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Bot Aa LliseieD 13875.

BOs FS

PNP HOLOGIS

AND

OLGGIST.

VOL.) aan Wee &.

BIRDS: THEIR NESTS AND EGGS.

PUBLISHED BY
JOSEPH. M. WADE,

BOSTON, MASS.

; TSS Can

i
i
:

:

SEPA Papa © TELE

MEMORY OF THE

MIMNMOR TAL] VWIiLSON,

eee, bel STRIGUS AUDUBON,

AND THE

DEVO ED. INU PAL.

7 ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOGIS? 22

—<-§§ $<. K-03 SS
CONTENTS © VG ViiLi-tes3:
+ SS ko SSS
een Well, At) Men eto a tire. 44 | Crows Eating Heron’s Eggs........... 46
PaMMPA EE LAOOTA)§' chic) «ci gener Meech x ore & ect hoteles 79 | Curious Nesting Places. ...). .322eme 56, 78
SEU Aitiri ci: MRR oe eae 9g Ducks, Hiching and Catchino. S))22euee 3
Bendire, Capt. Chas, B, U.S.A......- 29 Dueks, Wood... .....0.-... 4% a0
Pett inwels;: Newsies fs. to.) sale pss 96 | Eagle, Aged...............-+++2ebeee 95
Pardons, Odd seers Ye. as bc ek wee 28 | Hagle, Bald-headed................... 16
Birds, Contributions to Anatomy of....29 | Eagle, Golden................ 14, 24, 35
Birds in Confinement.................55 | Eagle, Golden; Nest and Eggs.....702 36
Birds of North America, Jasper’s......38 | Eggs, Large Sets of........... 23, 24, 76
Birds of North America, Studer’s...... 28 | Eggs, Number in a Set... ... ae 8, 13
LT Sirah BEES) aaa of A 64 | Wield Glass........-...-.220 5
Pisaioirds, Albino... 2 ccs ose 24,72 inches, Purple... ...¢/). 4... 48
Bloomington, Ind., Notes from........ 27 Fly-catcher, Ash-throated............. 36
Bluebirds................. HD; 23,/63;, 96 Galesburg, Il], Notes from............. 8
Piao day, A Surprised... .............- 88 Gannet or Solan Goose... a 30
Blue J ays, MUBIIOO. ete eon a aan 78 Gold Finch..............2 31
rare. i) meh 14, 15, 27 G Canada... uu... SS 3
yoose, Canada.....
MODIS GERATIOS. 4 cies ance aps bse cose So ns 29, 47 Goose, Wild............ 24
miter Newsy Notesy......0..5.se0e00. 64 Grackle, Boattailed.......5.. 76
Praneor Atmone thes... Ge<s<Pns Mei, Grebe. Horned. in Conns.. 3
PanAdseBUNNGS o. ce ook od ea 4 Grebes, The Carolina and American
Seandign Parit.. 27... ok Ser ye. 15 Hared........s.2ee2e nn 1
California, Notes from................ 70 | Grebes, Breeding Habits of............ 1
Change of Ownership................ 92 Greenfield, Mass., Notes from......... us
Chaftinches and Horse Chestnut Branch.80 | Grosbeak, Cardinal....... 25) eee 10, 46
What. Yellow-breasted. . =... osleuss. <<. 96 | Grosbeaks, Pine........._/ 32). 24
Meee Nosh: , es ae 15 Grosbeak, Rose breasted........ 55, T1, 86
Chewink, Cowbird and Wood Thrush...15 | Grosbeak, The Black-headed.......... 63
Chickens with Four Legs.............. 15 | Grouse, Ruffed...................585 31
Climbers and Climbing............... 48 | Gull, Ring-billed......-. 7732 24
Pmmbine Prous GAs. sos civ one canes 30 | Hartford, Notes from......), ]=aneee 8
Connecticut, Notes from........... 32, 78 | Hawk, Albino........1: 2035 4
ome, Winte winged o). .c4 4.2) de ice: 14 | Hawk, American Duck...) 7. (eee 80
Wnrmnorant, Common. ..../2.0) 200.6% 16 | Hawk, Pigeon... .........98) (eee 72, 80
PURGES: 5. 5, sch hatin chi ald eee Ue 13 | Hawk, Sharp-shinned. .). 20g 24, 55
Pees, De: A Reply toy asics: eae t | Hawke Sparrow... .... 20.1400 nee 72
pwones— Dr — Said ite Oak 22 | Hawks of ’83, The. ....... / eee 85
meena. VAL DINO! ce ees Olesya 24 | Hearing of Bird’s Ears, A............ 96
Criticism, Fearless: 05/2... 6000.3... 34 | Heron, Green, and Frog.............. 36
ee... ,.,. Teeter aan A 7, 16, 68 | Heron, White. ...)..). eee 4, 80
mrow and Snake: Woe oct ee 11

Crow, Clarke's, in Southeastern Dakota. 84

Heron, Night, Breeding on the Marsh. .23
Hunisne Side, The: 4.2 ae 12, 46, 64

Pent nerOlapper....... 2) aeets ies «< 39

LUGy AURIS rapa, See re ae 48
Interesning Notes.» 2.0 So net eee 87
reeset ease elierais= 2 fa) she's Fo ole 96
PREG TUR Ree per ae Oye ot Pcl wo) ewie ian & 2! > 62
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned......... 44, 56, 83
Meapland Thonespur.2.00. 20. 16.2)... 42 |
Hanneean Society, The... 5.2... ...6.60% 4
MacGillivray, William................ 44
Manhattan, Kan., Notes from....... 20, 92
Wermam's, Or. Return ....5....0....% 42
Mississippi Valiey Migration........

BApuo! ersee 25, 33, 41, 49, 65, 73, 81, 89
WGC Shea os tg 6 (a ee 27, 43 |
Naturalis Manirall a. 2.25 i aes ae 21 |
Nebraska, Notes from... i... 2566s +: 18
MSRM UGE! pec aiacons cise es ayes 0 Pye oe ay he + 15
iNegime Place, Peculiar... .2......-. 67
Newfoundland, Brief Ornithological

VOR a A PEOINL Certs z's © a ntete e o's 43
Nuthatch, White-bellied...:........... 31
MPT ws, Ol oon.) haves chs Siete wie ve ele) -) 21
“LLC OE a enn oe 35
Oological and Ornithological........... 4
MOOG MAAILIMUOLE 2.5 Le ale we ge iv alee ods 86
PIRES, BOS enlace cain id tied 48
Ostrich, A New Species of............ 86
rE DECAMONS) oi 2 22 daleisw oe 6 es 35
aie Lees 12) ee Oe ee gh ee 92
Owls Aoed. Death of ans... ae6.400 0.6. 96
Di elsarrets 2)... 2 es baw 2 185-28, 69
ONL JEL G2 eee aa ee
AW eR LICE 2 3:72 6 oe ee a 61
Ominmlort-eared. wees s.cs..s2-. 60, 84
UL OSSIA Sb ey oe os a a 4, 16 |
| TUES OP 24
(LAER ite 0) 0) A a 95
Owls and Horned Grebe.............. 31
Roms. 6S murat Off. 2... < kt oe ea 45
aie, (Great-horned...;...........- 14, 15, 68
Owls, Monkey-faced............... 72, 87
Owls, Number of Eggs Laid by........ 2

Owls, Screech, Breeding in Confinement. 93

Pemmeneaattde the... Ce RS ae ee wee eS 31
facebe Birds in) Winter...':...........82
Pittsfield, Mass., Notes from.......... 62
Poleidter WneIGi we: 2. sco eevee . . 258, 59,80
Muni taalemanrnie. oo Se Se a, iss
pen MeIG ohHes oP ns eeed «on bes 96

Pome VII... sos dee nee ele 7
PrP EU ICG ie aso ss +. «0 SER alo os 75
iedbird, The Summer... ..232.... 2: 27
eda Pollhiesser....:. .. .~ sete hee «e's 47
edstart, American... ..<iveaks. as esol
Ridgway Ornithological Club.......... 88
San Jose, Cal., Notes from............ 19
Namdpiper, Spotted... ....neeeeede sees 24
Shrike, Great Northern..............- 16
SnowOrd itnGk... .. 5... . sages deuce se 14
SHOW eS UMNO. 5... . «seem Aon cies 16, 94
| Southampton, Mass., Notes from....... 31
Southwick & Jencks’ Catalogues....... AT
Seaurove HOUSE...) 5.) . < age eon ee 55
Spserow.s Lpswich’..... 2... Queeaeuees 22, 48
Sparow, savannah... .2cehasss sce ee 16
DMVELOWS MOONEE: 5 2c... see ce samarae 16
| Squirrels, Flying, and their Work...... 70
Drormy Petrelh oo... .dktoet ae. oa 47
| Summer Birds: in Winter... ...25.5-.% 32
Technical Matters: ..........cc00- + anee-ae 21
enn, ROSCA. .'s.4ck os « soa peeps 21
Mbrushes, Woeds.22..... . stew ceeeee 4, 14
NVarreeGs ESO UIP ty ats. s° «sc eon ee ly shame 94
Pav enied ‘bo’ Karows 0/1). “Sao? eases 16, 20
Warbler, Blue Yellow-backed, Nest of. .12
Warbler, The Blue winged Yellow..... 37
Warbler, The Prothonotary........... 19
LiWarbler -Nellow-ramip. ...Wec tins sever 32
Whip-poorwall, ‘The... ..eegemssesacee 80
WWatiter: AMSG ii... : .,., San ee ete tee 80
toWailson, Alexander: /....#seumas sees 76
Wilson, Alexander, Works of.......... 39
Woodcock and! Purtle .).)o 20-25. ee 63
Woodpecker; /Bowitly ... . . ccs cebwee soe 85
Woodpecker, Black-backed............ 23
Woodpecker, Banded-backed.......... 42
Moodpecker, amy... 0.02 aausee aces 77
Moodpecker, Ibewis')..).0. 2. 2G 42
Woodpeckers, Pileated. 2.5. 2255.0.. 25 94
Woodpecker, Red headed..........55, 95
Woodpecker, Red headed, An Unre-
corded Habit of. Jin 44.25 See 00
Nerina ewiela sy. 02) ):3 3 Ahonen & ee Oe
Ry meme (Paros, c2',(3.2\..0 ecg aces Aa, oysters 27
| Wren, California Long-billed Marsh. . . .64
Wren, Long-billed Marsh.............. 6

Welliawetens,, Grent.< i: Pe. be coe cco 67

|] +> INDEX TO CONTRIBUTORS. =.

ee eek
<-->

pte ee
BE
5 SS

VOLUME ) Vitl—163e-

———

- S>*§ SS"
Aaron, Frank, Philadelphia, Pa........ 28 | Jones, C. M., Kastford, Conn Fete ee es 32
Atkins, Dr. H. A., Locke, Mich........ 31 | Jones, Howard, Circleville, Ohio....... 56
Aversboy, G., Vermillion, Dak......... 84 | Kimball, S. T., Ellington, Conn........ 16
PP Bliraboths Medea. ccsa se elns 39 | Kline, H. A. Polo, Tll..:. : qecgeme 19, 61
Beckham, C. W., South Pueblo, Col... .63 | Lantz, D. E., Manhattan, Kan......20, 94
Bellows, Charles E., Bridgton, N. J....16 | Marchres, George M., Albany, Vt....... 4
Bowler, E. S., Bangor, Me............. 3 | McBride, R. W., Waterloo, Ind........ 30

Brewster, William, Cambridge, Mass. . .56
Butterfield, A. D., San Jose, Cal... .35, 64
Carpenter, F. H. .61, 62, 68, 69, 84, 94, 96
Chamberlain, Montague, St. Johns, N.

Clark, John N., Old Saybrook, Conn..
Clark, T. Mills, Southampton, Mass... .31
Coe, W. W., Portland, Conn. .3, 15, 23, 24
RUPEES WV Lae yee iva aoe aie eee ¢
Cooke, W. W..25, 33, 41, 49, 65, 73, 81, 89
Cooper, Dr. J. G., Haywards, Cal... .2, 63
EOI US (solos Gime Ge ce; Xa levorpens eye 56 AT
Dutcher, William, 304 2d Ave., N. Y....48

Maton, D: H., Woburn, Mass.......-..: 24 |
Emerson, W. O., Haywards, Cal. ...37, 70 |

Evyermann, B. W., Bloomington, Ind. . .27
Fonda. W. B., Morristown, N. J....... 55
Meine es, NOY Wich, CORN: « i4.0\.) cia oy 2 8
GINSENG BIC hala gid RO le aa a
Gibson, Charles D., Renovo, Pa....

72, 80, 87, 94

Sele we =) eo ss -e\fe ie ie oh ie 6.8 fe 6. eco

Goding, Dr. F. W., Kaneville, Ill....... 24
Goff, J. L., Gildersleeve, Conn......... 78
Goss, B. F., Pewaukee, Wis............ 1
Griffing, Moses B., Shelter Island, N.

BUR Sie Gi AG Gye te 22, 31, 95
Heines, B. B.,-Elizabeth, Nid. i... sds. 6
Hall, A., East Rockport, Ohio...... 24, 32
Hancock, Joseph L., Chicago, Tll....... 24

Hatch, Delos, Oak Centre, Wis........ 23
Helme, A. H., Miller's Place, L. I...68, 76
Hovey, John M., Canandaigua, N. Y..

Baie wets bie wis, Tonia leanm a eiane oe 15, 16, 85 |

Howland, Snowdon, Newport, R. 1.8, 35, 64
J. M. W., Norwich, Conn. .15, 17, 44, 48, 85
Jencks, Fred T., Providence, R. I

24,037, 11; 80.

McCallum, G. A., Dunville, Ontario... .23
McDermond, W. S., West Chester, Pa. .14
Merriam, Dr. C. Hart, Locust Grove, N. Y.48

Minot, H. D../.....2.055000 se 35
Morgan, Thomas, Somerville, N. J..... 67
Mundt, A. H., Fairbury, Dl...) 2 eee 10

Murphy, M. Day, Jr., Cortland, N. Y...138
Neff, Charles H., Portland, Conn... .32, 86

| Noe, Fletcher M., Indianapolis, Ind... .96
| Parkhurst, A. L

ee ry

Peabody, P. B

ry

| Pratt, Rev. George B., Hastings, Minn .48

Prior, Chas. Edw., Jewett City, Conn.4, 71

Reed, J. T. T., Ryhope, England...... 30
Rich, L. R., Saratoga, N.Y. os. eeeeeee 31
Ridgway, Robert ........2. 25a 13
Rigney, T. J........4.0%s . 4 62
Rogers, E. E., Rockport, Mass........% 16

Sage, John H., Portland, Conn. . .4, 14, 24
Saunders, W. E., Philadelphia, Pa...14, 15

Scott, W. L.........c..J:6 Oe 86
Simpson, W. J., Ithaca, N. Y>--esemaeee 23

| Sinclair, FE. M., East Rochester, N. H.. .64

_ Slosson, Annie Trumbull, Hartford.....
| Small, Edgar A., Hagerstown, Md.10, 32, 76

Smith, G. S., London, Canada.........-. i |
| Stembeck, Will., Hollister, Cal......... 36
| Stone, D. D....... 5.2.28) 83
| Strumberg, C. W..../...:. 05s 8
| Tarrant, W. P., Saratoga, N. Y...... 3, 87
Thompson, Charles A., Melrose, Conn. ..3
Tracy, ©. 0., Taftsville, Vt. 7.2 eee aT, Ga.

Van Aken, A. G., New Brunswick, N. J.46

W. Se Tek cca oie tae le span ti
Warwick, W. T., Washington, Pa....

Sey aon nee 15, 31, 46, 80
Wilder, C. H., Syracuse, N.Y. oie 24

ORNITHOLOGIST#+AND*OQLOGIST.

+>) PREFACE. lace

The object of this magazine is to collect and dissem-
inate a knowledge of Bird Life, and cultivate a desire for
observation in Ornithology and Oology in the rising gen-
eration, and place on record their discoveries and obser-
vations. It will sustain the taking of specimens when
necessary for identification, also for collections when
from regions of plenty, but it will suggest other methods
of identification equally practicable to those who object
to destroying life,and cultivate a love of Bird Life about
our homes, and a desire to increase rare birds by intro-
duction rather than kill off those that venture among
us. It will avoid the technical as much as possible, and

=

make itself fully understood by the general reader.

JOS. M. WADE.

Boston, Mass., Jan. 1, 1884.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

OOLOGIST.

$1.00 per Woseen M. Wang, Editor mid Publisher. Single Copy
Annum Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
aS i 1 Fone a

: Habits of the Carolina and
American Eared Grebes.

Podilymbus podiceps and Dytes nigricollis Californicus.

For several years I have given some at-
tention to the Grebes, and am satisfied
that the eges of the smaller species are
often confounded. Have carefully exam-
ined more than a hundred nests of the
Carolina, and a large number of the Eared,
but know nothing of the Horned, having
never seen a nest, and offer these notes
for publication hoping they will draw out
some further information, and that some
competent person will give us in the O.
and O. a full description of the nest of the
Horned Grebe. The eggs of all three are
very similar, but I think the nests, when
well understood, will afford a certain
means of identification. It certainly will
of the two species under consideration.
The Carolina breed plentifully in Wis.,
and at least as far west as middle Dakota.
Ihave only found the Eared breeding in
Dakota, but learn from good authority that
they are common in Minn., but have never
heard of their breeding east of the Mis-
sissippi river. Do not think the Horned
Grebe breeds in any part of this region.
The most remarkable thing about the Car-
olina is their shyness in the breeding sea-
son. Weeks may be spent in their haunts
without seeing a single one, and they are
often quite common where their presence
is not suspected. Was among them in
Dakota five weeks ; found numerous nests
and do not remember to have seen a single
bird, except when caught in traps set on
nests. This applies only to the breeding

BOSTON, JANUARY,

——

season; at other ‘times they are tame
enough, and can be seen anywhere. It is
doubtless this feature, more than anything
else, that has confused collectors. On
many of the small lakes the Eared Grebes
are seen in pairs, or small flocks, and on
searching in the adjoining weeds and
rushes Grebe’s nests are found which it is
natural to suppose belong to the birds
seen, and to make the confusion worse, the
Eared is sometimes taken for the Horned,
and the eggs marked accordingly. So it
may happen that the eggs of the Carolina
Grebe are marked EHared, or Horned, as
the collector calls the birds seen.

I will try to describe the nest of each
species minutely enough to enable anybody
to identify them on sight. The Carolina,
or thick billed Grebe, breeds in lakes and
sloughs, among thick rushes, reeds or
grass where the water is two or three feet
deep. The old decaying rushes or reeds
are pulled together by the bird, and con-
tinually piled upon each other till the fab-
ric rises above the water. On this the
nest is built, made of moss and debris
brought up from the bottom. The struc-
ture is large under water, often as large as
a bushel basket. It generally floats, but
sometimes reaches the bottom. Above
water the nest is small, just large enough
to hold the eggs, and is almost always wet.
The eggs, six to nine in number, are clear,
bluish-white at first,- but soon become
stained by contact with the wet nest.
They are always covered in the absence of
the bird. It is surprising how quick and
effectually they will do this and get away
without being seen. The nest when filled

2 ORNITHOLOGIST

with eges nicely covered, resembles a float-
ing bunch of half decayed moss, showing

above the water about the size of an in-
verted soup-plate, and would be rarely no-
ticed by a person unacquainted with it.
I found my first nest by accident, and
could hardly believe that little bunch of
wet stuff was a bird’s nest, but I secreted
myself and watched with a glass until the
bird returned, which Pat once recognized
as a Carolina Grebe. After this I had no
trouble in finding more nests, and by set-
ting traps upon them caught several birds
and fully identified the species. The nests
are all much alike, and entirely different
from any other with which I am acquaint-
ed. They are always built in places pro-
tected from high waves, or they would be
speedily overwhelmed.

The Eared Grebe breeds in communities.
The first colony that I found was ina
small lake in northern Dakota. The nests
were built on floating debris about fifteen
rods from shore, where the water was per-
haps three feet deep. Old flag leaves,
rushes, reeds, etc., had been driven by the
wind into the point of a bay, forming a
mass two or three inches deep and several
square rods in extent. This mass was
firm enough to hold up the birds in most
places, but was full of holes where they
could dive through. There were at least
twenty-five nests, on an area of ten by
twenty feet. They were made of partly de-
cayed moss and reeds brought up from the
bottom, were small, not more than a hand-
ful of material to a nest. The eggs are
clear, blueish-white at first, but soon get
discolored by the wet nest. No nest in
this colony contained more than four eggs,
but in other places five have been found.
The birds generally cover all. The situa-
tion of their nests was entirely open, the
shore was high and completely overlooked
them. I sat on the shore and with a glass
saw the birds building nests and setting
on their eggs. As we approached in a
boat they did not seem very shy; did not

[Vol. 8-No. 1

begin to leave till we were quite near them.
Most of them covered their eggs more or
less before leaving. They mostly dove
directly from nest and came up near in a
flock. A few ran out and joined the flock
without diving. Another small colony of
these birds built their nests on bunches of
broken down rushes. The nests were small
and just above the water. No person fa-
miliar with the breeding habits of these
birds could mistake the nest of one for the
other. The Carolina nest singly, in thick
rushes, weeds or grass, sometimes a long
distance from open water, build the foun-
dation of nest, which is large, always
cover their eggs with great care when leay-
ing them, are very shy, never seen near their
nest, lay from six to nine eggs, begin lay-
ing in Wisconsin by the 10th of May, in
Dakota about the 20th.

The Eared builds in communities, in
open situations near open water, make a
small nest, on some existing foundation,
cover eges partly, or not at all, are not
particularly shy, are often seen near nest,
lay four or five eggs, do not begin laying
till June. I have carefully measured thirty
eggs of each variety. The Carolina aver-
age: 1.69X1.17. The Eared 1.75 1.19.
Contrary to my expectations the Eared are
the largest.—B. F. Goss, Pewaukee, Wis.

Expianation.—The ground owls do not
always lay more eggs than those inhabiting
trees, for I have known Wilson’s Short-
ear to lay five, the Barn Owl seven, and
heard of Great Horned Owls with four.
The Barn Owl does not seem to lay more
in the ground burrows than in trees or
caves, but varies much in number. I
think it is dependent on amount of food
and perhaps of room. I suspect the little
Burrowing Owl of Polygamy in some
cases, or perhaps it is parasitism.—J. G.
Cooper, M. D., Hayward, Cal.

[We thank Dr. Cooper for his reply, for it is in that way
we can get at facts. We have in our collection Burrowing
Owl 10, Barn Owl 8 and 7, Short-eared Owl 8, Snowy Owl 6,
Gray Owl 4, Long-eared Owl 5, Hawk Owl 6, Mottled Owl 4,
Great-horned Owl 3 and Barred Owl 3. The remarks on
Burrowing Owl will call for further careful observations—
Ep. ] ,

Jan., 1883.]

Horned Grebe in Conn.

While in the fields, July 26, my spaniel
flushed a peculiar looking bird which I
easily captured alive and found to my sur-
prise it was a male Horned Grebe, /ytes
auritus.

I kept it in a tank of water and fed it
flies and bugs, and for nine days it did
well and seemed to be very contented and
would dive with great dexterity. When ap-
proached it would utter a pitiful cry. Upon
the tenth day it refused food and died.

It was very graceful in water, but when
out it could not walk; but by the aid of its
wings could travel three or four feet, then
would tumble. When found by the dog
it was in an open lot and nearly one-half a
mile from any water. I am unable to find
any one that has ever seen or heard of this
species being found in this vicinity*before.
I now have it mounted and it makes a
valuable addition to my case of water
birds.—Chas. A. Thompson, Melrose, Ct.

Rare Specimens at Bangor, Me.

Hawk Owz shot Oct. 28th, and two fine
specimens of the Rough-legged Hawk, both
females, one in light stage of plumage, and
one in the dark stages. These birds are
very rare in this State, also an Albino
Ruffed Grouse showing entire light plum-
age, not pure white, but of a light cream
color throughout. Harry Merrill has a
specimen showing one or two white prima-
ries, but this is the only perfect Albino I
remember of being taken in this section.
It is a male and its ruffs, although quite
large are so near the shade of neck and
back as to be scarcely discernable at first
sight. It was taken at Danforth, Me., Nov.
10. One Mottled Owl was killed Oct. 8th,
by the skillful use of a bow and arrow in
the hands of a would be Indian. I re-
member but one other taken in this vicinity.

Snowy Ow1zs, unusually thick, have al-
ready received five —H. S. Bowler, Ban-
gor, Maine.

AND OOLOGIST.

[a eel
—~

Fishing and Catching Ducks.

Iwas told by a Chicagoian (a fisher-
man) that while fishing in Lake Michigan
for Trout, Pickerel, etc., with set lines,
he had often caught ducks instead of fish
in 125 feet of water. Not believing this
story I went to another person whose word
I could rely upon, Capt. Nathan Saunders,
wholesale fish dealer, Water street, Chicago,
and he corroborated his statement and
said that while in Green Bay, Wis., often
he would leave his lines set for twenty-
four hours in 200 feet of water and upon
returning he could see no ducks in sight,
and yet upon hauling up the lines would
find a duck upon the hook instead of a fish.
I call this a rather novel way of duck hunt-
ing or fishing. I have heard of catching
ducks on hooks before, but not at such a
great depth. Mr. Saunders is a good, re-
liable man.— Wm. P. Tarrant, Saratoga.

Barred Owis.—What is the matter with
the Barred Owls? Sage and I have had
more brought in than we could attend to
this Fall, and Sage tells of a taxidermist in
Hartford who has had ten. I guess the
crop was good last season.— W. W. Coe.

Canapa Goosr.—Wing-broke a Canada
Goose a year ago last Spring. I cut off
the wing where it was broken and it healed
over nicely. The bird is as tame as can
be, eating almost out of my children’s
hands. I tried to get a cross with a tame
goose and tried a gander, as I could not
determine the sex, but had no success.
Shall try again next Spring. I also havea
Great-horned Owl in a large cage which I
have had two years. Have lots of fun
with him putting in live chickens, &c. I
am only waiting, in case it happens to be
of the right sex, to have her lay me a
couple of sets of eggs every Spring, and
then I think I shall have it down fine.
You see I am getting too lazy to go out
and climb trees fifty feet high for them in
February.— W. W. Cove, Portland, Conn.

The Linnean Society.

The Linnzan Society was founded March
7, 1878, in New York City, by the follow-
ing named gentlemen: H. B. Bailey, Frank-
lin Benner, Eugene P. Bicknell, John Bur-
roughs, Harold Herrick, Dr. Frederick H.
Hoadley, Ernest Ingersoll, Newbold T.
Lawrence, C. Hart Merriam, M. D., Wil-
ham C. Osborn. The original officers were :
C. Hart Merriam, M. D., Pres.; Harold
Herrick, Vice-Pres. ; Ernest Ingersoll, Sec. ;
H. B. Bailey, Cor. Sec. and Treas. The
officers for the present year are: Eugene
P. Bicknell, Pres.; H. B. Bailey, Vice-Pres.;
L. S. Foster, Recording Sec. ; Newbold T.
Lawrence, Cor. Sec. and Treas. Eugene
P. Bicknell, C. Hart Merriam. M. D., and
Newbold T. Lawrence are the present Com-
mittee on Publications.

The Society have just issued their first
volume of Transactions which is a large
octavo volume of 168 pages, wide margin,
heavy book paper, tinted. The frontispiece
is a finely engraved portrait of Linnzeus,
after an old engraving in the possession of
Mr. L. S. Foster, by whom it was contribu-
ted.

The Society is to be congratulated on
having Mr. L. 8. Foster among its mem-
bers, for he has given us a volume of Trans-
actions that excel those issued by any pre-
vious society, and has proved by this vol-
ume that he is an “artist in the art pre-
servative of all arts.” May the present
high standard of the society be always
maintained.

The volume before us contains three pa-
pers, as follows: First—The vertebrates
of the Adirondack region, by Clinton Hart
Merriam, M. D.; Second—Is not the Fish
Crow, (Corvus ossifragus, Wilson) a Winter
as well as a Summer resident at the North-
ern limit of its range? by William Dutcher ;
Third—A Review of the Summer Birds of
a part of the Catskill Mountains, with prefa-
tory remarks on the Faunal and Floral Fea-
tures of the Region, by Eugene Pintard

1 ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No.

Bicknell. These papers have been pre-
pared with great care and are intended to
be widely. read. There is nota line that
the boy Naturalist cannot understand and
appreciate as well as the advanced Scien-
tist. The Society have wisely put a price on
the work so that all can secure a copy.

Price in paper covers, $2, in cloth bind-
ing, $3. Our foreign readers can secure
copies from W. Wesley, 28 Essex-street,
Strand, London, England.

Brief Newsy Notes.

Canapa Buntinas.—W. W. Coe, Portland,
Conn., reports, Nov. 14th, first flock of
Buntings. Two were shot.

Wuitt Heron (Herodias alba egretta,)
shot at Saybrook, Conn., Aug. 11, 1882, by
Mr. J. R. Chalker, and is now in my cabi-
inet.—Jno. H. Sage, Portland, Conn.

Snowy Own shot at Portland, Conn.,
about Nov. 18th and kept alive for some
time. It was almost white.— J. H. Sage,
Portland, Conn.

Auprno.—I have this Fall succeeded in
taking in good plumage a beautiful snow
white Hawk, PButeo borealis albino, fe-
male, average size. A few feathers on back
of head are tipped with brown. Has nested
in an adjoining town for four years. None
of the young exhibited any traces of albi-
nism. Are there many cases of albinism

with this species or with raptores in gen-
eral? Of course I have spared no pains to
make a first class specimen, and he is a
beauty—G'eo. M. Marchres, Albany, Vt.

P. S.—Our Northern birds are coming
early this Winter. The Red-polls, Pine-
finch, Pine Grosbeaks, have been with us
about two weeks.

Woop Turusues. — In my article on
Wood Thrushes in O. and O. for Novem-
ber, the printer omitted a few words that
would have given the reader a more sensi-
ble statement. The sentence “I visited
the nest the next day,” should have read

“TJ visited the nest of the Wood Thrush

the next day,” &¢c.—Chas. Edw. Prior.

Jan. 1883. ]

Field Glass.

The preliminary work of identification
is a fascinating pastime of itself, and per-
haps a few will be content to stop here, at
least, until a complete list of the resident
birds is obtained. There are others, how-
ever, who will wish to go deeper into the
study at once. The field is a wide one
and the ramifications of study are as
yarious and complex as the most enthusi-
astic workers could desire.

Some -pretty discouraging advice has
been given by would be authorities con-
cerning the first steps to be taken in this
study. We are told not to ogle the birds
with a glass, but to shoot them forthwith.

Original research may have required
this, and now, in the case of a strange
bird, it may be necessary at times to kill
it. But for ordinary workers, and for
purposes of outdoor study, a live bird,
with its habits, habitat, and surroundings,
is worth any number of dead birds in the
hand.

Boys and girls should be able to study
birds from this standpoint. A few women
are interested—many more would be, had

_ the proper encouragement been given.

A bird may often be identified by a less
number of points than those given in the
usual descriptions. I have often felt the
need of a text-book which should give
just enough of these points and no more.
A book of this kind would be greatly ap-
preciated by those studying in this way.
For instance: The size being given, the
small Maryland Yellow-throat ought to be
known by the broad black patch from the
forehead through the eye back to the neek,
and the rich yellow chin, throat and
breast. The black patches look like velvet
ear caps run in the direction of the body.
The Black and White Creeper needs but
little description. It is about the size of
a Sparrow and, excepting the belly, is
streaked entirely in black and white. The
chestnut crown of the Chippy. the pink

AND OOLOGIST. 5

2)

bill and feet of the Field Sparrow, the
breast markings of the Song Sparrow and
its song, the deep color of the Indigo
Bird and its peculiar warble, the black
cap of the Chicadee, the two broad black
bands around the neck of the Kildeer
Plover, and the black crescent on the
breast of the Golden-winged Woodpecker
ought to be sufficient, with measurements,
to enable one to identify them.

As soon as a bird is under observation
an earnest effort should be made to learn
its various calls and songs. These are
often necessary factors where doubt ex-
ists on other points. A good illustration
of this is seen in the first attempts of the
novice- to identify the Pewees. These
birds are colored somewhat alike, having
no very prominent or contrasting marks.
There is considerable difference, however,
in their notes. The Phcebe’s note is live-
lier and more rapid than the Wood
Pewee's. The latter is a long drawn,
plaintive note, which has been aptly called
“a human sigh.” Another decisive point
is the time of arrival in the Spring. The
Pheebe arrives a month earlier than the
Wood Pewee, sometimes by the middle of
March. Then we shall see it often in the
woods in the vicinity of water and along
the water courses. Another good _ illus-
tration of the value of a note is seen in
that of the Yellow-breasted Chat. The
first time I ever saw this bird my atten-
tion was arrested by a note, somewhat
rapidly repeated, which seemed in every
sense of the word a Chat. I soon saw
the bird with its yellow breast and the
name suggested itself at once. In this
case the note was quite as important as
the color of the plumage. Illustrations
of this kind could be greatly multiplied.

If you are in earnest, ways will soon be
found, perhaps original ways of your own,
to enable you to become acquainted with
every bird to be seen.

It is a pretty little game, from first to
last. a sort of hide-and-seek affair in which

6 ORNITHOLOGIST

the bird for a time may be able to elude
you completely. But at last, after much
patient work, you will have the game just
where you want it. You can name the
bird, you know its habits, all about its
mating and nesting, the size and color of
its eges, where it builds and what it eats.
You have tried to catch the meaning of its
various calls and songs with fair success.
Its form and color are indelibly fixed in
the mind and the bird has almost become
to you a veritable possession.

The work undertaken has been accom-
plished; yet, notwithstanding all this, a
new field of labor of large proportions
opens before you. The many evidences of
intelligence and reason will now occupy
your mind. The results of previous study
must become manifest. The real harvest
period has arrived, and it ought to be
fruitful.

After having made the acquaintance of
our Winter birds, the Spring migrations
will be looked for with considerable
pleasure.

The Crow will probably show the first
indications of discontent. Having made
some observations during the past season
(1882) on the mooted question as to the
migrations of Crows, I propose in the
next article to give facts and figures bear-
ing on this point.—G. R. C., Norwich, Ct.

ee

Long-billed Marsh Wren.

“There is much in a name,” and if we
judge in this instance by the length, we
might expect to see an enormous bird like
the fabulous “Roe,” and were it not for
our dislike of change of names and trouble
in definitions, we would suggest an ex-
change. But what these little visitors lack
in size they make up in numbers. They
come late in April or in the early part of
May and spread over the salt marshes
from Florida to Massachusetts ; and on the
Jersey coast one could count hundreds of
nests in an afternoon. Their song is not
sweet, for they utter a harsh cry, compared

[ Vol. 8-No. 1

by some to the noise of some large insect,
like the cricket or katy-did. They are
active and full of alarms, and the word
that enemies are at hand passes along the
line with great rapidity, so that it seldom
happens that they are surprised in their
nests, although they are impervious to the
light. Sentinels are ever on guard. Late
in April, or early in May, the flight of the
pigmies commence, and they scatter along
the creeks and speedily take possession of
any bush or bunch of reeds or grass upon
the meadows, from twenty to fifty feet apart,
and commence to make a round or globular
nest, about the size and shape of a cocoa-
nut, a foot or two above the ground, weav-
ing in the long grasses in a very weaver-
like manner around the standing reeds,
and occasionally stopping up the interstices
with mud.

The interior is lined with finer grass,
feathers, or other soft substances. The
opening is not visible but is concealed so
nicely with grass that even a mosquito
could not find its way in. The Marsh
Wren, like others of the Wren family,
from Sir Christopher down, have been fa-
mous as architects, and we have no nests
in our collection more admired, or that show
more skill] than those of the Marsh Wren,
woven in a group of cat-tails. I am in-
formed that an occasional nest is found in
the overhanging branches of trees, but
have never met with such. Their second
nests are built among the full-grown reeds,
and a nest with a few cat-tails woven in and
standing out from the top is quite a curi-
ous affair. The eggs are very small, pretty
uniform in size and shape, but varying
much in color, from a blueish white ground
to a dark chocolate color, and more or less
blotched. The eggs in one nest are gen-
erally nearly alike in color, although we oc-
casionally find some very dissimilar in the
same nest. The number varies from four
to six. In hundreds of nests I have never
found the latter number exceeded, averag-
ing five.

ae

Jan. 1883.]

The birds themselves are brown and
white, of various shadings, and their little
short tails are raised over their backs.
Sometimes old nests are found occupied,
but not often.
season. Their food consists of insects, or
their chrysalis, &c., and locating as they do
where the mosquitoes sometimes number
100 to the square inch, they would have
no trouble in filling their crops, provided
such food was desired. They do use the
mosquito before its change from its chrys-
alis, as these are found in their stomachs.
They care little for the birds of prey after
the reeds have grown, as they can escape
among them where the large birds cannot
follow. But early in the season many fall
victims to their pursuers. Were it not for
this, the increase would be more than could
be accommodated, even on these vast
meadows. Being too insignificant to shoot,
and their plumage not brilliant enough for
ladies’ bonnets, &c., they escape the guns
of the boys. I have known a collector to
obtain 400 to 500 eggs in a day, and have
myself added several hundred to the stock
of eggs for exchange, thus reducing the
valuation of Wrens’ eggs; yet I see no
diminution in the numbers of the birds in
the same locality. But their sharp little
voices sound harshly in my ears when I
think how many pairs of birds I have ren-
dered miserable in my efforts to build up a
collection of eggs.—B. B. Haines, Hliza-
beth, N. J.

pa TS

CrossBiLts.—The article on Crossbills, in
Vol Vi’ No: °3,” reminds
incident occurring three years ago during
a trip to Tennessee. I was hunting for
specimens on a clearing near Rugby, in
the eastern part of the State, when a bird
was startled and flew to a wall a rod or two
off. My eye was no sooner focused, as it
were, on him, than he dropped on the op-
posite side of the wall; but on my running
up, he was non est. The three or four
seconds I saw him were sufficient to dis-
tinguish the outlines of a Crossbill; but

me of an

AND OOLOGIST. i

They make two nests in a |

~

the place and season (August) were more
powerful an argument than my momentary
glance, and I passed on, thinking I was
deceived by the quickness of the occur-
rence. A day or two later I was surprised,
on visiting the same place, by procuring
three veritable Red-winged Crossbills from
a flock of five—two adults. one immature.
Two weeks after, while deer-hunting four-
teen miles from the former place, I saw
another, but only having a rifle, it was not
taken. Several days after this I killed two
more, four miles from the first place. My
last specimen was taken a mile from the
last locality. The habits of birds
seemed to differ essentially from others of
this erratic species. The country was coy-
ered with oak forests; the birds, keeping
near the extremities of broken limbs, ex-
ploring the holes and crevices, pulling
away the decayed wood, and devouring the
insects contained therein. My last speci-
men was shot from the roof of a log-house
stable. The workmen said the birds were
often seen thereabouts, and fed on the
manure incident to the locality.

Mr. Allen kindly compared my birds
with a large series of northern and Mexi,
can types, and considers them an interme-
diate variety, as regards the formation of
their feet and bills. My adults were all
much redder than the Mexican variety.
From the diversity of the locations, tes-
timony of the natives, the plumage of the
birds and the season of the year, it is to be
inferred that the occurrence was not acci-
dental and that they bred in Tennessee.
Sorry I am unable to give complete de-
tails, as my note-book and the skins are
with my collection in Boston.—G@. S.
Smith, London, Canada.

my

Vireinta Ratt.—Harry F. Haines of
Elizabeth, N. J., found a nest of V. R. on
the Elizabeth salt meadows contaiming
eight eggs. Haines is the king bee on
Rails’ eggs (having secured 1,000 in one
season) and Long-billed Marsh Wrens,
which he seems to find without lmit.

Notes FroM Hartrorp.—February 4,
saw a Winter Wren in a dooryard in the
suburbs. A Song Sparrow has visited my
dooryard at intervals during the Winter in
company with Tree Sparrows and Snow-
birds, feeding on crumbs with which they
were supplied. Also saw one February
22d, on bank of Connecticut River, find-
ing shelter among nooks and crevices.
One Red-headed Woodpecker has _ re-
mained all Winter in a large oak in an
open lot, where I have seen it come out of
a hole in a dead limb and make dashes out
_ into the air in manner of Flycatchers, and
returning, alight on the slender twigs of
the outermost ‘branches, swinging head
downwards, uttering its harsh notes.
Bluebirds observed on February 22d.
March 5, Crow-blackbirds and Red-wings;
also Meadow Larks. March 1st, Golden-
winged Woodpeckers were seen. March
10th, heard first Robin.—Harry 7. Gates.

Kaas 1x a Ser.—tIn answer to note in
last number of O. and O. by W. W. W., of
Shelter Island, as to Catbirds laying five
egos, I have known of several nests with
that number in them, one found this 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. I found a Robin’s nest
built on ground or edge of rock in this
place, and since I reported my nest of
seven egos. A collector found one of six
and several of five at Peace Dale, R. I.
The nest of six was brought me, but none
of the five sets, as my friend was not
aware they were uncommon. After taking
the six eggs the bird layed two more and
then deserted nest. I had a set of
Savannah Sparrows brought me, collected
by my brother from a hole in an apple
tree, the bird caught on the nest. One of
my collectors also found a set of Song
Sparrows in a similar position. As for
House: Sparrows, there is no accounting
for the places they choose or number of

8 ORNITHOLOGIS

[Vol. 8-No. 1

eggs laid. A pair took possession this
season of a hole where a Downy Wood-
pecker had a nest last year and have
raised a brood there.— Snowdon Howland.

Notes from Galesburg, IIl.

March 23.—Nest of the Great Horned
Owl in which was a newly fledged young ;
also parts of two Rabbits, several Field
Mice and some Moles. The nest had been
occupied previous seasons by Red-tailed
Hawks, and was in a large white oak.

April 19.—Saw a Loggerhead Shrike im-
pale a young Shore Lark on a thorn. The
Shrike was followed by the old Lark.

May 23—Ground Robin’s nest three
feet up ina hedge. Contents, three young
and an addled egg.

A Loggerhead Shrike came within ten
feet of where I was standing, seized a
Henslow’s Sparrow and bore it off.

May 25—Nest of the Yellow-winged
Sparrow, Field Plover, Downy and Red-
headed Woodpecker, Bank Swallow, Black-
throated Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
and Meadow Lark, all with full comple-
ments of eggs.

June 30.—Nest of Passerina cyanea
with three eggs of the Cow-bird and none
of the Indigo bird. A fourth egg of the
Cow Bunting was lying on the ground
nearly underneath the nest, and was unin-
jured. An egg of the Indigo Bird was
found on the ground twelve feet from the
nest. The eggs in the nest were partly in-
cubated.

July 1. — Found a nest of Traill’s”
Flycatcher containing seven eggs. It was
concealed among the thick foliage of
an apple tree, which showed no traces
of previous climbing. The eggs have
evidently been laid by two birds, as
four of them are of alight ground color
and quite globular, while the others are
darker, more oblong and heavily spotted.
Of twenty nests of this bird taken this
season, thirteen have contained four eggs.
—C.W. Strumberg.

~ORNITHOLOGIST

—A\ND—

JosEPpH M. Wane, Editor and Publisher.

a OOLOGIST.

Single Copy

Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
BOSTON, FEBRUARY, 1883. No.2.

VOL. VIII.

-Oological and Ornithological.

June 12th, found nest of Green Her-
on (Butorides virescens) im an apple tree,
about twenty feet from the ground. He
took from it two eggs, which I told him
was wrong, as he should have waited for
the full set. On the 15th, while passing
the tree, he saw the Heron on the nest again,
and on examination found a new egg there-
in, which, on descending, was shook out
and broken. On the 23d I sent him out
again and he took three more eggs, one of
which showed signs of incubation. Thus
‘the birds were forced to lay a larger num-
ber than usual, and under peculiar circum-
stances, I think. About the same time a
boy found another nest with five eggs in
it, but this being situated upon an island,
in a thorn tree, the water surrounding it
too high by rains, and the cold weather
here prevented our getting this set.

YELLOW-PREASTED Cuarts, (Jecteria virens,)
I found quite numerous, especially on a
place of about fifteen acres, where the tim-
ber had previously been cut down and the
stumps had been putting forth new bushes
from five to fifteen feet high; in these I
found at least thirty good nests.

American Repstart, (Setophaga ruticil-
la,) also nested quite plentifully here last
season. One of the loveliest nests I took
in May, 1881, with a set of four eggs: it
, was built in an oak sapling, at a height

level with the eyes ; it separated into three

equal branches, the nest cavity in the cen-
tre. One might stand a foot distant and
see nothing but a swelling, seemingly
caused by the branches: so neat. compact

and in mimicry to the tree trunk is the
structure built.

Woop Turvsuss, (/7ylocichla mustelina.)
The creek timbers all about here are full
of them, and the Cow-bird, (Molothrus
ater,) seems to find this nest particularly
convenient, for almost every other nest has
this parasitic egg among the rightful own-
er’s, and in some instances two and more.
My friend, Dr. Matthews, a great lover of
Oology, now in Kansas, and myself found
a nest in the Vermillion river timber, near
Pontiac, containing three of the Blue
Thrushes and three (each differently
marked) Cow-bird’s eggs. The color, con-
trast and the nicety with which they had
been placed in the nest, half to half, was
strikingly wonderful.

Cat Brrp, (Galeoscoptes carolinensis,)
very plentiful here, and I only mention
them as we have found a number of nests
with five eggs in them.

Towuee Buntine, (Pipilo erythrophthal-
mus,) was also nesting in numbers here.
The first nests found were invariably on
the ground, but the high water overflow-
ing the timber lands last Spring, caused a
second later brood, which we found in
numbers in bushes from two to eight feet
from the ground.

Prarrre Warsuer, (DVendrceca discolor.)
also nesting here in abundance.

OrcHARD AND Bartrmore OrI0LEs, (Jcterus
spurius and I. galbula.) We found seyv-
eral nests, one of the former having been
destroyed by accident when with but two
eges; the birds commenced rebuilding im-
mediately in the same tree, and, as I was
told afterwards. raised their brood.

10

Invico Buntine, (Passerina cyanea,) also
numerous here, and nests ean be found
throughout the hazel thickets.

Mocxrine Birps, (Mimus polyglottus,)
have built herefor several years, and, though
scarce, are increasing every season.

CarprnaL Grospeak, (Cardinalis virgini-
anus.) Ihaveneverheard of any ever found
here until I found a nest with four eggs in
a thorn tree, about eighteen feet high, and,
later, one with young fifteen miles south of
the former.

RosE-BREASTED GrosBEAk, Zamelodia lu-
doviciana.) Several nests found here last
season never seen here before, though the
timber was well éxplored.

_ Rep-ryvep anp Wartre-ryep Vireo, ( Vireo-
sylvia olivacea and Vireo nuveboracensis,)
were scarce here last season compared with
the previous year.

Woop Pewex ( Contopus virens,) also plen-
tiful in not too dense timber of medium
sized trees, especially oaks. I seldom find
one nest without more near by.

Scarter Tanager, (Pyranga rubra.) Al-
though we see this bird here every Spring,
few remain during the Summer, and only
two nests were found in 1881, but with the
most diligent searching by several others
for me, and seeing a pair of these birds
often in the woods, they could not be traced
to their nests.

Cepar Brrp, (Ampelis cedrorum,) A
lady sent me a Wax-wing, found dead on
the sidewalk after a fierce storm. It was
uninjured, made a fine specimen, and on
being dissected had a full-formed speckled
egg inside. The shell was almost hard.
On Aug. 12th, E. S. found a nest with
four fresh eges in an osage hedge row.
We see flocks of these birds here every
Spring for a little while, but have never
found the nest before this year.

American Goiprinca, (A stragalinus tris-
tis,) almost too numerous to mention but
fora few facts. They love to build very
near human habitations, and in the past
five years I have not found over one or

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 2

two instances throughout the season that
they did not build a short distance from a
building of some kind ; also, I found eggs
very seldom before the middle of July, but
more often after the middle of August,
and I have seen the young birds follow
their parents during quite cold weather,
late in October, but there is only one
brood here. The call of the young to
their parents, even when flying, can never
be mistaken by an experienced ear. Ac-

| cording to some other writers they raise

two broods, and much earlier than they do
here (?) I have raised these birds former-
ly for cage birds, with very little trouble,
becoming very tame, and on one occasion.
worthy of mention, I reared a nest of five,
two of which hada bright yellow crown
on their heads, size and shape of the black
top of the male in its Summer livery.
The rest were of the usual type, and I
regret to say, that just as they were about
to leave the nest, some one fed them their
last dose ; and I regret also that I did not
know enough of taxidermy then.

In reference to the notes of birds ex-
pressed in print, I corroborate exactly
with Mr. Chamberlain in December nmum-
ber of O. and O.

I never could get any satisfaction in
comparing the true notes of birds with

syllables in print. ,
I will give more notes of other birds,

ete., in some future number of O. and O.
—A. H. Mundt, Fairbury, Til.

Cardinal Grosbeak.

A common resident and one much more
noticeable in Winter than at other times.
Most of them appear to remain mated
throughout the year, for I have very sel-
dom seen an old male without a female
near by, and never two males together un-
less they were fighting. Parties of three
or four young are often found together in
Fall and Winter. In the breeding season
they have a decided preference for low,
damp thickets, and, of a dozen nests, all

"ERS.

Feb. 1883.]

AND OOLOGIST.

1]

were found near streams. The most of
these nests were in low Cedars, but two
were in tangled grapevines ; one in an alder
directly over a small stream, about four
feet from the water; one in a Wild Rose.
Five is the largest number of eggs to a set
I have ever seen; but I think three is the
usual set in this locality at least. Two of
the nests had only two eggs each, which
was the full set, as incubation was far ad-
vanced. They are among our latest breed-
ers, first sets being found about the first
of June, and one set of three was found
August 7th; incubated about one week. In
a set of five which I emptied for a friend
was a “runt egg.” I did not have time to
measure them, but the “runt” was less
than one-third smaller than the rest, and
contained a well formed embryo of the
same proportionate size as the others.
Could this have ever grown to a strong,
full-sized bird? I think, however, he
would have made way for the “sur-
vival” of his “fitter” brothers. I know of
no eggs that show as much variation in size
and markings as the eges of the ‘“Red-
bird.”
are so thickly marked with lilac, slate and

I have a set of three, two of which

brown as to cover almost entirely the
ground ; the third is grayish white, simply
flecked with spots of reddish brown and
very bright lilac; others are marked with
light reddish and faint lilac, exactly like
those of the Tufted Titmouse, and these
are generally the smallest eggs I have no-
ticed, while the larger have darker mark-
ings. Others still, look just like White-
rumped Shrikes’ eggs, and I have one set
which can scarcely be distinguished from
some Cowbirds’ eggs. The strength of this
bird’s bill is remarkable. They can easily
crush a grain of the hardest of yellow corn,
and this is no small job even for a good
set of teeth. This grain is a favorite food
with them, but when they can get it readily
they only bite out the germ. The females
of this species sing almost as much as the
males, though their song is not so rich or

—_

as loud as that of the male. If the song of
any bird could be tiresome or monotonous
to me, I think it would be this one. It is
an endless repetition of two whistles lke
“‘ White-Oak,” repeated six or seven times,
and then the same two whistles reversed
in order, as “ Oak-White” repeated about
This is all of it,
but it is such a rich, clear, flute-tlike tone,
that it would more than make up for even
a greater lackof variety than there is. This
song is the favorite one of the Mocking
Bird, and is repeated by it hour after hour.
The Redbird has also other notes, which
it uses very sparingly, however. It is a
soft warble, and can only be heard when
very near the bird. But this is far
sweeter to me than its loudersong. The
sharp “chink” is easily imitated and I have
called them -with it up to almost arm’s
length, by keeping perfectly still, but at
the first wink they were off.—Hdgar A.
Small, Hagerstown, Md.

> —-—

the same number of times.

Crow and Swnake.—While riding down
through Occum, Conn., on May 26th last,
we noticed a crow on a level garden bed
killing a snake, which was not less than
eighteen inches long. The snake seemed
fully conscious of what was going on and
tried to get away, but showed fight every
time it was seized. It was interesting to
see the crow bite him, lift him up and
throw him to the ground, keeping one eye
on us the while. This went on for some
time, the snake getting weaker every bout.
The crow evidently not liking the nearness
of myself and carriage, seized the snake
within a few inches of its head and flew
with it into the large trees beyond the
Wequonock River where we could not
watch its further operations. The snake
hung down its full length while being car-
ried over the river. Crows are great scav-
engers, especially while they have young
in the nest, and during this time they will
carry off more very. young chickens than
any Hawk in North America.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 2

The Humane Side.

We make the following extract from a
private letter received from a valued lady
friend. A lady who knows more about the
Immortal Wilson than any person living.
The father of this lady was the engraver of
Wilson’s plates as well as those of Bona-
parte’s continuation. It is not likely that
such engraving on copper will ever again
be attempted. But to our extract:

“T was very much pleased with an arti-
cle ir the O. and O. in which the writer
recommends the use of a field glass for
the purpose of watching the habits of birds.
It showed a true humanity. I cannot think
we have aright, because we have the power,
to destroy life or happiness. It has struck
me as the pertinacious robbery of the nests
of birds for their eggs, that is driving a
great many useful as well as beautiful birds
away from their natural haunts. We all
know that birds are very useful in destroy-
ing insects injurious to trees and vegeta-
tion generally, and all the good they do
none of us can know. I notice from your
Journal that im many places where certain
birds were once numerous they have be-
come very rare. Common observation
teaches us that neither bird or animal will
return or remain where they are subject to
continual persecution. I cannot see any
good it can do to science; and if it is for
the mere love of gain, it is petty larceny in
its meanest form.

In an account I read some time ago of
the increase of grasshoppers and other in-
sects destructive to vegetation in the West,
it was attributed, and I believe justly, to
the wholesale destruction of the wild Tur-
key and Grouse. It is a curious thing that
the silly vanity of women is causing the
destruction of so many beautiful birds.
Many species of Humming Birds are be-
coming almost extinct, the prices paid for
them making it an inducement for their de-
struction. I suppose, however, these things
are no business of mine, but I always pitied

suffering, and as I grow older and nearer
the grave it seems to me that cruelty is so

unnecessary.”
S a

Blue Yellow-backed Warbler’s Nest.

Some time ago Mr. Twogood of Putuam,
Conn., presented us with the nest of a Blue
Yellow-backed Warbler that is very unu-
sual in shape, and the finding of it was so
peculiar that we think it best to place it on
record. It will be noticed that Mr. Two-
good was not acquainted with the bird or
its habits, but found the nest from the
vibration alone of the hanging moss, which
must have been caused by the pulse of the
bird. When we received the nest we placed
it in warm water to get it back to its natu-
ral shape. After it was dry we measured
it very carefully and found it twenty-two
and a half inches long; and what was still
more strange there were two perfect nests,
one above the other. The one described
below was the bottom nest. The one above
had undoubtedly been used the year pre-
vious, but both nests are still perfect. But
we will let Mr. T. tell his own story.

“T was returning home from a day's
ramble down the Quinebaug River and no-
ticed, while passing a Pine tree, several
long pieces of “hanging moss” growing
from the horizontal limbs. I noticed one
piece in particular swaying to and fro while
the rest were quite motionless, and I threw
a stick at the swaying moss, when out flew
a small bird which dropped instantly to the
low bushes which covered the ground on
the river bank. I did not see the bird
again as she would not fly from the bushes.
I chmbed the tree but could not see into
the moss, so I pulled it down and found
it was a bird’s nest. The limb from which

I took the nest was about fifteen feet from ~
the ground. The nest is.a single piece of ©

moss twenty inches long and about two
and a half wide in the widest part. The
entrance to the nest is eight inches from
the top and two inches in depth. The
eggs, four in number, were so far advanced

Feb., 1883.]

AND OOLOGIST.

in incubation that I only saved one. The
only lining the nest had was two or three
horse hairs.” Mr. T. only measured the
body of the moss and not the lower portion.
During the season of 1881 Mr. Junius
A. Brand of Norwich, Conn., took us to a
colony of Blue Yellow-backs.
nests to which Mr. B. climbed contained
one of the old birds an unwilling prisoner,
as by some means it had become entan-
gled in the moss and could not escape un-
til aided by Mr. B. There were no eggs
in the nest. In this small colony of a few
trees we found some five or six nests be-
side some old ones of the year previous.

———_—$_»—_\_—_

Eggs ina Set.

In May, 1880, I took a set of six robins’
eges, and in July, 1881, a set of eight
with this peculiar history: Late in June
I discovered a pair of robins building in a
small plum tree in the yard. I visited the
nest daily when completed, and at noon of
the day the fourth egg was laid, I took the
set of four. Imagine my surprise in go-
ing out the next morning to find the nest
gone from the plum tree and at seeing it
nicely settled in the crotch of a young
maple, the next tree to the plum, with the
female upon the nest. This was about 9
a.m. About 5 p. m.I visited the nest and
found one egg, to which three more were
added in the next three consecutive days.
The sixth day I took the four, making my
set of eight. Queries: How did those
birds remove that nest intact? as they
must have done, and would the female
have laid the eight eggs had I not taken
the first four from the nest? I think she
would as they were laid in eight consecu-
tive days. I have also caused a robin to
lay eight eggs by removing one egg daily.
There were three eggs when I first discoy-
ered the nest.

A young collector here has taken three
sets of five and four of four Rose-breasted
Grosbeak’s eggs this last season. I had
always supposed four was the average

One of the

number until I saw your article in June
number giving three as the average.

That ‘“ prolific sparrow” of one of your
correspondents reminded me of a Phoebe
that I thought was quite prolific; still do
not know as it was unusual. May 14th,
1881, I took aset of five. May 21st, (just
one week) seeing the bird on the nest, I
visited it and secured a second set of five.
May 28th, (just one week later) still seeing
the birds around and on the nest again,
visited it and found a set of four. I had”
not the heart to again rob her.

Will some one please tell me the average
number of eggs laid by the Green Heron
and give me descriptions, measurements,
etc., of the eggs of the Clapper, Virginia
and Carolina Rails.—M. Day Murphey,
Jr., Cortland, N. Y.

Corrections.— Washington, D. C., Dec.
30, 1882, Dear Mr. Wade.—In “Notes
from Colorado” in the December number
of O. and O., which I have read with much
interest, are some points to which I should
like to call your attention. When speak-
ing of nest and eggs of the Mountain
Mocking Bird, Mr. Stone evidently means
Townsend's Solitaire, (IWyiadestes town-
sendi,) which has nest and eggs exactly
like those he describes. The Mountain
Mocking Bird, ( Oreoscoptes montanus), is a
bird of the sage-brush plains and mesas
exclusively ; makes its nest in “sage” (1. e.
Artemisia tridentata) bushes, and lays
eges of a bright bluish green color, spot-
ted with clove-brown. His ‘“ Oregon?
Snowbirds” are probably Junco caniceps,
(Gray-headed Snowbird); his ‘ Steller’s
Jay” is the Long-crested, and ‘“ Canada
Jay” is the White-headed Jay, (Perisoreus
capitalis.) I make these corrections with
no intention of criticising your friend
Stone, but rather for his information, since
he probably is without books to aid him in

his identifications. Very respectfully,
yours,— Robert Ridgway.

Ask your friends to subscribe.

14
Brief Newsy Notes.
Box-o-Links.—Farmers informed J. M.
W. that Bob-o- links did not put in an ap-
pearance until May 17th, near Norwich,
Coun., last year, and but few then. @

Bos-o-11nks.—In our long rides the past
Spring we did not see ten specimens.
Last Fall we clipped a piece from a Phila-
delphia paper apparently written by some
Bohemian more careful than the rest.
After describing all the methods of taking
them, and by whom he estimated the de-
struction of Reed Birds and Rail from
Bombay Hook to the mouth of the Dele-
ware River at 1,000,000 during the month
of September alone, and the number of
gunners increase year, while of
necessity the number of the Bobolinks are
becoming reduced, and this destruction is
on the first section of their flight alone,
while they have to run the gauntlet from
the Delaware to their extreme southern
destination, through the Carolinas to the
West Indies, as the “ Rice” and “ Butter
Bird.” On their return in the Spring
the trapper lays wait and takes
large quantities with the net, for which
they usually get about $3. per dozen alive.
It would seem as if the time was not far
distant when our cheerful Bobolink would
be a much rarer bird than at present, as
no law can reach such wholesale destruc-
tion through so many different States.

each

in

GREAT—HORNED Ow1s.—Have just had an-
other Great-horned Owl brought in alive.
Caught in a steel trap. He (or she) and
my old bird take kindly to each other, and
so you see I expect to be able to supply
the trade with eggs the coming season,
about the middle of February. Orders
received; first come, first served—look
lively—Dec. 25, 1882, W. W. Coe, Port-
land, Conn. Mr. Coe has had such re-
markable luck that he can well afford to
throw a joke at the rest of us. We hope
they will lay in confinement and disap-
point him.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 2

Tue Taxipermist Snow is postponed un-
til May 4, to be held in New York city.

Waurirr-wincen Coor.—Fred. T. Jencks,
Proy., R. I, reports a White-wing Coot,
probably Albinistic.

Ovr Cueck List Incomprere.—-It is an-
nounced that an Englishman has arrived
in New York with twenty-eight Ostriches
to be used in Ostrich Farming. As the
addled eggs at least will be thrown upon
the market it will be necessary to amend
our check lists. If not, why not?

Gotpen Eacir.—Jos. Skirm, Jr., Santa
Cruz, California, shot a Golden Eagle
(Aug. 38, 1882,) which measured six feet
from tip to tip of wings. length three feet,
and weighed eleven pounds. It was feed-
ing ona Ground squirrel. Mr. 8. collected
1500 eges the past season, and sold and
exchanged nearly all before Sept. Ist.

Woop Turusu.—Is not four an unusu-
ally large set of Wood Thrush? During
the past season I have found in all thirty-
seven nests, and do not remember to have
observed more than three, either eggs or -
young birds, in any nest. Also, what is the
farthest Southern limit that the Wilson’s
Thrush breeds? I have not been able to
find any nest in Chester County as yet.—
W. S. McDermond, West Chester, Pa.

OrnITHOLOGICALLY.—Previous to Novem-
ber 25th were taken near here one Snowy
Owl, one White-winged Crossbill, and a
bird called by the taxidermist Little Auk.
Probably he may be right but I can’t say
from my limited experience with seabirds.
—W. EF. Saunders, Phila., Pa.

Brack Syowsirp.—Junco hyemalis—as a
cage bird? Mr. A. B. Bailey of Cobalt,
Conn., caught one some time last Febru-
ary, and it lived until the, middle of Au-
gust—said it would eat meal. He is at the
Bank every few days and I enquire after
the bird each time. Quite a long time for
a bird to live here in a cage, as they breed
so much farther North —Jno. H. Sage,
Portland Conn.

3
Feb., 1882.]

Canapian Tartrr.—The writer in the No-
vember number, who criticised the Cana-
dian book-tariif as applied to Coues’ new
Check List, overlooked the fact that while
the Canadian duty on scientific books is
fifteen per cent., the duty when the same
books are imported into the United States
is twenty-five per cent. He says “This is
contrary to the British principles of free
trade.” Exactly so, and for that very rea-
son it is in perfect accord with the Cana
dian principles of protection.— W. #. Saun-
ders, Philadelphia.

CatirorniA Quan have been successfully
introduced into Auckland. The Acclima-
tization Society furnished Mr. T. B. Hill
with twelve brace, and when he put them
down on to their future home they seemed
to like the prospect amazingly, and being
healthy and not suffering from their long
journey, took to their legs and trotted
away in good style. So says Lanp anp
Warer of London, England.

Cuickens. I wrote you I had mounted a
black chicken which had four legs. Well, that
was before “election,” when every one was
a black Republican, but now then I am to-
night presented with a pure white one
(alive) with the same complement of legs,
hatched since the “first Tuesday of No-
vember,” showing that notwithstanding the
great political ‘ revolution,” we ornitholo-
gists keep up with the times, even if it ne-
cessitates a change of colors.—W. W.
Coe, Portland, Conn.

Bos-o-L1nks were common here during the
past Summer and stayed later than usual.
The last seen in the oat fields was August
30th. I saw but one in Kansas during a
two weeks’ stay; a male at Abilene, May
30, 1882. About thirty miles south of
Chicago, on the W., St. L. & P. R. KR, on
June 6th, they were very abundant, and
from some of the meadows the males start-
ed in large, loose flocks as the train passed.
I think that there were at least twice as
many in Northern Illinois as are found

here—John M. Howey, Canandaigua.

AND OOLOGIST.

15

GREAT-HORNED Ow1i.—On a postal card
before us Dr. Wm. Wood states that he
once took five eggs from the nest of a G.
H. O. Will the Dr. please give us the his-
tory of this find.

Cuewrnk, Cowprrp anp Woop Turusa.—
I noticed Dr. Atkins’ note concerning the
Cowbirds’ eges in the Wood Thrush’s
nest, and will] say that I have collected at
least three sets of Wood Thrush with Cow-
birds’ eges. I have also notes of the find-
ing of three Chewinks’ nests which con-
tained each two eggs of the Cowbirds.
Never saw but one instance of their laying
in the nest of the Cardinal Red-bird-— W.
T. Warwick

Late Nestine.—The latest nesting that
has come under my observation was that
of a common Dove, under date of Sept.
10, 1882. I examined the eggs, which ap-
peared to be considerably incubated, but
did not collect them. The farmer in whose
orchard the nest was situated told me that
a Red Squirrel had destroyed the half-
fledged young of this bird several weeks
before, which probably accounts for the
lateness of this set.—W. 7. Warwick,
Washington, Pa.

Cuat’s Nest.—Oct. 12th, found at Noank
an old Chat’s nest in a sweet-brier bush,
filled to the brim with leaves and debris,
but from which eggs were protruding.
Took a stick and poked out seven eggs, to
wit, three Cowbirds’ and four Chats, all
with holes picked in them. Oct. 13th,
Snow-birds common.—J. M. W.

Ovr Horrpay Brrv.—The Bluebird 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.

16

SavannaH Sparrow breeds commonly
throughout Western New York. I saw
many sets in Ward’s Museum at Rochester,
N. Y., taken in Monroe County, and I take
a few sets here each year, though the nests
are hard to find. They arrive the latter
part of April (25th, 1881, 20th, 1882,) and
depart about the middle of September,
(Sept. 19, 1882.) In abundance they rank
sixth among the Sparrows here, viz. :
Grass Finch, Hair, Song, House, Swamp,
and Savannah Sparrows.—John M. Howey,
Canandaigua, N. Y.

Lone-s1tLepD Marse Wrens.—Snowdon
Howlangl, Newport, R. I., and Will. K. Ide,
Evanston, Ill., both report seven eggs.

Snowpon Hownanp sends replies on
_ “ Wanted to Know.” He says he has whis-
tled in all the subscribers he can, and he
has done well. Thinks the Orchard Oriole
uses green material because it is easier to

work. It is not because it is easier to
work but because it can be worked without
breaking. The nest could not be built
from dry material. Straw braiders under-
stand this fully and keep wetting the straw
as they work.

Sone Sparrow.—July 2d, 1881, I secured
a bulky nest of the Sone Sparrow from a
White Pine tree near our house with a set
of five eggs. The nest was placed near
the end of, a limb ten feet eleven inches
from the ground. July 6th I found the
same pair had constructed another nest in
the same tree, six inches higher than the
first, and nearly as good, which contained
one egg. On examining the nest again
July 10th I found they had finished their
second set of five eges, which I did not
disturb, thinking that they might build
again the next year, but I looked in vain
for them.—S. 7. Kimball, Ellington, Ct.

Great Norruern Surike.—Dec. 2d, I
shot and mounted a (Great Northern)
Shrike or Butcher Bird. This is the sec-
ond specimen I ever heard of being seen
or shot in this vicinity.—S. 7. Himbail,

y Ellington, Conn.

ORNITHOLOGIST

3
ra
‘
~s
tA

[Vol. 8-No. 2

Rarzt Booxs.—In a recent letter from
W. W. Sabin, 43 Wellington-street, Strand,
London, he quotes a copy of Nuttall’s Land
and Water Birds, 2 vols, } sheep, one vol-
ume stained, price £4, 4s.; the same in
green crushed levant morocco, super extra
gilt edges, £8, 8s, 6d.

Waurrr-winecep Crosspitis. —Thanksgiv-
ing Day there was a flock of about 100
White-winged Crossbills feeding on seeds
of weeds in the fields that had been plant-
ed last year, and were so fearless that I
could get quite near them. I took a few
specimens of both sexes.—. H#. Rogers, Y
Rockport, Mass.

Syow Buntrnes have been here mare
than a month and I have seen large num-
bers of Shore Larks. Several female Pine
Grosbeaks have been seen, and one or two
taken, but no males.— 2. 2. Rogers, Rock-
port, Mass.

Batp Eacie.—On the third of Novem-
ber on coming to an opening in the woods
not far from a mill pond, I saw a Bald-
headed Eagle on the ground in a half lying
position. My first impulse was to shoot,
but as it did not move I lowered my gun
and walked up to it and found it was half
starved. I took it home and gave it good
care but it died in a few days. He is in
mature plumage, nicely mounted, and
adorns my cabinet.—Chas. EH. Bellows,
Bridgton, N. J.

Svowy Owt.—On Thursday, October 26,
I took a very fine specimen of the Snowy
Owl. Ishot him on Jones Island, Cum-
berland County. This is the first speci-
men taken here in eight years, and I feel
proud of it.—Chas. H. Bellows.

Rare Brros.—It will interest you to
know that I have taken a pure white Rail,
and still better a fine specimen of the Com-
mon Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).
These are rare specimens here. I also have
a Bald Headed Eagle I took from the nest
some nine months ago, of which I will tell
you all about in due time as I am observing
his habits carefully—Chas. H. Bellows.

_— : ‘
’

RNP H@LOGIST

—AND—

—OOLOGIST.

Single Copy

$1.00 per uses M. won, Editor and Publisher:
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
Ol. ve BOSTON, MARCH, 1883. No. 3.

Among the Buteos.

The voices of our New England Buz-
zards are again ringing through their
old haunts, and it may now be sea-
sonable to review my local notes on
their breeding habits last Spring. In
short, then, I took 104 eggs. And from
other nests in my circle of observation
were taken or destroyed by farmers, hawk-
hunters and others, sixty more eggs and
young birds. So until a more favored
breeding range is made known [I shall
claim this to be the home of the Buteos.
A correspondent in Rochester writes that
he thinks as many eggs can be taken yearly
in that vicinity, but until this is shown to
be true I shall not believe the distribution
of species is so equal. If this article could
be accompanied by a good physical map of
Norwich and its environs, it would help
greatly to support my claims. An irregu-
lar line drawn around the city just outside
the suburbs would pass through the breed-
ing places of sixteen pairs of Red-should-
ered Hawks which I marked down the sec-
ond week in April. Except a few hem-
locks, the groves and strips of first growth
are all deciduous and nearly all nut-bear-
ing. The red squirrel, which is not so re-
lentlessly shot down as his gray cousin, is
amazingly plenty in these suburban woods.
While skating yesterday on Yantic cove,
within the city limits, I saw seven squirrels
playing in the small patch above Christ's
church on the river bank. Every one who
has climbed to nests of young Buteos
nearly fledged, must have been astonished
at the great quantity of these young

rodents, Seid by the parent birds. In
one nest of Red-tailed Hawks I have seen
portions of nine red squirrels, and from
another have counted out on the ground
seven entire bodies. A game bird or chick-
en now and then, but red squirrels for
every day bill-of-fare. Mousing, Master
Buteo will go. And frogging, too, for I
have several times surprised him in muddy
sloughs in the woods, and field collectors
often are called to notice the black mud on
fresh Hawk's eggs. Given then a great
food supply and the species that follow it
will be abundant. Over the grove of sec-
ong growths to the left of Love Lane,
last Spring, I saw a pair of Red-should-
ered Hawks hovering for days in succes-
sion. I knew they were not breeding in
the patch, as they had not done so in
former years, and there were but three old
Crow's nests very low down. But to be
very sure I examined the grove repeatedly
with care and found it to be alive with red
squirrels. In one apple-tree hole was a
litter of six; in the butt of an oak were
five with eyes unopened, and the conspic-
uous outside nests were many. A Barred
Owl clung to the top of a white birch with
one claw, and was tearing away at a squir-
rel’s new domed nest with the other claw.
The Hawks had their nest with two young
in the swamp beyond, and this grove was
their handy larder, and very noisy they
were over their daily grace before meat.
The Buteos’ nests from which my ’82
series was taken, were for the most part
old ones, the very few: exceptions being
smaller than those used for several sea-
sons. The use of an old nest by the

Owl takes a hole when it can find one,
and if not, an old nest. Failing there, he
builds a very small nest of the flimsiest
sort. To show the dislike of our Raptores
to nidification, let me reproduce an avian
drama to which usher nature gave me a
free pass and open stall last Spring. The
scene opens late in March on Plain Hill,
where a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks
were furbishing up the nest in which off
and on they had bred for five years. Their
dalliance was pleasant, no doubt, but dan-
gerously long, for a Barred Owl slipped in
and laid two eggs April 1 and 3. The
Hawks were virtually indignant, and were
often seen to dash down towards the nest,
as if to dispossess the intruder, but they
always wisely stopped a few inches above
the snapping bill and mass of fluffy feath-
ers with nine points of law in its favor.
The Hawks at length went across a small
swamp and re-upholstered the nest in
which the Owl bred in ’81. I now took
the two Owl’s eggs, supposing the clutch
complete, but she then went across the
swamp and laid the third egg in her old
tenement. When I climbed to the second
nest, with the Hawks in possession, it con-
tained three Buteo’s eggs and one Barred
Owl's. Blowing showed that the Owl’s
ego was slightly incubated, and it would
have been interesting perhaps to have let
nature had her course with this motley
clutch. The unwearied owl now went
back to the first nest and laid and hatched
her second clutch of two eggs. Oviposit-
ing after a while again becoming a neces-
sity for the Hawks, they too repaired to
the opening scene of our drama from
high life, and after a few noisy demonstra-
tions against the Owl, took up their new
quarters in a tree within gunshot of the
first. The nest was so small I could not
believe that even our smallest Buteo (penn-
sylvanicus), could breed in it, though I saw
the great female Red-shouldered come from
it, and could see that it was feathered

ORNITHOLOGIST [Vol. 8-No. 3

it to have a very large and bright initial
egg, which was riddled with shot the next
day by so-called hawk-hunters. The ma-
rauders completed the series of reprisals
by carrying away my young owls.

Aside from my first object, I have dwelt
on the final details of this little tragedy,
because it also is a fair illustration of the
domestic troubles of the Rapaciz here in
the breeding season. With every man’s

hand against them—hunter, farmer and

collector—it is a continued source of won-
der that so many eggs, are taken and so
many hawks left. Some may be alien birds
drawn by the food supply. But as a solu-
tion to this question it is not unreasonable
to suppose that later in the season when
the farmers are busy with field work and
the collector is eagerly following.the small
birds in their Summer homes in the out-
skirts_of the woods, that made wary by
pursuit, and screened by the dense foliage,
the resident Buteos manage to “steal” an
occasional nest and bring up enough young
to keep up the old local race. This idea
is in part born out by the fact that in my
Winter tramps through our leafless woods,
I now and then run across a Hawk's nest
which I knew was not there the year before
and the first chapter of whose life history
had not been revealed to me.—J. M. W.,
Norwich, Conn.

Notes from Nebraska.

April 21, ’82, found my first nest of the
American Long Eared Owl. “Twas in the
forks of a small white oak tree fifteen feet
from the ground and contained five eggs
ready to hatch. It resembled that of the
Common Crow, only smaller. While I was
examining this nest the old birds showed
their displeasure by flying and darting
close to me, continually snapping the bill.

At times they would alight upon the
ground and with spread wings and tail
flutter around, doubtless for the purpose
of alluring the intruder from their nest.

March, 1883.]

The same day I found the nest of a Black
Cap Chickadee containing six fresh eggs.

April 23d I found the nest of a Screech
Owl in a hollow oak tree twenty inches be-
low the opening. It contained three fresh
eges. From this same tree during the
Winter of 1881 and ’82 I captured five fine
specimens of this owl.

May 1st I took another set of eggs of
the American Long-eared Owl. This, like
the former, contained five eggs and they
were incubated about two weeks. Another
nest was found on May 4th with five eggs
almost hatched.

“May 6th I discovered the nest of a Red-
tailed Hawk in a Red Elm tree fifty-eight
feet from the ground. After a very hard
climb I found the nest contained four (?)
young about two weeks old. On the 13th
of May I found two more nests of this
hawk, both of which contained eggs ; one
two, and the other three.

May 18th I was informed by a herder or
“Cow Boy” that he had found a burrow
on the prairie inhabited by a Burrowing
Owl. The next evening armed with a spade
we repaired to the place and after digging
six feet we came upon the nest.
about two feet under the ground and con-
tained nine young of various sizes, and two
egos, one of which was pecked. The bur-
row was evidently made by some burrow-
ing animal, probably a skunk.

It was

Coorrr’s Hawx.—The following is the
date of different nests found this year:
May 11th, one nest containing four fresh
eges. May 15th, one containing four and
another containing five eggs, all of which
were fresh. May 17th, two more nests con-
taining five eggs each. These were slightly
incubated. May 11th I received a full set

of eggs of the Marsh Harrier, five in num-

ber. The nest was placed on the ground
in the prairie grass. Two more nests were
found, May 18th, containing respectively
five and six eggs. These last were slightly
incubated. May 17th I also found a nest of
the Short-eared Owl. It was on the

AND OOLOGIST. |

ib

ground in the prairie grass and contained
eight beautiful white eggs. A good Pointer
dog is invaluable to any one collecting eggs
here, as these Owls and Hawks give chase
whenever he comes near their nest. The
dog will come very handy also to find the
nests of Prairie Hens, Plover, Larks, &c.
—H. A. Kline, Polo, Lil.

——> SS

The Prothonotary Warbler.

This beautiful little Protonotaria ci-
trea is quite rare in Kansas, yet I had the
good fortune to find four nests last June.

Early in May I saw a Downy Wood-
pecker making an excavation in the dead
limb of a small elm tree standing on the
edge of a forest and on the bank of the
Big Blue River. I watched the tree for
several days, but, for some cause, the birds
abandoned the work.

On June 9, in passing this tree I saw a
bird fly from the hole so swiftly that I could
not determine the species. I hid in some
bushes near by, and after waiting about
ten minutes was rewarded by seeing a pair
of the Prothonotary Warblers approach
through the trees. They flew directly to
the elm tree; and, after a moment's hesi-
tation, the female entered the hole, while
the male flew away into the forest.

I then crept silently to the nest, which
was not more than six feet above the
eround. By quickly placing my hand over
the hole and allowing sufficient opening
between my thumb and finger for the ad-
mission of the bird's head but not its body,
I easily caught the bird and examined it
at my leisure. I have frequently caught
Woodpeckers, Bluebirds, Chickadees and
Wrens in this manner.

When the bird was released it uttered a
short, distinct call which brought the male
bird promptly from the trees near by. They
then flew away together.

Returning to the tree I secured the nest
and complement of five fresh eggs.

This nest was composed of fine grape-
vine bark, dry weeds, and horse hair. The

20

structure was rather frail and deeply
rounded. Around its upper edge were ar-
rayed bits of skeleton oak leaves whose
delicate lace-like tracery of veinlets gave
evidence of greater taste than I had before
seen in bird architecture.

The eggs were much rounded in shape.
The color was white with a pinkish hue,
and dotted with spots of brown and laven-
der. At the larger end these spots were
so thick as to become confluent. The eges
were similar in size and markings.

Two more nests of this bird were re-
ported to me on the same date, June 9.
Upon visiting them I found in one five
young nearly fledged, and in the other two
addled eges.

A week or more after the discovery of
the first nest I found a pair of the birds
not far from the same place. I watched
them closely and afterward frequently saw
the male alone, but. failed to find the nest
until after the young had left it, when
I found it in the deserted nest of a Blue-
bird not a hundred feet away from a dwell-
ing house.

T identified the nest by its peculiar ar-
chitecture and a few egg shells at the base
of the tree.

These four nests were alike in situation,
all being in damp forests near the river,
and in deserted nests of other birds, about
six or seven feet above the ground. They
were all built of like material and were
ornamented with skeleton leaves. Two of
the nests were in elm trees and two in wil-
low stumps. I have read no description of
the nest of this warbler and do not know
whether the above agrees with the expe-
rience of older observers.—D. H. Lantz,
Manhattan, Kan.

See pages 53 and 65, Volume vi, for other Notes.
pan a

SreaL Our Articies.—Oh, yes! keep on
stealing them; never mind the credit.
It's only an article.

Subscription price, $1 per annum.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 3

Wanted to Know.

Why and by whom Maryland was pre-
fixed to “ Maryland Yellow Throat,” which
a correspondent thinks should be named
Maryland Black Eye.

Why, and how the “Purple Finch” re
ceived its name when it is not purple.

Why the “California Woodpecker” se-
lects “sound acorns only to store away”
when it lives on an insect diet. William
Stembeck suggests that the acorns rather
contain the germ of the grub which de-
velopes while being in store.

Wanted to know more about the “ Ash
Throated Flycatcher” and Feruginous Buz-
zard.” If Gentry has yet discovered that
his statements of the Bluebird’s migration
are not true. The Hash diet he gives this
bird is beyond the power of mortal man to
say whether it is true or not, but the
“Blythe and Bonny” Bluebird sings all
the same, and is with us all the year, and
does often lay six blue eggs and white ones
not uncommon.

ee ee ee

Notes from Manhattan, Kan.

Of five nests of the Ground Robin found
by me last Spring only two were on the
ground. One was six feet above ground
in a greenbrier (Smilax.)

Last Spring the Harris Sparrow remained
with us until the latter part of May. Dur-
ing May I found in nests of other birds
several parasitic eggs which did not re-
semble those of the Cowbird in shape, size
or color. They were much smaller, elon-
gated in shape, and the markings were
lighter. I found many Cowbirds’ eggs
later but none like these. The query pre-
sented itself whether the Harris Sparrow
could have laid these.

Ocr. 1, 1882.—Saw a Mourning Dove
sitting ons two eggs, apparently fresh.

Dec. 30.—Saw thousands of Bluebirds
and Robins in the woods. Saw two Ground
Robins, (Pipilo erythrophthalmus.) — D.
EK. Lantz.

March, 1883. ]

Crark on “ Gutt Istanp.”—This young
Tern was about two-thirds grown, without
feathers, only sprouting quills, and was
covered with thick gray down, and the
fish, a Herring, was fully as long as the
bird, and very nearly as heavy, and was
about half swallowed. They lay on the
ground, the bird flat on its side, and I sup-
posed it was dead, but lifting it up and re-
moving the fish I found the bird was all
right and ready for another. The head of
the fish was partly digested. I would not
suppose it possible for a Roseate Tern to
have captured or carried to land so large
a fish—much less such a little fellow at-
tempt to deglutinate so immense a morsel
proportionably. — John N. Clark, Old
Saybrook, Conn.

Natorauist Manvat.—We have received
from the author, Oliver Davie, of Colum-
bus, Ohio, a small 8 vo. book of 125 pages
with the above title. It is a compilation
from the best sources, chiefly Baird, Brewer
and Ridgway, and is intended for collectors
of Birds, Nests and Eggs, with full instruc-
tions how to collect and how to preserve
them. It is a most excellent plan partially
carried out, being from Turdide to Tana-
gride. Itis just the book for young or-
nithologists and those working in the field,
and equally valuable as a book of refer-
ence for any devotee to the science. We
hope Oliver will get encouragement enough
to complete the work at no distant day.

We also received a fine cabinet photo-
graph of two Golden Eagles, mounted by
Mr. Davie.

AND OOLOGIST.

Technical Matters.

Our ideas on technical terms are not
well understood by some of our readers.
We have the highest regard for advanced
scientists and closet naturalists, but as sci-
entists from education and force of habit
write only in their technical language,
which young naturalists cannot understand,
we have considered it a duty to our young
aspirants for ornithological knowledge to
publish bird life in plain English, always
giving scientific terms, but only once, after
that the English name only. We are in
perfect harmony with scienge. We are an-
tagonistic to nothing that is honest in na-
ture. We claim the right to express our
views when ornithological trash is placed
upon the market for our patrons to buy.
We are antagonistic to no other publica-
tion. We claim the right to point out what
we believe to be errors, wherever found.
This is our platform and please remember
it, and don’t forget that our readers are
hungry for every item of genuine news re-
lating to the life history of our birds, which
will be thankfully received ; and whenever
possible take the name, both English and
scientific, direct from the check list. If any
other list but the Smithsonian is used give
the name, describe your observations care-
fully, always bearing in mind that too
much dry science tends to rob a subject of
its general interest.

UG Birds ae Ohio.’”’

Our thanks are tendered to a friend who
kindly remembered us with two copies of
this work, which we have looked over as
carefully as our limited time would admit.
Our first search was for something new,
but we found it not; we turned to the
Snowy Owls, expecting that the author
would either prove or disprove Audubon’s
story of shore birds at the Falls of the
Ohio, or at least have something to say
about it, but not a word. It would seem
to us that the author did not read the or-
nithological literature of the day, did not

have any wide-awake correspondents in the
field, and had but a limited library of ref-
erence. We are sorry that he has made
such poor use of the State's money, and
yet Doctor J. M. Wharton, the author,
states that it has been six years in prepara-
tion. The time has been badly spent and
he has lost a golden opportunity of doing
a good work for the ornithologists of
America.

“Woop Ducxs.”—We have received an
uncolored copy of Mr. Sheppard’s “ Wood
Ducks,” which is a phototype by F. Gute-
kunst in the best style of the art, and is
from a fine colored drawing by Mr. Shep-
pard, which we had the pleasure of seeing
at the Academy of Natural Science. The
_ Wood Ducks are a beautiful group and
very life-like. Our readers will do well to
secure a copy of this work at the low price
at which uncolored copies are offered.

Docror Coves Sarp Ir.—The Nuttall
Bulletin for January opens with a very
pretty gossipy article by Dr. Coues, adver-
tising the new edition of his “Key -to
North American Birds,” which is fast ap-
proaching completion. In this article the
Dr. “suggests the propriety of calling a
Congress of American Ornithologists to
discuss, vote upon, and decide each case in
which the Doctors disagree.” We have no
room to discuss the question in this num-
ber, but simply for the present to place it
on record, for it is a very important mat-
ter. The Doctor compliments the O. and
O. through something with a fearful name.
We hunted it wp, and found it was a bird,
and with a lovely English name. Why,
Dr., how could you make such a mistake?

Ipswich Sparrows.

On Nov. 21, '82, I had occasion to go to
Ram Island Beach. This is a wide sandy
beach some fifty acres in extent, and cov-
ered with beach grass, and in some parts
with bushes and small cedars. As I was
about to leave I saw several sparrows fly
up and alight on the cedars, and at the

22 3 ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 3

first glance it struck me that they were
Ipswich Sparrows, and as if to convince
mea Song Sparrow flew up beside one of
them, showing off the large size and pale
tints of the former very markedly. Hay-
ing no gun I reluctantly left, but returned
in the afternoon, and after some hunting
secured all three of them. Two of them
measured 64 inches in length ; the 3d 6 in.
Since then I have searched the beach over
carefully but found no more specimens of
Passerculus princeps. Saw flocks of Les-
ser Redpolls on Dee. 5th and 6th.

Pre Fincues were abundant here in the
Fall. Mr. Worthington secured sixteen at
one shot. Some small boys killed two.—
Moses B. Griffing, Shelter Island, N. Y.

Capt. Chas. E. Bendire, @2,a28.

Under date of Dec. 29th we have a long
letter from the Captain detailing many of
the duties at his new post, which seems so
far to quite fully occupy his time; so much
so that what spare time he does get is en-
tirely taken up collecting and making spec-
imens, so that instead of writing notes for
our readers, he is making them to be used
in the future. We will make a few extracts
from his letter such as will interest our
readers generally: ‘“ However with all
the drawbacks I am making some head-
way in my collection, and am getting some
good things. I have now catalogued 375
skins since my arrival here, and 300 of
these I have made since Sept Ist, besides
a great many alcoholic specimens not
counted in the above.
mild Winter, the snow is only about a foot
deep, when in other seasons it has been
three feet deep at this time. Birds are
scarce—about twenty species comprise the
nore common Winter residents. The wa-
ter birds are too far off for me to trouble
them much—the nearest point on the lake
is ten miles. I had hoped to find some
rare Winter birds and plenty of them as
at Camp Harney in ’75 and ’76, but there
are very few, and even Owls and Hawks

We are having a.

March, 1883. ]

are not near as plenty about the post here
as at Walla Walla. I presume the marshes
near the lake are full of them, but they are
almost impassible. When the lake and
marsh freeze over I expect a lot of birds
will be driven up toward the post, and by
that time very likely there will be so much
snow that I cannot get the birds.”

It has been whispered among a few that
Captain Bendire was to take up American
Oology where the late Dr. Brewer left it,
and it is to be earnestly hoped that this
will be brought about at no distant day,
for the department can well afford to do it
as a very large edition would find a ready
sale if it was found necessary to sell it, as
the department now does the first volume,
besides being one of the very few capable
of undertaking this work. There was a
warm friendship between him and the
late Dr. Brewer that the death of the
latter has not in the least diminished
in the other. For the above reasons
Captain Bendire is the one above all oth-
ers to finish the work so well begun by his
friend the late lamented Dr. Brewer.

Night Herons Breeding on the Marsh

While collecting on the marsh I noticed
many Night Herons, and enquired of the
hunters and trappers if they found any
nests in the trees on the islands in the
marsh, but they did not, but had found the
nesting place on the marsh. I went for
them with a boy for guide. We rowed up
a channel as near the place as possible,
when they began to leave their nests in
the grass and rushes. When forty rods
off we left the boat and waded. The bogs
are a kind of floating sod, with two or
three feet of mud and water under them,
and sink at each step. The first nest was
in the rushes and built of rushes, about
one foot high and about the sume width,
with just hollow enough to keep the eggs
from rolling out. Other nests were in the
grass, but most of them were in the cat
tail flags, in holes which had been burned

AND OOLOGIST.

23

in the dry time. The nests in the flags
were built of pieces of flags, both leaves
and stalk. Those in the grass were built
of rushes and flags. The nests con-
tained from one to five eggs each, but
mostly three—two sets of five and a num-
ber with four. I took about forty set that
day—the larger sets were incubated, but
about half were fresh. I went a second
time to the marsh and gota lot of eggs.—
Delos Hatch, Oak Centre, Wis.

Brief Newsy Notes.

Buack-packED Wooprrecker.—In Michi-
gan, while camping about fifteen miles
from Little Traverse Bay, I saw three
specimens, but not having a gun I did not
secure any.— W. J. Simpson.

Larce Ser or Eaeas.—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. -/.
Simpson, Ithica, N. Y.

Barrep Own.—A very fine specimen was
brought me by a friend a few days ago,
who, while driving along saw it perched on
the fence. - A club was thrown at it, but as
it did not move my friend walked up to it
and found it was blind. He lifted it into
his sleigh and brought it in, when I found
that the bird had had iritis, in which ex-
treme adhesions had taken place, render-
ing the eyes almost wholly useless. The
bird has a fine plumage although almost a
skeleton.—G. A. McCallum, Dunville,
Ontario.

Ornithological works, written by honest,
conscientious men, never deteriorate in val-
ue, but advance to a premium as soon as
the edition is exhausted.

Buuesirps. As I am writing this 10
A. m. I think I hear a Bluebird, and on
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,
but it’s certainly the latest for '82.— W.
W. Coe, Portland, Conn,, Dec. 31, 1882.

24

SHARP-SHINNED Hawk.—S. F. Rathbun,
Auburn, N. Y., reports shooting a Sharp-
shinned Hawk, Jan. 16.

Rine-srtLeD Guii.—April 29, ’82, I shot
aspecimen of Larus Delawarensis at Roch-
ester, N. Y. It proved to be an adult fe-
male ; length 21.50 inches, extent 49.50.—
C. H. Wilder, Syracuse, N. Y.

SporreD Sanpprper.—July 12, 82. Saw
a Sandpiper (probably the spotted) with
something that looked like a minnow in its
bill. Do they eat fish?—C. H. Wilder,

Syracuse, N. Y.

Kine Fisner shot at Portland. Conn.,
Jan. 14, in good plumage.— W. W. Coe.

Owrs.—Messrs. Southwick & Jencks re-
port about 150 Owls this season—about
seventy-five Barred Owls, and including all
the varieties but Great Gray and Hawk
Owls. Among them is a Sparrow Owl ta.
ken near Providence and nineteen Snowy
Owls, one nearly white.

Gotpen Eactr.—A. D. Butterfield, San
Jose, California, shot a young male Golden
Eagle, Dec. 20, 1882, which measured 33
inches in length, 6 feet 54 inches across
the wings, 24 inch wing, 24 inch tail. A
good skin was made from it.

PryE Grospeaks. — Saw six Pine Gros-
beaks, Dec. 17. They were very tame—al-
most touched one with my hand—no old
ones among them—these are the first speci-
mens noted this season.—John H. Sage.

A Snowy Ow1 was seen here on Sunday
and followed across the river but not killed.
John H. Sage, Portland, Conn.

Kees my a Ser.—May 30, ’81, found set
of five Catbird’s eggs—nest in hazel bush.
In West Newton, Mass., June 20, ’81,
found set of six Bluebirds in bird box. In
Peotine, Ill., have found seven American
Bittern ; usual set three or four and some-
times five. Also a set of seven White-
rumped Shrike; usual set five; have found
six.—D. HT. Faton, Woburn, Mass.

Axpino Repwine Buackpirp, (A geleus
phoeniceus). — From a flock of Redwing

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 3

“Starlings” I shot an Albino of a beauti-
ful Golden Yellow except the wings which
are white. The iris and tarsus were pink.
—Dr. F. W. Goding, Kaneville, Iil., Sep-
tember 1, 1881.

Crapper Rais’ Eaas.—During the sea-
son of 1881 1,000 eggs were taken from a
tract of land not two miles square, and yet

|} not half was taken that could have been.

These eggs were taken to sell for cooking
purposes in New York market.

THe Worip Moves and so do some of our
young men. Sovuruwick & Jencks are out
with a new Checking List that leaves our's
in the shade, and they are preparing a
catalogue that will excel anything yet pro-
duced in that line. These two boys have
got a collection together that is worth go-
ing a very long distance to see, only leave
your wallet at home, and “Lead us not
into temptation.”

‘“ Brown Creeper,” Certhia familiaris,)
winters in dense woods, but very rarely.—
A. Hall, Hast Rockport, Ohio.

Witp Goosr.—I saw a Wild Goose last
night that was shot January 4 in the Mid-

dlefield Reservoir, two or three miles out ~

of the City of Middletown. He had been
seen in several places within a few miles of
here all Winter. Could fly well enough
and I could find no wounds on him except
the fresh ones. ‘Every day brings some-
thing new.”— W. W. Coe, Portland, Conn.

J. L. Goff writes that this Goose had
been in the company of a flock of crows
during the Winter.

Axpino Cowerrp.—Aug. 11, 1881, while
at Kaneville, Ill., I shot an Albino Cow-
bird (Molothrus ater.) It measured 74
inches long and was of a creamy white
color with the exception of the head and
breast, which were a little more on the yel-
low tint. It was with a flock of Redwing
Blackbirds. When I picked it up its eyes
shone like fire. The iris was of a fire red.
The pupil being pink the effect can be
imagined. I could not discern the sex.—
Jos. L. Hancock, Chicago, Li.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

$1.00 per

OOLOGIST.

JoserH M. Wane, Editor and Publisher.

Single Copy

Annum. Established, March, 1875. i 10 Cents.

VOL. VIII.

As you have so kindly consented to pub-
lish the notes and observations made by
my fellow laborers, I send herewith a par-
tial list of the stations and observers. It
is expected that by your next issue the list
will be complete and the rest of the names
will then be forwarded. In giving the
notes the endeavor will be to condense
them as much as posssible ; for that reason
in future in referring to the different sta-
tions and observers, the numbers as given
below will be used.

For the benefit of those who are not al-
ready acquainted with the work, I will say
that our aim is to study in concert and in a
thorough and scientific manner the migra-
tion of birds in the Mississippi Valley,
but the work will necessarily include a
large amount of general study of their
habits, food, ete. The chief merit claimed
for the work is that it is carried on by many
observers, all working together toward one
common end, and hence each assisting the
others to better and fuller results.

No. 6, Texas, Waxahachie, S. W. FLorErR.
‘“* 8, Georgia, Rising Fawn, J. T. PARKER.
** 14, Mississippi, Oxford, Prof. R. B. FuLToN.
‘** 12, Mississippi, Jackson, A. G. GALE.
“13, Mississippi, Canton, T. S. Warp.
** 15, Tennessee, Dyersburg, H. 8. PELL.
“16, Tennessee, Duck River, J. B. CATHEY.
‘“* 17, Tennessee, Gardner, A. J. Rooks.
“18, Tennessee, Southside, Dr. T. H. RYE.
** 21, Kansas, Manhattan, D. E. Lantz.
** 22, Kansas, Manhattan, C. P. BLAcHLy.
Kentucky, Mooleyville, C. B. Wient.
“* 26, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Prof. F. L. HARVEY.
Missouri, Kahoka, W. S. BAKER.
** 30, Missouri, St. Louis, O. WipMANN.
*“* 31, Missouri, Glasgow, Prof. TRowBRIDGE.
‘* 32, Missouri, Glasgow, T. B. Smrru.
** 33, Missouri, Kansas City, G. E. StrinnweELw. .
** 35, Illinois, Anna. C. W. BuTLER.

- PS
= a
bo no
=) ~

gs . s

7

. 36, Illinois, Adin, W. D. H1x1s.

“* 37, Illinois, Jacksonville, J. E. Hormann.

“¢ 38, Illinois, Liter, Dr. S. GrirFin,

*¢ 39, Illinois, Ellsworth, D. ARRowsMITRH.

** 40, Illinois, Osceola, Dr. E. O. BoAaRDMAN.

§° 41, Tllinois, Polo, H. A. Kine.

** 43, Iowa, Grand View, W. A. LesTER.

“* 44, Towa, Coralville, Mrs. V. S. W1LLIAMs.
“45, Iowa, Wankon, E. M. Hancock.

“ 46, Iowa, Douglas, D. H. VERMILYA.

* 47, Iowa, Mitchell, J. W. LINDLEY.

** 51, Wisconsin, Racine, Dr P. R. Hoy.

*¢ 52, Wisconsin, Jefferson, W. W. CooKker.

‘* 53, Wisconsin, West Depere, S. W. WILLARD,
“54, Wisconsin, Brookville, L. A. Smrru.

** 57, Minnesota, Hastings, Rev. G. B. Pratt.
“58, Minnesota, Hutchinson, Wm. ToMLINSON.
** 60, Minnesota, Elk River, VERNON BAILEY.

It will thus be seen that the stations
cover pretty thoroughly all the ground
from the Gulf of Mexico to British Ameri-
ca. There are, however, still some gaps
which I should like to have filled. Ne-
braska and Indian Territory lack observers,
and it is desirable to have more observers
in each of the extreme Southern States.
If any of the subscribers of the O. and O.
would like to join in the work, drop mea.
postal and I will send circular of. full in-
structions.

Among the reports sent in of Winter
birds there are two which deserve special
mention as showing the very unequal dis-
persion of birds. The first is from No. 30
and the other from No’s 21 and 22. Here
are two places in nearly the same latitude
and about 400 miles apart. The records
show that the temperature and weather of
both were about the same; yet the bird
life is very different. At both stations
counts were made, so that we have an exact
basis for comparison and are left to the
vague terms numerous, common, scarce,
&c. The dates are the same, being about

26

dent birds we have the following differ-
ences:

Rosin. (30) not seen. (21) in one day
2,000 individuals. “They have not been
considered a Winter resident here, but

there have been no seasons in which I

could not find a few in sheltered localities
during mild weather. This is the first sea-
son that I have seen them numerous. Wild
grapes, berries, and hackberries are quite
plentiful in the woods, and as they are fa-
vorite food of the robins it may account for
their presence.” A later letter, Feb. 5,
says: “The robins still remain with us in
spite of the severe weather of the last few
weeks, but they are not so numerous as be-
fore the middle of January.”

Mockrnesirp. (30) three birds seen.
(21) and (22) none seen.

Buvesirp. (30) seen but no flocks, only
single birds: 5 birds in 23 miles travel.
(22) 20 birds in1 mile. (21) 250 in two
miles.

Turtep Trrmousr. (30) too numerous
to be counted; generally in family groups
of 6—8 birds and conspicuous in every
grove. Itis a true resident. (21) and (22)
not seen.

Brown CREEPER.
one bird, Jan. 21.

Carona Wren. (30) a true resident. In
sunny days its call is often rmging through
the wood. (21) and (22) not seen.

Winter Wren. (30) not seen. (21) and
(22) each 1 bird. Dee. 30.

YELLow-ruMP Warsuer. (30) two flocks
seen of respectively 10 and 22 birds. They
were active and frolicking in spite of the
frosty weather, going through the wood
just as they do in Spring. (21) Jan. 5,
three birds. (22) Jan. 4, 6 or 8.

LoaererHEap Surike. (30) 2 birds, Dec.
30. (21) and (22) not seen.

Purpeite Fincn. (30) in 9 miles saw 30,
most of them in brown dress, but a few
with purple head and rump and even pur-
ple breast. (21) and (22) not seen.

(38) not seen.

(21)

day, about 40 in 23 miles. (22) not seen.
(21) 75 in 2 miles, 20 in 4 miles.

Prive Goxuprincu. (30) not seen this Win-
ter nor last. (22) 1 bird. (1) 6im4
miles.

Lartanp Lonaspur. (30) not seen. (22)
50 in 1 mile and (21) 100 in 2 miles.

Harris's Sparrow. (30) not seen. (21)
and (22) a few each day. 32 in 6 miles.

Wuirr-crowNeD Sparrow. (30) single
birds only; 6 seen in 19 miles. (21) and
(22) not seen.

WHITE-THROATED Sparrow. (30) in small
flocks; 24 in 15 miles. Some with bright
yellow, but the majority in very plain dress.
(21) and (22) not seen. :

TREE Sparrow. (30) this species holds
the second place in regard to numerical
strength of our Winter visitants; 150 in
27 miles. (21) 200 in 4 miles. (22) 25 in
1 mile. (21) 100 in 2 miles.

Buack Snowsirp. (30) met with every-
where; most numerous of the Winter vis-
itants ; 500 in 27 miles. (21) 50in 4 miles.
(22) 30 in 1 mile.

Sona Sparrow. (30) not many, but cer-
tain to find a few along the banks of creeks ;
12in 1 mile. (21) and (22) not seen.

Towner Buntine Cuewrnk. (30) 3 birds
seen Dec 30. (21) and (22) each 2 birds,
same day.

CarpinaL GrosBEak. (30) seen every day,
singly or in pairs. (21) 150 in 4 miles; 200
in 2 miles. (22) 30 in 1 mile.

Rusty Grackie. (30) a flock of about
30 resting on a high tree near the border
of a wood. Dec. 28. Not usually found
here in Winter. (21) and (22) not seen.

Crow. (30) thousands roost every night
in the willows on the Illinois side of the
Mississippi River. During the day they

disperse over an immense district, some —

going even 20 miles away. But all return
in the afternoon. (21) 10 in 4 miles; lin
2 miles. (22) 6 in 1 mile.

Suore Lark. (30) 9 in 6 miles. (21) and
(22) 50 in 4 miles.

April, 1883.]

RepHEADED WooppeEcKER. (30) two single
birds and a pair seen in a week. (21) and
(22) not seen.

ReEpD-BELLIED WoopPECEER. (30) none seen.
(21) 8 in 4 miles.

YELLOW-BELLIED WoopPEcKER. (30) one
seen Dec. 28. (22) 1 captured Nov. 30.

Yettow SuHarred Fricker. (30) two seen
inaweek. (22)8 in 1 mile (21) 6in 4
miles.

Hysrip Fricker. (30) not seen. (22)
1 in 1 mile. (21) 1 in 4 miles, and Dec.
30, 25 in 2 miles.

Krertsuer. (30) not seen. (21) one seen.

Movurnine Dove. (30) not seen. (22) 1
(21) 30 to 40 in 4 miles.

It will thus be seen that the number of
species is about the same but the kind of
species quite different. Those of (21) and
(22) lean toward the prairie birds, while
(30) found the birds which prefer timber.
The great difference in the number of indi-
viduals at the two places is probably due
largely to the fact that (30) worked almost
entirely within the present city limits of
St. Louis, while (21) and (22) had a much
less densely populated region to explore.—
W. W. Cooke, Jefferson, Wis.

Notes from Bloomington, Ind.

During my residence here (since Sept.
1881) my duties have been such as to
allow much less time for observing the
birds of the vicinity than I would like to
have had. Yet I have made some obser-
vations worth recording. The most im-
portant of these is, perhaps, the finding
of the Southern

Mocxrnesirp. (Mimus polyglottus) at
this place, which I believe is farther north
than it has been found before in this state.
Prof. Byayton, in his list of Indiana Birds,
speaks of one reported ag nesting near
Indianapolis, but he does not vouch for
the correctness of the statement. The
only individual I have seen here was on
April 29, 1882. I was passing through

seen.

AND OOLOGIST.

the cemetery just west of town, when I
saw a fine male perched near the top of a
cedar tree. The morning was a glorious
one. All nature seemed to be rejoicing at
the return of another Spring-time, and
Mimus was pouring forth his feeling in such
a melody as he alone commands. His
general behavior, his shyness, and his
powers of flight, all went to prove that he
was not an escaped cagebird, but a free,
wild songster fresh from the sunny South.
My friend, Prof. D. S. Jordan, was inclined
to be a little skeptical when I reported
this “find” to him; but a month later
(May 29), while on a “geological tramp”
with him and a party of students to Wy-
andotte cave, we had the good fortune to
come upon another of this species. It
was some thirty-five miles south of here in
Orange Co. He was upon the top of a ‘tall
beach snag; was singing with great ener-
gy, now and then rising in the air ten to
fifteen feet, and then returning to his
perch, all the while in full song.

Tue Summer Repsirp, (Pyranga estiva)
was moderately common here last Spring.
During one morning in May I obtained six
fine specimens. I have seen no mention
of the occurrence of this beautiful bird
and delightful songster farther north in
this State than Wheatland, about thirty
miles south of this. Mr. Ridgway found
it “rather common” at that place in the
Spring of 1881, but ‘much less so than
near Mt. Carmel,” Ills. On the Ohio river
in the, vicinity of Wyandotte Cave, I
found it common early in June. Although
I searched for its nest there and here, I
was not successful in finding it.

THe BosontinK was observed here in
flocks of twenty to thirty May 6. They
were en route northward and were not
seen after that date. They are said to
breed in the northern part of this State,
though in Carroll county, one hundred and
thirty miles north of here, I have never
seen them.

Tue CarotinA Wren, (Z7Aryothorus lu-

28

[Vol. 8-No. 4

dovicianus,) essentially a more southern
species, has of late years become much
more common here than formerly. There
has scarcely been a day this Winter that I
have not heard its clear, ringing note. I
have taken it as far north as Delphi.
Birp Nores. February 10th was a royal
day for bird-collecting here; I got the
following: White-winged Crossbill, Red
Crossbill, Lapland Longspur and Pine
Goldfinch—neither of which I ever saw
alive before. Neither of the Crossbills had
ever been taken in the State before, at
least there is no record of their having
been taken. The last two are very rare.
—BL. W. Everman, Bloomington, Ind.

— ee ~S

Odd Bird Songs.

Mr. Burroughs in his charming book,
Wake-Robin, speaks of hearing the Gold-
en-crowned Thrush sing a ditty much
different from its usual song. He says it
is a rare burst of melody, seldom indulged
in, and delivered while the bird is in the
air over the tree tops, or while chasing a
rival through the forest. I have never
heard any one else allude to this, but have
had the same experience myself with the
Golden-crowned and other of our warblers.
In Pike county, Penn., last Spring, I found
the Golden-crowned Thrush extremely
common, and along a certain old moun-
tain road almost any evening I could hear
his musical squabble. It generally came
from fighting birds; but one afternoon in
the same place one sprang up before me,
and singing a few notes of his usual tee-
chee, suddenly broke off into a highly mu-
sical, very mixed up ditty, which ended in
another tee-chee.

I was attracted once by an odd song that
I had never heard, which came from far
back in the woods. I followed the sound
and discovered its author perched on one
of the lower limbs of a great pine. The song
was a mixture of rather sweet and harsh
notes, very peculiar and as long as a spar-
rows. I let him sing again and then

ORNITHOLOGIST

brought him down, and he proved to be
a Black-throated Green Warbler in perfect
plumage. This indeed was an oddity, for
the bird’s usual sweet warble was vastly
different from the notes I had just heard.
Walking along a meadow-path one evening
at dusk a Maryland Yellow-throat flew up
before me, and hovering in the air fora
moment in the manner of the dancing chat,
sang a lively rattle-to-bang kind of song,
then darted into the bushes and was quiet.
Another time I noticed a bird of the same
species, without any apparent cause or ex-
citement, suddenly leave the bushes where
he had been singing his usual notes, and
fiymg twenty or thirty feet into the air,
almost perpendicularly, sing the same med-
ly while rising sky-lark fashion. As soon
as he ceased he came quickly back to earth
again and hid himself in the bushes.—/S.
Frank Aaron, Phila., Pa.

a

Studer’s Birds of North America.

A new edition of the above work is be-
ing pushed upon the public from New York
city, and a good many copies, will, no
doubt, be sold to the inexperienced, espec-
ially as such papers as the Independent
lends themselves to puff it. What we can-
not understand is that the name of Dr.
Elliott Coues is used to puff this book. At
first we doubted it until we saw the Doc-
tor’s allusion to it in the Bulletin, and even
now we should rather attribute it to his
good nature than luis better judgment. He

is made to say:

“‘T can heartily commend the whole work as one admira-
bly meeting the design of a popular ornithology of North
America, at once instructive and entertaining, at a reason-
able price. The text is perfectly reliable. The technical
nomenclature is correct, being that used by the best orni-
tholozists of this country.”

For the benefit of our readers we would
like to ask the Doctor if he did really write
the above endorsement of the work, and
if he will give his reasons for so doing ?
The work is also strongly lauded by Prof.
Henry A. Ward and Prof. J. S. Newberry,
of Coluinbia College, N. Y. We have no
objection for these gentlemen to place

April, 1883.]

AND OOLOGIST.

20

themselves on record as endorsing this
book. They may have good reasons for
so doing; if so, we think they owe it as a
duty to our ornithologists to give them.
Prof. Wm. D. Hornaday, Taxidermist U.
S. National Museum, is made to say :

‘“‘T have carefully compared the figures in ‘ Studer’s Birds
of North America’ with those in Audubon’s great work,
and am free to say that they are more accurate in outline
as wellas more faithfully colored to Nature. Numerous
examples in support of this could be given.”

Prof. Hornaday makes a statement that
is tangible; something to tie to, and as we
have probably devoted more time to the
study of Audubon’s life and works than
any person now living, we propose to give
this Professor a chance to either maintain
his statement or retract. To do this we
will meet him in New York at a time to be
set to accommodate both. We will take a
copy of Audubon’s original edition out of
some library, and take a copy of Studer’s
Birds, original edition, also at random, and
the comparison shall be made by good
judges selected for the occasion, and we
will accept the result and publicly an-
nounce it through the O. and O. We will
state further that we will pay Prof. H. the
full subscription price for every copy of
Audubon’'s original edition he will send us,
and we challenge him to make us the same
oifer for Studer’s Birds.

For the benefit of the above gentlemen
we will state that we have not known a
single person besides themselves that en-
dorse this work, and nearly every purchaser
that we have known, and we are in a posi-
tion to know many, were willing to sell at
about half price. We have known many
sets offered at less than half price.

Since the above was written we received
a letter from a collector who writes :

** Am sorry I ever bought that work of Jasper’s as it is
not what I thought it was; but I bought it and paid $40 for
it on - recommendation.”

We have kept no letters referring to this
work, but we now ask our readers to give
us their opinions freely. One writer states
that. he “was badly sold in buying the
work.” Another writes:

“Feb. 11—I enclose a circular sent me
by Studer & Co. that you may compare C.
J. Maynard's puff with the just criticism
of ‘C. H. M.’ of Jasper’s birds of N. A. in
Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club:”

“JT am much pleased with Studer’s Birds of North Amer-
ica. In the grouping of the birds, arrangement of light and
shade, in the perspective and delineations of the forms and
feathers, Dr. Jasper has certainly surpassed all other artists,
producing the best pictures of the species which I have
ever seen.”—C. J. Maynard.

ConTRIBUTIONS TO THE ANATOMY OF Birps,
by R. W. Shufeldt, M. D., U. 5S. A.—We
have before us the last work of Dr. Shuf-
eldt on North American Ornithology. It
is chiefly devoted to the anatomy of four
families of North American birds, Burrow-
ing Owl, Horned Lark, Grouse, and Vul-
ture, and fills about 220 pages of a Pub.
Doc., and is certainly less technical than
the Dr’s. previous publications.

While the study of anatomy is a neces-
sary and a useful branch in ornithology, it
is exceedingly dry; so dry that few scien-
tists will devote the time to study pub-
lished works, let alone write them. The
Dr. has evidently learned that his previ-
ously dry technical style was too much for
the general reader, and this volume is a
decided improvement in that the matter is
more of a general ornithological nature,
and the work contains about twenty illus-
trations, mostly new to us, of birds in full
plumage, besides many full pages of Ana-
tomical plates. We hope the Doctor will
continue his good work as his duties will
permit, our readers fully appreciating the
ereat work he is doing for them.

Rare Books. For five years we have
earnestly and anxiously hunted for a copy
of Geo. Ord’s life of Alex. Wilson. At
last we have found it. A thin 8 vo., price
$4.00. We have advertised scarce por-
traits of Wm. Bartram, really the first
American ornithologist, and instructor of
Alex. Wilson ; two only have been sold and
those to a London dealer. We have ad-
vertised the American Partridges by Gould,
mostly life size,.containing every partridge
on this continent known at that time,

30 ORNITHOLOGIST

the only enquiry coming from a London
dealer who would take the work if it could
be delivered there. We have offered a set
of Yarrell’s works, 5 vol. for $75 and no
buyers. This state of things is as inter-
esting to us as a rare find, for fact wipes
theory out. We never knew but one set
of Yarrell’s like this for sale, and $125 was
the price asked.

“Crimping TRons.” —I disagree with
Ernest Ingersoll, and say use irons, but
think on large trees a belt should be used
passing around the body of the climber
and trunk of the tree. I have one made
of stout webbing in sections of two feet
each, and fastened together with buckles,
and as the tree decreases in size, I shorten
it by taking out a section. It should
pass through loops in the back of the
climbing jacket.
are liable to strike the irons into thick dead
bark that will suddenly give way. Last
Spring while climbing a large oak toa
Red-shouldered Hawk's nest, seventy-five
feet to the ground, when fifty or sixty feet
from the ground I met with such an acci-
dent, and but for my belt would have
thereafter lost all interest in Oology. The
belt saved my life.— Rk. Wes Me Bride,
Waterloo, De Kalb Oo., Indiana.

THE GANNET,
Goosr.—Gannets are met with in Iceland,
the Faroe Isles, on the coast of Norway,
and on the Atlantic and Pacific shores of
North America. They are constant resi-
dents in the British Isles, where the prin-
cipal breeding places are Lundy Isle, St.
Kilda, and the Bass Rock. The last
named being the most generally known. It
is situated in the. Firth of Forth opposite
to Canty Bay. Solan Geese, as the Gannets
are usually termed, visit the Bass early in the
Spring, stay to breed and leave in October.

Tula bassana, or Souan

The Bass Rock during the breeding
season is certainly a sight to delight the
heart of an’ ornithologist. Many thou-
sands of Gannets, Gulls, Z. fuscus, L.
argentatus, and L. tridactyla, Guillemots,

[Vol. 8-No. 4

In all large trees you’

U. troile and Puffins, /ratereula arctica,
breed upon its magnificent cliffs. The
Gannets build their nests upon the flat
surface of the rock, the Gulls and Guille-
mots occupy the ledges, and the Puffins
make use of the deepest holes they can
find. Before landing upon the Bass Rock
leave must be obtained from the keeper.
The landing place is at the entrance to the
old fort which held out so long for James
II. Certain parts of the surface of the
rock are almost completely covered by the
nests of the Gannets. The cries of the
Gulls and the peculiar “grog,” “grog” of
the Solan Geese almost deafen the visitor.
The Gannets are very tame and permit
strangers to walk among them, and even
in some instances to handle them. The
Solan Goose lays one large white egg, but
it soon becomes a dirty yellow color. The
young bird when hatched has a black skin,
which soon becomes covered with pure
white down. Later it assumes a_ black
plumage, which finally changes to the white
of the mature bird.

Large numbers of the fresh eggs are
collected, sent to London and sold as deli-
cacies for invalids. Many thousands of
the young birds are shot and salted
and used as food during the Winter. The
old birds are often captured by means of
fish nailed on pieces of wood, which are
then placed in the sea. The Solan Goose
seeing the fish on the surface of the water,
drops from a great height upon it and
breaks its neck by the force of the con-
cussion. It is very interesting to watch
Gannets fishing. They can perceive a
fish from a great distance and drop lke a
flash upon their prey. They are very use-
ful to fishermen, who learn where the

shoals of fish are by seeing them fishing.

They are very voracious, and the quantity
of fish required for their support must be
very great indeed. Gannets attain a good
old age. Several have bred on the Bass
Rock for over thirty years.—J. 7. 7. Reed,
Ryhope, Durham Co., England.

April, 1883.]

Gotp Frinca.—Feb. 12, early morning,
ground covered with frozen snow and quite
wintry, but with a bright sun. An Ameri-
can Gold Finch flew across the road and
alighted on an apple tree in plain sight,
singing precisely the same notes as if it
was the mating season, and with the same
undulating flight, and the brightest Win-
ter plumaged specimen we ever saw.—/d.

Writer Birps have been more abundant
than usual thus far. Some friends of mine
secured eight Pine Grosbeaks, among them
two males. I have seen a small flock of
them in this town. Shrikes, Redpolls and
Snow Buntings are quite abundant.—L.
RR. Rich, Saratoga, N. Y.

Notes from Southampton, Mass.

_Puase Brirv.—Sept. 6, 1882, saw two
young Pewees, (Sayornis fuscus,) which
were just old enough to fly. Was it not
late? H. D. Minot says the Pewees “rare-
ly if ever arrive before the last week in
March.” I observed them on March 1,
1880, but in 1882 I did not see them until
April 2d.

Rurrep Grovuse.—Last Summer I was
riding through a rather low, swampy place,
when I heard something clucking in the
bushes. T° went toward the bushes, when
a Ruited Grouse or Partridge ran past me,
making her peculiar call to her chicks. I
went on a little farther, and saw, coming
towards me, nine or ten chicks, apparently
just hatched. I stooped and put down my
hand when one of the little fellows ran right
into it. I carried it to the carriage to show
to my companion, and when I went back I
could have caught the whole brood in the
same way, as they made no attempt to hide.
—T. Mills Clark, Southampton, Mass.

American Repsrart, (Setophaga ruticilla)
This lovely warbler first made its appear-
ance in this township May 12th, 1857. It
is with us a common Summer resident and
is found breeding. It seems to prefer low
heavily timbered lands and swampy places,
in fact I am not able to give a single in-

31

stance of seeing it, or finding its nest in
any other situation. The Redstart is often
found searching for insects on the ground
among the decaying leaves and old fallen
timber. On one occasion I followed a
beautiful male over one hundred yards,
that was busily engaged in securing a
meal, and was frequently so near it that I
could have easily reached it with the muz-
zle of my gun. The following are the
dates of arrival of this species in Locke
for twenty-six consecutive years :

May 12,1857. June 5,1864. May 10,1871. April 30, 1878.
May 12, 1858. May 18,1865. May 1,1872. May 4, 1879.
May 11,1859, May 3,1866. May 5,1873. May 4, 188).
May. 7,1860. May 8, 1867. May 17,1874. May 4, 1881.
May 8; 1861. May 12,1868. May 9, 1875. May 3, 1882.
May 10,1862. May 38,1859. May 9, 1876.

May 2,1863. May 7, 1870. May 10, 1877.

—Dr. H. A. Atkins, Locke, Michigan.

Warttr-BeLLiep Nutuarcu.—My first nest
was found in April, 1880, but thinking it
too early for eggs I waited until May, when
young rewarded me. This nest was in a
large natural cavity in an oak tree, about
twenty feet high. The nest was composed
principally of a sort of felt-like substance,
mixed with some bark and lined with hair.
It was about 100 yards from the second
nest, collected April 26, 1882. This nest
was in an enormous white oak, on a hill-
side, and fully fifty feet from the ground.
The entrance was a knot hole, in the live
wood, about 242 inches. The cavity in-
side was quite large and was nearly filled
by the nest, which was composed almost
entirely of oak bark and a lining of hair.
The nest contained six fresh eggs, which I
secured by means of a rude wooden spoon.
They were, before blowing, of a rosy-white
color, spotted thickly with reddish brown.
The birds showed much solicitude, fre-
quently coming within a few feet and rap-
idly repeating their usual note-—JZ. R.
Rich, Saratoga Springs, N. Y.

Owxs anp Hornep Grese.—On Dec. 19th
an old Dutchman brought into town a
Barn Owl, the first that I have ever seen
or heard of in this locality. On the same
date a farmer brought in a Horned Grebe,

32

alive, which he said he and his dog had
caught in his meadows. He took it home
again and kept it a few days, when it died,
and I now have it in my possession. It
was in immature plumage, of course, and
was the first Grebe outside of the common
Pied-billed that I have ever seen here.
Within the last month I have examined
specimens of lLong-eared, Short-eared,
Barn, Screech, Barred and Great Horned
Owls.— W. 7. Warrick, Washington, Pa.

Notes From Connecticut.—A pair of
Mallard Ducks, (Anas boseas,) male and
female, were shot in this town Oct. 30,
1882. A man saw them fly over to a little
pond near his barn, and was lucky enough
to take them both at one shot. This is the
first time that I have ever known of this
species occurring here. I have in my col-
lection a Velvet Duck, (Welanetta velveti-
na,) which I shot Oct. 19, 1881, in Crystal
pond in this town. She seemed perfectly
at home, and was busily engaged in diving
for food. I have also a Dovekie, (Alle ni-
gricans,) that was taken about six miles
from here in the town of Pomfret, Nov.
23,1878. It was just after a heavy north-
east gale, and the bird had evidently been
blown inland from Mass. Bay, although
the distance must be more than fifty miles.
It was caught alive in a field —C. 1.
Jones, Eastford, Conn.

Puase Birps 1 Wiyter.—This Winter I
have seen two specimens of Sayornis fus-
cus, (Dec. 26 and Jan. 18,) and my friend,
Mr. Wm. T. Allen of Gaylord, Clarke Co.,
Va., (thirty miles south of this,) reports
another, Jan. 15th. The ground has been
covered with snow for three weeks, and the
Winter rather harder than usual, but the
birds seemed in good condition. They
were prospecting about outhouses when
seen, under the eaves of which they would
find the cocoons of spiders; cabbage but-
terflies, and similar insects. They uttered
a weak sort of note, something like “chek,”
which I have never heard before.—Edgar
A. Small, Hagerstown, Md.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 4

On tHE Move.—Mr. Charles F. Batch-
elder of the Nuttall Ornithological Club is
having what we should call a good time in
the region where all good ornithologists
would like to go. He writes from River-
side, Cal.: “ Am doing a good deal of col-
lecting here, and have been also at points
in New Mexico and Arizona.” We wish
him a safe return with a good fat Note
Book, and we'll keep an eye on the Budle-
tin for the result.

Wutrre—wincep Crosspitis here in No-
vember. Mr. Worthington mounted one
of them.—Moses B. Griffing, Shelter Isl-
and, N. Y.

Wantep to Know. Why the composi-
tor made such ‘mistakes in our notes on
the ‘Birds of Ohio” as shore, for those,
and Wharton, for Wheaton? We did not
see proof.

If the Editors of the Bull. of the Nutt.
Orn. Club have been identified sufficient-
ly to satisfy the scientific ornithologist ?

If ornithologists really appreciate the
beautiful work being published at Cirele-
ville, Ohio?

Summer Birps in Winter. Dec. 13th, two
Long Sparrows; 20th, small flock of
Meadow Larks; 25th, Golden Winged
Woodpecker; Jan. 1st, 83, Yellow Rump
Warblers quite common among the cedars ;
12th, three Bluebirds; 26th, shot a Bay-
winged Bunting: 15th, Belted King Fisher
shot at Middletown.— Chas. H. Neff, Port-
land, Conn.

Ow1s.—Received tin-type of a Barred
Owl and two Screech Owls from W. W.
Coes. Thanks.

Yettow Rume Warsrer.—Shot, Jan. 12,
1883, a specimen of “ ). coronata” in or-
chard. Thermometer at zero, ground coy-
ered with snow. On examination I found
the bird to be fat and healthy. Crop and
stomach contained berries from the Red
Cedar. Have been a close observer of birds
for the last ten years and I think this is
the first record of its occurrence in Winter

in Northern Ohio.—A. Hall, E. Rockport.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

OOLOGIST.

$1.00 per

JosepH M. Waps, Editor and Publisher.

Single Copy
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
wort. VIIE No. 5.

Mississippi Valley Migration.

New STATIONS.
No. 2, Florida Royalieuw, F. 8. RisLey.
** 42, Illinois, Griggsville, T. W. PARKER.

No. 30 reports one Pine Goldfinch, 1-18;
two pairs of Golden-crowned Kinglets,
1-6; one Brown Creeper, 1-6; a flock of
30-36 Red-poll Linnets, 2-7; a flock of
thousands of Lapland Longspurs, 1-6 ;
one Swamp Sparrow, 1-29; four Purple
Grackles, 1-18; and a few Herring Gulls
on the Miss. River at the southern part of
the city, where the strong current prevent-
ed the forming of ice.

No. 60 has seen this Winter, Quail, Black-
backed Three-toed Woodpecker, Red-poll
Linnet, Pine Grosbeak, Bohemian Wax-
wing ; 2-7 a Canada Jay and seven White-
winged Crossbills were sent him from
eighty miles north of his station; and on
2-26 saw a single female White-winged
Crossbill.

No. 43 reports that contrary to all Tor-
mer custom the Blackbirds of the three
kinds, Red-winged, Cowbird and Purple
Grackle, together with Mourning Doves,
have stayed all Winter in the timber; 2-
6 saw four compound flocks of Blackbirds.
He explains their presence by supposing
they had read Vennor & Tice and had
seen “ We are going to have an open Win-
ter.” Poor deluded birds! 2-8, saw six
Crows; and 2-10 a Red-headed Wood-
pecker ; 1-10, is reasonably certain he saw
a Swallow-tailed Kite flying swiftly toward
the South.

No. 47 has seen during the Winter, Ce-
dar Birds, several flocks; Short-eared Owls
quite numerous; Barn Owl (?) one; Amer-

BOSTON, MAY, 1883.

ican Goldfinch, several small flocks ; Crows
seen every week; Bohemian Waxwings,
one flock of fifteen; Pine Grosbeaks,
three; Goshawks, two: and Snowy Owls,
SIX.

No. 45 has also seen the Snowy Owl
during Jan. In latter part of Jan. saw a
flock of Sparrows, and from their note took
them to be the White-crowned Sparrow.
2-25 a single Crow; 2-27, Horned Larks,
six ; have never before seen them here un-
less the ground was partially bare. These
were in the main street of town.

No. 35 says: Yellow-rumped Warblers
are Wintering here in large numbers.

No. 37 has had the good fortune to find,
1-19, the Golden-winged Woodpecker and
the Red-bellied Woodpecker; also the
Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper and Car
dinal Redbird. 2-15 he saw Cedar Wax-
wing and Purple Finch. 1-19 an English
Sparrow was very busy in carrying straws
to the top of a window, second story and
east side of the building.

No. 44 reports Crows, Bohemian Wax-
wings, and of Owls the Great-horned,
Barred, Screech and Short-eared.

No. 57: The last week of Dec. a flock
of Prairie Chickens of at least 200 and
possibly 300 were seen hovering around a
straw-stack three miles from town. The
weather was intensely cold. There were
a few gulleys full of low brush and scrub
oaks not far distant from which they came
and into which they flew to roost. The
balance of the Winter there have been
seen very few. Is Jack Frost to blame
for this? Many Quail have frozen in the

o4

thickets under a temperature of 38 and
42 degrees below zero.

No. 38 received in Jan. a Harlan’s Buz-
zard and a Snowy Owl from near his home.

No. 21 on 2-10 saw two Tufted Titmice,
five Carolina Wrens and one Lapland Long-
spur. 5

No. 22 has shot during the Winter, of
Owls: 1Short-eared, 5 Barred, 2Saw Whet,
3 Great-horned and 1 Snowy, and on 2-10
saw a Meadow Lark.

No. 52: Contrary to usual custom, a
few Crows have stayed with us this Win-
ter. Have seen them when the mercury
said —30 degrees. Can see more Crows
here during any one week of Summer than
I saw during a nine years’ residence at
Ripon, Wis., only sixty miles from here.
Last Fall a flock of 75 to 100 House
Sparrows left their usual quarters on the
main street of the city and Wintered at a
large barn near my house. Their numbers
have constantly decreased until now only
three remain. The flocks in other parts
of the city have suffered the same way,
and not more than twenty Sparrows can
now be found in a city which last Fall was
full of them. Thanks are certainly due to
some kind agency for the good work. If
it was not for the strict city law against
shooting within the city limits I would
soon finish those that remain. Perhaps
this may account for part of the decrease :
2-13 I saw a Shrike swoop down on an
House Sparrow and kill it almost imme-
diately ; a cat scared the Butcher Bird from
its prey and I secured the Sparrow. March
Ist, while hunting near a river, saw and
secured a pair of Evening Grosbeaks.
This must be considered a rare experience,
as in twelve years’ hunting through this
part of the State I have never before seen
them. In Minn. I found them quite com-
mon. Their stomachs contained nothing
but the buds of trees.

No. 58 has found the Brown Creeper in
Jan., even so far north as his station.

No. 32, contrary to all the recorded hab-

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 5

its of that bird, has found this Winter the
Cardinal Grosbeak.

No. 38 found Cardinal Grosbeak, Swamp
Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Crow and Yel-
low-shafted Flicker.

No. 26 shows his more Southern resi-
dence by reporting Meadow Larks common
all Winter, Cardinal Grosbeak, Towhee
Bunting Bluebirds, common; Robins, a
few; Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-
shafted Flicker, Sparrow Hawk, Turkey
Buzzard, Black Vulture, Wild Pigeons,
Mourning Dove, Wild Turkey, the last six
all common and resident. Also a few
Blue Herons and Green Herons, together
with a few Wood Ducks. The Lapland
Longspurs have showed their dislike of
the northern weather by appearing there
in large flocks, much beyond their usual
southern limit.

As I write, March 6th, the first real
wave of northward migration has been
progressing for about fifteen days. It was
at first very rapid, the birds spreading in
afew days over a large area, but it was
suddenly checked, then advanced once
more until it reached nearly to northern
Illinois. Here again it was stopped by so
fierce a polar breeze that most of the birds
have returned somewhat to the south.

A fuller and more accurate account will
be given in the next number.— W. W.
Cooke, Jefferson, Wis.

Frariess Criticism.—Gilbert White’s ac-
curacy and natural modesty made him state
facts of which he was not: absolutely as-
sured in a hypothetical form. “I think,”
he says, “that White Owls never hoot.”
To this Rennie appends a note—‘ White
Owls do hoot. I have shot one in the act.”
Waterton, who held a low opinion of the
professor's practical knowledge, remarks,
“As Mr. Rennie asserts that he has shot a
White Owl in the act of hooting, I admit
that that particular Owl did hoot, but no
other White Owl since the world began
ever did hoot.”

=

May, 1885.

Our Publications.

Ilike your magazine on account of its
practical information and freshness of char-
acter.

Being an immoderate lover of birds and
animals for pets, (so far as I can see them
thrive when domesticated or confined.) I
am always seeking to know something
about them. I had occasion to look over a
lot of your former publications a short time
since and I wondered where so much of
just that kind of material was found, when
IT think what an amount of comfort I took
in reading
‘FAMILIAR SCIENCE AND F'ANCIER’S JOURNAL.”

I wonder that it should have failed. At
present I feel lost without more of that
kind of reading and don’t know where to

‘find it that is fresh and instructive.

[No one took greater pleasure in Famil-
iar Science than we did, and it was a suc-
cess so long as we could give it our per-
sonal attention; but when we were called
to other duties so that we could no longer
open and answer the correspondence, its
downward career financially commenced
until its suspension in 1879. Thesix bound
volumes are in our library. They cost us
many thousands of dollars but we are
proud of them. They taught all to be hu-
mane to animal kind, and good fellowship,
while the iron heel of fearlessness was
brought down on all frauds who tried to
prey on Fanciers and Naturalists; and
were we younger it would again appear
precisely as when it suspended—but that
day is past.—Ep. |

SoS ie

GoLpEN Eaair Caprurep.—March Ist, a
fine specimen of this bird was brought to
a taxidermist here to be mounted. The
person who obtained it claimed to have
knocked it over with a club as it sat on the
fence. The skin showed no marks except
a heavy contusion on back of head. Up
to this date I have marked down five nests
of Least Tit—A. D. Butterfield,
Jose, Cal., March 13, 1883.

San

AND OOLOGIST.

a.
Ae
-
~~

Oological.

I think M. Day Murphy, Jr., in the Feb-
ruary number of O. and O., misunder-
stands the meaning of the word “set,” as
applied to a nest or clutch of eggs (?) His
so-called set of eight (8) Robin’s eggs were
two (2) separate sets. He might just as
well call the three (3) sets of Phoebe’s a
set of fourteen (14) eggs. Eggs taken
from a nest one by one as fast as they are
laid until the bird stops laying cannot be
called a set of eggs. Green Herons in this
locality lay from four (4) to five eggs to a
set. Clapper Rails average from 1.82
1.25 to 1.63 x 1.14; Virginia Rails from 1.30
<.96 to 1.23.90; Sora Rails, 1.351. to
1.15.85, according to Samuels. From
my own experience the Virginia Rails are
always larger than the Sora, lighter in
color and with fewer and smaller markings.
Clapper Rails are oyoidal in shape, tapering
slightly toward smaller end, but not sharply
pointed, ground color, a dirty cream or
drab, with a few spots of reddish brown
mingled with purple shell marks, mostly
on and about the larger end. Virginia and
Sora Rails are similar in shape to the above,
but much smaller in size, the Virginia hay-
ing a light cream ground with none of the
olivaceous tint so common in the Sora.
The markings of the former are small, of
a reddish brown, with purple shell spots
scattered over the surface, but more nu-
merous near the larger end. The Sora is
darker in color, and with the olive tint
before mentioned, though I have specimens
which are a dark, rich cream, without any
olive. The spots are of two shades of
brown, one overlaying the other and with
the same purple spots or blotches. None
of the Rails, to my knowledge, are ever so
thickly spotted as to have the ground color
entirely concealed.—Snowdon Howland,

Newport, R. I.
Arrivats. March Ist, Bluebirds arrive;

15th, Fox Sparrows; 16th, Song Sparrows
sing; 17th, first general singing, Red-
winged Blackbirds come.—H. DPD. Minot.

GoLpEeN Eaatn’s Nest anp Eaas.—I wish
to place on record the find of a splendid
set of Aquila eggs, on the 18th of March.
The nest was about seven miles from town
in an unfrequented range of hills, with
only a few live oaks bordering the gulches.
In one of the largest of these this pair of
birds had built for three or four years, I
should judge from appearances. The nest
was situated so as to command a view of
all the valley before it and hid from behind
by a dense mass of limbs and foliage. As
soon as I got within a mile of the nest I
saw the male leave the place and sail slowly
out of sight; and the female left by the
time I was within 300 yards. On climbing
to the nest I found the two eggs covered
by a fresh twig of oak. Do you not think
the old bird placed it there to conceal the
eges? Sol took it. The nest was a cum-
bersome affair, and measured fifty inches
across and eighteen inches in depth. The
eggs were in a slight depression, which
was lined with wild oat straw and the hairy
tops of the Spanish “ soap-root,” and it was
about forty feet from the ground. The
eggs measure 2.972.25 and 2.87 x 2.25
and had a white background; one was
. thickly spotted on the larger end and the
other the same on the small end. I regret
that Iwas unable to get the old birds ;
but contrary to the boasted courage of the
Golden Eagle I never saw them after they
left the place. It was the same when I
procured the other eggs, three yeurs ago.
— Will Stembeck, Hollister, Cal.

GrEeN Heron and Frog.—That illustra-
tion of the Tern with the “Whale in his
belly,” reminds me of the shooting of a
Green Heron a year ago, in the act of swal-
lowing one of those whopping big frogs.
The “croaker” was too much for the bird,
who was so busy trying either to swallow
the frog, or disgorge the part already half
way down, that he didn’t notice me at all.
I presume I might have dispatched him
with a club if I had been so inclined.— W.

Ask your friends to subscribe.

36 ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 5

Ase-THRroatED FrycarcHer (Myiarchus
cinerascens.)—They are the last of our

Summer birds to arrive, are here by the
last of May, and all gone South by the last

of August. They arrive single and soon are

in pairs, hunting from oak to oak for a
good snug hole to nest in. My first nest
was got under particular circumstances.
Iwas out collecting through one of the
many canons that are found around Hay-
wards. Was coming up from a creek to
get over the fence to the road, when I no-
ticed a bird new to me gathering horse
hairs in the road. It flew across the creek
to an old dead Sycamore tree on the bank,
went into a hole about’ seven feet up, on
side of the tree. When it came out it’s
mate went with it to the road and perched
on the fence.
note, while his mate was getting more ma-
terials for the nest. When they went back
to the tree and came out again. I went
over to see their building place. I noticed
a large heap of twigs, roots, dung, and
horse hair and some of cows, all laying at
the foot of the tree. I did not take much
notice of this ; looked in the hole, no nest.
What could they have been doing? Went
around back side of tree from creek, found
it all hollow up the tree. That settled the
question of the heap of material. They had
been trying to fill up that hole, like Mark
Twain's “ Blue Jay” that tried to fill up
the hole in the roof of a miner's cabin with
acorns. ‘“ Well.” I thought, “ Mrs. Fly-
catcher, I will help you out of this filling
up business.” So I took a lot of large
limbs, broke them up, and placed them in
across one another up as far as I could
reach. This was on May 22d, 1880. Went
over to the tree and found the Flycatchers
near by. They were very shy and worried at
my presence. I reached in the hole and
took out five fine fresh eggs. They were
the first set I had found. They are now
before me, and in comparing them with
sets of the Great-crested Fly-catcher,” I
find they are somewhat larger. (As I have

He kept up a low whistling ~

May, 1883.

no rule, I cannot give the measurements. )
They are more pyreform and the ground
color is lighter, are marked and blotched
with purplish red and a neutral tint. The
markings look as though dashed on with a
water color brush, more at the larger end.
The nest was composed of twigs. dung,
and grass, lined with horse hair and bird
feathers. I found them common around
Stockton and Kings River.
other bird to share their tree; will drive
the Woodpecker out of his hole and take
it for their own. This I know to be a fact
as a brother collector told me he had found
a nest on the eggs of a Gairdner’s Wood-
pecker.— W. O. Emerson, Haywards, Cal.

They allow no

The Blue-winged Yellow Warbler.

I found a nest of the little Helminthop-
haga pinus last Summer and could scarcely
credit my sight, as I recognized beyond
question the little rare bird starting al-
most from under my feet from the coarse
swamp grass—a new situation entirely to
me for a nesting place of this species. It
was a moist, spongy place, far back in the
woods; the old Maples had been cleared off
about two years before and coarse swamp
grasses and weeds had sprung up among
the sprouting stumps. The little bird flut-
tered off about ten feet and perched on a
low spray quietly, not even a “chip,” and
my first thought was a Maryland Yellow
Throat, for it was in such a situation as I
often find their nests; but no, the bird
commences a series of the most grotesque
gyrations imaginable in such a little crea
ture—the tail drawn down and spread to
its fullest extent, displaying to the utmost
all the six white feathers therein, and thus
indicating the species unmistakably—with
low bowed head and drooping wings she
stood and silently watched me as I exult-
antly clutched the tempting prize—the
nest with its complement of five little spot-
ted eggs.

The nest was built directly on the moist
ground and its base was damp from the

AND OOLOGIST. 37

contact. It was not unlike a Maryland
Yellow-throat’s nest except in being much
more bulky, the base being chiefly leaves
of Chestnut and Beach placed endwise in
stead of circularly, as with most birds, and
grapevine bark, being neatly lied with
fine grasses. The eggs were quite fresh and
rosy, Showing that incubation had barely
commenced at this time, June 16th, 1882.

It would be very difficult to tell what is
the usual nest complement of this species,
from my experience, for this is the fourth
nest I have found containing respectively
two, three, four, and five, when the birds
ceased laying, though I thought in the
case of the two that it was broken up by a
violent storm that filled the nest with wa-
ter and caused the birds to desert it.

One nest was built in the grass about
four inches from the ground, another in a
little clump of bushes about twelve inches
up, another in a wild Rose bush about two
feet from the ground, and this last one di-
rectly on the damp ground of a swamp ; so
it is equally difficult to declare what is
their usual nesting place.

None of the others were in a swamp,
and one was on a hillside at quite an ele-
vation, the one with the set of two, which,
as already stated, the birds deserted at this
stage. One of the eggs is before me and
measures .61.49 in., being very sparsely
marked with a few minute dots scattered
promiscuously over the whole shell, and
a few larger spots, some quite dark and
some very light near the large end.

I found a nest in a little thicket of wild
Rose, June 15, 1871. The female was on
the nest, where she sat very close till I al-
most touched her with my hand, when she
fluttered slowly away as if disabled. I
found incubation had commenced at that
time, but had not progressed so far as to
injure the eggs for the cabinet, and I have
been measuring them and find the ex-
tremes to be about .62x.48 in. No. 1, and
.59x.50 in. No. 2. In markings No. 1 is
thinly spotted with minute dots, with no

38

resemblance to a ring, but the spots some-
what larger and a little more numerous at
the large end, the ground color being a
fresh rosy white, before being blown, and
the markings light brown, nearly cinna-
mon. In No. 2 the spots are more numer-
ous, forming a distinguishable ring near
the large end, but the spots are very small
and even lighter in color than those of No
1. So far as my observation extends the
eggs are usually less elongated than those
of most of the Warblers and more sparsely
marked.

It is stated that Dr. Brewer published
in the Proceedings of the Boston Natural
History Society for May, 1879, an account
of the finding of a nest of this species at
New Haven, Conn., by N. A. Eddy, adding
that he believed it to be the only instance
of its being taken in New England; but
two of the nests alluded to above were
taken long before that. The bird is in fact
quite common here in the migrations, and
the collector will hear their quaint song,
if such it can be called, in every warm glade
of any extent in our woods by the middle
of May, about which time they first appear,
May 5th, 1880, and May 12th, 1881, and
perched on the summit of some small tree
keep up their insect like note, repeating it,
at intervals of two or three minutes, by the
hour. A friend listening to it for a while
very successfully imitated it by violently
drawing in his breath through his closed
teeth, and slowly breathing it out again in
the same manner with a slight vocal sound
at the same time. The birds become much
rarer as the breeding season arrives, or else
more quiet, the former I think, for I find
them usually quite demonstrative when
their nesting place is invaded, and that
their note is changed to a more vocal one.
But if the birds go further it is a mystery
to me whither, for my ornithological friends
only a few miles further north declare that
they never find it. Mr. Sage once wrote
me from Portland, triumphantly, “At last
we have got it;” but when I saw their

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol.

8-No. 5
specimen I found it the still rarer HZ. levw-
cobronchialis. Since my first acquaintance —
with the bird, more than a dozen years ago,
I have never failed to find them in consid-
erable numbers every Spring. I have been
sometimes amused at a remark in “ Samu-
els’ Birds of New England,” which I have
also seen copied by other authors, that he
‘“‘once saw a small flock at Dedham, Mass.,
&e.” Of all the solitary birds I never saw
any more exclusively so than this species,
and among the numbers I have seen I never
saw a flock consist of more than a pair, male
and female, and I have often hoped no au-
thor would credit the bird to Massachu-
setts again without some better authority
than that.—J. NV. Clark, Saybrook, Conn.

Is it Honest ?

If we see a book offered for sale and we
purchase a copy, and two or three years
later another work is offered by the same
author and we again purchase a copy and
find in the second work twenty-five per
cent of the matter and cuts that were in the
previous work, “Is it Honest?” is it not a
fraudulent transaction to the extent of the
reproduced matter?

Goop Sxor.—R. N. Denison secured at
one shot, near the mouth of the Connecti-
cut River, the middle of February, three
Lapland Long-spurs, two Shore Larks
and one Tree Sparrow.

Wanted to Know. If the following
named birds could be kept as cage birds,
viz.: Canada Jays, Cardinal Redbirds,
Golden Robins and Scarlet Tanagers.—A
Subscriber. :

Jasper's Brrps or Norra America.—In
glancing over the above work we notice
that the pair of Woodcocks have five young,
that the Summer Redbird’s beak is as red
as the body, and that ‘“ Audubon’s Birds of
North America” are quoted, and that Dr.
Coues is quoted very often. Can this ac-
count for the Doctor’s endorsement of this
work ?

May, 1883.] AND O

Alexander Wilson’s Works.

When Wilson wrote his book it was

purely from nature. He went into the

woods and wilds for subjects and matter

for his brush and pencil. If he quoted
anything it was from persons that had
good opportunities for observation and in
whom he could rely. He makes no quota-
tions from the works of others except to
expose their errors and correct their mis-
takes. He was Par excellence the Ameri-
can Ornithologist, the father of ornithology
in this country. His whole mind and en-
ergies were bent on the one object of his
life. He does not appear to have sought
society, he does not appear to have been
fascinating, and yet he made a few chosen
friends and held them through life. They
were slaves to his every desire. His friend,
William Bartram, responded to his every
wish. It was the same with his “ Brither
Scott,” Alexander Lawson, without a doubt
one of the best of engravers on copper of
his time or any time since. Lawson never
crossed him but once and that was wien
he criticised some of his Poems in the edi-
tion of 1790, when Wilson snatched the
volume and threw it into the fire saying
that “if a friend found so much fault it
could not be of much account.” Lawson
never crossed him in his ornithological de-
sires and we have it in his own words that
he worked on some of the finest plates at
prices that did not bring him over fifty
cents per day. Only think of it, one of the
finest copper plate engravers working for
from three to five cents per hour. If that
is not devotion to a friend and his work
we do not know what is. There has been
written some six or seven lifes of Wilson,
but not one that does him justice, not one
that shows a proper research. Even his
friend Ord did not grasp the situation, and
only tells part of the story. Rev. Alexan-
der Grossart is the last one to write his
life. He gathers a great many materials
crudely together, but it is plain that his

OLOGIST. 39

bigotry runs away with his better judge-
ment, and the life of Alexander Wilson as
well as that of Audubon is yet to be writ-

ten.
ALEXANDER WILSON.

Thee Wilson, Nature’s sel’ shall mourn
By wood and wild,
Where, haply, pity strays forlorn,
Frae man exil’d.
Mourn ye wee songsters 0’ the wood ;
Ye groups that crop the heather bud ;
Ye Curlews calling thro’ a clud;
Ye whistling Plover;
And mourn, ye whirring patrich brood;
He’s gane forever !

Mourn clam’ring craiks at close o’ day,
*Mang fields o’ flow’ ering clover gay ;
And, when ye wing your annual way
Frae our cauld shore,
Tell thae far warls, wha lies in clay,
Wham we deplore.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN.

The Clapper Rail,

Or Mud Hen, Marsh or Meadow Hen,
(Rallus longirostris erepitans.) This bird,
which answers equally well to any of the
above names, is found in certain parts of
the great salt meadows along the coasts of
New Jersey and Long Island in large
numbers. Being a very shy bird, living
along the creeks of the salt meadows
where few men go early in the year, its
habits, time of coming and going, &ce.,
are not well known. It is supposed they
travel at night. The time of arrival on
Long Island is dependent on the season,
but from the 1st to the 15th of May is the
time they are first seen. Their food con-
sists of worms, aquatic insects, &c. They
form a group apart from the other Rails
during the breeding season and are not
very sociable, but, on the contrary, exceed-
ingly shy. Instinct does much for these
as well as other birds, and knowing how
the wonderful powers of man are directed
toward their destruction, or to obtaining
their eggs, they are obliged to carefully
hide their nests under some tuft of grass,
left standing from the previous year, or
among the reeds, where they are entirely
hidden from the Hawks and Owls and their
worst enemy, man. They make but little

40

preparation except to select a spot above
the reach of tide, and with a little old hay

beneath and a good screen overhead, they
commence business. Nests are found from
the 15th of May to the 20th of June in
abundance ; and even as late as the Ist of
August fresh eggs have been obtained.
Farmers, and others in the localities where
these birds are abundant, have been in the
habit of “going egging,” as they term it,
for years, gathering in a season bushels of
eggs, in the aggregate, and using them in
the culinary operations of the family.
My first discovery of this mine of Rails’
eggs was an accidental one. At a stand in
amarket my attention was directed to a
basket of 200 or more of these eggs.
Thinking it might be well to secure a few
of them I enquired and found the price
to be according to weight, at what they
were worth for cooking purposes. Think-
ing it a shame to destroy so many speci-
mens, I took the lot, getting information

about the locality and the promise of more’

the succeeding week. Judge of my sur-
prise the next week when 500 or more ar-
rived. For two years I took all our col-
lectors brought, but owing to the prospect
of a fine of $25 for each egg taken, and
not being able to have such expensive eges
in my collection, it was deemed best to
leave the eggs to be hatched for the benefit
.. Of the gunners. I enquired in the market

“this Fall for the killed birds, and found a
large lot at one stand at from $1 to $1.50
per dozen. They weigh about one pound
each, but are very unsalable from some
cause, a large lot having to be thrown
away. Although not web-footed they can
swim pretty well when going from island
to island, or across the creeks, accompa-
nied by their family of young Rails. I
do not think they have more than one nest
in a year, unless their first nest is broken
up. The number of eges in a nest varies
from eight to sixteen, not many reaching
the latter figure. The size and color varies
very much. I have eggs 1{ inches long by

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 5
13 broad ; most are about 13X14, although
found occasionally 141 inch. The color

varies from bluish white to light brown,
and the markings vary from faint dots to
heavy splashes of brown. The farmers,
when gathering the eggs for culinary uses,
if in doubt as to the freshness of the eggs,
dip them in shallow water, and if they sink
and lie on the sides they call them good ;
if they sink but stand on end they put
them back in the nest; but if they float
they know them to be bad. The young
are full grown about the 1st of September.
The C. Rails being very shy, form burrows
under the growing grass, so that their
nests are not easily found; and were it not
for the fact of their placing their nests
near some tall grass or bunch of reeds it
would be next to impossible to find them.
They seldom take to wing unless they are
suddenly startled, trusting to their being
able to run and dodge their pursuers in the
reeds. While setting, they stick to their
nests to the last moment, and are some-
times caught on the nest. They startle you
sometimes as you uncover the nest. To
use the words of one collector, ‘‘ They are
sometimes quite bold and saucy, if it ‘is
near hatching time, and squawk like a
setting hen.” Having had a large number
to distribute during 1880 and 1881 it has
reduced values in catalogues; but having
none to send out in 1883, another change
may be necessary. Most of the C. Rail
eges were found on the north side of
Long Island. I have not met with this
species on the Elizabeth or Newark great
meadows, but found one nest of the Vir-
ginia R., containing eight eggs, on the
Salt Meadows at Elizabeth. The gunners
are very numerous about here, and birds
stand but little chance. We have but two
or three good collectors of eggs in this
neighborhood.—B. B., Elizabeth, N. J.

Gotpren Haars. Since the above was in
type William Stembeck reports another set
of two Golden Eagle’s eggs.

ORNIPHOLOGIST

—AND—

OOLOGIST.

$1.00 per JoseeH M. Wane, Editor for and Papliaher.. Tsinele Copy
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
“es oS ON oN: iba No. 6

Mississippi Valley Migration.

The first wave a migration this Spring
has started, passed up the Mississippi Val-
ley and reached British America. Let us
trace and time its course. But first you
must have a map. Take any map which
has the whole Mississippi Valley on one
page and mark on it in ink the station
numbers which were given in the April
number of the O. and O. Ihave found
that the maps given in the front of a com-
mon railroad guide answer very well for
the purpose. If you have difficulty in loca-
ting any of the stations go to your post-
master, his postal guide will tell you the
county, which can then be found on any
ordinary school map. Now if you have
your prepared map at your elbow, we will
begin with the Robin, (AZ. migrctoria,)
since this is a home bird, one that all can
observe and one for which all eagerly watch
as the first signs of Spring appear.

During the Winter they were irregularly
scattered over nearly all the country from
the thirty-seventh parallel South, their
scarcity or abundance seeming to depend
on the food supply. No. (16) found them
quite plentiful near the Tennessee River,
at (26) only a few were seen; some late
stragglers remained behind and were found
at (36), while, owing to a bountiful supply
of hackberries, countless numbers wintered
at (22), as many as 1,000 being seen in a
single mile.

From these Winter abodes a few began
to pass slowly northward about the mid-
dle of February, reaching (32) on 2-9, and
(80) on 2-22; then in the last few days of

February and the first dae of. iitare,
these few suddenly scattered over an im-
mense country. February 27 and 28 and
March 1 were days with warmer weather
and a south wind, and the robins evidently
thought Spring was coming. These enter-
prising ones appeared at (37) 2-25 at (59)
2-28, at (42) the same day. The next day
they turned up at (38), (40), (43) and a
single forlorn individual managed to reach
(52); by 3-8, one had been seen at Neenah,
Wis., but they seemed to pass by (38), as
the first one did not reach there until
3-6. No. (44) found them 3-5; (45) 3-13.
Meanwhile (47) was wading through and
rejoicing over two feet of snow, and Mr.
Robin shunned him until 3-25, but greeted
(58) 3-5, while (60) did not see them until
nearly 4-1. I am sorry to say I have no
observer in the extreme north of Minne-
sota, but from what I learned of the move-
ments of the birds during three years resi-
dence there, I think it would-take the first
birds from nine to twelve days to go from
(60) to the British line. Thus the birds
which started in the middle of February
took eight weeks to make the journey
which their powers of flight would have
easily enabled them to make in one. But
so far we have considered only the first
ones seen, which are almost always strag-
glers. The great army by no means keeps
up with these advance guards. This Spring
has been generally and thoroughly cold,
and even as late as March 17th a cold snap
in Arkansas was sending the Robins back
in large numbers, though I suspect that
these reappearances of birds, supposed to
be gone, is to a large extent due to the

stopping over of birds, which, if it was not
for the cold, would have passed unnoticed
in the night.

The real migration at (26) commenced
3-1, but even at 3-21, they were still pass-
ing in large numbers. The immense num-
bers found during the Winter at (21) be-
gan to disappear inthe middle of February,
but the disappearance was quite gradual.
On 3-12, 300 were seen in a single mile,
but by 3-25 all had dispersed through the
country and no more flocks were seen. At
(80) small ‘flocks began to come 3-4, but
the principal inigration was not until near
the end of the month. No. (32) found ten
large flocks 3-1, (38) found them quite nu-
merous 3-9; (39) saw at 6 p. m. 3-23, a
large flock going north. They were flying
abreast in an extended line, as far east and
west as the eye could reach, and at a height
of 75 to 100 feet. At (52) after the first
one 5-1, no more were seen until 3-14 and
then only two, the first flock came 3-17,
since then have been very slowly increas-
ing, and seem now to be as plentiful as
they ever will be, and the first comers are
looking out nesting places.

After they get to northern Minnesota the
main army follows fast on the track of its
scouts and will reach British America from
the 15th to the 20th of April. Let us wish
them a safe journey, a pleasant Summer,
and plenty of bugs; they will have mos-
quitoes enough anyhow, and hope to see
them again next Fall.

When we take up the subject of Ducks
and Geese we are met at the very outset
by the great difficulty, that few observers
can identify ten per cent. of the Ducks and
Geese seen and so have to enter them with-
out giving species. Moreover the larger
part of the observers are kept by their
business within or near city limits and can-
not visit the watery haunts of these birds.
In these notes I shall not attempt to sepa-
rate into the several species, but treat alto-
gether.

The larger part of both Ducks and Geese

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 6

Winter near the seacoast, but in the Mis-
sissippi Valley as far up as they can find
open water, just so far they, that is some
of the species, will stay, and their move-
ment northward seems to be entirely de-
pendent on the opening of the frozen wa-
ters or their expectation of finding them
open. That their expectations are often
not realized is a matter of common obser-
vation; and this brings up the query,
whether, when birds are migrating during
the night, they can see the ground at all
over which they are flying; or at that
height even in clear nights can distinguish
frozen water from liquid. One would be
tempted to say they could not, else why
should they fly during the night miles be-
yond the last open water, only to return

the next day ?

(Continued next Month.)
a

Dr. Merriam’s Return.

The following extract from a private let-
ter will fully explain itself. The Doctor
has been studying the Seal in its own home
and where only its habits can be properly

studied.

T have at last reached home, after an interesting though
perilous voyage to the Arctic ice, where I collected 120 speci-
mens of Seals, and much valuable information bearing upon
their habits, migrations, and the industry known as the
**Seal Fishery.” C, Hart MERRIAM,

Lartanp Lonasprur. <A female (Centro-
phanes lapponicus) was shot in this viein-
ity, Jan. 26, 1883, by Mr. Charles H. Neff.
It was alone in a barren field.—John H.
Sage, Portland, Conn.

Banpep-packep Wooprrcker. Among
my rarities of February appear one pair,
male and female, and one adult Glaucous
Gull.— 2. 8. Bowler, Bangor, Maine.

Lewis’ Wooprrckers. D. D. Stone re-
ports shooting one pair of the above birds
at Denver, Colorado, May 13, 1882. They
were the only ones seen there by him dur-
ing three seasons.

Arrrvats. —Sunday morning, May 13,
Baltimore Orioles, Cat-Birds, Bob-o-links
and Yellow Warblers appeared at Dorches-
ter, Mass.

June, 1883. ] AND OOLOGIST. 43
Brief Ornithological Notes from | March 10th, being a guest (through the
Newfoundland. courtesy of Mr. John Syme) on board the

Since contributions, however meagre, to
the Natural History of little known regions
are always valuable, I take pleasure in re
cording the following Ornithological items
gathered during a recent visit to New-
foundland.
the Island last Winter, and patches of bare
ground were visible early in March. When
I left St. John’s, on the 18th of April, most
of the fields were entirely bare, and the
signs of approaching Spring were unmis
takable. Still, the early birds had not ar
rived in any numbers, and the only Spring

There was not much snow on

migrants observed were the Robin, Ruby
crowned Kinglet, and Purple Finch.

Robin (7urdus migratoria). First seen
April 6th ; common soon afterwards ; sing-
ing.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus ealen
dula). A few were seeh near the Govern
ment House, April 16th.

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpurevs).
Found singing in the Balsam Poplars
about the Government House, April 18th.

The Common or Willow Ptarmigan (a-
gopus albus) is still an abundant resident,
even in the vicinity of St. John’s; and
thousands of them are killed annually on
the peninsula of Avalon alone. It frequents
rocky barrens, feeding upon the seeds and
berries of the stunted plants that thrive in
these exposed situations. The Rock Ptar
migan (LZ. rupestris) is confined to the
high mountains of the interior.

April 9th I saw a flock of Snow Bunt-
ings (Plectrophanes nivalis) in a stubble
field near the outskirts of St. John's. Most
of them were in the black-and-white Sum-
mer plumage.

The only bird seen in St. John’s harbor
from the 1st to the 10th of March was a
solitary Black-backed Gull (Larus mari-
nus), here called ‘“Saddle-back;” but dur-
ing part of this time the harbor was cov-
ered with ice.

I left St. John’s for the Seal “Fishery”

fine steamship Proteus, which vessel, it
will be remembered, took the Greely Colony
to Lady Franklin Bay in 1881. In steam-
ing northward in front of the bold rocky
bluffs that face the sea along this part of
the coast, the only birds noted were a few
Sea Pigeons (Uria gryllc) already in the
black breeding garb, and a number of
Guillemots (Lomvia ——?’). We entered
the ice near the grand fortress-like island
of Bacealieu, and during the following
three weeks I did not see a bird of any de-
scription. On the return voyage, laden
with upwards of fourteen thousand Hooded
Seals, we emerged from the ice much far-
ther to the north, and at daybreak on the
morning of the first of April were in open
water in sight of Cape Bonavista. From
this point to St. John’s the Proteus sailed
amongst many hundreds of Guillemots,
and numerous Gulls were seen from time
to time throughout the day. Most of them
were common Herring Gulls and Kitti-
wakes (/issa I saw
“Saddle-back” (4. marinus) and several Ice
Gulls (4. glaueus) together with a few
others whose identity I was unable to de-

tridactyla). one

termine. Besides these there were noticed
some small, sharp-winged, gull-like birds
that, in color and markings, strongly re-
sembled Arctic Terns (Sterna macrura).

About the first of April a few Hider
Ducks of both species (Somateria mollis-
sima) and (NS. spectabilis) were shot near
St. John’s; and on the 19th, when off the
southern coast of Newfoundland, two or
three immature Ring-billed Gulls (2. Dela-
warensis) were easily distinguished from
the common species (4. Argentatus) that
followed the steamship Caspian, on which
vessel I was a passenger.—C. Hart Mer-
riam, M. D., Locust Grove, New York,
May 1st, 1883.

Mockinesirps. W. T. Hopkins, Sa-
vannah, Georgia, reports young Mocking-
birds April 18th.

William MacGillivray.

In a previous number we gave some
facts about the Birth, Death and Publica-
tions of the above ornithologist, who was
a bosom friend and congenial companion

to Audubon. It is generally well known

that he wrote the scientific part of Audu-
bon’s “ Birds of America.” He did it fora
consideration. He never claimed that he
had done for Audubon what Audubon
could not have done for himself had he
had the time and the inclination. Mac-
Gillivray was, without question, the most
thorough ornithologist this world has yet
produced. He had a great dislike of
“closet naturalists” that studied dry skins.
He was thorough in his study of bird life;
equally thorough when his specimen was
shot. He gave as much attention to the
internal structure of a bird as to the exter-
nal feathering. He was equally happy
hammering rocks, studying botany, fresh
or salt water fish and shells. He madealarge
number of drawings of birds, fish, etc.,
mostly life-size, with a view of publishing,
but for some reason they were never given
to the public. He lived in the age of cost-
ly works, and no doubt it was considered
too risky a venture after Audubon had
produced his great work, and the works by
Jardine and Selby, besides one or two edi-
tions of Wilson’s works had been placed
upon the market. It was no doubt dis-
couraging to him to end up witha five
volume 8vo work after preparing plates for
a work as large as Audubon’s double ele-
phant folio. If his drawings were like one
in our possession, it was certainly a loss
the world will not soon make good. The
specimen in question is a pair of Chaffin-
ches on a double branch of horse chestnut.
The time chosen is in the Spring when the

birds were mating, and the horse chestnut

putting out its leaves. It was drawn in
May, 1831, and inscribed “ to my esteemed
friend, J. J. Audubon.” As a specimen of
ornithological and botanical drawing we

44 | ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 6

have never seen it equalled. The coloring
is just as good to-day as it was fifty two
years ago, and there is not a part of either
birds, branch, or opening leaves, that will
not stand the test of even the microscope.
At the time the above drawing was made
the world was actually overstocked with
the rarest ornithological talent. From
1825 to 1845 was an era in ornithological
discovery and the production of illustrated
works on ornithology that will probably
never be excelled.

Rusy-crownep Krnerer.—A few years
ago the query, arose whether the female
Regulus calendula had a red crest. The
matter was apparently set at rest by Dr.
Coues who stated that both sexes were
thus adorned after the first year. I have
asked several ornithologists regarding this
matter and am unable to find any one who
has seen a female thus decorated, though
all seem inclined to consider the matter
settled. . I have taken quite a large num-
ber myself and fail to find any but males
with crests. Will my fellow collectors use
their opportunities this spring? Proof
of this characteristic in a common species
should rest with more than one witness.—
Fred. T. Jencks, Providence, R. I.

An April Walk.

At 8 a. m., April 10, I started for a four
hour’s walk through field and wood to a
Barred Owl’s nest. Under an obscured
sun, with a warm south wind, the condi-
tions were favorable to activity among the
feathered residents and to the arrival of
Summer colonists. While dressing, the
noise of trouble in the sparrow world drew
me to the window in time to seea red
squirrel go into a sparrow’s hole in an elm,
where I am glad to think he had a hearty
breakfast on the eggs of this pest now
rightly outlawed in our sister State of
Massachusetts. Pass—Passer domesticus f
Before reaching the street I noted a jay
eating the buds of apple-trees and took

ee

woe
+ aie) c

June, 1883.]

from our cat a male Goldfinch with plum-
age yellowing fast. In the elms overhead
were Yellow-rumped Warblers, and high
above all a flock of sixty-three Canada
Geese were flying to the northeast. Have
observers noted any significance in the
size and abundance of the strings of geese
in their altitude, and in the position and
shape of the flyimg columns with refer-
ence to winds and safety? In the suburbs
saw the first White-bellied Swallow. On
the scattered wayside trees Nuthatches,
Downies and Wacups were in great activi-
ty. In the old bird-books we used to read
that Wacups bred in the middle of April ;

but nowadays the great body of Wacup’s

eges are to be seen in June. Indeed, June
is pre-eminently the month for the oologist.
The eggs of all the species that breed
here can be taken then except a few Rap-
tores. I have even taken a second set of
Woodcock, and all the Buteos the first
month in Summer. The Hylas was hymn-
ing his delight at the warm clouds from
most of the marshes, and his noise was only
equalled by the Pheebe in fresh possession
of every bridge, shed, and cliff in the
country side. And this last fact has in-
stilled new activity to the Cowbirds, who
find among the Phcebes and Ground Birds
the first receptacles for their eggs. It is
common to find a Lazy-bird’s egg in an
unfinished Pewee’s nest, many times caus-
ing the owner to desert it. So on this
early stroll I saw two different sets of male
Cowbirds in fierce pursuit of the females
who seemed by no means coy. A trio of
Downies were also trying to show that a
possible pair beats three of a kind. The
courtship of the Downies was especially
interesting from the novel positions as-
sumed on the ground and in bushes. While
the males were fighting the female would
rest crosswise on a twig, in the attitude of
the Ruby-throat Hummer to the life.
Every wooded hillside and timbered
swamp was ringing with the cry of the
Red-shouldered Hawks who are extremely

AND OOLOGIST. 45

incubating. In the garden of a long de-
serted house in the woods I stopped a mo-
ment to dig some artichokes, and while
enjoying their fresh earthy flavor a pair of
large Buteos came into my range of vision
in flagrante delictu. In some old English
bird miscellany I recollect reading that
this act among the Falconide (then includ-
ing Hawks and Eagles) is consummated on
the wing in mid-air, at incredible heights !
But here an apple tree was the lowly thea-
tre of action. The owl’s eges were secured
without difficulty, the male birds covering
the eggs and showing more solicitude
than the females had shown on former vis-
its. When the Barred Owl is startled
from its hole, it may at first fly against
limbs or other obstructions, but in a few
seconds its sight is keen enough. It gen-
erally alights on a tree a few rods away,
and then by an odd jump and twist faces
about to look at the scene of danger before
again taking flight wholly out of range.
Returning from my walk the sun came out
hot from the clouds, the frogs stopped
their music, and the first black snake was
seen crawling from its den to note the

Spring arrivals and to be on time for his
share of eges.— J. M. W., Norwich, Ct.

Cor’s Strain oF Owrs.—W. W. Coe,
Portland, Conn., has again opened the sea-
son, but we will let him tell his own story,
for he does it so well even if he is a little
tantalizing. He writes: ‘At my right
hand, on the billiard table in a cigar box,
half full of cotton, I see two Great-horned
Owls’ eges—beauties—fresh-—clean—taken
from an old Red-tailed Hawk’s nest, in a
big chestnut sixty feet from the ground,
at 2.30 p.m. this day. Whoop-la! Why
don’t you get up some morning and open
the season? Let's see—my first record
is March 2, 1872; this last, March 4, 1883,
eleven years without a break. I engaged
another set from the old gal, to be ready
about the first of April.

[How about the white owl?—Ep. }

46 ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 6

Cardinal Grosbeak.

My attention was called by Mr. Small’s
article in the February number of O. and
O. to the difference between his experience
and mine in regard to time of nesting of
the Cardinal Grosbeak. He says “ they
are among our latest breeders, first sets
being found about the 1st of June,” while
I regard this as one of the first species to
be looked after, excepting the Rapacia.

I found three incomplete sets on April
21st, 1878, and a set of four eggs partly
incubated, on April 28th of the same year,
and have since had similar experience. I
formerly thought, like Mr. Small, that the
Redbird was a late breeder and was much
surprised when I found my first April set.
June sets I now regard as second sets of
the season. I have found the nest in quite
a variety of situations, sometimes in cur-
rant bushes or other shrubbery of the gar-
den or lawn, but most frequently in the
crotch of a thorn-bush or small tree in
thickety woods. I knew of one built last
season in a grapevine which was trained
against the side of a house, almost in the
very centre of the town and surrounded
on three sides by brick walls. They were
not allowed to hold peaceable possession
here, however, for the place was a verita-
ble den of House Sparrows, and either
they or the cats broke up the Redbird’s
nest.— W. 7. Warrick, Washington, Pa.

Humane.

“Man's inhumanity to man made count-
less millions mourn,” but what of man’s
inhumanity to dumb animals that cannot
even protest. Let each one examine his
own record and see if some improvement
in this respect cannot be made. We like
to read the works of the eccentric Web-
ber; he had a kind heart. When his wife,
to whom he was devotedly attached, asked
him to shoot her a Mockingbird before
she could complete the drawing of that
bird, he hesitated. When she told him he

must get her one he replied, “I would
rather meet a Panther on the bound, but
if it must be done, I will do it.” But his
heart failed him and he could not pull the
trigger. A collector can hardly stop to
study the humane side of the question,
and yet some do, and we get some letters
which show this noble trait in man fully

developed. We make the following ex-

tract from a letter of this kind:

“ While I have devoted a great deal of time to finding
birds’ nests and studying the habits of birds, 1 somehow
have so strong an aversion to taking the eggs of small
birds that, although the partaker is as bad as the thief, I
prefer to buysets of most kinds to taking them. After I
have watched a bird and she has taken me into her confi-
dence, as it were, I cannot help thinking I have been doing
a rather mean thing to rob her ; and though I have done it,
and would in no case censure others, still there is not half
the pleasure in robbing them there is in finding the nests
and leaving the old birds in possession. I have got a War-
bler so used to me as to take her into my hand from the
nest, and she almost immediately returns to it when liber-
ated.

‘T have the same repugnance to shooting small birds and
have bought most of my Warblers, etc., and mounted from
skins. I still lack a common Chipping Sparrow in my col-
lection, though for two years past a pair have built within
three feet of the knob of my bird house door and my elbow
almost touches_her as I open the door, while I work on
birds in Summer weather with the door open, the female
often sits on a lattice and peeps in inquisitively to see what
all those large birds are in there for.”

While fully endorsing these sentiments
we recognize the right of all to collect at
will eggs or birds, and science demands
that collections shall be made;
earnestly ask all collectors to be hwmane
about it. Do not take a bird or an egg
unless good use is to be made of it; do
not kill wantonly; no not take a nest unless
there is a full set, and you need it for self
or friend; never shoot a bird for wanton
sport.

Crows Eating Herons’ Eggs.

About ten pairs of Night Herons (Vyeti-
ardea grisea,) and three pair of Little
Blue Herons, (A7dea coerulea,) have nested
for a few years within the corporate limits
of the city of New Brunswick, N. J.
When I visited this heronry, late in April,
’82, I discovered that one nest already
contained four eggs, two others each three,
several more one and two, while the re-

but we-

|

June, 1883.]

mainder were as yet empty. About two
weeks later, after climbing up to a number
of nests, and passing from the top of one
tree to another, where this was practica-
ble, thus examining nearly all, I was sur-
prised to find each empty, though the old
birds fluttered overhead or alighted near
by. At the base of many of the trees in
which nests were situated lay the eggs
with a piece broken out and the meat gone.
I suspected two parties of the robbery—
either the Red Squirrel, (Setwras hudsoni-
us,) that I saw some distance away, or else
a number of Crows that were perched in a
neighboring tree cawing lustily. On May
20th I examined the nests a third time,
finding them again without eggs, while
fresh shells were strewn on the ground.
The Herons were now shy and restless,
whereas the Crows, for whom I entertained
a strong aversion, were more audacious
and clamorous than ever. A subsequent
and final visit revealed conditions un-
changed, the Crows us officious as ever, so
that, it being very late in the season, I was
satisfied that no young birds were reared
last year. I fear the Herons will remove
to some other breeding ground the coming
Spring, a proceeding which I should very
much regret.—A. G. Van Aken, New
Brunswick, N. J.

Rare Boors. Since our last we have
added Thomas Pennant’s Arctic Zoology,
in two volumes. A very rare work. We
have also secured in England a copy of
Alex. Wilson’s Poems, 1790 edition, which
is very rare. It is a small 8 vo., and the
price is $6. We have sold a duplicate
copy of Thomas Nuttall’s works, in two
volumes, 1832 and 1840 edition, a fine
copy, price $30, to Mr. Chamberlain, Saint
John, N. B.

Soutuwicks & Jencks Caratocurs. This
firm have got out a series of catalogues
for the collector that have never been
equaled. The one devoted to Birds and
Eggs is a production of great labor and
skill. Every collector should have it.

AND OOLOGIST.

47

Lesser Red Poll.
This bird is a common Winter visitor,
arriving in November and remaining usu-
ally until the middle or last of March.
To-day, April 14th, I shot one, the latest
Thave known them to remain. The last
of March, 1878, I was fortunate enough to
find the nest and eggs of this species.
The nest, now before me, is composed of
fine dry twigs, dried grasses, fine strips of
fibrous bark, bits of twine, hair, fibrous
roots, moss, dried leaves, pieces of co-
coons, feathers, thistle down, and other
material, which is neatly woven together
into a compact structure and lined with
hair. It was placed very loosely among
the top branches of a small spruce, about
six feet from the ground, and contained
three fresh eggs of a very pale’ bluish
ereen color, sparingly marked with spots
and splashes of different shades of brown
at the larger end. Dimensions, .72 x.48,
12X47, .71K.48.—C. O. Tracy, Tafis-
ville, Vt.

[We kept one of these birds ina cage for two seasons.
It made a good cage bird, but was very restless in the even-
ing until midnight during the Spring and Fall migration,
and hada peculiar call during the night. It remained per-
fectly healthy, When changing its seed, it flew through the
hole in the wires and went out the back door. Almost im-
mediately we went out at the front door, and while watch-
ing the fountain play, noticed what appeared to be a bird in
the water. On removing it, it proved to be the Lesser Red

Poll. The bright sun and the fountain spray lured the little
Northern bird to its destruction.—ED.]

Srormy Perren (Zhalassidroma pelagi-
ca) was shot on the Connecticut River,
opposite Springfield, Mass., a few years
ago The specimen is about six inches
long, its plumage, rusty black, except back
of the thighs and above the tail, which is of
white. The upper mandible is. long and
terminates with a short hooked nail. The
wings resemble the swallows and are large
for the bird. The feet are small, anterior
toes webbed, hind toe only a claw. The
oily nature of the bird is very noticeable
in this specimen. Before it was skinned
its presence was very perceptible by the
smell, reminding one of an old-fashioned
oil lamp.—O. B. Deane.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 6.

This subject received some attention in
our columns but was dropped too soon, as
there was much more that might have
been said in the way of a proper outfit and
how to use it. If we ever get time, we
may have something further to say on this
subject. At present we desire to call at-
tention to a new fire escape, invented by
Mr. A. P. Sturtevant, of Norwich. It is
very cheap, portable, and will enable the
collector to climb the largest tree with cer-
tainty, safety, and quickly. It consists of
a cotton rope and a belt to strap around
the body. A small twine, with a weight at
one end, could be used to throw over the
desired limb, when the rope could be
pulled over the limb, when in one min-
ute’s time the nest, if near the limb, could
be reached, and the eges safely brought to
the ground. No climbing irons are used
and no danger attends the operation, if
proper caution is used.

Ospreys’ Eaas. In your October issue
appear some notes on number of eggs laid
by Ospreys, and it has occurred to me to
ask if the number in a clutch influences
the size of the eggs. The clutch of four
mentioned as having been sent to England
by Mr. Worthington is in my collection,
and the eggs measure as follows: 2.26 x
Mito, 2.34. 1760228 X 1:82 227 OG, A
clutch of two, received from the same gen-
tleman, measured 2.421.81, 2.48 1.79;
and a clutch of three collected by Mr.
Griffing, and sent to me by Mr. Snowdon
Howland, measure 2.51.82, 2.51.86,
2.56 X1.83. If at any time I can an-
swer, for any of your readers, questions
relating to Birds of the British fauna which
appear in your lists as accidental visitors,
it will give me great pleasure to do so.—
W. Wells Bladen, Stone, Staffordshire,
England.

TEQUIXQUIACATZANATL is one of the
names given to our Purple Gracle in Pen-
nant’s Arctic Zoology.

An Icy Nest. April 3, saw the first
House Phebe and took my first Barred
Owl’s egg—the double event being quite
ten days late. This owl’s hole of ancient
domain is barrel-shaped and now open at
the top, and on the 24th of March there
was such a heavy slab of solid ice in the
bottom that for one year at least it seemed
as if the tenant must secure quarters else-
where. But, April 3, I took the first egg,
substituting a hen’s egg for the’rest of the
clutch which can be safely reckoned upon.
Except a dab of wet feathers the egg was
in the middle of the slab of ice which had
begun to melt very slightly under the
heat of the owl’s body. We read of strange
nesting-places, and queer material used in
construction, but isn’t this the first in-
stance of a collector finding his eggs on
ice?—J. M. W., Norwich, Conn.

Woopprckers, Snow Birds, Jays, Creep-
ers or Sap Suckers, and a very few Quail
Quail have died by the
thousands further up North. Prairie chick-
ens have scarely been seen since December
last, and the inference is they have frozen
also. I saw tracks of a grouse the other
day. Thermometer much of the time
twenty to forty-two degrees below zero,
and mean temperature of January six be-
low. But’tis a clear, beautiful atmosphere
and we look for early Spring.—fev. Geo.
B. Pratt, Hastings, Minnesota.

Purrte Fincurs. C. C. Richards, Nor-
wich, Conn., reports eight pairs of Purple
Finches feeding on the seeds of the tulip
poplar, eating only the base or the part
containing the seed. He noticed them
frequently and, at times, feeding with
House Sparrows.

Ipswich Sparrow. I noticed in March
O. and O. that Mr. Griffing took three
Passerculus princeps 11 November last
near Shelter Island, L. I. Ihave taken
eight out of ten I have seen on Great
South Beach, Long Island, since Jan. 1,
1883.— Wm. Dutcher, 304 Second-avenue,
New York, March 2d.

have been seen.

,
7”
ra?
4

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

OOLOGIST.

eee M. WaApDs, Haitor ae fpableber.-

$1.00 per Single Copy
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
VOL. VIII. BOSTON, ory. 1883. No. 7

Piissiscians Valley Gigication.

NEW OBSERVERS AND STATIONS.
No. 2. Florida., Royallieuw, T. 8. RisLey.
*¢ 34, Indiana, Delphi, B. W. EyERMAN.
42. Illinois, Griggsville, T. W. PARKER.
‘© 48. Iowa, Des Moines, U. 8. Grant.
‘* 56. Minnesota, Pine Bend, RoBERT LINTON.

-

{Continued from last month.]
as I can tell from the notes

writers and my own ob-
servations, nearly all their movements
would fall under these three rules: If,
when flying north they meet a cold, freez-
ing storm, they are most apt to return
without attempting to alight; if they go
beyond the boundary of open water they
will return; but if they find open water
and once settle on it they will stay there
no matter how cold and freezing the
weather afterwards becomes ; even if it is
so cold that the water freezes over again

As near
of various

_ the chances are that they will disperse over

the fields and wait there for another thaw.

The farthest north I find Geese to have
wintered is at (42), where a few stayed all
winter in the airholes in the Illinois River
near Valley City. The Mallards wintered
in large numbers at (21), and at (35) a
dozen different kinds and geese also found
a congenial winter home. (35) sends an
interesting note concerning the winter
food of the Mallard. He says: “They are
the most common Duck we have, arriving
here as a winter visitor shortly after the
first frost and remaining until about the
first of April, but this year until about the
middle of the month. Feeds on wild rice,
when obtainable, and their next choice
seems to be acorns with which they will
sometimes fill their crops so full as to cause

them to extend half way to their heads.”

The following selected notes will give a
pretty accurate idea of the time of the
general northward movement of the Ducks,
although of course there were many minor
and local irregularities. At (16) they be-
gan to fly 2-1. (22) 2-9 began flying to-
day, after the warm rain. (30) 2-14 the
first were seen in the afternoon. 2-15 at
11 a. mM. commenced again, and from 4 to
5 p. mM. twenty-eight large flocks passed
north. 2-16 from 7 to 8 a. m. fifty flocks
with over 2,000 individuals passed over.
2-17—24 quite plentiful all the week, but
no great move until 2-24, when in the fore-
noon, with a light rain and warm strong
south wind, large flocks went north,
abruptly stopped at noon by a norther.
3-14 quite plentiful, and 3-18 large flocks
going north. (42) 3-13 not first, but are
in innumerable quantities on the Illinois
River bottoms. 3-14 clouds of Ducks,
some Mallard, Wood Duck and Teal, but
principally Sprigtail. (87) 3-16 very plen-
ty. (38) 2-16 first seen. (40) 3-1 first.
3-19 flying south but returned 3-21. (44)
3-14 very numerous. 3-18 in the morning
flying north and at noon hastening back.
(47) 312 first seen and were Teal. 3-25
plenty. 45 and 46 the Ducks seemed to
fairly swarm on the prairies and in the
cornfields, but by 4-8 they were mostly
gone. (52) on 3-1,a lone duck appeared and
skated awhile on the ice of a neighboring
lake, but his report was so unsatisfactory
that the rest were slow in coming. Even
when the ice went out of the river 4-2
there were still very few, and it was not
until 4-5 that the gunners began to make

5O

a business of their slaughter. 4-7 and 4-8
during a snow storm was the harvest time,
and by 4-11 most had passed on. (57)
3-24 was the day of the first, when five or
six flocks settled on a lake near by. (60)
no Ducks reached here until 4-3, but as the
ice was then two feet thick it is no wonder.

Of the movements of Geese I will give
merely some condensed notes. (16) began
to fly 1-15 and ceased 2-20. (30) 2-15 first.
2-24 several troops seen. 3-18 large flocks.
(42) 3-24 shot first; saw fifty Brant in
morning and 300 to 400 in afternoon. (33)
3-21 last night Geese were heard all night
going north. (87) 2-17 first. 3-16 plenty
both Geese and Brant. (38) 2-16 first.
(40) 3-19 flying south but returning 3-21.
(43) 3-1 first. (44) 3-5 first. 3-14 a great
many. 38-18 flying both north and south,
according to wind. (47) 3-12 first. 3-25
the bulk came, and on 45 and 46 on
prairies and in cornfields the Geese, Brant,
and Swans were in swarms. Two days
later most had gone. (52) 3-14 first. Only
a fewin their migrations pass over this
part of the country. (60) 47 were the
first and then only three.

I append the following interesting ac-
count by (30) of the flight of Geese. “3-14.
It was a grand sight to see an army of
northbound Snow Geese go by with much
noise in the forenoon. At first came about
500 in one cloud, but divided in fifteen
loose files. After a few minutes came
another army of about 150 in five files.
Among all these were only eight wholly
white Geese, but many with white head
and neck ; the rest were darker birds. They
flew about 300 feet high. At the same tine
passed a troop of 30-40 Canada Geese. The
files of these two kinds of Geese are dif-
ferent. The ranks of the Canada Geese
make quite a sharp pointed angle, while
the angle of the Snow Geese is quite ob-
tuse, and the birds often throw the body
from one side to the other; their flight also
seems to be more rapid and Duck-like.”

Of the Blackbirds the only one we will

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 7

take up for the present is the Red winged
Ageleus pheeniceus. His Winter home
does not differ much from the Robin’s but
is somewhat farther South, and is restricted
to the peculiar kind of country which they
always choose, i. e. swampy lowlands.
Wherever they do occur in winter it is in
innumerable quantities. Some few strag-
gling flocks pass the winter farther north,
but only a few and these usually only in
mild winters. The larger flocks pass north
to breed, but some scattered ones remain
to rear their young, all the way from the
Gulf to the British line. No. (18) finds
them present 4-26 and marks them as resi-
dent, while (6) finds them breeding 4 25.
The appearance of the first ones in the
spring is quite irregular, and any notes on
the first seen are of comparatively little
value, because, unless the observer goes
out in particular search of them, they will
not be seen until several days after their
arrival. The bulk moves quite regularly,
and I think a full record of the movements
of the females would show that they go
quite regularly north. In general the
height of the season is about the time the
femalesarrive The following is the record:

No. (16) found them as a Winter resident
in countless numbers. (35) arrived from
south 2-20 to 2-28 and 48 are still going
through in flocks. (30) 3-3 many small
flocks in the swamps of Illinois, just oppo-
site St. Louis, but none here yet. 3-11
have spread a little more in small troops,
mostly males. 3-14 were the most con-
spicuous birds in the lowlands. Vast num-
bers were in noisy flocks, with but few fe-
males. 3-17 large flocks go north above
the river. 4-4 the number was very great,
but 4-6 was the height of the season. 4-19.
females in flocks. (21) 3-12 first. 4-29 last
migrant has left and all our Blackbirds
have settled down to their summer's work.
(42) 36 first; increasing very slowly, but
3-17 saw two large flocks and 3-18 still
more. (83) 3-7 first. (37) 3-18 first. 4-9
very numerous; quantities along the water

July, 1883.]

courses. (38) 2-25 first seen and were both
male and female. The bulk came 3-3. (39)
a few were seen here every month this
winter. (40) 2-27 first seen. 3-1 saw
about 100. 4-1 only fifteen in four miles.
4-7 surrounded with blackbirds. Thou-
sands of them in flocks settled all over the
edges of the timber. (43) some all winter.
Let me insert here an experience I had
with Blackbirds, April 6, 1878, within a few
miles of where (48) lives. I had occasion
to be down on what is known as ‘“ Musca-
tine Island,” rather early in the morning.
At a little before four o'clock the Black
birds began to fly from a large forest on
the west of the railroad track, across a wide
marsh to the woods and marshes on the
east. They were in flocks, but so close to-
gether that there appeared to be no break
in the line of a mile in length, which ex-
tended from woods to woods. This line
remained unbroken and remarkably con-
stant in size for stz hours, when about ten
o'clock gaps began to appear and soon the
flight ceased. Now taking the moderate
estimate that 2,000 were in sight all the
time, and that their speed was twenty-five
miles per hour, we have the enormous sum
total of 300,000 birds that were then liv-
ing in that single marsh. Exactly five
years later (43) finds the same state of af-
fairs. He says “4-6, can’t say how many
are here now, as they have been roosting
by thousands in the timber on Muscatine
Island fora month or more.. They com-
mence passing over our village about day-
break, and seldom all pass before nine or
ten o'clock. About five in the afternoon
they commence their return flight, and are
often until late at night in getting in.” (44)
4-3 large flocks. (47) 3-12 first. (52) 3-17
first, nine birdsseen. 3-23 first flock. No
more flocks seen until 4-4, when in the
evening about 250 birds went north. Even
by 49 very few seemed to have passed
north, and a walk of half a dozen miles
would not have revealed as many flocks.
4-12 for the first time common. No large

AND OOLOGIST.

flocks, but a good many scattered single
ones and small parties, all singing and all
males. 4-21 first females. 4-28 height of
season. (56) 4-11 first. (57) 4-14 first one.
(60) 4-5 first one seen and only one. 4-7
only four seen in three miles.

Since last month’s notes were written a
large number of additional notes have
come to hand, and to make the record
more complete the following items are ad-
ded in regard to the movements of the
Robins ; At (16) almost all had left by 3-1.
No. (35) says that although the Robins
winter here in far greater numbers than

breed here, yet they will sometimes disap-

pear for a week or two at atime. They
confine themselves mostly to the bottom
lands where their favorite winter food,
wild grapes, is to be found in abundance
throughout the winter. In the hills they
are occasionally found eating sumac ber
ries. Sometimes days were passed in the
woods without seeing a single specimen,
while again thousands would be met with
inasingle flock. From 2-20 to 2-28 im-
mense flocks came from the south and re-
mained here until the latter part of March,
when they began to move on. No. (30)
heard distinctly at 9.30 p. m., 4-3, the voices
of wandering Robins flying over the city,
and wherever he went on 4.4 there were
Robins. He gives 4-4 as “height of the
season,” i. e. as numerous as they ever will
be for the ‘transient visitors,” which are
those that merely pass through to nest fur-
ther north. Robins must be quite numer-
ous at all times at (21) for he found fifty
in five miles on 4-7, after the transient had
all left. The record of (37) is that after
the first one 2-25, they increased very slowly
and during the cold snap of 3-4 almost dis.
appeared, came back again 3-8 to 3-10 and
on 3.18 were not arriving fast, only eight
to ten seen in two miles. April 9th was
the height of the season. Through north-
ern Iowa the bulk seemed to move 4-7 to
4.9.. No. (45) first was seen 3-13, very
scarce for next two weeks ; on 4-1 only two

in three hours; 49 very numerous. At
(40) first flock 3-19 ; on 4-1 only six in one
mile, but 4-7 very large flocks. At (52)
only one large flock has been seen this
spring and that was 4-7. The most song
was heard 4-12, when single ones and pairs
were everywhere, but by 4-14 the last tran-
sient had left. On 427 the first egg was
taken. No. (56) says his first was seen
3-27; while (57) saw his first 3-13, two
miles from town near straw pile, with a
little bare ground around it. All the ground
except a few small spots was covered
deep with snow. The next day he found
the same one with two others at the same
locality, but they were very scarce until
4-6, when a large flock of forty were seen,
and very soon after that they began mating.

Passing on now to the Bluebird (Sialia
sialis,) we have somewhat near the same
story to tell. This bird is a trifle more
hardy than the Robin, and its winter quar-
ters average a little farther north ; but, un-
like the Robin, it is scattered pretty evenly
over all the country it inhabits, as if it
could easily make a living anywhere. We
may put down thirty-nine degrees as about
the limits of the stragglers during the win-
ter, but thirty-eight degrees would be more
nearly the normal limit of its winter home.
Of its winter habits (35) says that it is
sometimes absent for a week or so, but is
likely to be met with any week during the
winter, and in far greater numbers than in
the summer months. When the ground is
soft, large numbers of them may be found
in meadows picking around the roots of
grass, as if searching for hidden insects ;
they also eat sumac berries.

The bulk of them seem to have started
from their winter homes about the middle
of February, and from the last of February
to the middle of March were very numer-
ous between the thirty-seventh and thirty-
ninth parallels. No. (16) found sixty-three
to the mile on 3-5; (22) saw seventy-five
to the mile 3-12; (38) thinks the bulk of
their birds came about 3-1; and (30) says

52 ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 7

that their great arrivals were about 2-24,
when half their birds had come back, both
in pairs and pairing; and 3-4 he says,
“Bluebirds were the birds of this week.
They were seen and heard everywhere ;
the males doing most of the warbling and
the females most of the fighting. I caught
two females in my hands which came down
to the ground in combat. One had an eye
badly closed. Before liberating I gave
each a tinge of aniline on the chin for fu-
ture reference.”

Large flocks of Bluebirds are not much
seen north of southern Iowa. By the time
they reach Iowa and central Illinois so
many of them have paired, and the rest are
so seriously contemplating that important
step, that more than four or six will sel-
dom be seen at once. The following dates
of the first ones seen show a progression
northward quite regular in its motion; the
only exception being (56) who is on a high
bleak prairie, and it is natural that they
should not appear until some time after
they had appeared at (57) who is in timber
right on the bank of the Mississippi. No.
(32) first one seen 2-7 ; (42) 2-21. On 2-28
were more numerous and showed signs of

pairing. (37) 2-28, not many until 3-8.
(38) 2-17 ; bulk came 3-1. (89) 2-28. (40)
2-28.° (43) 3-1. (44) 3-1. Bulk came 3-14

and some took possession of the bird house
and went to housekeeping in earnest. (45)
3-20 but very few first week. (47) 3-12,
snow two feet on a level. Bulk came 3-25.
(52) 3.11. Seemed inclined to become com-
mon on 3-17, but sudden cold weather put
a complete stop to all migration from then
to 3-23, since which time they are about as
they will be all summer. (56) 41. (57)
3.14. (60) 4-5, a pair came back and are
singing on an old nest.

No. (60) is very near the northern limit of
the Bluebird’s range, which is usually given
as 48 degrees. It really does sometimes go
beyond that, even to the British line; but
from (60) northward it is rather a rare
bird. At about 47 degrees I usualiy saw

July, 1883.]

only half a dozen pairs in a whole summer,
and their movements can no longer be de-
pended on. Last year I was constantly in
the field, but did not see one until six
weeks after they reached a point only a
hundred miles south of me.

Plain English.

The title of this article, as well as the
thoughts which follow, were suggested by
the prospectus of this Magazine.

Thought one is, that the O. and O. ought
to be well supported, by the amateurs of
the fraternity at least, because the articles
which appear in it are not to be so crowded
with technicalities as to weary the reader
but are to be written in what the literati
eall the “popular style,” in the language
of the people rather than in the language
of science, or in other words they are to be
written in “ Plain English.”

And there is excellent authority and pre-
cedent to warrant the hearty endorsement
of such a policy, for not only have eminent
scientific men of the present day written
many popular works, but a century ago the
importance of a modification of technical
writing was recognized, and that illustrious
naturalist, Baron Cuvier, placed in the pre-
face to Le Regne Animal the words, “I
have not employed many technical terms,
and have endeavored to communicate my
ideas without that barbarous array of fic-

titious words, which in the works of many.

natural historians, is so very repulsive.” As
Agassiz, in his work on classification, has
styled Cuvier “the greatest zoologist of all
time,” surely American students cannot
justly be stigmatized as unscientific if they
follow the Baron's teaching, or, even if,
euided by the requirements of their day,
and by the experience gained in the years
intervening since he wrote, they carry his
idea to a greater length than did the mas-
ter himself.

And the question of the style to be
adopted in writing scientific works ceases
to a trifling matter, and demands earnest

AND OOLOGIST. 53

attention, when it is considered that against
this language of science must be laid the
charge of causing the study of > Natural
History to be unpopular, for it would be
folly to deny the fact that it is unpopular,
that in the minds of those who enjoy whole-
some and instructive books, but who are
not especially interested in scientific re-
search, there is a strong antipathy to works
treating of natural science. And this an-
tipathy is more real than apparent, even
among those who are termed amateur sci-
entists, who study a branch of science for
the pleasure derived from it or for a relaxa-
tion from more engrossing labor. These
are obliged, in order to keep informed of
the latest discoveries, to read the deter-
minations of the leading observers in their
chosen departments, but it is in much the
same spirit as that with which they sub-
mit to the manipulations of a dentist, that
they worry through the tedious pages filled
with unattractive and often obscure sen-
tences, and with Latin and Greek terms
and names which are hard to spell, hard to
pronounce, hard to remember, and harder
still to understand.

If our novels were written in such a style
that they necessitated a continuous refer-
ence to Lexicons and Dictionaries, we
should not read many; and science can re-
late to us stories which are equally as fas-
cinating as those of Fiction—all the more
fascinating because true; and _ scientific
works could be written quite as easily and
with as exact precision without the con-
stant use of these technicalities, the great
mass of them being as useless as they are
repellant. The plea that technical writing
cannot be dispensed with is an absurdity,
a mere pretence, for this language of
science is a sham of the most pronounced
type, of a piece with the “formulas of
Beadledom” and the “quackery” against
which the pen of Carlyle waged war so
mercilessly; the only purpose its use
achieves is to throw over science that veil
of mystery which is so dear to the heart of

54 ORNITHOLOGIST

the savant, and beneath which he delights
to pose as the custodian of a knowledge
too profound for ordinary mortals to com-
prehend.

This love of appearing possessed with
super-human capabilities is no new devel-
opment; it is as old as the human heart
and has asserted itself under all the diverse
phases of man’s existence. It was the in-
spiring motive of the Sorcerers and As-
trologers—the wise men of Bible days
—and guided the founders of the religious
systems of all savage races. It flourished
amidst the mystic philosophy of Egyptian
symbolism and drew vigor from the warm
breast of the Collegia Artificwm, founded
by King Numa for the Romans; and it
still lives, in the height of its arrogant pre-
sumption, not only beneath the shadow of
barbaric priestcraft but in the broad light
of the nineteenth century’s civilization and
culture.

But the intelligence of this age has no
faith in the oracles or the mysticism which
swayed such power in the darker ages of
history ; such mummeries have no place in
the economy of a people who have ceased
to believe that the knowledge attained by
the few cannot be understood by the many ;
and the practical common sense of to-day
declares that if the savant has a mission it
clearly is to teach the people how they may
read the sermons which are written in the
stones; how they may gather the thoughts
which are voiced by the running brooks,
how they may discern the true and the
beautiful—the good, which a beneficent
Creator has implanted in everything, And
unless the savant does his part in the ful-
filment of this mission, unless he helps to
make the world wiser and better, he is of
no more use here than—a dead rat.

It would be base ingratitude not to ad-
mit frankly that the world owes much—
very much, of its present advanced condi-
tion to the efforts of men of science. That
they have done a great work in the educa-
tion of the people is most true, but that

[Vol. 8-No. 7

there is vastly more yet undone is equally
as certain, and it will not be done, and the
responsibility for the failure must fall upon
scientists so long as they expend their best
efforts for the sole benefit of their co-labor-
ers—the small body of specialists, so long
as they make their books repulsive to the
people.

Considering all these things the amateur
ornithologists should rejoice that for one
year more, at least, the antiquated rubbish
which was imposed upon science by a child-

ish vanity shall be discarded from these _

pages, and the annals of the bird’s lives be
recorded here in “ Plain English.”—Mon-
tague Chamberlain, St. John, N. B.

Bewick’s Wren.

May 17, 1882, I found a nest of Be-
wick’s Wren containing four eggs. May
8th, of the present year, I found two nests
of this wren, one containing four and the
other six eggs. The set of four were
partly incubated. The nest of 82 was in
a mortise hole in an old barn in the south-
ern part of this State. The two found
yesterday were in the central section of
this State. One was upon the rafter of a
porch, the other upon the top of a window
of a wood-shed. All three nests are very
similar, being open at the top and lned
with feathers. I caught with my hand two
of the birds before they could leave their
nests, and examined them carefully. The
nest of ’82 is figured in part 14 of “ Nests
and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio,” and is
the first record of the nesting of this
species in this State. The two specimens
taken yesterday thoroughly establishes
this wren as an Ohio summer resident. I
believe Bewick’s Wren is somewhat com-
mon in some localities, and is confounded
by the country people with the common
House Wren. I can recall a set of eggs
which I took about twelve years ago, that I
now believe were those of Bewick’s Wren.
—Howard Jones, Circleville, Ohio.

July, 1883.]

Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Red-headed Woodpecker.
House Sparrow.

On May 18th I found a nest of the
“ Sharp-shinned Hawk.”

hole of a dead tree in an open lot; and in
the same tree, directly below it, a Red-
headed Woodpecker had her nest. One
week previous, when I discovered the
Woodpecker’s nest, I saw a small Hawk
alight on the top of the tree for a few mo-
ments and then fly away again. Presently
she returned and then flew away. This
she repeated for several times. I thought
of course she was after the Woodpecker. I
then went away, thinking nothing more
about it. The next day I happened to pass
by there and I found that somebody had
been trying to cut down the tree and had
almost accomplished it. (They were proba-
bly after the Woodpecker’s nest.) But while
I was looking at it the same Hawk perched
on the top of the tree. Then I thought
she might have a nest there; I looked
for it but could not find it. I did not visit
the tree again until the morning of the
18th of May, when I went for the Wood-
pecker’s eggs. This time I found the tree
had been set on fire since my last visit,
making it quite dirty work ascending.
When I had almost reached the Wood-
pecker’s nest, I saw something fly out of
the hole above me. I then climbed up to
the hole, which was about the size of a hat.
There I saw the nest of the very Hawk
which. I had seen before, with four fresh
eggs init. The nest was just a few sticks
thrown loosely in the hole. Is not this a
singular place for a Sharp-shinned Hawk's
nest? Is it not strange she has not de-
serted it when two attempts had been made
to knock the tree down? Last year I found
a House Sparrow’s nest with four eggs,
two of which were speckled all over; the
third was almost destitute of spots, and the
fourth was pure white. This is the second
with white eggs. I have quite a number of

It was built in a

5D

AND OOLOGIST.

Pheebe birds nests having eggs speckled
with red.

Will somebody be kind enough to tell
me something about the eggs and breed-
ing habits of the Canada Jay ?—W. B.
Fonda, Morristown, N. J.

Brrps rm Conrinement. 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.

RosE-BREASTED GRosBEAK. “Jack” is
now in his fifth year and begins to show
his age. He has sung more or less since
January Ist, but not his full notes until
into April. He still sings the full notes of
the Indigo Bird and also the Canary,
which he has not seen or heard for four
years. Last Summer a pair of Wrens
raised one nest of young in a box near
him, and he has their notes complete. In
the moult, commenced the middle of last
August, he shed every tail and wing feath-
er which we preserved. In his December
and January moult he did not shed a sin-
gle long feather. In January, February,
March and April of each year, he will go
through the most remarkable capers im-
aginable with the lady that cares for him.

Rosz-BreasteD Grospzeak. T. J. Rigney
saw a male at Pittsfield, Mass., May 19, ’83.

56

Curious Nesting Prace. This day, June
11, while on a visit to the mills at Law-
rence, Mass., we noticed a nest inside of
the depot gong. The gong is about twelve
inches in diameter and about an inch and
a quarter from the wall. Three years ago
a pair of House Sparrows built two or
three nests in this gong, but they were
pulled out by the baggage master, as they
deadened the sound of the gong. This
year they have built four nests. The third
one filled the entire gong except an
entrance hole, and the female laid a
full set of eggs and had commenced sit-
ting, and would not leave her nest on the
inside of the gong when it was struck for
departing trains. That nest and eggs was
pulled out and would fill a peck measure.
After this the gong was covered with a
wire netting, except a place for the ham-
mer to lift up, and through this small hole
they have built their fourth nest this year.
Now that the gong is covered with netting
they are content with a small nest, seeming

to know that it is a protection.

An Unrecorded Habit of the Red-
Headed Woodpecker.

Several years ago my attention was
called by a farmer to a singular habit
which the Red-headed Woodpeckers in his
neighborhood had of robbing the nests of
Cliff Swallows. Since then I have collect-
ed numerous instances of the kind.

The following incident I believe to be
true: Under the eaves of a large barn
near Mt. Sterling, O., a colony of Cliff
Swallows have built for some years. Last
year they were nearly exterminated by
several Woodpeckers. The Red-heads
would alight at the doors of the mud
huts and extract the eggs from the nests
with their bills. In some nests the necks
or entrance-ways were so long that the
Woodpeckers could not reach the eges by
this means, but not willing to be cheated
of such choice food they would climb
around to the side, and with a few well di-

ORNITHOLOGIST

rected blows of their bills make openings
large enough to enable them to procure
the eggs. Of the dozens of nests built
not a single brood was reared in any.
One Woodpecker bolder than the rest be-
gan eating hen’s eggs wherever they could
be found. One morning the lady of the
house saw a woodpecker go into a barrel
in which she had a sitting of selected
hen’s eges. Suspecting his purpose she
hastened out and found that he had al-
ready broken one egg. The hen was off
feeding. Presently the hen returned.
Thinking all now safe the lady was about
to enter the house when a Woodpecker
alighted upon the barrel, and hopping
around the top, soon entered. The lady
hastened to the barrel and threw her apron
over the top and captured the thief.

From my own observations and those of
others, the Red-headed Woodpecker, (J.
erythrocephalus,) must be placed among
the egg-sucking birds.—Howard Jones,
Circleville, Ohio.

Rupy—crownep Kinexter. Noticing Mr.
Jencks’ query in the June number of the
O. and O., I write to say that the female
Ruby-crowned Kinglet does occasionally
have a well-marked crown-patch. I know
of three such specimens, at least two of
which were dissected by a competent per- —
son. In all three, however, the color of
the bright feathers is orange, not scarlet
as with the male. During my own collect-
ing I have never taken a female which had
the crown otherwise than perfectly plain,
and it is certain that this condition is the
normal one, even among fully adult birds.
Hence Mr. Jencks’ note may be taken in
the main as a timely correction of a long
established error.— Wm. Brewster, Cam-
bridge, Mass.

Invex to Vol. VIT is now ready and will
be mailed with this number to all who have
remitted twelve cents.

Rose-BREASTED GrosBEax.—Jas. J. Mc-
Carthy caught a male with bird lime in the
suburbs of Boston, June 11, ’85.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

OOLOGIST.

$1.00 per
Annum.

Se M. War, Editor sal Pabliaher:).
Established, March, 1875.

Single Copy
10 Cents.

pou: vee

A ae to Dr. Coues.

To the Editor of the Quebec Morning Chronicle.

Dear Sir: In your issue of the 4th inst.,
Dr. Coues attempts to “correct a misap-
prehension respecting some points” raised
in my review of “New England Bird
Life,” but his effort lacks one essential ele-
ment of success—there was no misappre-
hension to correct.

I was well aware that the cuts of the
Great-horned Owl and Snowy Owl were
“copied from Audubon’s famous folio en-
gravings,” although no mention was made
of this in the book; but Dr. Coues has a
way of using copies from Audubon’s en-
gravings, and from others, without ac-
knowledging the source of their origin.
He admits that these cuts are “not partic-
ularly good,” and I submit, that the fact of
their having been drawn by the great nat-
uralist is not, of itself, evidence that they
were not drawn from badly mounted spec-
imens.

In my review I did not mention that
these were copied from Audubon, for the
same reason that I did not mention many
other things—the peculiar appearance of
the Woodcock and of the Brant, for in-
stance—for want of space, but it is not
very likely that the artist of ““New England
Bird Life”—the party who is responsible
for the few illustrations which appear to
have been designed especially for this
work—will suifer in reputation from hav-
ing these owls credited to him. One can-
not help wondering why Dr. Coues per-
mitted some of the cuts to be put in the
book; they are neither valuable for deco-

Ee tON, east.

ea

ration nor a illustration ; “7 are worse
than useless, they are misleading.

Dr. Coues appears to.take exception to
my remark that students will regret that
he had not seen the desirability of adopt-
ing the Smithsonian system of classifica-
tion and nomenclature instead of using
that framed by himself. Unquestionably
any author has the right to adopt whatever
nomenclature he may think best, and is “ at
liberty to take all proper means” to have
any system prevail, as Dr. Coues.asserts,
but the learned Doctor must not forget
that those who purchase books and who
read them, have also the right to regret
when an author pursues any course which
increases the difficulty of studying a sub-
ject, or which, in their opinion, conflicts
with its best interest. And those who are
interested in the study of ornithology feel
themselves at liberty to “take all proper
means” to prevent the confusion which
will inevitably arise should these two sys-
tems come into equally general use.

That the readers of the Chronicle who
may not have examined those works shall
have an intelligent idea of the causes which
lead to this confusion, I will quote a few
examples of their differences, selected
from the latest editions.

In the first group, the Zurdide, Mr.
Ridgway opens the Smithsonian “ Cata-
logue” with the Wood Thrush, and places
the Robin as tenth, while Dr. Coues’
“Check List” places the Robin first and
the Wood Thrush sixth, and so on, no one
Species having an equal position in both
classifications.

In nomenclature the differences are al-

Or

|

most as great, though a few species have
the same name in both. In this very same
group, at the opening of the books, Mr.
Ridgway gives Merula migratoria as the
scientific name of the Robin, while Dr.
Coues gives Turdus migratorius.

The Gray-cheeked Thrush is called by
Mr. Ridgway Hylocichla alicie, and Dr.
Coues calls it Zurdus ustulatus alicice.
Both Doctor Coues and Mr. Ridgway
have given the Hermit a trinomial ap-
pellation ; but while the former calls it
Turdus unalasce nanus it has received
from the latter author Hylocichla unalas-
ce pallasi. Turn to the middle of the

book and we will find that Dr. Coues gives |

the Barn Owl the specific name of Pratin-
cola and Mr. Ridgway, Americanus. Mr.
Ridgway mentions three sub-species or va-
rieties of the Great-horned Owl, for which
he adopts the names of swbarcticus, arcticus
saturatus, while Dr. Coues gives but two
and calls these arcticus and pacifieus—and
so on through the entire work.
- The “Long-tailed Jeger” of Coues’ list
is named buffoni and in the Smithsonian
list it is parasiticus,—the same English
name being given to the two species; and
the very last species mentioned in the
Smithsonian list is not given by Dr. Coues.
Such being fair examples of these rival
systems, it does not require a brilliant im-
agination to foresee that their use will
produce confusion. I have neither the
knowledge nor the inclination to discuss
their relative merits or demerits. I am
looking at the entire question from the
standpoint of a student who finds the
difficulties of ‘study increased by the two
being used. Do [I stand alone in this po-
sition? Are not the mass of those who
read such books as “New England Bird
Life” ornithologists only in a very amateu-
rish way? And even of the more advanced
students are there not but very few who
bother to hunt up the authorities for the
different names or who care a fig which is
adopted? To the greater number it is of

8 ORNITHOLOGIST

~ [Vol. 8-No. 8

little consequence what name a bird is
known by, but a very important matter
that the nomenclature shall not be so con-
fusing that there is an added difficulty in
the way of determining to which species a
name refers.

Dr. Coues does not deny that the use of
these two systems will lead to confusion,
indeed in his letter he is frank enough to
admit that “it is to be regretted that there
are two claimants for public favor”; and
in an article published in the January
number of the Bulletin of the Nuttall
Ornithological Club he goes further and
implies that he considers it an imperative
necessity that there should be but one-
system in use and suggests the assembling
of “a congress of American ornithologists
to discuss, vote upon, and decide each case
in which the Doctors disagreed
the congressmen to bind themselves to
abide by the decision of the majority.” By
the way this does not quite harmonize with
what the learned Doctor has asserted in
his letter, 7. ¢., “It is evident that in mat-
ters of science there can be no ‘authority’
or ‘ officiality’ especially of that impersonal
kind which could be attributed to any in- —
stitution.” Would not this congress which
he proposes be an institution whose author-
ity all its members—all American ornithol
ogists—would be bound to follow? And
did not Dr. Coues, when he wrote the
above, lose sight of the “authority” exer-
cised by the British Association? If he
replied to this question he might possibly
tell your readers that the ‘American
School,” as they call themselves, did not
recognize this authority, and in proof of it
might state that while the British Associa-
tion uses only a binominal nomenclature,
the “American School” have adopted tri-
nomialism. He might forget to add, how-
ever, that European naturalists have con-
demned the Americans for so doing.

No one who has read much of Dr. Coues’
writings can question his superior qualifi-
cation to prepare a system for classifying

‘

and naming our birds. His extensive
knowledge of the subject, the thorough-
ness and skill which he displays in the ex-
ecution of what he undertakes, all mark
him as pre-eminently fitted for such a
work, and if this was a case of Ridgway
versus Coues, students would as soon ac-
cept the system of the one as of the other.
But itis a question of choosing between
an established order of affairs and one
which seeks to disturb it. The system
adopted by the Smithsonian Institution
has been used almost exclusively by Amer-
ican students since 1859, at least, and they
consider they may safely continue to use
what is thought sufficiently correct for the
use of that institution.

They felt it a hard enough strain upon
their patience to be forced to learn the
new names and new arrangements when
the “new nomenclature” was issued. It
was no slight inconvenience to drop such
familiar names as the steina nigra of Au-
dubon for the awkward and repulsive tri-
nomial Hydrochelidon lariformis surina-
mensis imposed upon an inoifensive bird
by Mr. Ridgway. The new mode was,
however, accepted without much murmur-
ing, if without much enthusiasm; but this
additional jumbling up of names, this fur-
ther splitting of already much split hairs
was too much for the human nature which
is attached to the average student and the
nomenclature of the “Check List” has not
been used as much as its author desires.

No doubt Dr. Coues feels uncomfortable
about the matter; but while no one will
question his right to prepare as many sys-
tems as he may find amusement in, he
must remember that the same unwritten
law which grants him this right, gives to
others the permission to make use of these
systems, or not, just as they may elect.—
Montague Chamberlain.

We shall be compelled to postpone for
one month our articles on Mississippi Val-

ley migration. We have valuable matter
in hand for next number.

AND OOLOGIST.

59

In 1878 we became an ornithologist. In
that year we saw the necessity at once of
a check list by ornithologists for ornitholo-
gists, and not by one man. We have ad-
vocated this always. When we began to
read ornithology we were fearfully an-
noyed with the ugly Latin phrases used
by vain and egotistical writers. We came

to the conclusion that thoughtful writers

would give the Latin name of each bird
once and be content with plain English
afterwards. When Greek meets Greek it
is well to speak Greek; but there is no
sense in using a language in a beautiful
science that not one per cent of the read-
ers understand. We have boldly advocated
reform in this alone for years. Now Mr.
Chamberlain has manfully come to the front
and is doing good work. A short time ago
Benjamin F. Butler, who is without ques-
tion the smartest man on this continent
to-day, in his Exeter speech and also at
Harvard, took precisely the same ground
that we have advocated for years in favor
of a practical education; but right on top
of this Charles Francis Adams, Jr., in his
Phi Beta Kappa oration gave some tel-
ling blows in favor of better English and
less Greek and Latin, and almost the en-
tire press of North America have sustained
his views. We could give a volume of ex-
tracts endorsing Mr. Adams, but we have
not the room for them, or even enough
plain English, let alone Greek and Latin.

Aman by the name of Clemens who pub-
lishes a small paper in Cleveland, Ohio,
took four of our articles in one number
and gave no credit. A man with those prin-
ciples would not hesitate to rob a hen roost.

Honesty is gettin’ scarcer ebery year
‘case dar is more people ter pervide. De
more we multiplies, de fyurder from natur’
we is, an’ de furder we gits from natur’, de
less honesty we’se got.—Arkansaw Trav-
eler.

Plain English has been heartily endorsed,
only one dissenting and they supposed that
the entire abolition of Latin was advocated.

60 ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 8

Short-eared Owl.

It is surprising that at this late day we
should know so little of this owl as we do.
We have examined the works of the older
authorities and find but little information,
Audubon throwing the most light on the
subject. Everywhere we find indefinite
quotations from unsatisfactory sources,
and much too often the expressions of
‘said to be,” “supposed to be” and
“thought to be,” which is, to say the
least, very unsatisfactory.

Richardson, in Fauna Boreali Ameri-
cana, (1831), states :

‘*'We observed it as far north as latitude sixty-seven de-
grees; and a female, killed at Fort Franklin, on the 20th of
May, contained several pretty large eggs nearly ready for

exclusion...... ‘according to Mr. Hutchins it lays ten or
twelve white eggs.”

SDS*

Wilson knew nothing of the breeding
habits of this bird, believing it to be simp-
ly a winter visitant to the United States,
and breeding in the far north. He says:

“Tn the United States it is also a bird of passage, coming
to us from the north in November, and departing in April.”
repeaters “The bird represented in the plate was shot in New
Jersey, a few miles below Philadelphia, in a thicket of
pines.”......‘ It flies frequently by day, and particularly in
dark, cloudy weather; takes short flights, and, when sitting
and looking sharply around, erects the two slight feathers
that constitute its horns, which are at such times very no-
ticeable; but, otherwise not perceivable. No person on
slightly examining this bird after being shot, would suspect
it to be furnished with horns; nor are they discovered but

by careful search, or previous observation, on the living
bird.”

Nuttall in his last edition simply gives a
rehash of Wilson, Richardson and Be-
wick and says:

** We have observed it at Atovi, one of the Sandwich Is-
lands in the Pacific, as well as in the Territory of Oregon.”

This edition was published after Nutt-
all’s journey across the continent to the
Columbia river and return home via. Sand-
wich Islands and Cape Horn back to Bos-
ton, and yet Townsend, who was Nuttall’s
companion, shot specimens on the Colum-
bia river and afterwards gave them to Au-
dubon. From the correspondence and
material in our possession referring to this
expedition we are inclined to the belief
that Townsend did not allow Nuttall to
know the extent of the ornithological

knowledge gained by him on this trip, or
the number of birds shot, as he fully in-
tended to publish a work on North Ameri-
can Birds, and did get out one number in
1839, but surrendered to Audubon when
he commenced his seven vol. octavo edi-
tion.

Audubon besides quoting previous au-
thors, gives us considerable original infor-
mation from his own observations. He
also gives an excellent portrait of the bird.
We quote from him. Vol. I, page 141:

“The only nest of this bird that I have found was placed
on one of the high mountain ridges of the great pine for-
est. [Pa.] It contained four eggs, nearly ready to be
hatched. They were of a dull bluish white, covered with
excrement, of a somewhat elongated or eliptical form,
measuring an inch and a half in length, and an inch and an
eighth in breadth. The nest which I met with on the 17th
of June, was placed under a low bush and covered over by
tall grass, through which a path had been made by the bird.
It was formed of dry grass, raked together in a slovenly
manner, and quite flat, but covering a large space, on one
side of which was found many pellets, and two field mice,
which must have been brought there in course of the pre-
ceding night, as they were quite fresh. I should never have
discovered the nest had not the sitting bird made a noise by
clicking its bill as I was passing close by. The poor thing
was so intent on her task that I almost put my hand on her
before she moved; and then, instead of flying off, she
hopped with great leaps until about ten rods from me, keep-
ing up a constant clinking of her mandibles. Having sat-
isfied myself as to the species, made an outline of two of
the eggs, and measured them, I proceeded slowly to a short
distance and watched her movements. Having remained
silent and still for about ten minutes, I saw her hop toward
the nest, and soon felt assured that she had resumed her
task. It was my intention to revisit the spot and take note
of the growth of the young, but letters which came to me
from Philadelphia afew days after, induced me to return
thither; and since then I have had no opportunity of ex-
amining either the eggs or the young of the Short-eared
Owl.”

Dr. Coues adds but little that is new to
the above. He says:

**T procured one specimen at Fort Randall in the winter
of 1872-73””

He further says :

‘*Ttis decidedly the commonest owl about Washington,
D. C., especially in Winter.”......‘*On one occasion I ob-
served a gathering of twenty or thirty individuals on the
Colorado river, below Fort Mojave;”...... ‘The birds were
sitting quite closely together in the rank herbage bordering
the river; some flopped hurriedly off as the steamboat
came abreast of them, while others stood to their perches
as we passed.”

In the Bull. of the Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol.
IV, page 223, W. E. D. Scott, writing from
Long Beach, N. J., says:

“Rather common; resident; breeds. Took a nest and
seven partly incubated eggs, June 28, 1878.

August, 1883.]

AND OOLOGIST.

The following, which is decidedly the
most interesting information so far placed
on record, was furnished by Mr. H. A.
Kline at our request, after purchasing from
him a set of eight eggs. Mr. Kline makes
no vague statements, but gives us interest-
ing facts as he observed them, and in a
straightforward manner :

‘My first acquaintance with this bird was in the Spring
of 1880, while on a ducking expedition in the Winnebago
swamps of Illinois. As I was tramping through the dry
grass along the edge of a.marsh, and on the look-out for
more edible game, a pair of these birds was flushed from
the tall grass, I succeeded in winging one with the right
barrel, and after sending 114 oz. of No. 5 shot after the
other in vain, I proceeded to examine my prize, which
proved to be a male in fine plumage. I afterward learned
of several being killed in the same locality. I found these
birds very common in Johnson and Gage counties, Nebras-
ka. On one occasion while out shooting prairie chickens
in the winter of ’81-82 I noticed one of these birds rise
from the grass about fifty yards in front of me. A load of
shot soon brought it to the ground, when at the report of
the gun four others raised from the grass, all of which
were within fifty yards of me, but they were all very shy
and kept well out of range. They seemed very loth to
leave the place, as I found them in the same locality every
day for afortnight. They were very wild, but I succeeded
in taking two more good specimens. The site where these
birds were killed was along an old ravine, which was coy-
ered with a heavy growth of prairie grass. I could notice
no variation in the markings of any of these birds. I did

not disturb the birds at that place after securing the three, —

as I thought they would breed there, and I often noticed
four or five of them flying about after sundown in search
of mice, etc. They appeared to be common anywhere on
the prairies, although I always met with best success along
the ravines. On the 17th of May I took my dog (a pointer)
and went to the same place where I got my specimens, to
look for their nest, which I found without much trouble.
The dog was ranging a short distance in front of me when
he was suddenly attacked by one of the Owls. It was soon
joined by the other (the male) and together they succeeded
in driving him from the field. They would swoop from the
right and left and strike him on the back with their wings.
Not being used to such treatment by any members of the
feathered tribe he beat a hasty retreat, followed by both
birds. After chasing him some distance they returned to
me and manifested great displeasure by swooping very
close to me and snapping their bills as many Owls do when
angry. I soon came upon the nest, which was placed upon
the ground, and contained eight white eggs. They were of
an oblong oval shape, and the shell closely resembled that
of the Long-eared Owl. Though the eggs are not near as
round as the Long-eared Owl’s, being much less through the
lesser axis. The nest consisted ofa mass of dry prairie
grass placed on the ground, and was hollowed out two
inches deep. The interior was lined with fine grass, and
the whole displayed a good bit of skill in nest making for
an owl. The eggs of this nest are now in the possession of
Jos. M. Wade, Boston, Mass. The same week I found two
more nests, both of which were destroyed by fire before
the set of eggs was completed. One of these nests was on
a high knoll, and the other ina rayine. A gentleman who
had been watching these birds for several years told me he
found a nest in 1880 which contained six young birds and

one egg. The young varied much in size and must have
been hatched at different times. The eggs of the first set I
found showed the same variation in the size of the embryos.
I don’t think these birds ever prey upon anything but small
animals, and I have never found them in the vicinity of
timber. I have tried trapping them by placing a steel trap
on the top of a pole, but never succeeded in catching a
bird.”

The following received from G. A. Mc-
Callum, Dunville, Ont., is also a valuable
addition to the life history of this bird:

A flock of Short-eared owls, that is if six may be called a
flock, have taken up their residence in the outskirts of our
town this winter (1882-3), and as many as four have been
seen together flitting about the fields as if in play, dipping
down to the ground, then soaring up again, chasing one
another, etc. Is this conduct not odd? I have secured two
of them, and hope to bag the rest, although they are very
wary. Afriend of mine while shooting in the marsh last
fall had just shot a snipe when one of this genus darted at
the falling bird and had secured it, when the other barrel
dropped him and he now sits in my collection.”

ee

Long-eared Owl.

On the 12th of April, 1880, I flushed
out of acedar tree, in the middie of chest-
nut woods, a pair of Long-eared Owls,
these being the first I had ever seen in
this section. I commenced a most vigor-
ous search for the nest, but failed to find
it; the Owls in the meantime manifested
their disapproval of intruders by giving
vent to their low, plaintive wails, varied by
an occasional grating sound, and some-
times biting at the limb on which they
would alight, which induced me to believe
they contemplated building near by. I re-
turned on April 18th and started the fe-
male from an old Crow’s nest which a pair
of Squirrels had piled with fine grass and
leaves, and which contained four eggs in
the most comfortable nest I ever saw.
They had burrowed down to the hollow
and left simply a space large enough for
their heads to stick up through to the outer
world. The average of the eggs in meas-
urement was 1.35 1.22. The next season
(1881) I could find no nest in that wood,
but on the other side of an immense
meadow, about a mile distant,I found a
nest April 21st in an old Cooper’s Hawk
nest. On climbing I found three eggs,
which were left to be hatched, for I wished
to find the time occupied in incubation.

62

On visiting the nest May 17th, twenty-six
days later, I found three little Owls just
hatched. I went again June 2d and took
one young, which I have in confinement to
this time. It is extremely interesting to
watch its movements, which are more diffi-
cult on account of its being more affected
by light than my others, (I have Screech
and Barred in confinement,) but his confi-
dence and familiarity won my affections at
once. He will eat any kind of meat, but
give him a nest of mice and he is in the
third heaven of delight. No sooner does
he see the basket of chaff, which he knows
contains his favorite dish, than he goes
through a very strange habit, namely, that
of running each of his claws through his
bill, (ostensibly for the purpose of keeping
them sharp, I suppose.) On depositing
the heap in the corner of his room, which
is quite dark, he flies to it and begins his
search, scratching after the manner of hens.
While doing this he keeps a contented,
preening noise, but the instant a mouse is
found it changes to a quick, sharp, express-
ive note, and, grasping it so tightly one
may hear its bones crack, he flies to his
perch, stretches himself to his full height,
erects his ears, gives two or three notes of
triumph, all the while looking me in the
face; then carries the mouse to his box
and returns for more. Such are a few of
his habits, and, although foolish and sen-
timental the stern scientist and collector
may deem me, yet I say never shall I be
guilty of taking another set of Asio Amer-
icanus eges to enrich my cabinet, for if
they develop into such beings as my little
friend, it is better to let them remain to
fulfil their proper sphere; for, Mr. Editor,
it is a ponderous question, How may we
best study life?—M H. C©., Rehoboth.

We have heard that measures would soon
be taken by the ornithologists in conven-
tion to make a check list. In such move-
ment the Smithsonian should be represen-
ted, otherwise such a check list would not
gain a foothold.

[ Vol. 8-No. 8
Canapa Jay.—On a visit to a logging
camp in northwestern Maine in the Winter
and Spring of ’80—81, I found a nest of
the Canada Jay, March 16th, with four
nearly fresh eggs. The nest was in an
evergreen, ten feet from the ground, and
composed of moss and twigs on the out-
side; inside, like the Blue Jay’s, of fine
roots. Found another March 20th, with
four eges; took one and found it fresh ;
the remaining three hatched in fifteen days.
They are a noisy bird at certain times,
rather odd in actions ; color of eggs, grey,
marked with different shades of brown.—
FI. H. C., Rehoboth, Mass.

Notes from Pittsfield, Mass.

I set out to find the nest of that Rose-
breasted Grosbeak which I mentioned in a
former letter, and finally succeeded, when
it contained two young. The nest was
built upon a stunted pine, and was about
six feet from the ground, in a young thick
wood lot. I was going to try and select a
male from the nest, and obtain such a pet
as you have in Jack, but I left them too
long. After visiting them several times I
found both young with the parent birds
among the branches hopping from limb to
limb, far out of my reach, so I said sour
grapes and turned from the spot in a new
direction I had not explored. I had not

proceeded far when I saw a small bird fly.

from a small stump ¢ direct-
ly in my path. I | hast-
ened forward and ‘Z found
a nest new to mey# Mak. con-

taining three small blue eggs, about the
size of the common Bluebird, excepting
the color was a deep blue green. I knew
Thad a prize, and sat down to watch for
the Thrush to return—for such it was—to
observe her, but she did not appear. I
took the nest and eggs and found the lat-
ter very much incubated, and had to use
my large drill to blow them, and then with
much difficulty, making a larger hole than
I wished. The nest was sunk into the

August, 1885. ]
hollow stump more than the sketch shows.

After that I found a Wilson Thrush
with three eggs upon the ground beneath
the shadow of a blackberry bush—such a
nest and bird as I found at Rockville, Ct.
These were also badly gone and I could
not blow them. Both nests are in my
possession. A set of four Red-eyed Vireos
was my next, and a set of five Catbird’s
came after, the last one of which I blowed
the end out in cleaning.

I have seen only one Baltimore Oriole
here, and that was on May 12th. He
stayed for a few days and then disappeared.
Not a Blue Jay, Chewink, Indigo Finch
have I seen, and I don’t believe they visit
this locality. Bobolinks are here in great
numbers and make the meadows ring with
their melody. Thrushes, too, are plenty
here and in variety.— 7. J. Rigney.

~Woodcock and Turtle.

While on a collecting trip at Gardner’s
Lake, New London County, Conn., last
Spring, we made some enquiries of an old
gentleman about Birds of Prey, Ducks,
ete., about the lake. After giving us the
desired information the old gentleman sta-
ted that he was afew years ago driving
slowly down the road when he heard some-
thing “flopping” its wings over the wall.
Thinking it might be ” wounded bird he
got over the wall and found a Woodcock
struggling in the mud, flapping its wings
laboriously. Taking it for granted the
bird was wounded, he seized it and in pull-
ing it out found that its foot was fast, and
he only secured it by leaving its foot be-
hind. This state of things surprised the
old man nota little, and while he stood
there he noticed the mud moving where
he had drawn the bird out. He secured a
hoe which was in his wagon and began to
dig in the mud; finding there was some-
thing alive there, he worked until he
brought to terra firma a good sized Snap-
ping Turtle. It would appear that the
Woodcock in search of food had walked

i)
65

AND OOLOGIST.

over the soft mud, and the turtle, also in
search of a dinner, had seized the Wood-
cock by the foot, and would have taken it
under only the hole was not deep enough
for the mud turtle to get the bird below
the surface ; hence the struggle for life.

Tue BLack-HEADED GrosBEAk, (Zamelodia
melanocephala,) is a well known bird and
one whose biography has been pretty well

written up, but the following fact—one

which does not appear to have got into
print—may prove interesting to the read-
ers of the O. and O. On June Ist I sur-
prised a male in the rather unmasculine
act of incubating. The nest was in the
crotch of a cottonwood sapling, in a grove
near the Arkansas river, and about seven
feet from the ground. I first saw it at a
distance of forty or fifty feet, and was
thus enabled, by a careful approach, to
identify the bird on the nest, but to make
“assurance doubly sure,” I shot the bird
and examined its generative organs. The
female was not seen at all, although the
cries of the male attracted quite a lot of
sympathetic flycatchers, wrens, orioles, ete.
Whether this assumption of household
cares is a customary habit of the bird, or
merely an individual instance of petticoat
subjection, I leave to some more experi-
enced guesser. The nest contained four
fresh eggs and was composed outwardly
of dead weed stalks loosely stuck together,

and inwardly of dry rootlets compactly

woven to form the cup. Although a great
many males have been seen here this
Spring, I have not seen a single female.—
O. W. Beckham. South Pueblo, Colorado.

“Our Houipay Brirp.” In your Februa-
ry number “J. M. W.” notes the Blue-
bird as like the poor—always with us. It
might further be said that it always bears
the National colors, Red, White and Blue.
It is also one of the most strikingly pecu-
har of American singing birds, and in its
habits a model of civilized bird life.—./.
G. Cooper, M. D., Haywards, Cal.

64

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 8

Least Birrern.—One of my collectors,
while visiting a Least Bittern’s nest, saw
the bird close by in the rushes, in that pe-
culiar position they adopt when trying to
conceal themselves, viz.: clinging to the
reeds in a perpendicular position with head
and bill pointing up in the air, and neck
stretched to its fullest extent. My friend
approached her quietly and reached out
his hand toward her with the intention of
catching her, if possible; but as she
showed no signs of fear he first touched
her and then stroked her on the breast and
back. Another collector, who was with
him, then did the same thing, coming up
to the bird in another direction, she merely
moving her head slightly to look at him,
and resuming her former position again.
My friends left her still clinging to the
rushes where they first found her The
birds are often seen here in similar situa-
tions, but I have never heard of one acting
in this manner before. The bird did not
seem injured in any way, and only moved
her eyes when first touched. At a little
distance they look like a stick or some dead
rushes, when in the position described.—
Snowdon Howland, Newport, R. I.

Cartrornia Lone-pintep Marsa Wren.—
June 18, 1882, a friend and myself. started
for Soap Lake, San Felipe, with the inten-
tion of getting a few sets of eggs of this
bird. Arriving there we pulled on our
long boots and plunged into the tules in
different directions. After an hour’s hard
work we returned and reported—one set
of three badly incubated eggs. My friend’s
experience was about the same as mine. I
had found and examined some twenty-five
nests, and of that number only three had
been lined and used. Two had been de-
serted, the third had the above mentioned
set. The other nests were of the same ap-
pearance outwardly—being woven of coarse
bark of tules—but without the soft, wool-
ly lining of fine shreds of rotten tule and
ducks’ feathers. Some looked new, others

old, and were situated, mostly, just out of
reach in the taller clumps of tules. I saw
but few birds, and these were fearless, ap-
proaching within two feet and looking me
in the eye. Now, what can be the object
of all these extra nests? Do the other
birds build them for a shelter, and, in case
they are disturbed, can immediately occupy
another nest? or, like children, who build
mud houses for amusement, and because
they have nothing else to do? I hope to
make another trip to the place when I have
more time, and to be in better season.—A.
D. Buttertield, San Jose, Cal.

Brief Newsy Notes.

Larce Ser. R. M. Mitchell, Sandford,
Florida, reports finding a set of seven
Mockingbird’s eggs April 30.

YELLOW—BREASTED Cuat. W. H. Wright
took a male Yellow-breasted Chat at Fram-
ingham, Mass, May 18, 1883.

GotpEN Eaatz. W. O. Emerson, Hay-
wards, California, received a fine specimen
for mounting Jan. 26, which was shot at
Livermore with quail shot.

Fish Hawk Suor. For several years a
pair of Fish Hawks have visited Hast
Rochester, N. H., on the Cocheco river.
Sportsmen have tried each year in vain to
secure them, until April 18 of this year,
when Thomas Gotts secured one of them
with a shot from a small rifle. It meas-
ured five feet six inches in extent.—H. W.
Sinclair, Hast Rochester, N. H.

Humanity. A friend writes saying that
dumb animals were made for the comfort
of man, etc. We admit this—that is
where extreme civilization obtains—dumb
animals are made to minister to the wants
and comfort of man, but in extremely
wild countries, the jungles of India for
instance, man is made to administer to the
wants and comfort of dumb animals—that
is, when they can catch him, and in their
home they make out about as well as civil-
ized man with his deadly weapons.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

—OOLOGIST.

Single Copy

$1.00 - pe M. Wanpkr, Editor aad: Paneer,
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
ee ae Bee tON: SEPTEMBER,

Maseissigee Valley Migcation.

Nore.—The stations and observers, to which the num-
bers refer, are given in the O. and O. for April.

Of all our birds few are better known
than the Purple Martin (P. swdis), few are
more regular in their northward migra-
tions, and yet where most of them winter
is still an open question. They certainly
leave the United States entirely at the ap-
proach of cold weather; but beyond our
southern border are several resident spe-
cies so nearly like our Martins that ob-
servers have not yet certainly distinguished
them, and whether our birds mingle with
‘them during the winter around the West
Indies, or pass on to the northern part of
South America, remains to be decided.
Wherever they winter their stay is short,
and February sees them again among us.
Ihave no record just when the first ones
entered the United States this spring, but
by 3-4 they were building at (6), and the
first ones reached (13) 3-3. About 3-20
they reached southern Mo. (26) reports
them on 3-20, (16) 3.22, and (30) on 3-18
saw four scouts. But cold weather drove
them back again immediately, and they
did not appear at any new stations for the
next ten days, when a second onward
movement brought them to (33) 4-1, (32)
4.2, (21) 4-3¢ They returned to (30) 4-3.
(38) saw them 4-3, (41) 43. During the
night of 4-2 to 43 some of these Martins
must have travelled 200 to 300 miles—a
long journey for us, but to them only a
matter of three or four hours’ work.
Again there is a pause of a few days and
then the 8th and 9th of April finds them
at (43), (47), (52), (57) and (60). Thus

1883.

a were only twenty days in making the
trip which took the Robin six weeks.

These birds were the advance guard, but
the bulk did not remain far behind, and in
general from twelve to fourteen days after
the first is seen they are in full numbers.
No. (16) found them 4-1 too numerous to
count. At (21), (30) and (52) they steadi-
ly increased, and about 4-27 were in full
numbers ; also at the same time the birds
of last year began to arrive. Besides the
dates already given I have several others
which show either a less favorable locality
for this species, or else less favorable op-
portunities of observation. The records
are (14) 4-10, (37) a dozen arrived during
the week from 4-9 to 4-16. (40) first seen
4-11, and no more until 419; (44) 4-18
and (45) 4-10.

As the organization of the Martin is
quite delicate, their early migration ex-
poses them to great hardships, and many
perish annually—victims of misplaced con-
fidence in the weather. No. 45 tells us
“from noon of 413 to night of 4.14 a
steady cold northeast rain fell, and some
of the more tender birds suffered severely.
Isaw numbers of Martins too benumbed
to fly, and found one dead next morning.
They had no shelter but a ledge on gal-
vanized iron cornice of a brick building.”

The next bird we take up is the Brown
Thrush, (JZ. rufus). The winter home of
these birds is the Southern States, but
sometimes a few remain as far north as
southern Illinois. No. (35) says they are
partially resident in the heavy underbrush,
but very uncertain, and never numerous
during cold weather. From this winter

66

abode they seem to have spread with re-
markable rapidity. Certainly not more
than a week or ten days was spent im pass-
ing from southern Missouri to central
Minnesota. The notes seem to show that
migration was very irregular, although
probably the following note by (42) on
their habits will explain some of the ap-
parent irregularity :

“They appeared 4-11 and were in song, but very shy. At
first they uttered only a few motes, and kept entirely out of
sight, but 4-14 they became more bold and were seen singing
in the tops of the trees.”

This habit of keeping secluded is
quite common among the first arrivals of
nearly all species, and it takes sharp eyes
to find them. The record is (21) 4-14, (30)
4-5, (32) 4-9, (37) 4-10, (38) 4-5, (40) 4-14,
(41) 415, (44) 4.14, (57) 414. As what
might be called a preparatory move (16)
saw two pairs 3-19. The birds reached (60)
4-27. More irregular movements are re-
corded at (45) 4.23, (47) 5-1, (51) 4-28, and
(52) 425. For some unknown reason the
region around me here is apparently dis-
liked and shunned by the Brown Thrush.
After the first one seen, 4-25 and again
4-26, no more were seen until 5-3 and 5:4,
one each day, and on 5-6 five were seen.
This last date’might be called height of the
season for this place, as at no other time
have I seen more than three a day, and
two-thirds of the time I have seen none,
though in the woods hours at atime. At
(21) the height of the season was 4-27,
while (30) reports 4-9 as the arrival of the
bulk of the species, and from that date to
4-15, or even later, as height of season.

Although in the Mississippi Valley this
species usually nests on trees or bushes,
three nests have been reported this spring
as found on the ground. No. (43) found
one 5-17 on the ground in a little ravine.
There had been a rain the night before,
and the water had soaked the nest so
thoroughly that the birds left it. No. (60)
found his first nest 5-21, and his second
5.28, each with four eggs and each on the
ground.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 9

Turning now to an entirely different class
of birds, let us study the movements of our
common Black Snowbird, (J. hyemalis.)
Unlike all the birds so far considered, he
is inseparably connected in our minds not
with spring, but with the winter's cold.
As he moves south in the fall and early
winter, the first ones begin to drop behind
in southern Minnesota and northern Wis-
consin, but comparatively few are found
until we reach Iowa and northern Illinois.
From there to Arkansas they are the most
numerous winter visitants; then their
numbers decrease as we get into the.
Southern States, although they penetrate
even to Florida. In northern United
States [have known a single one to remain
and brave the forty degrees below zero at
White Earth, Minn.

Probably as good a place as any to be-
gin our study will be in central and south-
ern Illinois, where vast numbers of them
find a congenial winter home. No. (30)
met them everywhere; and during De-
cember found five hundred during his
week's walks. In Jan. and Feb. they
somewhat increased, but 2-24 he says:

‘During the week they have diminished, probably by the
withdrawal of the late re-inforeements which came in the
first part of the month. In sunny places they begin to be
musical. 3-11 they are decidedly less numerous, and what
is more important, they are much less conspicuous than
during the last month. They keep silent on the ground,
even during the warm hours, and by disturbing them I was

| surprised by the large proportion of light colored individ-

uals among them. Judging from this and from their differ-
ent behavior, I think that many of the old birds, which
were in very fine plumage in Feb. have left; and those
which remain behind are the young birds. 3.14 seen in sey-
eral places, but not numerous. 3-16 great arrivals from the
south, as numerous as ever, and many old birds among
them. 3-30 they were found collected in large flocks, and
very much excited, in spite of a cool rain. In a place where
twenty wintered I found an army of two hundred singing,
chasing, etc. The bulk of these departed for the north 4-4
and 4-12 the last left us.”

What Mr. Widmann says of them would
apply equally well to all of the central belt
of the United States. No. (21) found
them about twice as numerous at his sta-
tion, but they left about the same time.
At (32) they were still in large numbers
3-24. At (37) the bulk left 49; on 4-16
only 3 or 4 seen, and the last left about

Sept., 1883.]

AND OOLOGIST.

420. At (42) they were still very plenti-
ful on 3-29 and after, gradually growing
fewer. The last left 416. At (43) they
were still present as usual 4-5, but left
soon after, and 4-18 was the last. When
we reach (45) we are beyond their normal
winter home for last winter. On 2-11 he
saw forty, the first seen since fall. The
height of the season was about over 48.
No. (47) sends a single note that on 3-17
they were passing north by the thousand,
some flocks all singing. Still farther be-
yond their winter home (51) saw none un-
til 4-2, but probably a few stayed in that
part of the State as (52) found them an
occasional visitor all winter. The full re-
cord at (52) is as follows: First single
ones came from north Oct. 17; first flock
of over one hundred Oct. 20; by Nov. 8
they had scattered into small parties of
five to eight, and these nearly all left in
Dec. Parties of three to seven were seen
Jan. 3d, 8th, 31st, and then only one bird
until 3-23, when one flock of eighteen to
twenty appeared. Small flocks were seen
until 4-2, when they suddenly increased,
and the bulk came 4-4. I then saw about
one hundred and fifty in afew acres. The
same day was also the height of the sea-
son, as large numbers, and perhaps the
bulk, left that night. On 4-12 only three
were seen, and I thought each day would
be the last, but afew stayed, though keep-
ing still, and looking very disconsolate, un-
til 4-28, when the last straggler departed.
No. (55) saw the first one about 44, the
bulk left 4.20, and only a few scattered
ones remained 4-29. No. (60) is very near
the southern limit of the breeding of this
species. He saw his first one 4-5, and the
last 5-12; yet it is very probable that in
the dense tamarac swamps a few miles
north of him some remain to nest.

Fish Hawk's Eaes. Large set. Chas.
C. Richards, Norwich, Conn., took a set of
four Fish Hawk's eggs from one of the
rocks on the west side of Plum Island,
May 20, 1883.

Prcuiiar Nestina Prace. On May 21,
1880, Paul Hoffman, of Rockville, Conn.,
while out collecting noticed a Purple Mar-
tin enter the end of a hollow rail in a Vir-

ginia fence. On examining the cavity he
found the nest of the Purple Martin about
eighteen-inches in the cavity. It was com-
posed of dried grass and contained four
eggs. The opening to the nest was about
four feet four inches from the ground.
Our illustration is a correct representation
sketched on the spot.

Great YELLow-LEes. On June 9, 1883,
I found,a nest of ZVotanus melanoleucus
in a bog quite near a brook. The nest
was composed of bog grass and a very
few feathers for lining. It was concealed
by tall grass so that one might have
walked over it often and not have seen it.
The nest contained two eggs, about 14
inches in length by . The ground color
was dull olive, with dark umber blotches,
which were largest at the larger end. I
had one ege taken away at a time, taking
two and leaving two in the nest to hatch.
I have seen the bird a number of times at
the brook before and since finding the
nest. Can any of your readers inform me
whether this is a rare find or not in this
section.— Thos. Morgan, Somerville, N. J.

68

Great-horned Owls.

Noticing ‘“‘ Coe’s Strain” of Great-horned
Owls leads me to speak of another strain.
Your readers in Eastern Mass., will re-
member in the Fall of the year 1869 we
had a “September gale”
many forest trees.
following my father in looking over a
piece of heavy wood which had suffered
considerably, noticed in an immense chest-
nut tree which had fallen against another
about two-thirds to the ground, a Great-
horned Owl. He started for it, when it
flew. Turning about to leave he glanced
up, when he noticed peering at him from a
heap of leaves thrown together with a few
twigs in the crotch of the tree an immense
head illuminated by a pair of great staring
eyes. On coming home he told his dis-
covery. I did not lose much time in go-
ing to the tree. Climbing was easy and in
a few moment's time I had the set of two
white and fresh eges safely stowed away
in my collection box. Those only who
have made like finds can imaginge my
feelings of exultation. I would not have
exchanged my seat on that old mossy tree
by that Owl's nest, for any King’s throne.
Such was my first Great-horned Owl's nest,
March 3, 1870. For eleven years I annuall y
visited that nest, and never once did they
disappoint me. My earliest set was Feb.
27; my latest for first set March 8. In
the spring of 1875 I did not take the
usual set. I was determined to settle the
guess work theory of their incubation. I
found it as follows, March 3, fresh ; March
16, all right; March 25, do. ; March 29,
two little Buteos a day old. A second set
was always laid each year when I took the
first. On March 2, 1882, I started for the
well known nest, but alas! for vain expec-
tations. On reaching the summit of the
hill which overlooked the woods, I found
that the woodman’s axe had laid prostrate
the forest home of my Owls and only for
a pair of high circling Buteos lamenting

which prostrated
Early in the spring

CORN

_ [Vol. &-No. 9

the BE ruetion of thee retreat, ‘ail was
still, As I turned away with my now
empty box I felt as though one of the joys
that make this life of ours worth living
was lost, and often as I look on those ten
sets of white beauties it carries me back
to those crisp winter walks when the col-
lecting season was opened by taking my
set of Great-horned Owl’s eggs.—/”. #1.
C., Rehoboth, Mass.

Red Crossbills.

During the past spring, (1883,) several
flocks of Crossbills were frequently ob-
served among the yellow pines which are
common on the “Scotch Plains,” about
two miles south of this place. On the 17th
of March I secured seven specimens—five
males and two females. The ovaries of the
females showed no signs that the breeding
season was near at hand.

April 10th I was attracted to the edge
of a small clearing by the song of a Red
Crossbill on the top of a tall pine. As I
approached, he with two or three others
which I had not before seen, flew away.
Thinking that some of them might have a
nest near by I began searching, and soon
found one ona horizontal branch of a pine,
about thirty feet from the ground, which
looked like that ofits ‘squirrel ; but on climb-
ing the tree I was much gratified to find

that it was the nest of a Red Crossbill, ©

(Loxia curvirostra Americana,) on which
the female was sitting. She did not leave
the nest until I was within two or three
feet of it, when she flew off and disclosed
three eggs which were far advanced in in-
cubation. While I was securing the nest
she continued hopping about among the
branches, often coming within two or three
feet of my hand, uttering now and then a
single “chip.” The nest consists of a
slight frame work of small twigs in which,
or rather on which, is built the nest proper.
It is composed of fine shreds of Chestnut
bark and moss; and contains a few pieces
of “caterpillar’s silk” and is lined with

Sept., 1883.]

-moss, (Usnea,) two or three Great-horned |.

Owl's feathers and several of her own.
The nest measures 44 inches in breadth by
8 inches in depth; the cavity 24 inches in
breadth by 14 inches in depth. The eggs
have a dull white ground with a faint tinge
of blue, marked with small spots and lines
of brown and black, which tend to form a
circle around the larger end. There are
‘also numerous shell markings of a dull
lilac color. The eggs measure as follows :
81.56, .82.56, 81x55. I searched
carefully for other nests, but was unable to
find any, although I saw several of the
birds. About half a mile from this spot I
saw five or six White-winged Crossbills,
(Lowxia leucoptera,) all adult males. I se-
sured one of them, and could have shot
more as they were very tame, but did not
as I thought the females and their nests
might not be far away; but careful search
failed to reveal either.

During the month of May, Red Cross-
bills could be seen daily among: the pines.
A flock of eighteen or twenty came every
day to drink out of a stump in which some
water had collected; here I set a fine
wire snare and caught a male and a female,
which I placed in a large breeding cage.
In a day or two they became quite gentle,
feeding readily upon any kind of seed.
During the day they were quite contented
but about sunset they would begin to call
to each other and try to get out; they
would continue to do this until dark. The
female would then nestle down into a nest
which had been placed in the cage for a
canary, and the male would station him-
self on the edge of the nest and settle
down for the night, At daybreak they
would begin their calling again, and this
would continue for some time.

On the 14th of May I saw a flock of ten
or twelve. Most of them appeared to be
young birds. All the others I have seen
since March have been adults. By the Ist
of June they had all disappeared.—A. 77.
Helme, Millers Place, L. I.

AND OOLOGIST.

feet or so from the ground.

69

Barred Owl.

The Barred Owl is the most common with
me with the exception of the Screech Owl.
As a winter resident it becomes quite bold
and will often approach the house in search
of food. This leads me to mention the
capture of my confined bird under the
following peculiar circumstances: In my
museum I have an open coal grate. One
morning while building the fire I was sur-
prised by a Barred Owl tumbling down
the chimney with considerable fuss and
lack of dignity. Recovering himself he
perched on a chair as calmly as though in
his native wilds. Of course his capture
speedily followed and for two years he has
remained in confinement, as stoical as an
Athens judge. Nothing moves him except
the food, which he seizes with avidity, and
swallows with equal haste. Although rath-
er ludicrous to watch as he sits wrapped
in the consciousness of his own moral dig-
nity, yet he is less interesting to my mind
than any of my other feathered friends.
This being my opinion I am not quite as
lenient with him as with the Long-eared
Owl, and woe to the nest which comes in
my circuit of collecting.

My first Barred Owl’s nest well do I re-
member. It was the first nest of any
Owl’s or Hawk’s I had ever found, and it
being in the beginning of my oological as-
pirations, the next question to be solved
was how to get it, for it was most provok-
ingly placed in an old Fisk Hawk's nest at
the top of an old dead tree, smooth for
forty feet without a limb. Climbing irons
I had never heard of. To “shin” it was
out of the question. My only resource
was to let them hatch, which I did. Three
pair now breed in this vicinity. One nest
is in the hollow of an old pine stub fifteen
Number two
is in a heavy wood, where they have the
choice of several old Hawk’s nests, seem-
ing not to remain only for one year in the
same nest. Number three was placed last
year in an old Crow's nest, at the top of a

TO

very tall pine. ‘These Owls ae bred 9 in
the forementioned places for at least seven
or eight years. I have seven sets from
pair number one taken annually. My
earliest date March 27; latest April 18—at
both dates eggs being fresh. Incubation
has been noted for one pair twenty-six
days from date of finding complete set ;
the other oceupied twenty four days from
same time. For the latter nest I would
say the eggs might have been sat upon for
a day or two previous to my finding the
nest. Eggs number three and four toa
complete set and measure on an average
about 2.00*1.80.—F. H. (. Rehoboth,

om

Notes from California.

While sitting down beside a little creek
sketching, I saw the following birds round
about me, some in the willows along the
creek, others in the tall redwoods and firs :
California Woodpecker, Nuttall’s Wood-
pecker, Lewis’ Woodpecker, Gairdner's
Woodpecker, Sparrow Hawk, California
Jay, California Song Sparrow, California
Brown Towee, Steller’s Jay, Least Tit,
California Chickadee, Western Bluebird,
(of the chestnut-backed) which had
rather of a funny place for a nest. She
had taken up her quarters in an old Cliff
Swallow’s nest on a rafter, near the centre
ridge, in under the roof of the saw mills,
right over the logging way, where they go
rolling and booming over to the big saws
to chew up into lumber. She seemed to
take no notice of man. TI have sets of five
from the California Brown Towhee, Cali-
fornia Song Sparrow, Black Pewee, Green-
backed Goldfinch, Russet-backed Thrush,
Western Chipping Sparrow, also a set of
twenty-one California Quail. I got a set
of five from the Black-capped Yellow War-
bler, last year, and the Western Yellow-
bellied Flycatcher. Found a nest of the
California Brown Towhee im an old coal oil
can this season. I found my first W.
Meadow Lark nest this season, with six
fine eggs as Tever saw; a large set I think.

: SEN ST

Black-capped Yellow Warbler,
| backed Thrush, Brewer's and Red and

- [Vol. 8-No. 9

White bellied even. (Cliff and Barn va-
Fieties,} Swift, Allen’s Humming-bird,
Western Purple Finch, Blue Grosbeak,
Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock’s Oriole-
Russet-

Buff-shouldered Blackbirds along the river.
Spurred Towhee, found the Western Robin
breeding there, Red-shafted Flicker, a few
along with other Woodpeckers.— W. 0.
Emerson, Hagwards, Cal.

Flying Squirrels and Their Work.

The collector in the woods of New Eng
land will occasionally find a nest of Flying
Squirrels where he is expecting a set of
Woodpecker’s eggs. We once put our
hand into a hole expecting to bring out a
set of ‘‘ Wakeups,” but, instead, we got a
mother and two young Flying Squirrels.
At another time we tapped at a fresh
Woodpecker’s hole about five and one-
half feet high, when a Flying Squirrel an-
swered the summons. She sat in the hole
a few minutes and then moved to the top
of the stump, a foot higher, for a minute
or so, when she returned to the hole not in
the least annoyed by our presence. At
another time we caught a whole brood by
striking the saplings or young trees with
an axe and having three persons to catch
them when they struck the ground. They
are very easily tamed and make beautiful
pets. There is no doubt but what they
destroy eggs when they can get at them.
We retired one night leaving a large num-
ber of eggs on the desk that we had just
cleaned. A female Flying Squirrel opened
every one in the night and was asleep in a
Vireo’s nest in the morning. We sup-
posed these Squirrels always bred in holes
in trees or stubs, but A. H. Helme of Mil-
ler’s Place, N. Y., writes that in his section
as a rule they build in hollow trees, but it
is very common to find them building their
own nests among the branches as the Gray
Squirrels do. He has this season found
two such nests containing young, and has

AND OOLOGIST.

ol

Sept., 1883.]

often lost sets of eggs by them ; and knew
of one killing a Chickadee and throwing
her out of the nest and taking possession
of it. The Gray Squirrel destroys the
nests of Golden-winged Woodpeckers, and
he has to blame him for destroying a set of

Hairy Woodpecker’s eggs.

Notes from Greenfield, Mass,

While collecting on the 18th of June I
found a nest of Dendreeca blackburnic,
Blackburnian Warbler, which contained
three eggs; and to identify them I shot
the female. The nest was situated about
thirty feet high in a inaple tree. It is a
- very plain structure resembling that of the
Purple Finch. The eggs are white with a
bluish tint and spotted with reddish-brown
and lilac, chiefly about the larger end.

Sitta carolinensis, (White-bellied Nut-
hatch.) A nest found by me contained four
eggs. I took them all and put in a wooden
egg and in that way I managed to get
twelve eggs. The nest was in a hole two
feet from the ground and measured two by
two and one-half inches.

I have stuffed about 105 birds and made
over eighty skins. Among some of the
rare birds I have shot are the White-
winged Crossbills, five ; Cape May Warbler,
one; Blue-headed Vireo, two: Shore Lark,
one; Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, one;
Pine Finch, one.

Among the rare eggs I have collected
are Pine-creeping Warbler, Blue-headed
Vireo, White bellied Nuthatch, Blackburn-
ian Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Broad-winged
Hawk, Whippoorwill, four Humming Bird's
nests, Scarlet Tanager, Red-bellied Nut-
hatch, &c.—/S. W. Comstock.

Arrivats. Pine Grosbeaks arrived Dec.
10th, and were seen at intervals till March
24th. On several occasions I saw flocks of
forty or fifty individuals, but usually from
ten to twenty in a flock. Females were
much more abundant than males.

Feb. 23d I saw the first Shore Lark that
I ever saw in this locality. It was in the

highway, and as I drove along it would
fly a few yards in advance of me and alight,
then fly again, keeping on in this way for
two miles.

April 4 a flock of birds, which from the
description given me of them must have
been Red Crossbills, were seen at this
place. Birds arrive very late this spring
as the following dates show:

Robin, March 16; Pine Finch, March 22; Bluebird, Mar.
26; Pileated Woodpecker, Mar. 26; Song Sparrow, April 2;
Blue Snowbird, April 3; Phoebe, April 5; Grass Finch, Apr.
5; Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, April 5; Wilson’s
Thrush, April 14.

Although the Downy, Hairy and Pileated
Woodpeckers are residents, I have seen
none of them during the past winter.—C.
O. Tracy, Taftsville, Vt.

RosE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. May 24, ’83,
I found a nest of the Rose-breasted Gros-
beak containing one egg. The female flew
from the nest as I approached and alighted
in a low tree very near me. When I visit-
ed the place the following day the male
bird was upon the nest. I waited until
there were four eggs and then took them,
feeling proud enough of my prize. These
birds have never been seen in this locality
before to my knowledge. They were
strangers to me but it didn’t take me long
to get acquainted with them. Are they
common in any portions of Eastern Conn ?
I have found Cowbird’s eggs very common
this Summer. Have twice found three of
their eggs in nests of the Red-eyed Vireo.
Have found several nests of the Golden-
crowned Thrush and noticed remarkable
variations in the markings of their eg¢s.—
Chas. Edw. Prior, Jewett City, Conn.

Late Nestine.—July 4, found fresh eggs
of Marsh Hawk and Mallard Duck. Collec-
ting, notwithstanding unfavorable weather,
has been very good—13 sets 565; 14 sets
555; 7 sets 430; 3 sets 442; 5 sets 256.
—G. S. Ayersborg, Vermillion, D. T.

Swamp Sparrow. In the O. and O. for
Dec. 1, 1882, I recorded a Swamp Spar-
rows nest. It was so recorded by mistake,
and should be Song Sparrow.—C. A.
Wilder.

12

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 9

Pigeon Hawk. Sparrow Hawk.

I spent the Spring of 1882 at Brandy-
wine Springs, New Castle Co., Del., and a
great deal of my time was spent in collect-
ing. In one corner of the grounds, about
two hundred yards from the house, was an
old, deserted building, called the “ Old
Lodge,” and during the months of Febru-
ary and March I had observed a pair of
Pigeon Hawks spending a great deal of
time in its vicinity. Thinking they must
have a nest somewhere near, I made dili-
gent search for it, but my endeavors were
fruitless until March 2 When I was en-
tering the lodge that morning, I was sur-
prised and perhaps startled by the female
Hawk flying out from under the roof of
the porch, almost in my face. This gave
me a fresh start, and after a short search I
found the nest, containing four fresh eggs,
in a crevice on the lower part of the porch
roof. The nest was placed in the hollow
between two beams of the roof; was cov-
ered by the roof and had for a foundation
a beam running the length of the roof.
The interior measured 125 inches and
was 6inches high. The entrance measured
12X4 inches. The bottom of the nest was
a few small twigs, covered by a layer an
inch thick of the inner bark of the swamp
maple, and very slightly hollowed. The
eggs somewhat resembled those of the
Sparrow Hawk, but were one-eighth of an
inch longer and one-sixteenth wider, per-
fectly elliptical, and marked unevenly with
five dots of light reddish brown, tending
to congregate in spots. One—the fresh-
est—had a large blotch of the same color
on one side, covering nearly one-fourth of
the whole surface. Further examination
showed that they had built there for at
least three years before, as that number of
similar nests were found in other crevices
near the first. It seemed strange that so
shy a Hawk should choose such a nesting
place, but as the grounds had not been
used for at least five years, until the pre-
vious Fall, that may account for it; though

the “Old Lodge” stood not more than
twenty-five feet from a much traveled road.

The same Spring (1882) I found two
Sparrow Hawk's nests about two miles
north of the Springs. They were both
built in the same tree—a large hollow
sycamore—and the two families seemed to
live very peacefully. One was in a hole in
a branch about fifty feet from the ground
and contamed three eggs laid on the bare
wood, as were all the eggs of this species
that I ever found. The second nest was
rather curious. When climbing after the |
first, I noticed a second pair of birds go-
ing in and out of a large hole near the
root of the tree, and after securing the first
set, reversed my climbers and with a good
deal of hard laborascended to the first large
branch, about twenty-five feet up, where the
female flew out and dropped down past
me. I found another set of eggs in the
hollow of this branch, about three feet
back from the trunk. There were several
small knot-holes in the branch near the
nest, but none of them would admit any-
thing larger than a Sparrow, so that the
Hawks were compelled to ascend inside
the tree to reach their nest. How they
found and why they chose such a situation
I leave for others to conjecture— Charles
D. Gibson, Renovo, Pa.

Axuprino Buackeirp. Theodore Hoffman,
Rockville, Conn., May 15, 1883, shot a
male Crow Blackbird with a white throat
and cheeks with a few white feathers scat-
tered over the body. It was first seen in
the Spring.

Monkey-raceD Owrs. We tender our
thanks to Wm. P. Tarrant of Saratoga, N.
Y., for a fine card photograph of the above
Owls, which we may engrave and have
something to say about in a future number.

Movunrep Birps lost in a Cyclone. W. H.
H. King of Jacksonville, Ill, lost about
300 mounted birds and some skins. They
were in the hands of a taxidermist who
with five of his family were killed in the
storm.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

_OOLOGIST.

#1. 00 pe per JosErH M. WADE, Editor and Publisher. Single Copy
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
NN. OS ere 1883. ae 10.

VOL. VIIE

Mississippi Valley Migration.

Note.—The stations and observers, to which the num-
bers refer, are given in the O. and O. for April.

Our attention will next be occupied with
the Warsters, a large group of birds,
which to most of the observers was new
ground and consequently was not very
well cultivated. There are in the Missis-
sippi Valley thirty-six different species of
Warblers known to be present regularly
during the spring migration, and besides
these a few others whose occurrence is so
irregular that we need not take them into
account in our work. Of these thirty-six
regular visitors all have been noticed by
one or more of the observers, though most
stations send but few notes; in fact one
must be very familiar with this difficult
group or else use a shot-gun or field glass.

The most easy studied is the Yrttow-
Rumpep Warsier, (2). coronata,) which,
very. unlike most of the others, remains
quite far north during the winter. No.
(35) found them scattered over the bottom
lands in large numbers throughout the
winter. Their plumage was then much
plainer than in the spring. They were
usually hunting around the bark of large
trees looking for insect’s eggs. At (21)
they were abundant until the very cold
weather in January, when they disap-
peared. Two flocks were found by (30)
on New Year's day and he says, “ Most of
them did not stay through the winter, but
afew did. On 2-19 in an old graveyard
that has a fine growth of several kinds of
evergreens, I found a flock of fifteen, which
had probably spent the winter there.

Their Palintacioriste loud ‘ chee was con-
tinually heard in the wood, that was
populated by a flock. On Dec. 28, ’82 only
one bird was found Feb. 22, 83, but their
chief attraction, the berries of the poison
ivy, which were then in great abundance,
were all gone.”

The northward movement as warm
weather approaches is not very regular.
A few scouts reached (30) on 3-22, (51) 4-9;
(52) 4-1l—only one and that a female !—
(57) 4-13 and (60) 419. Then nearly three
weeks later the main body followed. It
reached (30) 4-9 and fresh arrivals irregu-
larly swelled the ranks, until about 4-13
they were most abundant; then they de-
creased for a few days, but were followed
by a second detachment which was very
numerous at (35) 4-20, and the next day
appeared in full numbers at both (30) and
(20)—with the exception of one bird on
2-13. These were the first that had been
seen at (21) since the cold drove
them away January 5. On 4-25 the
bulk appeared at (45), who counted
a hundred at one time. The small trees
were fairly alive with them, especially the
willows along the creeks. The same day
a few appeared for the second time at (52).
They remained in great numbers at (30)
and (21) for about a week from 4-22 to
4-29, and the same night, that of May 1,
that the bulk left (30), they arrived at (52),
though I am hardly prepared to say that
they were the same individuals and hardly
think they were. The arrival of the War-
blers this spring at (52) was very late. Up
to 5-2 Yellow-rumps and Pine-creeping
Warblers were the only kinds seen and

74

only nine individuals in all of them, while
at the same date the twenty-third kind ar-
rived at St. Louis.. The later movements
of the Yellow-rumps were also irregular.
A flock of twenty-five was found 5-3, both
male and female, and in quite loud song.
Next day they were the most numerous of
the half dozen kinds present, about 80 per
cent bemg males in full plumage. The
next day not one could be found. About
eighteen were seen 5-6. On 5-7 the males
of last year came and most old males had
left. The bulk left 5-12 and the last one
followed 5-17, about two weeks after (30)
saw his last on 5-5. At (21) they remained
a few days later, the last leaving about
5-8. No. (57) found a few as late as June
1, while (60) does not report a “last” and
in all probability they nest quite regularly
in the pine forests near him. The greater
part of them nest in British America, and
very strangely, although none nest through
the central and southern part of the United
States, a few regularly stay behind and
nest in the West Indies!

What has been said of the movements
of the Yellow-rump applies almost as well
to the Yettow Rep-poi, (D. palmarum.)
Though wintering farther south, preferring
the Southern States, and only occasionally
remaining as far north as Southern Illinois,
yet it soon overtakes the Yellow-rump, and
together they pass up the Mississippi Val-
ley—the Yellow-rump on the trees and the
Red-poll spending most of its time on the
ground. The dates of the first and last
ones vary a little as would be expected, but
the movements of the bulk are the same.

Among these flocks of Red-polls and
Yellow-rumps will sometimes be found an-
other Warbler, the Pryz-crrzpine, (D.
pinus,) a plain bird, and rarely numerous,
but easily distinguished by its “creeping ”
habits. No. (30) found a single male 4.21,
while (52) captured his first one 4-24, and
on 5-3 found a large flock of about sixty,
both male and female. These were the
only ones noticed by any of the observers.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 10

Another well known Warbler is the Sum-
MER YELLOW-BIRD, (J). cestiva.) Like most
of his brethren he winters almost entirely
beyond the United States, but returns
about the first of March. No. (13) found
it 3-5, while (6) did not see it until 4-20—
and this brings up an interesting fact.
Stations (6), (21), (45) and (56) are all in
or near extensive praries, and their notes
show that the Warblers were from one to
two weeks later in reaching them than
they were at other stations in the same
latitude among the timber. The explana
tion of course is that insect food can be
sooner obtained in a well wooded country.

Passing north our Golden Warbler
reached (14) on April 1, and (30) on the
18th, but (21) in the same latitude not un-
til the 28th. Nos. (37) and (38) found
them about May 1. A week later they
were in northern Iowa and southern Wis-
consin, and the middle of the month found
a few beyond our northern border. No.
(60) in the timber found them twelve days
before (56) on the prairie. The bulk fol-
lowed quite closely after the first ones,
and passed through (30) and (21) from the
Ist to the 5th of May, and through (52)
from the 15th to the 17th.

These notes will apply also to the Red-
start, with the exception that while the
Summer Yellow-bird nests from the Gulf
to and beyond our border, the Redstart
withdraws from the borders of the Gulf
and begins breeding a few degrees farther
north. The last one left (6) on 4-15 and
(13) on 4-20. The young males of last
year reached (30) two weeks after the old
males came. At (52) the first males—about
a dozen, came 5-10. Two days later the
proportion was six males to one female.
On the 17th the females arrived in flocks,
and the 19th was Redstart day—the spe- -
cies being more numerous than all the
other Warblers together. Between two
and three hundred were seen, the males
and females being in about even numbers.
Three days later all but a few summer so-
journers had left.

Oct., 1883.]

The next
posed of the Brackpurnian WARBLER, (J.

eroup to be studied is com-

blackburnice), Buack-THROATED Brun War-
BLER, (J). cerulescens,) Buack and YELLow
Wanrster, (7). maculosa,) Biuack-THROATED
GREEN WARBLER, (J.
Brack-PoLt WARBLER, (J). striata.) These
the handsomest of our Warblers, have many
points of resemblance in their movements.
They all pass entirely beyond the United
States for the winter, except the Black-
throated Blue, a few of which nest in
Florida. They all journey across the en-
tire width of our country to nest regular-
ly in British America, though a few indi-
viduals may nest in the dense forests of
Northern Minnesota. Their movements
usually take place about the same time,
and flocks usually contain two or three
kinds, while even all five are sometimes
found together. The Black-polls, as a
whole, are the latest migrants, bringing
up the rear of the Warbler host, but num-
bers can be found migrating earlier with
the other Warblers. They all enter the
United States about the first of March,
pass very slowly up the Mississippi Valley,
reaching the middle about May 1. Then
as the trees put forth their leaves and in-
sect life is rapidly multiplied, they hasten
their flight, and June 1 sees most of them
beyond our northern border. No. (52) is
evidently in their regular track, as all five
species were seen at his station, the height
of the season being about May 15, which
is a week or ten days later than usual.
For some unknown reason the Black-
throated Blue, the Blackburnian and the
Black-throated Green Warblers shun the
vicinity of St. Louis, and in their migra-
tions pass it by on the other side. No.
(80) did not find any of them this spring,
these being almost the only ones of the
thirty-six kinds which he did not observe,
and he says that during six years of close
study, he has only seen them a very few
times. Both south and north of there
they are quite common.

virens), and the

AND OOLOGIST. 75

We may next treat in one group several
Warblers which are rather southerly in
their range. These are the Prornonorary,
(P. citrea,) YELLow-THROATED, (J). domini-
ca,) Pratriz, (2. discolor,) Kentucky, (D.

Jormosa,) YELLOW-BREASTED Cuat, (J. virens)

and the Hooprep Warsier, (JZ. mitratus.)
All winter entirely beyond the United
States, except the Yellow-throated and the
Prairie, a few of which remain in Florida ;
and all usually stop to breed before they
reach the 39th parallel, though a few pass
a little ways beyond, and the Chat has
sometimes reached Minnesota. The Yel
low-throated was the first one this year to
reach the middle districts, reaching St.
Louis 4-12 and (38) about 428. Next
came the Hooded Warbler which (30) saw
417, then the Prothonotary arriving at
(35) on 4-11; at (80) 4-20, but at (21) not
until 5-7. A few days later the Chat made
its appearance. No. (30) saw it for the
first time 4-23, and on 4-26 it was quite
common, about twenty-five per cent hay-
ing arrived. It did not increase much
from then until 5-2 and 5-3, when the bulk
came. No. (38) found his first one 4-27.
No. (47) says a pair nested there this
summer, but are very rare in that region.
No. (52) did not see one until 5-19, when
a beautiful male was shot. Another was
seen two days later, and was twice heard
afterwards. Last of this group came the
Prairie and the Kentucky Warblers, which
reached Southern Ilinois about the middle
of April, and the limit of their northward
journey about May 5.
[Continued next Month. }

_ Rare Finns. J. N. Clark has found this
season the following sets of eggs: Barred
Owl, 2; White-bellied Nuthatch, 9; Hairy
Woodpecker, Black-cap Titmouse, 6; Large-
billed Water Thrush, Whippoorwill, Downy
Woodpecker, Humming Bird, Hooded
Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Rose-
breasted Grosbeak, Blue-winged Yellow
Warbler and a lot more of the commoner
Connecticut species.

ALEX. WILSON.
We give above a portrait of Alexander

Wilson ‘the American ornithologist,”
which we have taken from C. W. Webber's
Wild Scenes and Wild Hunters, published
by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Phila., 1865.
Mr. Webber was a most enthusiastic ad-
mirer of Audubon. He also admired Wil-
son, but never as much as Audubon. On
no account would he admit that Wilson
was Audubon’s equal. The reputation of
the illustrious Audubon was safe in his
hands at least. He spoke of them always
as “Hunter Naturalists.”

We have tried to find the origin of the
above portrait, but without success. It
bears a strong resemblance to Barralet’s,
which is admitted by all to be the best one
yet produced of Wilson, but to our way
of thinking Barralet’s portrait is too much
dressed—too stiff for a naturalist. Cer-
tainly the inventory of Wilson’s wardrobe
left behind would indicate that he never
owned as much clothing at one time as
Barralet dresses him in. While preserv-
ing the features and profile of Wilson
there is no doubt but what Barralet
strained a point to make his friend appear
fully as well as he ever did in life. Who-
ever is the author of the above portrait
evidently realized the defects in Barralet’s
portrait and attempted to remedy them.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 10

Wilson staid in the city from necessity
alone, never from choice; his gun and the
woods were his delight. The gun which
Wilson carries in the portrait we have
every reason to believe adorns our Sanc-
tum where we write these notes, as the

following certificate will prove:
[copy.]

WESTCHESTER, Penn., Feb, 22, ’79.
Jos. M. Wave, Esa.,

Dear Sir—The gun I send you belonged to Alexander
Wilson, the American ornithologist, and after his death in-
to the possession of Wm. P. Turnbull, author of a work on
the Birds of Eastern United States. At his decease I pur-
chased this gun, with some letters, drawings, powder-horn,
&e., of Wilson’s, from his wife.

Thus you have this gun in a direct and well authenticated
line untilin your possession. Yours, truly,

WILLIS P. HAZARD,
Author of Annals of Phila., &c., &c.

We have also over half of Wilson's
original drawings, including the first one
ever drawn in colors by him, and present-
ed to Mrs. Lawson, the wife of Alexander
Lawson, the engraver of the plates for
his work, and so inscribed. Besides
these we have a large number of his
drawings that have never been given to
the public, as well as a good many of his
letters, many of which have never been
published.

Lance Sets or Eces. Song Sparrow, 6 ;
Maryland Yellow-throat, 6 ; Crow, 6; Least
Tern, 4; Wilson’s Tern, 4; Quail, 18; and
Great-crested Flycatcher, 7.— A. H. Helme.

Boar-raiteD Grackie. — Where is the
northern limit of this bird’s habitat? They
are common in the Chesapeake Bay in
suitable localities as far north as Kent Co.,
Md. My friend E. G. Nicewaner has col-
lected a number of sets of eggs at Pomona
in the latter county. Fish Crows are also
common there. — Hdgar A. Small, Ha.
gerstown, Md.

List of Brros of Bardstown, Kentucky,
containing 167 varieties extracted from
the journal of the Cincinnati Society of
Natural History, Vol. VI, 1883, by Chas.
W. Beckham.

Our scientific ornithologists met in con-
vention in N. Y. last month to try and har-
monize the nomenclature of our N. A. birds.

Oct., 1885. ]

Hairy Woodpecker.

(Picus villosus.)

IT have been many years collecting with--
out having secured a set of Hairy Wood-
peckers’ eggs till the present season, when
I have taken four complete sets.

A friend inquired of me several years
ago if “the eggs of that Woodpecker
which makes such a racket in the woods
were desirable.” He had observed a nest
and the birds were very noisy and he
pointed out the Hairy Woodpecker in my
collection. “TTl get them for you,” said
he, “but I want to save the nest for Wrens
to build in and will saw off the branch
above and below the nest and pour out the
egos carefully.” I sought to dissuade him,
but he tried it and broke them all but one,
the only specimen representing the species
_ till now in my collection.

The 17th of April last, observing a pair
of Nuthatches acting singularly at a wild
place in the woods I sat down on a log and
watched them. While sitting there a pair
of Woodpeckers attracted my attention.
They were very noisy, chattering vehe-
mently as they slowly followed each other’
from one tree to another quite near, and
in the course of fifteen minutes they moved
completely around me back to the place
whence they started. Very soon I heard a
rapping in that direction and immediately
perceived that they were excavating a nest ;
a very agreeable discovery to a collector
who had a vacancy of that kind in his cabi-
net. The tree was an Elm, dead and about
eight inches in diameter at the nest, which
was about fifteen feet up in the trunk. I
I secured the set the 2d of May when in-
cubation had just commenced. The num-
ber in the set was four, and one of the eggs
was very much larger than the others,
measuring in 32nds of an inch 33 x 23,
while No. 2 measured only 28 x 22 and No.
3, 29 x 23. No. 4, 28 x 23.

About the Ist of February my attention
was attracted by some very singular bird

AND OOLOGIST. Gh

notes while in another section of woods,
and following the sound I found a pair of
Hairy Woodpeckers, and their fantastic
movements and strange gutteral notes
were new and very interesting to me. I
watched the place and the birds frequently
as spring approached, promising myself a
possible set of eggs.as the outcome of this
discovery, and I got them a little later
than the set just mentioned. I had lost
sight of the birds for some weeks, when
one day in the same vicinity I heard the
rapping of a Woodpecker’s beak, follow-
ing the sound, found the bird at work
in an old decayed oak about eighteen feet
up; no branches only a stump with the top
gone. I prepared a small whip-saw and
with it removed a section of the tree be-
low the entrance large enough to insert
my hand in the hole, and on the 9th of
May secured a fine set of four fresh eggs
from the nest. Replacing the section
taken out securely the bird lingered by the
nest and twelve days after I found four
more eggs in it with incubation already
progressing. It quite surprised me that
they could replace a set so promptly.

The same day on which I found the fore-
going nest, on my return through another
section of woods my attention was attracted
by the loud chattering of a Hairy Wood-
pecker, and following the sound I per- |
ceived the bird having a quarrel with some
Blue Jays who were rather neighborly,
and after a little quiet watching I found
she was also engaged in hollowing out a
tree. This time it was a Maple in full
foliage, and the entrance to the nest was
through wood perfectly sound and green
for over an inch. The heart of the tree
was decayed but it seemed scarcely possi-
ble that the bird could have chiseled the
entrance through so hard a spot with her
little beak. With my little whip-saw I re-
moved a section of the tree below the en-
trance and found the set incomplete. Re-
turning the section to its place and secur-
ing it there, I waited a couple of days and

obtained the set of four, fresh, crystal, clear
and white. This nest was about twenty
feet up. Four would appear to be the
usual number laid, as each of these sets
contained just that number when com-
pleted.

As this set appears to be a fair average
for size, I have measured them with this
result respectively in 32nds of an inch:
31 X 22, 30 x 22, 30 x 22, 3020. In all the
nests I observed a good degree of uni-
formity in form of entrance, size and
depth; the entrance curving upward at
first, then gracefully turning downward
with plenty of room below to the depth of
134 inches in this one which I measured.
The diameter of the entrance was 14 inches
very nearly round, so that I could find no
perceptible difference either way measured.
I know of no bird more deserving of en-
couragement than this, though I cannot
claim that they got much encouragement
this spring from me. They are the only
Woodpeckers that I ever saw dig out the
Apple tree borer from his intrenchment in
the green trunk. It seemed fitted with a
very powerful beak and knows how to use
it and where.—J. N. Clark, Saybrook.

Curious Nrstine Prace. I found a Blue
Jay's nest this Spring among the roots of
a large tree that had been prostrated by
the wind, turning up a large mass of roots
with the adhering soil. Near the top of
this mass, some eight feet high, under the
border of the turf, which had curved over
making a screen for the nest, which with its
five eggs was hid from view.—J. NV. Clark.

’ Buus Jays Tame. Last Spring I took a
brood of young Blue Jays and have two
of them matured and perfectly tame and
interesting pets. They have their freedom,
going in and out at will, spending a good
deal of time hunting through the orchard.
They have greatly increased my respect
for the species, which I considered my duty
to kill at sight, for their weakness of rob-
bing other birds.—J. V. Clark, Saybrook.

78 ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 10

Nesting Notes from Connecticut.

I found a Chipping Sparrow’s nest on
the limb of an apple tree containing one
egg and a Cowbird’s egg. I took the
Cowbird’s egg and in a few days after I
noticed a pair of Robins building on the
top of the Chipping Sparrow’s nest, and
when they had completed their set of four
eggs I took both nests by cutting off the
limb. On removing the Robin’s nest it
exposed two eggs which were in the Chip-
ping Sparrow’s nest. June 10th found
Black and White Creeper’s nest containing
three young ones and a young Cow Bird
and an addled egg. The nest was under
an old chestnut stump in a crevice between
two roots, about the same as the one you
described in the O. and O. for June, 1881.
June 16th I found the nest of an Indigo
Bird containing four eggs. The bird that
was on the nest looked like a Field Spar-
row, so I shot it and it proved to be a male
Field Sparrow. I saw only a female Indigo
Bird. June 16th found a Black-billed
Cuckoo’s nest with six eggs. June 17th
found set of six Long-billed Marsh Wrens
that were white, spotted with brown on the
large end. June 10th found a Blue Yel
low-backed Warbler’s nest containing three
young. I cut the limb off to get at the
nest. I then pulled the nest from the
limb and tied it to another limb with a
piece of fish line. Ten days later W. W.
Coe and his hired boy found the nest.
The boy climbed to the nest, and when he
saw it he said: ‘By gosh; this nest has
been blown down and the old bird has tied
it on again with a piece of twine, just as
good as any one could.” But about that
time Coe picked up the barrel of a fish
line reel with some line on it, when he
solved the mystery at once.—J. L. Goff,
Gildersleeve, Conn.

Monxey-FaceD Owrs. We are having a
pair of these birds engraved from a photo-
graph taken in the South kindly sent by
W. P. Tarrant of Saratoga.

Oct., 1883.]

Notes from San Jose, Cal.

Noticing an article on the Black Headed
Grosbeak in your last number I would like
to say: My observations go to prove that
the male always takes a lively interest in
his domestic affairs. I have on several oc-
casions been led to the nest by his loud
sweet song while sitting on the eggs. I
have surprised him on the nest even be-
fore the set was completed. Also seen him
covering the young, but have never seen a
female in the act. The song of the male
ceases when the young hatch.

April 6, 1883.—Found a nest of the
Whitetailed Kite (Zlanus glaucus) in the
top of a Live Oak, built of dead twigs lined
with straw. It had a cavity about three
inches deep and contained four eggs of a
dirty whitish yellow, thickly spotted with
large chocolate and darker (almost black)
spots ; thickest, largest and darkest at one
end. Measure, 1 24-321 11-32 inches.

April 29.—Saw a flock of eight daux
Swifts (Chetura vauxi).

May 8.—Found a nest of Black-capped
Yellow Warbler with four fresh eggs.

May 18.—Found a nest of Macgillivray’s
Warbler (Geothlypis macgillivray?) with
four half hatched eggs.

July 13.—In Stanislaus Co. found two
eggs of Poor Will (Phaleenoptilus nuttalli)
on a bare hard alkali spot in a grain field.
They were glossy white with small gray
and bluish purple markings, about the
shape and nearly the size of the Mourning
Doves’ eggs.—A. LZ. Parkhurst, San Jose.

Audubon.

Henpverson, Ky., Aug. 9, 1883.

Mr. Jos. M. Wapr.—Remembering the
interest you manifested in John J. Audu-
bon I send you by express prepaid an ash
stick taken from his mill which still stands
on our river front. The timber was a part
of the machinery of the grist mill, a saw-
mill being also run by him in connection
with the grist mill. The mill was built in

AND OOLOGIST.

Ts,

1816-17, 45x65 feet, four stories and a
basement. The basement walls are of
stone, four feet thick. The first story walls
are also of stone three feet thick. The
other three stories are frame. The stud-
ding are 3x6 and the rafters 4x8. There
are many large timbers all of which are
sound, and the house has the appearance
of being good for one hundred years yet.
There are a number of pieces of the grist
machinery lying around in the upper story
under the eaves. The building is now
used as a tobacco stemmery. I enclose also
two nails taken from the weather boarding
which bears the impress of age. Also a
note which bears his autograph as witness
to a singular obligation. Also an account
of J. J. Audubon & Co. vs. Bank of Hen-
derson for lumber furnished, and an ac-
count vs. Audubon, showing that he al-
lowed his note to go to protest. In business
affairs he was not a success. These papers
were kindly furnished me by Col. E. L.
S of this place, who has just com-
pleted a history of Henderson County. It
will contain some interesting incidents
with which Mr. Audubon was connected.
I am sure you will appreciate the relics
sent. The piece of timber will make an
elegant walking cane, as it is very solid and
heavy and will take a high polish.
Your courtesy to myself and Mr. R
last April and subsequent kindness to Mr.
A—-— were kindly appreciated.
Respectfully, We Sed.

Some Like Ir, and one has faith in its
continuance. E. F. Knithan, Burlington,
Towa, sends $2 for O. and O. When told
that he owed nothing, he writes: Give me
credit for the amount. This pays for 1884
and 1885. Mr. K. has been with us from
the beginning, and we hope he will not be
disappointed.

Norres rrom Cotorapo. We have just
received eighteen pages of valuable notes
from an old contributor, D. D. Stone.
They will appear as soon as possible.

80

Winter Birps. Owls were unusually
abundant last winter, and I mounted three
Screech Owls, (two red and one gray), two
Barred Owls, one Great-horned Owl and
one Snowy Owl. I shot a Hermit Thrush
the middle of January, and a Peabody
Sparrow. There were numbers of this
latter bird, and I also secured on the 16th
of January a Dove, (Zenaidura carolinen-
sis,) all these I consider unusual winter
residents. I have seen the C. Dove taken
here in winter once before. Other uncom-
mon movements of birds have been a very
large number of Pine Finches in October,
and recently large flocks of Red Polls. Ihad
brought to me about a month ago the first
Rough-legged Hawk I ever knew shot here.
They are our rarest Hawk.—John N.
Clark, Saybrook, Conn.

Wautrrt Herons. Where do all the White
Herons, (Herodias egretta,) come from this
season? At least seven were shot in this
locality between July 23d and 27th, and
about as many more seen, along the creeks.
They were all in immature plumage. This
is the first time they have been noticed
here for several years.— W. 7. Warrick,
Washington, Pa.

CHAFFINCHES AND Horse CurstNot BRANCH.
We have also entered for exhibition the
above picture by Wm. MacGillivray which
has been described in these columns as one
of the most natural, if not the most nat-
ural, drawing ever made in ornithology
and botany combined.

American Duck Hawk. We have just
had the original drawing, by Alex. Wilson,
of the above bird framed to exhibit at the
institute fair in this city. The figure is 10
inches long, the complete drawing being
8x14 inches. This drawing was made
about 1810 by Wilson, a self-taught artist.
and is a wonderful production. It is one
of those rare things that has been contin-
ually pirated and as often mangled by
being cheaply reduced in size.

Picton Hawks. Your letter of the 18th
inst. received. There is no doubt of the

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 10

identity of the Pigeon Hawks mentioned in
my letter, as several others beside myself
had been observing the pair for some
weeks before the eggs were found. The
female almost flew in my face when I found
the nest. After the eges were taken, the
parents lingered in the vicinity for several
days, and I shot the male, after which the
female disappeared. I think that is pretty
positive identification. In the Maryland
and Delaware peninsula the Pigeon Hawk
is resident, so I have no doubt that quite a
number breed in different parts of the
peninsula, though I never found more than
one nest. I know their eggs are rather
rare, but did not think them so much so
as your letter seems to imply. During
the southern migration of the Bobolinks,
the Pigeon Hawks are present in large
numbers—almost in flocks—as well as
other large species.—Charles D. Gibson,

Renovo, Pa.
[Desiring to make sure of the Pigeon

Hawk's identity, we addressed a note to Mr.
Gibson, and the above is his reply.—Eb. }

—_$$<>—___—-

THE WHIP-POOR-WILL.

On a low bough, above the window sill,
Sang yester eve a lonely whip-poor-will ;
An allegretto strain until the Close,
Repeated o’er and o’er without repose.

And did he weary of the woods, and long

To pipe in haunts of men a little song

And wed it to the moonlight pale and still?
Whip-poor-will! whip-poor-will! whip-poor-will!
Ah! who was Will that he should come to woe?
Perchance, a Quaker bird—’twas long ago—

The changing years their promises fulfill

To every May is sent the whip-poor-will.

In tender shades of green the earth is drest,
The sun sifts gold around the simpleest nest ;
And all the birds are joyous; why must he
Mid cheery blossoms pipe a threnody? .

Ah! who can tell—not all in night time sing,

Not all are larks with sunward soaring wing ;

In nature’s concert each his part must fill,

And the great Master taught the Whip-poor-will.
—Boston Journal, June, 83.

Pua Enauisu. Long life and prosper-
ity to the “O. and O.” and its “ Plain Eng-
lish” method. Montague Chamberlain is my
favorite among your contributors. Wish
we had a few of his kind in the south.—
PLP,

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

OOLOGIST.

Single Copy

$1.00 per p. “Journ M. ‘Wanx, Editor and Publisher.)
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
VOL. Vee oe ye ees No. 11

Mississippe Watley Migra ation.

Notr.—The stations and observers, to which these num-
bers refer, are given in the O. and O. for April.

A group of entirely different habits and
of comparatively rare occurrence is com-
posed of the Cape May Warbler, (P. tigri-
na,) Bay-breasted Warbler, (D. castanea,)
and the Connecticut Warbler, (O. agilis.)
These all leave the United States to win-
ter, and pass entirely beyond it to breed ;
at least, we know the first two do so, and
it is generally supposed that the last does
also, although its nest and egos have never
yet been found. No. (30) was the only
observer who saw the first two, and he
found the Cape May Warbler on the 2d of
May, and the Bay-breasted for the first
time May 3d, and the last time both male
and female were seen on the 21st of that
month. Both (30) and (52) observed the
Connecticut Warbler, which is the rarest
regular migrant in the Mississippi Valley,
during the Spring, and on the Fall return
seems to shun its Spring course and passes
southward through New England. No.
(30) saw it on 5-14, 5-18 and the last one
5-24, while (52) procured his first speci-
men 5-26, and saw it three times after-
ward, the last being 5-29. Diiferent in
habits from the rest of their Warbler
brethren are the Warbler Thrushes, the
Golden-crowned Thrush, or Oven-bird, (.
auricapillus,) the Small-billed Water
Thrush, (8. n@vius,) and the Large-billed
Water Thrush, (8. motacilla.) Their ranges
differ widely. The bulk of all of them
winter beyond our limits, though a few of
_ the first remain in Florida, and numbers of
the second are scattered over all the South-

ern Bites and Mies ialiy-s as fit ore as
Southern Illinois. But while the first two
breed over all the Mississippi Valley, the
last breeds regularly only to Middle and
Northern Illinois and sometimes as far
north as Southern Minnesota. The first
Golden-crowns reached (30) 4-17, and
passing north with medium speed (88)
found them about 4—26, (52) 4-28, and (51)
on 5-5, while farther west, like the other
Warblers, they were somewhat later, ap-
pearing at (21) on 5-5, and (45) on 5-6.
No. (30) found a nest 5-15, with three
eggs and a Cowbird’s, while only three
days before they were just beginning to be
common at (52,) and the height of the sea-
son was not until 5-19. The Large-billed
was the earliest of the three to migrate,
arriving at Southern and Central Illinois
about the 10th of April, and at (21) on the
14th, but after that, moving rather slowly,
reached its usual northern limit at (41) on
5-10. It will be convenient to study five
more Warblers together, not because they
migrate at the same time, but because their
places of wintering and breeding are the
same, and their habits, during migration
and even the general appearance of some
of them, are alike. He must have sharp
eyes who can recognize at sight, while in
the trees, the Nashville Warbler, (HZ. ru%-
capilla,) the Orange-crowned Warbler, (/Z.
celata,) and the Tennessee Warbler, (/7/.
peregrina,) while the Black-capped Yellow
and the Canadian Fly-catching Warblers.
(M. pusillus) and (M. canadensis,) share
with them a liking for low shrubs, and are
not uncommonly found with them.

The first three spend the Winter in the

82 ORNITHOLOGIST

Southern States and the last two withdraw
entirely from our country. All nest regu-
larly in British America and more or less
frequently in the northern tier of States.
The Nashville Warbler was seen by (30)
only on 5-2, and by (52) for the first time
5-10. Only five birds were seen before
5-19, then they were more common for a
few days and the last left 5-26. The
Orange-crowned is comparatively rare east
of the Mississippi River. It does occur in
both Illinois and Wisconsin, but was not
seen this year by either (30) or (52.) The
only note is from (57) of one seen 5-14,
but it migrates at the same time or a little
earlier than the Nashville and Tennessee
and is sometimes found in their company.
The Tennessee Warbler is much more
Indeed, the banks of Mississippi
seem to be its favorite Spring route. They
reached (30) 4-25 and (21) 5-14. They
were very numerous at (30) from 5-3 to
5-18. By 5-24 the last one was gone.
No. (52) found some females 5-17, but no
males until 5-22. The other two Warblers
are among the last to migrate, and their
passage is usually rather rapid. The
Black-capped Yellow reached (21) on 5-8,
(30) 5-9, and were most numerous there
5-14 to 5-18, the last one leaving 5-21.
At (52) one was seen 5-12, and no more
until 5-20. The height of the season was
5-21, and the last one 5-29. The Canadian
Fly-catching Warbler was observed only at
(52,) where it appeared 5-14 and left 5-24,
and at (52) where the first one was seen
5-24 and the last 5-29. Nearly all the rest
of the Warblers can be considered to-
gether. They are the Blue-winged Yellow,
(HZ. pinus,) the Golden-winged, (HZ. chrys.
optera,) the Blue Yellow-backed, (P. amer-
icana,) the Cerulean, (2. Ccrulea,) and
the Mourning Warbler, (G. philadelphia.)
But few notes have been contributed on
these species, which are, as a whole, rather
southerly. All are handsome and one, the
Blue Yellow-backed, is the smallest of our
’ Warblers. All winter beyond our borders

common.

[ Vol. 8—No. 11
except a few of the Blue-winged Yellow
and the Blue Yellow-backed, that linger
behind in Florida. The Blue-winged Yel-
low and the Golden-winged breed regularly
from the Gulf to Northern Tlinois, and
casually to Minnesota, and a few of the
latter to British America. They were seen
only by (30) who found a few of the former
in song 4-17, and of the latter, which is
not common anywhere, a fine male in song
was seen 5—2, and both male and female
were seen on the 14th and 15th of May.
The Blue Yellow-backed made its appear-
ance at (30) 4-17, and remains to breed,
from a little south of St. Louis to British
America. It reached (41) 5-3. No. (52)
saw it the next day, and the next day it
was (57.) The Cerulean Warbler, although
breeding over the whole of the Mississippi
Valley was seen only by (35) who reports
it on 4-11. Among the rather rare War-
blers may be counted the Mourning War-
bler, whose retiring habits make it difficult
to find at any place. It breeds regularly
to Southern Wisconsin, and occasionally to
Middle Minnesota. It was first seen by
(30) 5-16 and three days later at (52) where
for the species it was quite abundant, hay-
ing been seen more than a dozen times in
as many different places.

There remains to be treated only three
Warblers, and those all well known. They
are the Chestnut-sided Warbler, (2. penn-
sylvanica,) the Black and White Creeper,
(M. varia,) and the Maryland Yellow-
throat, (G. trichas.) Of these the first

entirely leaves the United States for the

Winter ; the second almost follows its ex-
ample, a few remaining in Florida and
some may remain even farther north, as
(13) found it in December ; but the last is
a common Winter resident of all the South-
ern States. While the first does not stop
to nest until Northern Illinois is reached,
the other two nest from the Gulf north-
ward. All three reach British America.

The Chestnut-sided Warbler reached

(30) on 4-27, when an old male was seen,

gt : m
ES ee eee

Nov., 1883.]

but no more until 5-2. About the middle
of the month it was most numerous, and
the last one left 5-24. At (43) it came 5-5
and four days later at (44.) In the timber
they moved a litter faster and appeared at
(52) 5-7. The bulk of the males came 5-12,
followed on the 17th by the females, the
species then being at its height; two days
later, on the 19th, nearly all left. A few
remained to breed—about four to six pairs
in aS many square miles. One nest was
found and the birds seen during all the
month of June. Passing north (57) found
them May 17, and (60) May 20, but as
usual on the prairie (56) did not see them
until later—May 24.

The Black and White Creeper migrated
somewhat earlier. No. (35) found them
for the first time on 4-10 and the next day
they were quite numerous. On 4-14 the
first arrived at (21,) being almost the only
Warbler which was seen there before it
was at (30,) at which place it did not appear
until fifteen days later, on 429. After
this they traveled faster, appearing at (41)
and (52) on 5-8; at (51) and (57) on 5-7;
and at (60) on 5-9. No. (45) found his
first one 5-6. At both (80) and (52) they
were numerous 5-5, but the height of the
season at (52) was not until 5-12. The
Maryland Yellow-throat was found by (13)
all through the Winter, but though re-
maining so much farther north than most
Warblers, it was no earlier in its migration.
A few males came to (30) 4-17, and to (38)
4-29. No. (21) reports them 5-3; four
days later (57) saw them and they reached
(60) 5-12, and (56) 5-20. Some other
dates, as for instance, (35) the first one on
4-30, (41) the first 5-8, and the first at (52)
on 5-12, may be taken as later than the
facts of the case, owing to the retiring hab-
its of the bird end its not being sought in
the marshy spots it usually frequents At
(30) 5-1 was the height of the season and
four days later the transient visitors de-
parted— W. W. Cooke, Ripon, Wis-

CONSIN.

AND OOLOGIST.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.

Found one set of eight slightly incuba-
ted egos, immaculate, 58x40, 57x43, 54
x43, 54x48, 54x43, 53x42, 55x43, 53
x49. Nest on a low pine, in a clearing
that had grown up to underbrush, three or
four feet from the ground. It was pen-
dant (contrary to Dr. Coues’ Bds. of Colo.
Val.) from the under side of somes mall
branches that inclined downward and
about four inches from the stem. It is
much the shape of a “ R. R. lunch station”
coffee cup, but longer and flattened at the
bottom, mainly of green moss interwoven
with the fibrous outer covering of plants.
This fibre also holding it to the twigs. A
very few fine straws are woven into the
lower end. The cavity is quite deep for its
width, lined with soft shreds of burlaps
and re-lined with soft feathers. Altogether
it is a very soft concern. Outer height
6 inches, diameter 4 inches, inner depth
24 inches, diameter 13 inches. Am sure of
its identity, as I stood some time with my
face close to the parent on the nest. While
I was packing the nest and eggs the pa-
rents were hopping about, uttering their
loud cherp, cherp, cherp, cherup, that
seemed to be of too much force and vol-
Right here let
me make a correction to my mass of mis-
takes in the February O. and O. I am not
positive of ever seeing but one pair of
Yellow-crowned Kinglets anywhere near
here. Last year a pair of them alighted
near me while at Murphy, and I took it for
granted that they were all Yellow-crowns.
This season I have paid considerable atten-
tion to the Kinglets, but have failed to see
anything but Ruby-crowns, which are quite
numerous in this locality.

August 1, watched a pair of Kinglets
carrying food to their young, and soon dis-
covered their nest in the top of a slender
pine about forty feet up. Climbed up, but
the top was so small it would not bear my
weight. So I waited till the young had

ume for so tiny a creature.

84 ORNITHOLOGIST

flown and then felled the tree. This nest,
also, is pensile but not exactly like the
other. It is suspended from small twigs
and connected to the stem by small fibers
caught to the rough bark. It is of moss,
fine grass, plant fiber, very small rootlets,
and a few feathers loosely woven and lined
with soft feathers. Outer diameter 34
inches, height 44 inches, inner diameter 2
inches, depth 24 inches.

It is amusing to note their antics when a
Jay happens in the vicinity of their nest.
I have often been attracted some distance
by their constant chirp, and find them fiut-
tering around some sedate looking Jay,
bent on obtaining its breakfast, and at
short intervals pouncing down on its back
as if to impress upon him their importance.
In a corner of the timber near my shanty
I have witnessed these proceedings several
times, anditisa strong indication that their
nest is not far away.—D. D. Stone, Han-
cock, Colorado.

Short-eared Owl.

This little owl, so far as my observation
has extended, seems peculiar to the coast,
where among the reeds and thick marshes
of the shores and neighboring islands it
finds a covert from the noisy world. Hav-
ing found such a place they, unlike all
other New England owls, build in colo-
nies. A locality not far from here has been
from my earliest recollection a breeding
place for these owls. The situation is
most desirable, being a meadow or flat
level with the coast, over which the tide
completely flows, but leaves it entirely dry
when it recedes. This meadow is covered
with a coarse grass and surrounded by tall
brakes and reeds. In these latter they
gather together the remains of last year’s
frost-bitten reeds and place them in a
promiscuous heap on a tussock. This is
afterward hollowed out and the set of
eggs is then laid. Six is the largest num-
ber I ever found, with the exception of one
nest, in which I found ten; but these were

the same nest in perfect harmony. Incu-
bation was difficult to determine, but I
cannot make it out to be more than twenty-
one days. If any of your readers would
be kind enough to give me the exact time
it would be gratefully received. No owl
is more interesting to watch. Take some
dark, cloudy day in May or June, repair to
their haunts and they will be found lightly
skimming over the surface of the ground
seeking for food left by the receding tide,
or again diligently searching the immediate
upland for any unwary mouse. Or watch
them again in the deepening twilight, as
silently, without a single note, they flit
past, seeming but a passing thought or
fanciful vision, until you hear from the
shore the shrill cry of a Tern or Sandpiper
in his talons; then you awaken to the fact
that it is a rapacious bird acting well its
part in nature’s great drama, “The Survi-
val of the Fittest... H. Carpenter,
Rehobeth, Mass.

CraRKE's Crow IN SourHEASTERN Daxora.
A few days ago a farmer called my atten-
tion to two, to him, strange birds eating
corn in his hog pasture. I borrowed his
gun loaded with buckshot, and to my sur-
prise found the victim to be a Clarke's
crow. Now the question is, what did
these two strangers want here in a country
so unsuited to their wants and habits?
Their nearest habitat from here is 400
miles off in a bee line in the Black Hills,
where they are not uncommon.—G. Ayers-
borg, Vermillion, Dakota.

Avaust O. and O. J. N. Clark isa little

incredulous about the nesting of the
Greater Yellow Legs in New Jersey, say-
ing they are abundant during migration at
Saybrook, Conn. The Pigeon Hawk's nest
in Delaware and the cross-bills on Long
Island are equally surprising to him.
Correction. In Mr. F. H. C.’s article on
the Great-horned Owl, in place of two lit-
tle ““Buteos” read two little Bubos, &ce.

ee ee a ee

CRY S reaae & po AQ23 Q v -
71 ¢

Nov., 1883.]

Plain English

‘* We desire not the prostration of science, but we would
strip from it the robe of omnipotence improperly assumed.
and

That cold, repulsive skeleton anew would dress,

Then warm it into life and loveliness.”—Prof. Hosford.

Is not always pleasant but it is sometimes
necessary to bring us to our senses, and
we have a small dose of it which we will
administer sugar-coated in behalf of the
little fellows that are growing up and will
soon be among us giving us old stagers
ideas of observations we never dreamed of.

Some years ago there was an ornitho-
logical association formed in Cambridge,
Mass., which has not accomplished the task
it set out to do, and for several reasons—
1st. It has been too exclusive—too much
of the Pharisee order—it has ignored the
“bone and sinew” of our beautiful science,
and it could not saw its own wood. 2d.
It has hung out false colors. It advertised
year after year that it was the “only, &c.,”
until we gently reminded them that the
world would notice it when the sign was
taken in. 3d. It has announced as its
editors, Prof. S. F. Baird and Dr. Elliott
Coues. We, as a corresponding member,
have ventured to protest against this de-
ception. We were told that Prof. Baird
would not like it if his name was removed,
and that it had a good effect abroad, &c.,
&e. One member informed us that “all”
the proof was submitted to Dr. Coues.
We cannot contradict this, but outsiders
don’t believe it, and all of this is a load
that the Nuttall Club has failed to carry to
its destination. A meeting of the most
exclusive kind has recently been held in
New York. And this convention of sci-
entists have named their new society ‘“‘ The
American Ornithological Union.” The mis-
take is, it is not American, and it is formed
too much on the principle of our city so-
cial clubs where each member carries a
Yale key. It won't work in science, gen-
tlemen ; all nature belongs to all men. You
sadly mistake the importance of this mis-
sion. It matters little what you call him,

AND OOLOGIST.

Our
85

the Blue Jay screams just as loud for rich
and poor, for boy and man alike. It isa
mystery to us why the names of our birds
should be such a bone of contention. It
always reminds us of a lawyer discovering
during a trial a nice point of law and for-
getting that he has a client to look after.
We are told that great harmony prevailed
and that the disturbing element that has
existed so long in our science has calmed
down like a bright May morning.

Boston has six members while the State
of Yale and Dr. Wood, Coe, Sage and
Clark were ignored. R. I. was too small to
be remembered ; all birds passing through
R. I. will be expected to stop at Cambridge
and register, and yet the State of Rhode
Island is big enough to hold our friend
Jencks, and occasionally a rare bird
gets one wing over the State. There
were six members from Mass., four from
Washington, seven from New York, one
each from Oregon, Louisiana, Iowa, and
Maine, two from. Canada, and J. M. Whea-
ton from Ohio, whose last work should be
read by all seeking advanced knowledge.
Prof. Maynard seems to have been over-
looked, and yet he was studying bird life
when many of the present members were
toddling around in petticoats. We do not
agree with Maynard, but we recognize his
right all the same, and fortunately no
Union can curtail that right. We are sor-
ry to say he is not well and will winter in
the tropics, and as the Union is not rep-
resented south of New York the birds will
not have heard of it. This purely Ameri-
can? Union did not consider the editor of
this paper and all his correspondents as
worthy of a seat in the gallery even—but
we believe some of them were elected cor-
responding members, which means that they
will be allowed to study bird life and send
their notes to some member who will con-
descend to assume the honor of editing»
and yet the birds come and go with the
season.

The convention was unique. It brought
together a remarkable body of men

86

[Vol. 8-No. 11

ORNITHOLOGIST

that nothing else could have done.
There was Prof. 8S. F. Baird, who to our
regret and great loss gave up his first love
and went a fishing. There was that mod-
el scientist Geo. N. Laurence, not ‘ Ameri-
can,” but of the world. The learned Al-
len from Cambridge was there who gives
us the technical “straight.” The Doctors
were there in force. Dr. Shufeldt from
La., who commences to study our game
birds just where we like to leave them.
Dr. J. B. Holden and Dr. A. K. Fisher,
Sing Sing, N. Y., who reads the O. and O.
and of course keeps posted, and Dr. Ed-
gar A. Mearns of Highland Falls, N. Y.,
who wrote a good thing on the Birds of
N. Y., and forgot to send a copy to this
office. Dr. C. Hart Merriam was there a
moving spirit. His style and accuracy
will tell in the secretary’s chair. The
hard working Dr. Elliott Cones was there,
whose graceful pen and kindness of heart
has led him to endorse men who were n. g.
in the science. Brewster of Cambridge,
Purdie from under the gilded dome, and
Chamberlain from over the border was
there, and many others not well known to
us as they are not advanced enough in or-
nithology to read the latest news from the
bird world in the O. and O.

Robert Ridgway, who has so carefully
corrected the errors in O. and O., was
there. The boys in the west noticing this
trait have honored a newly formed club
with his name ; and may its constitution be
like the science it advocates, broad enough
to admit all honest workers on this conti-
nent. The ornithologist and oologist of
this generation, Capt. Chas. E. Bendire,
left Fort Klamah, Oregon, on receipt of
notice of the meeting, and reached New
York at 7 a. m. on the morning of the day
of the meeting. While others are wasting
valuable time over the name of a bird, the
Captain has been raking in the birds and
eggs to an extent little thought of. Al-
though stationed in the wilderness he is
better posted on eastern collections than

any other man. The following officers
were elected: Pres. J. A. Allen; Vice Pres.,
Dr. Elliott Coues and Robert Ridgway ;
Sec. and Treas., Dr. C. Hart Merriam,
Locust Grove, N. Y.

Nature is truth. Screncr is a method of
describing nature with the pen. Arr is
nature transferred to canvas by mechanical
means. Science and art are necessary to
bring nature to our firesides regardless of
nature’s wars outside, and also to teach the
student who is not endowed with the fac-
ulties of observation.

Downy Wooprrcker. Late in October,
1882, a Downy Woodpecker excavated a
hole in an old cherry tree, near a much
used door in my yard, of the size and shape
of its usual nest, and occupied it nightly
for more than six weeks. In April follow-
ing a pair of Bluebirds took possession
and reared two broods of five birds each ;
but now, October 2d, ’83, the Woodpecker
has occupied his old quarters for several
nights and frequents the locality during
the day. This habit of the Downy in mak-
ing a winter home is a new one to me.—
John M. Howey, Canandaigua, N. Y.

Least Birtrern. While collecting on a
large marshy meadow in this vicinity on
June 10th, 1883, I started a Least Bittern
from a clump of flags. Thinking there
might be a nest there, I commenced
searching and soon found it. It was a
mere hollow in a bunch of matted flags
scantily lined with water grass, and con-
tained two fresh laid eggs. In shape and
size they resembled eggs of the Yellow-
billed Cuckoo. In color they were of pale
blue, almost white. Fearing other collec-
tors might find them I took them, though
probably not a complete set. I also se-
cured the bird. I afterwards secured three
more finely plumaged males on the same
meadows, which are now in my cabinet.—
Charles H. Neff, Portland, Conn.

Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio is
delayed for want of fresh nests and eggs
to draw. This is a work of sterling merit.

- Nov., 1883.] AND OOLOGIST.

85

The Hawks of ’83,

The first March walks in the woods
showed that many of the old hawks’ nests
were “winter killed?” Weakened and
disintegrated by the action of the
constant snow and ice, they had been
tumbled from the trees by the last fierce
breath of winter. So at the outset it was
clear that to secure the annual complement
of eggs would involve wider and closer
search than usual. Though shadowing
them closely, I was finally baffled as to the
nesting-places of several pairs of these
evicted hawks, and the season’s work gave
but eighty eggs against over 100 for the
year before. Still the hawks were as com-
mon as ever and will continue so, doubt-
less, as long as their chief quarry the red
squirrel is so abundant here. In this se-
ries the sets of Red-tailed were all in pairs,
and the Red-shouldered all in trios—the
Red-tailed of course being larger and less
showily marked. In average sets of bo-
realis one egg will be plain and the other
nearly so, while in a large series of Red-
shouldered there will be some half dozen
types constantly recurring, many grada-
tions, and a few sets of absolute brilliancy.
Though the season was cold and late, the
Red-tailed bred as early as usual, while its
congener showed itself as heretofore af-
fected by extreme weather in the breeding
season.

In blowing the incubated eggs of B.
lineatus, three sets were found which held
one stale egg each. It is not clear that
cold or wet caused this, but it is true that
a wet season makes the Buteo’s eggs dull
and nest-stained. A single heavy rain, oc-
curring when the clutch is just laid, affects
their brightness and beauty. And full
sets suffer by comparison with single eggs
taken when laid, as every day of exposure
fades all hawk’s eggs. So the series of '83
is uninteresting and dull as a whole, while
82, which was a dry season, presents a
uniformly showy lot. To remove nest-

stains is not easy. If freshly laid the
markings will at once wash out of the eggs
of Fish Hawks and Buteos, so the corner
of a damp cloth only should be used on
the plain surface between the markings.
Dr. Wood says soap and water are cheap
and should be freely used. But as egg-
shells are porous, soap is at once absorbed
in the shell and afterwards when heated
comes out over the surface in yellow, waxy
exudations.

The Buteo’s eggs of this season were all
from the old haunts of last year, and pre-
sumably most of them were from hawks’
which had been often robbed. I also took
sets of Cooper’s Hawks and Marsh Hawks
from old birds grown wary by the loss of
many clutches. Tuesday, June 26, I took
a set of three bright eggs of Sharp-
shinned Hawk froma new nest in a secluded
swamp after leaving them vainly seven
days for a larger set. A pair of Sharp-
shinned with unfledged young were shot
in a hemlock clump within the city limits,
in July this year, by milkmen, who nailed
the hapless family on the side of a barn as
seare-crows. Now, if I had only gone
through the grove in June, as I always
have done in former years, the old birds
might be alive to-day, and my collection
the richer by one more set of Sharp-
shinned hawk’s eggs.—J. ML. W., Nor-

wich, Conn,

Downy Woopprecxrer. Late in October,
1882, a Downy Woodpecker excavated a
hole in an old cherry tree, near a much
used door in my yard, of the size and shape
of its usual nest, and occupied it nightly
for more than six weeks. In April follow-
ing a pair of Bluebirds took possession
and reared two broods of five birds each ;
but now, October 2d, ’83, the Woodpecker
has occupied his old quarters for several
nights, and frequents the locality during
the day. This habit of the Downy in mak-
ing a winter home is a new one to me.—
John M. Howey, Canandaigua, N. Y.

86

ae

Baltimore Oriole.

On looking over some of the back num-
bers of the O. and O., I noticed a query as
~ to the adaptability of the Baltimore Oriole
(Icterus galbula) to cage life. I happen
to be in a position to answer that, when
taken young, and when a reasonable amount
of care is bestowed on it, it makes an ex-
cellent cage bird. I know of one which
was taken from the nest in July, 1879,
and he is apparently as healthy and happy
as any of his confreres, who are in the full
enjoyment of their liberty. He is quite
tame, and very fond of his mistress, and
he shows his affection plainly by his man-
ner when she approaches his cage. He
will eat almost anything, but he is partic-
ularly fond of hard boiled egg, bread and
finely chopped meat. He has also a great
partiality for fresh fruit; but if that can-
not be obtained, he takes very kindly to
any kind of preserves, asa substitute. He
will eat all kinds of bird-seed, if previously
bruised with a rolling-pin, but not other-
wise. He has never known an hour's ill-
ness ; his song is as loud, clear and varied
as that of any Oriole I have ever heard,
and he sings continually. During our long
and severe Winter great care is necessary
to prevent the Orioles suffering from the
cold, and for this reason an old shawl is
thrown over his cage every evening, and
removed in the morning. He has got so
used to this that during the cold weather
he watches for the shawl every night, and
refuses to go to sleep without it. But the
most remarkable thing about him is that
he is in beautiful plumage, with not a
feather soiled or broken, although his cage
is not a particularly large one.— W. JL.
Scott, Ottawa, Canada.

RosE-BREASTED GRosBEAK. Dec. 21, 1882,
Jack sang his full notes for the first time ;
on the 26th sang his canary notes, while
bunched up like a sick bird, as usual ; sang
several times through January, and soon
got into his full notes, and sang as loud as
ever, it being his fifth year. July 6, when

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. 11

in his prime, he was stolen from his cage
on the piazza. We found him in a bird
store in the city and bought him back. It
was a severe strain on him; he was not so
lively afterward, but sang up to October.
To-day, Novy. 22, 1883, he is in as fine con-
dition as he ever was, but not in song-
He will consume nearly his full weight in
celery each day, besides his regular feed.

NarvreE is truth. Scrence is a method
of describing nature with the pen. Arr is
nature transferred to canvas by mechani-
cal means. Science and art are necessary
to bring nature to our firesides regardless
of nature’s wars outside, and also to
teach the student who is not endowed

| with the faculties of observation.

A New Species or Ostricu. Dr. Reich-
enow, the ornithologist,, of the Berlin
Museum, describes a new ostrich, under
the name of Struthio molybdophanes. A
living example is in the Zoological Gardens
at Berlin. The habitat of this species is
stated to be the deserts of Somali Land
and the Western Galla Country, extending
on the east coast of Africa from 10 deg.
N. lat. to the Equator.— Land and Water.

Least Brrrern. While collecting on a
large marshy meadow in this vicinity on
June 10th, 1883, I started a Least Bittern
from a clump of flags. Thinking there
might be a nest there, I commenced
searching and soon found it. It was a
mere hollow in a bunch of matted flags
scantily lined with water grass, and con-
tained two fresh laid eggs. In shape and
size they resembled eggs of the Yellow-
billed Cuckoo. In color they were of pale
blue, almost white. Fearing other collec-
tors might find them, I took them, though
probably not a complete set. I also se-
cured the bird. Iafterwards secured three
more finely plumaged males on the same
meadows, which are now in my cabinet.—
Charles H. Neff, Portland, Conn.

Great Brut Heron. I had the good
fortune to shoot a specimen on Nov. 7.—
T. R. Rich, Saratoga, N Y.

Noy., 1883.] AND

‘*Monkey-Faced Owls.’’

Enclosed please find a photograph of a
pair of Owls which have been on exhibi-
tion here for two or three weeks. The
owner says they are the only pair in the
United States of North America, and are
native birds of Tartary. The photo is
a very fair representation. He calls them
“ Monkey-faced Owls.” The bill proper is
very small, but the mouth extends almost
to the eyes. Eyes as near as I could see
were very small. Iris dark hazel. Back
dark brown, marked very finely, breast
speckled with brown, bill blackish, crown
finely mottled, no tufts, tarsi long. Two
pair were taken at the fort at St. Augus-
tine, Florida, last February. One pair was
bought for some scientific institute in
Ohio but escaped. P. T. Barnum, the man
says, offered him $500 but he refused.

If they are American birds they are a
cross of Barn Owl and something else.—
W. P. Tarrant, Saratoga.

A specimen of the ‘‘ Monkey-fuced Owl,” a rare bird, was
recently captured by Captain Pitts, of Orlando, Fla., in the
Everglades. It is described as being somewhat smaller than
the Hooting Owl. The plumage has the soft, furry texture
of the owl family, but a tinge of orange enters into the
color. The head and face are those of a baboon, the face

being white, while the eyes are much smaller than those of |.

an owl of the same size, coal-black and somewhat almond-
shaped, opening and closing with lids like those of an ani-
mal. In fact, they more nearly resemble the eyes of an
otter than a bird.— Fa.

OOLOGIST.

Interesting Notes.

The article in September O. and O. about
Flying Squirrels reminded me of my ex-
perience with a tame Gray Squirrel that I
had last year. I had a number of stuffed
birds standing on the mantel in my room,
unprotected. The Sciwruws had the run of
the room, and one day took it into his head
to gnaw off the bills of every bird he could
find. He must have eaten them, for I
could find no trace of them anywhere, and
I was afraid at first he had poisoned him-
self, but no evil effects followed. One day
while out collecting I saw a Kingbird en-
gaged in a fight with a Great-crested Fly-
catcher, and in a few moments the latter
fell to the ground completely exhausted,
and probably injured internally, as I could
find no marks on it except a badly bunged
eye. I took it home and placed it in a
cage open at the top, and after a few min-
utes absence, returned just in time to find
that Master Sciwrws had climbed into the
cage, killed the bird and was engaged in
enawing its bill, ruiming its value as a
specimen, for which I had intended it. Af-
ter that I was careful to leave no birds
where he could get at them.

In the summer of last year I found a
nest which I have never been able to iden-
tify, as no bird was near. It was in New
Castle Co., Del., and was placed in the cen-
tre of a clump of hazel bushes, growing in
aswamp, so that I had to wade at least
fifty yards before reaching it. It resem-
bled a Wood Thrush’s nest, being built of
mud, but was an inch deeper than any
nest of that kind I ever saw. The diame-
ter was about the same. It was placed
about two feet above the water and con-
tained four eggs, much like a runt Cat-
bird’s egg, and of a dark blue color, with a
slight greenish cast. The latter is hardly
distinguishable when placed beside a Cat-
bird’s egg. Now can any reader of O. and
O. tell me what bird it belongs to? It was
not a case of a Catbird laying in an old
nest, for I had been through that same

88

ORNITHOLOGIST

[ Vol. 8-No. I1

thicket several times before, and would
have seen it. If any one can cite an in-
stance of a Catbird building a mud nest,
that may solve the question, and the slight
differences in size, shape and color might
be passed over as accidental. In visiting
a colony of Purple Grackles I found another
curious set. There is no doubt of their
identity for I saw the female on the nest,
which was a common P. G’s nest. There
were four eggs; three of them dark brown,
scratched, mottled and blotched all over
with darker brown. The fourth was a
light olive green, with large blotches of
light brown or bronze. There were no
scratches of any kind on this egg and all
the colors were very light, though entirely
different from a normal Grackle egg, as
well as from the other three. An expe-
rienced collector to whom I showed one of
the dark eggs (without telling its history)
pronounced it a Nighthawk’s (Chordeiles
popetue) egg. I don’t suppose this is a
new species, but it certainly is a curious
freak of nature.

I would like to correct a couple of the
printer’s errors in my note on the Pigeon
Hawk's nest in O. and O. for September.
The date, “March 2” should read “‘ March
22,” and in the sentence “ marked unevenly
with five dots of reddish brown” read
“fine dots.”’—Charles D. Gibson, Renovo,
Pennsylvania.

A Surprisep Brursay.—At the back end
of my store, and just outside of a window,
is a box on which we mix the dough to feed
the chicks. On Sunday morning when I
shaved myself I took my mirror to the win-
dow so I could have a good light. Just as
I finished my work I noticed an old Blue-
jay drop down on the box and begin eat-
ing the dough from the pan of chicken
feed. As I was on the opposite side of
the glass it did not see me. I looked at it
for a moment and then “for fun” turned
the mirror around so the glass would face
the bird. It was just taking a mouthful of
dough as it looked up and saw, as it sup-

posed, another Jay with its mouthful also.
It seemed greatly astonished and failed to
swallow its food for some time, but soon
did so, and then in Bluejay style “ bowed,”
as much as to say “good morning, sir.”
As a matter of course the glass made the
other Jay bow also, and the next saluta-
tion was “kechunk! kechunk!” I suppose
that is Jay language, but I do not under-
stand it. Then it proceeded to fill its
mouth full of dough again and its shadow
did the same. This seemed to anger it
very much, and after giving one Bluejay
war-whoop, it flew against the glass. Its
astonished look at the result of its attack
was laughable. The first thing it did was
to retreat to the farther side of the box,
and from there eye the antagonist. After
gazing for some time its hunger overcome
it and it took another mouthful, ‘as did
its shadow.” The Jay stopped with full
mouth, turned its head first one way then
the other. and finally hopped around the
glass and stood face to face with me. Our
faces were not more than six inches apart,
and I never expect to see a more aston-
ished look than was in its eyes just then.
But one look was enough; and after an-
other big Jay yell it made as good time
from there as a Bluejay ever made, I guess ;
and my dough has remained undisturbed
ever since.—S. HI. L., McLeanborough,
Iil.,in Germantown Telegraph.

—$—__

Ripeway Orniruotocicat Crus. A meet-
ing of the Ornithologists of Chicago was
held on Friday, September 7, and an or-
ganization effected. The society adopted
the name of The Ridgway Ornithological
Club of Chicago, in honor of Mr. Robert
Ridgway, Curator of Ornithology at the
United States National Museum. A con-
stitution and by-laws were adopted, and
officers were duly elected as follows: Presi-
dent, Dr. J. W. Velie; Vice-President and
Treasurer, George F. Morcom; Secretary,
H. K. Coale; Curator, Joseph L. Hancock;
Librarian, F. L. Rice.

ORNITHOLOGIST

—AND—

—OOLOGIST.

$1.00 per

“Suigie Gony

JOSEPH M. WADE, Editor a Publisher.
Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents.
No. 1

WOL. VIII:

Mississippi Valley Migration.

Norr.—The stations and observers, to which the num-
bers refer, are given in the O. and O. for April.

Upon taking account of stock I find
that notes have been contributed on 256
species of birds. Of these forty-four have
already been treated of, at length, in this
magazine, leaving 212 yet to be noticed.
As quite a large portion of these have
only two or three notes to the species, and
hence are of comparatively little value in
studying migration, and as it would obvi-
ously be impossible to treat of this large
number in the space of the remaining
number of this year, I have selected forty
of the more common birds and even the
notices of these will have to be so con-
densed as to be little more than a copy of
the notes received, with some additional
matter on the and breeding
places of the several species. There will
then have been treated eighty-four species,
a study of whose movements last Spring
will, it is hoped, serve as a guide to the
proper time to watch for their arrival and
departure, and also help to awaken an in
terest in the whole subject of migration.
In the following notes F will be used to
denote the first one seen. We will consider
the species in order, as they occur in the
Smithsonian catalogue, beginning with the

OxrveE-BACKED Turusu, (/Z. wv. swainsoni.)
This bird is usually considered as winter-
ing beyond our borders, with a few stray
ones remaining in the Southern States, but
(35) says, “During the past Winter I re-
peatedly found this bird wintering in
thickety ridges in the Mississippi bottom-
land. I saw from five to twenty per day,

wintering

BOSTON, DECEMBER,

1883.

every day I was collecting in said thickets,
regardless of the weather.” No. (13,) how-
ever, did not see any until 2-5, and on 4-25
they were still present with him. No. (6)
says, “Do not occur.” No. (21) &-10 EF;
(30) 426 F, two seen, and no more until
5-2, when the bulk arrived, not shy and
singing a little; 5-5 height of the season ;
5-10 still present ; 5-14 to 18 quite numer-
ous; 5-24 last. No. (52,) Have lost my
record of F, but 5-3 a second one seen ;
5.12 met quite often in company with the
Tawny Thrush; about height of season.
During the next week the bulk departed.
On 519 three seen; 5-24 as numerous as
any time this Spring; 5-31 last. No. (60)
sends the following note: “414 F and
4-22 height of the season, although three
inches of snow fell that day. About all
gone by 4-27.” This would be very early
for the Olive-back and probably refers to
the Hermit Thrush. From (60) northward
the Olive-back remains to breed.

Carsirp, (G. carolinensis.) Winters in
Southern States and breeds from the Gulf
to British America. Mr. Ridgway gives it
as a Winter resident in Southern Illinois,
but (35) says he has never seen them until
Spring really began, and that the people
in general think their presence indicates
Spring. No. (16) says they do not occur
there in Winter. None were seen in Cen-
tral Illinois at (30) until 4-18, one seen, si-
lent and in high plumage ; 4-22, slight in-
crease and singing ; 4-29, are still compar-
atively quiet and scarce; 5-1, scarce—a
morning’s walk reveals less than half a
dozen ; 5-2, bulk arrived and many migra-
ting flocks; 5-3, many more came last

90

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 12

night. No. (42) had before this found his
first one on 4-27, and (38) on 4-29, butfrom
the time the bulk arrived at St. Louis they
spread rapidly, reaching (21) 5-4, (45) 5-6,
and the same day at (52) and (47.) No.
(44) did not see them until 5-9, and they
had reached (60) 5-12, and (56) saw his first
5-14. All of this migration was rather later
than usual. At (52) it was at least two
weeks behind time; but consequently the
bulk followed very close to the van. The
day after the first came twenty per cent
were present, and three days later, 5-10,
brought the bulk; height of the season
was 5-12 to 19.

Rupy-crowneD Krinevet, (2. calendula.)
winters in Southern States and occasion-
ally a little further north ; breeds from the
extreme northern part of the United States
northward. No. (35) did not see a single
individual the whole Winter. The north-
ward movement reached Southern Illinois
about April Ist, but either the bird is so
small that it was not noticed by some until
long after it arrived, or else its movements
are very irregular. Probably both causes
have operated to give us the very irregular
notes which follow: No. (30) 4-4 F; 4-9
to 4-12, height of season ; 4-17, only two
seen; 4-27, still present; 5-1, one pair;
5-3, last. No. (32) 423 F; (87) 411 F,
five seen; (45) 4-25 F, six seen; (51) 4-5
F; (52) 411 F, seven seen, three of them
in song; (47) 4-10 F; (57) 417 F, a few;
5-3, saw two males and one female picking
larve out of a small pine tree; (60) 4-12
F. The full record of (52) is 4-13, height
of the season; about seven birds to the
mile ; bulk departed 4-14 or 15. On 4-28
visited a tamarac swamp a few miles dis-
tant. There the Ruby-crowns were in their
glory. The swamp was full of them. I
counted twenty-three in front of me at one
time; and the rest of the swamp seemed to
be just as full. As this was only one of
many such swamps within a mile, the total
number of Ruby-crowns must have been
very great. All were in song and very

active. April 26 the first female was seen,
and from then the number of those without
the red crest increased very rapidly until
on 5-3, though still quite numerous, not
more than ten per cent had an ornamental
topknot. At 11 p. m., 5-5, one came to my
window and tried to get in, acting as if at-
tracted by my light, and scared by the
thunder, lightning and evident signs of
an approaching tempest. May 7 nearly all
gone, only seven seen ; 5-12, one-fourth as
many in tamarac as on 5-5; 5-21, last one
regularly, but a stray one was seen 5-28.

GoLpEN-crowNeD Krinewer, (2. satrapa.)
This handsome little gad-about is hardier
than his more musical brother, the Ruby-
crown, and can be found during the Win-
ter all the way from the Gulf to Northern
Iowa; though rather rare north of South-
ern Missouri except in favored localities.
No. (35) seems to be in such a locality.
He says: “I met this little fellow almost
every day that I was in the bottom lands.
I would see on an average twenty-five per
day and often associated with the Tufted
Titmouse ; no weather seemed cool enough
to cool his spirit. The Winter record of
(30) is that on Jan. 6 two pairs were met
in different places, and no more seen from
then to March 1, two pairs in same places.
The same irregularity is noted in the notes
on the migration of this species as in the
preceding. No. (80)44 F of the transient
visitors and 4-10 last; (41) 415 F:; (51)
4-7 F; (57) 4-5 F; (52) 44 F, five seen in
one piece of woods; 4-9, more numerous ;
4-10, height of the season, about eight to
the mile; 4-12, bulk departed; 414 to
4-26, seen occasionally, one or two at a
time ; 4-26, last.

Brown Creeper, (C. f. rufa.) Winter-
ing apparently over nearly all if not the
whole of the Mississippi Valley, but not
often seen. It is most common and con-
spicuous during migration, and though
said to breed from the Gulf to British
America, at most stations it comes in the
Spring, is common for a few days, and then

5 Dec., 1883.]

no more are seen. The bulk of the spe-
cies evidently migrate to the far North.
Nos. (21,) (30,) (35,) (87,) (41) and (58) re-
port it as a Winter resident; (35) says he
saw from none to ten per day; (30) saw
the first of the transient individuals 4-4 ;
most numerous from 4-5 to 4.9, and 4-9
was the last seen; (45) 417 F; (51) 4-4
F; (52) 4-4 F, two seen; bulk left about
4.11 and last one on 4-15; (47) 42 F; (60)
4-12 F, six seen.

House Wren, (7° edon.) Winters in ex-
treme Southern States and breeds through-
out the Valley. It was seen at (80) for
the first time 4-17, and again next day;
4-22, this morning, shows an increase ;
4-29 is an industrious songster and mating.
No. (21) 414 F; 4.29, our Summer visitors
are here in full numbers; (87) 416 F;
(88) 4-22 F; (44) 5-1 F; (41) 5-10 F; (45)
is at this place a very rare bird; (51) 54
F; (52) 5-2 F, one found singing with its
accustomed spirit and perseverance. Was
joined two days later by another, and on
5-6 two more came; 5-7, spread more, but
very few yet; 5-10, still increasing, but not
many; 5-12, no more increase, Summer
numbers, not more than ten pairs around
town; (55) 428 F. This bird is remarka-
ble as being almost the only one which
reached the prairie stations before it ap-
peared at timber stations in corresponding
latitudes.

Rep-ryep Vireo, ( V. olivaceus.) Winters
for the most part beyond the United States,
a few remaining in Florida; breeds all the
way up to our northern boundary. No.
(13) 2-3 F; (85) 411 F, heard one; 4-12,
singing on all sides; (30) 425 F, again
4-27 single individuals in song; 5-2 and
5-3 bulk came; (21) 5-5 F, abundant ; (52)
5-19 F, several seen, but probably came
some days before. About in full numbers
after 5-25; breeds abundantly; many nests
found.

WHITE-BELLIED Swattow, (7. bicolor.)
Winters in Southern States, breeds through-
out the Valley. This is the hardiest of

AND OOLOGIST.

9]

the Swallows and the first to migrate in
the Spring. Its movements, being to a
large extent dependent on the weather and
the food supply, are quite irregular. A
small party seem this Spring to have been
especially anxious to proceed north, having
appeared at (52) on 4-4, which was twenty-
two days earlier than they appeared at St.
Louis, and just a month before they were
seen at (51,) only a few miles distant ; and
they had reached (57) on 4-14, before they
had been noticed by any other station ex-
cept (52.) The record is: No. (30) 4-26
F, a migrating party ; (21) 428 F, here a
rare Summer visitor; (88) 420 F; (41)
5-6 F; (54) 5-1 F; (52) 5-4 F, three flying
and circling over the Rock River at 3 p.
m. Had not seen any in the early part of
the day, though I was out all the forenoon ;
4-7, four more have come; 4-9, more nu-
merous; most numerous 4-26; 5-7, have
nearly all gone in the last two days; 5-8,
quite a large flock arrived last night; 6-1,
seen every day; (57) 414 F,a flock over
the water.

Scartet Tanacer, (P. 2wbra.) Winters
beyond our border and breeds throughout
the Valley. The following notes, from
stations situated near timber, show quite a
steady progression; all of them are for
first ones seen: No. (35) 417, (30) 4-27,
(41) 5-8, (52) 5-11, (60) 5-20. The prairie
stations show more irregularity: No. (21)
5-12, (44) 5-20, (47) 5-10, no females yet;
(56) 5-17. No. (42) says he saw one on 3-1,
and no more afterward until 5-16. After
(80) saw his first one, 4-27,no more ap-
peared until 5-2, and on 5-3 the first fe-
males came. At (52) the second one was
seen 5-12, and 5-17 doubled in numbers
last night; 5-19, first females and males a
little more numerous; 6-1, young males
have come but no building yet.— W. W.
Cooke, Ripon, Wis.

Jer Fatcon, killed at Point Judith,
Rhode Island, during the month of Octo-
ber.—Jencks.

Change of Ownership.

After the completion of this volume the
O. and O. will pass into the hands of
Frank B. Webster of Pawtucket, R. L.,
who will increase its size to twelve pages
and will push it as a business venture, and
give it more time than we have been able
to lately, and we ask for him your contin-
ued and earnest support, for no one will
continue its publication as we have done.
It should have a largely increased patron-
age both in subscribers and advertising.

Most of our readers are aware that with
us it has been merely a hobby to fill wp our
leisure (?) hours and in this way do what
good we could for the science. We have
had no other object in view, and it will al-
ways be a pleasure to us to look back and
remember the assistance we have given
the boys. It is our innate nature to assist,
but never to ask assistance.

Our duties as an Editor on the Boston
Journal of Commerce, and with four
technical books in preparation on wool and
the manufacture of woolen goods, and as
representative of the Texas Wool Grower
in the East, makes
solutely

this course ab-
We are fifty-one
years old, have never sought a vecation,
not even for one day, since we commenced
a business career in 1850; we have for
many years devoted from fifteen to eighteen
hours to business and our hobby for 365
days each year, and it is time to slack up.

necessary.

We part with our hobby with regret, but
shall still commune with our old friends
through its pages, and we sincerely thank
all who have so cheerfully contributed to
its contents, making volumes VI, VII and
VIII invaluable to the coming: ornitholo-
gist and oologist.

Birps or Kansas. A catalogue of the
Birds of Kansas by N. S. Goss has reached
us, which contains a list of 320 birds with
a supplementary list of twenty-nine to be
looked for. Kansas is well to the front in
ornithological labors.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 12

Mieration. In closing Volume VIII we
desire to say a good word for W W Cooke
of Ripon, Wis., who has so thoroughly con-
ducted the observations of the migration
of the Mississippi Valley. A work of much
labor and honor, and the team of observers
under Mr. Cooke deserve great praise for
the faithful manner in carrying out and
recording their observations.

Beti’s Vireo. We tender our thanks to
D. E. Lantz of Manhattan, Kansas, the
home of many friends to the O. and O.,
for a fine nest and full set of eggs of the
above Vireo.

Our Printer. With this number we
close our labors with our printer, which
have been of the pleasantest kind. The
O. and O. has appeared regularly, and,
considering the price paid, is a piece of
work for all to be proud of. It has been
printed in a model office, where every man
does his duty without “bossing,” and
“ Cooley's Weekly” reaches its 7,000 read-
ers (with all the news and crammed with
locals) with great regularity each week for
only “fifty cents a year and no postage.”
We congratulate our readers on the fact
that “ Cooley” will continue the printer of
our favorite O. and O.

Noves rrom Manuarran, Kan.—Four sets
of pure white eggs of the Bluebird were
taken here this season—1883.

‘The Blue Grosbeaks nested here abun-
dantly this year.

April 14th, took a set of seven Crow’s
eggs. The earliest complete set noticed
was March 26th.

March 31st, first set of Long-eared Owl's.

At the second nesting all the Ground
Robins [chewink] built in bushes from
three to six feet up.

June 5th, a Bald Eagle’s nest was seen
in an immense cottonwood tree. I could
not reach it.—D. 2. Lantz.

Dock Hawks. Fred T. Jencks, Provi-
dence, R. I., received two Duck Hawks,
killed on Point Judith.

Dec., 1883. ]

Screech Owls Breeding in Con-
_ finement.

June 4th, 1881, I found in a hollow tree
in an orchard a family of Screech Owls,
consisting of an adult and four young.
The plumage of the old bird was red, that
of the young grayish brown. Carrying
my captives home I consigned them to an
old store room, and during the summer I
fed them exclusively on frogs, and it was
no small job to procure a sufficient quan-
tity. They seemed to prefer them to any
other food, which led me to believe that
they constituted no mean portion of their
regular fare when at liberty.

During the Fall of that year I disposed
of the young, and at about the same time
I was presented with another adult of the
same species, also in the red plumage, by
a hunter who said he had found it in the
same orchard in which I had found mine.

During the winter I secured the use of a
long closed shed, or hay barn, which I sep-
arated into three apartments by wire net-
ting. Into this building I introduced my
Owls—Barred, Great horned and Screech,
giving the Scops the middle section. Noth-
ing unusual in their demeanor was noticed
during the season’ of 1882, except that
they did not ‘seem to take any notice of
each other whatever. They would eat
meat refuse of any kind, if it was not salt,
and the barn being overrun with mice I
often found dead ones lying about, and no
doubt they caught many of them.

About the first of February, 1883, their
actions towards each other began to change.
Instead of snapping at one another for a
bit of meat, I was quite surprised to see
one of them take a bit of food and carry
it to the other one that was perched on the
topmost beam, which in turn gravely received
it. Up to this time I had no idea as to the
sex of my birds, as both were alike, but
judging from the fact that the bird which
T had found was on the nest with young,
I took it for granted to be a female, and
latterly noticing the polite attentions paid

AND OOLOGIST.

93

to her by the other owl, I thought possibly

that it was a male. These attentions
seemed to increase. They would sit as
close together as possible, frequently

preening each other’s feathers. The male
bird (I was sure of it by this time) would
take a piece of meat and fly up with it to
his companion, lay it down, and invite her
to take it by a series of hops and bows.

All this I could observe by peeping
through a knot hole in a box caddy, where
I could come in from the outside. The
barn I kept dark as possible. I could but
just see. This of course greatly facilitated
the owls in their movements. By the last
of March I noticed a heap of straws and
chaff on the top of a corner post of my
division line, well under the eaves, and
both owls sitting there. I did not disturb
them to examine as I had my hopes and
did not want to trouble my pets too much
at first. On the 13th of April I first no-
ticed a different demeanor on the part
of the male. He was more on the move,
continually snapping at the Great-horned,
and Barred Owls, if they happened to
come near the division netting, which in
their perambulations about their compart-
ment they frequently did, which kept the
Screech owl pretty well on the alert.
Thinking I might now with safety explore,
on the 15th I took a ladder and ascended
to the nest, where I was immensely grati-
fied to find a clutch of three eggs, the fe-
male showing no alarm, allowing me to
move her gently from the nest.

Too much cannot be said in praise of
Scops as a faithful husband and guardian.
Wishing to test him a little I took my
Long-eared Owl and put him into their
enclosure. Scops was sitting on his perch
trying to catch a few winks, but every
few seconds shooting a shy, sidelong
glance to see if Messrs. Bubo and Strix
were acting properly. In one of these
glances he caught sight of Asio who was
at that moment sitting on the ground.
He streched out his neck and then—swift

as an arrow and noiseless as a floating
feather, he struck out for the intruder,
knocking him over on the ground. Fora
moment it was a confused heap of chaff
and owls, then they parted and looked
each other squarely in the eye, then Scop
with one wing drawn out before his head
advanced sidelong to renew the attack.
Not wishing to provoke hostilities further
I removed Asio from the enclosure, and
right glad was he to come.

The young Scops are at this date, Oct.
27, just commencing to come out in red
plumage, having a number of feathers so
streaked on their back and wings. AsI
should have previously mentioned incuba-
tion occupied in this case only twenty-two
days. I have never heard of these owls
breeding in captivity before, yet if they or
any other species have done so, a record
of such would be appreciated by—/. H.
Carpenter, Rehobeth, Mass.

223.) bees
Snow Buntings and Pileated Wood-
peckers.

During a tramp over the mountains
north of this place early in October I saw
large flocks of Snow Buntings (Plectro-
phanes nivalis) and was informed by a
“native” that they were to be found all
through the spring and summer. Strong
circumstantial evidence in favor of their
breeding there, if he told the truth—and I
have no reason to doubt it. It is certainly
cold enough out there, even in mid-summer
to suit the most Boreal bird of my acquain-
tance. I also saw two Pileated Wood-
peckers, « (/[ylotomus pileatus.) I think
they were wanderers, for the land has
been pretty well cleared by fires and log-
gers. I never saw but one of these birds
alive before.. It was in the beginning of
last winter, near Dover, Del. There had
been a “freeze” the night before and all
the small puddles, and a good many of
the big ones had a pretty thick coat of ice.
While walking near a creek I heard some-
thing pounding on the ice, and then an an-

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 12

few steps brought him in sight. He was
down on the ice covering a small inlet,
pounding till I thought he would break
his bill, and stopping every few seconds
to squeal. I could not see what he want-
ed, unless it was water. After several
minutes of this occupation he flew up and
lit on a tree directly in front of me, and
not over six feet away, and pounded it.
Then with a series of cries he flew into the
swamp and that was the last I saw of him,
but his whole performance was extremely
ludicrous.— Chas. D. Gibson, Renovo, Pa.

— ———

Bell’s Vireo—({ Vireo belli.)

This is the most abundant Vireo in Kan
sas, where, during the breeding season, its
song may be heard from every copse and
hedge. It arrives from the South, at this
station, about the first week of May and is
soon dispered over the country, wherever
there is shrubbery to supply its favorite
insect food. Its song resembles that of
the White-eyed Vireo, but seems to me to
be more cheerful. It sings during the en- |
tire day ; even on the warmest days, when
other birds are silent. About the first
week in June one may find nests containing
the full complement of eggs. June Ist is
my earliest date. The nest is but a few
feet from the ground, attached to a hori
zontal branch, in true Vireo style. It is
much more compact and more strongly
built than that of any other Vireo with which
I am acquainted. The materials of the nest
are constant, being fibrous substances fas-
tened together by the bird’s saliva. In
the lining only have I found variation.
The usual lining is, like that of the other
Vireos, composed of fine grasses; but in
two nests the lining was of long horse-hair.
I have never found any downy substances
in the lining, as described by some writers.
The osage orange, prickly ash, wild plum,
and elm are favorite nesting places for
this species, but I have found the nest on
apple, peach, and willow trees, and even on

gry “squeal” unmistakeably a bird’s. <A | the branch of a Jamestown weed, (Dutura

Dec., 1883. ]

stramonium.) The eggs, four in number,
average 2418, in 32ds of an inch. They
are white and usually spotted irregularly,
with small red, brown, or almost black
dots. Some entire sets are pure white,
while frequently but one or two eggs have
markings. On June 18, 1883, a few days
after a severe storm, I found a Bell’s Vireo
nest upon the ground. It contained four
young just hatched. Upon examination I
found that the nest with eggs had been
torn from its fastening on the branch of a
shrub about eighteen inches from the
ground. This had evidently been done by
the storm while the bird was upon the
nest. Instead of deserting her home, she
had gathered fresh material and fastened
the nest securely to the leaves of some
weeds beside which it had lodged. So far
as I have observed this Vireo always de-
serts her nest when the Cow-bird invades
it with her parasitic eggs.—D. . Lantz,

Manhattan, Kansas.
ied

Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Your advice about the red-headed Wood-
peckers came too late. I had been watch-
ing a pair that had their nest finished for
some time, and finally concluded that they
must have completed the set, and so
opened the hole to find it empty. A sec-
ond nest I had my “eye” on was opened
by small boys. I still have one left from
which I hope to get a set. Mr. Worthing-
ton shot one of the birds which belonged
to this nest, but I was there to-day and
the other bird had secured a new mate
and was very much worried when I was
near the nest, so I think she has begun to
lay. I shall not distub her however for
another week as this is my “third and last
chance” for a set, and I want to be sure
this time. Worthington has shot four of
these birds this Spring which I think
would have bred. I told him he ought
not to shoot them, but he didn’t think
they were going to stay. We had good
luck on Gardiner’s Island and got a lot of

AND OOLOGIST. 95

Fish Hawks’ and Night Herons’ eggs. I
also found a Woodecock’s nest containing
one egg, just as we were going to leave.
Tleft it in order to get the full set, and
went down again on Wednesday, the 24th,
and got the set of three. Incubation was
just begun. This is very late for Wood-
cock’s eggs and must have been a second
set. We saw and heard several Great
Carolina Wrens on the Island and Yellow-
breasted Chats were very common. So
far this season I have collected Downy
Woodpecker 1-5, Mottled Owl 1-2, 1-4, 2-5;
Fish Hawk 6-2, 24-3, 2-4; Green Heron
2-4; Night Heron 5.3, 12-4, 3-5; Wood-
cock 1-3; Kinefisher 4-7; also, a Chicka-
dee’s nest containing 8 eggs.—Moses B.
Griffing, Shelter Island, N. Y. May 26th,
1883.

Acrep Eaciz. A Bradenberg peasant not
long ago found a large eagle eating the
carcass of a dog. He shot the bird,
which was black, with white shoulders.
On its left foot was a gold ring, on which
were cut the letters, still visible, ‘“‘H. Ks.
o. k.” underneath which was the word
‘“ Kperjes,” and on the other side the date
“10, 9, 1827.” Eperjes is a town in upper
Hungary.

Aar or Owns. In answer to the follow-
ing inquiry made of me by Dr. Grabham,
of Pontefract, I could only say that I be-
lieve birds of the hawk tribe are consid-
ered to be long-lived, but that I would ask
for more particular information through
your columus. It was only a week or two
ago that I saw in one of the papers of an
eagle having been shot somewhere on the
Continent, which from a silver ring round
its leg was shown to have been of a great
age. [See item above. |

I have just lost by death a brown owl which has been in
my possession twenty-one years and three months. I shall
esteem it a great favor to learn from you if this is an unu-
sual age for this bird. He was a splendid fellow, and much
admired about here. My son has two very fine young birds
to succeed him.

One and the same fate, nuwllo discrimine,
befalls the eagle and the osprey. Hhew /
FO. Morris, in Land and Water.

ORNITHOLOGIST

[Vol. 8-No. 12

New Brirp Lazsers.—We have received
from the publisher, L. S. Foster, New
York, samples of a set of labels he has
just issued which are quite different from
anything of the kind which we have seen
elsewhere, for by a very simple and inge-
nious method the exact position in classi-
fication which the specimen labeled holds
can be told at a glance; not only the
name of species, genus, family order and
sub-class, to which it is referable, but also
the rank of each of these divisions, their
relations to others of the same group.
There is likewise spaces left for the
“Smithsonian number,” and the Collector’s
“serial number,” as well for for the “locali-
ty, date and collector.” We should think
that the labels will be warmly welcomed
by those forming collections for purposes
of elementary instruction, but we fear
they are rather cumbersome to come into
general use for collections where economy
of space has to be considered. For spec-
imen illustration see cover pages.

Deatu oF an Acen Ow1.—An aged owl,
the pet of a house on Middle street, Ports-
mouth, passed away recently, and was
buried at night with distinguished honors,
slow music, and the recitation of appropri-
ate lines from the “Burial of Sir John
Moore.” Above the grave of the pet bird
which, by the way, was dubbed William, is
the following inscription: “Sacred to the
memory of William Owl, born Feb. 22,
1800; died Aug. 22,1883.” The owl came
from Newbern, N. C., and, it is said, was
actually 83 years old, having been handed
down from family to family in Newbern,
and his history being accurately preserved.
Norfolk Landmark.

A Hearne or Brrp’s Ears. We acknowl-
edge with pleasure the receipt of a work
with the above title from Dr. Elliott Coues
of the Smithsonian Institute, which ap-
peared in Science, running through num-
bers 34-38 and 39. The doctor is an in-
dustrious worker in the science to which
he is devoted.

Avpryo Quart. I was fortunate enough
to secure a fine specimen of this bird,
which was shot twenty miles north of the
city, Oct. 19th. The bird is pure white,
with the exception of four light brown
feathers (two on the head and one on each
wing,) and is in good plumage. I have
him mounted and feel quite elated over my
success in adding such a rarity to my cab-
inet. A gentleman of this place shot an
Albino Robin in the city, this Spring, that
is pure cream color. I was unable to secure
this specimen.—/leteher M. Noe, Indian-
apolis, Ind.

“TRREGULARS” in birds egg for 1883:
Dendreeca cestiva, four set, one egg unspot-
ted’; set of four Yellow-shafted Flicker, all
spotted with dull red; set of three Yellow-
headed Blackbirds, one marbled, with no
spots. Sept. 30 and Oct. 5, shot speci
mens of migrating birds, White-throated
Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ameri-
can Redstart, Black Snowbird, Fox-colored
Sparrow and Purple Finch, the latter a
male in imperfect plumage; the only one
I have ever seen in this region.—P. B.
Peabody, Faribault, Minn.

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. June 29, 1883,
noticed a pair of Yellow-breasted Chats
feeding young about half-tledged, first I
ever saw breeding in this locality; next day
found another Chat’s nest with four young.

A Cumney Swirt impaled on the point
of a lightning rod, caused, no doubt, “ by
his headlong plunge down to his nest.”

Buursirps. A pair of Bluebirds have
raised three broods, their nest being placed
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 misplaced.
F. H. Carpenter, Rehoboth, Mass.

Bacx Votumes. Those who intend keep-
ing a full file of the O. and O. should lose
no time in ordering the back volumes.
Volume VI, $2.50; vols. VII and VIII,
$1.25 each. The three volumes bound in
one $5, free by mail.

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