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THE WILSON BULLETIN

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AX ILLUSTRATED QUARTERLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS IX THE FIELD

Edited by LYNDS JONES

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUE

OLD SERIES. VOLUME XV. NEW SERIES, VOLUME X.

J903

Published by the Club at Oberlin, Ohio

or,,^/6(>j.^f^^^f

Nest of Bewick's Wren ( Tliryothonis bczcickli) in a coffee pot.

Nest of ]]e\vick"s Wren (ThryotJionis bci^ickii) in a wood pile.

Photos, hy Rev. W. V. Henninger.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

No. 42

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF
ORNITHOLOGY

Vol. X. AL\RCH, 1903. No. 1.

NOTES ON THE LEUCOSTICTES— GRAY-
CROWNED AND HELPBURN'S.

p. M. SILLOWAY.

(FROM THE writer's MANUSCRIPT OE A FORTH-COMING I.IST OF BIRDS
OF FERGUS COUNTY, MONT.)

The Gray-crowned Leucosticte, [Leiicosticte tcphrocotis^
is a regular winter resident at Lewistown, where it is known
as the "brown snowbird." It generally appears about the
first of November, though in pleasant weather it may not be
observed before the 8th or loth of that month. It is gre-
garious, moving about daily in flocks of varying size, usually
scattering about town in smaller troops until severe weather,
when most of the troops unite into one large flock, often
containing from two to three hundred individuals.

The Leucostictes are our English Sparrows in social man-
ners. They feed fearlessly at the door-steps or in the yards,
though they are likely to whir away when the door is opened
or when anyone appears unexpectedly at a window near by.
On a warm winter morning I have seen from forty to fifty
of these birds sitting on a wood-pile in the door yard, sun-
ning themselves and gleaning from refuse on the ground.

Late in the afternoon the individuals of a flock scatter
out to nooks they are accustomed to use for the night. A

2 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

particular male, and sometimes a female, have regular sleep-
ing-nooks in a porch of the writer's home, and long before
nightfall the birds seek their quarters. I have seen a leu-
costicte enter a tubular eaves-trough and there spend the
night. Frequently they flutter under projecting eaves, and
cling to some protruding support for the night.

In 1899, I first noted the leucostictes on October 30,
when a troop of fifteen was seen gleaning on a vacant lot
on Main street at Lewiston. When disturbed, they arose
with sharp, metallic, scolding notes, keeping together and
flying away in irregular, undulating, capricious flight. B\'
November 16, the number of the flock had increased to
about sixty. They fed near the school building, and were
quite fearless and friendly, an individual frequently alighting
within six feet of me.

The leucostictes are extremely restless, flitting in irregu-
lar, jerky movements. They have a trilling chirp which
they utter a-wing and on the ground. They alight about
the buildings much like English Sparrows, preferring pro-
jecting parts, gutters, window sills, and gables. They fre-
quently alight in a window, even if some one is standing at
the window inside.

These birds feed on the seeds of the dwarf sage, or they
glean from the snow around the bases of such plants. They
often frequent the hillsides at the margins of snowy areas.
In the spring, when a thaw is taking place, a whole flock-
will congregate on a spot eight or ten feet across, all peck-
ing industriously at the bare ground. They also frequent
the margins of dry ditches, or a walk or fence on sloping
ground, where exposed spots are found. Some of a flock
are in motion at any time, flitting nervously to another
portion of the feeding. place. Often the entire flock will
take wing with a dull whirr of wings, many of the birds utter-
ing a quick alarm note like the syllable " quir," or " quie,"
or "quie quie." Rising in scattering order, with capricious,
undulating movement, they may circle down immediately to
the same forage-spot.

Notes on the Leucostictes. 3

The rapid flitting of the wings of the leucostictes is no-
ticeable, though sometimes one of the birds will soar
through the air with outspread wings, fluttering the wings
only enough to give movement to the body. The flitting
of the wings appears to be caused by their tips being elevat-
ed above the general level of the bird's back.

Very early in the spring the leucostictes give evidence of
the approach of the nuptial season. After the middle of
January a male will frequently chase another or a female,
like Meadowlarks in amorous sport. Occasionally, at this
season, a male will alight for a few moments on some con-
venient perch, and utter a pretty little trill, like "tree-ree-
ree-ree ree," enunciating the syllables with great rapidity.
As the season advances and the warm sunshine of late Feb-
ruary indicates the further progress of the vernal period, the
males become more prolific in their musical efforts. Sitting
on the ridge of house or barn, generally at the end of the
ridge, alone or in small troops, they utter their wheezy
chants, sometimes with no more force than that used by the
Grasshopper Sparrow, though often with greater force and
more varied expression.

The males sing also when sitting on the ground, appear-
ing to be picking up morsels of food and singing as a fre-
quent variation. In such instances the song has a ventrilo-
quil effect, seeming to arise from a point much farther
away. A male singing on the ground will sometimes sidle
toward a female, and if she coyly takes wing, a reckless
amorous pursuit will follow.

In producing their musical numbers, the males care little
for surroundings if an appreciative female listener is near.
Late in February last }'ear I observed a male sitting on a
telephone pole in front of the post office at mail time, and
disregarding the activity below, he uttereti his low, hurried
trills.

In early March the wing-bars of ihe leucostictes become
more prominent, the purple of the sides begins to show
more noticeably, and the colors generally assume their

4 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

nuptial hues. By the middle of April the last of the leu-
costictes has disappeared.

Hepburn's Leucosticte can easily be distinguished from
the Gray-crowned by the greater amount of gray upon the
head of the former, the color frequently marking the entire
head above the lower part of the ears. In the flocks that
visit us, the proportion is about one Hepburn's to six or
eight Gray-crowned. In habits the one is a counter-part of
the other.

THE BEST PLACE OF ALL.

An Amateur s Experience.
MISS REBECCA M. LEETE.

Some three or four years ago my friend and I were re-
turning on a late September day from a drive in the country.
It was already growing dusk as we crossed a little valley be-
fore entering town, but from the dry reeds by the brook a
belated bird — black and white with flashes of crimson — rose
and swept over us, far out into the sky.

We followed him with longing eyes until he was lost in
the distance and then vowed that when spring came again
we would begin to study birds, never dreaming, in our ignor-
ance, that we might have begun at once.

I recalled the fact that I possessed a fine copy of the
Pennsylvania Bird Book and a battered pair of fleld glasses
cherished until that moment as a relic of the Civil War only.
We were never satisfied as to the identity of our bird and it
seems to me now as if it were the spirit of all the birds and,
soaring out into the twilight, it had left behind an undying
joy in the study of nature and her children.

The following April found us a-field, and we learned many
of our common birds which aforetime had been strangers.

The Best Place of All. 5

May brought such an invasicn of warblers into our garden
as has not since been equalled or even approached, so our
beginning was unusually favorable, although we took it as a
matter of course and believed it was merely an affair of the
blind receiving sight.

By the next year we were finding out little by little that
it was not necessary to go abroad in the land to see most
birds, for only two blocks from us lay the entrance to the
Best Place of All. That the best things in life are usually
close at hand, experience has gently taught me. I do not
dispute that others discovered this truth long ago, but I
claim the right to reiterate it since it is mine by right of
discovery.

If I were to take you to our favorite haunt we would
saunter over to the next street and pause — but merely for a
moment to undo the gate — before a small pasture in which
four or five cows, more or less amicable, may be found
browsing in summer. It is both an ordinary scene and a
clumsy gate, but just beyond lies the pathway to much joy
and content.

Once upon a time a man of wealth thought to have a
country home here, so he cut a road down the bank and
through the valley beyond, terracing a slope here and there
and setting out grape vines. Why he abandoned his plan I
do not know — accepting the blessing without inquiry. A
grassy carpet covers the terraced banks from which the vines
have mostly disappeared, and over the pathway once des-
tined for a drive vines and shrubs arch lovingly.

The man who made this foot-path way has gone to his
long rest and it matters little to the loiterers in the valley
who pays the taxes, enough that it is ours. Mr. Bradford
Torrey, it is true, pays cheerfully and even joyfully the taxes
on his bit of woodland, and Mr. Burroughs, I believe, owns
land in the vicinity of Slabsides, but I question if they own
their land an}' more truly than we, ours.

But we have not yet gone down the hill. That tree at
the left is a wild crab-apple. We used to drive three miles

Q The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

every spring to see one in blossom — and found it at our
door. That little bush that arches over the path held a
Red-eyed Vireo's nest that we might have touched by put-
ting out our hand when we passed, but the secret was faith-
fully kept until autumn.

The grape-vines at our right which run riot over the bush-
es are forever associated in my mind with, a concert of Ruby-
crowned Kinglets one April morning. It was not only the
first time I had seen the kinglet at close range, but also the
first view of that wonderful dazzling ruby-cap, and when the
discovery was made that the loud ringing warble came from
his tiny throat, it was, indeed, a red-letter day. And so I
might attach some reminiscence to every tree and shrub
along the way.

Down the hill and across the brook lies a large clump of
witch hazel; in the marsh beyond it amid willows and sweet
fern and spice bushes, the Maryland Yellow-throat loves to
sing his witch-ity, luitch-ity, zvitcli-ity, zuiic/i, disclosing his
own name, I suspect, for who ever found him where he pre-
tended to be.'' The sly rascal can stay nearer one and yet
remain hidden than any other bird I know, and for his nest
— but I still have hopes.

Around the bend you enter the woodland and the brook
glides into a trout pond. The walk is dim and woodsy now,
and we name it Thrush Alley, for in migration time the Her-
mit and the Veery flit before us in their silent, dignified
way, and the Wood Thrush remains to build.

In the pond the Kingfisher pays no attention to the signs
regarding the wayward fisherman but springs his rattle as if
he were a patrol. Sandpipers love to teeter on the mossy
logs, Bitterns pay it frequent visits; and once in August two
magnificent Blue Herons remained in full view with perfect
placidity until some noisy people, who came along the dam,
offended them — regardless of the law of the forest — by much
pointing and babbling. On either hand the partridge berry
covers the ground with glossy green and embroiders it with
beautiful, sweet scented, starry flowers in June. Down by

The Best Place of All. 7

the pond grow some pale green orchids which happily the
High School students have not yet found. Here in these
wild grape vines and hemlocks five disconsolate Robins spend
the winter. Down on the point we watched a Redstart
build her nest in a young maple, but alas! 'Satan came also,'
for one day beside the two tiny white eggs — one broken —
lay a larger one.

A Cardinal — rare at any time — regarded us doubtfully one
winter day from that tree yonder, while at this bend in the
path we have seen more warblers than in any other one
place. The bird-books told us of the sh\'ness of the Black-
burning Warbler, how he invariably chose to disport himself
in the tops of high trees where one must view him with
strained eyes and aching neck if at all. In company with
Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Parulas, Myrtle,
Chestnut- sided, and Ba}'- breasted Warblers, they flitted
about close to the ground not more than ten feet away.
Some girls came laughing and chattering up the path and in
a few moments the brilliant company had quite vanished.

Instead of descending this steep bank and crossing the
spring that runs into the pond and harbors the earliest
water- cress, let us go around on the right. The bank in
May is purple with violets which grow among clumps of
Christmas fern. At the left we watched a pair of Chickadees
excavate a nest in a small stump about eight feet from the
pathway, where they reared a family of seven and, although
they were in plain sight and made no secret of their domes-
tic affairs so far as we could see, I never knew of any but
the initiated who were aware of it, and believe no harm ever
c ime to them while there.

In this same place a Fox Sparrow, in company with a
Winter Wren, loved to scratch in the dry leaves, and we
often watched him before he went on his northward journey.
One April morning before he left he sang an exquisite song,
— the very spirit of the woods.

The pond is artificial, but not obtrusively so, since im-
mense willows erow on the dam. And now we take the

8 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

path past it up through an avenue of ancient hemlocks to
the top of the hill. Here and in the more open slope be-
yond, thrushes, White-throats, and White-crowns, love to
linger during migration, and the Hooded Warbler builds
somewhere near. Further on is still another pond, — willow
ramparted. Sitting under these trees one July day to escape
a shower, we looked down below and saw six Phoebes sit-
ting in a solemn row on a branch with a seventh near en-
gaged in serving lunch. The whole family at once and at
dinner! You remember what Thoreau said.'' "What you
seek in vain for half your life, one day you come full upon
all the family at dinner." Those words have come to me
again and again. I well recall a brief glimpse of a Rose-
breasted Grosbeak a mile and a half from here; a peculiar
favor to have seen it we then though, but the next spring
we could go down in our valley any time during a fort-night
and hear a flock of them singing.

Last winter it came time for us to take our weekly Ger-
man lesson, but the snow fell thickly, swiftly, almost in
masses, and while we waited dismayed at the prospect of
wading through it, behold! the Herr Prediger beaming in
upon us saying he thought he would practice the Golden
Rule — surely a noble idea — ,and as we stumbled along in a
strange tongue, some one idly glanced out of the window
and lo I the snow had ceased and six Evening Grosbeaks
were feasting upon a young maple directly in front of the
house upon the street. They remained an hour perhaps,
our first and only view of them, and not one of the ten or
twelve people who passed saw them.

Last spring an Oven-bird remained near the house for
several days quite fearlessly, while White-throats have
foraged at our very door. In fact, in our lot alone — less than
half an acre — sixty different species have been identified,
eighty-five species have been seen in the ravine, while un-
doubtedly twenty-five species nest there.

Most of our acquaintances view us with amused tolerance
at the best, and no doubt regard our pastime as a mild

The Best Place of All. 9

species of insanity. "How much better" (I suspect them
of thinking) "are five o'clock teas," but now and then we
find a kindred spirit generally a boy.

A boy it was who, after reading Mrs. E!ckstorm's admir-
able Woodpecker- book this winter, told me that a Yellow-
bellied Sapsucker had a row of holes around their apple tree
and he had been seen sev^eral times.

I regret to say, I doubted his accuracy ofobserv^ation. A
Sapsucker here in winter when Mr. Chapman and the Penn-
sylvania bird book said they wintered from \'irginia south .'
A 'i^'^ days later the boy was vindicated, for the Sapsucker,
bent on investigating the nuthatches activity, followed him
up and perched just above the suet a few feet from the
kitchen window, without, however, discovering the source of
supplies. I wondered if the sly fellow had not stolen many
a lunch the nuthatches had stowed away for future use.

According to the suggestion of the Wilson Bulletin, New
Year's day was set aside for a walk, and it was as bright
and beautiful a day as could be imagined. Unfortunately
we erred as we sometimes do and made ourselves think we
could see more birds elsewhere than in our usual haunt.
One of our boys, inspired by the offer in the Wilson Bulle-
tin, was to go with us, but was too late and being wrongly
instructed, went where we should have gone — to the Best
Place of all. We returned without having seen a bird while
our boy saw a flock of Goldfinches, a Blue Jay, a Partridge
Juncos, and a Nuthatch.

So I believe, for the person who has little time, to know
one favorable spot well is better that much going to and fro
upon the earth, though that is also good and even necessary
for a variety of species.

I know a beautiful valley with precipitous cliff's where the
Bald Eagle soars and builds, a woods upon whose edge a
little Scandinavian boy has a garden of yellow lady-slippers,
(Cypripediiiin parvijiorum) , which he transplanted and keeps
free from grass, prompted only by his love of the beautiful.
The maiden-hair fern and the purple-fringed orchis grow

10 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

rankest in still another woods. Cypripedijim acaiilc and
wintergreen take us southwest and rhododendrons twenty
miles southeast. The upland meadows for Bobolinks and
Meadowlarks, the cliffs for hawk and eagle, the woods to
the south for Oven-bird and Chewink, the lake to the north
for duck and Bank Swallow. But for the greatest variety
and abundance, all the year round, just around the corner
lies the Best Place of all.

THE MOTACILLID.I^: OF GERMANY.

W. F. HENNINGER.

This family, represented in the A. (). U. Check-List by
the genera Motacilla, Budytes, and Anthus, is almost en-
tirely pakcartic, stragglers only of these genera visiting
us in North America. Setting aside the accidental vis-
itors of this family in Germany, I had the good fortune to
become acquainted with the two species of Motacilla, the
one of Budytes and three of the four of Anthus during my
eight years' stay in Europe. It may be of some interest to
the readers of the BULLETIN to hear more of these birds
than the short notes of our manuals and check-lists are able
to give, and so I describe them as I saw them in their favor-
ite haunts.

The White and Yellow Wagtails are both described in
ojr North American Manuals. The third species, the
"Mountain Wagtail" {Moiaci/Ia sulpJiurca), has the upper
parts ash-gray, tinged with olive on head and crissum; gen-
eral appearance of wings brownish, lores blackish-gray,
throat deep black, lower parts lemon-yellow.

One of the first birds that greeted me, when I reached the
broad pasture-lands of Holland in 1885, after crossing the
Atlantic, was the merry wagtail. As the big steamer

The Motacillidffi of Germany. 11

plowed its way slowly^ through the canal from Ymuiden to
Amsterdam, the eye was favored with the characteristic
Dutch landscape, windmills, dams, canals, fat pastures, beau-
tiful cows, and of birds the stork, the lapwing, and the wag-
tails. The long grass harbored the Yellow Wagtail, but
along the roadsides, at the brooks, flowing along with the
same slow surety with which everything in Holland moves,
at occasional ponds, at the windmills, the White Wagtail
was in abundance, showing that it well deserves its German
name "Bachstelze." It is a bird that is ever alert, ever in
motion, graceful in its movements, pleasing to the eye in its
Prussian colors, a favorite with everybody. Early in March
it returns to Germany^ running along on the top of the
tile roofs, wagging its tail continually. We greet them
cordially as one of the first harbingers of spring. Yet ugly
snowstorms often come in this month and ice covers the
brooks and sloughs. Safely sheltered sleeps the little Wag-
tail under the tiles of the roof, or in the knotholes of a beam.
Before daylight it is out to seek food, circling about its
favorite places, diving down into the snow in its futile ef-
forts and seeing that it must seek refuge at gutters, barns, and
dung heaps. Bye and bye the ice floats down the rivers, the
sun shines brighter — spring has come. The insects leave their
gloomy places and begin to play in the warm rays of the
spring sun. Troops of wagtails visit these insect meetings
to catch them, constantly teasing, chasing, quarreling with
one another; nodding the head, wagging the tail, singing at
all times, ever restless, now robbing a brother of a fat spider
with lightning quickness, now spying a slowly flying crow or
hawk with a loud alarm call, and in an instant the whole
troop surrounds the detested enemy, scolding, tormenting,
pecking at him, till he hurries to the woods. Whirr! They
return to their meal. Now they follow the ploughing peasant,
gathering worms from the furrows, hurrying hither and
thither; away again they fly to the pasture near by, where
the sheep are cropping the first grass, to pick up the excre-
ments or even to alight on the backs of the animals to

i2 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

snatch up their insect prey. What a delight to watch the
wagtails, especially during the mating time. Ever pugnaci-
ous, they are now ready to fight upon the least provocation,
garrulous, envious, jealous all the time. Full of malice, the
males battle for the possession of a fair lady, some clashing
together in the air, some running against one another as the
ancient knights in the tournaments, some crowding one a-
nother at the edge of the roof in fierce angry combat, till the
weaker one has to "give up" and is chased clear out of sight
and reach, and then they enter upon their household duties.
"Any old place" is good enough for the nest; in a tree, upon
the beams of a house or barn, in a stonepile, in a brick wall
the carelessly constructed nest is placed always revealing the
fact that these birds originally bred in holes. The most
beautiful nest I ever saw of this species was placed on the
top beam of our enormous "Turner hall" at Niesky, Silesia,
65 feet above the ground. On June ist, 1890 I climbed up
to it. Outwardly a mass of rootlets, grass-blades, straws,
moss, and paper it was rather a cozy domicile on the inside,
soft to the touch of the hand, composed of and walled with
wool, hair, lichens and other similar material. Six eggs
were in it, grayish, speckled with lilac and gray, and as I
gaze upon them at present, they bring back to my memory
that beautiful nest, the anxious parents and the dangerous
climb in the dusk of that June day.

Both of the season's broods wander along the streams
and ramble about the swampy ditches, playfully devouring
thousands of worms, snapping at insects in a short, jerky
flight, or gathering them from the earth, running rapidly to
and fro, constantly calling to one another, till evening comes
and all meet with starlings and swallows, to roost in the
willows fringing the swamps and ponds till the chilling
frosts of October cover the ground. One morning we awaken
to find that all have left us for the south.

Away from the abode of man to the mountains we
must wander to find the other member of the true wagtails.
Where the ice cold waters of the brook tumble from rock to

The Motacillidse of Germany. 13

rock over the white pebbles in the shadow of the majestic
pines that murmur a low accompaniment to the gushing,
spraying cataract, or where the clappering of the mill-wheel
breaks the solitude at the entrance into the valley we meet
the Mountain Wagtail, dancing cheerily from stone to stone,
catching water insects, always trying not to soil its bright
garment. As it trips along the foaming eddy its gay song
reaches our ear. Though not a beautiful song, still it far
surpasses that of its relatives. Now it warns its young, that
have been reared in a nest similar to our Phoebe's in con-
struction and location, and are following their parents in
the first youthful ventures. Only in pairs or small broods do
we meet them till they troop together in the fall, and but few
brave the winters of the north. The same crafty and jealous
spirit as that of the White Wagtail leads it to strife and quarrel,
and as the White Wagtail is inseparable from the neighbor-
hood of man, so is the Mountain Wagtail ever associated with
the dashing, gleeful, glittering silver wavelets of the mountain
streams, the pet of young and old, admired and loved by ail
who observe it, and yet a true Wagtail in every respect. Never
persecuted in a country where laws are not only given, but
also enforced, where the small boy is kept under the strict
guidance and custody of teachers and parents, where the
" ^gg hog" is a myth, it will always live and thrive to adorn
as a jolly, rollicking, roving elf the wild streams of the Ger-
man mountains. A bird beautiful to behold, useful in its
work and ever cherished in my memory as one of nature's
favorites, as I met it in the Hartz or the Sudetic mountains.
From the rugged mountains we descend into the broad,
fertile plain and instantly the scenery changes. Fields care-
fully tilled surround us, cottages with little flax-haired child-
ren playing about them decorate the landscape, and green
pastures stretch out before us, with cows lazily resting or
grazing in them. Rural serenity greets us as we walk over
the pastures. Numerous Yellow Wagtails attract us by their
pretty garb; even though they may nest quite a distance
away, they seek such places for their food. Smaller and less

14 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 4?.

hardy than its cousins it is not till in the latter part of
April that it comes to Germany from the hot tropics. Where
the ground is low and swampy, where the cattle love to
dwell, not an acre of ground can be found that does not
harbor at least one or two pairs of Yellow Wagtails. More
like the White Wagtail in its ways, it is a poorer songster,
equally agile in running and quicker in flight. With vibrat-
ing wings it often hovers over a certain place, finally drops
down into the drooping grass, runs about in it with an
astounding dexterity, never loosing an opportunity to gulp
an unfortunate gnat or spider. Gregarious at all times, it is
also extremely quarrelsome and a perfect rowdy. It raises
but one brood in a season. The nest, like that of all birds that
build on the ground, is difficult to find, perfectly character-
istic and contains four to six eggs, greatly varying in color.
Both eggs and young are carefully watched by the anxious
parents. The young quickly learn how to hide in the dense
grass and are soon as gay and restless as their parents, till
on some frosty September morning, when the first autumn
winds moan over the stubble fields and turnip patches, the
whole army wings its way swiftly to the sunshine and ver-
dure of Africa.

Of the four species of Pipits, the " Water Pipit" [Anl/ius
aqiiaticits), the one similar to our American Pipit, is rare in
Germany, and though nesting in the mountains of Silesia,
where I stayed mostly, is the only one I never met with.
The Meadow Pipit {Ant/nts prateiisis) and the Tree Pipit
{^Anthus arborcus) are very much alike in coloration, both
olive brown above spotted with darker markings, beneath light
ochraceous with blackish brown spots. But the hind claw of
the Tree Pipit is short, crescent shaped, while the Meadow
Pipit has a long but little curved claw. The Fallow Pipit
{Anthus cavipestris) has a far more brownish-gray appear-
ance and is easily recognized at a distance. In size all three
are very much alike, but differ in habits. How distinctly
I recollect the day when I saw the Meadow Pipit the first
time. The Curate of the Museum at Niesky and I had reach-

The Motacillidse of Germany. 15

ed on our stroll a swampy place called " The Unfathomable
Pond." Green, dense moss covered the biggest part of it ;
snipes, red shanks and lapwings enlivened it and finally I
succeeded in crossing the mossy carpet, where the foot be-
came entangled and disappeared slowly in the treacherous,
greenish, gurgling waters, where myriads of gnats and foul
odors came up as the bad angels of the deep to the intrud-
ers of their territory. A few little hillocks where several birch-
es grew in the midst of the swamp gave my weary feet a
rest. Lapwings were furious, snipes were "bleating" in-
cessantly, anxious in the extreme, yet well knowing that no
mortal foot could ever reach their haunts. All of a sudden,
from a little mossy knoll I saw a small bird rising with wide-
spread wings, puffed up feathers and jubilant notes, ascend-
ing in flight as well as in song and then after reaching a cer-
tain height slowly descending, the song pining away. Long
did we observe a number of the Meadow Pipits enjoying
their sweet notes in that dreadful swamp. I jotted the song
down in my notebook but " dsick, dsick, dsick, dsick, witga,
wirga, wcea, wita, wita, wita, wita, ) ick, yick, yick, yick,
yick, weea, wita, wita, witga, tirrrrrrr," is not very express-
ive of what we heard. Many other pipits we met in the
adjacent fields, after we finally worked our way out of the
dismal swamp, but only heard the call notes "ist, wist." At
such places the nest is found, built by the female only, the
latter selecting a knoll in the swamp, in the heath, or a
potato patch, cheered by the song of its mate. The first
brood is raised in April, the second in June and sometimes
a third one later on. The nest is a loose structure; the eggs
vary less than those of the Tree Pipit, of which it may be
said that they may have any imaginable combination of
color and markings. After the eggs are incubated for about
two weeks, the young are hatched and tenderly cared for by
the parents. Then they roam about the country, feeding on
water insects, gnats, grasshoppers, and spiders, being a fre-
quent companion of the Yellow Wagtail in seeking food and
in quarreling. On October 3, 1889, on newly ploughed

16 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

fields changed into one great mire by a recent cloudburst, I
saw swarm after swarm alighting, running swiftly over the
mud and in a (ew minutes it was impossible to tell where
they were, till a shot was fired, when thousands rose into
the air. Generally during wet and cloudy weather they hide
in the heath, in the vicinity of ponds and, frightened, circle
around you in short, graceful curves, till they suddenly drop
down to their old hiding place. Rarely do they alight on
trees, their long hind claw hindering their standing securely.

Contrary to this the Tree Pipit is the bird of the forests.
Scarcely to be distinguished from the Meadow Pipit in gen-
eral appearance, he clings to the trees. As the former he
migrates in great numbers and during the first fevv days
after his arrival in April we only hear his call notes "yick,
yick." But soon we can hear them everywhere in the woods
long before we stand under the murmuring pines. From a
tall, majestic tree in the midst of a clearing, he rises straight
up into the air, now descending with half opened wings to a
smaller tree, again to rise and float towards heaven, now
getting his reward from his joyful spouse. Again resuming
his mating song, he runs across a rival. The battle is inevit-
able. With ruffled plumage and angry shrieks they scuffle on
a long slender bough, till the "new-comer" is beaten and our
champion once more occupies his favorite pine. His song is
superior to that of the Meadow Pipit; more powerful, more
rounded and melodious it greets us ever in spring time from
the woods. He is al\va}^s hopping and singing about, has
no time for nest building and but little for feeding — a useful
songster and a jovial messenger of the forest. His nest is
placed anywhere and similar to that of the Meadow Pipit.
He is equally anxious about his young and in fall often unites
with other Pipits, and when nature begins to die off, with the
last rustling leaves of the golden tinted fall he leaves us too.

Humbler in dress than both of his relatives, the Fallow
Pipit is the bird of the potato fields, sterile wastes, stony
hillsides and barren fallows. The Fallow Pipit is a very shy,
retiring and restless bird, jerking his tail up and down, but

The Yellow-Throated Vireo. 17

slower th.in the Wagtails. Where they have chosen their
home, they select a certain stone, bush or post, where the
male has his observation point and when danger approach-
es either flies rapidly and easily away, or drops like a rocket
into the grass. Curiously enough they really have no true
song, but only a few monotonous notes, yet the Fallow Pipit
is an attractive bird. Especially in the region in which he
lives he gives a charm to many a desolate waste or rough
rocky hill, where no other creatures seem to thrive. Of all the
Pipits he is the best nest builder, and while his nest is bulky
it is yet the most difficult to find as each pair has a rather
large territory. I never was lucky enough to find the nest,
but have heard and read that it is well made and finely
lined, containing five eggs, which are white, densely covered
with reddish minute spots, varying considerable in size but
little in color. He is one of the first birds to leave Germany ;
in August he starts for the south, traveling by day and
by night in small companies, quietly, scarcely noticed by
any one, just as his whole life is little known to any one but
the forester or ornithologist, who seeks him in his barren
home.

THE YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.

( Vireo flai-tfrons.)
BY J. WARREN JACOBS, WAYNESBURG, PA.

One of the most interesting little birds with which I have
become acquainted is the Yellow-throated Vireo. Much of
my ethusiasm is due, perhaps, to the fact that they so suc-
cessfully spirited away their little moss-like hanging-basket,
that my efforts to reveal it were futile, for a number of years,
until after the young had flown. Repeated search, however,
^yas rewarded by the finding of a nestful of fledglings, which
blinked at me from the brim of the nest, and showed every

IS The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

indication of scrambling over if I dared approach nearer
than the base of the branch from which the heavy laden
basket was swinging.

My knowledge, thus far, seemed to show that these birds
choose for a nesting-site, trees along the border of a wood
on high ground; and accordingly, when their notes were
heard issuing from the forest, I examined the outspreading
branches of the trees nearest the open, but usually without
success. Failure to find occupied nests, and the presence
of the birds in moderate numbers during the breeding sea-
son, assured me that I erred in the belief that they always
nested on the border of a wood; so 1 determined to make a
more thorough investigotion.

It was on the 9th of May, 1897, that, while searching for
a nest of the Louisiana Water-Thrush in a wooded ravine, a
little Yellow-throated Vireo darted past me and alighted on
the trunk of a tree only a few feet away. Thinking food, in
the form of mosquitos, ants or like insects, was its errand, I
watched its movement; but almost before I could realize it,
the little creature had snatched up a flake of lichen and was
away like the flash which marked its arrival. Returning
from the same direction it flew to some ferns and nettles. I
moved down the ravine and stationed myself where I could
see out of the deep recess into the little valley through which
a brook gurgled. Soon my little friend came flashing down
the ravine, and passing overhead went direct, with an
upward bending of flight, to the upper part of a large white
oak on the side of the little valley and directly opposite the
ravine from which she had just flown. My glass soon dis-
covered the nest, far up among the branches, and both old
birds working upon it. The nest seemed to be about com-
pleted, as they were putting on the finishing touches — lichen
and bits of cocoon-silk on the outside, and fine shreds of
bark on the inside.

On the 1 8th, the growing leaves had completely hidden
the nest, and the only way it could be located was to ascend
the tree and search for it. It was finally discovered sus-

The Yellow-Throated Vireo. 19

pended from a forked twig, 55 feet above the ground, with
the old bird sitting upon it. She left only when I ap-
proached within a few feet of her.

The nest was composed of fine grass, shreds of weed fiber,
vegetable and silken substances, and wooly materials; and
was lined with fine shreds of bark. The outside was made
very beautiful by adornment with little white cocoons, flakes
of lichen and some pieces of white pulpy wood.

The four fresh eggs retain, to this day, the delicate pink-
ish tint which they possessed before being blown, and are
the most richly marked eggs of the Vireo I have ever seen.
The markings, which are of lavender, chestnut, and vinaceous-
cinnamon, are bold and quite heavily seated, chiefly on the
larger end of the egg, where a broken wreath is discernible.
In shape they range from ovate to elliptical ovate and meas-
ure: .82X.57, .78X.54, .76X.54 and .75X.56 inch.

Four nests which I carefully measured, show but slight
variation in size, the average being as follows: outside diam-
eter, 3 inches; inside diameter, 2 inches; outside depth, 2.5
inches; inside depth, 1.6 inches. Their height from the
ground ranged from twelve to fifty-five feet, the average
being thirty-two feet. Two of the nests were in oak trees,
one in a maple and one in a hickory tree; the situation
being at random throughout forest or high ground.

A nest found on May 30, 1897, had a long black hair in-
terwoven with the fine grass lining. Besides the four eggs
of the rightful owner, there were two of the Cowbird's in
this nest.

A very peculiar find was a nest secured on May 26, 1898.
Beneath and almost hidden by the lining was an egg of the
Cowbird. I preserved this nest with the parasite egg re-
maining where the vireos decided it should rest. While I was
securing this nest the old bird sat c]uietly until I detached
the limb and pulled it in where the nest could be reached.

Among my records on composition of nest, I find "oak
catkins" and tops of "tumble grass" mentioned as entering
in the construction.

20 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

I have had the opportunity to make a careful study of a
series of six normal sets of this species, numbering twenty-
two eggs. Three distinct types of coloration are noticeable
in comparing the various sets; the ground running from a
pure white to a creamy or pinkish tint, marked more or less
with lavender, ecru drab, vinaceous — or vinaceous cinnamon,
— chestnut, and black; on some the lighter and on others
the darker shades predominating. The markings on one
set are almost wholly black; on another, vinaceous; and an-
other has a preponderance of lavender. The contour is
either ovate or elliptical ovate, and the average measure-
ments of the twenty-two eggs is .81X.58 inch; the largest
being .87X.62 inch and the smallest .75X.54 inch.

NOTES ON THE WINTER BIRDS OF WAYNE
COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

BRADSHAW H. SWALES.

Since 1890 I have been interested in recording the various
species of birds that either remain throughout the winter or
appear casually as stragglers. To me this winter bird study
has been both interesting and profitable. A tramp through
the fields or the woodlands during the winter months pos-
sesses a zest in many respects that the balance of the year
does not afford, as the bracing air and lack of insect pests
more than offsets the cold and the wet. The following list
made during the months of December, January, and Febru-
ary is, of necessity, incomplete as I have had neither the time
nor opportunity to observe the winter ducks and have had
but a limited time in the field. However, the number of
species observed is no mean list for the so termed birdless
winter, and I will take pleasure in adding to the same in the
coming winter if possible.

\\'intcr Birds — Wayne Co., Mich. 21

1. Merula migratoria. Robin. — Rare. Occasionally sevpral are
met with during the winter in the city, but the majority of seasons
pass without the bird wintering.

2. Sialia sialis. Bluebird. — Not a winter bird in any respect.
The latest noted was a single male, seen Dec. 8, 1889. Occasion-
ally noted in late February. The forerunner in the migrations.
First seen in 1902, February 27.

3. Certhia familiaris fusca. Brown Creeper. — A regular winter
resident. A pair or so can generally be seen throughout the winter.
I heard certhia sing for the first time last February.

4. Sitta carol inensis. White-breasted Nuthatch. — Abundant.

5. Sitta canadensis. Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Not common, but
occasionally noted.

6. Regulus satrapa. Golden-crowned Kinglet. — Fairly common
some winters; in Others entirely absent. Have never seen his
ruby crowned cousin in winter.

7. Parus atricapiilus. Chickadee. — Abundant.

8. Parus bicolor. Tufted Titmouse. — Probably can be observed
every winter if searched for. 1 hear the cheery whistle ring
through the cold, still woods nearly every winter.

9. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar Waxwing. — Rare. Several flocks
seen in January and February, 1896, and two in January, 1902.

10. Lanius boreal is. Northern Shrike.— Common for the species.

11. Lanius ludovicianus migrans. Migrant Shrike. — Have seen
but two; both in late February.

12. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. — A new straggler. I have
seen but four. February 22, 1902, I noted a pair at Belle Isle on
the outskirts of the woods. All the birds of this species I have
ever seen here except in May have been in winter.

13. Junco liyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. — Fairly abundant.

14. Spizella monticola. Tree Sparrow. — Our common winter
bird. A cheery companion on bleak days.

15. Passerina nivalis. Snowflake. — Very abundant during
some winters; apparently absent in others. Earliest record I
have is October 31.

16. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. — J. Claire Wood saw a flock in
December, 1889.

17. Spinus tristis. Goldfinch. — Abundant.

18. Loxia curvirostra minor. Am. Crossbill. — Rare. Two were
seen in January, 1892, by iD. Anderson.

19. Acanthis linaria. Redpoll. — J. Claire Wood saw a flock Feb-
ruary, 1897.

20. Quiscalus quiscula asneus. Bronzed Grackle. — One flock in
February, 1891; an early spring arrival. Latest seen was one in
December, 1894.

21. Scolecophagus carol inus. Rusty Blackbird. — J. Claire Wood
shot one bird January 25, 1891. Occasionally noted in February.

23 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

22. Sturnella magna. Meadowlark. — Of late years a few remain
throughout the winter in certain favored localities.

23. Agelaius phoeniceus. Red-winged blackbird. — Several flocks
in late February, 1891, early arrivals.

24. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Several hung around my yard
in January, 1890, feeding with the English Sparrows. Occasionally
noted in late February.

25. Corvus americanus. Crow. — A number are resident; roost-
ing in large flocks.

26. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Abundant.

27. Octocoris alpestris practicola. Prairie Horned Lark. — Fair-
ly abundant every winter.

28. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. — A few are now
seen every winter. During the past season of '01-'02, I observed
the bird every month.

29. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. —
Since 1896 this bird has wintered in considerable numbers at Belle
Isle, our Island Park, situated in the Detroit river. Here their
familiar call and bright plumage seem somewhat out of place dur-
ing the deep snow and bare naked trees. Rare on the mainland.

30. Dryobates pubescens medlanus. Downy Woodpecker. —
Abundant.

31. Dryobates villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — Fairly abundant.

32. Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. — A few are taken every win-
ter. During the season of '01-'02, in Wayne and the surrounding
counties, this beautiful winter visitor was unusually abundant and
many found their way to local taxidermists. This seems to have
been the case in all the northern states. See Ruthven Deane in
the Auk, 1902, July.

33. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Rather rare and
found only in the largest pieces of timber. Resident.

34. Megascops asio. Screech Owl. — A fairly abundant bird.

35. Nyctala acadica. Saw-whet Owl. — Rare, possibly more com-
mon than supposed, as it is not often seen. One shot December
26, 1901, and two in January, 1902, in Grosse Point, by a farmer.
One shot October 17, 1902, in the heart of Detroit.

36. Syrnium nebulosum. Barred Owl. — I have found this owl
rare during the winter months.

37. Asio accipitrinus. Short-eared Owl. — More abundant during
the past winter than I have ever noted the species to be. A flock
of forty were seen in Grosse Point in January, 1902, by a local
farmer. Occasionally flushed from the marsh grass bordering the
river.

38. Asio wilsonianus. Long-eared Owl. — Resident. Seldom
seen because of its nocturnal habits.

39. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. Am. Osprey. — Rather rare
migrant. Occasionally seen on the river in February.

Winter Birds— Wayne Co., Mich. 23

40. Faico sparverius. Sparrow Hawk. — Generally several are
observed every winter.

41. Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle. — Rather rare. One
or two are generally seen every winter after the ducks on the
river.

42. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. — Very rare. James B.
Purdy records one shot near Plymouth, in the Auk, January, 1902.

43. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. Am. Rough Legged
Hawk. — A fairly common migrant for the species. Old Feather
Boots is perhaps more often seen at the St. Clair Flats than in
Wayne Co.

44. Buteo lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. — A few are resident
here.

45. Buteo boreal is. Red-tailed Hawk. — Resident; occasionally
seen.

46. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper Hawk. — Occasionally seen in
February.

47. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Rare in winter;
have seen but three or four.

48. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. — Occasionally seen; rather
rare

49. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — A few winter here.
During the past winter a flock of seven remained at a barn on the
outskirts of the city feeding in the barn yards and roosting in the
hay stacks.

50. Bonasa umbellus. Ruffed Grouse. — Resident; fairly com-
mon.

51. Coiinus virginianus. Bob-white. — Resident; common.

52. Harelda hyemalis. Old Squaw. — Said to be abundant on
the river and St. Clair Flats during the winter.

53. Clangula clangula americana. Amer. Golden-eye. — Our most
abundant winter duck.

54. Aythya affinis. Lesser Scaup Duck. — Abundant.

55. Aythya marila. Am. Scaup Duck. — Not as common as the
smaller Bluebill.

56. Aytiiya vallisneria. Canvas-back. — Fairly abundant, espe-
cially at the St. Clair Flats.

57. Aythya americana. Red-head. — Abundant.

58. Merganser serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. — Not common.

59. Merganser americanus. Am. Merganser. — Fairly abundant.

60. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — Abundant on the
river all winter.

61. Uria lomvia. Briinnich Murre. — I include this bird on the
records of several taken December 26, 1896, near Gibralter, as re-
corded in The Bull. Mich. Ornith. Club, January, 1897.

In conclusion, I would greatly desire any additions, correc-

3-4": The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

tions or notes from local observers, to this list, and especial-
ly on the ducks. My thanks are due to Mr. J. Claire Wood
and Alec Blaine, Jr., of Detroit, for many valuable records.

A FEW ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE FLICKER.

FRANK L. BURNS, BERWYN, PA.

It has been suggested that I bring together the additional
notes received subsequent to the publication of our cooper-
ative investigation of the Flicker.

In connection with two obscure vernacular names, Mr.
Ernest Ingersoll pertinently remarks: If Woodqiioi really
exists, it is probably allied to the English Woodqiicst (or
^qiieest), for the Dove {Coliiniba pahiviba), the root meaning
of which appears to be the word "complainer." ''Wocd-
%vall^' according to Skeat, is ancient IVooawale, and derived
from old Dutch, meaning "a yellow bird."

Under the head of migration, some valuable notes relative
to the retrogade movements of the bird, are contributed by
Dr. Walter W. Mavis. In south New Jersey, in the region
of the U^3,)3r Djlavvare B ly, which runs due south, some
time in October of every year the migrating Flickers are
found flying north just previous to and during a northwest
storm. At this time the wind is generall high and the birds
fly against it. This peculiarity of flight affects a large terri-
tory extending inland from the east shore of the bay some
fifteen or twenty miles. While the birds prefer to breast a
wind, it is also probable that they are reluctant to cross the
lower part of the bay during such a storm which would tend
to drive them seaward, rather preferring to return northward
to the more narrow river where they could cross in compar-
ative safety.

Apropos to its enemies, I have to add another, my favor-

Additional Flicker Notes. 35

ite: the Broad-winged Hawk — with the somewhat modify-
ing term — sometimes. A nest of lusty young hawks exam-
ined in July, 'oi, contained the primaries and rectrices of
one or two young Flickers, probably just out of the nest.
Two dried pellets which had been disgorged contained the
hair, skin, and jaw of a woodmouse, scapular and interscap-
ular feathers of a young Flicker, and feathers of a young
Wood Thrush. From this evidence I conclude that young
birds, at least, are occasionally killed by this almost wholly
beneficial Buteo. To the above Ivlr. Benj.T. Gault adds the
Blacksnake — one having been killed and cut open by a far-
mer's lad at a place he was stopping at in Reynolds county,
Missouri, contained the body of one of these woodpeckers.
The question as to whether the adults do or do not re-
move the excrement of the \'oung. has not been settled. It
is probable that they do however, for a time, depending
more or less upon the individual. I have found some nests
containing young well feathered, which were far from clean-
ly; others were as clean as could be. A nest nine feet up
in a butternut stub containing four young about two weeks
old, was examined last June )9th, at 9 p.m., with the fol-
lowing results: The parent was not covering the young.
Temperature of interior noticeably warmer; it seemed tome
to be at blood heat. The young in two layers but almost
equally strong and advanced, if I may except one of the top-
most which was able to utter a squeal and jump out and
flutter away to the ground; the others had uttered the usu-
al feeding clatter drowsily, but became silent almost immedi-
ately and allowed me to take them out one by one by wing
or beak. The birds were perfectly clean, while the bottom
of the nest was somewhat foul. The aggregate contents of
the stomachs of these four young is something wonderful:
7 cherry stones (cultivated), i large larva, i worm, fragments
of many beetles, several green beetles (whole), pieces of
grass, weed stems, and stubble, 2 bits of oyster shell, num-
bers of tiny bits of stone (gravel), and about 1500 ants — red
and black, adult and larva;. All four possess the black

26 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

malar stripe, mixed with the throat color in two, and the
ivory white tip of the upper mandible. One, a female with
the mixed malar stripe, altogether lacks the red nuchal cres-
cent. I did not discover the oddity in time to have secured
the parent birds. If I had done so and one or the other
had exhibited some additional characteristic of the Red-
shafted Flicker, it would have been considered excellent
proof of former hybridism. Such being not the case, and
leaving out the small auratus group, the plain top of the
head might almost be said to be one of the common charac-
ters of the genus; and as hard to account for in this instance
as the unique specimen of the same species, with mandibles
crossed, in the collection of Mr. L. S. Foster, of New York
City.

Under the head of migration on pages 17 and 18 of the
report, "N. Brighton" should read North Bridgton, The
former is situated in northeastern Maine, while the place
from which Mr. J. C. Mead reports lies in the southwestern
section.

THE NEW YEAR'S DAY BIRD CENSUS.

Our first attempt to begin the year with a census of the
birds in many different places, has resulted fairly well. While
the number of reports is not great a genuine interest in this
winter study is manifest. Everybody should know that at
no time of year are birds wholly absent in any part of the
United States where water is obtainable. The possibility
of making a pretty accurate census of the birds in winter en-
ables us to arrive at a pretty accurate estimate of the actual
value of birds as destroyers of noxious animals and weeds.
This is practical work.

With this good beginning let us look forward to more ac-
tivity during the winter months next time.

New Year's Day Census. 37

Bristol, Conn. — More than a foot of snow; 25° to 60°; calm, clear.
8 a. m. to 4 p. m.

Bluebird, 6; Blue Jay, 9; Song Sparrow, 1; Winter Wren, 1
Crow, 4; Goldfinch, 25; Chickadee, 4; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 4
Golden C. Kinglet, 2; W. B. Nuthatch, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 2
Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Ruffed Grouse, 2; Meadow Lark, 5; Herring
Gull, 7.

Tracks of a covey of six quails were found. FRANK BRUEN.

Central Park, New York City. — Time, nearly 3 hours. Start, 12
m. Weather, fine. Temperature, 35°-40°. Wind, very light, south-
west.

Herring Gull, 850-1000, of which about 70 were in the immature
brown plumage; Red-headed Duck, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 10;
Starling, 11 (introduced); White-throated Sparrow, 6; Song Spar-
row, 1; Cardinal, 1 pair; Brown Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nut-
hatch, 1; Robin, 2; total, 10 species. In refard to the ducks, one
was positively a male Red-head, and I guess the others to be fe-
males of the same species. CHARLES H. ROGERS.

Geneva, N. Y. — The day was clear, bright, calm and warm, with
snow enough for fair sleighing. Time, 9:30 a. m. to 2:20 p. m.

Crows, 200 to 300 in scattered flocks; Meadowlark, 1 (very
rare winter resident here); Downy Woodpecker, 4; White-breast-
ed Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 12; Brown Creeper, 2; Golden-crowned
Kinglet, 2; Junco, 2; Tree Sparrow, 20.

It may be of some interest to you to know that a specimen of
the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker was seen here October 15 to 20,
a very rare visitant of late. F. H. HALL.

East Point, Ga. — I beg to hand you below, my list for January
1st. I regret that it is so small, but while it does not contain sev-
eral species known to be here, it does include all that were seen
on that day.

Mourning Dove (about 50), Turkey Vulture, Hairy Woodpecker,
Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Phoebe, Crow, Ameri-
can Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Song Spar-
row, Swamp Sparrow, Cardinal, Loggerhead Shrike, Carolina Wren,
Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-
bird. WM. J. MILLS.

Kirkwood, DeKaib Co., Ga.— Lat. 33°, 30'; Alt. 1150. Day cloudy;
Temp. 55°. East wind.

Turkey Vulture, Coopers Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Flicker,
Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, American Goldfinch, White-
throated Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Chipping Spar-
row, Slate-colored Junco, Song Sparrow, Towhee, Cardinal, Cedar
Waxwing, Pine Warbler, Carolina Wren, Brown Creeper^ Tufted

28 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42,

Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-
crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Bluebird.

ROBERT WINDSOR SMITH.

Cadiz, Ohio.— Time, 10:35 a. m. to 1:15 p. m., and 3:25 to 4:15
p. m. Clear; wind barely perceptible; temp, at 7 a. m., 6°; at 12
m., 36°; at 6 p. m., 32°. About five inches of snow. Distance
walked, about six miles.

Bob-white, four flocks, about 70; Mourning Dove, 11; Red-tailed
Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 7; Red-head-
ed Woodpecker, 14; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 5; Flicker, 6; Blue
Jay, 2; Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 8; Junco, 20; Song Sparrow,
16, one singing softly; Cardinal, 12; Carolina Wren, 6, singing;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 7; Tufted Titmouse, 9, one singing
"Here, here, here;" Chickadee, 3; Robin, 2; Bluebird, 3, singing
"trually, trually." Total, 20 species; about 206 individuals.

HARRY B. McCONNELL.

Wooster, Ohio. — Bob-white, Red-tailed Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker,
Downy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Wood-
pecker, Flicker, Blue Jay, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow, Slate-colored
Junco, Song Sparrow, Cardinal, Carolina Wren, White-breasted
Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Chickadee, Robin, Bluebird.

ALBERT I. GOOD.

Licking Reservoir — Fairfield and Licking Counties, Ohio. — Start
made at Millersport, at 7:00 a. m.; thence east and north, returning
at 3:00 p. m. Reservoir completely frozen over. 2 1-4 inches of
snow on the ground. Heavy hoar frost; clearing by nine o'clock;
bright sun by noon. Birds scarcely astir before 9:00 a. m.

Mallard, 1; Cooper's Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 3; Hairy Wood-
pecker, 3; Red-bellied Woodpecker, common; Horned Lark, one
flockof 30; Crow, common; Goldfinch, 3; Slate-colored Junco, rath-
er scarce; Cardinal, common; Brown Creeper, 2; Red-breasted
Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, very common; Bluebird, about 20; Black
Duck, 2; Red-shouldered Hawk, 2; Screech Owl, 1; Downy Wood-
pecker, common; Northern Flicker, common; Blue Jay, very com-
mon; Rusty Blackbird, 2; Tree Sparrow, very common; Song Spar-
row, abundant; Carolina Wren, 6; White-breasted Nuthatch, com-
mon; Tufted Titmouse, common; Carolina Chickadee, 6. Total
27 species.

This list falls two short of a horizon made December 2nd, over
a part of the same course; but the December list includes seven
species of water-birds now, for the most part, driven further south
by the ice. W. LEON DAWSON, Columbus, O.

Delaware, O. — Time, 8 to 11 a. m., and 12:30 to 4 p. m. Ground
covered with snow, heavy frost and dense fog at start, clearing
later; no wind; temperature, 6°.

Downy Woodpecker, 11; Hairy Woodpecker, 9; Red-headed

New Year's Day Census. 29

Woodpecker, 2; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 6; Flicker, 3; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 16; Tufted Titmouse, 27; Black-capped
Chickadee, 5; Bob-white, 15; Junco, 100; Tree Sparrow, 50;
Song Sparrow, 18; Sparrow Hawk, 2; Hawk, not identified, 2;
Belted Kingfisher, 1; Crow, 1; Mourning Dove, 16; Carolina Wren,
7; Cardinals, 7; American Goldfinches, 5; Blue Jay, 12.

Species, 21. Individuals, 315. IDA NEWELL.

Oberlin, Ohio. — Time, 6:30 a. m. to 4:30 p. m., clear; wind south-
west light. Tem. 21 degrees to 40 degrees. Snow 5 inches deep at
Oberlin to 1 inch at Lake Erie. Oberlin via Chance Creek to Oak
Point on Lake Brie. Distance 18 miles.

Blue Jay, 19; Downy Woodpecker, 6; Hairy Woodpecke'- 9; Red-
bellied Woodpecker, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 29; Tufted Tit-
mouse, 18; Chickadee, 18; Song Sparrow, 8; Cardinal, 3; Gold-
finch, 4; Bob-white, 13; Junco, 60; Tree Sparrow, 70; Red-tailed
Hawk, 2; Mourning Dove, 2; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Barred Owl,
2; Snowflake, 2; Carolina Wren, 1; Golden-crowned Kmglet, 2;
Flicker, 3; Robin, 2; Broad-winged Hawk, 1; Crow, 8.

24 Species, about 285 Individuals. LYNDS JONES.

Place, Hinsdale, III. — Woods and fields, 7-11 a. m., 4-5 p. m. Sky
clear, wind southwest, temperature 32 degrees. Brown Creeper,
3; Chickadee, 10; Goldfinch, 4; Crow, 11; Blue Jay, 27; Flicker.
1; Junco, 50; Downy Woodpecker, 5; Cardinal, 1; Red-breasted
Nuthatch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 105 x; Song Sparrow, 1.

Verified by four witnesses. ESTHER A. CRAIGMILE.

While this is not strictly a New Year Censo-Horizon, it is
of too great interest to lose.

New Year Horizon, Jan. 10, 1903. — Weather, forenoon, clear; af-
ternoon, cloudy and snowing. Start, 5:30 a. m. Return, 8:30 p.
m. Temperature, zero. Wind, west. Distance traveled, 40
miles. Nearly all birds were recorded Sugar Creek, Lee County,
Iowa, and the adjacent woods and fields. In addition to those
named were two fiocks of Prairie Chickens in two different corn-
fields. These I was unable to flush, though their fresh tracks were
abundant in the snow. Without these the number of species was
19. Number of individuals, 1526. All were seen between 7 a. m.
and 5 p. m.

Bob- white, 6; Mourning Dove, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 9; Downy
Woodpecker, 25; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 11; Flicker, 4; Crow,
55; Blue Jay, 28; Purple Finch, 37; Goldfinch, 150; Tree Sparrow,
499; Slate-colored Junco, 582; Song Sparrow, 11 Cardinal, 6;
Northern Shrike, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 16; Tufted Titmouse,
6; Chickadee, 78; American Robin, 1. R. L. BAIRD.

Denmark, Iowa.

30 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

INFORMATION WANTED.

We are much pleased to announce that beginning at
once there will be two lines of special investigation pursued
until a finished report can be prepared for each. No doubt
other lines of special work will be developed during the year,
which will be announced when the methods of investitiga-
tion can be worked out.

Mr. Alex. W. Blain, Jr., desires information of any sort
concerning the Great Blue Heron {Ardea Jierodias). Mr.
Blaine desires a complete set of notes from any and all who
have had any experience with this heron, whether as a mi-
grating bird, as a winter bird, or as a breeding bird. His
object is to prepare a complete life history, to be published
as a special Bulletin, when it shall be ready. For further
information address Alex. W. Blain, Jr., 131 Elmwood
Ave., Detroit, Mich.

The editor has long had in mind the investigation of the
Mourning Dove [Zenaidiira inacronrd). He has already
made some progress and desires the cooperation of every
member and reader in the preparation of a life history of
this well known bird. He hopes to determine the exact
bounds of its range at all seasons of the year, its method of
nesting throughout the whole country where it nests, its
periods of song, its methods of molting, the care of its
young, the maximum number of eggs ever deposited, its
standing as a destroyer of weeds and grains, in fact, every-
thing possible to learn about it. Any notes concerning the
dove will be welcomed.

The success of any cooperative study such as these pro-
posed, largely depends upon the heartiness with which every
one enters upon his part of the work. Feel yourself called
upon to help in any way possible. Your contribution of
notes will form an important part of the record of these life
histories. Begin now to gather new material for this con-
tribution, finding where your information is week or lacking.
It will do you good to fill out the gaps in your own records.

A May Day Horizon. 31

A MAY-DAY HORIZON.

Readers of the Bulletin are only too familiar with the
editor's and Dawson's "All Day with the Birds." They
come with annual regularity. It has been a perpetual dis-
appointment that no one else seemed interested to "go and
do likewise." Each locality has its own peculiar conditions
more or less favorable to the birds during their migrations.
Would it not be worth the effort to know what the maximum
of bird life in one day is in your locality.'' For most localities
that maximum comes between the 25th of April and the
15th of May, for a series of years, depending, of course,
upon the latitude of the place. For northern Ohio it seems
to fall close to May 8th. The editor would be greatly
pleased to receive so-called May-day horizons from every
reader of this notice. Let it be understood that such a
horizon may be taken at any time during the warbler migra-
tions in late April or early May, and let it be an all day
horizon. The birds are too numerous during that time to
make a census of them; besides that would waste valuable
time. Plan well in advance to devote one whole day to the
birds during the coming spring migration, and report your
success. A number of such pieces of field work would prove
interesting and instructive to readers of the Bulletin. Plan
the territory to be covered, and work over such parts of it as
may be necessary to learn in advance where some of the less
common breeding species may certainly be found. The ed-
itor would be glad to give whatever of his experience might
be helpful in making this special effort. It is a long time
before May, but a resolve made now will carry that far. Ex-
perience has proved to me that such a supreme effort is
worth more than can be communicated in words.

32 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

ATTENTION, OHIO OBSERVERS.

Information is especially desired concerning the status or
occurrence in this State of the following species. Some of
them are merely under suspicion as probabilities; some are
just coming to recognition as newly elaborated sub-species;
others, once reckoned common by our ornithological fathers,
have unaccountabK' passed from our ken; others still, while
well known residents of our State, occupy variable areas, or
occur within limits not satisfactorily determined. In prepar-
ing a book on the Birds of Ohio the writer is both discover-
ing the weak places in his own armor, and waking up to the
fact that many likely species are being allowed to pass un-
noticed by the majority of observers. Any information re-
ceived will be gratefully acknowledged in these columns or
in the pages of the book:

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis).

Red-legged Black Duck (Anas obscura rubripes).

Cory's Least Bittern (Ardetta neoxena).

Yellow Rail (Porzana noveboracensis).

Black Rail (P. jamaicensis).

American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus).

Saw-whet Owl (Nyctala acadica).

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus borealis).

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris).

Hoyt's Horned Lark (Otocoris apestris hoyti Bishop) ; recently
elaborated. Probably abundant in winter.

Prairie Horned Lark (O. a. praticola) in winter.

Thick-billed Redwing (Agelaius phcenicus fortis Ridgw.) in early
winter and early spring.

Dickcissel (Spiza americana). What is its range?

Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus).

Northern Parula Warbler (Compsothlypis americana usnese).

Sycamore Warbler (Seirus noveboracensis notabilis).

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii). _,

W. LEON DAWSON, Columbus, O.

Editorial. 33

THE WILSON BULLETIN.

A Quarterly Magazine Devoted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES.

Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Fifty Cents a year. Fifteen Cents a num-
ber, postage paid.

Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, Sixtv-Five Cents a year. Twenty
Cents a number.

Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L. Burns, Ber-
wyn, Penn., or to Mr. John VV. Daniel, Jr., 3146 Q street, N.W., Washington, D. C.

EDITORIAL.

The June Bulletin will contain a list of the birds of DeKalb
county, Georgia, compiled by our fellow member, Robert Windsor
Smith. The editor hopes that this will be but the first of several
such lists from localities where the birds are not well known. It
is only necessary for a local list to give evidence of careful, con-
scientious work with the birds for it to find a welcome in this Bul-
letin. Such a list is greatly needed for the encouragement of those
who are beginning the study of birds in your locality.

We are pleased to state that the vote to reorganize under the
name of The Wilson Ornithological Club was unanimous. It seemed
cJear to all that such a move would be a distinct gain in all ways.
We still remain a corresponding organization, but can change to
one holding annual meetings whenever that may seem feasible.
Our work has already been done by correspondence, and the results
prove that such a course is both possible and fruitful of results
which we have reason to point to with pride. We still place strong
emphasis upon the study of living birds, but may be led into the
study of specimens to round out a study of some species or com-
plete an investigation of a life history. We do not expect to enter
the field of the systematist and taxonomist simply because we
lack the training and facilities. We do not pose as a society of
bird protectors, but we expect to exert all our influence toward a

34 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

sane policy of protection everywhere and at all times. "While we
stand for field study because we believe that here we can do the
most good to the cause, we still hold ourselves plastic enough to
enter any field of study and investigation which may promise large
results in the increase of knowledge.

The call for a vote upon the proposition to create two new sorts
or" members resulted in the adoption of the proposition. Hereafter
the membership will consist of Active, Associate, Honorary, and
Life members, and Patrons, each of which is defined in the consti-
tution. It is believed that the establishment of a permanent mem-
bership and a permanent fund resulting from such membership will
give to the organization a firmer basis. The Constitution re-
quired revision because of the reorganization and is now presented
after careful revision. It has been sent to all members, and will
be furnished to any others who signify a desire to see it. Its main
features have stood the test of ten years of use. Several details
made necessary by the changes noted above, have been introduced,
but as a whole it is the same Constitution under which we have
been working all along.

Many reports from the country east of the Mississippi River
mention the unusual numbers of Robins, Bluebirds and Blackbirds
which are spending the winter far north of their usual winter
quarters. Even in the Adirondacks considerable numbers of these
birds have been found this winter. We trust that this indicates the
development of hardier races of these birds, with a strong prob-
ability that succeeding winters will show an increasing number
of these and other species in the more northern regions.

Elsewhere attention is called to another proposed Horizon. It
becomes clearer as the seasons come and go, that daily horizons
made with a definite plan and with conscientious care, are of far
greater value to the bird student, and will prove of far greater
value in the future comparisons of records, than most persons
realize. We feel justified, therefore, in offering incentives and sug-
gesting times for making such Horizons. Whenever possible, these
Horizons should also be a census for the region covered. These
"Censo-Horizons" are the only basis for accurate comparisons be-
tween different localities as well as between different times. It
becomes clearer as we get farther into bird work, that statements
of relative abundance of species based upon general impressions
are of doubtful value. Therefore, keep an accurate record of the
birds which you see and hear when you are out for study, and never

Editorial. 35

fail to record the conditions under which the work was done: time
spent, time of day, character of country covered, weather, tempera-
ture. It will pay.

The editor has already hinted that special investigations will be
attempted during the year. He is pleased to call attention to two
calls for help on life histories of two interesting and well known
birds, on another page. No doubt others will be announced later.
Every member should feel called upon to do what he can to con-
tribute notes for the use of those who undertake this work. Don't
make the mistake of withholding your notes because they are too
incomplete. They are likely to be just what is wanted to fill up a
gap in a chain of evidence. Those who undertake the investigation
feel assured that there are gaps in the life histories of these birds
which can be filled if persons will contribute what they know
about them. The object of these investigations is to bring together
the scattered notes.

The following communication has just been received:
The Michigan Ornithological Club was re-organized at Detroit,
February 1.3, at a meeting called for that purpose at the residence
of Alex W. Blain. The following officers were elected: President,
A. B. Covert, of Ann Arbor (our oldest ornithologist) ; Vice-Presi-
dent, Dr. P. A. Moody, of Detroit; Secretary and Treasurer, Brad-
shaw H. Swales, of Detroit; Editor and Business Manager, Alex. W.
Blain, Jr. Considerable interest is shown in the Club and about
65 members have already joined, including nearly all the best or-
nithologists in the state. One of the main objects of the Club will
be Bird Protection, which the state sadly needs. A committee of
Edwin Arnold, of Battle Creek; James B. Purdy of Plymouth; Prof.
Walter B. Barrows, of the Agricultural College, was appointed to
act with Wm. Dutcher, of the A. O. U., in preparing the way for the
introduction of the A. O. U. law in the coming session of the legis-
lature. Another object is the compiling and publication of an au-
thentic state list. The Club will publish a quarterly bulletin under
the name of the former Club's publication, "The Bulletin of the
Michigan Ornithological Club." Monthly meetings will be held at
Detroit, with an annual meeting at Ann Arbor in co-operation with
the Michigan Academy of Science.

Detroit, Mich. BRADSHAW H. SWALES.

We heartily welcome to active work this sister organization
which did so much for Michigan ornithology during its former
activity. We predict for it a future full of valuable results.

The following announcemnt of Dr. Elliott Coues' Revised
"Key" is of interest to all: —

Messrs. Dana Estes & Co. announce that the fifth revised edition
of the "Key to North American Birds," by Dr. Elliott Coues, so
long and patiently awaited by the public, will be ready in the spring

36 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

of 1903. The reason for the imusuual delay in its publication may-
be briefly stated. When iDr. Cones died in 1899 he left the manu-
script wholly finished, but the copy was rendered hard to decipher
without the exercise of most intelligent care by reason of innumer-
able interlineations, erasures, abbreviations, "riders," and de-
tached notes, written in a minute and sometimes difficult handwrit-
ing. It was evident that had the Doctor lived he would have cast
his material, although entirely complete as he left it, into a form
which would present fewer difficulties to tiie compositor. His sud-
den death left the copy in such shape that the task of revision and
preparation for the press required double the amount of work
that had been anticipated. The publishers, however, have had the
good fortune to obtain the services of a thoroughly equipped orni-
thologist, who has read the proof with the most painstaking care,
which has l)een ably supplemented by the efforts of a number of
professional proof readers. The result is a book which Dr. Cones
would have been proud to own as the crowning work of his life.
The publishers announce it as being absolutely authoritative and
definite, and express confidence that it is entirely free from
errors of statement or form.

Some of the features which will make the work more than ever
indispensable to ornithologists, professional as well as amateur,
may be briefly summarized:

1. The detailed, careful, descriptions of species — as in former
Keys.

2. The accounts, much fuller than in former editions, of the
breeding habits of birds — dates, nests, and particularly the detailed
description of eggs, with careful measurements of same.

3. The full collation in the text (not an appendix as in former
editions) of the nomenclature of species in the Key, with the
nomenclature and numeration of the American Ornithologists'
Union Check List (of especial help to students).

4. The full synonymies and bibliographical references in the
case of nearly all species — a new feature of the Key, and invaluable
to students of all degrees of advancement. To the preparation of
this important feature of the last edition of his Key, Dr. Coues
brought his rare gifts as bibliographer and nomenclator. The
amount and painstaking character of this work makes it possible
for the student to extend with ease his researches in the case of
a great many species.

5. The professional discussion of questions of classification and
nomenclature by perhaps the most eminent of modern ornithol-
ogists.

6. The introductory (i.e., general) descriptions of ordinal, fam-
ily, and other groups, are much amplified over those in preceding
editions of the Key, being of a broader scope, which make plain
the comparative relationships of North American families, genera,

A Bird Restaurant and other Xotes. 37

and species of birds, witli extralimital forms (Old World and Ne-
otropical). This broad treatment makes of the Key more than the
merely favmal work which its title would imply — i.e., while it is
still emphatically a Key to North American Birds, it contains more
than ever in the past, much general information in regard to birds.

7. An invaluable feature of preceding editions — the scholarly
explanation of the etymology of scientific names — is retained,
and will continue to make the key unique among works of its class.

Throughout the Key — in all departments, life histories, descrip-
tions, etc., — Dr. Coues' famouus descriptive powers are fully dis-
played as in the past

A BIRD RESTAURANT AND OTHER NOTES.

As usual I've been running a daily lunch counter just outside my
west windows on an elm tree. Every day there come to it many
times Brown Creepers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-bellied,
Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Cardinals (I am feeding in the
chicken yard four pairs of Cardinals, while over the fence in the
corn field 9 Bob-whites are my guests), Carolina Wrens, Tufted Tits,
and Chickadees, while at intervals Juncos and Song Sparrows
gather up the crumbs. I find that the Red-belliel Woodpecker likes
walnuts and butternuts best of all, the other two eat nothing but
the suet. The Nuthatch, Tufted Tit and Chickadee probably like
the nuts best, but they are almost equally fond of broken oyster
crackers. Suet seems to suit the Brown Creepers. I have had
eleven birds at once waiting their turn. December 14th a Yellow-
bellied Sapsucker was close by for a half hour..

January 7th the first Robin. January 25th we saw a Crow and a

Flicker. But our crowning triumph on last Sunday was a

Mimus polyglottos! A sure enough Mockingbird. AVe were three

miles north of town, ground covered with snow, temperature about

40°. Arrick first saw it in a tangled thicket through which ran a

stream of water, and as it flew, we both took it to be a strike. We

actually killed it for fear our veracity might be questioned, and

ever since we have regretted it. I'm awfully sorry that bird isn't

alive and well, for what unfold pleasure we might have had, as

spring opened, with its song among the blossoming hawthorns. I

won't do it any more.

C. H. MORRIS, McConnelsville, Ohio.

38 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

GENERAL NOTES.

Red-headed Black Duck (Anas obscura rubripes). — Tn looking
over the O. S. U. collections, I find that we have no specimens of
typical obscura. Four birds taken in Ohio, at the Licking Reser-
voir, have heavily streaked throats and larger proportions which
would mark them as A. o. rubripes. No data of life colors were pre-
served. It would seem quite possible, as Mr. Brewster rather inti-
mates, that the newly elaborated species is the common bird of the
interior.

Carolina Chickadee (Parus carolinensis). — Of this species Whea-
ton says, writing, of course, from Columbus: "Not common sum-
mer resident. Breeds. Arrives about the middle of April, ap-
parently departs for the South soon after the breeding season."
I have failed as yet to identify the Carolina Chickadee at any sea-
son here in Columbus, but came across a merrj' party of them who
were transgressing all the rules, while taking my New Year's day
horizon near the Licking Reservoir. In the first place, there they
were, six of them, mingling freely in a bird troop which included
as many more of their cousins, the Black-caps, beside Tufted Tits,
Brown Creepers, Bluebirds, etc. The authorities declare them to
be solitary in their habits. Then their occurrence so far North in
winter is at least unusual. A high pitched note, beginning with a
sneeze, and repeated twice, "Kechezawick, Kechezawick," first at-
tracted my attention to the bii'ds, but I was soon able to distin-
guish them readily in the troop by their smaller size. A specimen
secured set all doubt at rest. Hereafter I shall carefully scruti-
nize all winter Chickadees occurring along the fortieth parallel.

W. LEON DAWSON, Columbus, O.

The Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is generally credited with
being a scavenger, but how entirely he lacks fastidiousness in
his feeding is shown by the flocks that daily feed in the South
branch of the Chicago River where it runs (crawls rather) by the
stockyards, and in its "slips," where the vessels tie up for the win-
ter. I doubt if a more offensive piece of wateri is found on the con-
tinent. Its odor is unspeakable until zero weather, yet from the
time the gulls return in the fall until they leave in the spring they
circle in all their grace over these filthy waters, feeding from the
floating refuse, which they seem to pick from the surface without
so much as wetting a feather — they may be more careful of their
clothes than of their food. Audubon, by experimenting, decided
that crows have little or no sense of smell. I think there can be
little doubt the same is true of the gull. Whether the birds pass
the night in the stock yards or not I do not know, but in the mor-
ning, about 7 o'clock, I frequently see flocks flying from here (about
a quarter mile from the lake shore) toward the northwest — the

Publications Received. 39

direction of the stockyards — but I have never happened to see
any returning in the evening.

AGNES CHASE, Hyde Park, Chicago.

A Bob-White Tragedy. — The lower animals as well as man are
subject to many ills and accidents. This is well illustrated by the
number of incidents which are noted in natural history magazines.
Instinct, it is true, has taught them much, yet nevertheless, they
are constantly in danger of their lives.

One day last spring (April 20, 1902), while tramping the woods
and fields north of Detroit, we saw an object hanging to a wire
fence. Upon nearing it, it proved to be a female Bob-white (Colinus
virginianus). The right foot had become tangled in a loop in the
wire, and in trying to escape, the bird had disarticulated the leg
bone from the hip. Here it must have hung for hours until death
at last relieved it of its tortures. Who can imagine the pain which
this creature must have suffered?

On a log a short way from the scene sat a male of this species,
possibly its mate. Across the fields rang a gentle "Bob-white, a
Bob-white," and as I paused I thought, "Ignorance is bliss."

A. W. BLAIN, Jr., Detroit, Mich.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

The Story of a Martin Colony. — By J. Warren Jacobs. This, the
second of a series of ilustrated pamphlets based on the author's
researches and observations, the first being issued in 1898 under
the title of Ooiogical Abnormalities; is a record of the establish-
ment and maintenance of a colony of four or five pairs of Purple
Martins at the writer's home in Waj^nesburg, Green County, Penn.,
and of its subsequent increase until it numbered almost three hun-
dred individuals at the end of the fourth season — more than could
obtain lodging in the ninety-nine rooms of the three houses, over
one hundred being compelled to roost in the branches of a nearby
apple tree. The next three years witnessed an annual overflow,
accommodated by new houses furnished and erected by his exper-
ienced hand in various parts of the town. If the colony had re-
mained intact it would in all probability have numbered in the
neighborhood of twelve hundred birds at the end of the seventh
year.

After the introduction, the subtitles are as follows: Topograph-
ical Sketch and Existing Conditions of the Premises and Vincity,
Establishment and Subsequent Scenes of the Colony, Return from

40 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43

the South, Nest Building, Deposition and Number of Eggs, Incu-
bation, The Growing Young and the Parent's Care, Something
about their Food, Their Enemies, Causes of Death, etc. Off to the
South, A Chapter on a Cabinet Series of Their Eggs, On the
Construction of Houses.

The period of incubation is found to be from twelve to fifteen
days, the female apparently attending to this duty exclusively, and
twenty-four to twenty-eight days elapses before the young take
flight. Seven years records show about eleven hundred and fifty
eggs deposited and about eight hundred and fifty young reaching ma-
turity, or rather, taking fiight from home nest — almost 74 per cent!
A remarkable showing for so large a colony of birds. It is interest-
ing to note that in nearly every instance a wall of mud was built
around the front of the entrance, on the inside. One would wish,
perhaps, for more detailed plans and specifications for building
their homes, but after all the main points appear to be compart-
ments about 5 inches square and 6 inches high, with a single entrance
two and a half inches square or two and three-quarters inches in
diameter if round, and the whole elevated twelve or more feet
above the ground on a pole or gas-pipe. Constant attention during
the nesting period, with frequent use of the gun on the cats and
sparrows, and an occasional appeal to the law when the disturbers
belonged to that class termed "shooters" well named and far too
common as well; was no small part of the price paid for this splen-
did mass of strenuous bird life. In this paper of twenty-four pages,
Mr. Jacobs has, in a dignified manner, given the lie to the mere
sentimentalist who would brand every egg collected as a sordid dis-
troyer of life without a redeeming feature. It should b*^ in the
hands of every bird lover. F. L. B.

The Birds of North and Middle America. — By Robert Ridgway.
Part II. Bull. No. 50, U. S. Nat. Mus., Washington, 1902.

This is the second of the eight volumes which we are promised,
and fully maintains the high standard of the first volume. In the
834 pages of text the following families and number of species un-
der each are fully treated: Tanagridse, 112; Icteridse, 111; Coere-
bidse, 29; Mniotiltidse, 181. We await with great interest and some
impatience the appearance of the other six parts, which are prom-
ised at the rate of two each year. L. J.

The Metallic Feathers from the Neck of the Domestic Pigeon.
By R. M. Strong, Ph.D.

Reprint from the Biological Bulletin, Vol. Ill, Nos. 1 and 2, 1902.

A Case of Abnormal Plumage. By R. M. Strong, Ph.D.

Reprint from Biological Bulletin, Vol. Ill, No. 6, November, 1902.

The Development of Color in the Definitive Feather. By R. M.
Strong, Ph.D.

Publications Received. 41

From the Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at
Harvard College, Vol. XL. No. 3.

These three notable papers by Dr. Strong are results of his
course of study in the graduate department of Harvard Universi-
ty. The last named paper summarizes the results of investigations
on the development of color in feathers, and incidentally shows
the extreme improbability of change of color in feathers without
molt, except by the wearing away of the tips of feathers, which
will simply eliminate that part of the feather with its color. This
has been so carefully and thoroughly done that we may accept as fi-
nal the conclusions reached. In fully grown feathers the change of
the pattern of color by a redistribution of its pigment is not possi-
ble. L. J.

On the Classification of Certain Groups of Birds (Supersubor-
ders: Archornithiformes; Dromaeognatliae, Odontohoicae.) by R. W.
Shufeldt.

Reprint from the American Naturalist, Vol. XXXVH, No. 433.
January, 1903.

This paper is one of a series in which iDr. Shufeldt is giving the
results of a great amount of study upon the osteology of birds,
both extinct and living. The classification of extinct birds must
necessarily be based upon the bones. Comparison with the skele-
tons of modern birds forms a basis for determining the relative
position which those old forms should occupy in a general
scheme of classification. Our thanks are due Dr. Shufeldt for the
pains he has taken to bring order out of chaos where the ancient
fossil forms are concerned, as well as for his contributions to mod-
ern classification based upon skeletal characters. L. J.

Amateur Sportsman, The, Vol. XXVH, Nos. 2, 3, 4.

American Ornithology, Vol. H, No. 12. Vol. HI, Nos. 1, 2.
Bulletin Nos. 61, 62, Pennsylvania State College Agricultural Ex-
periment Station.

Bird- Lore, Vol. V., No. 1.

Cassinia, No. VI, 1902.

Condor, The, Vol. V, No. 1.

Floral World, The, Vol. II, No. 3.

Journal of Applied Microscopy, Vol. V, No. :'-2. Vol. Vi, No. 1.

Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society, Vol. V., No. 1.

Maine Sportsman, Vol. X, Nos. 112, 113, 114

Ohio Naturalist, Vol. Ill, Nos. 1, 2.

Plant World, The, Vol. V, Nos. 8, 9, 10.

Warbler, The, Vol. I, No. 1.

43 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 4^

LIST OF MEMBERS.

Officers for 1903.

President — Lynds Jones, Obeiiin, Ohio.

Vice-President, N. Holllster, Delavan, Wis.

Secretary— John W. Daniel. Jr., .3146 Q. St., N. W., Washington,
O. C.

Treasurer — Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa.

Executive Committee — Harry C. Oberholser. 1505 Howard Ave.,
Washington, D. C; John H. Sage, Portland, Conn.; W. E. Saunders,
Box 58, London, Ont.

Active Members.

R. L. Baird, Denmark, Iowa.

A. C. Bent, Taunton, Mass.

Homer L. Bigelow, 511 Washington St.. Boston, Mass.

Dr. Louis B. Bishop, 356 Orange St., New Haven, Conn.

A. W. Blain, Jr., 131 Elmwood Ave., Detroit, Mich.

Charles F. Brennan, Mt. Carmel, 111.

Clarence Morrison Brooks, West Point, N. Y.

Frank Bruen, 34 Spring St., Bristol, Conn.

Henry R. Buck, Wetherstield, Conn.

G. M. Burdick, Milton, Wis.

Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa.

Henry W. Carriger, 2611 1/2 Sutter St., San Francisco, Cal.

Mrs. Agnes Chase, 5515 Monroe Ave., Hyde Park, Chicago, 111.

John Lewis Childs, Floral Park, N. Y.

Edward M. Daniel, Lynchburg, Va.

John W. Daniel, Jr., 3146 Q St.., Washington, D. C.

Mrs. Elizabeth B. Davenport, 45 Green St., Brattleboro Vt.

Rev. W. L. Dawson, Station A, R. F. D. 2, Columbus, O.

Walter Deane, 29 Brewster St., Cambridge, Mass.

Owen Durfee, Box 25, Fall River, Mass.

George C. Embody, 22 Walker Ave., Bradford, Pa.

Lou J. Eppinger, 516 Chene St., Detroit, Mich.

Miss E. W. Fisher, 1502 Pine St., Philadelphia.Pa .

Benj. T. Gault, Glen Ellyn, 111.

Mrs. Leeland L- Gibbs, Care Crocker Chair Co., Antigo, Wis.

Mrs. Stephen Cobb Goss, 5475 Ridgewood Court, Hyde Park, 111.

Glen M. Hathorn, 703 B. Avenue, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Hon. Junius Henderson, Boulder, Colo.

Rev. W. F. Henninger, 206 Jefferson St., Tiffin, Ohio.

N. Hollister, Delavan, Wis.

Fred C. Hubel, 112 Alexandrine Ave., Detroit, Mich.

J. Warren Jacobs. Waynesburg, Pa.

Lynds Jones, 160 North Professor St., Oberlin, O.

J. Eugene Law, 305 Holt St., Pomona, Calif.

W. P. Lyons, 10-11, 41 E. Fourth St.. Cincinnati, O.

Miss Rebecca Morehead Leete, North East, Pa.

Herbert H. Marble, Box 14, Somerset, Mass.

Harry B. McConnell. Cadiz, Ohio.

Mrs. Lida B. McMurry, iDeKalb, 111.

Mrs. Olive Thorn Miller, 827 DeKalb Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.

Walton I. Mitchell, 1721 Mt. Vernon St., Philadelphia, Pa.

Election of New Members. 43

Harry C. Oberholser, 1505 Howard Ave., Washington, D. G.

Harold E. Porter, 101 West 85th St., New York City.

Charles H. Rogers, 5 West 82d St., New York City.

Dr. W. E. Rotzell, Narberth, Penn.

John H. Sage, Portland, Conn.

W. E. Saunders, box 58, London, Ont.

Orpheus M. Schantz, Morton Park, 111.

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

Dr. A. R. Shearer, Mont Belvieu, Texas.

Prof. P. M. Silloway, Le.wiston, Mont.

Robert Windsor Smith, Kirkwood, Ga.

Bradshaw^ H. Swales. 4G Moffat Building, Detroit, Mich.

John E. Thayer, Box 98, Lancaster, Mass.

Miss Adelaide Utter, Clerk U. S. Circuit Court, Kansas City, Mo.

Warner W. Van Norden, 751 Fifth Ave., New York City.

Millard Van Wagner, 47 Leonard St., New York City.

Alick Wetmore, North Freedom, Wis.

Burtis H. Wilson, 1102 17th St., Rock Island, 111.

Sidney S. Wilson, 1018 Sylvania St., St. Joseph, Mo.

Honorary Members.

Prof. H. H. Ballard, Pittsfield, Mass.
Rev. J. H. Langille, Kensington, Md.
Prof. H. Nehrling, Palm Cottage, Gotha, Fla.
Mr. Otto Widmann, Old Orchard, Mo.

Associate Members.

Harold Bowditch, Pond St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Mrs. T. D. Dershimer, Square Top, Wyoming Co., Pa.

Irving A. Field, Granville, Ohio.

J. L. Floyd, Ada, O.

Harry S. Hathaway, Box 498, Providence, R. I.

Mrs. C. J. Hunt, Harris Cottage, Lakewood, N. J.

Thos. D. Keim, Bristol, Pa.

Miss Caroline Mathews, 90 Main St., Waterville. Me.

William J. Mills, East Point, Ga.

Dr. Guy C. Rich, Toy Building, Sioux City, Iowa.

Miss Isabella L. Sand, Ardsley-cn-Hudson, N. Y.

Henry A. Slack, Hurstville. N. Y.

Miss Jane L. Spencer, 239 East 1st St., Oswego, N. Y.

Rev. George F. Weld, Lincoln St., Hingham, Mass.

ELECTION OF NEW MEMBERS.

The following persons are nominated for Active membership:
Objections to the reception of any of these persons should be
sent to the Secretary before April 15.

Homer L. Bigelow, 511 Washington St., Boston, Mass.
Dr. Louis B. Bishop, 356 Orange St., New Haven, Conn.
Charles F. Brennan, Mt. Carmel, 111.

M The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 42.

Clarence Morrison Brooks, West Point, N. Y.

Henry W. Carriger, 2Glli^ Sutter St., San Francisco, Cal.

John Lewis Childs, Floral Park, N. Y.

Edward M. Daniel, Lynchburg, Va.

Lou J. Eppinger, 516 Chene St., Detroit, Mich.

Miss E. W. Fisher. 1502 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa.

Hon. Junius Henderson, Boulder, Colo.

W. P. Lyons, 10-11, 41 E. Fourth St., Cincinnati, O.

Miss Rebecca Morehead Leete, North East, Pa.

Herbert H. Marble, Box 14, Somerset, Mass.

Harold E. Porter. 101 West 85th St., New York City.

Dr. W. E. Rotzeli, Narberth, Penn.

Orpheus Schantz, Morton Park, 111.

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

John E. Thayer, Box 98, Lancaster, Mass.

Miss Adelaide Utter, Clerk U. S. Circuit Court, Kansas City, Mo.

Warner W. Van Norden, 751 Fifth Ave., New York City.

Millard Van Wagner, 47 Leonard St., New York City.

Alick Wetmore, North Freedom, Wis.

Burtis H. Wilson, 1102 17th St., Rock Island, 111.

The following persons have been received into Associate mem-
bership:

J. L. Floyd, Ada, O.

Harry S. Hathaway, Box 498, Providence, R. I.
Miss Isabella L. Sand, Ardsley-on-Hudson, N. Y.
Rev. George F. Weld, Lincoln St., Hingham, Mass.

NEST OF THE ORCHARD ORIOLE (/. spurius.)

Collected and photographed by the author.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

No. 43 \

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF
ORNITHOLOGY

Vol. X. JUNE, 1903. No. 3.

THE NEST OF THE ORCHARD ORIOLE.

(Icterus spurtJis)

BY DR. R. W. SHUFELDT.

During the past thirty years, at different times I have
examined a number of nests of the Orchard Oriole [Icterus
spJiriiis), and these have been collected from the latitude
of Washington, D. C, to that of southern New England. It
is truly remarkable how much they vary, not only in the
matter of form, but in the materials selected by the birds
for their construction, and in the places chosen by them for
their building. These variations and circumstances are
doubtless responsible for the great differences we meet with
in the descriptions and figures published by ornithological
writers, no two of which ever seem to agree in their essen-
tial particulars. Among the descriptions left us by the
earlier authors, we meet that of Audubon, and were we to
judge from it alone, we would be fully justified in believing
that the building of the nest of this species, the materials
employed, and its location and form, were more or less uni-
form. Certainly he could have examined but very i&w of
them, and these from a very restricted locality, or else the
bird has very materially changed its habits since. In sub-

46 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

stance he says that the oriole never builds in any place ex-
cepting apple trees and the weeping willow; that they use
"the finest, largest, and toughest grasses they can find." *
* * "The nest is of a hemispherical form, and is support-
ed by the margin only. It seldom exceeds three or four
inches in depth, is open almost to the full extent of its
largest diameter at the top or entrance ; and finished on
all sides as well as within, with the long slender grasses
already mentioned. Some of these go round the nest
several times, as if coarsely woven together. This is the
manner in which the nest is constructed in Louisiana. In
the Middle Districts it is usually lined with soft and warm
materials."

Audubon's figure supports this description, but only
in part — for having stated that the bird only builds in apple
trees and iveepiiig zailiows, he figures the nest in a honey
locust! And, for one, I have never seen a nest of the
Orchard Oriole that ever looked anything like it. Moreover,
Audubon is utterly incorrect when he says that the nest
"is supported by the margin only." (Birds of America,
Vol. IV. pp. 47, 48.) Turning to Wilson's description of
the nest of this oriole, we read that the structure is usually
suspended "from the twigs of the apple tree; and often from
the extremities of the outward branches. It is formed ex-
ternally of a particular species of long, tough and flexible
grass, knit or sewed through and through in a thousand
directions, as if actually done with a needle. An old lady
of my acquantance to whom I was one day showing this
curious fabrication, after admiring its texture for some time,
asked me, in a tone between joke and earnest, whether I did
not think it possible to learn these birds to darn stockings.
This nest is hemispherical, three inches deep by four in
breadth; the concavity scarcely two inches deep by two in
diameter. I had the curiosity to detach one of the fibres,
or stalks of dried grass, from the rest and found it to
measure thirteen inches in length, and winding round and
round the nest! The inside is usually composed of wool,

Nest of the Orchard Oriole 47

or the light downy appendages attached to the seeds of the
Platamis occidentalism or button wood, which forms a very
soft and commodious bed. Here and there the outward
work is extended to an adjoining twig, round which it is
strongly twisted, to give more stability to the whole, and
prevent it from being overset by the wind."

"When they choose the long, pendent branches of the
weeping willow to build in, as they frequently do, the nest,
though formed of the same materials, is made much deeper,
and of slighter texture. The circumference is marked out
by a number of these pensile twigs that descend on each
side like ribs, supporting the whole; their thick foliage at
the same time, completely concealing the nest from view.
The depth in this case is increased to four or five inches,
and the whole is made much slighter."

Wilson then follows this, as far as it goes, accurate
description with a very interesting dissertation upon the
reasons why the Orchard Oriole builds so differently in dif-
ferent trees, and under diverse conditions.

The remarkable feature of all these early descriptions
is, that so few trees are mentioned wherein this Oriole is
known to build; that the nest is always fastened by the brim;
and that the materials of which it is composed are so uni-
form. It very much inclines me to believe that the
bird has, in the matter of its nest building, very materially
changed its habits during the past half century or more.
Surely it must have been a very abundant bird during
Wilson's time, and he was not only a very intelligent but a
very close and reliable observer.

Now when built among stiff twigs, the nest is by no
means akoays fastened by its edges or brim alone; on the
contrary the bird often sews it all the way down the body of
the nest to a supporting twig. A fine example of the
structure when thus built is shown in the accompanying
photograph, it being a nest I collected near Washington, D.
C.,in the summer of 1897. It was in a three-quarter grown
sycamore and was almost entirely devoid of a lining, the

48 The Wilson Bulletin.— 43.

grasses, too, of which it was composed being very coarse.
I am of the opinion that young and unskilled birds of this
species frequently build amateur nests; and it is only the
older individuals that construct the finer and more elaborate
fabrics.

When Special Bulletin No. 2 of Bendire's Life Histo-
ries of North A7uerieaJi Bir(/s appeared (June, 1895), we had
given us under his account of the Orchard Oriole a very
complete and excellent description of its nests and build-
ing. Among other facts he states that "Both sexes assist
in nest building, and generally finish one in three or four
days. The nests are placed in trees or bushes, from 6 to
40 feet from the ground, usually from 12 to 20 feet, in a great
variety of trees, less often in conifers than in deciduous kinds.
Apple, pear, different kinds of oaks, sycamore, elm, cotton-
wood, maple, walnut, mesquite, hackberry, prickly ash,
cedar, and pine are a few of the many selected as the nest-
ing sites. In the south the Orchard Oriole nests occasion-
ally in the gray moss {Tillandsia iisneo'ides) so commonly
found hanging from many of the trees there."

"The location and manner of attaching its ingeniously
wooven, basket-like nests vary greatly. Some are set in a
crotch formed by several small twigs; the bottom of the nest
occasionally rests on, and is supported by these, and again
in similar locations it is unsupported, but the sides are
securely fastened to several of the twigs among which it is
placed; then again some are built in a fork of a horizontal
limb, like the nest of an Acadian Flycatcher or a Vireo,
both sides of the nest being fastened to the fork in which it
is placed; again it may be fastened to some suitable twigs
by the rim only, in the manner of a hammock. Compara-
tively few, excepting those of the last style and those built
in moss, can really be called pensile or even semipensile
nests. They also vary greatly in bulk and depth." Some-
times too, the bird uses the grass while green, and this color
not only serves to further conceal the nest from view in the
tree where it is built, but after the structure has been col-

Birds of Kirkwood, DeKalb County, Georgia 49

lected, the color may be retained for years afterward. The
cotton lined nests in the south, I am told, are very beautiful,
being smooth and pure white inside.

One of the principal objects I have in publishing this
article is to give added support to the fact that in the matter
of their nest building many species of North American birds
have gradually, but nevertheless markedly, during the past
century, changed their habits in not a few particulars.

Sometimes the reasons for this are sufficiently clear, as
in the case of the Chimney Swifts and others, but then, on
the other hand, they are by no means always so obvious,
though such cases are not of such frequent occurrence.

BIRDS OF KIRKWOOD, DeKALB COUNTY,
GEORGIA.

BY ROBERT WINDSOR SMITH.
DESCRIPTION OF SECTION.

An estimated square mile in DeKalb county, Georgia,
the northern boundary lying along the line of the Georgia
railroad; the center of the specified tract being about four
and one-half miles in an easterly direction from Atlanta,
Georgia; situated on the dividing ridge between the waters
of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico, at an eleva-
tinn of 1050 feet above the level of the sea; latitude 35°
45' north, longitude 84° 45' 29'' west from Greenwich.

The water which falls on the northern side of the Geor-
gia railroad flows into the Chattahoochee river, and thence
into the Gulf of Mexico; that which falls on the south side
flows into the South river, thence to the Ocmulgee, which
empties into the Atlantic Ocean. About three-fourths of
the tract comprises virgin forest, swamp, old burned-out
fields, waste and neglected places. These waste and neg-

50 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

lected places have in many instances grown up in low pines,
and briars, making, in some spots, almost impenetrable
thickets. The remaining fourth includes the village of
Kirkwood, a little place containing about four hundred peo-
ple. Kirkwood is built upon what was once a farm, a beau-
tiful place of one hundred and fifty acres. About ten years
ago the land was purchased by a syndicate, which, after
projecting a trolley line through it from Atlanta to Deca-
tur, a distance of six miles, divided it into lots and sold the
greater portion of it to persons, the most of whom were
doing business in Atlanta. Upon this place is a passing
remnant of a Cherokee rose hedge, that once grew the en-
tire length of one side of the farm, whose white mantle of
flowers added grandeur to the already beautiful landscape.

Here and there over the land where homes have not been
built, a few scattered clumps of this old hedge can still be
seen. The pits or seeds ripen late in the fall, and make a
plentiful supply of food for the song sparrow, while the
hedge itself lends a ready shelter against storm and danger.

There are no high elevations, or deep ravines in the tract,
but the general "lay" of the land would be called hilly and
rolling. The forest trees include oak, pine, hickory, yellow
poplar, chestnut, blackgum, elm, ash, wild cherry, sassafras,
water-oak, beech, swamp or red maple, and red-bud, crab-
apple, sourwood, and holly are found, but not very plenti-
fully. The blossoms of the crab-apple and sourwood are
much sought after by bees, from which they gather a fine
article of honey; the first blossoms early in the spring, the
last late in the fall. In the swamps and on the edges of
ditches grow a tangle of wild grapes, alder, elder, sumach,
and bamboo; the whole being enlivened by the many tints
of the flowers of the wild azalea. The soil is a sandy loam
upon a stiff subsoil. There are no farms immediately with-
in the tract, though there are plenty of persons in DeKalb
county who make farming a business, cotton and corn being
not only the principal, but the most profitable production.
Wheat, rye, oats, and barley are cultivated to a limited ex-

Birds of Kirkwood, DeKalb County, Georgia. 51

tent. The sweet potato makes an "all 'round" crop, the
man with only a small garden "patch" managing to pro-
duce a few for his own consumption. Peaches, pears,
plums, apples, cherries, figs, and grapes do well in any part
of the county. Strawberries and raspberries are easily rais-
ed, while blackberries grow wild in every old, neglected
field. There is also a variety found in the swamps whicii
attains to a larger size.

Gray squirrels, ground squirrels, skunks, opossums, minks,
and muskrats are the indigenous wild animals. The opos-
sums and skunks are fairly common, the others rare and
seldom seen. Bull-frogs are plentiful; some large ones are
caught in East Lake, while toads and tree-frogs are common,
the latter ofcener heard than seen. The snakes are water-
moccasin, black, king, and chicken snakes, and some small-
er species, the names of which I do not know. A box ter-
rapin is occasionally seen, river tortoise are found in low,
marshy places, both on the land and in the water, they
sometimes become troublesome by destroying young ducks
and goslings which happen to be swimming in the streams.

There are four species of lizards: one a kind of chameleon,
which has a faculty of changing its color, it is sometimes
green and sometimes brown; a scaly, rough-looking one,
which lurks about old fences and the lower part of the
trunks of trees; two others which are strictly terrestrial —
one a trim little fellow with brown and yellow stripes upon
a blue ground, the other a much larger one with a dark brown
body with dirty stripes, the head being a reddish brown.
The two last are swift runners, and are difficult to capture.
They are both accused of being fond of ripe strawbenies,
but the dainage which they do is, no doubt, overbalanced
by the amount of insects which they destroy. The water
used for domestic purposes is free-stone, and is obtained
from wells at an average depth of forty feet. There are no
navigable watercourses in the tract, nor in the county.
East Lake, which is only an artificial lake or pond, lies
about one-half mile outside the eastern limit, and covers

53 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

about thirty acres. There is a little pond within the west-
ern boundary which is commonly known as the "Chemical
Pond." It is used as a pumping station by the Georgia
Chemical Works, and embraces, probably, a space of one-
half acre.

There are innumerable little streams, or branches as they
are called in the South, traversing the tract, but with the
exception of a (ew small minnows, no fish are found in
them. These little fish are sometimes caught by boys and
sold to parties who come out from Atlanta to fish in the
lake.

BIRDS OF DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA.

Comprising the species observed during my stay in the
county, embracing a period of little more than ten years.

1. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. — Casual. A few Iiave
been seen in East Lake. Not known to breed.

2. Gavia imber. Loon. — Accidental. One was taken in East
Lake by an Atlanta sportsman, in November, 1896.

3. Lophodytes cucullatus. Hooded Merganser. — Accidental. One
taken in East Lake by a Mr. Myer, of Atlanta, November 15, 1896.

4. Anas boschas. Mallard. — Casual. Sometimes seen in East
Lake.

5. Dafila acuta. Pintail. — Accidental. One shot in East Lake by
Mr. Simmons, of Kirkwocd, in the winter of 1899.

6. Botaurus lentiginosus. American Bittern. — Accidental. Mr.
Harry Pedleton showed me the skin of one of these birds, a short
time after I moved to Kirkwood, which he claimed had been shot
in a swamp near his house. Not known to breed.

7. Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron.— Casual. Seldom seen.
Not known to breed.

8. Ardea caerulea. Little Blue Heron.— Casual. I have seen sev-
eral of these birds which had been taken near East Lake, all in
white phase. Not known to breed.

9. Ardea virescens. Green Heron. — Not common. Summer res-
ident; breeds. Nests generally in low pine trees, in thickets.

10. Rallus elegans. King Rail. — Accidental. On April 12th,
1893, I shot one of these birds in an old field a short distance from
my home, which is the only specimen I have found in this locality.

11. Rallus virglnlanus. Virginia Rail. — Accidental. One of these
birds was shot near East Lake, in February, 1899, by Mr. Simmons,
of Kirkwood, and given to me.

12. Porzana Carolina. Sora. — Casual. Seldom seen.

Birds of Kirkwood, UeKalb County, (Georgia 53

13. Fulica americana. American Coot. — Accidental. Mr. Fred
Williams, of Kirkwood, on November 8th, 1900, shot one of these
birds, a male, in a swamp near East Lake, and gave me the speci-
men. This is the only one that I have found in this locality.

14. Philohela minor. American Woodcock. — Not common. Win-
ter resident.

15. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — Winter resident;
only occasional.

16. yCgialitis vocifera. Killdeer. — Winter resident; lingering till
late in the spring. Not common. Not known to breed.

17. Coiinus virginianus. Bob- white. — Resident; breeds. Not
common.

18. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — Resident; fairly
common; breeds. Appearing in flocks in winter.

19. Cathartes aura. Turkey Vulture. — Resident; fairly common;
breeds.

20. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. — Casual. Seldom seen.
Not known to breed.

21. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper's Hawk. — Not common, but more
plentiful in the winter months. Not known to breed.

22. Faico sparverius. American Sparrow Hawk. — Not common;
more plentiful in winter. Not known to breed.

23. Megascops asio. Screech Owl. — Fairly common; resident;
breeds.

24. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Rare; seldom seen.
Resident; breeds.

Hawks and owls are seldom seen or heard in DeKalb county. I
have not heard of any serious depredation committed in my immedi-
ate neighborhood by these birds. I do not think their numbers are
large enough to work injury to farmers or poultry raisers.

25. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Summer res-
ident; fairly common; breeds. One of the last birds to arrive in
the spring, and one of the first to leave in the fall.

26. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — Summer resident; not
common; breeds.

27. Dryobates villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — Rare; seldom
seen; not known to breed. Two specimens in my collection, one
male and one female, taken in the winter of 1895, are the first and
only birds of this species that I have seen in this locality until the
present year.

28. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. — Fairly com-
mon; resident; breeds.

29. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. — Not com-
mon; winter resident.

30. Meianerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. —
Fairly common; summer resident; breeds. [It is worthy of note
that Loomis found this bird scarce in winter, thougn common

5-t The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 4:3.

enough in the breeding season, in the Piedmont region of South
Carolina.]

31. Melanerpes carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — Not com-
mon; winter resident.

32. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Fliclcer. — Resident; com-
mon; becoming plentiful in winter.

33. Antrostomus carolinensis. Chuck-will's-widow. — Spring mi-
grant; rare; seldom heard or seen. Not known to breed. Four
specimens taken in DeKalb county by several of my friends have
come into my possession.

34. Antrostomus vociferus. Whip-poor-will. — Spring migrant;
rare. Not known to breed. On April 19, 1900, I flushed one of
these birds on the ground; it flew to the lower limbs of a large
post oak tree, from which place it was shot. It proved to be a
female, whose ovariss were much enlarged.

On April 26th, at 6:50 p. m., I heard the notes of another bird
seemingly in the direction where the first one was taken, the notes
lasting about ten minutes. These are the only instances I have on
record of this bird appearing in DeKalb county.

35. Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — Summer lesident;
breeds. Fairly common; often gathering in numbers in the fall,
when they are killed in large numbers by sportsmen.

36. Chattura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Summer resident; com-
mon; breeds.

37. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — Summer
resident; not common; breeds.

38. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Summer resident; not
common; breeds.

39. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — Summer resi-
dent; fairly common; breeds.

40. Sayornis phoebe. Phoebe. — Winter migrant; rare; seldom
seen.

41. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — Summer resident; fairly
common; breeds.

42. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Resident; common; breeds.
More plentiful in winter.

43. Corvus americanus. American Crow. — Resident; not com-
mon; breeds.

44. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — Casual in spririg and fall
migration.

45. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Migratory in winter; appearing
in flocks. Not known to breed.

46. Agelaius phoeniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — Migratory in
winter; appearing in flocks, generally in company with Purple
Grackle. Casual as a summer resident; a few returning in the
spring to breed.

47. Sturnella magna. Meadowlark. — Winter resident; appearing

Birds of Kirkwood. DeKalb County Georgia. 55

in loose flocks; frequenting old fields and waste places. Not known
to breed.

48. Icterus spurius. Orchard Oriole. — Summer resident; fairly
common; breeds.

49. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. — Rare, in the spring;
some seasons not being seen. Not known to breed. It is a peculiar
fact that this bird does not breed in this locality. Before the Civil
War, when I was a boy living in Atlanta, it was not uncommon to
find their nests hanging to the long pendant branches of the tulip
tree.

50. Scolecophagus carol inus. Rusty Blackbird. — Migratory in
winter; some seasons not seen.

51. Quiscaius quiscula. Purple Grackle. — Migratory in winter;
appearing in large flocks. A few stragglers often seen late in the
spring. Some seasons none are seen. Not known to breed.

52. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. — On February 15th,
1897, I found a small flock of these birds on the grounds immediate-
ly in the rear of my garden, feeding upon the dried tips (seeds) of
tulip trree. Two males and two females were secured from the
flock, which contained about twenty birds. They were missed on
the 23rd. This is the only record which I have made of these birds
in this locality.

53. Astragal inus tristis. American Goldfinch. — Resident; ap-
pearing in flocks in winter; fairly common; breeds.

54. Pcoecetes gramineus. Vesper Sparrow. — Winter resident;
fairly common. Not known to breed. These birds are irregular
visitants. Some seasons they do not appear in the winter months,
but are seen in the early spring, covering the fields in loose flocks.
At such times on sunshiny days they join together in high concert,
and their soft plaintive notes are heard wherever they happen to
be. In their spring migration they remain but a short time, arriv-
ing about the 15th of March, and departing before the 1st of April.

55. Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna. Savanna Sparrow. —
Winter resident; rare. One taken December 27th, 1900, the only
specimen I ever found in this locality.

56. Zonotricha albicollis. White-throated Sparrow.— Winter
resident; plentiful; seen everywhere. Arriving the latter part of
October, and lingering till late in the spring.

57. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — Resident; plentiful;
found in flocks in winter; breeds.

58. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow.— Resident; common, but
not so plentiful as socialis. Found in flocks in winter; breeds.

59. Junco hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. — Winter resident; ap-
pearing in loose flocks; common.

60. Peucaea aestivalis bachmanii. Bachman's Sparrow. — Summer
resident; rare; seldom heard or seen; breeds.

56 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

61. Melospiza melodia. Song Sparrow. — Winter resident; com-
mon; appearing in loose flocks.

62. Melospiza lincolnii. Lincoln's Sparrow. — Winter resident;
rare. One taken January 24th, 1900; only one ever seen in this
locality.

63. Melospiza georgiana. Swamp Sparrow. — Winter resident;
seldom seen.

64. Passerella iliaca. Fox Sparrow. — Winter resident; rare.

65. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee. — Winter resident; fairly
common. Not known to breed.

66. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. — Resident; fairly common;
breeds.

67. Zamelodia ludoviciana. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. — Spring
and fall migrant. Fairly common when found, but some seasons
none are observed.

68. Guiraca caerulea. Blue Grosbeak. — Summer resident; rare;
breeds.

69. Cyanospiza cyanea. Indigo Bunting. — Summer resident;
fairly common; breeds.

70 Piranga erytliromelas. Scarlet Tanager. — Spring and fall
migrant; not common. More seen in the fall when it appears in
winter plumage.

71. Piranga rubra. Summer Tanager. — Summer resident; com-
mon; breeds.

72. Progne subis. Purple Martin.- — Summer resident; breeds.
This bird, before the Civil War, was plentiful around Atlanta, the
negroes never failing to put up poles, on which gourds were fas-
tened for their nests. They have now, for the want of these ac-
commodations, become rare, some seasons none are observed.

73. Stelgidcpteryx serripennis. Rough-winged Swallow. — Sum-
mer resident; fairiy common; breeds.

74. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar Waxwing. — An irregv.lar visitant
in the spring, or fall, but always appearing in loose flocks. Some
seasons none are seen.

75. Lanius ludovicianus. Loggerhead Shrike. — Summer resident,
but lingering far into the winter. Not common. Some seasons
none are observed.

76. Vireo olivaceus. Red-eyed vireo. — Summer resident; com-
mon; breeds.

77. Vireo flavifrons. Yellow-throated Vireo. — Spring and fall
migrant; not common; not known to breed.

78. Vireo noveboracensis. White-eyed Vireo. — Summer resi-
dent; common; breeds.

80. Helinaia swainsonii. Swainson's Warbler. — I shot one of
these birds on May 4th, 1898, in a dense swamp on Charles Davis'
land about one-fourth mile from my home in Kirkwood. This is
the only bird of this species that I have found in this locality.

Birds of Kirkvvood, DeKalb County. Georgia. 57

81. Helmitherus vermivorus. Worm-eating Warbler. — Rare. A
male shot by Rev. W. S. LaPrade on April 17, 1902, and a few days
later another one was shot at the same place, the only ones re-
corded.

82. Compsothlypis americana. Parula Warbler. — Spring and fall
migrant; fairly common; not known to breed.

83. Dendroica tigrina. Cape May Warbler. — Spring and fall mi-
grant; not common.

84. Dendroica aestiva. Yellow Warbler. — Spring migrant; rare;
not known to breed.

85. Dendroica caerulescens. — Black-throated Blue Warbler. —
Spring migrant; rare; seldom seen. Generally found in dense
swamps, and for that reason may be overlooked.

86. Dendroica coronata. Myrtle Warbler. — Spring and fall mi-
grant; plentiful.

87. Dendroica maculosa. Magnolia Warbler. — Spring and fall
migrant; fairly common; like D. coronata; generally seen in win-
ter plumage.

88. Dendroica pensylvanica. Chestnut-sided Warbler. — Spring
and fall migrant; fairly common.

89. Dendroica striata. Black-poll Warbler. — Spring and fall mi-
grant; plentiful; our commonest warbler.

90. Dendroica blackburniae. Blackburnian Warbler. — Spring and
fall migrant; not common.

91. Dendroica dominica. Yellow-throated Warbler. — Summer
resident; fairly common. Although I have never found the nest
of this bird. I have seen the birds during all the summer. I have
always found them in pine trees, and in the highest branches.

92. Dendroica virens. Black-throated Green Warbler. — Spring
and fall migrant; not common.

93. Dendroica vigorsii. Pine Warbler. — Winter resident; linger-
ing till late in the spring; common; not known to breed.

94. Dendroica palmarum. Palm Warbler. — Spring and fall mi-
grant; not common.

95. Dendroica discolor. Prairie Warbler. — Spring and fall mi-
grant; rare; seldom seen. Generally found in the early fall;
breeds.

96. Seiurus aurocapillus. Oven-bird. — Spring and fall migrant;
rare; seldom seen.

97. Seiurus noveboracensis. Water-Thrush. — I shot four of these
birds in plum trees in my orchard August 30th, 1898; all males.
These are the only specimens I have ever taken in Dekalb county.

98. Seiurus motacilla. Louisiana Water-Thrush. — Summer resi-
dent; rare; breeds.

100. Geothlypis trichas. Maryland Yellow-throat. — Summer res-
ident; fairly common; breeds.

101. Icteria virens. Yellow-breasted Chat. — Summer resident;
fairly common; breeds.

58 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

102. Wilsonia mitrata. Hooded Warbler. — Summer lesident;
fairly common; breeds.

103. Setophaga ruticilla. American Redstart. — Spring and fall
migrant; common.

104. Anthus pensilvanicus. American Pipit. — Winter resident;
appearing in flocks; fairly common.

105. Mimus polyglottos. Mockingbird. — Resident, and would be
common if their nests were not destroyed, but they build in such
exposed places that they seldom rear a brood. The Georgia legis-
lature passed a bill at their last session (November, 1900), protect-
ing these birds, but there is not much probability of its being en-
forced.

101. Galeoscoptes carol inesis. Catbird. — Summer resident; com-
mon; breeds.

107. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher. — Resident; common;
but like the Mockingbird not often seen in winter; breeds.

108. Thryothorus ludovicianus. Carolina Wren. — Resident; fair-
ly common; breeds.

109. Thryomanes berwickii. Berwick's Wren. — Fairly common
winter resident; lingering until late in the spring.

110. Certha familiaris fusca. Brown Creeper. — Winter resident;
not common.

111. Sitta carol inensis. White-breasted Nuthatch. Summer res-
ident, but lingering far into the winter. Fairly common; breeds.

112. Parus bicolor. Tufted Titmouse. — Resident; common;
heard or seen in all seasons; breeds.

113. Parus carolinensis. Carolina Chickadee. — Resident; com-
mon, always in company with P. bicolor. Rev. LaPrade found
a nest in a stump, natural excavation about three feet from ground,
on May 3, 1902, from which he took five eggs.

114. Regulus satrapa. Golden-crowned Kinglet. — Winter resi-
dent; common; generally found in low pine thickets.

115. Polioptila caerulea. — Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Summer resi-
dent; fairly common; breeds.

117. Hylocichia swainsonii. Olive-backed Thrush. — Fall mi-
grant; arriving about the 15th of September, departing about the
20th of October. Abundant; found everywhere.

118. Hylochichia guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. — Fall mi-
grant; fairly common. Arriving early in September, but remaining
but a few days, they are generally gone by the time the Olive-backs
arrive.

119. Merula migratoria. American Robin. — These birds are ir-
regular visitants, sometimes a few are seen in September, remain-
ing but a short time, often seen again in November, the greater part
of them appearing in January. When they depart they straggle
away a few at a time, a few being seen as late as the 15th of April.
Some seasons only a few are observed, but they often arrive in

Birds of Kirkwood, DeKalb County, Georgia ^9

large numbers, where they may be found on the ground upon any
old barren spot. They are particularly fond of old burned off fields;
here hundreds are killed by gunners, mostly boys. Not known to
breed.

120. Sialia sialis. Bluebird. — Resident. This once plentiful bird,
is now becoming rare. Not until the present season have they
been known to breed in this locality since the spring of 1894.

121. Passer domesticus. European House Sparrow. — We are not
much annoyed by the English Sparrows in Kirkwood. There are
but few places here where they have built nests, or in any way be-
come a nuisance. In the fall they may be often seen in large num-
bers, frequenting fields where German millet and other small grain
has been harvested.

Ordinarily as many as two hundred could be counted in a day's
travel, but their presence is not perceptibly felt outside of the city
limits of Atlanta, which joins the Dekalb county line about two
miles directly west from Kirkwood.

There is an old house a short distance from my home, a kind of
neglected tumbled down affair, which looks as if it had been pur-
posely constructed for the use of the English Sparrow. This old
place is full of nooks and corners, gables and valleys, and blind
windows with the slats broken out, and here the little rascals have,
snugly ensconced themselves, while all efforts on the part of the
owner to dislodge them have been vain.

The following species have been added since the list was
put into type. — (Ed.)

Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black-billed Cuckoo.— On April 29,
1902, Rev. W. H. LaPrade shot a female and brought it to me.

Empidonax virescens. Green-crested Flycatcher. — Fairly com-
mon in spring: may breed.

Quiscalus quiscula agl^us. Florida Grackle. — Migratory in win-
ter; appearing in small flocks.

Helminthophila rubricapilla. Nashville Warbler. — Fairly com-
mon in fall migrations and in immature plumage.

Olbiorchilus hiemalis. Winter Wren. — Winter resident; rare.

(Mr. Frank L, Burns has revised and ememended this list
by the invitation of the author. — Ed.)

60 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

ALL DAY WITH THE BIRDS.

LYNDS JONES.
MAY 1 6 AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

On account of the capriciousness of the weather two at-
tempts were made to secure the largest horizon for the sea-
son. The first on May 14th by the writer alone, with three
hours in the afternoon cut out, with a record of 102 spe-
cies (just equalling our first "all day" record); the second on
May 1 6th, Mr. W. L Dawson and the writer, with a record
of 109 species. The time occupied was from 3:30 a. m. to
8:00 p. m. The day began with a temperature of 44° and
foggy near the ground, the fog lifting at 7 a. m., making
work with the warblers which feed in the foliage of the tree-
tops almost impossible. At 6:00 o'clock only 67 species
had been recorded, as against 90 at the same hour last year.

The distance to Oak Point, on Lake Erie, was made
a-wheel, enabling us to visit some especially favorable places
on the way there and back, and to spend some time in the
evening twilight where the owls live. The sequel seems to
clearly show that the overland trip by trolley is wasted time.

Two surprises in the lake shore swamps awaited us. One
was in the form ot a compan)^ of shore birds on the mud-
flats, which included three species never before taken so
late in the season; the other our inability to start the Long-
billed Marsh Wren and Sora from their reedy retreats.
There were other disappointments, as there always are.
While the list of species observed is smaller than the larg-
est, we feel satisfied with the day's work. The season was
not such as to hold the birds during their northward move-
ment.

It will be remembered that the first "All Day" occurred
on May 17, 1898, 102 species; the second on May 8, 1899,
112 species; the third on May 19, 1900, 100 species; the
fourth on May 9, 1 90 1, 109 species; the fifth on May 7,
1902, 113 species, and the sixth on May 16, 1903, 109 spe-

All Dav With the Birds.

61

cies. While the dates are somewhat scattered the) repre-
sent nearly the same level from the stand-point of weather
and the progress of the migrations; it is pertinent, there-
fore, to draw a comparison between the several lists by
showing what birds were recorded on all of the six occa-
sions, and showing what ones were recorded fewer times.
In the lists which follow those species marked thus * were
recorded this year (1903).

SPECIES RECORDED ON EACH OF THE SIX "ALL DAVS".

Herring Gull.*

Virginia Rail.*

Spotted Sandpiper.*

Killdeer.*

Bob-white.*

Mourning Dove.*

Red -shouldered Hawk.

Am. Sparrow Hawk.

Belted Kingfisher.*

Hairy Woodpecker.*

Downy Woodpecker.*

Red-headed Woodpecker.*

Northern Flicker.*

Chimney Swift.*

Kingbird.*

Crested Flycatcher.*

Phoebe.'^

Green-crested Flycatcher.*

Traill Flycatcher.*

Least Flycatcher.*

Prairie Horned Lark.*

Blue Jay.*

American Crow.*

Bobolink.*

Cowbird.*

Red-winged Blackbird.*

Meadowlark.*

Orchard Oriole.*

Baltimore Oriole.*

Bronzed Grackle.*

American Goldfinch.*

Vesper Sparrow.*

Grasshopper Sparrow.*

White-throated Sparrow.*

Chipping Sparrow.*

Field Sparrow.*

Song Sparrow.*

Swamp Sparrow.*

Towhee.*

Cardinal.*

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.*

Indigo Bunting.*

Scarlet Tanager.*

Purple Martin.*

PiFrn Swallow.*

Bank Swallow.*

Roagh-winged Swallow.*

Migrant Shrike.*

Red-eyed Vireo.*

Warbling Vireo.*

Blue-winged Warbler.*

Nashville Warbler.*

Tennessee Warbler.*

Yellow Warbler.*

Magnolia Warbler.*

Cerulean Warbler.*

Oven-bird.*

Water-Thrush.*

Louisiana Water-Thrush.*

Maryland Yellow-throat.*

Yellow-breasted Chat.*

American Redstart.*

Catbird.*

Brown Thrasher.*

House Wren.*

White-breasted Nuthatch.*

Tufted Titmouse.*

Chickadee.*

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.*

Wood Thrush.*

Wilson Thrush.*

Olive-backed Thrush.*

Robin.*

Bluebird.*

Total, 74.

62

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

SPECIES RECORDED FIVE TIMES OUT OF THE SIX.

Common Tern.*
Green Heron.*
Bartramian Sandpiper.*
Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Wood Pewec.*
White-crowned Sparrow.
Cliff Swallow.*
Yellow-throated Vireo.*

Blue-headed Vireo.*
Chestnut-sided Warbler.*
Blackburnian Warbler.*
Black-throated Green Warbler.*
Canadian Warbler.*
Long-billed Marsh Wren.
Gray-cheeked Thrush.*

Total, 15.

SPECIES RECORDED FOUR TIMES OUT OF THE SIX.

American Bittern.*

Sora.

Solitary Sandpiper.*

Nighthawk.*

Tree Swallow.*

Black and White Warbler.
Black-throated Blue Warbler.*
Myrtle Warbler.*
American Pipit.

Total, 9.

SPECIES RECORDED

Great Blue Heron.
Cooper Hawk.*
Red-tailed Hawk.*
Broad-winged Hawk.
Bald Eagle.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo.*
Black-billed Cuckoo.*
Whip-poor-will.*

THREE TIMES OUT OF THE SIX.

Lincoln Sparrow.
Bay-breasted Warbler.
Palm Warbler.
Mourning Warbler.
Wilson Warbler.
Winter Wren.
Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Total, 16.

SPECIES RECORDED TWICE OUT OF THE SIX.

Pied-billed Grebe.
American Woodcock.
Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Barred Owl.*
Red-bellied Woodpecker.*

Rusty Blackbird.
Golden-winged Warbler.
Orange-crowned Warbler.
Brown Creeper.

Total. 9.

SPECIES RECORDED BUT ONCE OUT OF THE SIX.

Bonaparte Gull.
Wood Duck.
Am. Scaup Duck.
Least Bittern.
Florida Gallinule.*
American Coot.
Wilson Snipe.*
Least Sandpiper.*
Semipalmated Sandpiper.*
Greater Yellow-legs.
Yellow-legs.*
Semipalmated Plover.*
Turnstone.

Turkey Vulture.*
Pigeon Hawk.
American Osprey.
Screech Owl.
Pine Siskin.
Brewster Warbler.*
Black-poll Warbler.*
Connecticut Warbler.
Hooded Warbler.
Carolina Wren.*
Short-billed Marsh Wren.
Golden-crowned Kinglet.

Total, 25. Grand Total, 148.

All Dav With the Birds.

63

MAY lO. AT CADIZ, OHIO.

HARRY B. M CONNELL.

May lo. — In the vicinity of Cadiz from 4 o'clock to 9.
Two miles east of town from 10 till 12. In the region of
Piedmont, 14 miles southwest of Cadiz, in the late after-
noon. Temperature 60' at 4 a. m., 78° at 9 a. m.; clear.
Walked 11 miles, rode on bicycle 6 miles, drove 14 miles.

Green Heron.

Woodcock.

Wilson's Snipe.

Spotted Sandpiper.

Killdeer.

Bob-white.

Ruffed Grouse.

Mourning Dove.

Turkey Vulture.

Cooper's Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Belted Kingfisher.

Downy Woodpecker.

Red-headed Woodpecker.

Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Flicker.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Whip-poor-will.

Nighthawk.

Chimney Swift.

Kingbird.

Crested Flycatcher.

PhcEbe.

W^ood Pewee.

Prairie Horned Lark.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Blue Jay.

Crow.

Bobolink.

Meadowlark.

Orchard Oriole.

Bronzed Grackle.

Cowbird.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Goldfinch.

Cedarbird.

Vesper Sparrow.

Field Sparrow.

Grasshopper Sparrow.

White-throated Sparrow.

Chipping Sparrow.

Song Sparrow.

Towhee.

Cardinal.

Indigo Bunting.

Scarlet Tanager.

Purple Martin.

Barn Swallow.

Bank Swallow.

Tree Swallow.

Red-eyed Vireo.

Warbling Vireo.

Yellow-throated Vireo.

Nashville Warbler.

Yellow Warbler.

Cerulean Warbler.

Kentucky Warbler.

Blackburnian Warbler.

Canadian Warbler.

Oven-bird.

Wat.-^r- Thrush.

Maryland Yellow-throat

Yellow-breasted Chat.

Catbird.

Bro\\n Thrasher.

Carolina Wren.

Tufted Titmouse.

White-breasted Nuthatch.

Carolina Chickadee.

Chickadee.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Wood Thrush.

Wilson's Thursh.

Robin.

Bluebird.

Unidentified, 2; Total, 78 species.

We drove to Piedmont in the hope of seeing the Golden
Eagle and Logcock. The former is frequently seen in that
region, and three have recently been trapped alive. The

64

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

farmers in that section are complaining that the eagle is
taking their lambs.

MAY 17. AT M'ZENA, OHIO.
C. L. METCALF.

McZena, Ohio. — May 17; from 4:30 till 7:50 a. m. and
Trom 12:30 till 5:20 p. m.; clear; light wind, from the north
in the morning, south in the afternoon; average temperature
about 70°.

Spotted Sandpiper.

Killdeer.

Bob-wuite.

Ruffed Grouse.

Mourning Dove.

Red-tailod Hawk.

Sparrow Hawk.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

Belted Kingfisher. ,

Hairy Woodpecker.

Downy Woodpecker.

Red-headed Woodpecker.

Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Flicker.

Chimney Swift.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Kingbird.

Crested Flycatcher.

Phoebe.

Wood Pewee.

Prairie Horned Lark.

Blue Jay.

Crow

Bobolink.

Cowbird.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole.

Baltimore Oriole.

Bronzed Crackle.

Goldfinch.

Vesper Sparrow.

Total,

Grasshopper Sparrow.

White-crowned Sparrow.

Field Sparrow.

Song Sparrow.

Towhee.

Cardinal.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Indigo Bunting.

Scarlet Tanager.

Purple Martin.

Barn Swallow.

Red-eyed Vireo.

Warbling Vireo.

Yellow-throated Vireo.

Yellow Warbler.

Black-poll Warbler.

Blackburnian Warbler.

Black-throated Green Warbler.

Oven-bird.

Maryland Yellow-throat.

Yellow-breasted Chat.

CatbirQi.

Brown Thrasher.

White-breasted Nuthatch.

Tufted-Titmouse.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Wood Thrush.

Olive-backed Thrush.

Hermit Thrush.

Robin.

Bluebird.

63 species.

Some Birds of Florida. 69-,

SOME BIRDS OF FLORIDA.

BV REV. J. M. KECK.

The following birds were observed at, or near, Fruitland'
Park, Lake county. Florida, from Dec. 20, 1902, to April
20, 1903. The locality is near the geographical center of
the state. The region is high pine-woods land and is dot-
ted with small lakes. A few visits were made to the larger
lakes and marshes four to six miles away. The region ap-
pears to be free from English Sparrows, Common Crows,
Florida Crows, and ducks, save one species.

1. Pied-billed Grebe. Common resident on all lakes.

2. Anhinga. Common resident on the larger lakes Visits the
smaller lakes daily in winter. Quite tame.

3. Florida Duck. Rare resident on the larger lakes.

4. Ward's Heron. Resident but not common.

5. Atnerican Egret. Almost extinct resident.

6. Louisiana Heron. Very rare resident.

7 Little Blue Heron. Common resident by all lakes.

8. Little Green Heron. Not very common resident.

9. Black-crowned Night Heron. Common resident.

10. Sandhill Crane. Very common resident.

11. Limpkin. One seen by Lake Harris, January 22.

12. Florida Gallinule. Abundant resident in marsiies.

13. American Coot. Abundant on larger lakes in winter.

14. American Woodcock. One seen February 22.

15. Wilson's Snipe. Common transient visitor from February 10
to April 10. Their "bleating" can be heard almost every night dur-
ing their season.

16. Spotted Sandpiper. Resident but not common.

17. Hudsonian Curlew. One seen March 3.

18. Kildeer. Common in winter. A few remain in spring to nest.

19. Florida Bob-white. Abundant resident. Smaller and darker
than the northern variety.

20. Mourning Dove. Abundant in winter in flocks of 30 to 50.
Shot as game. In spring some remain to breed. Very wild.

21. Ground Dove. Abundant resident and quite tame.

22. Turkey Vulture. Common and very tame.

23. Black Vulture. Equally common and more abundant in
towns.

24. Marsh Hawk. Not common resident.

25. Florida Red-shouldered Hawk. Rare resident.

26. Bald Eagle. A rare visitor from the coast.

66 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

27. Pigeon Hawk. One present from February 14 to 17.

28. Sparrow Hawk. Abundant resident and very tame. One
roosts under our porch roof and nightly ejects pellets consisting en-
tirely of sand anu tne indige&iioie parts of insects.

29. American Osprey. Common resident. Fishes on all lakes.

30. Florida Barred Owl. Rather common resident
31 Florida Screech Owl. Not coiiimon resident.

32. Great Horned Owl. Rare resident.

33. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. One heard April 18.

34. Kingfisher. Common winter visitor until February 15.

35. Southern Hairy Woodpecker. Rather common resident.

37. Red-headed Woodpecker. Common summer resident after
March 10. Probably attracted by mulberries.

38. Red-bellied Woodpecker. Abundant resident. Tame and
noisy.

39. Yellow-shafted Flicker. Common resident. Tame.

40. Chuck-will's-widow. Common summer resident after March
20.

41. Whip-poor-will. One or two heard March 22.

42. Florida Nighthawk. Common after April 11.

43. Chimney Swift. Transient visitor from April 11 to 15.

44. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Common summer visitor after
March 20.

45. Kingbird. Abundant summer resident after April 5.

46. Crested Flycatcher. Abundant winter visitor. Last seen
March 10.

47. Phoebe. Abundant winter visitor. Last seen March 10.

48. Florida Blue Jay. Very common resident. Notes and hab-
its like those of the Blue Jay of the North.

49. Florida Jay. Very rare resident. Common farther South.
Very noisy.

50. Fish Crow. Not common in winter. Abundant in spring.
Breeds. Noisy.

51. Florida Red-wing. Common resident about marshes. Abund-
ant in certain localities.

52. Meadowlark. Common resident. Smaller and darker col-
ored than Ohio birds.

53. Florida Crackle. Abundant resident in certain localities.

54. Boat-tailed Crackle. Abundant resident about marshes.
Very tame and noisy.

55. American Goldfinch. Heard occasionally in January.

56. Vesper Sparrow. Common winter visitor until February 20.

57. Savanna Sparrow. Rare winter visitor.

58. Grasshopper Sparrow. Rather common winter visitor. Still
here April 20.

59. Chipping Sparrow. Common winter visitor until February
20. Sometimes seen in flocks.

Some r>ir(ls of Morida. 67

60. Pine-woods Sparrow. Rather common resident.

61. Bachman's Sparrow. Rare winter visitor until March 2.

62. Towhee. Common winter visitor until April 15. Found in
metto thickets.

63. Florida Towhee, erroneously called White-eyed Towhee. It
does not have a white eye. Common resident.

64. Florida Cardinal. Abundant resident and very tame. Comes
to our windows every day.

65. Purple Martin. Common summer resident after February
15. Notes very sweet and jolly.

66. Tree Swallow. Common winter visitor until April 10. Large
flocks dip into the lake at sunset.

67. Loggerhead Shrike. Common resident. Began nest build-
ing February 25.

68. Blue-headed Vireo. Rare winter visitor. Last seen April
10. Visits garden shrubbery.

69. Orange-crowned Warbler. Not common winter visitor. Last
seen February 28.

70. Parula Warbler. Rather rare winter visitor. Not seen after
April 10. Found on long-leaved pine.

71. Yellow-thrcated Warbler. Rare resident.

72. Pine Warbler. Rather common resident.

73. Palm Warbler. Abundant winter visitor. Appears in large
flocks. Last seen April 6.

74. Yellow Palm Warbler. Seen occasionally in winter.

75. Water-Thrush. One observed March 2.

76. Florida Yellow-throat. Common resident in "hummocks."
Persistent singer.

77. Mockingbird. Abundant resident. Very tame. Songs began
February 5. Frequently sings at night.

78. Catbird. Rare winter visitor. Not observed after March 5.
Feeds on holly berries.

79. Brown Thrasher. Rather rare resident.

80. Carolina Wren. Rare resident. Heard in cypress swamps.

81. Short-billed Marsh Wren. Resident in saw-grass marshes.

82. House Wren. Common resident. Heard in the scrub pal-
metto thickets, also about dwellings.

83. Florida Nuthatch. Not common resident.

84. Tufted Titmouse. Common resident.

85. Carolina Chickadee. Rather rare resident.

86. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Winter visitor. Disappeared about
February 10.

87. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Common winter visitor. Sometimes
sings a very low, sweet, varied song. Not seen after April 5. Often
with Palm Warblers.

88. Wood Thrush. One seen March 5.

89. Hermit Thrush. One observed March 7.

t38 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

90. American Robin. Not common winter visitor from January
1 to March 8. Sometimes seen in flocks.

91. Bluebird. Rare winter visitor from January 15 to February

20.

Addenda. At Melbourne, Florida, on the Indian River,
March lo, the following additional species were observed:

1. Brown Pelican. Common. Thirty miles below Melbourne
these birds breed by the thousand on an island.

2. Lesser Scaup Duck. Very abundant.

3. Ruddy Duck. Not common.

At St. Augustine, March 17, the following were added to

the list:

1. Herring Gull. Common.

2. Bonaparte's Gull. Common.

Fniitla)id Park, hlorida.

BREWSTER WARBLER {Helininthophila I en cob rone hi-
a/is) IN OHIO.

LYNDS JONES.

On May 23rd, 1902, an individual of this puzzling form
was seen and closely studied at Oberlin, but was not secured.
Its song was half Blue-wing and half Golden-wing. The
back could not be seen satisfactorily, but the underparts
were white tinted with black at the throat, the breast strong-
ly tinted with yellow, and the wing-bands clear yellow. The
black line on the side of the head was not wider than in
typical Blue-wing.

During the present season at least four individuals have
been seen and closely studied, two of which have been pre-
served. The songs range from almost typical Blue-wing to
about three-quarters Golden-wing, apparently without any
reference to the color phase of the individual. These indi-
viduals show no trace of black on the throat and very little

Brewster Warbler in (Jhio. 69

yellow on the underparts. The black eye stripe is narrow.
Of the two specimens collected one has no yellow on the
back, except the yellowish white wing bands, and just a
trace of yellow on the breast, the other one has evident
yellow in the middle of the back and on the breast.

All four of these birds were singing males with no appar-
ent family ties. If they mate and remain in the region to
nest a report will be made later.

In habits of feeding and singing, these four individuals re-
semble the Blue-wing more than the Golden-wing, but are
found in the same parts of the woods. It may be significant
that they have been found only in the two woods in which
the Golden-wing was found last season. While no careful
iior systematic search was made for nesting Golden-wings,
none were found in the course of regular class study, while
the Blue-wings were much in evidence in the same woods.

The presence of one individual of this rare hybrid would
not excite any great wonder, since it is likely to occur wher-
ever the Golden-wing may breed, but the presence of four,
and probably more, individuals seems to demand some ex-
planation. The only light I am able to throw upon it is
that in the woods where three of the four were found we
last year found what we then supposed to be a pair of typ-
ical Golden-wings nesting, but as no nest could be found,
and the pair soon deserted the region, they were supposed
to have gone elsewhere. In the light of the present experi-
■ences I am strongly inclined to the opinion that the female
of this pair was of the Brewster form, since she lacked the
black throat and was strongly tinted with yellow above and
below. It may well be that this pair succeeded in raising a
brood in this woods, and that the birds which returned are
their offspring; else why so many.'

70 The Wilson Bulletin.— Xo. 43.

THE WILSON BULLETIN,

A Quarterly Mag^azine Devoted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

SUBSCRIPl ION RATES.

Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Fifty Cents a year. Fifteen Cents a num-
ber, postage paid.

Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, Sixtv-Five Cents a year, Twenty
Cents a number.
Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L. Burns, Ber-

wyn, Penn., or to Mr. John VV. Daniel, Jr., 3146 Q street, N.W., Washington, D. C.

EDITORIAL.

The editor is pleased to announce that the next Bulletin will con-
tain a list of the birds of Mount Mansfield, Lamoille county, Ver-
mont, by Mrs. Elizabeth B. Davenport. Local lists are always of pe-
culiar value and interest in these days of widespread study of the
birds. They furnish a basis for study by those who are beginnings
to learn the birds, and enable them to make more accurate identi-
fications in the field. They are also a great aid in the final compila-
tion of a state list.

The next Bulletin will also contain an illustrated article on an un-
usual nesting place of the Great Horned Owl. The time is not far
distant when this bird will be extinct in the eastern parts of the
country, because he is so inordinately fond of poultry and other do-
mestic animals which are raised for profit. He is too conservative
to change his habits to save his neck, and must pay the penalty.

A useful piece of summer work would be the careful study of the
bird fauna of any region in which you find yourself. It should be
carefully borne in mind that some birds return from more northern
breeding places in July and August, and any such species should
not be included among the breeding birds. Therefore, keep a record
of all birds with the dates for such records. Far too little attention
has been given to the summer birds in most of the middle parts of

Editorials. 71

our country. It is really distressing to note the general lack of posi-
tive information regarding the nesting of several of our warblers.
A great deal of valuable work may be done along these lines.

Valuable work may also be done in determining the latest nest-
ing of many of our more common summer birds. We are usually
alert to note and record the first nesting, but the summer finds us
too inert to record if we notice, the last nesting. It is prob-
ably true that the southward movement of any individual among
our smaller land birds is dependent in large measure upon the nest-
ing. If the last brood is reared late in July the parents could not
begin the southward movement until after the young were able to
travel, or at least care for themselves, while other individuals
which had completed their nesting much earlier would have already
gone south. This is, a much neglected influence upon the southward
movements of the birds which any one may take up for study.

We are pleased to note that the wholesale milliners and the Au-
dubon Societies have agreed upon a truce which ensures the protec-
tion of our native birds from the millinery trade. We hope it will
result in proving that feathers are not a necessary part of woman's
costume. If it should result in a complete revolution in the fash-
ion of feminine headwear there would not be many bitter tears of
disappointment shed !

In the middle west the migration season which has just closed
has been unusual in several respects. Up to the first of April there
was an unusually early movement of several species, induced by the
unusually warm March weather. With the wet and cold of April
nearly all movement was checked, and when the warm air finally
called for migration in early May the nights were cool and clear,
enabling the night migrants to pass over without stopping. Instead
of swarms of warblers among the nearly bare trees one must search
for any at all. At Oberlin the individuals were fewer than during
any of the ten years of my experience here. But while the weather
was unfavorable for large numbers of individuals it seemed to be
favorable for some unusual occurrences, as a note on another
page indicates. Ideal weather for crowded migrations would prob-
ably be a period of some two weeks of wet weather in the South,
and cold nights with clouds or fogs in the North. The birds would
then begin their northward movement in the South, fly up to the
cloud or fog bank and be stopped. On the following day they would
be delightfully numerous all along the border of the cloud bank
and beneath it for some distance. On such a day the largest list
should be made.

72 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

We are in receipt of a paper entitled "An Act to Incorporate the
Audubon Society of North Carolina and to Provide for the Preser-
vation of the Song and Game Birds of the State," which means that
the birds of that state are to be looked after carefully and intelli-
gently. It is always a pleasure to note the rapid advance which
protective measures are making over the entire country. Not the
least encouraging is the evident intelligent interest manifested by
large numbers of persons where few or none seemed to care any-
thing about the birds a few years ago.

A new magazine, "The Atlantic Slope Naturalist," calls for our
attention. It is edited and published by Dr. W. E. Rotzell, at Nar-
berth, Penn.; subscription price .30 cents a year. "The object of
this little journal is to afford those interested in nature studies a
medium through which observations may be recorded, opinions may
be expressed, questions may be asked and specimens announced for
exchange." It is devoted to natural history in general, and therefore
appeals to a large constituency. The first number is full of inter-
esting matter, which promises well for the future of the journal.
Dr. Rotzell will make an able editor.

The reorganized Michigan Ornithological Club, in the first num-
ber of the fourth volume of its Bulletin, has proved that it is a
force to be reckoned with in that state. The immediate work out-
lined for members of the club is of the right character to produce
results. It goes without saying that the members mean business,
and that Michigan ornithology will make rapid strides in the next
few years. Geographically considered there is hardly a state in the
Union in which a larger list of birds might be expected to occur.
We look for some interesting things from this rejuvenated club.

GENERAL NOTES.

NOTES FROM RHINEBECK, DUTCHESS COUNTY, N. Y.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). — A pair nested in 1899 in a large hole
in an apple-tree, about six feet up. The tree was about ten yards
from an inhabited house, and not far from a creek. The female, as
she sat on her thirteen eggs, was so tame that she could be touched
before flying off. When suddenly approached she would utter a
hissing sound, resembling that of a swan. She and all her eggs were
stolen. In 1901 a pair was shot near the same spot.

General Notes. 73

Bob-white (Colinus virginianus). — A nest of fourteen Bob-white's
eggs was uncovered by a mowing machine on June 25, 1902, and af-
ter being all night in the rain, thirteen were put under a hen. One
was broken, but the twelve others all hatched, and the chicks were
kept in a shady walk. All disappeared finally, except two, a male
and a female. They are now quite tame and spend a large part of
their time in the chicken-yard. The male is quite pugnacious, and
does not hesitate to attack a rooster much larger than himself.

American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). — A young Bald

Eagle, in black plumage, was seen flying over my chicken-yard in
1898, and was at first thought to be a buzzard. The next day a
neighbor winged it and put it in a cage. When the wound
healed it was liberated, as it was rightly thought to be too rare a
bird to kill. I did not hear that it stole a single chicken while in
the neighborhood. On May 11th, 1901, a bird, which I feel justified
in calling an eagle on account of its great size and white head,
flapped rapidly over my chicken yard and the surrounding fields, ap-
parently with a fish in its claws. It was chased away by a Red-
shouldered Hawk and a couple of crows.

Barred Owl (Syrnium nebulosum). — in May, 1902, a workman,
on entering an old hay loft over a much-used cow stable, discovered
a Barred Owl and three young ones in a nest in the hay. He brutally
killed the mother with a pitchfork, and handed the young over to
the care of my superintendent. One of them died, but the other two
lived and fiourished. One, which I supposed was a male, was much
tamer than the other, although both came when called, even when
no reward was offered. The male day and night kept up a pej:uliar
hissing sound, with a rising inflection at the end, swaying his head
from side to side in an absent manner. He thus drew the atten-
tion of other birds and was frequently mobbed. The other was si-
lent and retiring. "Owly" is contemplating nesting in a swamp
filled with large oaks. I have heard him hoot in broad daylight,
which shows that by the loss of his mother his education was in-
complete.

American Crow (Corvus americanus). — The crow is, in my opin-
ion, a much greater pest than ever a hawk could presume to be.
(Indeed I try to protect the latter and owls as well as I can.) In
about three weeks, a family of crows disposed of nearly one hun-
dred out of 150 chicks, although they were kept within a few yards
of my house. I shot one, and hung it upon a tree close by, and
thus kept off the rest for some time. Since I have been here —
eight years — I have also seen crows carry off ducks, and chickens'
eggs, and ears of corn.

Red-winged Blackbird (Ageiaius phoeniceus). — The male Red-wing
arrives several weeks before the female. Like the Bluebird, he is

74 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 43.

very loath to abandon his old home. A marsh where several nest-
ed was burned over last April without driving them away. Al-
though there were two or three females nesting there at the same
time, there was only one male — in fact, there never has been more
than one.

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis.) — In 1901 two rows of sun-
flower seeds were sown in my orchard. In consequence, that sum-
mer I found five inhabited Goldfinches' nests there, and several
empty ones that had been used that season, while flocks of Gold-
finches were to be seen everywhere. Last year no sunflowers were
planted, and the result was that I found only one Goldflnch's nest;
nor do 1 believe that there were any others in the neighborhood.

Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus). — On June 3rd, 1901, I was attract-
ed to the nest of a Warbling Vireo by the singing of its owner, which
was at that moment sitting on its eggs. I do not know of any
other bird which sings while incubating.

Golden-winged Warbler (Helminthopila chrysoptera.) — Rhine-
beck, N. Y., is one of the places which is graced with the presence
of this beautiful little bird, which apparently is uncommon except in
certain restricted localities. Every year it comes to two small
wooded swamps on my place, during the first ten days in May, and
remains till about the middle of August. I have only succeeded
so far in finding one nest, which was on the ground and contained
two young warblers and a young Cowbird. They were all ready
to fiy, so I could not try to photograph their parents, which were
very shy, and would not lead me to the nest for a long time. The
nest was built of grape-vine bark, and dead oak leaves, and lined
with finer grass, all of a uniform dark brown.

M. S. CROSBY.

MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD INCREASING IN BOULDER, COLO.

It may interest the readers of the Bulletin to learn that the
Mountain Bluebird (Sialia arctica) is increasing in numbers each
year in this locality. This spring they are so numeroi^s as to at-
tract the attention of many people who had apparently never no-
ticed them before, and during heavy snowstorms from March 12 to
March 23, they congregated in enormous flocks, dispersing as soon
as the snow began to melt away after each storm. I believe the
flocking was due partly to the fact that the storms drove many
birds from the foothills, partly to the fact that unusually deep snow
in the mountains prevented the birds from entering a? early as
usual, but chiefly to the fact that they were forced to favored lo-
calities for food during the storms. Certain large trees were filled
with the birds, which seemed to be busily feeding among the burst-

General Notes. 75

ing buds, and large numbers gathered about the small hummocks
in swampy places, where the presence of open water seemed to
cause the snow to melt as rapidly as it fell, leaving the hummocks
bare.- JUNIUS HENDERSON.

Unusual Birds at Oberlin, O. — During the unusually tardy migra-
tion season just closed there have been several notable occurrences
at Oberlin. It is not easy to account for these, since some of them
are of birds of more southern distribution. Possibly the lateness
of the migrations resulted in an unusually strong current of mi-
gration when it did begin, and that current carried these southern
birds with it north of their usual range.

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Ereunetes pusillus). — May 16. Not be-
fore noted in spring.

Semipalmated Plover (.-Egialitis semipalmata). — May 14, 16, 19.
Seldom seen in spring.

Sanderling (Calidris arenaria). — May 19. Generally not present
in spring.

Prairie Warbjer (Dendroica discolor). — May 14. Only one other
county record.

Hooded Warbler (Sylvania mitrata). — Only one other county
record.

Kentucky AVarbler (Geothlypis formosa). — May 12. The first
specimen captured in the county. There have been three other re-
ports of occurrence, but no other captures.

Brewster Warbler (Helminthophila leucobronchialis). — See arti-
cle on another page.

There were some unusual occurrences earlier in the season.

Old-squaw (Harelda hyemalis). — March 11 and 12. Oberlin wa-
ter-works reservoir. A male and female in full breeding plumage.

Canvas-back (Aythya vallisneria). — March 13 to 18. A flock of
four males and one female were present for six successive days on
the water-works reservoir, and apparently spent the night as well
as the day on the water.

Loon (Gavia imber.) — April 17 to 22. A male in full breeding
plumage occupied the Oberlin water works reservoir for six suc-
cessive days. For three days he practiced trying to rise high
enough to clear the dwelling houses which nearly surrounded him,
loudly calling after each failure. He finally cleared the dwellings,
and was last seen heading for lake Erie. LYNDS JONES.

76 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. J:^.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Osteology of the Steganopodes. By R. W. Shufeldt, M.D. (Ex-
tracted from the Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburg, Pa.,
Vol. I. Plates XXI-XXX. Pages 109-223.)

After a careful treatment of the genera and species comprising
this group. Dr. Shufeldt concludes that the six families should be
grouped under three superfamilies as follows: To the Pelecanoidea
should belong the families Pelecanidse, Phalacrocoracidse, An-
hingidsB and Sulidse. The superfamily Pbcethontoidea comprises
only the family Phaethontidse and the superfamily Fregatoidea
family Fregatidse thus strongly emphasizing the structural differ-
ences between these two small groups and the other four families.
It is a piece of work which commands the respect and attention of
all. L- J-

Proceedings of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union at its Third
Annual Meeting, Lincoln, Neb., February 1, 1902.

This is a notable addition to Nebraska Ornithology. About thirty
pages are devoted to a profusely illustrated paper upon the Progen-
itors of Birds, by the President, Edwin H. Barbour. Shorter papers
follow treating of various subjects of a general nature, and these
are followed by several papers with illustrations treating the
reader to a glimpse of the bird life of Nebraska at all seasons, by
various members. The paper deserves a much more careful review
than it is possible to give it here. It affords a clear illustration of
the life, vigor and talent possessed by this body of working orni-
thologists. Every state should have such an organization. L. J.

Amateur Sportsman, The Vol. XXVIII, No. 6, Vol. XXIX, No. 1.
American Ornithology, Vol. Ill, Nos. 3, 4, 5.
Animal Ecology of Cold Spring Sand Spit, by C. B. Davenport.
Atlanta Slope Naturalist, The, Vol. I, Nos. 1, 2.
Bulletin of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick, No.
XXI

Bird-Lore, Vol. V, Nos. 2, 3.

Heredity of Sex, The, by W. E. Chase.

Journal of Applied Microscopy, Vol. VI, Nos. 2, 3, 4.

Maine Sportsman, Vol. X, Nos. 115, 116, 117.

Mirror, The, Vol. II, Series 3, No. 8.

Ohio Naturalist, The, Vol. Ill, Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6.

Plant World, The, Vol. Ill, Nos. 11, 12.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

No. 44.

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF
ORNITHOLOGY

Vol. X. SEPTEMBER, 1903. No. 3

BIRDS OBSERVED ON MT. MANSFIELD AND THE
WEST END OF STOWE VALLEY AT THE
BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN, IN
THE SUMMER OF 1903.

BY MRS. ELIZABETH B. DAVENPORT.

In the October Auk, 1902, appeared Mr. Arthur H. How-
ell's "Preliminary List of Summer Birds of Mt. Mansfield,"
the. first published article treating exclusively of the birds of
that region. Incidentally Mr. Howell summarizes previously
published Avi-faunal lists to date, also some of the literature
upon the Flora of the region.

His story covered June 14-24, 1900, June 23 to July 2, 1902,
and he found some interesting differences in bird distribution
in these two years, his records differing also from those of
Mr. Bradford Torrey made in 1885. The face of this territory
is undergoing changes wrought by the lumbering interests,
which are likely to increase in the near future, and it seems
desirable that careful study be given the region, and note made
of the bird life.

Mr. Howell offers his "List" chiefly as "a contribution to our
knowledge of the breeding range of Canadian Species,'' and
finds its "faunal relationships almost pure Canadian," "even
the few Alleghanian species found in the valley being extreme-
ly rare."

78 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 14.

The bulk of the mountain lies nearly north and south, sweep-
ing up grandly from the valley on the western side, its base
both here and on the east defining far-reaching curves, whose
steep sides are covered with forests on their lower slopes, and
whose broken rugged clififs lift themeslves by sharp ascents to
the great crest of the mountain.

Approaching from the Stowe side the ascent from the val-
ley begins at the foot of a spur thrown out toward the east,
the carriage road winding along its sides, and crossing to the
main ridge as the summit is neared. Here for the first time
the whole sweep of the mountain-top breaks on the view, the
fleeting outline crowned by the majesty of the Chin. A mile
and a half of wind-swept summit stretches away to the north,
sometimes only a narrowing mass of weather-worn rock, some-
times widening out, and making boggy hollows which shelter
a few stunted trees, or again giant masses of broken, splintered
rock thrown together in great confusion, and giving but peril-
ous foothold as one nears the great valley and gorges where
snowy clouds often drift or linger, and out of which other
mountain summits rise like somber islands, or maybe glow
with splendid color reflected from a gorgeous sky at sunset.

Below the forest proper the spur widens out into a plateau,
and at its base unite the two streams which drain the mount-
ain sides, the North Branch coming down through Smug-
gler's Notch, having its birth in the pure spring which bursts
from the heart of Sterling Mountain, cold, swift and forceful,
a brook from the hour its waters first meet the light of day.

The forest is mainly red spruce (Pica rubra), balsam fir
(Abeis balsainca), hemlock fLsuga canadensis), paper birch
(Beluta papriftra), yellow birch (Behita luten), beech (fagus
americana) , and sugar maple (Acer barbatnn).

Where the virgin forest has been removed the undergrowth
is very dense.

My stay was from June 6 to July 31, with the exception of a
few days early in July (2-5), when I joined the B. H. B. Club
at the midsummer meeting.

June 13-29, July 20-31 was spent at the summit.

June 6-13, July 5-20 I was stationed at Mr. Harlow's, and
observations made on North Branch, South Branch and slopes
of the mountain to the limit of timber.

Birds Observed on Mt. Mansfield. 79

The mile and a half of road from the foot of the plateau to
Bingham's Falls at the entrance of the Notch, proved rich in
species. For most of the way the road runs well above the
wild, rocky bed of the swift-flowing brook, presenting along
its borders the variety of scant open woodland, heavy forest,
areas of recent growth, and areas of mountain-side where
lumbermen have left trunks and tree-tops. Over the shorn
forest, vines and bushes are rapidly growing, offering shelter
and food to birds of the open woodland border.

Birds characteristic of both Alleghenian and Canadian fau-
nae seemed to intermingle here. Scarlet Tanagers and Wood
Pewees were in close touch with Olive-backed Thrushes and
White-throated Sparrows, and the W^inter Wren slipped mouse-
like among the prostrate trees.

Some puzzling questions of distribution were presented.
Below the Notch, Olive-backed Thrushes were confined to
this Branch, as were White-throats and Juncos. while they
were never found on the South Branch, just across the narrow
plateau.

The Wilson and Hermit Thrushes were distributed on the
South Branch only, and though the Hermits were in the forest
at the base of the mountain and well up along the Notch road,
they were always in the woods at the left of the road, the
Mansfield side.

These and some other questions relative to distribution are
reserved for further study before discussion.

The only birds listed not found along these Branches, the
plateau or mountain to 3,000 feet altitude, are Bicknell
Thrush and Black-poll Warbler, these two birds being confined
exclusive to the mountain summit.

1. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — June 9. Through
the season, North Branch and down the valley.

2. Bonasa umbellus. (togata?) Ruffed Grouse. Mr. Howell re-
fers all the Grouse found in this region to the Canadian form. I
could not determine this definitely. Heard frequently drumming
about the base of the mountain. Met with young all through the
season from June 13 to July 17, on the lower slopes of the mountain
to the Half-way House.

3. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Summit, June 15, oc-
casionally till late in July.

4. Accipiter atricapillius. Goshawk. — All through the season.

80 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

about the cliffs rising from the Notch. Young well grown, second week
in July. Mr. William Brewster thinks these must have been Duck
Hawks. (Tails were long.)

5. Coccyzus americana. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Occasionally
about approaches to the Notch road.

6. Ceryle alcyon. Kingfisher. — Frequently met along the
Branch brooks.

7. Dryobates villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — Well up the mount-
ain road on the underbill side. Not numerous.

8. Dryobates pubescens medianus. Downy Woodpecker. — Fre-
quent on mountain slopes and lower valleys.*

9. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. — Up the moun-
tain road as far as the spring. In the maple woods at the base.

10. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. — Common about
slopes and in the valleys. About the farm above Mr. Harlow's.

11. Ch33tura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Common m the valley.
Often seen flying over the Summit.

12. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — Frequent
about base of mountain.

13. Tyrannus tyrannus. .Kingbird. — Occasional in valley to base
of mountain.

14. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — Common about
Mr. Harlow's, especially at lower end of North Branch. Could be
also seen at the mountain foot proper.

15. Sayornis phoebe. Phoebe. — About all farm buildings. Nest-
ing at Mr. Harlow's.

16. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — Rare. Heard first at Mr.
Harlow's; June 8, on the North Branch; July 17, at Half-way
House; June 19, on Underbill trail.

17. Empidonax flaviventris. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. — Two
pairs located near the summit in swampy woods, June 17. Under
observation at intervals till July 28. Also on Underbill trail, June
19.

18. Empidonax traillii ainorum. Alder Flycatcher. — Occasional-
ly noted all the way to mountain's foot along the small brooks flow-
ing through the bushy pastures.

19. Empidonax minimus. Least Flycatcher. — Common in the
valley. Well up the mountain side on the Underbill trail, June 19.

20. Otocoris aipestris praticola. Prairie Horned Lark. — Mrs. Her-
bert E. Straw first reported these birds in the Stowe valley in 1898.
Mr. Howell found them at the same point and reported some twen-
ty-five or more in 1901. In 1902 these birds were observed about the
same fields and hill, and on June 30 several were seen and heard

*A woodpecker not surely identified but resembling the Arctic
forms in general apperance, working between two tree trunks, and
seen in profile only outlined against sky. Notes unfamiliar. At
Bingham's Falls, and once at base of mountain.

Birds Observed on Mt. Mansfield. 81

on the sloping meadows toward Morristown, some three miles from
the point to which they seemed to have been previously confined.

21. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Not common. Heard usual-
ly in the valley. Sometimes well up the mountain road. Heard
calls from summit July 28.

22. Corvus americanus. American Crow.— Common at base of
mountain. Saw Swallows (Barn and Eave) chasing crows over the
meadow, June 9. Crow flying low, carrying some object in bill
which it finally let fall.

23. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — Distributed through all
the meadows to mountain foot. Singing as late as July 8. About
the orchards July 29.

24 Agelaius phoeniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — A few seen in
meadow below the Forks.

25. Icterus galbuia. Baltimore Oriole. — Four pairs located be-
tween base of plateau and Stowe village, July 13. Old birds ap-
peared with young in the orchard about Mr. Howell's, but none
were nesting above the junction of the Branches below the house.

26. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. — Numerous about the
foot of mountain and also at Mr. Howell's. In full song all the sea-
son. Feeding on dandelion seeds, June 17.

27. Loxia curvirostra minor. American Crossbill. — About the
plateau all through the two months. In flocks and pairs. Often
feeding on the ground, holding the head sidewise to pick up grass
seed. Frequently eating seed of dandelion, holding seed with plume
projecting from side of bill till detached, then plume dropped. June
16, well tov/ard top of mountain. Occasionally flying about the
base in June.

28. Astragal inus tristis. American Goldfinch. — Abundant in the
valley to the forest at base of mountain.

29. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. — Frequently seen in flocks fly-
ing about the Nose.

30. Pooecetes gramineus. Vesper Sparrow. — Abundant in val-
ley and upland meadows.

31. Coturniculus sandwichensis savanna. Savanna Sparrow. —
Distributed along the plateau. A few pairs in meadows near Stowe.

32. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throated Sparrow. — Along the
North Branch. Not on the mountain till well toward the summit
(Inn trough), then rapidly increasing in numbers. One of the most
abundant birds on the mountain top where they were in full song
till I came down, July 29. Not so many individuals singing in July.
Sang from dawn till 10 P. M. June 23, earliest date observed feeding
young on summit. Some birds showed individual phrasing of the
song common to the species, which was maintained through the
season.

33. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — Abundant in the lower
valley, but rare on the plateau.

34. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow. — This bird was searched

82 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

for diligently in the bushy pastures at the foot of the mountain.
Neither heard nor seen till July 17, when a single one was found
at the above place.

35. Junco hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. — Ranging with the
White-throats, but extending into the Notch. On the summit the
White-throats were not found north of the rocky masses known as
the "lips," but the Juncos were all along the ridge to the "Chin."
Very familiar about the hotel, coming to the piazza for crumbs,
and feeding their young all about the open space.

36. Melospiza cinerea fasciata. Song Sparrow. — Common on the
plateau and valleys. The most abundant bird of that region.

37. Zamelodia ludoviciana. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. — Nesting
on the plateau, along the North Branch and woods of lower mount-
ain slopes. Heard and seen several times beyond the Half-way
House, and once at the limit of the large yellow birches.

38. Passerina cyanea. Indiga Bunting. — Common on the pla-
teau and Branches. Also seen at the mountain foot proper.

39. Piranga erythromelas. Scarlet Tanager. At base of the

mountain, the North Branch, and hill below Mr. H.'s house.

40. Chelidon erythrogaster. Barn Swallow. — Abundant in the
valley. Nesting on the plateau, north edge of the mountain forest.

41. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow. — Record as No. 40.

42. Clivicola riparia. Bank Swallow. — Common in suitable situa-
tions below the plateau.

43. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar Waxwing. — First observed in val-
ley June 9, which Mrs. Straw thought an early date. Later seen
occasionally about the base of the mountain.

44. Vireo olivaceus. Red-eyed Vireo. — Abundant m maple woods
at base of mountain. Common all about the lower slopes and val-
ley, and heard almost to limit of timber.

45. Vireo gilvus. Warbling Vireo. — Rare in the lower valley and
not heard at any other point.

46. Vireo solitarius.. Solitary Vireo. — Occasionally on the lower
slopes. Always in the vicinity of hemlocks.

47. Mniotllta varia. Black and White Warbler. — Common on the
lower slopes and about the plateau.

48. Helminthopila rubricapilla. Nashville Warbler. — On the
North Branch, at foot of plateau, in the orchard opposite Mr. How-
ell's. Also again near the mountain summit, where this bird was
still singing July 28. Less numerous than any other warbler.

49. Compsothlypis americana usneae. Northern Parula Warb-
ler.— Not abundant on the mountain proper, but found well up
among the hemlocks. More numerous along the North Branch.

50. Dendroica aeistiva. Yellow Warbler. — None found above foot
of plateau. Not abundant.

51. Dendroica caerulescens. Black-throated Blue Warbler. — Very
common about the Falls, the North Branch and lower slopes of
mountain, ranging up through the deciduous woods in the open

Birds Observed on Mt. Mansfield. 83

spaces, and edges of clearings. Feeding young at foot of mount-
ain, June 30.

52. Dendroica coronata. Myrtle Warbler. — As low down the
mountain as the "S" bend. Very numerous about the summit.
Often singing sitting on tips of firs and spruces. They had a pret-
ty habit of scouring along the edges of roofs of the hotel and barn,
and poising on wing to pick out spiders from under the eaves, the
outspread wings and hovering motion showing their rich coloring
to great advantage. Still in song there July 28.

53. Dendroica maculosa. Magnolia Warbler. — Occasional on the
North Branch, but more often found in the pastures above the South
Branch, and always among the young spruces and firs. A few no-
ticed on the mountain road.

54. Dendroica pensylvanica. Chestnut-sided Warbler. — Common
along the North Branch and shrubbery clearings of the mountain
toward the base. First found feeding young, July 8. The sexes
have different alarm notes. Verified for first time this year.

55. Dendroica striata. Black-poll Warbler. — Abundant among
all the stunted spruces and firs from altitude of 3,000 feet to region
about the summit. Never heard them much north of the hotel.
The rhythmic beat of their notes never musical, but the impression
of ebb and Aovn' most agreeable. Feeding young, July 26.

5G. Dendroica blackburnias. Blackburnian Warbler. — Ranging
with the hemlocks, but singing and feeding largely in the deciduous
trees — a habit I have noticed about Brattleboro. Common along
North Branch.

57. Dendroica virens. Black-throated Green Warbler. — Common
along the North Branch. Well up the mountain. Found always
among the hemlocks.

58. Seiurus aurocapillus. Oven-bird. — Abundant along North
Branch and mountain road wherever open deciduous woods abound.
Flight song June 11, then nightly till early in July. Feeding young-
July 11 (mountain road). July 6, male about Mr. Howell's orchard.

59. Geothylpis pliiladelphia. Mourning Warbler.— Heard but a
few times at the foot of the mountain in the thickets and edge of
woodland. Mr. Howell reports them in the Notch.

60. Geotliylpis trichas brachidactyla. Northern Yellow-throat. —
Abundant about streams at foot of plateau and North Branch.

Gl. Sylvania canadensis. Canadian Warbler. — Nesting along
Nortii Branch. Common where timber had been cut and bushes
had grown up among the abundant tree-tops.

62. Setophaga ruticilla. Redstart. — In the second growth timber
on Notch road almost to Bingham Falls. Also along the South
Branch and road from valley to Mr. Harlow's. Not abundant. Young
out of nest July 29.

63. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Catbird. — Common in the valley.
Observed almost to edge of mountain forest along the bushy streams
in the pasture.

84 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

644. Olbiorchilus hyemalis. Winter Wren. — Of this bird Mr. H.
reports: "Mr. Lorry writes me that he noted them several times
during his visit in '85 on the upper part of the mountain. I was
disappointed not to find them, but I am certain they were not there
in '99-00, for although the bird might be overlooked the song is not
likely to escape notice." This is a most interesting report, for 1902
found a different record, so that I give a full acount of the distri-
bution as I found it. At Bingham Falls and further down the North
Branch. Once both seen and heard at the junction of the Branches
(July 20 for latter record); also in the Notch. Again about
half-way up the mountain road. Four pairs about the summit.
Heard on the underbill slopes and once at the Chin on the Notch
slopes. As Mr. H. says, it would not be likely that this bird could
be overlooked if present. From June 13 to 18 song heard about the
Summit House from faintest dawn till after 9 P. M., and singing
daily till July 28, but song not continuous after about June 20. I
could never decide if the song sounded the more beautiful in the
deep forest among the mossy tree-trunks about whose prostrate
forms spinulose ferns clustered, and where water filtered and drip-
ped and lay in tiny pools, or where the rich silvery notes greeted
one in the closing hours of the day as the glowing tints of sunset
faded from the sky and mountain tops, and purpling shadows folded
in the magnificent rocky ramparts of the ridge.

65. Sitta carol inensis. White-breasted Nuthatch. — Not common,
but well up the mountain ranging with the Chickadee.

66. Sitta canadensis. Red-breasted Nuthatch. — June 12 in maple
wood at base of mountain, and twice on South Branch. Was sur-
prised not to find this bird more generally distributed, and think
an earlier exploration in the Notch would have changed my record.

67. Parus atricapillus. Chickadee. — Feeding young at base of
mountain June 8. Well distributed on North Branch and hillside
below the plateau. On mountain road among the hemlocks. Not
abundant.

68. Regulus satrapa. Golden-crowned Kinglet. — But once, at
foot of mountain.

Hylocichia mustelina. Wood Thrush. — Mr. H.'s record for this
Thrush is, "I think there were two pairs nesting there in 1899," and
"heard the song and alarm note several times in the damp maple
woods at base." In 1900 could find no trace of them, nor have they
been observed by Mrs. Stowe in the Stowe Valley, so they are prob-
ably irregular in their occurrence there. Early one morning I
thought I identified the song in the direction of the maple woods,
of which Mr. H. writes, but the distance was too great to hear a
whole phrase. This was the only occasion when any note was
heard which could be related to this species, though I searched
and listened diligently.

69. Hylocichia fuscescens. Wilson Thrush. — Only on the South
Branch and in growth of young maples approaching base of mount-

Birds Observed on Mt. Mansfield. 85

ain. Rather common. Young hatched June 11. A bird and nest
of unusual interest found June 8. Nest in group of six young maple
trees growing closely together. Broken sticks had lodged in the
group, and large beech leaves made the foundation of the nest at
about 18 inches from the ground. *The nest was of moss, thick
walled, deeply cupped, well sunken in the bed of leaves. Lined
with fine grass and fibers. I did not handle the eggs, but they
looked like typical Wilson eggs. The bird was not typical Wilson.
No warm tints anywhere. Back, wings, tail and rump just the color
of the young maple bark. Throat matched the blanched beech
leaves over which it was lifted. Breast creamy; also sides.
Streaked on sides and on breast, streaks running to the bill, but
leaving throat entirely clear. Throat, eye ring and lores white,
with the lores strongly marked. Calls and alarm notes those of the
Wilson, and neither song nor notes of any other Thrush heard in
vicinity. Studied the bird at range of six feet- for three hours at a
time, for three days. Four young safely hatched June 10.

70. Hylocichia aliciae bicknellii. Bicknell Thrush. — Abundant
on the whole mountain crest wherever the swampy ground sup-
ported a growth of dwarfed spruce or fir. Found as low on the
mountain road as the turn which first brings the hotel in sight.
In full song when I first reached the summit, June 13, singing from
earliest dawn till 10 P. M., both about the house and on the under-
bill side of the ridge. After June 20 song diminished, but often
heard as late as July 29. Young well grown July 22. Their thrush
habit of singing in the tops of dead trees or on projecting dead
branches gave one much opportunity to see them. Were shy of
near approach till young were hatched, then came about house and
barn from out their cover, feeding freely on the ground and in the
barn-yard. Occasionally while incubating would be seen running
a little ahead of us on the bald rocky ridges toward the Chin, feed-
ing at the edges of the bogs, and slipping into the dense growth
if too nearly approached. The birds showed variation in both color
and size, but the spotting in perfect harmony with olive of the back.
The calls and alarm notes resemble the other thrush notes, but are
easily separable, the "when" being thinner than that of the Wilson.
The "cluck" was a common note; also the notes resembling the
Nighthawk, a call which is like no other Thrush imless it should be
the Alice, with which I am not familiar. Mr. Howell gives the song
"we6 a wee a wee chi chi wee, whistled through closed teeth." I
heard it mostly given wee a wee a we we, then the chi chi, the last
thin and high, but with the vibrant quality of the Wilson without
change of pitch, closing with wea wea. On these last two unac-
cented notes only an interlude between repetitions of the vibrant

*One of the Polytrichiums. Plants laid close together, as they
grow, the root ends beautifully curved at the bottom and the cap-
sules crowded together at the rim and overlapped by the blanched
leaves of the beech.

86 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44,

notes. We sought diligently and perseveringly for the nest, but
without success. The cover was so dense, the stiff, low-growing
boughs so interlaced, that it was impossible to penetrate many
feet from the road. We searched every available group, sometimes
climbing over the tops of low-growing trees when no opening could
be made. On June 22 the men were cutting trees to mend the road,
and when they had penetrated a close growth, a pair of birds circled
about them, showing great distress. Examination revealed a
crushed nest and eggs in the felled tree. The season was not fa-
vorable for nest-hunting, almost every day in June being in whole
or part rainy, and with high winds often making it impossible to
keep one's footing in the open on the summit. We are trusting
more favorable conditions and results another year.

71. Hylocichia swainsonii. Olive-backed Thrush. — Abundant on
the North Branch and lower slopes, extending well up to the limits
of timber, but decreasing then in numbers. One was located at
point where the hotel is first sighted, the highest range found.
This bird often sang within hearing of the house. Were found
well up the mountain sides, both in Smuggles and Underbill
Notches. Well-grown young, July 19, in both above-named places.
It was impossible not to contrast the song of Bicknell and Olive-
back, as both were heard together. The latter suggested the rich
odor of the fragrant firs and the former their spiring tops. Found
the Olive-backed more shy than Bicknell.

72. Hylocichia guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. — Well dis-
tributed along the road to the Notch proper, but only to left of this
road. Also on the South Branch, but not common. Seemed to be
confined to the woods south-east of the mountain base, through
which fiowed the South Branch. Mr. Lorrey says, "Singing freely
about the summit in July." On July 23 I was on the ridge near the
cavern when a Hermit broke into song just below me on the slope
toward the Underbill, singing continuously for almost ten minutes,
then again at short intervals. At no other time was this bird
heard anywhere above the base, and had probably pushed up the
sharp slope temporarily.

73. Merula migratoria. Robin. — Abundant at the mountain base.
A pair located on the summit seemed much more shy than those
commonly nesting about our houses.

74. Sialia sialis. Bluebird. — Several nesting about Mr. H.'s and
to the base of mountain. Numbers came about the orchard, their
soft notes and calls heard when the song season proper had passed.

Xest of the Western Horned Owl.

87

A NEST OF THE WESTERN HORNED OWL (Bubo
virginianus subarcticus.)

]?Y KinvARD K. \\'arkp:x.

In the early part of May, 1901, while in Paonia, Delta coun-
ty, Colorado, I heard of a nest of the Western Horned Owl.
On the Sth we drove out there to investigate, and found the
nest site in a cliff or bluff of adobe clay facing the west. The
nest was 18 or 20 feet above the base of the bluff and as far
or farther below its toj). As we approached the place the
old bird Hew awav.

NESTIPsG SITE OF WESTERN IIORXED OWL NEST IN THE CLEFT

ABOVE THE MAN's HEAD.

88 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

While there 'appeared no way to reach the nest from below,
it was possible to scramble to the top of the blufif above the
nest. Arrived at the top, a rope, a loose fence post and a con-
veniently placed prairie-dog hole furnished the desired com-
bination. The first descent proved fruitless as far as the nest
Vv'as concerned, but embarrassingly fruitful in the amount of
"dobe" carried to the bottom of the cliff. The dry wall of
dirt crumbled at the touch into dust as fine as flour, or rat-
tled down in chunks at a vigorous blow.

The second descent was successful in locating the nest on a
shelf about six feet wide and four feet deep, sloping slightly
down toward the edge — rather insecure footing on that
crumbling soil, but making the use of the camera possible.

There were two young in the nest. After a snap at them in
the defensive attitude which they immediately assumed, back-
ing up against the adobe wall, I attempted to move them into
a better light, but one of them chose to flutter down from the
protecting ledge. I followed and had him at my mercy. His
picture shows how he felt about it, and how his evident temper
impressed the caniera. W^e left the young bird at the foot of
the bluff, feeling certain that the parents would find it.

The next day we returned and carried the other youngster
home in a bag, and made a pet of him. He seemed to thrive
on shreds of tough old rooster, which he refused to help him-
self to. At first I placed it in his mouth, but in the end found
that the most expeditous way was to take hold of the bird's
head, force open his bill, and poke the food down his throat.
As he could swallow pieces of the roostes's neck an inch long,
his digestion must have been good.

The bird stood about twelve inches high. The body plum-
age appeared to be mostly down — soft, fluffy and thick — but
the wing and tail feathers were about half out of their sheaths.
Ordinarily the ear tufts projected about half an inch, but some-
times fully three-quarters of an inch. The feet and legs were
thickly covered with a yelowish or light buffy down.

The whole of the body down was barred, below as well as
above, like the adult plumage. The body was light yellowish
brown, gray tipped. The wing coverts were brownish yellow,
with very dark bars fully a quarter of an inch wide. The pri-
maries, secondaries and tail feathers were as dark as the bars

Nest of the Western Horned Owl.

89

fr

^^^

YOUNG WESTERN HORNED OWLS.

90

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

of the coverts, with still darker bars. The feathers of the
face were just beginning to show.

During my absence the owl grew normally, and finally es-
caped, only to return for more chicken, and was killed while
indulging a cultivated appetite for chicken.

I visited the nesting site in April of the following year. An
empty egg shell proved that the nest was occupied again. Re-
turning on the 13th we found the post ready set. The old bird
was on the nest when I started down, but soon flew away. In
the nest were three downy young, with pin feathers just be-
ginning to show in the largest bird. There were also three
young Pinon Jays, a Pocket Gopher (Thomomys), and the
hind quarters of a cotton-tail rabbit, all food for the young.

VOUNG VVESTERX HORNED OWL.

Winter Birds of Central Park, New York City. 91.

The few shredded cedar-bark fibers could hardly be called a
nest.

The down of the yoimg birds was white. The smallest one
(at the left in the picture) I judged to be about ten days old,
since it was ten days since I had found the shell at the base of
the bluff. No opportunity offered for a further study of this
interesting family.

WINTER BIRDS OF CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK

CITY.

BY CHARLES H. ROGERS.

My own notes, which cover the past three seasons, have
been supplemented by those of Mr. George E. Hix and Mr.
R. E. Stackpole, to whom I owe grateful acknowledgements.

All numbers of individuals, unless otherwise stated, refer
to that part of the park north, to 86th street on the west and
the Museum of Art on the east and south to about 73rd street.

I. WINTER VISITORS, 15.

1. Larus argentatus. Herring Gull. 51. — All through the winter
flocks sometimes numbering fifteen hundred birds, though usually
less, visit the large Croton Reservoir, a few only occasionally visit-
ing the small one. In other parts of the park they may be seen
flying overhead singly and in small parties. Arrival: earliest, Oc-
tober 9; latest, November 6; average, October 27. Last seen: earli-
est, April 18; latest. May 5; average, April 27.

2. Aythya americana. Redhead. 146. — On January 1, 1903, I
saw a male (with two females of the same species?) feeding to-
gether on the big reservoir, apart from the gulls.

3. Dryobates pubescens medianus. Downy Woodpecker. 349c. —
One male and one female in 1900-1; the same in 1901-2; and in
1902-3, two males and two females. Arrival: earliest, August 23;
latest, October 20; average, September 19. Last seen: earliest,
April 13; latest, May 2; average, April 22.

4. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. 517. — I saw one male,
February 3, 1903.

5. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throated Sparrow. 558. — This,
one of our commonest winter birds, was strangely less common
last winter. In 1900-1 about seventy were present, and the next

92 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

winter a hundred, but last season the largest number seen in one
hunt was sixteen. Arrival: earliest, September 28; latest, Octo-
ber 5; average, October 2. Last seen: earliest, May 20; latest,
May 24; average. May 22.

6. Spizella monticola. Tree Sparrow. 559. — This Sparrow has
been recorded on the following dates only: February 24, 1902, 2;
February 26, 1902, 8; February 27, 1902, 3; February 20, 1903, 1.

7. J unco hyemalis. Junco. 5G7. — Very common migrant, un-
common in winter. Arrival: earliest, September 28; latest, Octo-
ber G; average, October 3. Last seen: earliest. April 30; average,
April 22.

8. Passerella iliaca. Fox Sparraw. 585. — 1900-1 only. Fox Spar-
rows (4) spent the winter in the park. Late autumn migrants are
sometimes seen early in December. Bight seen February 12, 1901.

9. Thryothorus lubovicianus. Carolina Wren. 718. — One each
of this and the following species seen December 2, 1902. They had
both been seen occasionally that autumn.

10. Olbiorchilus hiemalis. Winter Wren. 722. — See next above;
also one seen December 30, 1900.

11. Certhia familiaris fusca. Brown Creeper. 726. — Regular
but not common. 1900-1, 1; 1901-2, 3; 1902-3, 3. Arrival: earliest,
October 1; latest, October 5; average, October 3. Last seen: earli-
est, April 18; latest. May 7; average, April 27.

12. Sitta carolinensis, White-breasted Nuthatch. 727. — Regu-
larly every other year. In 1900-1 there were three; last winter
only one. Arrival: 1900, September 29; 1902, October 8. Last
seen: 1901, April 11; 1903, March 20.

13. Parus atricapillus. Chickadee. 735. — One spent the winter
of 1900-1, also one seen November 4, 1902. No others seen the last
two winters. Arrival: 1900, October 20. Last seen: 1901, April 10.

14. Regulus satrapa. Golden-crowned Kinglet. 748. — Some be-
lated autumn migrants seen December 2, 1900; also I saw several
on Christmans Day, 1901, and two paid us a visit from December
24, 1902, to January 5, 1903, inclusive.

15. Hylocichia guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. 759. — One
spent the winter of 1901-2.

II. PERM.\NENT RESIDENTS, 7.

16. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. 412. — In 1900-1,
I saw only two individuals, one each on January 6 and 15. Next
season a female remained through the winter, but in 1902-3 I saw
only one, February 13.

17. . Sturnus vulgaris. Starling. 493. — In 1900-1 the largest num-
ber seen in one hunt was 65, the next winter only 25, and in 1902-3,
over a hundred.

18. Carduelis carduelis. European Goldfinch.— 1900-1, 6; 1901-2,
15; 1902-3, 6.

Winter I'.irtls of Central Park. Xew York City. 93

19. Fringilla cselebs. Chaffinch. — One male was present in 1902-
3, and in the spring several Chaffinches were liberated.

20. Melospiza cinerea melodia. Song Sparrow. 581. — In 1900-1,
two individuals, next season, five, and last winter, four.

21. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. 593. — In 1900-1, one male;
1901-2, two males and a female; and in 1902-3, two males and two
females. During the mild weather about Lincoln's Birthday, 1903,
a pair of Cardinals built a nest and laid one egg; both nest and
egg were, of course, destroyed by the next snow.

22. Merula migratoria. American Robin. 761. — Three were
present during each of the last three winters.

III. OCCASI()N.\L STRAGCLERS FROM THE COUNTRY.

23. Buteo lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. 339. — One was pres-
ent for a week or two late in December, 1901, and early in January,
1902, before he was shot. A large hawk, species unidentified, was
seen on February 10 and 17, 1901, and December 14, 1902.

24. Falcc sparverius. American Sparrow Hawk. 360 — I saw one
in January, 1902, and a small hawk, probably of this species, Jan-
uary 2, 1903.

25. Asio wilsonianus. American Long-eared Owl. 366. — I saw
one December 6, 1901.

26. Megasccps asio. Screech Owl. 373. — I saw one December
28, 1902.

27. Corvus americanus. American Crow. 488. — One spent the
winter of 1899-1900 and I saw one flying overhead February IG,
1901.

28. Agelaius phoeniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. 498. — I saw
a male December 7 1901.

29. Sialia sialis. Bluebird. 76C. — I saw three December 15,
1901.

IV.

The following three winter birds have been seen in Central
Park, but not in winter :

30. Loxia cuvirostra minor. American Crossbill. 521. — I saw
a flock of about half a dozen, of which only one was an adult male,
April 6, 1899.

31. Acanthis linaria. Redpoll. 528. — One female was seen No-
veber 10, 190L

32. Lanius boreal is. Northern Shrike. 621. — I saw one on No-
vember 5, 1901.

V.

33. Quiscalus quiscula. Purple Crackle. 511. — An early spring
migrant, seen February 28, 1903.

I would be g"lad to hear from any readers who can add to
this list.

i)4 The Wilson bulletin.— No. Ik

THE TERNS OF THE WEEPECKET ISLANDS. MASS-
ACHUSETTS.

LVNnS JONES.

The preservation and gradual increase of the various Tern
colonies along the Massachusetts coast is largely due to the
interest and attention of Mr. George H. Mackay, who has kept
us informed of the progress of the colonies at Penekese and
Muskeget. Attention was called to a small colony of terns at
the Weei)ecket Islands, in ISDli, by Mr. Reginald Heber
Howe, Jr., who reports the results of two visits to these islands
on June 27 and IW, 18i)(i, in the Auk for April, 1897, page 203.
The results of Mr. Howe's study may be briefly summarized.

On the outer island about fifty birds were flying about, but
only three nests, each containing two eggs, were found. These
nests were placed upon the edge of the plateau, well hidden
in the grass and poison ivy. "The Roseate Terns (Sfcnia
dougalli) were apparently the only inhabitants of this island."

About he same number of terns were counted above the
Middle island, and two nests were found on the beach and two
on the Q(\gt of the plateau concealed beneath the scrubby poi-
son ivy. The most of the lairds here were Roseates, but there
were a few Comnion Terns (Sterna Iiinuido).

The ]>opulation of Great Weepecket was studied on June
."id. ( )n the m)land 2-5 nests were found, two empty, three
with one egg, seven with two, twelve w'ith three, and one with
four, and one with a chick. On the beach eight nests were
found, three with one egg. two with two, and three with three.
Total, 34 nests.

"The nests on the uplands were in almost every case placed
near or at the base of the scattered boulders, and on the beach
on the sea weed. The colony consisted of perhaps 200 terns,
tk.e majority Roseates ; but as the terns on the three islands
all gatliered over one when walking about the island, and
others are ofi^ fishing, a correct estimate is impossible."

During nearly the whole of July and the first half of August
the writer enjoyed unusual opportrunities for studying the
terns of these islands, and a coip.parison of conditions now with
those of ISiX) may prove interesting. The boats of the U. S.

Terns of the Weepecket Islands, Massachusetts. 95

Fish Commission and of the Marine Biological Laboratory
were placed at my disposal, and it was due to the courtesy
of these organizations that I was able to visit these islands on
t;everal different occasions for more or less extended study.

July 10. Mr. Irving A. Field, of the Fish Commission, ac-
companied me, when we made a pretty careful count of the nests
on the three islands. On the outer small island we found 53
nests, the most of them among the weeds on the higher parts of
the beach, concealed more or less. The top of this island was
so densely covered with grass that but half a dozen nests could
be accommodated along its edge. The lower beach nests were
wholly exposed, and seemed to belong to the Common Tern,
while the protected nests of the higher places appeared to be-
long to the Roseate Terns. It was possible to be absolutely
accurate in identification only when there was a chick in the
nest. Most of the birds hovering above the island and making
hostile demonstrations were Roseates.

Middle Weepecket contained but 19 nests, one of them con-
taining five eggs. The position of the nests, as well as
the actions of the birds flying about indicated that the Roseates
were in the majority here, but not so much so as on the outer
island. There were more nests on the top among the scrub
poison ivy and grass, and fewer on the beach exposed.

Great Weepecket was the home of the Common Tern to the
almost exclusion of the Roseate. Not more than three nests
of the Roseate were positively identified here. The upper level
is so much more extensive than the beach levels, and so well
grown with poinson ivy and bay berry bushes, and so broken
up with hollows and elevations, that it was next to impossible
to make an accurate count of the nests, or rather, to find all
of them. 337 nests were found on the beach levels and 189
on the upper levels. Few or none were concealed by bushes
or grass. One was found in an old wrecked dory, and two
were placed partly under large boulders, but their situation
could hardly have been for concealment. Very few of the
eggs lay upon the bare ground. The nests were made of dry
grasses, or dry sea weed,. some being even elaborately made —
for a tern.

One nest containing six eggs pretty clearly belonged to two
birds ; 13 contained five eggs ; 22 contained four eggs. The

96 The Wilson Bulletin.— No 44.

variation of the eggs in the nests containing but two eggs was
so great that it was rarely possible to tell whether the nests
of five belonged to two or to but one bird. That point can be
settled only after careful study with the birds under close
scrutiny.

Over 20 young birds unable to fly were counted on the three
islands, but they were not considered in making an estimate
of the population of the islands. (il8 nests were actually
found, thus arguing a population of 1,236 old birds. It is
almost certain that many nests were overlooked, and it is not
likely that many nests were counted twice. Probably an esti-
mate of 1,500 old birds would be far within the facts. Thus
it would appear that the rate of increase since 1896 has been
enormous. On the two smaller islands the Roseates have more
than held their own, while on the large island the Common
Terns have come in hordes to possess it.

While there were more eggs than young birds and empty
nests on the beach levels of the large island, on the upper levels
the empty nests and young predominated. Apparently the first
comers built their nests on the uplands by preference, while
the later comers were either forced to occupy the lower levels
or chose to do so. A little more care was manifest in the se-
lection of a nesting site and in the construction of the nests on
the uplands than on the beach. One might argue from this
that the upland breeding birds were the more experienced, and
therefore probably the older birds, but systematic study will
be needed to prove it. The number of eggs in a nest also ap-
peared to average larger on the uplands than on the beach
levels.

It is common knowledge that tern eggs are protectively
colored to simulate pebbles on the beach. Nests made of sea
weed scattered among the pebbles were hard to see, because
the color of the sea weed resembled the stones and the eggs.
On the upper levels, however, and on the light colored sands
among the grass, and where the nests were made of light col-
ored fine grass, the eggs were easily detected by their bold
blotches. They would have been less conspicuous little end up,
but tradition forbade such an arrangement. Why tradition
should permit the use of nonprotective nest material and not
also furnish a degree of protection in either color or position

Terns of the Weepecket Islands, JMassachusetts. 97

of the eggs is not clear. Perhaps she has not had time to
complete her line of research yet.

It is also common knowledge that the downy young are pro-
tectively colored while on the beach, the mottling of the downs
with tawmy and dusky producing the effect of pebbles and
small stones, and sea weed. It is interesting to notice that
while the downy young of the Common Tern are thus mottled,
the downy young of the Roseate Tern are longitudinally
streaked from head to tail, the whole effect being decidedly
darker. Incidentally, the legs and feet of the Roseate are dark,
but of the Common almost orange, in the downy young. In
both species the throat is dusky black, but the rest of the un-
derparts, including the under side of the wings, are pure
white. An explanation of this difference in pattern of colora-
tion in the downy young of the two species is found in their
habits and surroundings. I found young of the Roseate only
on the uplands or among the weeds and grass of the upper
beach slopes, always more or less concealed by the grass or
w'eeds. Here the colors blend well with the surroundings.
Many of the young of the Common Tern were on the beach
and could be seen there with difficulty ; but those which occu-
pied the upland nests, or crouched among the grass and bushes
were usually readily seen, because the mottled downs rather
contrasted than harmonized with the surroundings. One is
almost forced to the conclusion that the traditional nesting
place of the Roseate is among grasses, while that of the Com-
mon is on the beach among pebbles and sea weed.

My work was a minute study of the nestling and juvenile
plumages, but the results of that work can better await a more
careful treatment than the limits of this paper make possible.
It is sufficient to say that the body and inner wing markings
ol the juvenile Common Tern, on the dorsal side, give the effect
of dark bars on a tawny or buff'y ground, while the markings
in the same regions of the Roseate give the effect of mottling
in tawny and dark gray. As the two species crouched in the
grass often side by side, it was easy to compare the relative
protective effect of the two plumages which are really so
much different in general effect. On the whole, it was a little
more difficult to detect the young Common Tern than the
young Roseate in the grass and bushes, but the young Roseate

98 The Wilson Pnilletin.— No. 44.

was better concealed among the weeds with large leaves.
Among the pebbles and stones the Common was the more
readily seen. The underparts of the young Common were en-
tirely pure white, but of the Roseate with a faint tint of cream
or even rosy.

The Weepecket terns seemed to feed almost wholly in the
vicinity of Woods Holl. They ranged from Quisset to the
bathing beach or even all along the west shore of Penzance,
Great and Little Harbor, and the region of Vineyard Sound
bordering the harbors, and in Hadley Harbor. Some range
farther, of course, but the birds feeding young appeared to
content themselves with the region named.

Unlike the gulls, the terns do not swallow the food and then
regurgitate for the young, but carry the fish in the beak di-
rectly to the young. After studying the feeding process at
close range for some time, I became convinced that the old
birds do not stviff the fish down the throat of the young, but
only thrust its head into the mouth far enough for the throat
muscles to grip it, when the young bird swallows for himself.
The Sand Lance ( Ammodytes americanns) was the chief fish
food, probably because it is so soft and easily digested. A
four-inch fish could not manage to get wholly inside a four-
inch bird, so the tail was left sticking out for future consump-
tion ! Even with the young able to fly the fish's head rested in
the primitive gizzard while the tail was scarcely more than
concealed in the throat. Mr. Field induced one Muskeget
young Common Tern to part with his dinner of two young
Herrings and one Sand Lance. Usually but a single fish was
found in the digestive tract of the young.

The downy young merely raised their heads and opened
their mouths for food, when very hungry uttering a faint peep,
but the young ones able to fly were made to dance for their
dinner. With widely gapping mouth and wings held akimbo,
they executed a surprisingly fine clog to their own piercing
music ! In one case a young bird called for lunch just 30 minutes
after receiving a good sized fish. He was not fed, however,
until half an hour after his last lunch. I have repeatedly seen
the old birds swallow three and four Sand Lances in rapid
succession. This colony of 1500 old birds and their 1500

Terns of the Weepecket Islands, Massachusetts. 99

young must consume great quantities of the Sand Lance, yet
the supply does not seem to diminish.

There is no uniformity in the development of the instinct
to assume protective attitudes. With some young there is no
evidence of such an instinct while they remain in the nest,
while with others there seems to be almost as soon as the shell
is cast. All of the young from the beginning of the pin
feathers gave evidence of the instinct well developed. Some
young left the nest two days after hatching, some remained
for four days. When partly feathered birds on the uplands
were taken from their hiding places in the grass or bushes
their tendency was to try to run away instead of hiding again
when replaced on the ground. Those on the beach treated the
same way would invariably take to the water if not prevented.
Even the young upon which the pin feahers were barely show-
ing frequently took to the water and swam readily. In hiding,
the birds were content to emulate the Ostrich, hiding only the
head and often leaving the whole body exposed. They were
always careful, however, to keep the white underparts well
concealed.

In two cases that were under careful observation for some
time both parents performed the office of incubation in regular
turn. The one that I judged to be the female brooded the eggs,
tucking them carefully under her feathers, but the male merely
stood above them, apparently shielding them from the burning
sun, while the female went for a lunch and bath. The incom-
ing bird uttered a peculiar rattling sound just before alighting-
some 20 feet from the nest, when the brooding bird got
up and immediately flew away. The relief carelessly sauntered
toward the nest, made believe picking up food when it reached
the nest, then stood over it a moment before settling down, if
the female. Neither bird remained on the nest over an hour,
the male usually less than forty minutes, not waiting for the
female to appear every time before leaving.

It was interesting to watch the old birds come in with a fish
dangling from the beak. As it passed close along the beach each
young bird in turn clamored for the morsel. When the old bird
approached the place where its young had been last seen it
skimmed above the stones, halting now and then before a par-
ticularly vociferous youngster, then either passed on or circled

100 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 44.

back to look farther, finally either finding its own young or
going to another place where another young had been left. I
was eager to know how the old birds could recognize their own
ofifspring among the multitude which looked exactly alike to
me. It seemed incredible that they depended upon sight, or
why should they almost actually touch the young each time
before deciding the matter? I was forced to the conclusion
that the sense of smell must play an important part in the final
determination.

Later in the season young birds were seen following the old
birds to where they fished, all the while loudly calling for food.
I was prepared to see the morsel delivered while the birds were
still flying, after the manner of the swallows, but it was never
so done. The young, at least, must first rest upon the water
or land, then the old usually settled for the moment of the
delivery, the young bird first shaking his feathers well before
rising and following. During the second week in August
young birds were to be seen and heard about Great Harbor
and Penzance, but none appeared to be fishing for themselves.
Up to this time there appeared no evidence that either the old
or young had begun to molt.

The terns appear to fish in companies, following schools
of fishes of any species which may be suitable for food, size of
the individual fish appearing to be the prime requisite. The
fishes actually found in the stomachs or protruding from the
mouths of the young birds, and some found on the islands ac-
cidentally dropped by the birds, or dropped near the young,
are as follows : Sand Lance (Ammodytes americaniis), Cun-
iicr (Tautoglabnis ads perns), Mullett (Miigil curenia), Pol-
lock (Pollachis virens), Flounder (Psendopleiironectes ameri-
caniis), and young Herring (species not determined). Of all
the food the Sand Lance comprised not less than 80 per cent.

It has been said that a tern never misses the fish which he
dives for. I have seen many birds dive repeatedly without
success. Most of the fish appeared to be grasped just a little
in front of the middle, and were never struck with the closed
bill, but grasped between the mandibles in every instance no-
ticed. The fish are swallowed head first.

Many things in the life history of the terns need to be stud-
ied carefully before we can explain their true relationships
with satisfaction.

Kirtland Warbler Found Breeding. 101

KIRTLAND WARBLER (Dendroica kirtlandi) FOUND
BREEDING.

Ohio ornithologists congratulate Michigan ornithologists
upon their great good fortune in finding the nest, eggs and
young of Kirtland Warbler in their own state. We shall await
with keen anticipations the appearnce of the next Bulletin of
the Michigan (Ornithological Club, with its promised contri-
butions on the life history of this little known warbler.

INFORMATION WANTED.

We desire to call attention again to the two lines of investi-
gation and the call for help in completing the work. Mr. Alex.
W. Blain, Jr., 131 Elmwood avenue, Detroit, Mich., desires
information of any sort concerning the Great Blue Heron
(Ardca hcrodias). Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, desires in-
formation concerning the Mourning Dove (Zcnaidura niacrou-
ra) , and the loan of series of skins from all parts of the
country, but particularly from the northwestern states and
Canada.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1904.
The attention of all members is called to the provision in our
Constitution which calls for the nomination of persons for the of-
fices of President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three members of an
Executive Council. These nominations are to be made during the
month of September, and should be sent to the President, Lynds
Jones, Oberlin, O.; they will be counted if mailed on the last day of
September. It is important that each Active member should make
nominations. This matter will not take care of itself, but requires
study at Woods Holl.

A CORRECTION.

In Bulletin 42, page 27, line 13, "Downey Woodpecker, 10," should
read, "Downy Woodpecker, 1 female."

103 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. U.

THE WILSON BULLETIN.

A Quarterly Magazine Devoted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES.

Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Fifty Cents a year. Fifteen Cents a num-
ber, postage paid.
Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, Sixtv-Five Cents a year. Twenty
Cents a number.
Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or'to Mr. Frank L. Burns, Ber-
wyn, Penn., or to Mr. John W. Daniel, Jr., 3146 Q street, N.W., Washington, D. C.

EDITORIAL.

The editor spent July and the first half of August at that incom-
parable Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Holl, Mass. While
the islands of the region furnish perfect conditions for studying
the breeding habits of three species of terns and one species of
gull, the whole region is an exceptionally good one for the study
of the summer habits of at least a dozen species of warblers, the
Veery, and many other interesting birds, while on Martha's
Vineyard the last of the Heath Hens may still be found.
As a place for varied bird life it has few if any equals in our coun-
try. July and August are especially favorable months for bird
study Woods Holl.

The July Auk contains the Twelfth Supplement to the A. O. U.
Check-List. Twenty-three new species and subspecies are added,
of which three are Otocoris and four Melospiza. It would be entire-
ly possible to dispense with any more forms in these two already
over crowded genera. The most marked feature of this revision
is the raising to generic rank of 23 subgenera, by which several of
our best friends assume a wholly unfamiliar name. But mere
temporary inconvenience furnishes no argument against such rad-
ical change. We must feel some misgivings, however, when we
reflect that in other departments of Zoology, speaking generally,
there are often far greater differences between species than there

riil)licaiions Received. 10;l

are between genera in Ornithology. One can hardly avoid the sus-
picion that Trinomialism is working this discrepancy. But we
must also remember that intensive study, such as our chosen sci-
ence is receiving, tends to discover differences where none were
known to exist before, while it is also likely to magnify really
slight differences. It is hard to draw the line. Former exper-
iences prepared us for the usual reprinting of practically the whole
Melospiza gi'oup. It is certainly a flexible genus or the contortions
it is periodically called upon to go through would have disrupted
it long ago. Forty proposed changes and additions were acted
upon favorably, and nearly a hundred cases are deferred. We see
no signs of the coming of stability in nomenclature, except the re-
port of progress which this supplement may be considered to be.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Birds in their Relation to Man. By Clarence M. Weed and Ned
Dearborn. A Manual of Economic Ornithology for the United States
and Canada. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London..

The timliness of this new volume will ensure for it a welcome
cmong bird students everywhere. It is well illustrated in half-
tone3 and cuts with many new pictures of birds and insects. It is
printed on good heavy paper in twelve-point type, and the typogra-
phy is unusually good.

The subject matter may be divided into four parts, the first seven
chapters being devoted to a general discussion of "Methods of
Studying the Food of Birds," "Development cf Economic Ornithol-
ogy,'" the food and amount consumed, "Birds as Regulators of Out-
breaks of Injurious Animals," of the different groups, in the reverse
order of the A. O. U. classification; the Conservation, Prevention
of Depredations and Encouragement of the Presence of Birds; and
finally an appendix giving the A. O. U. Model Bird Law, the Lacey
Bird Law, "Some Fundamental Principles of Bird Laws," "A Par-
tial Bibliography of the Economic Relations of North American
Birds," and Index.

Into this volume have been gathered the many scattering ac-
counts of the food of birds, and some new information is given
about the food of several species. It is not assumed that every-
thing has been learned about the food of our birds, but it is hoped
that the bock will prove of some value to those who wish to learn
what the economic status of the different birds is. It is a welcome
addition to bird literature, and we have reason to thank the authors
for their timely presentation of the book. L. J.

104 The Wilson l!ulletin.— Xo. -II.

Bulletins I and II of the Philippine Museum. Bulletin I, on Birds
from Luzon, Mindoro, Masbate, Ticao, Cuyo, Culion, Cagayan, Sulu,
and Palawan. By Richard C. McGregor.

"This paper is the first of a proposed series of reports on collec-
tions made for the Philippine Museum, an institution established
by and act of the Philippine Commission. It summarizes the more
important results of: (1) Five weeks' collecting at Mariveles, Ba-
taan Province, Luzon; (2) various two-day trips about Manilla;
(3) three months in Ticao and Masbate; (4) a hurried visit to the
Islands cf Mindoro, Cuyo, Culion, Cagayan Sulu, and Palawan.

"But one of the species obtained appears to be new. The discov-
ery, near Manila, of the males of Grant's two Luzon Orioles and
the extension of the range of Cinnyris whiteheadi are most interest-
ing."

"The work has been directed by Commissioner Dean C. Worces-
ter, Secretary of the Interior, to whom the author is indebted for
the use of books and assistance in many ways."

Six species new to the Philippines, one wholly new species,
and the description of four hitnerto unknown plumages, form the
most interesting part of the paper to the general reader. New lo-
calities of upwards of 135 species are also given, indicating that a
great amount of work is being done in that little known archipelago.

L. J.

Amateur Sportsman, Vol. XXIX, Nos. 2,3,4,5.
American Ornithology, Vol. Ill, Nos. G, 7, 8, 9.
Atlantic Slope Naturalist, The, Vol. I, No. 3.
Bird-Lore, Vol. V, Nos. 3, 4.
Condor, The, Vol. V, No. 2, 3, 4.
Fern Bulletin, The, Vol. XI, No. 3.
Journal of Applied Microscopy, Vol. VI, Nos. 5, 6.
Maine Sportsman, The Vol. X, Nos. 118, 119, 120.
Naturaliste Canadien, Le, Vol. XXX, Nos. 7,8.
Plant World, The, Vol. VI, No. 6.

A BOB-WHITE COVEY.
From paititing by Robeit J. Sim.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

No. 45.

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF
ORNITHOLOGY

Vol. X. DECEMBER, 1903. No. 4.

A BOB-WHITE COVEY.

LYNDS JONES.

Reams of paper and pounds of ink have been consecrated
to Bob-white, yet the manner in which the flock forms the
bomb-shell "covey" has never been described, or if described
the account has escaped my notice. Probably the fact that
each flock of these birds passes the night in a compact ring,
tails touching, heads pointed out, is as old as the discovery
of these birds by the earliest settlers. Every "Quail" hunter
has experienced the momentary terror occasioned by the
bursting of this animal bomb at his feet, each bird apparently
taking a separate direction, and yet the whole flock finally mak-
ing off in the same general direction. He must also know that
the birds do not always form this bomb whenever they see dan-
ger threaten, but when disturbed while they are feeding,
they may either gather in a loose bunch, or run swiftly in a
compact flock. They sometimes form this bomb even at mid-
day, trusting to concealment for protection. The gathering of
the flock again after being scattered is well known, but the form
which the flock takes when all but the lost ones return does
not seem to be known. It probably varies according to cir-
cumstances, since on one occasion I noted the formation of
the bomb, but on others merely a compact flock without the
bomb form.

Mr. Robert J. Sim, of Jefferson, Ohio, enjoyed the pres-

106 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

■ence of a flock of Bob-whites during one entire winter, and
succeeded in keeping them somewhat at ease by furnishing
food twice a day. They even spent the night under an ever-
green tree in the yard, but while they came regularly night
and morning for the ration of grain, they spent the day for-
aging in the fields and woods in the vicinity. However, one
particularly stormy day they came home shortly after din-
ner, apparently mistaking the partial twilight of the snow-
storm for evening twilight. They skurried about in the
driving snow and cutting wind for the scattered grain, then
prepared for the night. The wind was sucking under their
tree to such an extent that they found it no protection, so
they selected a spot nearer the house, within plain view of the
window, and proceeded to form their bomb. First one step-
ped around over the spot selected, then another joined him,
the two standing pressed close together, forming the first
arc of the circle. Another and another joined themselves to
this nucleus, always with heads pointing out, tails touching,
until the circle was complete. But two were left out ! One
stepped up to the group, made an opening, then crowded
himself in, with much ruffling of feathers. One remained
outside, with no room anywhere to get in. He, too, ran up
to the circle of heads, then round and round, trying here
and there in vain ; it was a solid mass. Nothing daunted
he nimbly jumped upon the line of backs pressed into a nearly
smooth surface, felt here and there for a yielding spot, be-
gan wedging himself between two brothers, slipped lower
and lower, and finally became one of the bristling heads. In
this defensive body against frost and living enemy we may
leave them.

Birds Seen in Franconia, N. H. .107

A LIST OF BIRDS SEEN IN FRANCONIA, N. H.,

AND VICINITY DURING AUGUST AND

SEPTEMBER, 1903.

BY HAROLD E. PORTER.

The species marked * arc those not recorded by Messrs.
Faxon and Allen during their stay in Franconia as recorded
.in the "Ank" for 1888.

These species were recorded in 75 regular hunts, of which
two were for an entire day, and 33 were for a half-day. All
the species recorded by one individual have been verified by
at least one of the others, with the exception of Regulus
calendula. The participants in this census were, in addition
to myself, jMessrs. C. H. Rogers, Edgar Tweedy, Bradford
Torrey and Dr. C. A. Dewey.

Mr. Bradford Torrey has seen the Cape May Warbler in
the immediate vicinity of Franconia, but the species is on
neither list. Mrs. Annie Trumbull Slosson reports both
Crossbills as very common later in the season, which seems
strange, as they appeared on the Faxon list, which was made
in June and August, and our list extended into September.

1. Great Blue Heron. — Ardea herodias. Only one individual re-
corded.*

2. American Woodcock.^Philohela minor. Seen twice; once
while walking along the main road.*

3. Ruffed Grouse. — Bonasa umbel lus. Twice recorded.

4. Marsh Hawk. — Circus hudsonius. Rather uncommon.

5. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Accipiter velox. Rare at all times.*

6. Cooper Hawk. — Accipiter cooperi. Recorded five times; only
once was a male seen.*

7. Red-tailed Hawk.— Bueto boreaiis. Seen only once.*

8. Bald Eagle. — Haliaetus leucocephalus. One seen at Fran-
conia; one at Northfield.*

9. American Osprey. — Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. Very
rare.*

10. Belted Kingfisher. — Ceryle alcyon. Common on the larger
. streams.

11. Black-billed Cuckoo. — Coccyzus erythrophthaimus. Very
rare. Seen on Gale river twice.

12. Hairy Woodpecker. — Dryobates villosus. Rather uncommon.

13. Downy Woodpecker. — Dryobates pubescens medianus. Rare;
one male was seen in the same place on several days.

108 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

14. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. — Sphyrapicus varius. Rather
common near houses.

15. Northern Pileated Woodpecker. — Ceophloeus pileatus abiet-
icola. Began to arrive about September 10.*

16. Northern Flicker. — Colaptes auratus luteus. Very common;
usually seen in large flocks.

17. Nighthawk. — Chordeiles virginianus. Rather common in the
village.

18. Chimney Swift. — Chaetura pelagica. Uncommon until Sep-
tember 1; after that very rare.

19. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — Trochilus colubris. But few
seen.

20. Kingbird. — Tyrannus tyrannus. Common until August 20;
after that exceedingly rare.

21. Phcebe. — Sayornis phoebe. Fairly common; commonest of
the flycatchers.

22. Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Nuttalornis borealis. Seen but
once.

23. Wood Pewee. — Contopus virens. Rare.

24. Least Flycatcher. — Empidonax minimus. Also seen but
once.

25. Blue Jay. — Cyanocitta cristata. Common.

26. Canada Jay. — Perisoreus canadensis. Seen once.

27. American Crow. — Corvus americanus. Abundant at all
times and places.

28. Bobolink. — Doiichonyx oryzivorus. One female seen.

29. Baltimore Oriole. — Icterus galbuia. Seen twice; and heard
singing as late as September 20.

30. Rusty Blackbird. — Scolecophagus carol inus. One seen and
one heard.

31. Bronzed Grackle. — Quiscalus quiscula seneus. A small
flock seen early in August.*

32. Purple Finch. — Carpodacus purpureus. Rather common;
especially in the latter part of August.

33. American Goldfinch. — Astragal inus tristis. Very common;
several nests found.

34. Pine Siskin. — Spinus pinus. Rather common in the most
populous districts.

35. Vesper Sparrow. — Pooecetes gramineus. Very common; but
few singing.

36. White-crowned Sparrow. — Zonotrichia leucophrys. Seen
once.

37. White-throated Sparrow. — Zonotrichia albicollis. Rather
common along the roads.

38. Chipping Sparrow. — Spizella socialis. Very abundant.

39. Field Sparrow. — Spizella pusilla. Common.

Birds Seen in Franconia, N. H. 109

40. Slate-colored Junco. — Junco hyemalis. Rather common, es-
pecially en the hills, and Mt. Lafayette.

41. Song Sparrow. — Melcspiza cinerea meiodia. Very abundant.

42. Lincoln Sparrow. — Melcspiza lincolni. Seen once.

43. Rose-breasted Grossbeak. — Zamelodia ludoviciana. Uncom-
mon.

44. Scarlet Tanager. — Pirartga erythromelas. Rather rare; all
seen were In the gieen plumage.

45. Cliff Swallow. — Chelidoh erythrogaster. Abundant to Sep-
tember 15.

46. Barn Swallow. — Petrochelidon lunifrons. Abundant up to
September 1.

47. Bank Swallow. — Riparia riparia. Rare; seen at Streeter's
Pond occasionally.

48. Cedar Waxwing. — Ampelis cedrorum. Abundant to Septem-
ber 15.

49. Red-eyed Vireo. — Vireo clivaceus. Rather uncommon.

50. Warbling Vireo. — Vireo gilvus. Only one seen.

51. Blue-headed Vireo. — Vireo solitarius. Seen first on Septem-
ber 19; after that fairly common.

52. White-eyed Vireo. — Vireo noveboracensis. Rather rare.*

53. Black and white Warbler. — Mniotilta varia. Rather uncom-
mon.

54. Nashville Warbler. — Heiminthopliiia rubricapilla. Rare.

55. Northern Parula Warbler. — Compsothiypis americana usneae
Rather rare.

5G. Yellow Warbler. — Dendroica aestiva. Only one seen.

57. Black-throatecl Blue Warbler. — Dendroica caerulescens.
Rather uncommon.

58. Myrtle Warbler. — Dendroica coronata. Very common; com-
monest of the warblers.

59. Magnolia Warbler. — Dendroica maculosa. Rather uncom-
mon.

60. Bay-breasted Warbler. — Dendroica castanea. Only one seen.

61. Black-poll Warbler. — Dendroica striata. Seen but few times;
always in large flocks.

62. Blackburnian Warbler. — Dendroica biackburniaf?. Rather
rare up to August 30; after that exceedingly rare.

63. Black-throated Green Warbler. — Dendroica virers. Rather
rare to September 10, after that rather common.

64. Oven-bird. — Seirus aurccapillus. One seen walking in gutter.

65. Northern Yellow-throat. — Geothlypis trichas brachydactyla.
Rather common, but only one male seen during the entire two
months.

66. Canadian Warbler. — Wilsonia canadensis. Very rare.

67. American Redstart. — Setophaga ruticilla. Uncommon.

110 ^ The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

68. American Pipit. — Anthus pensilvanicus. Seen several times
on lawns.*

69. Catbird. — Galeoscoptes carol inensis. Rather common near
the larger streams.

70. Winter Wren.- — Olbiorchilus hiemalis. Rather rare,

71. House Wren. — Trogoldytes aedon. Somewhat more common.

72. Brown Creeper. — Certhia familiaris americana. Uncommon.

73. White-breasted Nuthatch. — Sitta carolinensis. Rare.

74. Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Sitta canadensis. Seen but few
times.

75. Chickadee. — Parus atricapillus. Very common, at times
abundant.

76. Hudsonian Chickadee. — Parus hudsonius. Seen once.

77. Golden-crowned Kinglet.^ — Regulus satrapa. Common in the
pine woods.

78. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Regulus calendula. Heard severaj
times, seen only by Mr. Tweedy.

79. Wood Thrush. — Hylocichia fuscescens. Rather rare.

80. Olive-backed Thrush. — Hylocichia swainsonii. Exceedingly
rare.

81. Hermit Thrush.^Hylocichla guttata paliasii. Rather rare,
especially early in August.

82. Robin. — Merula migratoria. Abundant.

83. Bluebird. — Sialia sialis. Very abundant.

84. English Sparrow. — Passer domestlcus. Rare in Franconia
at all times, and rather uncommon even in the larger towns.

SPECIES IN THE FAXON-ALLEN LISTS FOR 1888 NOT SEEN
IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 1903.

Spotted Sandpiper. — Actitis macularia. Reported common along
streams.

Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. — Picoides arcticus. One instance
reported.

Crested Flycatcher. — Myiarchus crinitus. Reported as rare.

Traill Flycatcher. — Empidonax trailii. Reported as common.

Cowbird. — Molothrus ater. One instance reported.

American Crossbill. — Loxia curvirostra minor. Reported common.

White-winged Crossbill. — Loxia leucoptera. A few instances re-
corded.

Indigo Bunting. — Passerina cyanea. Reported abundant.

Purple Martin. — Progne subis. .One flock reported.

Tree Swallow. — Iridoprocne bicoior. Reported common.

Tennessee Warbler. — Helminthophila peregrina. Reported as
rare, two seen.

Mourning Warbler. — Geothlypis Philadelphia. Reported as seen
twice, although some distance from Franconia.

Bicknell Thrush. — Hylocichia aliciae bicknelli. Reported as seen
on Mt. Lafayette.

Bachman Sparrow. Ill

BACHMAN SPARROW. — Peiiccca ccstivalis hachmanii.

(Selected from Dawson's "Birds of Ohio.")

It is very gratifying- to be able to report the recent invasion
of the state by this delightful vocalist from the south. To
Rev. W. F. Henninger, then of Scioto county, belongs the
honor of first discovery. A specimen was secured by him
near South Webster, April 23, 1897, but it was, unfortunately,
not preserved. On April 83, 1903, the author in company
with Miss Laura Gano and a party of scientists, took a sing-
ing male on Rose Hill, Cincinnati, and the specimen is pre-
served in the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History. On
the following day three others in full song were found upon
another of those beautiful wooded hills for which the Queen
City is justly famous. These last, I rejoice to say, were not
sacrificed even in the name of science. Miss Gano first noted
the species at Cincinnati, April 25, 1901, and had seen it on at
least two occasions since.

Later in the same season, June 10 and 11, I came upon the
Bachman Sparrow upon one of the hills near Sugar Grove,
in Fairfield county. A nest was found in a clover field, which,
although deserted at the time, belonged upon the strongest
presumptive evidence to this bird. One of the young birds
was easily caught and its picture taken both in the hand and
in the nest, as shown in the accompanying illustrations. A
few days later Ralph and Will Bumgardner took a set of four
eggs from the ground in the same meadow. The eggs were
pure white and could hardly have belonged to any other than
this species.

The song of the Bachman Sparrow is a thing of surprising
beauty. In delivering it the bird chooses a prominent sta-
tion at the top of weed-stalk, fence-post, or sapling, or stands
well out on a bare limb of a tree. Here he throws his head
back and draws, as it appears, a full breath in a note of rav-
ishing swetness ; then sends it forth again in a tinkling
trill of uniform or varied notes. Nothing can excel the fine
poetic rapture of the inspirated note. It sets the veins a-tingle
and makes one wish to put his shoes from ofT his feet. The
characteristic opening note is given with constantly varying

112 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

pitch and intensity. Sometimes it sounds like a dream voice
floating gently from the summer land of youth, and again it
vibrates with startling distinctness like a present call to duty.
Occasionally a dainty trill is substituted for this inspired
and inspiring opening, while the remainder of the song may
consist of a half-dozen notes precisely alike, or of a succession
of groups three or four in number. There is a soulful quality,
an ethereal purity, and a caressing sweetness about the whole
performance which makes one sure the door is opened into
the third heaven of bird music.

Once as I sat entranced before this new-found Orpheus a
Lark Sparrow broke into song at half the distance. In pained
astonishment and wrath I turned upon him — him even ! "Oh,
please not now ! Mon enfant ! Please not now !"

A DECEMBER HERMIT THRUSH.

LYNDS JONES.

Readers of the Bulletin will be familiar with the sandstone
knob features of the northwestern parts of Lorain county,
Ohio, from previous descriptions of mine. One of these knobs
lies a half mile south of Brownhelm Station on the L. S. &. M.
S. R. R.. It marks the site of former extensive operations and
activities in the industry of sandstone quarrying, but the place
has since been abandoned for more profitable and extensive
fields to the east and south, leaving the sheer, smooth rock
walls where the drill last left its mark, heaps of stone rubbish
on the other side of the excavated area, just beyond the deep
pool which never freezes, and hard by the old stone build-
ings now used for barns. On December 4, in company with
three other bird lovers, I tramped the twenty-one miles to
Lake Erie, with this abandoned quarry as one of the objective
points in the line of march. In the tangle on the east side of
this old quarry, with barn refuse within easy reach, we found
a solitary Hermit Thrush (Hylocichla guttata pallasii). I

A New Year Horizon. 113

have always contended that these tangles would prove retreats
for birds not found regularly so far north in winter, and here
is corroboration. The weather had been unusually mild, with-
out snow to speak of, up to Thanksgiving day, but on that day
about two inches of snow fell, with a cold wave, and ever
since the ground has been covered with from two to four
inches of snow. On several nights the temperature fell below
IC, but the thrush seemed to be as robust and contented as could
well be. Robins were also seen during the day, and one flock
of Pine Grosbeaks. The occurrence of southern species win-
tering with northern species seems remarkable. The study of
the winter birds, during this winter, promises to be worthy of
unusual interest.

BLACK SKIMMER AT WOODS HOLE, MASS.

LYNDS JONES.

The rarity of the Black Skimmer anywhere along the Massa-
chusetts coast makes any occurrence worthy of note. Messrs.
Howe and Allen, in their "Birds of Massachusetts" give the
only Woods Hole record as follows : (page 28) "Falmouth,
Woods Holl, a young bird taken August 19, 1879, by John F.
Carlton, and now in the collection of the Boston Society of
Natural History." I have a record of a bird in full plumage,
July 16, 1903, for the Woepecket Islands. The bird appeared
soon after my arrival at 8 :30 A. M., and remained near the
islands, circling around them several times, and approaching
me within a few yards twice. It was so pestered by the terns
that it finally flew down Buzzards Bay and disappeared ocean -
ward.

A NEW YEAR HORIZON.

The editor again calls for New Year Horizons from all lo-
calities. We made a good beginning last year, but let us do
far better this time. The offer to send free of cost a year's

114 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

subscription to the person or persons who secure a larger bona
fide list of birds than the editor, on that day, will be renewed,
and in addition to this offer we will present free of cost a copy
of the 82 page Monograph of the Flicker to all who secure a
list of fifteen or more species. Work over your locality as
much as possible between now and the first of January to find
the places where the birds are most likely to be found. You
will find it worth while in itself and of use when the test day
comes. Send the lists to the editor as soon as possible after the
first day of Janviary, with whatever comments you may wish
to make, whether for publication or not, writing on but one
side of the sheet. Note the number of individuals seen, if
possible, and give the temperature, direction of wind and con-
dition of sky, and approximately the amount of ground cov-
ered. Acknowledgement of all lists numbering more species
than the editor's list will be promptly made, and the promised
Monograph of the Flicker will be promptly forwarded to all
who record fifteen or more species.

Editorial. 115

THE WILSON BULLETIN.

A Quarterly Magazine Devoted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLLIB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

SUBS' RIPIION RATES.
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Fifty Cents a year. Fifteen Cents a unm-

ber, postage paid.
Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, Sixtv-Five Cents a year, Twenty
Cents a number.
Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L. Burns, Ber-
wyn, Penn., or to Mr. John W. Daniel, Jr., 3146 Q street, N.W., Washington, D. C.

EDITORIAL.

We come to the close of another year, the fifteenth since our
organization, the first since our reorganization as The Wilson Orni-
thological Club, with a largely increased membership, with a firmer
grasp upon the future, and with greater confidence m the value of
field work such as we seek to do. We look out upon a twelve-
month of larger attainment than any past, with the expectation of
helping many into a better knowledge and a keener appreciation
of the birds about them — into a life fuller of the joy of living. We
believe that it is worth anybody's while to study birds intensively
while they are living and striving; to get among them at consid-
erable inconvenience and expense, if necessary, in order to im-
bibe something of their contentment and happiness. It is worth
while to watch every bird keenly, especially the winter birds. Let
no opportunity pass to learn what they are doing and how they do
it. It is better to regard them as birds, not trying to see in them
human characteristics and motives. Let them be birds. It is only
after the accumulation of a great mass of facts that we may hope
to know why they act as they do, if we are ever to know that ex-
actly. Formulate no theory, for if you do it is pretty certain that
your facts will bend to the theory. It is only the fully open-minded
who really advance knowledge.

116 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

Again we make the earnest plea not to let your bird studies lapse
with the appearance of cold weather, but rather increase your ac-
tivities. Make a determined effort to bring some bird to your lunch
counter this winter, and give him some of your time while he is
profiting by your bounty. If possible keep a record of the species
which visit the lunch counter. It may be possible for you to deter-
mine the amount of food eaten by one bird in a day. That is an
important point. Note how the different species act toward each
other, as well as the individuals of a species. Does the law of
might govern them? Remember that winter is the best time in
which to make an enumeration of the birds of your region. At
least it is possible to keep a record of the number of individuals of
each species recorded. You will be surprised at the number of
species which may be found during the winter months in almost
any locality. The writer recorded no less than 40 species between
the first day of January, 1903, and the twenty-sixth day of Febru-
ary, and that is not unusual. Winter field study pays in results,
and pays in health.

The output of state and local catalogues and lists of birds for
1903 has seldom, if ever, been equalled, omitting mention of the
lists of birds in foreign countries and the islands of the sea. It is
especially gratifying that so many of the states of the union are
becoming supplied with catalogues of the birds which have been
found within their borders. These catalogues furnish a basis for
work for those who are beginning the study of birds, and they
also furnish an excellent basis for future comparisons of bird life
when advancing civilization, with its inevitable changes,
has wrought revolutions in the habits of very many
species. The study of the adaptations of the birds to these
changed conditions will be fascinating in the extreme. During the
year Wisconsin has been added to the list of states which have
catalogued their birds, by the appearance of Kumlien's and Hollis-
ter's Catalogue, and Kansas and Ohio have been brought down to
date ornithologically by the appearance of Snow's Revised Cata-
logue of the Birds of Kansas, and the writer's Revised Catalogue
of the Birds of Ohio. We understand that Mr. H. C. Oberholser is
preparing a catalogue of the birds of Texas. Local lists of birds,
county and regional lists, have been numerous, both as separate
papers and articles in the magazines. The appearance of Daw-
son's Birds of Ohio adds a stimulus to the popular side of bird
study. It is the most notable book of its kind for the year, if not
for several years. The interest which it has already aroused in those
who have seen advance copies presages a heavy sale within and
without the state. Outside of the United States, but still within
our avi fauna, Part II of Macoun's Catalogue of Canadian Birds is
a notable contribution to ornithology. We believe thoroughly in

lilection of New Members. 117

these more or less local lists, because it is by these that we shall
ultimately come to be certain of the true range of our birds. It
is usually true, also, that these catalogues contain something of
value relating to the life history of at least some of the birds
enumerated. Complete life histories of any of our birds have yet
to be written. The nearest approach to a complete life hi.'^tory of
any bird is Mr. Frank L. Burns on the Flicker, published as Bulle-
tin No. 31, of the Wilson Bulletin series.

While we are in entire sympathy with the efforts put forth to
protect our native birds, and rejoice to note the effective ways
adopted to bring about better protection, we have also shared the
feeling that there was too little respect of persons in the effort of
protecting the birds. We feel that too heavy restrictions have been
laid upon those who find it necessary to do strictly scientific col-
lecting for legitimate purposes. We still believe that some re-
striction should be placed upon even the scientific collector, but
the "Model Law" should not be made practically prohibitive. It
is a pleasure, therefore, to state that at the last meeting of the
American Ornithologists' Union the bonding clause of the "Model
Law" was so modified that strictly scientific collecting will no
longer be so greatly hampered. It behooves those who are ben-
efited by this needed change not to abuse the privilege.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1904.

The following persons have been elected to fill the offices of the
Club for 1904:

President — Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio.

Vive President — W. L. Dawson, Columbus, Ohio.

Secretary— John W. Daniel, Jr., 3146 Q St., Washington, D. C.

Treasurer — Frank Burns, Berwyn, Pa.

Executive Council — H. C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C.

John H. Sage, Portland, Conn.

Benj. T. Gault, Glen Ellyn, 111.

ELECTION OF NEW MEMBERS.

For Active membership, O. H. Pease, Hope, Kansas.
H. H. Skinner, Oberlin, Ohio.

For Associate membership, N. C. Gilbert, 615 Lake street, Madi-
son, Wis.

118 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

GENERAL NOTES.

A Day with the Birds. — Hillsboro, Ohio, August 17, 1903. —
Weather, forenoon, clear with a light breeze from the east; af-
ternoon, clear with a brisk breeze from the north. Start, 7:45 a.
m. Temperature 70°. Return 12 m. Temperature 85°. Start
in afternoon at 1:45. Temperature 85°. Return 6:00 p. m.
Temperature 82°. The excursion was along and near Rocky Fork
Creek,within a radius of two miles south of Hillsboro. Distance
traveled during observation, seven miles. Saw the first twenty
birds in the forenoon. The birds are given in the order in which
they were seen. Nearly every species was seen a number of times.
Crow, Wood Pewee, Wood Thrush, Turkey Vulture, American
Goldfinch, Vesper Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Green Heron,
Belted Kingfisher, Phoebe, Towhee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Catbird,
Oven-bird (uncertain). Least Flycatcher, Flicker, Mourning Dove,
Brown Thrasher, Barn Swallow, Baltimore Oriole, Meadowlark,
Killdeer, Rusty Blackbird, Summer Tanager, Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Screech Owl, Indigo Bunting, Cardinal, Swamp Sparrow, Ruby-
throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Chimney Swift,
Whippoorwill, Blue Jay, Kingbird, Robin, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue-
bird, House Wren, Song Sparrow, Purple Martin. Species 41.
Verified by a friend.

ARTHUR EDGINGTON.
CLARENCE A. MORROW.

Some unusual Oberiin records. Canadian Pine Grosbeak (Pini-
cola enucleator leucura). On November 20 a flock of a dozen of
these rare birds made their appearance at Oberiin. The following
morning one was found feeding on the ground in a field where
weeds had sprung up among the wheat stubble. While the bird
was watched at a range of less than ten feet, it ate nothing but
Stick-tights (Bidens frondosa). It was no more timid than
a common chicken. This is the second record for Lorain county.
This flock is another indication of a considerable southward flight
of these rare northern birds. Everybody should be on the lookout
for these birds and the Crossbills this winter. Their unwariness
makes of them real friends in feathers. As specimens they should
not be considered a success except by the favored few.

American Crossbill, (Loxia curvirostra minor). After an ab-
sence of nearly eighteen months this Crossbill has again made its
appearance among us. It is not yet found in any considerable
numbers, but it is present and seen nearly every day. Reports
from various places indicate that this species promises to be more
than unusually numerous the coming winter.

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). With the first sug-

Publications Received. 119

gestion of winter the ducks began to drop into the Oberlin water-
works reservoir. For the first time in the history of the reservoir
Hooded Merganser has stopped in the southward migration. On
November 19, a flock of four males and three females arrived
about the middle of the forenoon and were gone shortly after din-
ner. Two females came and remained all day on the 21st. The
males were in full dress. They seemed to be feeding upon the
vegetation at the water's edge, and were not seen to catch any of
the very numerous fish.

American Golden-eye (Clangula clangula americana). One in im-
mature plumage appeared on November 19, and remained for sever-
al days, feeding upon the Cara at the edges of the reservoir. It has
never before been seen during the fall.

Earlier in the season Pied-billed Grebes and Coots were unusually
numerous at the reservoir for two or three weeks. A dozen grebes
on the reservoir at one time was not unusual. One Coot, scarcely
larger than a grebe, fed constantly at the edge of the water, with
no apparent fear of persons standing within a few feet of him,
watching him dive down to the bed of Cara, bring up a large
mouth-full, and proceed to swallow as much as he could before
it sank out of reach. The clear water permitted a perfect study
of his motions while under water. LYNDS JONES.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

The Birds of Ohio. By Rev. W. Leon Dawson, A.M. Published by
the Wheaton Publishing Company, 1216 The Hayden, Columbus,
Ohio. Sold only by subscription.

This is the most notable book upon popular scientific ornithology
which has appeared since Nehrling's "Our Native Birds of Song
and Beauty." While it treats only the 320 odd birds which have
been found in Ohio, its treatment of these species is so thorough
that little remains to be said about them. The species are among
the most common which will be found in any locality east of the
Great Plains, and the book will therefore find a ready sale outside
the state where it will prove as useful as within the state. The
book is an imperial quarto of about 720 pages exclusive of 80 col-
ored plates, printed on fine paper, and with some 200 cuts of birds
and nests in the text. These cuts are almost wholly from photo-
graphs from nature, and are therefore new — made expressly for
this book. The author has combined accuracy of statement with
good literary style, making facts interesting to the casual reader.
The brief, but accurate descriptions of the birds have been taken
directly from Ohio specimens of each species, and are therefore
not rehashes of other descriptions. A brief statement of the range
of the species at large is followed by its range in Ohio. A con-
cise description of the nest and eggs is also given for such species

13<) The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

as breed in Ohio. Ttien follows, at greater or less length, a gen-
eral account of the habits of the species for the popular reader.
We bespeak for this book a wide field of usefulness.

The Zoological Quarterly Bulletin, Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, Division of Zoology. Vol. 1, No. 1, Birds Around the
Farm; No. 2, The Economic Value of Our Native Birds. Edited
by H. A. Surface, M.S., Economic Zoologist.

In the first number of this new quarterly, Professor Surface
gives descriptions and cuts of bird houses which may be erected
for the accommodation of various species of birds, points out their
economic value, notes their decrease and makes a plea for their
preservation, and discusses the value of bird study, giving methods.
In the second number an analytical key to the orders and families
of North American birds is given, followed by a discussion (to be
continued) of the larger groups. We understand that this Quar-
terly contemplates covering the whole field of Zoology ultimately,
but will probably confine itself to birds for the present. We be-
speak for it a useful mission in the field of popular education.

Osteology of the Limicolse. By Dr. R. W. Shufeldt. Reprint from
the American Naturalist, Vol. 37, No. 442, pages 697-725.

Osteology and Systematic Position of the Kingfishers (Halcyones).

By Dr. R. W. Shufeldt. Reprint from Annals of the Carnegie

Musem, Vol. 2, pp. 15-70, 1903.

In these two papers Dr. Shufeldt gives us the results of a great
amount of painstaking study and comparison of skeletons, with the
object of more definitely showing the relationships of these two
groups of birds. They have never been quite satisfactorily dis-
posed of, different authors differing in their opinions as to their
proper position in the scheme of classification. In a tentative
scheme of classification Dr. Shufeldt places "the Charadriiformes
between the Lariformes and the group containing all the ralline
forms." The Dr. regards the present knowledge of the structure
of the kingfishers and their afl^nes as too meager for even a tenta
five classification. We trust that this comparative study of oste-
ology may go on until that phase of systematic work has been
completed, enabling us to use the skeletal features intelligently.

L. J.

Birds of a Maryland Farm. A Local Study of Economic Ornithology.

By Sylvester D. Judd, Ph.D. U. S. Department of Agriculture,

Division of Biological Survey. Bulletin No. 17.

In this extensive study of the 230 acre Bryan Farm, opposite

Mount Vernon, on the Potomac river. Dr. Judd brings home to us

the real value of local study of the birds. Any bird student who

Publications Received. 121

mourns his lack of opportunity to get away wliere there are birds
should read and study this admirable account of field work.

The period of study upon which this paper is based began July
30, 1895, and closed July 24, 1902, during which time "visits were
made at frequent intervals and including every month in the year
except January." As a basis for determining the food of the birds,
the available food supply was carefully studied. Observations upon
the food habits were supplemented by the examination of 698 stom-
achs. The conclusions drawn prove that the English Sparrow,
Cooper and Sharp-shinned Hawks and Great Horned Owl are al-
ways injurious, the Crow usually so, and the Purple Grackle fre-
quently. The other species are mainly beneficial.

The numerous illustrations are both valuable and instructive.
A map of Bryan Farm, and photographs of localities and special
conditions of vegetation and crops convey concrete ideas of the
conditions of study. Figures illustrating the percentages of dif-
ferent kinds of food eaten during the stages of growth of the young
are a valuable contribution to the life history of the several spe-
cies so treated.

Dr. Judd is to be congratulated upon this valuable work, which
opens the way for similar studies everywhere. L. J.

Birds of Fergus County, Montana. By P. M. Silloway, Principal
Fergus County High School. Issued by the authority and di-
rection of the Board of Trustees, Fergus County Free High
School. Lewiston, Mont., 1903.

This pamphlet of 77 pages "is intended primarily to aid any
worker in this branch of natural history, and to extend the knowl-
edge of the common birds of this region. It is further hoped that
it will be a help to any person who may be interested in forming
the acquaintance of some of the birls which escape common ob-
servation. While possibly not free from errors, the list is believed
to be as complete as present information can make it, and hence
will serve as a basis for more detailed and extensive investigation."
"In order to make the list usable to general observers, brief de-
scriptions have been included, given in such terms as the ordinary
reader may understand."

The frontispiece of an American Magpie is one of the seventeen
illustrations of birds or nests and eggs taken from life, the charac-
ter of which is good throughout. The pictures were taken by Mr.
E. R. Warren and Prof. M. J. Elrod, and speak well for the skill
and ability of these men.

A small map of Fergus county is followed by a brief account of
the topography, giving the reader a good idea of the varied char-
acter of the county with its 6762 square miles — a small state in
itself. A partial bibliography of Montana birds proves that while

133 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

it is generally considered to be a wild and little visited region, it
has not been neglected ornithologically.

The annotations treat of the mode of occurrence, region, migra-
tion, and distinguishing features of each of the species enumerated.
The annotations are well chosen, and add not a little to our knowl-
edge of the life history of the birds in that region. The paper
closes with a "Review," listing each of the resident 30, summer
resident 101, migrant 31, winter resident 13, and other species 4,
showing a total of 179 species which have been found in the
county.

The Birds of Wisconsin. By L. Kumlien and N. HoUister. Bulle-
tin of the Wisconsin Natural History Society, Vol. 3, Nos. 1, 2,
and 3. January, April, July, 1903.

The delay in the appearance of this catalogue of birds was oc-
casioned by the death of the senior author just before the comple-
tion of the manuscript, and later, by the absence of Mr. HoUister
in Alaska on business for the national Biological Survey. It is
a paper of 147 pages which makes no pretensions to being more
than an annoted catalogue of the birds of Wisconsin. Nor have
the authors claimed for it more than a conservative list of the
birds of their state. It contains no "light" records which have
not been relegated to the Hypothetical List, where they belong.
This safe conservativeness has reduced the number of species from
365 to 357, and thereby made their reputation for accuracy. The
feeling of security which this list gives the one who wishes to
know for a certainty what birds have been found in Wisconsin is
cause for congratulation. Few of the annotations are concerned
with more than records, but there are occasional glimpses of life
histories. The note in regard to the finding of a hybrid Helmin-
thophila pinus+H. rubricapilla adds another to the list of hybrids
which H. pinus seems capable of forming. It is to be regretted
that it was not possible to await the appearance of the young to
determine the form assumed by those hybrids in embryo.

Eight full page half-tones from photographs by F. E. Burrows
from life add interest to the paper. We cannot but regret deeply
the untimely death of Mr. Kumlien, while we congratulate Mr.
HoUister upon the completion of the work under such trying cir-
cumstances.

Important Notice. 123

Amateur Sportsman, Vol. XXIX, No. 6, Vol. XXX, No. 1.

American Ornithology, Vol. Ill, Nos. 10, 11, 12.

Bird-Lore, Vol. V, Nos. 5, 6.

Condor, The, Vol. Nos. 5, 6.

Fern Bulletin, The Vol. VI, Nos. 7, 8.

Journal of Applied Microscopy, Vol. VI, Nos. 7, 8.

Maine Sportsman, The, Vol. XI, Nos. 122, 123, 124.

Naturaliste Canadian, Le, Vol. XXX, Nos. 9, 10.

Plant World, The, Vol. VI, Nos. 7, 8, 9.

IMPORTANT NOTICE.

The editor wishes to revise the mailing list for the new year,
and calls the attention of every member and subscriber, and all
exchanges to the address upon the wrapper of this copy. If it is
the correct address nothing need be done, but if it is in any way
faulty, kindly correct it by postal to the editor at once. Any
changes of address during the year should be promptly reported.

124 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

ERRATA.

(Some distressing errors appeared in the last number of the
Bulletin, due to lack of time to submit the proof to the authors
of the articles, and to hasty proof reading. Hereafter all articles
submitted for publication will be submitted to the authors for re-
vision, hence copy should reach the editor at least three weeks in
advance of its publication. — Ed.)

Page 77, line 1, for 1902 read 1901.

Page 77, line 7, for story read stay.

Page 77, line 7, for 1900 read 1899 and for 1902 read 1900.

Page 78, line 12, for fleeting read flowing.

Page 78, line 29, for Abels read Abies.

Page 78, line 29, for Lsuga read Tsuga.

Page 78, line 30, for Beluta papriferna, read Betula papyri-
fera, and for Beluta luten read Betula lutea.

Page 78, line 31, for babatun read barbatum.

Page 78, line 35, for B. M. B. read Bot. and Bird.

Page 79, line 10, for Alleghenian read Alleghanian.

Page 79, line 30, for exclusive read exclusively.

Page 79, line 41, for atricpillius read atricapillus.

Page 80, line 9, for underbill read Underbill.

Page 81, lines 17 and 20, for Howell's read Harlow's.

Page 81, line 35, for Coturniculus read Passerculus.

Page 81, line 39, for Inn read Iron.

Page 82, line 10, for fasciata read melodia.

Page 82, line 16, for Indiga read Indigo.

Page 82, line 23, for Clivicola read Riparia.

Page 83, line 15, for shrubbery read shrubby.

Page 83, line 33, for Howell's read Harlow's.

Page 83, line 41, for abundant read abandoned.

Page 84, line 2, for Lorry read Torrey.

Page 84, line 12, tor underbill read Underbill.

Page 85, line 23, for underbill read Underbill.

Page 85, line 31, for bald read bold.

Page 85, line 36, for when read when.

Page 85, line 40, for wee chi chi wee read wee chi chi wee.

Page 85, line 43, for On read Or.

Page 86, line 19, for Smuggles read Smugglers'.

Page 86, line 29, for Lorrey read Torrey.

Page 86, line 31, for cavern read cairn.

Page 86, line 32, for the Underbill read Underbill.

Page 92, line 20, for Certhia familiaris fusca read Certhia fam-
iliaris americana.

Page 101, line 6, for appearuce read appearance.

Index.

125

INDEX.

Acanthis linaria, 21, 93.
Accipiter atricapillus, 79.

cooperi, 23, 53, 107.

velox, 23, 107.
Actitis iBacularia, 53, 79, 110.
^gialitis semipalmata, 75.

vocifera, 53.
Aix sponsa, 72.
Agelaius phoeniceus, 22, 54, 73,

81, 93.
Ammodramus sandwichensis sa-
vanna, 55.
Ampelis cedrorum, 21, 56, 82,

109.
Anas boschas, 52.

obscura rubripes, 38.
Anhinga, 65.
Anthiis aquaticus, 14.

arboreus, 14.

campestris, 14.

pensilvanicus, 58, 110.

pratensis, 14.
Antrostomiis carolinesis, 54.

vociferus, 54.
Aquila chrysaetos, 23.
Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johan-

nis, 23.
Ardea cterulea, 52.

herodias, 30, 51, 101, 107.

virescens, 52.
Asio accipitrinus, 22.

wilsonianus, 22, 93.
Astragalinus tristis, 55, 81, 108.
Aythya affinis, 23.

americana, 23, 91.

marila, 23.

vallisneria, 23, 75.
Bittern, American, 6, 52, 62.

Least, 62.
Blaclvbird, Florida Red-winged,
66.

Red-winged, 22, 54, 61, 63,
64, 73, 81, 93.

Ru<=ty, 21, 28, 62, 108. 118.
Bluebird, 21, 27, 28, 38, 59, 61.

63, 64. 68, 86, 93, 110, 118.
Bob-white, 23. 28, 29, 37, 39, 53,
61, 63, 64, 73, 105, 106.

Florida. 65.
Bobolink. 10, 61, 63, 64, 81, 108.
Bonasa umbellus, 23, 107.

togata, 79.
Botaurus lentiginosus, 52.

Bilbo virginianus, 22, 53.

subarcticus, 87.
Bunting, Indigo, 56, 61, 63, 64,

82, 110, 118.
Buteo borealis, 23. 107.

lineatus, 23, 93.
Calidris arenaria, 75.
Canvas-back, 75.
Cardinal, 7, 21, 27, 28, 29, 37,

56, 63, 64, 93, 118.
Florida, 67.
Cardinalis cardinalis, 21, 56, 61,

93.
Carduelis carduelis, 92.
Carpodacus purpureus, 55, 81, 91,

108.
Catbird, 58, 61, 63, 64, 67, 83,

110, 118.
Catliartes aura, 53.
Ceophloeus pileatus abieticola,

108.
Certhia familiaris americana, 21,

58, 72, 110.
Ceryle alcyon, 63, 80, 107.
Chcetura pelagica, 54, 90, 108.
Chaffinch, 93.

Chat, Yellow-brea-sted, 57, 63, 64.
Chewink, 10.

Chelidon erythrogaster, 109.
Chickadee, 7, 41, 47, 28, 29, 37,

38, 61, 63, 84, 92, 110.

Carolina, 28, 38, 58, 63, 67.
Hudsonian, 110.
Chordeiles virginianus, 54, 108.
Chuck-will'swidow, 54, 66.
Circus hudsonius, 23, 54, 107.
Clangula clangula americana, 23,

119.
Clivicola riparia, 82.
Coccyzus americanus, 53, 80.

erythrophthalmus, 59, 107.
Colaptes auratus luteus, 22, 54,

80, 92, 108. ■

Colinus virginianus, 23, 53, 73.
Compsothlypis americana, 57

usneae, 82,
109.
Contopus virens, 54, 80, 108.
Coot, American, 53, 62. 65, 119.
Coturniculus sandwichensis

sa,vanna, 81.
Corvus americanus, 22, 54, 73,

81, 93, 108.

126

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

Cowbird, 19, 22, 54, 61, 63, 64,

110.
Crane, Sandhill, 65.
Creeper, Brown, 21, 27, 28, 29,

37, 38, 58, 62, 92, 110.
Crossbill, American, 21, 81, 93,
110.

White-winged, 110.
Crow, American, 22, 27, 28, 29,
54, 61, 63, 64, 73, 81, 93, 108,
118.

Fish, 66.
Cuckoo, Black-billed, 59, 62, 107.
Yellow-billed, 53. 62, 64, 66,
Curlew, Hundsonian, 65.

80, 118.
Cyanocitta cristata, 22, 54, 81,

108.
Cyanospiza cyanea, 56.
Dafila acuta, 52.
Dendrocia aestiva, 57, 82, 109.
blackburniae, 57, 83, 109.
cae-rulescens, 57, 82, 109.
castanea, 109.
coronata, 57, 83, 109.
discolor, 57, 75.
dominica, 57.
kirtlandi, 101.
maculosa, 57, 83, 109.
palmarum, 57.
pensylvanica, 57, 83.
striata, 57, 83, 109.
tigrina, 57.
vigorsii, 57.
virens, 57, 83, 109.
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 54, 80,

108.
Dove, Mourning, 23, 27, 28, 29,
30, 53, 61, 63, 64, 65, 101,
118.
Dryobates pubescens medianus,
22, 53, 80, 91, 107.

villosus, 22, 53, 80, 107.
Duck, Black, 28.
Florida, 65.
Lesser Scaup, 23, 68.
Red-legged Black, 38.
Ruddy, 68.
Scaup, 23, 62.
Wood, 62, 72.
Eagle, Bald, 9, 23, 62, 65, 73,
107.

Golden, 23, 63.
Egret, American, 65.
Empidonax flaviventris, 80.
minimus, 80, 108.
traillii, 110.

alnorum, 80.

virescens, 59.
Ereunetes pusillus, 75.
Falco sparverius, 23, 53, 93.
Finch, Purple, 29, 55, 81, 91,

108.
Flicker, 66.

Northern, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28,
29, 54, 61, 63, 64, 80, 92,
108, 118.
Flycatcher, Alder, 80.

Crested, 54, 61, 63, 64, 66,

80, 110.
Green-crested, 59, 61.
Least, 61, 80, 108, 118.
Olive-sided, 108.
Traill, 61, 110.
Yellow-bellied, 80.
Fringilla caslebs, 93.
Fulica americana, 52.
Galeoscoptes carolinensis, 58,

83, 110.
Gallinule, Florida, 62, 65.
Gavia imber, 52, 75.
Geothlypis formosa, 75.
Philadelphia, 83, 110.
trichas, 57.

brachidactyla, 83, 109.
Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 58, 61,

63, 64, 67, 118.
Goklen-eye, American, 23, 119.
Goldfinch, American, 9, 27, 28,
29, 55, 61, 63, 64, 66, 74, 81,
108, 118.

European, 92.
Goshawk, 79.
Grackle, Boat-tailed, 66.

Bronzed, 21, 61, 63, 64, 108.
Florida, 59, 66.
Purple, 55, 93.
Grebe, Pied-billed, 52, 62, 65,

119.
Grosbeak, Blue, 56.

Rose-breasted, 8, 56, 61, 63,

64, 82, 109.
Evening, 8.

Canadian Pine, 113, 118.
Grouse, Canadian Ruffed, 79.
Ruffed, 9, 23, 27, 63, 64, 79,
107.
Guiraca cserulea, 56.
Gull, Bonaparte, 62, 68.

Herring, 27, 38, 61, 68, 91.
Ring-billed, 23.
Haliseetus leucocephalus, 23, 73,

107.
Harelda hyemalis, 23, 75.
Hawk, American Rough-legged,
23.

Index.

127

American Sparrow, 23, 28,

29, 53, 61, G4, 66, 93.
Broad-winged, 25, 29, 62.
Cooper, 23, 27, 28, 53, 62, 63,

107.
Florida Red-shouldered, 65.
Marsli, 23, 53, 65, 107.
Pigeon, 62, 66.
Red-shouldered, 23, 28, 29,

61, 93.
Red-tailed, 23, 28, 29, 63, 64,

107.
Sharp-shinned, 23, 62, 107.
Helinaia swainsonii, 56.
Helmitheros vermivorus, 57.
Helminthophila chrysoptera, 74.
leucobronchialis, 68, 75.
peregrina, 110.
rubricapilla, 59, 82, 109.
Hen, Prairie, 29.
Heron, Black-crowned Night,
65.

Great Blue, 6, 30, 52, 62, 101,

107.
Green, 52, 62, 63, 118.
Little Blue, 52, 65.
Louisiana, 65.
Ward, 65.
Hummingbird, Ruby-throated,

54, 62, 64, 66, 80, 108, 118.
Hylocichla alicisB bicknellii, 85,
110.

guttata pallasii, 58, 86, 92,

110, 112.
fuscescens, 84, 110.
mustelina, 84.
swainsonii, 58, 86, 110.
Icteria virens, 57.
Icterus galbula, 55, 81, 108.

spurius, 45, 55.
Iridoprocne bicolor, 110.
Jay, Blue, 9, 22, 27, 28, 29, 54,
61, 63, 64, 81, 108, 118.
Florida, 66.
Florida Blue, 66.
Junco hyemalis, 21, 27, 28, 55,

82, 92, 109.

Junco, Slate-colored, 9, 21, 27,

28, 29, 37, 55, 79, 82, 92, 109.

Killdeer, 53, 61, 63, 64. 65, 118,

Kingbird, 54, 61, 63, 64, 66, 80,

108, 118.
Kingfisher, Belted 6. 29, 53, 61,

63. 64, 66. 80, 107, 118.
Kinglet, Golden-crowned, 21, 27,
28, 29, 58, 62, 84, 110.

Ruby-crowned, 6, 27, 28, 62,
92, 110.
Lanius b.orealis, 21, 93.

ludovicanus, 56.
migrans, 21.
Lapwing, 15.
Lark, Horned, 28.

Prairie Horned, 22, 61, 63, 64,
80.
Larus argentatus, 38, 91.

delawarensis, 23.
Leucosticte tephrocotis, 1.
Leucosticte, Gray-crowned, 1, 3.

Hepburn, 1, 3.
Limpkin, 65.
Loon, 52, 75.

Lophodytes cucullatus, 52, 118.
Loxia curvirostra minor, 21 81
93, 110, 118.

leucoptera, 110.
Mallard, 28, 52.
Martin, Purple, 39, 56, 61, 63

64, 67, 110, 118.
Meadowlark, 3, 10, 22 27 54 61

63, 64, 66, 118.
Megascops asio, 22, 53, 93.
Melanerpes carolinus, 54.

erythrocephalus, 22, 53.
Melospiza cinerea melodia, 82,
93, 109.

georgiana, 56.
lincolni, 56, 109.
melodia, 56.
Merganser serrator, 23.
Merganser, American, 23.
Hooded, 52, 118, 119.
Merula migratoria, 21, 58, 86,

93, 110.
Mimus polyglottos, 37, 57.
Mniotilta varia, 82, 109.
Mockingbird, 37, 58 67.
Molothrus ater, 22, 54, 110.
Motacilla sulphurea, 10.
Murre, Briinnich, 23.
Myiarchus crinitus, 54, 80, 110.
Nighthawk, 54, 62, 63, 108.

Florida, 66.
Nuthatch, Florida, 67.

Red-breasted, 21, 27, 28, 29,

62, 84, 110.
White-breasted, 9, 21, 27, 28,
29, 37, 58, 61, 63, 64, 84,
92, 110.
Nuttalornis borealis, 108.
Nyctala acadica, 22.
Nyctea nyctea, 22.
Olbiorchilus hiemalis, 59, 84, 92,

110.
Old-Squaw, 23, 75.
Oriole, Baltimore, 55, 61, 64, 81,
108, 118.

128

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

Orchard, 45, 4G, 47, 48, 55,
61, 63, 64.
Osprey, American, 22, 62, 66,

107.
Otocoris alpestris praticola, 22,

80.
Oven-bird, 8, 10, 57, 61, 63, 64,

83, 109, 118.
Owl, American Long-eared, 22,
93.

Barred, 22, 29, 62, 73.

Florida Barred, 66.

Great Horned, 22, 53, 66,

70.
Saw-whet, 22.
Screech, 22, 28, 53, 62, 93,

118.
Short-eared, 22.
Snowy, 22.
Western Horned, 87.
Pandion halisetus carolinensis,

22, 107.
Parus atricapillus, 21, 84, 92,
110.
bicolor, 21, 58.
carolinensis, 38, 58.
hudsonius, 110.
Passer domesticus, 59, 110.
Passerella iliaca, 56, 92.
Passerina cyanea, 82, 110.

nivalis, 21.
P'3lican, Brown, 68.
Perisoreus canadensis, 108.
Petrochelidon lunifrons, 82, 109.
Peucsa aestivalis bachmannii,

55, 111.
Pewee, Wood, 54, 62, G3, 64, 79,

80, 108, 118.
Philohela minor, 53, 107.
Phoebe, 8, 13, 27, 54, 51, 63, 64,

66, 80, 108, 118.
Pintail, 52.
Picoides articus, 110.
Pinicola enucleator leucura, 118.
Pipilo erythrophthalmus, 56.
Pipit, American, 58, 62, 110.
Fallow, 14, 16, 17.
Meadow, 14, 15, 16.
Water, 14.
Piranga erythromelas, 56, 82,
109.
rubra, 56.
Plover, Semipalmated, 62, 75.
Podilymbus podiceps, 52.
Polioptila cffirulea, 58.
Pooecetes gramineus, 55, 81.
Porzana Carolina, 52.
Progene subis, 56, 110.
Quiscalus quiscula, 55, 93.

seneus, 21, 108.
agleeus, 59.
Rail, King, 52.

Virginia, 52, 61.
Rallus elegans, 52.
virginianus, 52.
Red-head, 27. 91,
Redpoll, 21, 93.
Redwing, Ilcrida, 66.
Redstart, American, 7, 58, 61,

83, 109.
Regulus calendula, 107, 110.

satrapa, 21, 58, 84, 92, 110.
Riparia riparia, 109.
Robin, American, 7, 21, 27, 28,
29, 58, 61, 63, 64, 68, 86, 93,
110, 113, 118.
Sanderling, 75.

Sandpiper, Bartramian, 62, 79.
Least, 62.

Semipalmated, 62, 75.
Solitary, G2.

Spotted, 53, 61, 63, 64, 65,
110.
Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 9, 53,

63, 80, 108.
Saynoris phoebe, 54, 80, 108.
Scolecophagus carolinus, 21,

108.
Setophaga ruticilla, 58, 83, 109.
Seiurus aurocapillus, 57, 83, 109.
motacilla, 57.
noveboracensis, 57.
Shrike, Loggerhead, 27, 56, 67.
Migrant, 21, 61.
Northern, 21, 29, 93.
Sialia sialis, 21 59, 74, 86, 93,

110.
Siskin, Pine, 21, 62, 91, 108.
Sitta canadensis, 21, 84, 110.
carolinensis, 21, 58, 84, 92,
110.
Skimmer. Black, 113.
Snipe, Wilson, 62, 63, 65.
Snowflake, 21, 29.
Sora, 52, 60, 62.
Sparrow, Bachman, 55, 67, 111.
Chipping, 27, 55, 61, 63, 66,

81, 108.
English, 1, 2, 59, 110.
Field, 27, 55, 61, 63, 64, 66.

103.
Fox, 7, 59, 92.
Grasshopper, 3, 61, 63, 64, 66,

118.
Lark, 112.

Lincoln, 57, 62, 109.
Pine-woods, 67.
Savanna, 55, 66, 8L

Index.

129

Song, 27, 28, 29, 37, 50, 61,
63, 64, 82, 93, 109, 118.

Swamp, 27, 58, 61, 118.

Tree, 21, 27, 28, 29, 92.

Vesper, 27, 55, 61, 63, 64, 66,
81, 108, 118.

White-crowned, 8, 62, 64,
103.

White-throated, 8, 27, 55, 61,
63, 79, 81, 91, 108.
Sphyrapicus varius, 53, 108.
Spinus pinus, 21, 81, 108.

tristis, 21, 74.
Spizella monticola, 21, 92.

pusilla, 55, 81, 108.

socialis, 55, 81, 108.
Starling, 27, 92.
Sterna dougalli, 94.

hirundo, 94.
Sturnella magna, 22, 54.
Sturnus vulgaris, 92.
Swallow, Bank, 10, 61, 63, 82. 109.

Barn, 61, 63, 64, 81, 82, 109,
118.

Cliff, 62, 81, 82, 109.

Rough-winged, 56, 61.

Tree, 62, 63, 67, 110.
Swift, Chimney, 49, 54, 61, 63, 64,

66, 80, 108, 118.
Sylvania mitrata, 75.

canadensis, 83.
Syrnium nebulosum, 22, 73.
Tanager, Scarlet, 56, 61, 63, 64,

66, 80, 109, 118.
Summer, 56.

Tern, Common, 62, 94.

Roseate, 94.
Thrasher, Brown, 58, 61, 63, 64,

67, 118.

Thrush, Bicknell, 85, 110.
Gray-cheeked, 62.
Hermit, 6, 28, 58, 64, 67, 79,

86, 110, 112.
Olive-backed, 58, 61, 64, 79,

86, 110.
Wilson, 6, 61, 63, 79, 84.
Wood, 6, 25, 61, 63, 64, 67,
84, 110, 118.
Thryomanes bewickii, 58.
Thryothorus ludovicianus, 58,

92.
Titmouse, Tufted, 21, 27, 28, 29,

37, 58, 61, 63, 64, 67.
Towhee, 10, 27, 56, 61, 63, 64, 67,
118.

Florida, 67.
Toxostoma rufum, 58.
Trochilus colubris, 54, 80, 108.
Troglodytes aedon, 110.

Turnstone, 62.

Tyrannus tyrannus, 54, 80, 108.

Uria lomvia, 23.

Veery, 6.

Vireo flavifrons, 56.

gilvus, 74, 82, 109.

noveboracensis, 56, 109.

olivaceus, 56, 82, 109.

solitarius, 82, 109.
Vireo, Blue-headed, 62, 67, 82,
109.

Red-eyed, 6, 56, 61, 63, 64, 82,
109.

Solitary, 82.

Warbling, 61, 63, 64, 74, 82,
109.

White-eyed, 56, 109.

Yellow-throated, 17, 18, 56,
G2, 63, 64.
Vulture, Black, 65.

Turkey, 27, 53, 62, 63, 65,
118.
Wagtail, Mountain, 10, 13.

White, 10, 11, 13, 14.

Yellow, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15.
Warbler, Bay-breasted, 7, 62, 109.

Black-and-white, 62, 82, 109.

Blackburnian, 7, 57, 62, 63,
64, 83, 109.

Black-poll, 57, 62, 64, 79, 83,
109.

Black-throated Blue, 7, 57,
62, 82, 109.

Black-throated Green, 7, 57,
62, 64, 83, 109.

Blue-winged, 61, 68, 69.

Brewster, 62, 68, 69, 75.

Canadian, 62, 63, 83, 109.

Cape May, 57, 107.

Cerulean, 61, 63.

Chestnut-sided, 7, 57, 62, 83.

Connecticut, 62.

Golden-winged, 62, 68, 69, 74.

Hooded, 8, 58, 62, 75.

Kentucky, 63, 75.

Kirtland, 101.

Magnolia, 57, 61, 83, 109.

Mourning, 62, 83, 110.

Myrtle, 7, 57, 62, 83, 109.

Nashville, 59, 61, 63, 82, 109.

Northern Parula, 7, 82, 109.

Orange-crowned, 62, 67.

Palm, 57, 62, 67.

Parula, 57, 67.

Pine, 27, 57, 67.

Prairie, 57, 75.

Swainson, 56.

Tennessee, 61, 110.

Wilson, 62.

130

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

Worm-eating, 57.

Yellow, 57, Gl, 63, 64, 82,

109.
Yellow-throated, 57, 67.
Yellow Palm, 67.
Water Thrush, 57, 61, 63, 67, 87.

Louisiana, 18, 57, 61.
Waxwing, Cedar, 21, 27, 56, 63,

82, 109.
Whippoorwill, 54, 62, 63, 66, 118.
Wilsonia canadensis, 109.

mitrata, 58.
Woodcock, American, 52, 62, 63,

65, 107.
Wootlpecker, Arctic Tin ea-tocd
27,110.

Downy, 22, 27, 28, 29, 37, 53,

61, 63, 64, 80, 91, 107.
Hairy, 22, 27, 28, 29, 37, 53,

61, 64, 80, 107, 118.
Northern Pileated, 27, 63,

108.
Red-bellied, 28, 29, 37, 54,

62, 63, 64, 66.

Red-headed, 22, 27, 28, 53, 61,

63, 64, 66, 118.
Southern Hairy, 66.
Wren, Bewick, 58.

Carolina, 27, 28, 29, 37, 58,

62, 63, 67, 92.
House, 61, 67, 110, 118.
Long-billed Marsh, 60, 62.
Short-billed Marsh, 62, 67.
Winter, 7, 27, 59, 62, 79, 84,
92, 110.
Yellow-legs, 62.
Greater, 62.
Yellow-throat, Florida, 67.

Maryland, 6, 57, 61, 63, 64.
Northern, 83, 109.
Zamelodia ludoviciana, 56, 82,

109.
Zenaidura macroura, 23, 30, 53,

101.
Zonotrichia albicollis, 53, 81, 91,
108.

leucophrys, 108.

Index.

Ui

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

Baird, Robert L., A New Year
Census, 29.

Blain, A. W., Jr., A Bob-white
Tragedy, 39.

Bruen, Frank, A New Year Cen-
sus, 27.

Burns, Frank L., A few addi-
tional notes on the Flicker,
24.

Chase, Mrs. Agnes, General
Notes, 38.

Craigmile, Esther A., A New
Year Census, 29.

Crosby, M. S., Notes from Rhine-
beck, Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
72.

Dawson, W. L., A New Year Cen-
sus, 28; General Notes, 38.
Bachman Sparrow, 111. Re-
view of his 'Birds of Ohio,'
119.

Davenport, Mrs. Elizabeth B.,
Birds observed at Mt. Mans-
field and the west end of Stowe
Valley at the base of the
mountain, in the season of
1902, 77.

Edgington, Arthur, A day with
the birds, 118.

Good, Albert I., A New Year
Census, 28.

Hall, F. H., A New Year Cen-
sus, 27.

Hollister, N., and Kumlien, L.,
Review of their 'Birds of Wis-
consin,' 122.

Henninger, Rev. W. F., The
Motacillidge of Germany, 10.

Henderson, Judge Junius, Moun-
tain Bluebird increasing in
Boulder, Colorado, 74.

Jacobs, J. Warren, The Yellow-
throated Vireo (Vireo flav-
frons), 17; Review of his "Story
of a Martin colony," 39.

Jones, Lynds, The New Years
Day bird census, 26; Brewster
Warbler (Helminthophila leu-
cobronchialis) in Ohio, 68;

All day with the birds, 60;
Unusual birds at Oberlin, O.,
75; The terns of the Wee-
pecket Islands, Mass, 84. A
Bob-white covey, 105; A De-
cember Hermit Thrush, 112;
Black Skimmer at Woods Hole,
Mass., 113; General Notes,
Some unusual Oberlin Records,

lis.

Judd, Sylvester D., Review of his
''Birds of a Maryland Farm,"

120.

Keck, Rev. J. M., Some birds
of Florida, 65.

Leete, Rebecca M., The best
place of all, 4.

McConnell, Harry B., A New
Year Census, 28; All day
with the birds, 63.

McGregor, Richard C, Review of
his Bulletins I and II, of
Philippine Museum, 114.

Metcalf, C. L., All day with the
birds. 64.

Mills, Wm. J., A New Year
Census, 27.

Morris, C. H., A bird restaurant
and other notes, 37.

Morrow, Clarence A., A day with
the birds, 118.

Newell, Ida, A New Year Cen-
sus, 29.

Porter, Harold E., A list of birds
seen in Franconia, N. H., and
vicinity during August and
September, 1903, 107.

Ridgway, Robert, Review of his
'Birds of North and Middle
America, II,' 40.

Rogers, Charles H., A New
Year Census, 27; Winter birds
of Central Park, New York
City, 91.

Shufeldt, Dr. R. W., Review of
his 'On the classification of
certain groups of birds (Super-
suborders ; Archornithiformes ;
Dromseognathae, Odontoholcse),

132

The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45.

41; The nest of the Orchard
Oriole, 45; Review of his "Os-
teology of the Steganopodes,"
76; Review of his 'Osteology
of the Limicolae/ and 'Os-
teology and Systematic Posi-
tion of the Kingfishers (Hal-
cyones),' 120.

Silloway, Prof. P. M., Notes on
the Leucostictes, 1; Review
of his 'Birds of Fergus county,
Montana,' 121.

Smith, Robert Windsor, Birds of
Kirkwood, DeKalb county,
Georgia, 49. A New Year
Census, 27.

Strong, R. M., Reviews of his
'The metallic feathers from

the neck of the domestic
pigeon; A case of abnormal
plumage; The development of
color in the definitive feather,'
40.

Surface, H. A., Review of 'Zoo-
logical Quarterly Bulletin, Nos.
1 and 2, 120.

Swales, Bradshaw H., Notes on
the winter birds of Wayne
county, Michigan, 20.

Warren, Edward R., A nest of
the Western Horned Owl (Bu-
bo virginianus subarsticus),
illustrated, 87.

Weed, Clarence, and Dearborn,
N., Review of their 'Birds in
their relation to man, 103.