to their old ways and can be seen in all their accus- tomed haunts. The Mocker in this part of the world prefers the society of man—TI presume the woods make him feel lonesome, as he is never found there—and wherever there is a house there also is a pair or two of Mockers and what follows, as a matter of course, a good deal of noisy bird music as well. As a singer the Mocker is unequalled, al- though considered by many as a mere piratical imitator of other birds, he always seems. to me to stamp his own trade mark on his adaptations and besides he quite as often indulges in his own genuine song which certainly is no imita- A Collecting Trip in Texas, G.B.Benners, Philadelphia, Pa. Mimus polyglottus, Mockingbird. It seemed “as though every tree, every bush, and every plant a foot high, contained a bird or a nest of this species. From Arkansas to the Rio Grande I found them in the greatest abundance, and was often deceived by the power they possess | of imitating the notes of other birds. I have heard them give to perfection the call of the | Chaparral Cock, (Geococcyx californianus) and /Tremember shooting a mockingbird in a dense thicket by mistake for a Scissor-tailed Flycatch- er, (Milvulus forficatus), as IT could not see the bird, and it gave the exact chuck, chuck, of that Flycatcher. ! J found their nests in all positions; in live | oaks, ten or twelve feet from the ground; ina chaparral bush, at a height of five or six feet; and in small shrubs only a few inches from the grass. ‘They were all built of the same mate- | ials_——small sticks and roots, with a lining of dried grass, and resembled that of the Brown Thrasher, (Harporhynchus rufus). The eggs differed very much in color, running from a tion of any other bird. | dark green ground, with large chestnut blotch- Tn his breeding habits he is quite exemplary ; es, to a very light green, covered with small he begins to raise one family in May and in led specks. One set. I found were light blue, with only a few brown spots at the larger end. July his second or third are introduced to the world. He builds a bulky nest of small twigs with most anything else thrown in to help out, strings, rags, wire, grass, etc., generally choos- ing a small tree or bush to place his domicile in. While his family are being raised, he and his wife are very jealous of any interference and speedily put to flight any hawk, cat, dog or other suspicious character found in the neigh- borhood, not only making the welkin ring with their loud remonstrances but enforcing said re- monstrances with sundry vicious pecks which cause many an unsuspecting dog to flee howl- ing from the vicinity of their nest. When November comes most of the Mockers | leave us, a few, however, remaining through the winter, chiefly in thickets, but they seem pretty lonesome and forlorn and do not sing much unless an unusually fine day is sent us by the weather bureau. One word about the Mocker’s imitations: some of them seem mere adaptations, others again are exact reproductions of the bird’s notes; he can fool the unsuspecting on Kill- deer, and imitate the Brown-headed Nuthatch so well that if he only stayed in the right local- ity he would get away with me every time, and so with a good many others, but he usually gives himself away by keeping straight ahead with his song and blending some half a dozen other bird’s notes with it. One habit of the Mocker which is pleasing or not, according to circumstances, is his way of singing all night (and all day too) when the weather gets hot. His song is very pleasant if you don’t want to sleep, but a Mocker just out- side an open window makes more racket than is desirable at night. O0,&0, XIII, Aug.1888.p.u7—- //5. O,&0O, XII, Avr.1887.p 44, ee eae dy, Varnes q Arntncae Sherete cen Arigerretl . Nothing more calls for special mention until we come to Mimus polyglottus. Lake its Latin name in both parts, its English and French appellations chiefly refer to its remarkable powers of mimicry, and date far back, for this was one of the most striking of our birds to the new comers. Thus, in the ‘*Collections of the American Antiquarian Society,” IV, 24: ‘‘Artamockes, a bird that imitateth and useth the sounds and tones of almost all birds in the Countrie.” We have Mimic Thrush, Mockbird, Mock- ingbird, Mogquer or La Merle moquer, and English Mocking- é¢rd (to distinguish it from the ‘‘ French” Mockingbirds of the Southern States—chiefly Harporhynchus rufus). Its sweet- ness of voice apart from mimicry, and its habit of singing fre- quently after sunset or in the moonlight, caused it to be called in the English West Indies, Wightingale, and in the other islands Rostgnol. This last word is only a modification of Rosignor, or Lord of the Rose — the Spanish name of the Nightingale ; it is probably of Moorish descent, and has been applied to other American birds as well as this. The Mexican (west coast) name —, Sznzsonte, is also in allusion to the bird’s voice. The spotted plumage is expressed in the German name Spott- vogel or Shpotfogel as it is spelled in Pennsylvania. Indian names at my disposal aretwo: Yauswahaya (Florida Seminoles) ; and Tshitshikniin (Delawares). Bull. N,O.0, 8, Apil. 1888, p, 74- 73~ 1990. The Thrushes. By Charles 1). Oldright, Lynds Jones, Willard N. Clute, e¢ al. JZbéd., pp. 32-43-— Reports by members of the Wilson Ornithological Chapter of the Agassiz Association, chiefly upon nesting and migration of Mimus polyglottos, Galeoscoptes carolinensis, Harpo- rhynchus rufus, Turdus mustelinus, T. fuscescens, T. a. pallastt, T. u. swainsonit, Merula migratoria. JT, & Cologist s Semi-annu 2] 1647. In the Haunts of the Mockingbird. By Maurice Thompson. Tbid., No. 325, Nov., 1884, pp- 620-627.—Reprinted in ‘By Ways and Bird Notes,’ New York, 1885, pp. 5-22. Atlantic Mon. 1250. Lhe Mocking Bird. From t No. 22, Nov. 27, p- 510.—Deploring its wanton destrt he ‘Macon, Ga., Telegraph.’ ores iction in the South. Ty 7 id By Olive Thorne Miller. /b¢d., No. 337; ntic Mou. lottos in captivity- 1657. Le Mockingbird’ Nest. 354, April, 1887, pp- 514-524- Notre on Mimus potyciorrus. —In the summer of 1879 I found on the Platte River, about a mile west of Fort Fetterman, Wyoming, in Lat. 42° 23/35! N. and Long. 105° 21" 4" W., a pair of Mocking-birds (Adimus polyglottus) breeding ; the nest was placed in a low cottonwood, very near the river bank. In the following year these birds, undoubtedly the same pair, returned and reared a brood in identically the same place. This time I secured the male bird; and the specimen is now in my private collection. In the “Birds of the Colorado Valley” Dr. Coues tells us, when referring to the limits of AZimus, that ‘“‘the northermost records generally quoted fix the limit in Massachusetts; but Dr. Brewer speaks of a single individual seen near Calais, Me., by Mr. George A. Boardman. Another record from an extreme point, given by Dr. P. R. Hoy, is above quoted; the extension of the bird to Wisconsin, as there indicated, has been commonly over- looked. Other States in which the bird is known to have occurred are New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Towa, and Kansas. ‘The parallel of 40° N. has been named as its usual or normal limit,” In view of these facts, and what I have learned from other ornithologists, it seems to me that this case is entitled to record, as another interesting instance, extending the limits of this bird. —R. W. Suuretpr, Wash- ington, D. C. Bull. N.O.O, 7,July, 1889, p. /£0. Longevity of Mockingbird. Mrs. Hattie Holmes, 51 and 54 Main street, Woonsocket, R. I., lost one of her feathered pets Feb, 10, 1886, by death, the deceased being a Mockingbird, which lived to the advanced age of seventeen years, the usual longevity being only six.— Woonsocket Reporter. 0.&0, XI, Mar.1886.p. 5” + Food of Some Raleigh Birds, 0.S. Brimley. Mockingbird (Mimus polyglotus). Feeds chief- | ly on insects in the summer, and berries in the | winter, sharing, however, the fondness of the | Catbird for small fruits, though not to so great | an extent. 0.&0, XIII, Jan. 1888 p.16 Sept. 1887.] AND OO self have often regaled them with bits of cold hominy. ‘It is a popular fallacy to speak of birds as ‘‘ strictly insectivorous” and the like. Very few species will always confine them- selves to one class of food. A still greater error is to divide all birds into useful and de- structive. a horse, which had ‘been plaéed 4 in a fruit t free, in the nests of Cliff Swallows, and witléin an old shoe lodged in a tree.” A pair of Western Robins (Merula migratoria propinqua) selected a hanging bask¢t, on the edge of a veranda, in which to build‘their nest; and a California Bluebird, (Staléa mexicana) built in the nest of a Cliff Swallow. roe A Visit to Haute Island in the Bay of Fundy, July 26th, 1887. BY WATSON 1. BISHOP, KENTVILLE, N. S. Leaving Hall’s Harbor on the south side of the Bay of Fundy af 5,30. m., we made our way in a small sailing vessel for the above named island, about twenty miles distant, and although we had scarcely any wind and were at a further disadvantage on account of fog, we reached the island a little before 10 o’clock, and after landing with our supplies went to the Boat House; a small building down by the shore on the north-east side of the island, had a lunch and started to explore. Our party, five in number, consisted of one geologist, one pleasure seeker, and three ama- teur ornithologists, myself among the latter. I will here give a short description of the island that the reader may better understand the object of our visit. In the first place, it is nine miles to the near- est land, Cape Chigenecto on the north; it is about one-third of a mile wide and over a mile This subject is too wide and impor- illustrate one | to my little ery partial to las a fig tree lestructive of her do his figs agbirds flock | ds up his old yr hours, and iod shot too. fount up into +so far. Just | it about home | from my to- lame for this | f the notes of ig of what is hg melody. I she sea beach; he cry of sea- ercatcher and | song. I once hen he treated the whistling feps. Another that overhangs a most skilful infant porkers onsiderably in is to increase ers. The pres- young bird and | irol have only if the Cardinal in length. It is nearly four hundred feet high orig. of the mother bird has a certai it when rightly studied. ‘onpariel. The ver to complete f he was out of id. Not so my 3 of his little there seems to a completeness fr exceeds the yen wie scviewrg «Ad anxious cry n charm about It resembles a thin slice from the discordant squall of her | the Catbird, but smoothed off and finished in “| way to suit ner own fastidious taste. O,.& 0, XII, Sept. 1887 p.146 -/ 47. My Mockingbirds. BY WALTER HOXIE. My young Mockingbirds are learning to fly ; one has just plumped down before the door and his anxious mother is trying to incite him to a feeble flight, for she has seen cats about such places and thinks it a very unsatisfactory spot for her infant. His little brothers are balane- ing themselves in the top of the hedge and chirping their approval of his brave venture. Now he essays to reach the top of the fence but his little tail is not long enough yet for a servicable rudder and he misses his aim and | dumps himself among the potato vines on the other side. His admirers, however, applaud this new feat as loudly as the previous one. I know that for the next day or two there will be a good deal of fluttering about this corner of my hedge. ‘This is the second family this in- dustrious pair have sent forth upon the world this year. ‘The first left the paternal domicile while I was away and I only knew they had arrived at years of discretion by missing them when I came home. The present family were hatched hungry. Young Mockingbirds as a rule possess large appetites, but these were positively of unlimited capacity. ‘The old people were kept skurrying about from sunrise to sunset; and here let me say that their food was not confined to insects by any means. Berries entered largely into their bill of fare and asa foster parent, I my- Sept. 1887] AND OC self have often regaled them with bits of cold hominy. It is a popular fallacy to speak of birds as ‘‘ strictly insectivorous”’ and the like. Very few species will always confine them- selves to one class of food. A still greater error is to divide all birds into useful and de- structive. This subject is too wide and impor- | tant to discuss here, but I will illustrate one | point of it at least, as applied to my little friends in the hedge. ‘hey are very partial to figs; a neighbor of mine who has a fig tree styles Mockingbirds ‘‘ the most destructive of all the feathered tribe.” No sooner do his figs begin to ripen than the Mockingbirds flock there by the dozen. Then he loads up his old gun and bangs away at them for hours, and unfortunately he is a pretty good shot too. Some years his murders must count up into the hundreds. I think my pets will not wander so far. Just now they seem to find plenty to eat about home and are fattening on the worms from my to- mato vines. Mockingbird is not a good name for this | sweet songster. Its rendering of the notes of other birds is a skilful handling of what is often not in first hands a pleasing melody. I have in mind one who lives near the sea beach; the theme of his lay is always the cry of sea- | birds. The Curlew, the Oystercatcher and) even the Terns find a place in his song. I once heard him in the moon light, when he treated me to a delightful pot-pourri of the whistling of Plovers and the voices of Peeps. Another who has his nest in a peach tree that overhangs a pig pen, blends with his song a most skilful adaptation of the tones of the infant porkers below him. Individuals vary considerably in their favorite art, and age seems to increase rather than diminish their powers. The pres- ent incumbent in my hedge is a young bird and | his essays beyond his native carol have only extended as yet to the whistle of the Cardinal and the rollicking lay of the Nonpariel. The latter bird is one that seems never to complete his song. He always stops as if he was out of breath and could’nt get to the end. Not so my Mocker; he handles the notes of his little gaudy neighbor so deftly that there seems to be nothing lacking. There is a completeness | about his imitations which far exceeds the} original. Even the scolding and anxious cry |, of the mother bird has a certain charm about it when rightly studied. It resembles a thin slice from the discordant squall of her cousin | the Catbird, but smoothed off and finished in a| way to suit ner own fastidious taste. | 0.&O. XII, Sept. 1887 p.146 “147. Hastern Massachusetts. Galeoscples SL 302 B27 x44 o4. Wm os, Hon, 94-4 ee G ae Won ee 6 Ga (ok. iets ie [74 £46. 5088 1669, boy TAGE 1388 9S Be gen 12%. ditt, 19+ M590 bq 64 Nef, W. Gd, 6d.> Hae 6, 4 ye tee ea 1b [45-164 20% 2/4. 1859 1 Sh O% §3 Ae. 22. a iy? 5E WE [590. bs, bs- 7, #1681957. 6 foe 1590. 6 We. bd = Mex 4. 65, rete Vosges ba. cd Ap, C.-L (an, MStecto Maule’ “ihoe Sh 1890, io (be. 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Cx BS es EIS: unr §& aud io nh ee ee ee Noe gen fees, fo Cee notecll ae are Aes eee pence Aha EP ae brceahaer eae a wis (oe es a Foo ON ena hacia Tos), ie ek 7hg } on) Tes fhn (or re de oe ee Mak 9 ro a tok f pee Late ete ott betas Bead Pn SeeGue 7 offic Meo? ie Rath, oe ae? fs a TG, cater SRE cat eae OUR a Une ysis." Rt Tae a Pik. E93 Pens. Tieq i Corend, jen gpk «tient es Paigealy we Bau: Ltd Turk Co leg ] Joon J]. Thear., (Pehttice Lor Jt 2-4 Flaarelagn (Ss mmmer)e very eon. Yorn (8994 trey Cred ha alam na Wt GE. Fad omay A beat Mend Fe LeoscrsTn A Ves Fos Mea. er Com brn cy. Our dan CoBbais horn eter) Cent o Fat Boles carey toh. TR Tis SEA, Riga Eek, fora 6 hem Chalk Sap ay fore 0K tim Rea fa onmed dane, = iO ee bar evereronta Orn, Sate infin Yanna, dun on Ga I TRAY eee whL» ue Ci onaenny we GT bu On gat hig bah by oan Axt—— uta tere TR tees by Arnette bo bot. Hn Tr FRabinn fcx At Tr brat BG ov fos eae Oty i, KK abr A lee FMT A fer te Od ap Ecaks ¢ wm tee Te beagle Wn frien) tt Kathe Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Coneord, Mass. Singing in old nes Hearing a Catbird singing this morning in a thicket very near me I was surprised that I ild see it for the foliage was merely a thin veil’ through which the eye penetrated easi- 7 ly in every direction, At Length \L) discovered the (bind in a last year's nest where it kept moving around lowly singing steadily and loudly all the, while. I did its mate, Hastern R.A,Gilbert found path near the cabin was very tame and Gilbert got within Gakewsecf@r € arr Cinsn pis The GaAbsen fp ee entra for ee oe ae mt Vee We, Riga Chen dette Bie pier yee pa tee oe ie beh re A hs Our mat Cok bia 9 Oy afd Yer thon, Kili Ohne, Baa Pees 4 Ievpa Board. Stine Na Aepindend, ntdedad Orctrrtiremrf ben 4 roa Hasse faa Pi eos Bie teat Pein b= wee df Mah EMR Te ot fo 9 Lot Oa a Went Muck one Ann, Wo Ue Seu. fan Ye Mat hy wok my He Oo~_- Ae weet ae ohn - Wet8-17 Creed. On Un 19> Farhi Cob tne beans hao ee ee ee ee or Un Goan Birds Of Upper St, John, Batchelder, 5. Mimus carolinensis (Lizn.) Gr. Carpirp. — At Houlton ‘very rare. A pair has bred in this vicinity each year since I have been here” _ (R.R. McL.). Not met with at Fort Fairfield or Grand Falls. Bull WO > Amst TC f Bull, N,O.O, '7, April, 1882, p,109 asi Daves Migratory Birds observ ed by #, D. Wintle, Fall1885, Montreal, Can. Aug 15, Catbird, 0.&0, XI, Mar.1886.p, YY. Ornithological Trip toSt. Bruno, P.Q. May 25,1885.E. D, Wintle, Montreal. Catbird, scarce. O.&0. XI, May.1686.p. 73° Breeding Dates of Birds in Kings County, N.S. Watson L. Bishop. Catbird (Galcoscoptes carolinensis). July 21, | 23, 25. 0.& oO. Iii, Mar. 1888 p.45 Birds of Toronto, Canada, by James H.Fleming, Part II, Land Birds, Auk, XXIV, Jan., I907, »p.85. 270. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Carsrrp.— Regular summer resident, common May 4 to September 26; earliest spri pring record, May 1 x latest, October 15, 1906; breeds Gemeielee paar Birds of Dead River Region, Me. F. BL. 5. Galeoscoptes carolinensis, (Catbird). I was | shown the skin of this species by a gentleman in Farmington, who secured it in that town. I did _ not see it at all north of that latitude. O0.&0. XI, Aug. 1886, p. 14 ary igh Bae LOE & Shelburne, N, H. Aug. 8-29-1865, R. D. yy : 1 t Nee y hrA, | LuUtA, — jbo e 2 : ia : ‘ P Rye Beach, N.H.128'72. =| PRE pref J. Xo a z I Murua Carrbasntes,— Julho i [i ._, Aye Beach, N.H, July 23-24 1865.‘ Te ie ; Wolfeboro, N. H. June. 1'7-1887, | 3 War Cortberriy iPS, Bds. Obs. at Franconia and Bethlehem N.H. July- August, 1874. J,A.Alien 43. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. A few seen in-the valley of the Am- monoosuc at Bethlehem, and a few on Gale River, in and near Franconia village, but none at higher elevations, and only a few in all.— Harforhyn- chus rufus was not noted. me Auk, V. April, 1888. p.154 Birds Obs. at Bridgewater, N.H. July12-Sept. 4, 1883. F.H,Allen Galeoscoptes carolinensis.—Common. Auk, VI. Jan., 1869. p.'77 Birds Obs. at Meultonboro, N.H. July 2i-Aug. li, 1883. F.H. Allen Galeoscoptes carolinensis.—Quite common. Auk; VI. Jam, 1889.p.72 Birds Obsvd. near Holderness, N.H June 4-12, 85, and 4-11, °86,W. Faxon 59. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. CATBIRD.—Common. Auk, V. April, 1888. p.151 Bds. Obs. in Franconia, N.H. June i!-21 *86, and June4- Aug. 1,’87, W. Faxon Galeoscoptes carolinensis. CaTBirD.—Common. Auk, V. April, 1888. p.153 irds of Hilisboro Oo. N.H. June 2'7,’92 yeaa M.Farmer, Amoskoag,N.Hs | Catbird, pair were breeding. The Catbird Wintering at Concord, N. H.—On Dec. 3, 1901, while walking through an extensive wood near Concord, N. H., consisting principally of scrub pine, I was very much surprised to see a Catbird (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) hop out of a small scrub-pine, and perch directly in front of me in a bare bush within ten feet of my face. He uttered no note, but flirted up his tail, giving me a view of his brown under tail- coverts, and was gone. I did not have a gun with me at the time so I had no means of securing him, nevertheless there can be no doubt as to his identity. He was undoubtedly wintering where I saw him in the sheltered scrub-pine wood. The afternoon that I saw him there were several inches of snow on the groundand the thermometer was way below freezing.— D. LEEr REN ree. 1008, py: 209-209: Galeoscoptes carolinensis, Peterborough, New Hampshire. & 1898, Abundant in thickets near the shores of Cunningham Pond July 5 and often seen elsewhere to Aug.15. in full song July 6, 20, 23 and 24, along brush-bordered roads. Heard SOR ae ——- ommonly ved zs : Ee a, 72. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. CarzirpD.— Occurs rather c along the streams in the valley. ee a 1B . Pigeon Cove, Mags. July, 29-1884 ES : ienee ds Vebuctgee bk Glatt Princeton & Rutland, Mass, Aug. 2-1835 i vA | Cathie tacde, abtindaat. 14 de nn pg aoe &. No . Rutland, eee Oe -1886,_ Winchendon, i Diana! Junge, 1988. ; “| J ~ ad ae al ss /§ z ‘ » Falmouth, Mass. 1889. Mtr C Cadak bas ete Reif ahs sss et jy : ell “es aX > = f 4% Falmouth, Mass. 1889. Mass. (near Cambridge). /t¢7 | Oar 201(a tinyl. boat ey Tle Wie ev) Ae Oe POON Bert) Wt 2 gh 2 Mass. (near Concord). ah ee Ss ge eee Ham, (Willerly / S90 io 2s a | Quay LSS §S. W. Denton. @. a Lia oettcl es eae page n ore Sonam “ish Goat 6 smear: heer. Let 7 Hi, Mass, 1885. |”, Muriuus Corbteuntutet,— Jane 12,6; Se 19 Sms (Ke : fleananse Cortirertin ___ Wellesley, Mass, Mee 2y, Wp 8. W. Denton, ait a — Wiles Nis puree eee A ccag Krrvely —. 13 4.W. See 7 On Dee. 30, a Catbird (Minus oe | Cat-Birds, | pyrene PS oa Loveherler, Ate. was shot by a young man in Wellesley in some harles River. It was a | ta owe Q.&0., Viil. June.1883.p, 2. male in full plumage. f . > A 0,&0O, XIII, July. 1888 p.104 A Catbird was shot at Millbury, Mass., Dec. {| 30. C.K. Reed. me { F vitaas (Wiehonda. J 0, & /6$7 Birds of Bristol County, Mass, ear 2Y 4 as aes 1887 F.W. Andros, Ze pn [YA /§ 1888 Galeoscoptes carolinensis (Linn.), Catbird. Summer resident, common. Breeds. 0.& 0, XII, Sept, 1887 p Wieeed Carlene =" Birds Knewn te Pass Breeding Season nur. Winchendon, Mass. Wm. Brewsier 73. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Auk, V, Oct,, 1888. p.389 Bds. Obs. near Sheffield, Berkshire Oy, Mass. June 17-26, '88. W. "axon 68. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. CaTBirD.—Common. Auk, VI. Jan., 1889.p.46 Bds. Obs. near Graylock Mt. Berkshire Co. Mass. June 28-Julylé. W,Faxon Carspirp. — Common in the lower 65. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. and more open country. Auk, Vi. April, 1889, p.105 pfe cate i ‘ _ wert Piptedinte Pre etek rcterts€s Yen / tng Yop ¢ dtd Me succinies furfesll, Vor Gornoin Zi Mn Jory Wa. hep [freee Z , ae orn fo ZZ. | fiat te fa Se Siurak, Jan tik t7 Vos hare" yes Fe : | : wn attr hills 8h been are 5 fo y Kx ea a eae | Mogty Gru Co buds Lo Bn Macae urn af Veer oe Mawee tate Oe" terrace, Voth 6 / i Cnctawe Gee pores me ‘ if bows DA /, Zug wewtik wohila ae Nes ee pee efutirrn Apia Panel Ce. b fer. pec ee ee oe SMe Aidt Jey dé. eos | Pelee Pree. Jisty AGED) Cen te.15 vin foro ~ Correa Wr extant G/ 4 rt ne . ss bay . The Catbird (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) in Massachusetts in Winter. — Just below my house in the northern part of this city is an old pasture grown up with huckleberry, sheep laurel and other bushes, and at the further end is a birch thicket with a tangle of briars and some sumach. While passing this birch thicket about 2 Pp. mw on January 11 last, I heard a note much like the mew of a Catbird, but uttered in an excited, continu- ous manner, more like the notes of that bird when suddenly finding an intruder near its nest. On approaching over the two inches of snow, I was much interested to seea Catbird jump up into one of the bushes about fifteen yards away from me. I at once made the identification sure by using my glasses. The bird was in sight several minutes, passing by short flights to a thicket across the street. While in sight it uttered its mewing note not over two or threetimes. This was a fine spring-like day with a light Sout Ee er ond “es fee Mass. , o] * » 5 On- f Mimicry in the Song of the Catbird.— Though belonging to a dis- tinguished and accomplished family of singers numbering among its mem- bers such delightful songsters as the Brown Thrasher, Mockingbird and more distantly related Carolina Wren, the Catbird figures with a more modest pretention to song and until recently I had supposed its vocal powers limited to its own individual lyrical, and sometimes seemingly labored song. But on July 5, 1912, while working in a meadow adjacent to a small brook with its usual tangle of alder, raspberry and elder I noted with considerable surprise and interest, more so because of the day-light hour, 11 4.M., the song of a Whip-poor-will, somewhat subdued and minor in quality, but clear and distinct nevertheless. It was several times repeated from the nearby thicket. So out of the usual was it at this hour that I went at once to reconnoiter and was not a little surprised to find the author, not a Whip-poor-will but a Catbird! So far as my observation extends he was certainly acting in a new réle. Two or three times later in the day I heard the same performance repeated, and subsequent visits to the same locality have, on two occasions, enabled me to sub- stantially confirm my first conclusions as to the accomplishments of this individual. It is of further interest to note that in this particular locality the Whip- poor-will is seldom heard. One would have to travel several miles to a more ‘brushy’ or thickly wooded surrounding to hear them. These observations lead to the query, how then did the Catbird ‘ learn his lesson’ and how much progress and to what degree do some individuals of the species attain in mimicry ?—§. Waupo Bainpy, NV ewburyport, Mass. Bu he XK IX, CA 19/4 fr» FYE, Catbird and Brown Thrasher in Winter in Massachusetts.— On Christmas Day, 1911, in the Arnold Arboretum at Jamaica Plain, Massa- chusetts, I saw a Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) in some shrubbery about three hundred yards from the museum. It was quite lively though silent and rather shy. Twenty days later, on January 14, 1912, I again saw what was probably the same bird. This time it was apparently sunning itself in the vines on the museum. After allowing a rather near approach it flew ACTOSS the road into some bushes, where it remained still seeking the sunshine and as before, silent. The weather was clear and cold vith a minimum temperature of one degree below zero and the Catbird acted as it well might, as if it was half frozen. The bird was not observed ogee this date and as shortly afterwards some Catbird feathers were seen strewn around about the museum it probably came to an untimely end. While walking in the Arboretum on the morning of December 22, 1912, I saw a Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) on the ground very busily s work poking among the leaves with its bill. The bird was very tame and I approached to within four feet of it, hardly any notice being taken of me. Tt did not utter a note of any kind neither did it leave the ground while I was there. It has not been seen since, the snowstorm of Christmas Eve probably driving it southward — Harorp L. Barrerr, Jamaica Plain, Mass. Auk 20, April, 1973, D.27E Aint Qrrolr ot Charchane, Mass. batbid, Munmutella, earctaumrt, me hd, Rettiwy Auch xxx, OC 19/5° Fr. 499-500 The Catbird in Winter in Massachusetts.— In January, 1916, I saw a calling Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) near dusk in the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the 29th of February I saw him again in a yard on Garden Street near the Botanic Garden, and again on 10 March. This has been an unusually severe winter and the past month, according to the Weather Bureau, the snowiest February since 1893, but this bird seems to be in good condition. My only other record of the Catbird in winter is that of an individual which I observed in Stoughton on December 4, 1910. My latest date for an undoubted migrant is October 22, 1918, when I heard one calling in North Stoughton.— 8. F. BuaKs, Stoughton, Mass. Auh roo, reg 1976. F-: GL5-32 ‘ss The Catbird again in Rhode Island in Winter. — Noticing the record- ing of Galeoscoptes carolinensis in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in winter (Auk, XIX, April, 1902, p. 208), it may be of interest to report that I have seen an individual of this bird in Pawtucket, R. I., several times during the past winter. The first date was Dec. 28, 1901; the second, Jan. 16, 1902; and the subsequent dates were Feb. 3 and 12, and March 4, 1902. There is no doubt it was the same bird each time, as each observa- tion was made in the same locality,—a swampy sheltered stretch along an old canal. The last time I recorded this bird he appeared to be having trouble with a flock of Jays. —C. C. Purpum, M. D., Pawtucket, R. I. uk, XIX, July, 1902, Dalz, ao 3: Connecticut, June, 1898, Tarrf hd ¥P YO [Ser brank Hon. etn 1. Claat, Say Crovh. Corn The little Summer Warbler will gather the soft yellow down from the fern stems of the marsh for the walls of her delicate cradle, and what singular dark brown rootlets the Catbird always secures to line her nest. There are none such around my place that I have ever seen, and yet an old Catbird that builds in my shrubbery every year always secures the de- sired quantity and smoothly fits each little root- let in its place, and she does’nt take from the old nest to line the new either, for I noticed to- day on the low branch of a spruce, where she | reared her brood a year ago, and those little fibrous roots appear just as fresh as before they, formed the cradle bed of a whole family. ee | # Z A Catbird spending the Winter in Connecticut.— On the morning of January 14, 1912, I was somewhat surprised to see a Catbird (Dume- tella carolinensis) at Old Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, while walking along one of the main roads in the town and about one mile from the sound shore. The temperatures on the morning of the 13th was from 15° to 20°. I watched him for about ten minutes as he jumped from bush to bush along the roadside. Also saw on February 14 a Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) im zero weather when the Connecticut river, ponds, coves, ete. were frozen from fifteen to twenty-four inches thick and no chance for good fishing. A single Kingfisher spent the winter at Hadlyme two years ago, 1910.— Arruur W. Brockway, Hadlyme, Conn. Ak. xx Ir Ape. | G/B. r-4YF Birds observed in Naval Hospital ‘rounds, Brooklyn, G.H,Coues 19. Mimus carolinensis. CatTpirp.— Common; breeds. Bull, N,0.0, 4,Jan., 1879, RP, 32 Birds of the Adirondack Region. C.H, Merriam, 7. Galeoscoptes carolinensis (Linn.) Caban. C along the borders of the mountains but rarely to any great extent. AT-BIRD. — Breeds penetrates the wilderness Bali, N, O,¢c, G, Oct, 1881, Dp. 296 Unseasonable Birds on Long Island.—1. Galeoscoptes carolinensis.— On December 30, 1882, while passing along one of the streets of our village — Fort Hamilton — my attention was arrested by a bird note, familiar yet strangely out of place at that season—none other than the character- istic cry of the Catbird. I caught sight of the bird a moment later, hop- ping about in the branches of a lilac bush ina private yard, not a dozen feet from me, so that there was no error in the identification. Me X Berner 2 [are A, Auk, 8, April, 1886, p, 2f/, Arrivals of Mig’y Birds, Spring-1886, Central Park, N. Y. City. A.G. Paine, Jr. May 5, Galeoscoptes carolinensis, (704). Catbird. 0.&0, XI, July.1886.p. 109 Birds Hoga Go,N,¥, Alden Loring, 12. Catbird. Common. I find the favorite || resorts of this bird to be along the river banks | and small creeks. Their food consists of bugs and strawberries. The nest is placed ina bush or small tree, is composed of small twigs and || is lined with hair and sometimes leaves. It is |) ||deeply hollowed and is quite compact. The | |eggs, usually four in number, ate of a dark | || green color and measure as follows: 7-8 in. by 11-16 in. As the last of September draws near, i the Catbird departs for its southern home, not | in flocks, however, but in pairs or singly. “rh Sr PT Ter 120¢ roy] 0,%0, SV, June, 1890, p81 Vas ow wae eaten 8 oiies d ae ee te. Epes Ae Od rcnrclacks fi lor] ines Girk fe Go i] ne ae 2 pete 25. Catbird. Tolerably common. ¢, Brooklyn, Pa The Occurrence of the Catbird (Afimus carolinensis) on the Farallone Islands, Pacific Ocean.—Our Catbird appears to be not only extending its range, but wandering into very strange places. On the third of Septem- ber, 1884, the U. S. Lighthouse Steamer ‘Manzarrita’ landed myself and assistant on one of the Farallone Islands for the purpose of collecting sea lions for the National Museum. We were rowed ashore amid the roar of hundreds of sea lions, and the screams of myriads of birds. Immediately upon landing I accompanied the Inspector to the light- house, which occupies the highest rocks three hundred feet above the sea. Near the tower, surrounded by Murres, Puffins, and Gulls, I saw a bird which of all birds was the least to be expected in such a place—a ‘regular’ eastern Catbird. I rushed to the landing for my gun and was back on remarkably short order, considering the number of times my unfortunate stomach had paid tribute to Neptune on the passage out from San Francisco, but the bird had disappeared and could not be found. On the following day, however, it was discovered among the rocks near the sea, and its skin is now in the Smithsonian Institution, still surrounded, it is true, by Murres and Puflins, but not noisy ones. The specimen is perhaps not appreciably different from others of the same species with which it has been compared, its small bill being matched in specimens from Key West, and its light colored under parts not being exceptional. The occurrence of this species on these islands is the more remarkable as it has not yet been recorded from California, being known on the Pacific Coast of the United States only in the region of the Columbia River. The Farallones (Spanish, meaning pointed rocks in the sea) are disposed in three groups several miles apart, the largest being about a mile long and lying thirty miles west of the Golden Gate. They are well named, for there is neither soil nor vegetation upon them, except the guano of the birds and three species of weeds. In summer the eggs of the birds which swarm there to breed, are gathered by the barrel-full for the San Francisco market.—Cuas. H. TowNnsenp, Smzthsondan Institu- tion, Washington, D. C. Auk, 2, April, 1886. p. 2/4-2/6. Descriptions of First Plumage of Ger- tain North Am, Bbs. Wm.BrewSter, 5. Mimus carolinensis. First plumage: male. Pileum dull sooty-brown, many shades lighter than in adult. Wings and tail asin adult ; interseapular region brownish- ashy, shading into pale cinnamon-brown on the rump. Entire under parts barred obscurely with dull brown on a very light ashy ground ; crissum pale, dead cinnamon. In my collection from Cambridge, Mass., August 9, 1875. Bull, N,O.0, 3, Jan.,1878.p, ie ini is i Torth Albinism and Melanism 1n N orth American Birdse Ruthven Deane, I have recently procured an immature specimen of the Catbird from Mr. H. K? Coale of Chicago, UL, which was shot at Hyde Park, Ill., the 21st of July, 1878. Dr. Charles C. Abbott informs me that:a pure white bird of this species with pink eyes was captured alive on his grounds at Trenton, N. J., and sent to the Museum of Biology at Princeton, N. J. Bull. N.0.C. 4 Jan.,1879, p.28. - Birps in Conrrnement. I have added to my aviary since I last wrote a very odd specimen of the Catbird family. It has a broad band of white across the tail, about an inch from its tip. There is also one white feather in the right wing. Other- wise, Mimus is no different from others of his race. But you have no idea what a peculiar appearance that white stripe gives him, especially when his tail is fully spread. Have you ever met with a like specimen? I found him in the store of a Fourth-avenue dealer in New York, who told me he was an unusually fine singer ; but he has not yet favored me with a, song. I have also a Myrtle Bird (Dendre- ca coronata,) a charming little fellow ; and a Chewink (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) among my native birds. I trust the com- ing Spring will add many more to my list. —Annie Trumbull Slosson, Hartford. 0.&0, Vill. July.i8s3. p, so _ The Singing of Birds, H.P. Bicknell, Mimus carolinensis. Carsirp. The Catbird sings from its arrival—late April or early May through July, but with decreasing regularity towards the end of the month; and in one or two years I have not heard it later. Usually singing is abandoned shortly after the beginning of August, but sometimes individuals continue in song quite to the middle of the month. Though the species remains well into October, and is some- times to be numbered among the loiterers of the following month, during all this time no music escapes it. Careless and extrava- gant with his powers when they are in easy possession, this tal- ented musician has lost them at a time when they would be most appreciated, and naturally less capable performers succeed it. Besides its song, and the well-known call-note that has con- ferred its name, the Catbird has another characteristic vocal accomplishment —a short, sharp, crackling sound, like the snapping of small fagots. This is not often heard before the dog-days, but in late summer is sometimes frequent. Usually it is an accompaniment of rapid action as the bird seeks the security of some bushy patch or darts into the thick cover along the road. Auk, I, April, 1884, p. (72, SOME BIRD SONGS. BY SIMEON PEASE CHENEY. catTBirp. QUE, Ji im, 1891, 0, 32. With something of the style of the Brown Thrush, the Catbixd is not his equal in song. He is generally considered a mocking- bird, and does make use of the notes of different birds, delivering them in snatchy, disconnected fashion. It is easy to trace in the Catbird’s singing the notes of the Red-eyed Vireo, the Brown Thrasher, Bluebird, Robin, and Yellow-breasted Chat. [lis performance on the whole is very interesting, given, as it is, in a lively manner, with an occasional tone truly sweet and musical. Much of his singing, however, is mere twitter, often little more than a succession of squeaks, too antic to be put on paper. Notes-Eggs of hrushes & Thrashers, H.G. Parker. Catbird (Galeoscoptes carolinensis). Froba- bly a more abundant bird than even the ubiqui- tous Robin (Merula migratoria) ,and to him who is abroad in the early morning he exhibits a power of mimicry and delightful song which compares favorably with the efforts of any of his fellows, though lacking the melodious and liquid notes of the Wood Thrush. The eggs are of a bluish green, and fade when exposed to light. In twenty-six meats examined in May, 1885, three contained sets of five eggs each, and the remainder had either four eggs or sets incomplete. Average size (98:55 275. 0,&0, XTi, May.1887 p. 71 Carsrrp ( Galeoscoptes carolinensis).— Nest and five eges. Collector N. A. Eddy, Lake Whitney, New Haven, Conn., May 22d, 1878; incubated. 0.&0. Vil. Oct, 1863. p/t7 May 20, 1881, took a set of five Cat Bird’s eggs. Is this not an unusual number? I have examined dozens of nests of this bird, but never saw five esos in a set until this year, when M. B. G. and myself have each taken a get of five.— W. |W. Worthington, Shelter Island, New York. O,&0, Vil. Jul. 1882. p. /7~ O0.&0. V1. 2rar. 1883. pty Eaas in a Sur.—May 30, 81, found set of five Catbird’s eggs—nest in hazel bush. | Eeas iy a Ser.—In answer to note in last number of O. and O. by W. W. W., of Shelter Island, as to Catbirds laying five eggs, I have known of several nests with that number in them, one found thig year at Peace Dale, R. L., another in vicinity of Saratoga, N. Y., taken by G. C. Rich, and in my collection, This last was found several years ago. . Duviden Moen laced. 0.&0. Vit foostSABDT While driving sheep to pasture on the 12th of June, 1883, | T observed a nest on the side of the road. Upon going to |, it, I found it was a Catbird’s, (Galeoscoptes carolinensis,) | containing five eggs. I think this is the only one ever found containing so many in this locality. Narthanel, Lown. Alin, 0.&0. IX, Mar.1884.p, 36 | Car Biro, (Galeoscoptes carolinensis,) | very plentiful here, and I only mention _ them as we have found a number of nests with five eggs in them. Notes, Fairburg, fil. 4. FEMA cccrtt 0.&0, Vill, Feb. 1823. p.? G.H, Berry, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, A set of five Catbird eggs, |spotted with dlark brown, | 0.& 0.V0l,18, July.1893 p.99 etn JR: JS, 1E93, bp. 3038-7, Nesting Habits of Galeoscoptes carolinensis. —This spring (1893) a pair of Catbirds (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) took it upon themselves to build a nest in a small but dense honeysuckle vine that runs over a wire netting under the very roof of the side veranda of my house. Not in the least daunted by either cats, children, or constant passers-by, they had evidently come to stay and rear a brood. It occurred to me that it might be a good opportunity to note the exact times of their egg-laying, and also the precise number of days included within the period of incubation. After the nest had been completed twenty-four hours the female deposited her first egg, and then laid three more, making four in all, upon the hours and days as set forth in the subjoined record. First egg laid May 11, 1893, at 10.35 Second: cer mus Mil) |i ee me (ieee s40) Seiad ys Ss eo OCS Bs OTSING BOONE Ghee Fg eG RUAN os ancoeen TOMI! 6 304 General Notes. Auk [ July Now what interested me most here was the fact that she not only laid an egg regularly every morning, but that it was also laid at about the same hour. The earliést one deposited was at @15 A. Méand the latest at 10.35, a difference of only one hour and twenty minutes. We must observe, too, that eggs one and four were laid later than eggs two and three. For the first few days she sat upon them only at irregular intervals, and was often absent an hour or more, but this habit soon changed after that time, when she finally gave them her undivided attention. On May 25 there were no birds hatched at dark, but on the morning of the 26th three young were in the nest, and the fourth egg, yet unhatched. That is, hatching took place during the night of the 25th. The fourth egg was not hatched until the night of the 26th. Here it will be as well to note that the mother sat on the eggs from dark until daylight, and it is fair to presume that egg number one was among those constituting the first three hatched. But if this be so the first egg was fourteen days in hatch- ing; the second (?) but thirteen days, and the third (?) but twelve days. Again presuming that egg number four was not hatched until the night of the 26th, it, too, was but twelve days before the embryo escaped from it. This is taking it for granted that the first three eggs laid were also the first three hatched; I had no means of assuring myself of this, as I feared if I marked the eggs in any way she might abandon them, and this part of the record would be lost altogether. At 6.45 P.M. on June 5, all the birds left the nest together. Noone was near it at the time, and there appeared to be no special disturbing cause. There was threatening weather, to be sure, and low rumbling thunder at the time, but no lightning nor loud reports. We were dining at that hour, and my first knowledge of their having left the nest was my attention being called toa young one near the open dining-room door, which led out on the veranda. All the young were easily made prisoners on the ground, and I consigned them to a comfortable cage, which I hung up under the roof close to the nest. Here the parents faithfully fed them through the cage wires until noon of June 8, at which time any one of them could fly fifty or sixty feet with considerable vigor. Fearing that something might happen to them in the cage, at the time just mentioned I took them all down to the lower end of my garden and let them go in the dense underbrush that was overshadowed by numbers of second growth oaks and other trees. The parents were overjoyed at their escape, and it is my hope that none of them fell prey to the many prowling cats about, two of which I had shot in their attempts to get them the last few days the birds remained in the nest. It is not often that the Opportunity offers to make as exact notes of the times of egg-laying of birds as are here presented, and I can but trust that they may be of use to those who in the future may have similar chances to observe, and who may care to compare their observations with those of mine. — R, Ww. SHUFELDY. Takoma, D.C. = Genoral Notes, Nesting Habits of Galeoscoptes carolinensis. —This spring (1893) a pair of Catbirds (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) took it upon themselves to build a nest in a small but dense honeysuckle vine that runs over a wire netting under the very roof of the side veranda of my house. Not in the least daunted by either cats, children, or constant passers-by, they had evidently come to stay and rear a brood. It occurred to me that it might be a good opportunity to note the exact times of their egg-laying, and also _ the precise number of days included within the period of incubation. After the nest had been completed twenty-four hours the female deposited her first egg, and then laid three more, making four in all, upon the hours and days as set forth in the subjoined record. First egg laid May 11, 1893, at 10.35 A.M. Becordees | Ce sse seh2y es Cee Netz. Ty ira °F Ge ae ee le ICL a RAT stogpneravpen es METS 4 ier US Ge ara SN it) Now what interested me most here was the fact that she not only laid an egg regularly every morning, but that it was also laid at about the same hour. The earliest one deposited was at 9.15 A.M. and the latest at 10.35, a difference of only one hourand twenty minutes. We must observe, too, that eggs one and four, were laid later than eggs two and three. For the first few days she sat upon them only at irregular intervals, and was often absent an hour or more, but this habit soon changed after that time, when she finally gave them her undivided attention. On May 25 there were no birds hatched at dark, but on the morning of the 26th three young were in the nest, and the fourth egg, yet unhatched. That is, hatching took place during the night of the 25th. The fourth egg was not hatched until the night of the 26th. Here it will be as well to note that the mother sat on the eggs from dark until daylight, and it is fair to presume that egg number one was among those constituting the first three hatched. But if this be so the first egg was fourteen days in hatch- ing; the second (?) but thirteen days, and the third (?) but twelve days. Again presuming that egg number four was not hatched until the night of the 26th, it, too, was but twelve days before the embryo escaped from it. This is taking it for granted that the first three eggs laid were also the first three hatched; I had no means of assuring myself of this, as I feared if I marked the eggs in any way she might abandon them, and this part of the record would be lost altogether. At 6.45 P.M. on June §, all the birds left the nest together. No one was near it at the time, and there appeared to be no special disturbing cause. There was threatening weather, to be sure, and low rumbling thunder at the time, but no lightning nor loud reports. We were dining at that hour, and my first knowledge of their having left the nest was my attention being called to a young one near the open dining-room door, which led out on the veranda. All the young were, easily made prisoners on the ground, and I consigned them to a comfortable cage, which I hung up under the roof close to the nest. Here the parents faithfully fed them through the cage wires until noon of June 8, at which time any one of them could fly fifty or sixty feet with considerable vigor. Fearing that something thight happen to them in the cage, at the time just mentioned I took them all down to the lower end of my garden and let them go in the dense underbrush that was overshadowed by numbers of second growth oaks and other trees. The parents were overjoyed at their escape, and it is my hope that none of them fell prey to the many. prowling cats about, two of which I had shot in their attempts to get them the last few days the birds remained in the nest. It is not often that the opportunity offers to make as exact notes of the times of egg-laying of birds as are here presented, and IT can but trust that they may be of use to those who in the future may have similar chances to observe, and who may care to compare their observations with those of mine. —R. W. SHUFELDT, Takoma, D. C. Auk X, July, 1898 p. 303-304. The Catbird of the West. - Tinvite a close inspection of this bird as he seems to be a much difierent fellow from the noisy bird of the East. I have never found it at this elevation (8513 feet) but in the Missouri | River region I had ample opportunity to| study the bird. At Fort Laramie, Wyoming, it is perhaps the most abundant, but if you do not look for him he will not be seen; frequenting the dense undergrowth along the streams and building its nest in the darkest and most secluded places, it silently leaves its nest and is seen no more until the intruder is well out of the way. No, noisy, cat-like cry is heard at any time, it is only at sunrise and sunset that he is heard | singing a song that is surpassed by none of | the thrushes except the mockingbird. In fact, | he is a fine mimic himself and unless you can see and catch your bird you will think the thicket is full of song birds. The different | notes follow so closely that you cannot dis- | tinguish where one begins or the other leaves | off, and it is diffcult to make up your mind but that several birds are singing at once. When the nest is robbed the bird makes the best of his lot; not a grumble is heard, but stifling his silent grief he seeks a still more secluded spot and again builds, and this time his nest is safe, for it will be placed in the | midst of bushes where perhaps the nest may be | in full sight. No man will care to try and | reach it, unless he wishes to lose his clothes and several pounds of skin and flesh. Bul- berry bushes have long sharp thorns, and in the midst of these is generally the second nest. The birds seem to be on intimate terms with the Shrike, as I have seen them breeding in the | same bush, but each seemed to hold undisputed possession of his particular side of the bush. | Perhaps the Shrike is fond of music and lets || the Catbird build near him that his mate may |; enjoy the evening concert. At any rate, the “ast named is not much of a warbler during the breeding season, although he can sing beautifully and does in the cold winter even- ings. and strange to say when he is all alone, with snow, ice and leafless trees to set off his song. Perhaps this is what makes it so beau- (tiful, O,& 0. XI, Jun.1987 p. 73, +-@-¢- - Has any one ever noticed any symptoms of irregularity in the laying of the Cardinal? I have on several occasions known them to miss a day or two while laying, and on one occasion in 1885 I found a nest containing one egg nearly fresh, one about one third incubated, and one about two thirds incubated. Another point in connection with the Cardinal is that nearly twenty-five per cent. of all nests found will have broken eggs in them or else the eggs will be destroyed before the set is completed. I think the Catbird is mostly responsible for this as the fests are usually placed in situations where Catbirds abound, and I once found one sitting on the edge of a Cardinal’s nest which contained broken DD” | Apropos of the Catbird’s egg-eating propen- | sities, I saw one last summer settle on a rock /near our house with something in his bill, | and on scaring him he left the remains of an | egg of his own species on the rock and de- parted, so I suppose we must dub him canni- bal as well as thief. Katey nie. 6-S. rntey. O40. XY. May, 1640. p. 66. | eges. Bere hrbvcliow Dy. Blew Game fatty aaltipiite Haat ve battrille ole mre tite Haw att Ne mnew, hoye ¥ bole. A+¥QX/. Hov. 1556. pelts Birel Asbaicterre DY. Slew Several years ago my attention number of Chipping Sparrow’s nests ore € overturned. For every nest with young of this kind, I find the average is a little more than ten that have been de- spoiled. This is the work of Catbirds, for I have seen them robbing the nests many times. O.&0. XI. Nov.1&S86.p. /7¢6 was called to the large that were empty and CSA ne Mares a OL ae TBroles ae Drgerocll . ~Galeoscoptes carolinensis, Cat-bird, was a name early and spontaneously decided upon for this Thrush, whose mewzng note at once suggests it. Cat Hlycatcher (Pennant), Merle Catbird, Chat (Canada), Katsafogel (Penna. Germ.) and Zorzal gato (Cuban), all ring changes upon this point; probably Bartram’s name Chicken-bird belongs to the same category. Color is designated in Blackbird (Bermudas — where also it is properly called Mockingbird), and in D’Orbigny’s French name Merle \ derriere roux, —the Red vented Blackbird. -O, 8, Apil, 1 1985. The Carbird. a Wm. L. ee Tbid., pp. 12-15.—In Ontario. JUTy HOLOSIE mmnual, Vol, 2 Ye. 2. - 14 Qoefer Hones. __ Merhin 7 Meare. Straam. Wal é d y i POGm, YOL, 3G, Aug. 22. p. 83. Fuk tanredan Goborweple- ee Lar ete : 927. The Catbird. i 7 Senden ve a ee By Wilmot. JZécd. > P- 45.—Its defence, against : ee above, No. 923) Hor. & Stream, KXI II 935: “Sige eating Birds. Ibid., p. 105.--Two articles—(1) by Wilmot against ‘ Picket,’ and (2) by Srsiss oan Holberton in defence of the Catbird. For, & Stream. BAIT 942. The Catbird. By Wilmot. Jd¢d., p. 165.—In its defence. In- cidentally Passer domesticus is arraigned as ‘ simply immense’ on grapes, exceeding in its este Hon of this fruit ‘anything that wears feathers.’ for, dy Strea 4 SAL 133. Zipula Eggs in the Stomachs of Catbirds. By S. A. Acad with editorial comment (by C. V. Riley). Jbdzd., p. 24.4. ters bo logist, 1 680 Eggs in a Set. By Snowdon Howland. Lbid., p. 8.— Large clutches of Catbird, Robin, etc., reported, and the nesting in odd pl é by other species. 1 O Vou, VILE ate) The Oologist. 1611. Az Unusual Nesting aoe Peculiar Bec By WT[ill]. N. C[olton]. JZé¢d., Vol. VI, No. 1, Jan., 1889, p. 9.— Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Aak,V11. Jan.1 B00. p. 6s: 723. Birds in Confinement. By Annie Trumbull Slosson. Lbid., p ; . . . . “a ‘ 55-— An albinistic Catbird, a Myrtle Bird, and Chewink. Q, & Q. Vol VILE tt : Jo 4 bo Coreepurnoltcice tina nets 7 Lialtncdk ace sete re lrorvtycb. QIOKY, Maar 1890. py. aces | 886. The Catbird. (Mimus Carolinensts.) Vy Wilmot. JZéd., Ma re 15, p. 302.— On its habits. Hor, @ St ¥XII ae Lugas.on the Osteology of the Thrushes and Wrens.*—Mr. Lucas con- cludes ‘‘that the Miminz hold a somewhat intermediate position between the Wrens and Thrushes, and if the characters described are of sufficient value to be considered family characters (which is extremely doubtful) each of the groups under consideration seems to have equal right in that respect. “The Wrens, as represented by the species in hand, form a harmonious group, agreeing very closely with one another in their osteology, and presenting some well-marked distinctive characters. “The Thrushes also, when compared with the Wrens, present well- defined characters, and while differing among themselves more than do the Wrens, these differences are nevertheless very slight. ‘‘Aside from Galeoscoptes, the Mimine are fairly well marked, having a very characteristic shape to the maxillo-palatine process. This maxillo- palatine is so entirely different from that of the Wrens that from what little experience I have had I should hesitate to unite two groups so dis- similar in this respect. On the other hand, Galeoscoptes has such decided leanings toward the Thrushes, not only in its skull, but in other portions of the skeleton, that it would seem to connect them with the Miminz. Be this as it may, Galeoscoptes is certainly nearer to the Thrushes than any other member of its group, while Warporhynchus seems to be the far- thest removed.” It would thus seem that the position of the Miminz as a subfamily of the Turdidz was more in accordance with the osteological characters of the Miminz than isits present position among the Troglodytide. ‘‘In fact,” says Mr. Lucas, ‘‘it seems more and more clear that the Miminz should not be included in the very sharply defined family Troglody- tide.” On the other hand, he believes that the true affinities of both Chamea and Certhia are with the Wrens. Mr. Lucas’s important paper is illustrated-with figures of the skull, sternum, and pelvis in Merula, Campylorhynchus, and Harporhynchus.— Vipeekira\a : * Notes on the Osteology of the Thrushes, Miminze, and Wrens. By Frederic A. Lucas. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 1888, pp. 173-180. Auk, VII. July, 1890, p, 277, Hastern Massachusetts. Hagteesd proba cult oe S02 fis 4g Bogie y 25%. ee LT eed, SY. Wr td. eS ee hs bd HE ee an [4 ooschegp ITS. Le 959 2%, 7h .7* se 64, pl 29 $ 30% ob J)? 1840, G, (ee daa ——— EN Jb. I eS alts a a oe oe ee “iit hk ETS. 14 1840.12 HI, [ey 4 #- 3 AE Sx 268 75 IS Vhs, 8% HEISE TE, £0 ABZ (0aty AI! Conond Goan S892, Wi at, GeonT Al Kyau Aral 26% 17% - 26% 30 eet bdigraps [SII it Be a= Uf? /§9Y H. tufurs, SAME Ehldansl) 6-7-6 94/418 bo*. L862 bred [642 me uttrivhe parelen) 17" [6 23" 28" 30° Oprcorel. /SJ7 Age IST4 mY: 2* 1690. - 24S 305 Crank 1§92, 42610" bend, [$72.. G2 1%" J ont (824 ig a Cure. /0- 13 thatls #) byreeeee SLBES /¥74 262 ATH LW 29% Go? 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Hepes Gthiin Golwcpe Poult a — ee wrny1 Bad Bere er porrd me Aone A, Wat @ dochd (ae ae ere 0 SP mth fe, pf 2 we at i ERT or deri fp bone Ca Geles bt prota bt wit hole Re ay { ipl Race fA. phe} { & F ny Cetin et euias ANA a bias 7 1 PE hy, Hear i ae if oo oo¢F 4 } & nl Z ar avery tom a ta a Ooi a i sta AL ait, v Auk, XIII, April, 1896, A Brown Thrasher Har porhynchus BP? id Massachusetts in Winter.— On December 15, 1894, I discovered a Brown Thrasher in Arlington, Mass. I made my identification as sure as possible without shooting the bird, because I knew that the middle of December was later than this bird usually remains in Massachusetts. A few days after I first saw him, Mr. Walter Faxon, to whom I had reported my observations, again found the bird in almost exactly the same spot. From Dec. 15 until Christmas, the bird was visited regularly, and he seemed to be able to supply himself with food; but on Dec. 27, there came the first heavy snowstorm of the winter, covering the ground with from four to five inches of snow, on top of which was a crust strong enough to bear a man’s weight. With this snow on the ground, it seemed probable that the Brown Thrush would be unable to get food enough to keep alive. Consequently, from Dec. 27 till March, we took food to him regularly, at least as often as twice a week. We gave him yellow corn meal soaked in water or milk for his staple diet. “This food we sometimes varied with bread, pieces of meat cut fine, meal-worms, etc. He always ate what- ever we gave him with a good appetite, as soon as we were a few yards off. By March 5, the snow had melted sway in many spots, and we saw the bird for the last time on that day. When at rest, he carried his left wing lower than the right. For this reason we supposed that he had been wounded in the wing, and so prevented from making the long autumnal migration. Whether or not he would have been able to take care of himself without outside help we have no means of knowing; but he ate what we brought him so eagerly, and so soon after we offered it to him, that it seemed probable that he got very little other food after the first heavy snowfall. — ArrHuR ScoTT GILMAN, Cambridge, Mass. A Winter Record of the Brown Thrasher in Lancaster, Mass.— During this last winter (1912-1913) a Brown Thrasher (Tozostoma rufum) took up his residence in a Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) in front of my greenhouse and apparently had a very comfortable time of it. My gardener became very much interested and every day threw out food and also put the greenhouse cat to “rest.” The bird as far as I could see was not injured or crippled in the least. February 24 and 25, my man said he sang, but as a cold snap came on the 26th, he stopped and never tried it again all winter— Joun E. Tuarer, Lancaster, Mass. Agk July, 19S. 2, Yas~ ‘ ss w A ri E: c D, / 76 A Brown Thrasher (Harporhynchus rufus ) (OU. Maseaeucets in Winter.— On December 15, 1894, I ee a Brown Thrasher in Arlington, Mass. I made my identification as sure as possible without shooting the bird, because I knew that the middle of December was later than this bird usually remains in Massachusetts. A few days after I first saw him, Mr. Walter Faxon, to whom I had reported my observations, again found the bird in almost exactly the same spot. From Dec. 15 until Christmas, the bird was visited regularly, and he seemed to be able to supply himself with food; but on Dec. 27, there came the first heavy snowstorm of the winter, covering the ground with from four to five inches of snow, on top of which was a crust strong enough to bear 'a man’s weight. With this snow on the ground, it seemed probable that the Brown Thrush would be unable to get food enough to keep alive. Consequently, from Dec. 27 till March, we took food to him regularly, at least as often as twice a week. We gave him yellow corn meal soaked in water or milk for his staple diet. This food we sometimes varied with bread, pieces of meat cut fine, meal-worms, etc. He always ate what- ever we gave him with a good appetite, as soon as we were a few yards off. By March 5, the snow had melted sway in many spots, and we saw the bird for the last time on that day. When at rest, he carried his left wing lower than the right. For this reison we supposed that he had been wounded in the wing, and so prevented from making the long autumnal migration. Whether or not he would have been able to take care of himself without outside help we have no means of knowing; but he ate what we brought him so eagerly, and so soon after we offered it to him, that it seemed probable that he got very little other food after the first heavy snowfall. — ArvHuR Scorr GILMAN, Cambridge, Mass. Oe! F TA Space ABOVE | as POSTMARK. 3 POSTAL CARD) THE SPACE BELOW IS FOR-THE ADDRESS ONLY Re ae A Winter Record of the Brown Thrasher in Lancaster, Mass.— During this last winter (1912-1913) a Brown Thrasher (Tozxostoma rufum) took up his residence in a Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) in front of my greenhouse and apparently had a very comfortable time of it. My gardener became very much interested and every day threw out food and also put the greenhouse cat to “ rest.” The bird as far as I could see was not injured or crippled in the least. February 24 and 25, my man said hh he sang, but a as a Piet shap came on the 26th, he stopped and neve Joun E. THaymr. Bienen, Mass. oO, rT, Bis. op. ¥JS~ Brown Thrasher Wintering in Mass.— There are one or two records of the Brown Thrasher (Tozostoma rufwm) having been seen in Massa- chusetts late in the winter or during one month of the winter. On Janu- ary 3 I saw an individual, which I took to be a male, sitting in some low bushes beside the Boston and Albany R. R. tracks on the Brookline side of the Parkway near the Longwood station. He seemed to be in good health and while secretive was fairly tame and up to the present writing (February 28) he has remained within a hundred yards of the place where I first found him. A pair of Thrashers nested here last summer and, I suppose, it is more than likely this bird was one of the pair. There has been cracked corn scattered near the thicket in which he makes his home and there is a large chunk of suet in a treenear by, but I have not seen him touch either, and have watched him scratching among the dry leaves and feeding onthe ground. Several friends have seen and watched the Thrasher with me. The following are the dates on which I have seen him.: January 3, 14, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 12, 21, 28.— Caries B. Fuoyp, Brookline, Mass. Auh RK Joly (9. 1S: oe 320-370 Onitr Bude, cot Warcharw, 0Maak. Bon Gfrasher, Uoxostnue - pre ~ LR. Rottrne ‘XXL, OA: 19/87 We. 99- S00. Occurrence of the Brown Thrush in | Winter in Rhode Island. Mr. W. J. Wheelock of Johnston, R.1., secured | in that town on Jan. 30, 1886, a specimen of the Brown Thrush (Harporhynchus rufus). We have in our possession askin of the same species, pur- | chased of Southwick & Jencks, which was said to | have been taken at Pawtucket, R. I., in Febru- | ary, 1882. | 0.& 0. XI, Jun.1886.p. YY. al Hospital G.H, Couea 17. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown Turusn.— Common; breeds. Bull. N.0.0, 4,Jan.,1879, p.32 ® Birds of the Adiror ; 0.0, Me Z 8. Harporhynchus rufus (Linn.) Caban. Brown THRASHER, — Oc- curs with the last and the Wood Thrush about the western foot-hills and borders of this region. Bull, N,O,0, 6, Oct, 1881, p, 226 Arrivals of Mig’y Birds, Spring-1886, Central Park, N. Y.City.A.G. Paine, Jr. April 24, Harporhynchus rufus, (705). Brown Thrasher. Ald mn 7 Tn oe 4.000 Loring, : 3. Brown Thrasher. This beautiful song- | ster is quite a common resident, desiring thick | brush for its nesting place. I have uot had much opportunity to observe these birds in their haunts, and therefore cannot give much | of a aa of them. Jo 1 OQ, ay, Jane, 1890, Po , oe Harporhynchus rufus. Brown THRASHER.— July 8, 1897, I found these birds very common a few miles northeast of North Bay in the town of Vienna, evidently resident. Entered before as “occasional.” —EGBERT Baae, Utica, NV. V. Auk, XVII, April, 1900, p./72. ee Oo ea ae y nathan Cont hus Cink. ree Sutery hts tH 33. Toxostoma rufum. Brown THrRAsuEer.— Mr. Embody records a single specimen. The bird is rather rare in the northern part of the county, being most often seen in the lowlands toward Oneida Lake. Mr. Miller calls it an extremely rare migrant at Peterboro. ter in a Park in New York City — A a m) passed the winter of 1904-05 in Be WV bheaux W : Weyer Auk, XA, July, 19 ' Abe. r. I first saw him on Oct. 24, 1904, i | - and subsequently on twenty-three different occasions. He would appar- ently disappear from the park for short intervals, once for a period of two weeks, as I was on the watch for him and visited the park almost daily without seeing him. On December 19 he came to me for the first time for peanuts, and after that always came to my hand fr eely and without fear. On May 10, 1905, 1 saw a female of the same species with him, and also several other Brown Thrashers. As this was the last time I saw him, he probably accompanied the other Brown Thrashers when they left the park. — Lititian W. Lewis, ae. York ay Auk, © X11, July, 1906 Sea ei oo sv Birds of Bayou Sara, La., O»served April 1-28, by C. W;,;Beckham — esi ae Brown Thrashers I found in every sort of place visited: building their nests in the crepe myrtles and rose bushes about the house, and again down in the darkest and most dismal places | / | | | | | | | in the swamp. Auk, 4, Oct, 1887, p, JOO. Birde cf Weeterm North Carolina. William Brewster. 87. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown THrasHer.—Much less common than the preceding species, but still frequently met with, especially on prushy hillsides in the lower valleys. I did not detect it anywhere above 3000 feet, but was told that it is occasionally seen at Highlands (4000 feet). Auk, 8, April, 1886, p.175 hie Mle vey, Meckee Hclgwrvol oe Summer Birds of BuncombeCourty, | The same friend who cared tor the Olive N.Carolina. JohnS.Oairns. | Back, had a Brown Thrasher roost at night for Harporhynchus rufus. Brown Thrasher. Sum-| three weeks late in September, and the begin- mer visitor; common. Arrives here generally on | ning of October, in a honeysuckle on the end of the third or fourth of April, nesting in that | his rear stoop, 36th Street, near Fifth avenue. month. Called Mocking-bird by the farmers. | The back yard has a flower bed all around, and A great many are shot each spring by the a good smooth cut grass plot in the centre, farmers who say that they pull up their corn. | which was very full of worms. The bird Catbirds and Towhees also share the same | stayed and took a good breakfast of worms every morning early, then disappeared till evening; every day most likely he was off to the Central Park. The yards between the rows -~*#%~-1ses here are very small, which adds to the arity of the bird’s choice, but the one he chose was ina much finer condition than any neighboring ones. I never heard of a Brown ‘ : Thrasher in such a densely populated locality. 67, Harporhynchus rufus. Brown Treaster. ‘THRASHER.’—Not te abundant, and mainly confined to the open valleys. A male was shot, : while singing, on the edge of a clearing at ped 2000 feet, which was the O,&0, XTII, Apr. 1888 pSo+s7: highest altitude at which the species was discovered. Auk, VII. April, 1890. p.180, fate. oO &O. XIV. Feb. i889 p.22 Obs. on Summer Birds of Mountain Pors, Pickeas Ge, S.C. L.M. Loomis, | - i head Te a Cet al cerns ee whh un WM. oe ene Ao Ban be te 200. br bent, Cee ee a ee pee bot frre ee Me are ww Jick. Wa. BM. et. , kh. Avy Ant tal Ve ergaren Joris Pilko flier AG, Fr, Birds of Bayou Sara, La., Observed April 1-28, by OC. W,Beckham Brown Thrashers I found in every sort of place visited: building their nests in the crepe myrtles and rose bushes about the house, and again down in the darkest and most dismal places in the swamp. FOO. Auk, 4, Oct, 1887. p. Birds cf WeeteTn North Carolina. William Brewster. 87. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown TuHrAsHerR.—Much less common than the preceding species, but still frequently met with, especially on brushy hillsides in the lower valleys. I 3000 feet, but was told that it is occasional Auk, 3, April, 1886. p.175 Summer Birdsof BuncombeCoutty, N.Carolina. JohnS.Oairns. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown Thrasher. Sum- Arrives here generally on mer visitor; common. the third or fourth of April, nesting in that Called Mocking-bird by the farmers. 4t many are shot each spring by the pull up their corn. same month. A gre? farmers who say that they Gatbirds and Towhees also share the fate. Oo &0. x Obs. on Summer Birds of Mountain Pors. Pickeas Oo, S.C. L.M. Loomis. 67. Harporhynchus rufus. BROWN THRASHER. abundant, and mainly confined to the open valleys. while singing, highest altitude at which the species was discovered. Auk, VII. April, 1890. p.180, A male was on the edge of a clearing at about 2000 feet, which was the did not detect it anywhere above ly seen at Highlands (4000 feet). Bie Mile ney, Welee Hiclgpervol i The same friend who cared for the Olive Back, had a Brown ‘Thrasher roost at night for three weeks late in September, and the begin- ning of October, in a honeysuckle on the end of his rear stoop, 36th Street, near Fifth avenue. | The back yard has a flower bed all around, and a good smooth cut grass plot in the centre, which was very full of worms. The bird stayed and took a good breakfast of worms every morning early, then disappeared till evening; every day most likely he was off to the Central Park. The yards between the rows ~#*--1ses here are very small, which adds to the arity of the bird’s choice, but the one he chose was ina much finer condition than any neighboring ones. I never heard of a Brown Thrasher in such a densely populated locality. ‘THRASHER.’—Not —~e+¢ = shot, 0,.&0, XIII, Apr. 1888 p.54-$7- Albinistic Plumages. K,.Deane. 2. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown Tarusu.— Examined a fine specimen, dull white, with darker shading at the extremities. Shot at Norwood, Mass., April 9, 1879. Bull N.O,.OC. 5, Jan., 1880, p,. 286 Weil Lone aS Pibike wthts Ko, intel g 188T- & hy C. a Gotbhrach, tober, Hn. 2 2 His collection contained also a Brown Thrush with a malformed bill, in which the billis slender, lengthened, and curved to the right, with the upper mandible twisted partially beneath the lower, which is considerably longer than the upper. 3 Sar s ees get Alb, Caw Gok CH, Auk, V, July, 1888. p. 325— Descriptions of First Plumage of Cer~ tain North Am, Bbs. Wm, Brewster, 6. Harporhynchus rufus. First plumage. Generally similar to adult, but with the spots on the under parts much thicker, more diffuse, and dull black instead of reddish- brown. The pileum is slightly obscured by a blackish wash ; the rump rich golden-brown, and the spotting on the wing-coverts fawn-color. From specimens in my collection obtained at Cambridge, July 13, 1874. Fall specimens differ from full-plumaged spring birds in having the upper parts of a darker, richer red, with a much stronger rufous wash on the under parts. Bull, N,O,0, 3, Jan.,1878,p, 4%. Song of the Brown Thrasher. A\| Legend. BY ARTHUR H. HOWELL. The Brown Thrasher is one of our common. summer residents. ‘Their song, which is novel | as well as pleasing, is frequently heard, the singer usually occupying the topmost branch of some small tree or hedge on the edge of a field. They prefer dry, upland ground, and I have met them most frequently along old de- serted roads, where they delight to wallow in the sand, after the manner of the domestic fowl. They build their nests in small bushes or on | the ground, usually in a hedge, and the sharp, metallic ‘t chip” which they utter when it is disturbed, while flying about the head of the intruder, is positive identity of the species. Once heard, it can never be mistaken. I would not attempt to improve upon Mr. Oliver Davie’s description of their song, as The Singing of Birds. H.P.Bicknell. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown THRUSH. The singing-season of this species, beginning agate: an April, scarcely lasts through the first week of July, though iso % ted dates of the singing of single birds extend almost to the ae of the month. In my records I find no series oF reasonably unin terrupted dates continuing later than the first third of re ae different years single birds in full song have been beni rom the 18th to the 26th of that month. Thus in one year a-pet fig ane on July 18 was the first heard since the 5th, and in another sig songs on the 6th and roth were the last heard ecued! one ge 2oth. This mis-timed singing must result either ft om abnorma variation in the singing-time or mere individual Se eae a The species appears not to possess a second ae Being € on September 8, 1851, I heard a few song-notes uttered ee hee several birds which were regaling themselves on the fruit of a given in the January (1888), Os6LoGIstT, I will simply give an old legend concerning it which is current around my birthplace on Long Is-| land, though I have never seen the story in print. large gum tree (Wyss@). Auk, I, April, 1884. p. (32. There were three persons concerned; a Mr. taynor, a tavern-keeper; Terrill, an old toper; and Zopher, his friend and companion in reyel- ry. As the story runs, the friends, one night, partook freely of the contents of the cup, and | by ten o’clock the next forenoon, Mr. ‘Terrill had not sufficiently recovered from its effects to \ be very clear in his reasoning. It wasa warm June evening, and as he wandered aimlessly ; along an old road, he heard a Thrush singing, ‘and to his somewhat clouded imagination, it seemed to say, ‘Terrill, Terrill, Terrill, Ter- rill,” “Hot to-day, hot to-day.” ‘* Where’s Zopher? where’s Zopher?” ‘Gone to Ray- /nor’s? gone to Raynor’s?” | Upon hearing this, he became angry at the ‘Thrush and accused him of telling tales, but lall to no purpose, for the innocent bird kept right on with his song. The culprit probably told his friends at the tavern about it, and the story has now passed down through several generations, and for myself, I never heard a more apt illustration of this unique song. Every time I hear one of these ‘Thrushes sing- ‘ing, the story comes back to me, and now, while I am writing this, the above sentences, if rapidly uttered, bring the song vividly to my | mind, and I long for the time to come when I can hear it again in some quiet, sunny nook of the old farm. O,&0, &III, July. 1888 p.105 +oe : Ee Sp hig ees af frvertap Wir v ALE Aa VO Beer oe ake Sey an || Beene dt Ae cn, /dind Songs SEs FR: Chere. BROWN THRUSH ; BROWN THRASHER. a — Despite a lack of quality in tone, the Thrasher is one of the favorites; his fame is assured. In exuberance and peculiarity of performance he is unsurpassed, unless it be by the Catbird. While prone to the conversational style, he is capable of splendid inspiration. On a fine morning in June, when he rises to the branch of a wayside tree, or to the top of a bush at the edge of the pasture, the first eccentric accent compels us to admit that the spirit of song has fast hold on him. As the fervor increases, his long and elegant tail droops, his whole plumage is loosened and trembling, his head is raised, and his bill is wide open; there is no mistake, it is the power of the god. No pen can report him now ; we must wait till the frenzy passes. Then we may catch such fragments as these : pe if o = s o meee, —— me a oo a 4 5 ad eo th why the Paces pe eee Seem (OL a fh cg tn NEY ae ay ee ra lng prtfacr re eI fe SOE Pees eee cal a eas | | | | i | } | OR Notes- Eggs of Thrushes & Thrashers, H. G, Parker. Brown Thrasher (Harporhynchus rufus). Sets of five eggs are taken as often as sets of four in. this locality. They are of a greenish white or soiled white, more or less coyered with reddish brown dots. They show great variations —a dark green ground with reddish spots being the most beautiful and at the same time the rarest, phase. Another variety has a lighter ground of green with spots. One set might be called albinos, the spotting being quite obscure, re- vealing an egg almost white. Another set pre- sents a roseate appearance, owing to its being covered with bright red spotting all over the eggs and glistening in the light. Others are artistically ringed about the greater extremity, and thus might be detailed an endless variety, both in size, shape and color. They present nearly every conceivable phase and yet to my Two Days Egging in June. Ames, low Oarl Fritz-Henning, June 14. " | Set IV. Brown Thrasher; nest was made of twigs, dried leaves, strips of bark and fine | roots, lined with hair. Three eggs in set, thickly sprinkled over the entire surface with | reddish brown specks. O.& O. Vol. 18, Sept.1898 p,121 Ames, lowa June 16. Our first find was four pretty eggs of the Brown Thrasher ; nest was placed three feet from ‘ground in willow. 0.& 0. Vol.18, Sept.1898 p.123 Two Days Heging in June. Carl Fritz-Henning. eye do not possess the characters shown in a series of the Mexican bird (Harporhynchus rufus longirostris), though it would be difficult to ex- plain the difference on paper. The average measurement of thirty-six eggs is 1.03 x .80. 0.&0, XII, May.1887 p. 71 Brown Turvusu, (Harporhynchus rufus). Found nest with three eggs, one of which was less than one-third the usual size. ;° &O. IX. Mar.1894,. Duy Mage so ap eele Feral ig. 17. Harporhynchus rufus. Brown Thra April 30, I found a nest with three of the own- er’s eggs and one egg of the Cowbird. This I believe is an unusual instance, both the early date of finding and the bird in whose nest it was laid. O,&0, XIV,Sept. 1889 piss The Brown Thrush laying in the Nest of the Wood Thrush, — As the present season has proved to be prolific in birds laying large sets of eggs, I was induced to look into a nest of a Wood Thrush, from which the female was with difficulty driven off, when, in addition to her own clutch of four eggs I was very much surprised to see two typical eggs of the Brown Thrush, which, I believe, is the first record of the kind. The nest was placed in a maple, about three feet from the ground, in a quite thick ravine very seldom frequented; so this occurrence cannot be placed to the pranks of some boy. Again, the Brown Thrush is not common in this vicinity, and its nest is quite a rarity, so that any boy of ‘birds-eggs- collecting proclivities’ would haye been more apt to keep the eggs than to place them in another nest, which might not have been the case had the species been a Robin, Catbird, or some common bird. Near the spot where this nest was found a Brown Thrush was heard singing, but all efforts to find its nest were fruitless. The eggs of the Wood Thrush proved to have been. incubated about seven days; those of the Brown Thrush not over two of three days. This unique set was taken June 5, 1886, and is now in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.—H. B. Batrry, South Orange, N. F. Auk, 4, Jan., 1887, P. 78. bapacty 7 op ye Wath ltryw, forge, A. C. = - ! Browu Thrush, the same number,).292 cubie | inches. Variations, less than four per cent. O+ 0. X1 pul. I$6. J. 103. = Set III. Four eggs of the Brow# /Thrasher, (Harporhynchus rufus). Three of these have a delicate bluish ground color, somewhat re- /sembling the ground color of the Curved-billed Thrasher, (Harporhynchus curvirostris) with the markings all around the larger end forming a | wreath, the remaining parts of the eggs being | without marks shows of the bluish tint more | decidedly than in the eggs of the Curved-billed. The fourth egg is what nays it che called a typi- /cal specimen of the species. XIII, Oct, 1888 p,152 I Re Lh Set IV. I'wo eggs of the Brown “Thrasher, (Harporhynchus rufus). These have a heavy dark green ground color with the usual fine brown pin specks evenly distributed over the eggs. There are no eggs I have ever seen that [can compare them with, it being a peculiar |shade. he pair of birds that built the nest these eggs were taken from, were carefully watched by a friend of mine, from the time the nest was started in an old brush pile that lay in the orchard, only a short distance from the house. After the first egg was deposited, see- ing the peculiar color and being anxious to secure the whole set, he kept a close watch over the birds and nest to see that no stray ‘t tabby” or anything else molested them. On the fol- | lowing day there was another egg deposited, but the next three days passed by without any more eggs being added, although the birds re- mained around and often visited the nest. As three days had passed without adding any more to the set, he secured the two eggs, being afraid, as he told me, that if he did not take them something might destroy them. It has always been a debatable question be- tween us whether the female was not ready to complete her complement, or after laying the two eggs and they being so entirely different from what she or any of her sister birds of that species had probably ever deposited, if she did not think nature was playing a joke on her and becoming disgusted, after holding a consul- tation with her partner, they decided to desert this nest, build another and try again. They are certainly a curious pair of eggs, and could not be mistaken for any other species, for leay- ing out the ground color, they resemble a typi- eal egg of the Brown Thrasher, but are a trifle | smaller than the average. ae 4 O&O. XIII, Oct. 1888 p.152 On the Vernacular Name of the Genus Harporhynchus. THAT well-known genus of American birds, of which Harpo- ‘ rhynchus rufus is the type, is almost universally called in Eng- Local Namesof N. Oarolina Birds. lish, by every ornithologist, or indeed by every one who knows | 0.5, Brimley. the species in the United States, a Thrasher. In New England, and to the southward and westward, it is known as the Brown ‘Thrasher. We find it printed Thrasher in the A. O. U. Check- List, without any synonymic term or terms, as is also the case in such an authorative work as Coues’s ‘‘Key to North American ; Birds.”” Now it is of interest to know that our British ornitho- 0,&O, XIV, July. 1889 p.109 logical friends call these birds Threshers, spelled with an e in the first syllable, instead of ana. Recently Professor Alfred Newton submitted me the proof of a contribution of mine to his extensive work on Ornithology, now passing through the press, wherein this word occurred,—spelled Thrasher in my text, but Thresher in a supplementary note of his own. Upon his attention being called to it, I received from him the following in his reply: ‘‘I have not the least wish to interfere with your use of Tbrashers,— there is some authority for it among English writers,— but I be- lieve Thresher to be more correct (A. S., perscan or pirscan; Mid. Engl., preschen; Chaucer, threshen; Scal., preskja; Old Dutch, -derschen; Germ., dreschen; Gothic, thrisken) and prefer that form for my own use — though, of course, giving it the sound of short 4, as in many other words, e.g., Derby. Thrash would seem to indicate a pronunciation like Thrash (almost thrarsh) — which is local and vulgar. A.N.” This communication is dated Magdalene College, Cambridge, England, Nov. 12, 1892. Accord- | ing to this it would seem that our old, time-honored name of | Thrasher, strictly speaking, should give way to the more correct | appellation of Thresher. R. W. SHUFELDT. Takoma, D. C., Nov. 29. Pesce KK he 14 de. 9, 97, eee VMlames 4 inscictscantt Wascle ss baa hs Brown THRaAsuEr, sometimes called Swamp Sparrow or Swamp Robin, names applied to any brown bird with a speckled breast. The Hlarporhynchus rufus is a bird of many names suggested by more than one striking point in its character. Its ee aa and mimicking voice gives us Fox-coloured Thrush (Bartram and others) ; Zerruginous Thrush (Wilson) or LPerruginous Mockingbird (Audubon); Rufous-tatled Thrush, Grive rouge (Canada), Sandy Mockingbird (Dist. of Col.), Brown or Red Thrush, Red Mavis (recalling an English songbird), and Brown Thrasher. The last of these ( 7hrasher) is perhaps the most often heard of all its names in the Northern and Middle States. The word is undoubtedly another derivative from the root of trash just as the Swedish ¢vas¢ is; or you may say that it came from the root of the verb fo thresh (in Anglo-Saxon fherscan), the original meaning of which was to make a rattling noise, most prominent of the utterances of this garrulous bird. Its imitative powers have given it several names, such as two or three quoted above; American Mockingbird (Wisconsin) ; French Mockingbird (Southern States — distinguishing from MM. polyglottus) ; Carolina Mockingbird, and so on. In the name Coruz-planter (New Jersey and Massachusetts) we have a recognition of the time of its appearance in the spring, when the maize-seed is being put into the ground. ‘* While you are planting your seed,” says Thoreau, ‘‘he cries—‘Drop it, drop it— cover it up, cover it up — pull it up, pull it up, pull it up.’” Bull. N,O,0, 8, Anil. 1888,p, 75. [ W196: SCALE ae Wien a an cho 892. The Brown Thrush. luge lag in mie ae ) By Wilmot. Tbid., pp. 323, 324.— On its habits. ‘Mor, & Stream, KXIL 1658. Flutterbudget. By Olive Thorne Miller. /d¢d., No. 355, May, 1887, pp. 678-682.—Harporhynchus rufus in captivity. Atlantic Mon, Toxostoma vs. Harporhynchus.— Toxostoma was first used by Rafin- esque (Amer. Monthly Mag., IV, p. 107) in 1818, for a genus of shells. The name occurs in a mere list of shells as “ TOXOSTOMA, N. G. 1 species,”’ and is a pure zomen nudum. It remained in this state until Nov., 1831 (Enumeration and Account of Some Remarkable Natural Objects in the Cabinet of Professor Rafinesque in Philadelphia, p. 2), when the species was described. Shortly before this, however (Isis, May, 1831, 528), Wag- ler used the term for a genus of birds (type: ZYowxostoma vetula Wagler, = Orpheus curvirostris Swainson), and there seems to be no valid reason why Towostoma should not replace Harporhynchus, the latter given in 1847 by Cabanis, on the supposition that Zoxostoma was preoccupied. Our Thrashers should stand as follows: Yowostoma rufa (Linn.), Towos- toma longirostrts sennetti (Ridgw.), Toxostoma curvirostris (Swains.), Toxostoma curvirostris palmert (Coues), Toxostoma bendirei (Coues), Toxostoma cinerea (Xantus), Toxostoma cinerea mearnst (Anthony), Toxostoma rediviva (Gamb.), Toxostoma rediviva pasadenensis (Grin- nell), Zoxostoma lecontei Lawr., Toxostoma leconte? arenicola (Anthony), and Toxostoma crissalis Henry. Cuas. W. RicumMonnp, Washington, D. C. ‘Auk, XTX, Jan., 1902, p. $7 Second Addendum to List of Birds Ascertained to Occur within ten miles from Point de Monts, Province of Quebec, Canada; based chiefly upon the Notes of Napoleon A. Comeau.— Mr. Comeau has sent me skins of the following-named species, taken by him at Godbout, and not previously recorded from that locality : 157. Saxicola cnanthe. Shot May 18, 1884. 2 Pf rT Mh rrcaser, pees Grerz, a. YG Auk, I, July, 1884. p. 295- Adda t.—_ lo Lat g ee ly eae 8 6. ae uth.” Ps. Wthas % "Oe Mee yee Oy haan Eee, A second specimen of the Wheatear (Sa@xzcola wnanthe) was taken at Godbout, September 19, 1884, and was exhibited by Mr. Comeau at the late meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union. —C. Harr Merriam, Locust Grove, New York. Auk, 2, Jan., 1885. p. //3 . Probable Breeding of the Wheatear (Saxzcola wnanthe) on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.—I have before me three specimens of Saxtcola enanthe, all of which were shot at Godbout, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, near the point where the river widens into the Gulf, by Mr. Napoleon A. Comeau. Two others were seen, making five indi- viduals noted within thirteen months. Following is the complete record : May 18, 1884, one shot. Sept. 19, 1884, male shot. May 24, 1885, one seen. June 9, 1885. female shot and mate seen. Mr. Comeau writes me that in the female shot June 9g, ‘‘the eggs were pretty well developed.” He adds, ‘‘I think there can be no question now about the bird breeding on this coast.” It is safe to infer that the five individuals seen were but a small! portion of those actually present along the coast; hence the species can no longer be regarded as ‘‘an accidental straggler from Europe.” Moreover, the finding of two birds (presumably a pair) at Godbout so late as the gth of June, taken in connection with the statement that the female contained ova which ‘‘were pretty well developed,” point strongly to the conclusion that they would have nested at no very great distance. And this conclu- sion is strengthened by the fact that the Wheatear is known to breed in June at Disco, Greenland,* fifteen hundred miles north of Godbout.— C. Hart MeErriAM, Locust Grove, NV. Y. Auk, 2, July, 1886, p. 7 AS * Fabricius says of it; “ Nidificat mense Junio inter lapides majores, gramine arido cum muscis et plumis raris intermixtis,” etc. (Fauna Groeenlandica, 1780, p. 123) ; and nearly a century later ( July ro, 1875), Sir George S. Nares found “several panties of young Wheatears.,., flying about the rocks near the shore” at Préuen nearly two hundred miles north of Disco (Narrative of a Voyage to the Polar Sea Vol I, 1878 Pp. 29). abe. Additional Notes on the Probable Breeding of Saxicola_cenanthe near Godbout, Province of Quebec, Canada. —In ‘ The Auk’ for July, 1835, Dr. C. Hart Merriam recorded several specimens of the Wheatear taken by me on the north shore of the St. Lawrence during May and June of 1884 and 1885. Since then I have secured several additional specimens which throw more light on the occurence of the species near Godbout. I shot a young male September 1g, 1885, and another specimen November 9, 1886. None were observed in 1887 or 1888. September 30, 1889, while visiting the Caribou Islands, I saw five of these birds together, but hav- ing no gun was unable to secure specimens. The next morning I saw one hopping around the house where I was staying, and upon calling the attention of my host, Mr. Chas. Jordan, to the bird he informed me that he had noticed a pair of them several times but was not certain of the date when he had first seen them —probably about the end of August. I have since heard that his son shot two or three. October 17, 1889, I shot a pair of Wheatears at Godbout, both exceedingly fat; one of these was sent to Dr. Merriam. Two days later (October 19) I sawa single bird but was unable to secure it. Caribou Islands being only twenty miles east of Godbout it is quite possible that some if not all of the birds observed here during October were the same I noticed there. It can hardly be expected that I have seen all that have passed this point, and several may have occurred along the north shore both east and west without being recorded, but I think Saw:- cola enanthe has been observed here often enough, and at dates close enough fo its breeding season, to entitle it to a place in the list of birds breeding in this vicinity.—Napr. A. Comeau, Godbout, Quebec. Auk, Yi, daly, 1890, dD 294. 85. Saxicola cenanthe. WHEATEAR.— Nests near Nachvak, for the Hudson Bay Company factor there had nests which he had taken. I did not observe the bird. ; Auk, XIX, Jan., 1902, p.V/. CaPruRE OF THE STONECHAT NEAR HAstport, Maine. —I have had sent me a Stonechat (Sazicola enanthe) shot by Mr. George Moses on Indian Island, near Eastport, August 25, 1879.— Greorcr A. Boarp- MAN, Milltown, N.B. Bull, N.O.O, 5,April, 1880, p. //5~ The Wheatear Not a Bird of Maine. —In a recent article, Dr. Stejneger (cf. Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXIII, p. 473) cities the Wheat- ear (Saxicola enanthe) as a bird recorded from Maine. Now as I have shown (cf Knight, List of Birds of Maine, p. 141) there are no valid grounds for admitting this species to the avifauna of the State. Careless and ignorant writers of the past have recorded the species in question from Maine, owing to their failure to carefully read the title of Mr. Boardman’s list, upon the authority of which they made their sup- posed records, and many other species as well as this one were cited upon the same grounds and their own ignorance of the exact boundary line between Maine and New Brunswick. Almost invariably Grand Menan birds have been given a place in New England bird lists, which shows the ignorance of geography exhibited by the authors. I have in my possession a letter from Mr. Boardman in which he states that he has in his possession two specimens of the Wheatear, one taken at Grand Menan, New Brunswick, and the other taken on Indian Tsland, New Brunswick. This letter was written in 1896, and gives cor- rections of many other records made by geographical ignoramuses. Through Mr. Boardman’s aid all these erroneous Maine records were straightened out and corrected and may be found in the ‘List of the Birds of Maine. — Ora W. Knicut, Bangor, Me. Auk, XVIII, July., 1901, pp-2757276 Greenland Wheatear Seen in Massachusetts.— On Sept. 17, 1910, I saw a Wheatear at Pigeon Cove, Mass., at the extreme point of Cape Ann, and although I did not secure the bird, I had a good opportunity to observe it for sometime, making careful note of the size and coloring of the bird and the characteristic marking of the white upper tail-coverts and white tail feathers, broadly tipped with black. I flushed the bird four or five times and as it made low flights from me, it spread its tail, which looked short, and the large white spot, on the upper tail-coverts and tail, with broad blackish band at the end of the tail, was particularly conspicuous. The bird was alone and on some large loose rocks, at the top of the broad expanse of rock, which gradually extends to the ocean, and when flushed could have easily flown to the nearby shrubbery and trees, but in each case flew to another part of the loose rocks. At one time, when I thought the bird had gone, I was surprised to have it dart down from above in an almost perpendicular flight and light on one of the rocks in front ofme. For about a week previous to Sept. 17, there had been a very strong north wind. The subspecies was necessarily undetermined but undoubtedly was the Greenland Wheatear (Sazxicola enanthe leucorhoa). The above note is offered as of interest, if not conclusive proof of the occurrence of the bird in Massachusetts Cuas. R. Lams, Cambridge, Mass. Ark, KIX Afer- 19/2. Pr. 2sO-F"/ A third specimen, of much local interest, is an example (No. 1236, Qad.) of a Wheatear (Saxdcola enanthe), from the collection of Mr. D. G. Elliot, taken on Long Island, N. Y., but the date of capture is not given. It ap- pears not to have been previously recorded.—J. A. ALLEN, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City. Auk, 3, Oct., 1886. p, YI Dutcher, Rare Long Island Birds. ES cenanthe. WHEATEAR.—The Historical Society possesses but one specimen of this boreal bird. It is one of the latest additions a collection, having been shot at Jamaica, Queens Co., in 1885 by Mr i I : #ringle, a nurseryman of Brooklyn, and taken to Mr. Akhurst a m Se it. Mr Pringle stated that he saw two of these birds in comp Bien, secured only the one presented to the Historical Society. ce Auk &, July, 1893 » 277 Hastern Massachusetts. 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LA. bedide, Jtlhth noth Ath Letceatlpl ts 400 fered tite 1292, pla 94 La" 2 wae Vabiccip, wie diy Het Gictld | S78 Ort let Http Ltt VEZ tt efob \ ae a’, LECCE Steen a VELLA ie ZZ fide fw anid fligriseg Pe - 2 wot: SK pet G 2h. clbottet revrcisrit le trl pealy oheeste Att OE, Hes eae LCE OAE ara Le Dar ees Qencord, Mags | iw o RIOT, o/. 1893, Bluebirds. Scaka feaksr . Torrey's Bluebirds have remianed into January. Walter Paxon (letter January I2, I891),. rat Patera Trend scams Pha Dorn 7 a Apt bas 4 ell Og joe a) Ch ah Me hag TADAA Pfr oe ee i Me Om ely rg ee, Pape Le Sa LE A ceo pork Fy Niet oh van le Doth. Purr Wry ena ee Cvcteilly On saabe Ro Feats Re OBE us a ag le sa Le ans Prod flows ee paste Sea es ee a tan, Gllrrod Amel ON en ee tors rtm & fost y Pood fou Kann ao from Pita Midst ea 2 pas bfbad ae % ey Lian Fae a rn Berbnt m — fror Buea Sts Bai seat paneer ee Se ut byt nade Phan 4 tert Neha gin 2), Cae gee Dr. ee Teds We Ba femal. Wau Pebinotl, Phe we 50 Petra Bindy try Wad Nepion bund frst : ahi eee tes ae Bike, Cts ce dries Sahat. lin He fa as ott © Paw ftrd WAAn SA, Lge eal Oconee! Plea, a2 Pe eeaan Hina Ln ith ay by tex torte, AA hh, poe eae Lt NOON Fieth fr eran ot we Con Sbtoibant Boat bu Afr td fon Oe aaa cb aan ee: eee ae sae SS fait ENGeenA, Gyn I hur bw Thar 3 Ph Nile uke pacing Di dee Bie hag if te oa fuk ax his wea ioe Wineteys ae ya fr Prd aX Te yee 7, 4: ‘ hea MAILE ros pees ey ban Cue ies een Nita ene titimee ee ele len A Peart Pr lich: oh ea eA A far o7 x Coenrw Geen, rt Pn ie era Arr Thon Bes rags ates, BM fret, mh des Se teh NR retort figuh eee , G sy oN Bt Ana of parr hk sO Pic ca eh mty lon Peet a i meet: Uf. W/. Wbrwhs bt po Yo SEES) Wiblatey from 2% Ion 3. Wy Reta RL nw tet £, chad res i See Jay ems jm 9 thr; Bsn et rte bey Tarn gen Thr. Tp gyn oh hata oty Ban Cran bam tg rd fen Cereb | apie at aire IES ra ate poced, Rrrnithon far > ds vbr bods ov b. Mendham Prog Wat weer hen Rad lo teat Te TA hort. Inka “Alagardoncy Bay, ACER ele Nabe AF Sita ech ak era laud necks en CW AA Correr 0) On Va cays! cnn , ae tak OD “wer and Optik on or re ae Pring Do cm RE are LE Steet eh Lina Ne ee Beet: Bot, KA Weng nay barn ben fe laren | aT rend ee ee * ha by par wm We, retreels i (4. KA. Cleat | Lette, poor 40, J 4s) pe ae NS fe ee Nigh er Angh Poi Bl) On Tae Sasdt piles Bera eal bale Ci omaha ie Adah anal Ne gh) (oobicfog "Sano m fawr Y Bbosha as LAT. hg, Maar beim Tren 0 Man \ dang ‘He Bie! Mes eo Rac report Ty mete f dfeatt aM 5 OK: wo ty fo / Castes _ Hintreal Al. J boatie. a ber on bao be Dy Ts is us Bae De ist ©, Wet, CAL, tow. Sz IES een eed /57 6. ConnaeTcok Feb. r Peete. _ Son Mi ge PED) | Peron Lipton dh any hehe 9 Peas Pompey Wiens Botees | Zoro, ities PAT AEEG Man. Fnwheefog, Mien | AS OO re: ac 2 ree CEM SN er ne pik Crna Oh pilern ffesun Buta oh an af Tomes ihe. Bre, 0 Cott Yimn, Wry rr ote ot gem row. he CounTorn, Prk, Pern Tin ork Gyaron i st bum from Ams we OU mn Ate F howe fn pln (fp. H- Dorvrten , Clk, f om) 1 878 Inui (3 Conca® Food) Blache eae ctr tha [Kepes | nds. [ Journ’) a ae live warbler Jom we (fo bx Bethe Hee] GHD NOS yi) ei ie 4] Vr Nee Tee Cringe. fate Var AG Corcat Trompeinp at Estat 8 reer Thx | Neyer’ | hose . Phen aa /peterptire &. ae we: 4 Piast aw), 74, | Proned Le oF Mea Bovern. Gun Aan by ha he a ened, Ree ko €. A gr emo mare eI (Fos ue ey a re fieneth Curr f ‘3 rte ae ar phi, of 2 ; ’ SEL sl wall ee 990. Siali ialis. = ; } toa) pins —— Laat 90. Sialia sialis. Buiursrrp.— Abundant migrant and summer resident, March 3 to November 11; earliest spring record, February 26, 1906. Camracke, & wk. xx IG jaro Wik fe Buvesirp.— Fairly common. Sialia sialis, Que be d. The Bluebird (Sialia sialis) in Quebec.— A pair of Bluebirds, uttering their usual call notes, flew over me within a few yards at Tadousae on July 4, 1908. The species is so rare on the north shore of the lower St. Lawrence that this occurrence seems worthy of note, for I know of no other record save that of a pair found nesting by Mr. Comeau in July, 1880, at Godbout (Merriam, B. N. O. C., VII, 1882, p. 234). The birds I saw were traveling westward and were very possibly far from their nesting ground, as no trace of them was found later in the sum- mer, but the cool breezes of the maritime portion of eastern Canada are not to the liking of this species, which reaches its northern limit not far from the southern boundary line. Bluebirds occur, sparingly I imagine, about the city of Quebec, although Mr. C. E. Dionne in ‘Les Oiseaux de la Province de Quebec,’ 1906, states that they are there “assez commun.” The summer climate of the city and its environs is, however, much warmer than even fifty miles further down the river where the influence of the cold waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence begins to be felt. As I had spent parts of eighteen summers at Tadousac, the pair of Bluebirds was a great surprise, and I am glad they were not of a species about the identification of which there would be the slightest doubt.— J. Dwieur, Jr., New York City. Ank 2@, Jan-1908,p. 73. Rare hes Pruntinkr arsr Uh aes A “= ---p7 --- So a decision was reached; for the three rose on the wing, and were soon lost in the gathering shades of the dark pine forest, The gray dawn of the morrow found me, gun in hand, sass ing over.the strong crust field, across which even a Goliath could have strode in safety. Everywhere silence reigned, disturbed only by the hard snow crunching under my feet, and echoing from the nearest pine clad hills. The dark green of the woods had, during night, giv, én n place to a silvery covering of frost which transformed the whole forest into a mass résembling a great white cloud, thrown against the horizon of ajblue sky. From the early chimney tops, columns of pale smoke were rising into the still mornipg air, so tall and graceful and white as to seem like delicate marble pillars support- ing the arched dome overhead. But that“which claimed most of my attention, and filled me with altephate hope and fear, was, shall I see again my feathered visi iors of the evening before? When I reached their feeding ca nothing was to be seen. I waited long and anxiously. PrgSently the sun rose large and red, and shook his brilliant ray$ in profusion over the snowy landscape. Soon the whole ‘forest was aglow, flashing and sparkling as if set with a million gems, but, like some fond dream or hope of the young heart, it soon vanished. leaving nothing 1887.] Cox on Rare New Brunswick Birds. 211 be inferred from the difference of latitude; for the latter place is within the influence of the warm Bay of Fundy waters, whereas the former are upon a coast washed by colder Arctic currents. Why this species should be found here more frequently than to the south of us is an interesting problem for ornithologists. I cannot suggest an explanation. The common food supply seems neither mote inviting nor abundant. Our coasts, it is true, abound more in fish, and maritime garbage would likely be more plentiful, but 1 am not sure that these birds shew any marked predilection for this kind of diet. On the fifth of last April, 1 was walking on the railroad track, in the Wicinity of the town, shortly before sunset, when I came across three birds which were entire strangers to me. They were feeding at the time on the side of an embankment that, owing to its southern aspect, was already bare of snow; and as they flitted to the ground and returned to the telegraph wires, their blue backs and wings flashed brilliantly in the rays of the setting sun, causing me to think at first of the Jay; but no, these pretty strangers were but half his size. Fearing to approach too closely, lest they might take flight, I attempted to observe them for some time at a distance; but not having my field-glass, it A ithy Uae Rruseaburnehe FS ai On the fifth of last April, 1 was walking on the railroad track, in the vicinity of the town, shortly before sunset, when I came across three birds which were entire strangers to me. They were feeding at the time on the side of an embankment that, owing to its southern aspect, was already bare of snow; and as they flitted to the ground and returned to the telegraph wires, their blue backs and wings flashed brilliantly in the rays of the setting sun, causing me to think at first of the Jay; but no, these pretty strangers were but half his size. Fearing to approach too closely, lest they might take flight, I attempted to observe them for some time at a distance; but not having my field-glass, it was very unsatisfactory, besides curiosity kept urging me nearer and nearer. Presently, and to my great relief, it dawned on my mind they were paying very little, if any, attention to me, being wholly intent on foraging ; and thus I was enabled to ap- proach within a few yards, whence I made out more clearly the color of the plumage. Judge of my feelings of astonishment and incredulity, when their general characteristics suggested Sialia stalis—the Eastern Blue Bird, which I had merely read of, but had never seen. Impossible ! Up in this cold dreary north on the fifth of April, with the whole country, field and forest, covered with a mantle of snow three feet thick! Surely I must be snow or color blind! Look again. Observe their rapid, but graceful descent, the accuracy with which they drop on their prey, and their almost immediate return. How quietly and still they sit on their perch, until some moving object attracts their attention; how familiar and confiding: they do not seem to notice my presence atall. If they are apprehensive of danger, and move off a little, the distrust is concealed under the appearance of business, seemingly making a longer flight to pounce upon some insect. O yes, there can be no mistake about the birds’ identity, those bright blue backs, wings, and tails, the reddish-brown breasts, the quiet demeanor, the feed- ing habits, all belong to but one, the Blue Bird; but will not the identification be discredited by professional ornithologists, since it was the work of an amateur? As far as I knew the species had never been reported farther north tnan the vicin- ity of St. John, and but rarely from there; Newcastle, however, was 150 miles from St. John, and almost directly north, These seemed to me strong reasons for taking one, but alas; I had no gun. By this time the sun had set. The air began to grow chilly ; my interesting companions ceased feeding, and commenced chirping to one another, as if discussing, what next? Presently a decision was reached; for the three rose on the wing, and were soon lost in the gathering shades of the dark pine forest. The gray dawn of the morrow found me, gun in hand, hasten- ing over the strong crust field, across which even a Goliath could have strode in safety. Everywhere silence reigned, disturbed only by the hard snow crunching under my feet, and echoing from the nearest pine clad hills. The dark green of the woods had, during night, given place to asilvery covering of frost which transformed the whole forest into a mass resembling a great white cloud, thrown against the horizon of a blue sky. From the early chimney tops, columns of pale smoke were rising into the still morning air, so tall and graceful and white as to seem like delicate marble pillars support- ing the arched dome overhead. But that which claimed most of my attention, and filled me with alternate hope and fear, was, shall I see again my feathered visitors of the evening before? When I reached their feeding ground nothing was to be seen. I waited long and anxiously. Presently the sun rose large and red, and shook his brilliant rays in profusion over the snowy landscape. Soon the whole forest was aglow, flashing and sparkling as if set with a million gems, but, hkesome fond dream or hope of the young heart, it soon vanished, leaving nothing except the dull reality. In a few minutes the hardy Crossbills ventured forth from their night retreat, and with sharpened appe- tites, began breakfasting on the cones, whispering to one another all the time. A Pine Grosbeak and Purple Finch, a solitary Robin, and an occasional Jay added in turn their voices to wake up the slumbers of bird life. That blue flash! What is it? Yes, there are the three pretty objects of my curiosity, perched on the telegraph wires where I last saw them, as quiet and easy of manner, as confiding and thoughtless of danger, and even more beautiful than on the evening before. I had killed hundreds of birds in my life: I had never felt such an absorbing interest in one before; yet on no occasion did I ever raise my gun with so much reluctance to take a life. And when at length I held in my hand a beautiful life- less form, heard its two little friends, companions of its long journey and dreary nights, whispering to one another, methought, in mournful tones ; when I saw them rise in the air, uttering a loud shrill note that sounded in my guilty ears like the curse of betrayed innocence, and fly away never to be seen by me again, my heart grew heavy, and I almost cursed that professional in- credulity which drives an amateur into acts of needless cruelty. And even now as I raise my eyes from the paper, and look upon the graceful form, perched on a tiny stand, ornamented more than usual as if to make some restitution for the destruction of its life, the motionless presence recalls the events of that sunny April morning, and stirs anew the feeling ofregret and pain. Auk, 4, July 1887. p. 7 2, Birds of Dead River Region, Me. F,H. C, 6. Sialia sialis, (Bluebird). In the southern por- tion of both counties a few birds of this species were seen around the houses, and occupying boxes erected for their use. 0&0, y 02 Amgpirof L re Z fo L2y the NI S 138 17% 3 wre is! ats nhac tag 2 7s_1 Tae M haapady iB La prog om emda - WW, Middlesex Co. Mass, 2 June 25-80, 1889. 4 AT erties } ‘ Oe ties f AAA A Wt. B.S hrtat JESO. Fab. ry TEED Feed, ion $0°L 60° nh QOH WEL, Yur lO /§S9. Sst. 23 ware /§60, Fat. ry /E81. Ftb 27,20 ‘nen fell tle”. rrectd Birds of Bristol] County, Mass. F.W.Andros. Sialia sialis (Linn.), Bluebird. Summer res- ident, common. Breeds. Often seen during / open winters. 0.&0O, XII, Sept. 1887 p.l41 i a ae le Ae pci anna eaigs Cha ieel OS a ‘Seo OT aap LELES eee 3 in A € ' = D /§ ee ot. YE) frig ines le , tar, /3 be. ptviie aittin, Eee, a frery S669. Siar. VA / & &7, Pil 2. /0 ~, 7, a E90. fftur,/2 ; <) Ze Bo Git ar, Ss d ae Oe eae. yee Yes. 22 E68 Pad ae.” Piha. topes, /859. Nar,/0 /8 90, FA ar, 1,10, ©, Ghd nae ohne eee i (S91. Gan. 3,80, ¥b.1, 4, 26 War. by te, PET Pl tr. /0 ldnlex. Bircts 7 Oe UR Ie ee EE ON . N. po€& Last winter“was, as all know, a very cold one, and considering this I was much surprised to learn from a friend that on January 3 he met with a flock of some five or six Bluebirds near his home in Sharon. The winter before would have seemed more favorable for their occurrence. x 1¢61-%2 (%) Bul, NVO.0, 8, July. 1889, p, /7 7. or Arrrvats. March Ist, Bluebirds arrive; A.D. Winrt 0.&0O, Vili, May.1823.p. 357 adit Myla ‘i AW po © Feb. 22 and 23, I saw and heard several Blue- “birds (Sialia statis), nA O,& 0, Z/II, July. i888 p.1loe The Bluebird Wintering near Boston.—On the 9th of December, 1890, # (, my neighbor, Mr. E. F. Holden, reported a Bluebird in the village. I found one in the same valley on the 21st of that month, and saw it after- ward at different times up to Febuary 5. My own dates were as follows: December 21, 22, 27, 29; January 3. 30; February 1, 4,5. On three of these occasions the bird was perched in an ash-tree beside an old barn, in which I suspected it of finding shelter. At three other times it was within avery few rods of the same spot, and at the farthest it was less thana quarter of a mile away. The casual appearance of a Bluebird here in mid-winter would not be worthy of record, but I am not aware that one has eyer been reported as actually spending the winter with us. The present season, it should perhaps be added, has been exceptionally severe.—Braprorp Tor- REY, Melrose Highlands, Mass. 8, April, 189L. Dp. 237-240 Auk, 8 Bds. Obs. near Sheffield, Berkshire Oy, Mass. June 17-26, ’88. W.laxon 76. Sialia sialis. BLUEBIRD.—Common. Auk, VI, Ja&., 1889.p.46 Bas. Obs. near Graylock Mt. Berkshire Co. Mass. June 28~-July16. W,Faxon 80, Sialia sialis, BLUuEBrRD.—Rather common in the settled parts of ST TT the country. ull : — Auk, Vi. April, 1889. p.107 Bir+ts Known to Pass Breeding Season or. Winchendon, Mass. Wm. 2rewsier | 82. Sialia sialis. Z| Ank, V, Oct,, 1888. p.389 A ake Aeccead ; Fay 15-18 2S, Z . Mar. \ sa del aie Auk, XVI, April, 1899, p./76 [Petr On coe Sl Nis Bap ¢ adele Coty /h CDA. bag h ML j Sialia sialis. Exceedingly abundant in the low country. — REGINALD Heser Hows, Jr., Longwood, Mass. Lak, XIX, Oct., 1902, p. 7OS”, hese ld, 92, a Sialia sialis. Early in the past winter four Bluebirds were observed in the town of Westfield, and they have since been seen in the same locality in this town many times during the months of January and February. The region adopted by these birds as their winter home was near a, trolly line and the passengers in the cars were often entertained by seeing these unusual winter visitors. This is the first authenticated instance of Blue- birds wintering in the Connecticut Valley as far north as Springfield. Auk 27.Apr-1910 p 22 /. Wm. Hyde, Pawtucket, R. I”, lately brought us a set, eight in number, taken by him in May, ’82. It is now in our pos- session. O-.&O, IX. Jan.1gs4. psd —EEs = Portlanch, Gee W.wW,. Goe_ T have a bad habit of waking up about four o’clock mornings, and in Summer to | keep out of mischief I “pot” around the | garden until breakfast time. One morn- | ing last Spring I noticed a Bluebird flying | towards the house with her bill full of dried | grass. I watched her, and you would never guess where she went with it—right into the kitchen chimney. The chimney has a flat stone on top, with openings beneath. | I sat down and watched the pair work most. lively until the cook came down andstarted the fire, when, as the ‘smoke pouted out, the birds left. Well, thinks I, you have given that up asabad job; but next morn- ing they were at work as hard as ever. I waited for about ten days when the cook complained that the fire did not seem to work right. “It didn’t draw,” she said. I went on the roof and took off the stone and looked in. The chimney is not a straight one, but has what the masons call a “draw off” in it. On that ledge, as you | might say, they had begun their nest and | had finally nearly filled up the whole space | in the chimney. In one corner was the nest as natural as life. I took a long wooden rake and carefully brought wp and out the whole structure, and, if you will believe me, there was material enough to fill a half-bushel measure. O+0. VIL. Dee. 1652. p- 163 - (SY. | . Bruz Brrps.—In our daily drive of twelve miles we have seen Blue Birds almost every day through the past Winter, always in | the morning. wr AM. Wee. % TAA eeeUS some - »&O, Vil. Apr, 1882.p, #74. Hartfort A eed ee Bluebirds observed on February 22d. O.&0. VWii1.J4n.1883.p.% Ovr Hotrmay Brrv.—The Bluebirds may or may not be “poor,” but as the old text quaintly has it he is “always with us.” By the stern matter of record rigidly kept for twelve months, I find he is the only bird actually seen and noted, singly and in com- | panies, on every one of our National and | popular Holidays, as follows: New Year's, | St, Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s, (Fish Hawk's | Day,) All Fools, Fast Day, Decoration | Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.— J. M. W., Norwich, Conn. O.&0O, Will. Feb.1883.p. 4” ©.&0. Vill. A pr.1ses.p%. pow 12th, three Bluebirds: ble. 06. If Voitbonade,Lemren, '~ Buvepirps. As 1 am writmg this 10 a. m. I think I hear a Bluebird, and on Sj | going to the window I see three sitting on | the vane of the church across the street from the house. Now we can hardly put this down as the earliest arrival for '83, put it’s certainly the latest for '82.— W. W. Coe, Portland, Conn,, Dec. 31, 1882. 0.&0. Vill. Mar. 1883. p.28 Vmelio J Kits 2. i. i in teak Ligod), Circ 20 BS Bluebird. Not plentiful. ved in Naval Hospital 3, Brooklyn, G.H,Coues 20. Sialia sialis. Biursirp. — Common ; breeds. Bell, N,O.0. 4,Jan., 1879, p, 32 Arrivals of Mig’y Birds, Spring-1886, Central Park, N. Y. City. A.G. Paine, Ir. March 15, Svalia sialis, (766). Biuebird. 0.80. XI, July.1886. p. 109 Birds of the Adirondack Region. » Merriam, 9. Sialia sialis (Linn. ) Haldeman. BLUEBIRD. — Breeds sparingly. Have seen it along the Fulton Chain and at Big Moose Lake. Bull, N,O,.0, 6, Oct, 1881, p, 226 ¥ During the same monthNhe plaintive melody of the note of the Bluebird (Szaléa stalis) would be heard overhead from passin flocks. This favorite species was much sought after by young engl I have seen boys with long strings of them, carried in that way for the want of a game bag. * Oud. Ives: Maoh Het A be thae, 4 De, LeEeS p.202 Birde cf Western North Garelina. William brewster. to2. Sialia sialis. BLursirp.—Common, ranging up to about 4000 eet. Although often seen in the wilder portions of this region, it evidently preferred the neighborhood of towns and houses, where, unmolested by the quarrelsome House Sparrow, it bred#n boxes put up for its reception and showedall that charming familiarity and confidence which once char- acterized our New England Bluebird. Auk, 3, April, 1886. p.i78 , / j GRAS Reb bf Albinism and Mela i ™ in North oe American Birds, Ruthven Deane, Pres -ke » Among the Sawicolide, 1 have seen the Bluebird (S. sialia) represented, the specimen being of a light yellowish cast, though traces of its normal plumage could readily be discerned: Bull N.O.G. 1, April, 1876, p.2° ples in the National Mpseum collection exceed in richness of coloration the average of more northern specimens, No. 63,366, from Massachusetts, being, in fact, more intense in coloration than any of the Florida series. | 2 |aeeee|s| | 2 |[siaagee|e| Taken by itself the label presents nothing remarkable, but tied to the leg of this particular bird it affords us one of those by no means uncommon ornithological puzzles, which, in the language of Dundreary, ‘‘no fellow can find out.” The bird is in the full spring plumage of the female, with- out a single trace of black or ash about the head.-CHARLES WICKLIFFE BreckuaM,, Washington, D. C. Unseasonable Birds on Long Island.—1. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. — On December 30, 1852, while passing along one of the streets of our village — Fort Hamilton — my attention was arrested by a bird note, familiar yet strangely out of place at that season—none other than the character- istic cry of the Catbird. I caught sight of the bird a moment ater, hop- ping about in the branches of a lilac bush ina private yard, not a dozen feet from me, so that there was no error in the identification. 2. Oidema perspicillata.— During a week’s stay at Montauk Point, from July 15 to July 21, 1883, I saw on several occasions a flock of ‘Sea Coots’ floating on the ocean about 250 or 300 yards from shore. To which of the three species they belonged I could/not tell. On June 12, 1884, I saw a flock of at least fifty ‘Sea Coots’ in® the Lower New York Bay, off Coney Island, but the distance was too great to determine the species; but on the 20th of the same month, while sailing in Gravesend Bay, about two miles below Fort Hamilton, we came upon three individ- uals of O. perspictllata. We ran downto within 20 yards of them be- fore they took wing, but as the gun had been left at home, in deference to the ladies, I was unable to secure them. 3. Harelda glacialis.— While yatching in North Oyster Bay, Long Island Sound, on July 12, 1884, 1 shot a fine male ‘Old Wife.’ The bird was apparently well and uninjured, and was swimming about in a lively manner as we approached. /My first shot either missed or only wounded it slightly, for it instantly‘rose and was flying off rapidly when I killed it with my second barrelé I skinned it, and could not find any marks of old wounds or other injuries. It was in full plumage and differed from the adults usually taken in this latitude by the greater amount of orange brown on the back and scapulars. The dark zone on the breast was also of a lighter shade than usual.— Der L. Brrier, 52 Broadway, New York City. J Si y, Texas, the following: Syrnzum nebulosum allent, Turdus fuscescens salice- colai—G. S. RAGSDALE, Gaznusville, Texas. / rage fllow to the. Texas Avi-fauna.—I have taken in Cook County, Peculiar Plumage of the Bluebird./” While collecting in Baltimore County last March, I shot a specimen of the common Blue- bird in a very remarkable and beautiful plumage. The throat, breast and under parts were as in the common form, but the entire upper parts were a light azure-blue, paler on the head and brightest on the rump, with an intense greenish reflection in certain lights. Except that it was a little paler, the color was exactly like that of the Rocky Mountain Bluebird.—A, H. Jennings, Baltimore, Maryland. 0.& 0. XI, eb.1885, p./¥. Descriptions of First Plumage of Cer- tain North Am, Bbs. Wm. Brewster, 7. Sialia sialis. First plumage: female. Above dull smoky-brown, unmarked on head and rump, the latter slightly paler; but marked over the interscapular region and wing-coverts by tear-shaped spots of white and pale fawn- color, these spots occupying the central portions of the feathers. Second- aries and tertiaries edged, and tipped with reddish-brown; first primary and lateral pair of rectrices with the outer webs pure white; inner primaries as in adult, but with the blue of a much lighter shade ; posterior margin of eye with a crescentic spot of soiled white. Under parts, with the exception of the abdominal region, which is nearly immaculate, pale ashy-white, each feather broadly margined with dull cinnamon- brown. From a specimen in my collection, shot at Cambridge, Mass., June 8, 1874, 4 Bull, N,O,0, 3,Jan.,1878. mp. /7. Atte The Singing of Birds. BE. P. Bicknell. af Sialia sialis. BLUEBIRD. This beautiful and domestic species evinces a most impression- able temperament, which responds with song to the faintest suggestion of returning spring, and with silence to the earliest foretastes of the sultriness and heat of summer. Its melody is the first that comes to us with the new year, and is of those which we earliest lose. So sensitive, indeed, is the Bluebird to the slightest vernal influence that its cheerful warbling is often sadly out of season, as when it is called forth by a mild, sugges- tive day in January, or even in December. It might appear to be an open question whether these midwin- ter songs are those concluding autumn singing or those inaugura- ting the musical celebration of the spring. The truth is that they result from the over-strained imaginations of too eager lovers 5 and thus we get spring songs before the winter solstice. Within the last seven years the dates of introductory songs have ranged between December 18 and February to. According to the character of the winter, continued song may date directly from its introduction or be delayed, with occasional efforts oc- cupying the interim, until spring becomes more assertive ; but singing seems rarely or never to be postponed beyond the final winter month. March is pre-eminently the month of song. Before April has ended their ardor has perceptibly waned, a change which pro- gresses through May ; and sometimes in this, as in the following month, singing is so infrequent that often it seems to be suspend- ed, as it actually is in July. Sometimes no song will be heard in this month; again, isolated songs occur almost to its close. I do not find that I have any record of the Bluebird singing in August; but undoubtedly its song is to be heard in every month of the year. From early July until about mid-September is a time of general silence; sometimes this is broken in the first week of September, sometimes not until the last of the month. Singing seems to be rather inconstant in the fall, but usually after the’ second week of September the cheerful warbling that we have missed since June may occasionally again be heard. un- til the end of the following month. But I have no November record. Auk, I, April, 1884. BP. 433. The Bluebird as a Mimic. BY W. E. SAUNDERS, LONDON, ONTARIO. On March 12th, 1886, while looking for the earliest migrants in a small piece of woods about four miles west of here I saw a Bluebird in a leafless beech, and heard him warble. Imme- diately before his next warbling I heard a note which appeared to come from beneath the Bluebird, which I took to be that of a Blue Jay. With the intention of making a skin of the Jay I approached, but before seeing him I heard the saine note ‘‘Kay—Kay” from the same place, and on advancing closer the Bluebird flew away. warbling as he went. As he flew into an open field I saw that he went alone, but just after he reached a tree in the open I heard the sane Jay note from that tree followed as before by a fraction of the Bluebird’s song. ‘T ostudy the matter, I stayed where I was. and after listening for some time, I found that after the | Bluebird had warbled from four to seven times, the next warble would be prefaced with the Jay uote that had decieved me. The time taken | in uttering this note was deducted from the regular song, but it was made up to the usual length of a Bluebird’s song by adding the latter part of its own song, giving the impression that the bird could only take enough breath to sing a certain number of seconds, and if three fifths of that time were taken up by a Jay’s note its own song had to be cut off with only the other | two fifths. Considering this as a case of mimicry, it puz- zled me considerably why the Bluebird did not give the Jay note alone, or else follow it by its own complete song, and not merely by the end of it. Has any other reader of the O. & O., noticed the Bluebird posing as a mimic? 0.80, XIL, Apr.J 287 p. &/- 62. t Shibata + nmeaey hg Vea meer itheot: Brief notes. | April 30 I found a Bluebird’s nest in a somewhat peculiar situation. A two quart) milk can, which had been used in a ceme-_ tery to hold flowers, had been placed in the | fork of a bush right side up, and the bird at | this time had five eggs in it, entering and. leaving the can by the top. I was somewhat | | curious to learn what effect a heavy rain | would have on the bird; but one we had | soon after, apparently had no effect as the |can probably leaked, preventing the bird | from_being drowned out. \ Nugee U. Carre , Brecker nas : 0.& O.Vo0l,18, July,1898 p.107 Buvesirps. A pair of Bluebirds have ct | raised three broods, their nest being placed 4 | behind the closed half of a pair of blinds affixed to the window of an occupied room in my house, the sitting bird being in full view ; their confidence was. not_mi eed. . FF. H. Carpenter, Rehoboth, $76, vith ; 2 Vec, In West Newton, Mass., June 20, ’81, found set of six Bluebirds in bird box. D. 76, Eaton Vr cle, Mace, 0.&0, V711. Mar. (883. p24 Lares Sur or Eacs.—April 29, 82, took a set of seven Bluebirds’ eggs, and April 30 I took a set of six pure white eggs from Bluebirds of the natural color.— W. J. Simpson, Ithica, N. Y.O.8&O. Vill. Mar. 1883. p.23° W. J.B. Williams, Oumbridge, N. es found on May 27th, a Bluebird’s nest con- taining seven fresh eggs which are now in his collection. O- & O- TX, Jan. 1884. p./2 April I took a set of five Albino Biue- a nest in a dead stump about eight eos were perfectly fresh when blown. Bo" | on the 28th of | pird’s eggs from || feet up. All the e : Fred W. Pashley, Forest, Ont. 0,&0, XV. May, 1890 rp A Remarkable Runt Egg of the Bluebird. ba. A set of six eggs of the common Bluebird (Sialia sialis) collected on May 18, 1889, in) Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, contains | one of the most remarkable runt eggs that I have ever seen. Five of the eggs in the set). are of the normal size, but the other only | measures .44x.38. When it is remembered that the average size of the eggs of this bird is .84x.62, it will be seen how very small the runt is. The shell is considerably thicker than that of the other five, and it contained no yolk. All six of them are of the normal color, and were perfectly fresh. J, PING O,&0, XIV, Nov. 1889 p/7)7 Ae | é. White Eggs of the Bluebird, BY B. W. EVERMANN, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA. In reading the article by W. E. Treat, in the April ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOGIST, concerning white eggs of the Bluebird, (Stalia sialis) it called to mind a similar experience which I had -with a pair of Bluebirds not long ago. In the spring of 1884, I put upa box in my garden, at Camden, Ind., and it was soon appro- priated by a pair of these birds. On May 5 th I examined the nest and found five fresh, pwre white eggs. Before taking the set I put up another box near by, hoping that when robbed of the first set they would go to the second box and lay ag: Scarcely had the eggs been removed when birds began carrying nest materials into the see box. also be white, and watched them carefully. On May 14th, the first egg of this set was deposited, and the set of five completed on the 18th. These too, were pure white. I left them in the nest until the 20th, to see if the set was completed, and also to learn if the eggs were fertile. Five was the full complement, and, on blowing I found them all fertile. On May 21st the birds began rebuild- ing in the box first used by them, but from which I had removed most of the old nest. On my re- turn home June 1st, after an absence of ten days, T found the nest completed and three eggs in it. | Two days later there were five, all pure white, as had been the other ten: I could not make up my mind to take these eggs, but left them to be hatched. The old bird began sitting June 3d. Ten days later, while working in my garden I failed to see the male about. As I was accustomed to see him almost every day, I wondered what could be wrong. The next day I watched for him but saw him not. Then I went to the scant- ling upon which the box was fastened and struck it, but no bird flew from the nest. Something was undoubtedly wrong, Securing a ladder I climbed to the box and there, lying in the nest, was the decaying body of the female, and beneath her the five eggs, all more or less crushed and with embryos well developed. The true explana- tion, I believe, suggested itself at once. The vital economy of the female had been too severely ain. the ord I was curious to know if this set would taxed; the building of three nests inside of thirty © days, the loss of vital energy incident to the de- velopment of fifteen eggs in a like length of time, followed by the no less arduous and exhausting labors of incubation, all these were more than the frail organism could accomplish and she died a martyr to her maternal instinct. 0,&0, X1-Aus. 1886. p./29-/29 White Eggs of the Bluebird. ( /, BY W, E. TREAT. In the spring of 1883, a pair of Bluebirds took up their quarters in a neighbor's bird box, and by the 27th of April the female had deposited five eggs of the ordinary color. I removed three of these eggs, and in an interval of two days the same bird commenced laying again, I say the same bird for I am confident it was, as I had often made very close examinations of her. I watched the nest daily, and as I looked only at the eggs as they lay in the nest, which was in the box, and this darkened the eggs somewhat so that I could not distinguish their true color. One day I was informed by a friend that they were white, and I immediately removed the eggs, seven in number, including the two blue ones I had left there, and I found to my surprise that five of them were pure white, and were about the same size as the blue ones. [The common Bluebird (Sialia sialis), is known oceasion- ally to lay white eggs, but there has been much dispute as to whether this is a common variation in their color or not. The typical egg of this species is well known to be of a uni- form light blue, and it is unusual to find eggs of varying shades of color in one nest. When white eggs are found they are all equally wanting in color in the set, and some- times all the eggs in one nest have only the faintest tinge of blue; and they appear quite white until placed on some pure white surface, when the faint bluish tint is manifest. The absence of color is, of course, owing to want of the ordinary coloring matter, or pigment, in the parent bird, but is it a constitutional defect in the particular bird in question, or is it the result of laying a second or third set of eggs? The above instance cited by Mr. Treat, would seem to bear out the latter. No one has ever found white | eggs of the Robin (Merula migratoria), although spotted ones have been sometimes found. Albino eggs are, asa tule, rare; but they seem to be commoner with the Blue- bird than with any other species.—Ep.] 0.&0, XI. Apr.1886.p. 53. A set of five albino eggs of the Bluebird. 0.8 O.Vol.18, July,1893 p,99 Bluebird. Set, four or five. No. Lggs in Set. 0,8. Brimley ~~ ‘ : | Bluebird. Standard set five; the second 1 aying usually four. C. 8S. Brimley. Raleigh, N. C. eee oF BOQ, ZVI, wanda SZ Hees at Rale es * 0.5. Brix April 22. Bluebird; set of five (white eggs); seven feet j in apple tree. , & re Birds Known to Breed at Raleigh, N.O. 67, O.S. Brimley, Raleigh, N. Bluebird (Sialia sialis). April 11 to June abs | Eggs four or five. White eggs of this species | | do not seem uncommon here. O,&0O. XIN. Mar. 1888 p.43 (gure. om anh,” aon ee oaey Z OE SES OGRE ages The case of the Bluebird is given on hearsay, but seems perfectly authen- tic. A trio of these birds occupied two niches in the chimneys of the gas works at the college there, and raised two broods. The male paid equal attention to both females, often passing directly from one nest to the other, and was seen in congress with each of the females in the course of a few minutes. -—-Enxiort Cours, Washington, D.C. _ , as, Bull. N.O.0. 8,Jan, 1883, p, : Birds of Houston, Texas, and Vicin- ity - H.Nehbrling 8. Sialia sialis, Hald. Buivuesirp.—A very abundant winter so- journer and a common summer resident; but not so abundant as in the Northern States, and not so familiar. Commences to breed as early as February 15. I founda nest March 6, which contained newly hatched young. A nest discovered April 29 contained four pure white eggs. Bull, N,O,G, '%,Jan, 1882, p, 7 Birds Tioga Oo, Na. 22. Bluebird. This beautiful little bird is one of the earliest to arrive, making its appear- ance about the middle of March, and some- times earlier. Immediately after mating, nest building commences; this is placed in a nat- ural cavity of a tree or deserted Woodpecker’s nest; it is very loosely constructed of dried grass, and is quite shallow. The eggs, four to five in number, are of a light blue color, and |T believe instances have been known of their | being found pure white. One set which came under my observation was found in a tele- graph pole and were all nearly white and sound and the measurement of one of them is 3-4 in. by 5-8 in. ‘Two broods are often reared in one lseason. As soon as the young can sbift for | themselves they take to the fields with their parents to search for small bugs and worms. As the last of October draws near both parents and young leave for the south. O,&0, XV; Jane, 1990, p-Ss A QuEER Nestine Puace. A few days ago, while look- ing over the new Slater Library building now in process of construction in this place, the foreman called my attention | toa Bluebird’s nest that had been placed between a win- | —— dow-frame and the casing. It was just out of reach, and was very near the main entrance where the workmen were going in and ont, carrying brick, stone and mortar from morning till night. The female bird rarely left the nest, and then only for a short time. The nest had no covering and the bird could be plainly seen from the street. She wes as confiding a specimen as I ever saw, and her confidence was not misplaced, for the workmen were very proud of their feathered protégée, and championed her cause from the first. At the date of this writing she has hatched her young and is busily engaged feeding them. Ava. 20. T want to say that the Bluebirds of which I wrote you recently, were birds of rare firmness and pluck. As the Library building progressed, it became necessary to move the nest containing the unfledged birds, so the foreman found a small box and placed the nest and young in it, leaving it in a conspicuous place. The old birds seemed to we) understand the proceedings and governed themselves ac- a. cordingly, finishing their labor of love and sending out into ez the world a family of birds that will no doubt reflect credit \ upon their parents.—Chas. Hdw. Prior, Jewett City. Birds ef Carroll Coun ty, I .W.Evermann, 203. Sialia sialis. BrLursirp.—A common summer resident; a few probably remain in sheltered places throughout the winter. February 12, 1884; March 7, 1885. Until within the last ten years nearly every cleared field in this part of Indiana contained the stumps of the many trees that had been felled in clearing the land. Many of these stumps contained small hollows from three to six inches in diameter, and from one to two or three feet deep. As long as the stumps remained, these hollows were a favorite nesting place for the Bluebirds. But now that the stumps have been removed, the Bluebirds have betaken themselves to deserted wood- pecker holes in trees, or to rotten fence posts. =. ~ Auk, VI. Jan., 1889.p. 30. In the Woods at Dogwood Time. thea joty, c When the dogwood (Cornus florida) ripens its berries in November and the nights get cold, and sometimes the days also, it is inter- esting to note the birds that flock around their old favorites to get a good square meal. First and foremost hundreds of Bluebirds | fly backwards and forwards between th big trees and the dogwoods, seemingly never sat- ‘isfied; then all the robins in the neighborhood joinin too until some festive colored man brings |his musket along and scatters them. The Hermit Thrush also unites with his more noisy and numerous relatives in the repast, stray flocks of Cedarbirds, occasional Purple and Rusty Grackles, and plenty of Purple Finches add to the crowd of birds; all so far mentioned swallow the berries whole except the last, who only eat the pulp. Pine Warblers, with an occasional Myrtle, | peck away at the berries and the Golden- |crowned Kinglet often joins them. Both Tufted and Carolina Tits and any Blue-headed Vireos that are about vary their insect diet with dogwood pulp. White-throated Spar- | rows, Snowbirds and other Sparrows also feed on them in immense numbers as also a good scattering of Yellow Hammers and Yellow- bellied Sapsuckers and a few of the other Woodpeckers also, though the Dryobates seem | to prefer poison oak berries and the Melanerpes acorns. As long as the dogwood berries last there are always plenty of birds in the woods, but when they are all gone the woods seem com- paratively empty and lonesome and the collec- tor had better try the open field or the creek woodlands. C. 8S. Brimley. Raleigh, N.C. O,.&0O, XV, Feb. 1890 p.23-2e e Phe MK ee =p & ae a 4 Waka : aes pa ST Doha Prtureleck. On December 29, while walking at a short distance from ay house, in Roxbury, Mass., 1 was somewhat surprised to see a pats of Bluebirds (Staléa sialis) fly up from a fence, near at hand, and alight upon a tree not far off. There was, of course, no BERS as to their identity, as a Bluebird is not easily mistaken. This bird usually leaves us by the early part of November. On the same day, in Sharon, Mass., a friend of Mr. Ruthven Deane actually shot a Blue- bird out of-a small flock. ° Bull, N.@,0, 3, April,1878,p. 7@- Winter Food of Birds in the 4 O.S. Brimley, Raleigh, re i” Bluebird, (Sialia sialis). During October and November this species feeds entirely on Dogwood berries, but after they are all eaten, which generally happens about the first week in December, they don’t seem to have any par- ticular preferences until about the new year, when they begin to frequent the open fields, feeding on weeds, seeds and insects. O.& O. XII, July 188'7 p. /035° Proc. Fis T Joe AY Fog ey 4g LATA, Not, SO-39 | Mr. George B. Sennett said that Mr. Paul Babcock of New Jersey had /found in his chicken coop during ‘the blizzard’ of last March an immense number of birds, estimated at fully twenty-five hundred, that had taken refuge there. Of these nearly one half were Bluebirds (Stalia stalis), S2« Apr, 1889. p. ees oi hs eo) ee f “As I was working-my-way along through the tangled undergrowth I no- ticed quite a commotion among a flock of Bluebirds, off some distance to my right. Ap- proaching cautiously in the direction I saw a Red Squirrel sprawled on the trunk of a tall dead pine, apparently frightened out of his wits. A dozen or more Bluebirds were flying about and pecking at him, and seeming to have the greatest sport imaginable. One of the birds would dart down and snap at Mr. Squirrel’s tail, and quick as a flash he would turn end for end uttering a loud bark, while another and then another would snap at it again; in this manner they kept him turning about as if on a pivot for some time, and the effect was so amusing that I laughed aloud. The squirrel tried going up the tree, but the higher he went the worse the situation grew, finally he gave a loud squir-r-r and seudding down the tree disappeared. The birds all lit and looked about for their victim, but Mr.Squir- rel did not appear again. Hdward Tennant. 0O,&O, XIV, May. 1889 ALL, 7, 1896, PB Bp. 309-310: Absence of the Bluebird at Mesdville, Pak Me the first time in my recollection Szalza stalzs is noticeable for its absence, in the vicinity of Meadville, Crawford Co., Pa., for this time of the year. In referring to my note book, I find that I have observed them in this locality, every month in the year, with the exception of the month of December, in more or less numbers, they being very common during the spring, summer, and fall months. But their soft warbling notes are not to be heard this spring _among those of many other happy songsters. The first that I obser ved them this spring was on April 6, when I saw four, and again on April 16, when I saw two. Since then I have visited some of their most favorite haunts a number of times but have failed to note a single one. They were very common last year, lingering with us until late in November. I am inclined to believe that the exceptionally cold winter has been very hard on them, in depriving them of their food supply. Early on the morning of March 24, 1895, a large ‘ bird wave,’ composed of Geese, Swans, and Ducks got lost, or became bewildered by the electric lights (a dense fog prevailing in this valley at the time) and flew about the city for a couple of hours before they could get their correct bearings. There must have been thousands of them judging from the noise they made. Of late years thisis getting to be a common occurrence during their spring migrations. I have in my collection a fine specimen of the Long- tailed Duck, which I found dead on the door-step one morning, after one of these flights, it probably having flown against the house.— H. C. KirxK- PATRICK, Meadville, Pa. |“ T remember one Octobar day, of walkin : miles in the keen sharp air, and of learning many of Nature’s little secrets, even though there were no birds which I had not seen — thousands of times before. On this day the Bluebirds were very numerous, in flocks of |from six or eight to forty or more, and some |of them were yet in their striped vests and mottled gray and*blue backs, which seem to ‘be the style for summer wear among the | younger portion of the community, though | the older ones were truly gorgeous in blue | _and chestnut, even out-rivalling their appear- | ance when they came among us in springtime. They did not sing, but sadly piped in mono- | | syllables, and ever in the same tone, now loud | and near by, and then fainter, when at a | greater distance, but ever clear, like the air | and the sky above them. ‘To me this note is | always associated with old pastures, scraggy | grey fences, and turning leaves. In a few weeks most of them will have | | gone south for the winter, asitis fashionable | for most birds to do, but a few, like the un-— fashionable of their human neighbors, prefer to spend the season at home, for here in| Massachusetts hardly any winter is without its few stray Bluebirds, and during some sea- | sons, like the winter of 1880-81 and 1882-83, | they are really plenty. In the fall these birds © are, if not less suspicious, more restless, and | do not stay in one place long at a time, but | when spring comes they will be confiding | jagain. Once in March I saw one perched on | |the ‘‘tail’’ of a rattling, buzzing windmill, | and singing away as unconcerned as you please, and I have removed the female from |her nest with my hand, and even then on be- jing released she remained within a few feet | of me. ; | Writing of Bluebirds reminds me of one of | | their articles of diet which, to_my. knowledge _is shared by only one other bird, the Box | Swallow (bicolor). To these two the uninyiting fruit of our pungent-leaved bayberry seems to _be acceptable, though perhaps unequally at- | tractive. The Swallow seems to be very fond | of the berry, especially in the fall, when they cover the bushes by thousands in some places, | and make an entire repast of the berries, | and [ have seen them in spring eating those | | which have survived the winter. Bluebirds are far less frequent visitors to this bush, and I imagine that they only par-| take when hunger drives them to it, as I have found them eating the tallowy berries only on) two or three occasions in early spring. | | HQ, Whels. | : O+O. KN. Ooi 169. p56. | eee Re eS roe Lge THE LISTENER +038) J Ase Dear Listener—Can you give some hint as to the whereabouts of the bluebird, now overdue | here (twenty-five miles southeast of Boston) at least a fortnight—taking the backward spring into account? Thus far only one has appeared, and was heard on the 14th of March; after singing a little in the lonesome, plaintive way common to the species in the fall, he took him- self off. The geese, with their stirring clamo, have been passing overheads the robin is here, trying his voice; the woodpecker sounds. his call on the resonant dead apple-trea limb; the woodcock, the blackbird, the swallow, and a fair chorus of frogs are present; yet some of us, to whom the bluebird is dearer than all these, are feeling really serious concerning his ab- | sence, and any knowledge of his safety will be gladly received. Ena@ar A. Josspuyy, South Hanover, Mass., Aprils. . wh The Listener has heard that a yery dis- tinguished Massachusetts Corpithologist™ has seen only two bluebirds this spring, and that he has advices which lead him to believe that our bluebirds—that is, those which breed here —were killed by the unusually severe weather a the ee States, where they winter. nother well-known orpithologist, ay bi said to have had exceptional Tac eae tells the Listener that he hasseen about fifteen bluebirds this spring, and that they all had the appearancé of heing engaged in migrating farther north. Usually, at this date, he would haye seen so many that he would not have thought it worth while to count them. He shares the belief thatour Massachusetts blne- ‘ birds were destroyed by the cold in their win- ter quarters. They are certainly extremely scarce here this spring—to the ordinary eye and ear they are absent, “It is a great pity; and | yeh we may hope that enough haye been left “for seed,” as the farmers say, and that another year or two will see them as plenty as ever. “5 eae mi Another bird fact should be noted: The white-breasted swallows perished this winter in great numbers in Florida and the extreme Southern States. The April number of the Auk, the ornithological journal, has from va- rious correspondents reports of the destruction of these birds in great numbers. These are one of our most familiar swallows; they ara the first to arrive in sprit, and are due; indeed, the Listener’s South Hanover friend seems to have seen some already. Bird lovers are likely to notice a diminution in the number of these beautiful and light-winged creatures whon the time of their reign is fully here. Nothing has been said in the papers about the destruction of the bluebirds and swallows, and a great deal has been said about the loss of the Florida orange crop; and yet how much more serious a loss, tous of Massachusetts, is’ the killing of the birds than the killing of the oranges! AJ] the reasonable demands of our “stomachs can be satisfied without Florida | oranges, but our souls willbe left somewhat | f hungry, will they not, by an absence orsearcity of bluebirds and swallows? 5 . tha hounds of The Listener knows yery little about birds, but he has a distinct recollection of. hearing the chickadees, peewee note in midwinter. If he is not mistaken, he has also heard it in ia mer, Here is another interesting letter: Lil. Dear Listener — The article inthe Saturday Evening Transcript, as to the disappearance or non-appearancs of the bluebird, seems to be one of considerable interest, The’ bluebird is certainly uncommonly rare this spring—the reasons for which are extremely uncertain and correspondingly interesting. ‘The writer has seen scarcely a dozen, That they have slighted us by passing farther north seems hardly prob- able. That birds are taking a migratory fight in 4 given direction is an extremely uncertain quantity, unless seen in considera le numbers and observed with laborious care. The period of migration is controlled as much by condition of food and its accessibility,as by climatic changes. As the food of the bluebird in spring consists mainly of shelly bugs, fraps and worms, he would hardly desert our latitude, already back- ward in advancement, for a more northerly and less desirable one. Nor doeg the theory of destruction by cold weather seem hardly more feasible. Bluebirds that pass the entire season north of the Carolinas are scaree, straggling in- dividuals. Various penaubuloy iets have made a study of their range, Wilson, the best student America has ¢yer produced of bird life from a naturalist’s point of view, rather than that of a scientist, spent a prodi- ious amount of time and labor on this subject. nd he is well termed the “father” of Ameri- ean ornithology. He records himself as unable to find a solitary individual north of Maryland asaresident in midwinter, The great mass of blnebirds pass the the Southern States, the Bermuda and Bahama Islands, and even as far south as Mexico and Guiana, the Bahamas seeming to be their favorite winter resort. It does not seem possible that the short cold snaps at the South are responsible for the bird’s extreme scarcity this spring. We must look further for someas yet inexplicable natural cause. The writer has had several in- quiries, but confesses himself at a loss for a rea- son that is entirely satisfactory, One state- ment'recently made is of course absurd; That by reason of extreme cold he had wandered farther south than usual, and was behindhand in higappearance. ‘The bluebird is the most indefatigable follower of fair weather and climatic changes that we have. He could easily come from a point south of the equator within hours, : ech ne bird is especially plentiful in the writer s locality this apring the cowbird, Although the Icteride and sub-families are eminently gregarious, [remember no season when they vere so. super-abundant early in the Pree Not baving seen them mentioned elsewhere. 3 may be peculiar to Essex Ses eought a extond ont sympathies to the birds and warb- Jers if this han yt marander and house- e stopleps Jo DOInOsRS ETL 8. Mute. \ Andover, Mass., April 15, 1895. é 2, i winter throughout | New England in less than sixty | Ratlnn tv rawhide pep FF, 1F93 The Listener’s note the other day about the absence of the bluebirds has called out several, interesting letters. One of the most significant, ,| as well as the most painful, is the following iy»! ; April 14,1895." — Dear Listener—When I was in Washington a few weeks ago an ornithologist at the Smith. sonia Institution told me that in passin souay the Washington Market he counte three hundred bluebirds festooning one stall, They had been stripped of their feathers, but to his keen eye were unmistakable. That was but one ‘stall, There are many stalls where birds are sold in that market, The boysof that Beale bring them in by the basketful. Tell Mr. Josselyn of South Hanover that there is where some of our beautiful bluebirds hnve gone, and that he is quite right in “feeling really serious” about the matter. It should be anational sorrow that song-hirds—or any wild | birds for that matter—are killed for fashion or | for food. “CB. Tn most of the States, according toa late re- port of the committee of the American Orni- thological Union on bird protection, excellent- laws, much like that of Massachnsatts howe. been adopted to protect song-birds. Tt. as} against the law in Massachusetts to kill blue-| birds, and it is not in the District of Columbia. Congress has been even more remiss in its | duties than is generally supposed, The follow- , | ing, on the same subject, is from a gentleman | who will not need any introduction to “bird wee te ti T think rt South Han- _My Dear Listener—I think you a Roe friend need not yet give up hope of a yak from the bluebirds, for all the birds are late 7 coming to Massachusetts this sprini in fuenced, probably, by the cold weather at the South. A week ago I soarched the woods and fields a tween ‘Arlington and Winchester, and ye 8 birds Il saw or heard did not amount toa oH “three crows, one flicker, one downy hae - pecker, three gong: spatrOWs two robins and one red-winged blackbird complete the list. Re few bluebirds haye been seen in this ia Ys On Saturday last I met but three in a three- ‘hours tramp, and robins and song sparrows are ort of the de- a during the cold one osing bot from t mal. ; couts that a bird's sto being. supplied, heated iat. Je a odies, a: tinycided advantage over Jac. laugh at his worst. | 1 Slave frequent x winter ram ity; for 1 ee t registered ent several winters in at the house sparrows, | d there, seemed to suf- ce Scans cold, though the ld rains when accompanis high wind. 7 if Miss Shatt eee sone of t spring—but have an seldom or meyer GW TO a gae d it-was a winter song. truly ; ) LOTS TAGUE CHAMBERLAIN, Cambridge, April 13, 1895. an winter he ther. | ng the hot | 139. The food of the Bluebird (Stalia sialis, TES By 8. oe Tbid., pp. 215-218, 231-234.— Detailed report of me ao io Fes a stomachs of 86 Bluebirds, with results OS gre to eae * as a destroyer of insects. Amer. Hntomologist, Newé&er. 4 g. By Charles A. Keeler. /é¢d., p. 12.—Séaléa ist “1583: Very Late Nesting ress ST Jan, 1850. a ua. The Oologist. stalis, Oct. 26, at Milwaukee. pre “4 Cc 199t. [Wotes on Sialia sialis and Tyrannus tyrannus.| By W. C. Ransburg. ‘The Hoosier Naturalist, Vol. I, No. 1, Aug., 1885, p. OD, & 611. Okio Bird Arrivals. By Se “Hall. Oe No. 5, p. 85.— Gives dates of arrival of the Bluebird for five years at East Randolph, O., etc. 2 g y R[euben] C. Mili omearea | Lbid., The Oologist. 1626. A Curious Nesting Place. By p- 176.—Szalda stalis. Auk, Vil. Jan.1890. p. 95. 138. Bluebirds Seeding 0 2 parasitic and Forbes, with editori Predaceous gee By S. A al comment. 4bid.. pp. 204, 205. Aitor. uitotslogtst, Now dr, y 137. Ilchneumon Jrom Stomach of Bluebird. By S. A. Forbes, with editorial comment. [bid., p. 203. AMor. Hntomologist, News er, I s 1660. The ‘‘Wise Bluebtrd.” By Olive Thorne Miller. Tbid., No. 360, Oct., 1887, pp. 455-460... Atlantic Mon, 439. Curious Nesting Places. By W. W. Coe. Tbid., pp. 183, 184.— Bluebirds building in a chimney, Robins in a Martin box, etc. GQ) &Q. Vol. Vi anote on Bluebirds feeding on the barge of the Virginia Creeper (p. 556), by Henry Gillman, Amer, Naturalist, Vol, i0, Sepa. 135. Larve fr om Stomach of Bluebird. Ibid., Pp» 201. — Editorial re- marks on even sre by S. A. F[orbes] of Normal, Ill. Amer. Entomologist.New Sor. I 465. Curious Instances tn the Breeding Habits of the Bluebird. By A. M. Reynolds. Jb¢d., XV, p. 478. Amer, Naturalist,