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Old Series, ) Continuation of the

Vol. XXX. ( Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club.

\ New Series,
) Vol. XXII.

The Auk

a <Sluarterl£ 3ournal of ©rnitboloo^

EDITOR

J. A. ALLEN

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

FRANK M. CHAPMAN

VOLUME XXII

PUBLISHED BY

The American Ornithologists' Union

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

/f/XSIf

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXII.

NUMBER I.

Routes of Migration. By Wells W. Cooke ..... i

Summer Resident Birds of Brewster County, Texas. By

Thos. H. Montgomery, Jr. ........ 12

Where does the Large-billed Sparrow spend the Summer?

By Joseph Grinnell ......... 16

The Status of Helminthophila leucobrotichialis and Helmin-

thofhila laxvrencei. By Louis B. Bishop . . . . . 21

The Decrease of Certain Birds in New England. By Ed-
ward Howe Forbush ......... 25

William Swainson to John James Audubon. (A hitherto un-
published Letter.) By Ruthven Deane 31

Plumage Wear in its Relation to Pallid Subspecies. By

Jonathan Dtvigkt,Jr., M. D 34

Notes on the Birds of the Au Sable Valley, Michigan.

'By Norman A. Wood and Earl H. Froth ingh am 39

Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. By Irene C. Wheelock. 54

Twenty-Second Congress of the American Orithologists'

Union. By John H. Sage 71

GENERAL NOTES.

Sabine's Gull in Montana, 76 ; Additional Record of the European
Widgeon (Mar ecu penelope), 76; Little Blue Heron in Connecti-
cut, 76; Little Blue Heron in Massachusetts, 77; Description of
Second Michigan Specimen of Cory's Least Bittern, 77 ; Avocet
{Recurvirostra americana) in New Jersey, 78; The Turkey Buz-
zard (Cathartes aura) in Maine, 7S ; A Correction, 79 ; The Gray
Sea Eagle (Halia?etus albicilla) in British Columbia, 79; The
Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker in Melrose, Mass., 80 ; Wintering
of the Red-headed Woodpecker at Detroit, Michigan, 80 ; The
Chuck-will's-wrdow in Kansas, 81 ; The Raven in Southern New
Hampshire: — A Comment, 81 ; The Blue Jay and other Eastern
Birds at Wrav, Yuma County, Colorado, 81 ; The Blue Jay at
Yuma, Colorado, 82 ; Another Deformed Bill, 83 ; Clay-colored
Sparrow in the Cariboo District, British Columbia, 83 ; Hen-
slow's Sparrow in St. Clair County, Michigan, 83 ; The North-
ern Parula Warbler in Southern Michigan, 84; Bachman's
Warbler in Leon County, Florida, 85; The First Hooded War-
bler Taken in Maine, 85; Breeding of the Hudsonian Chickadee
(Parus hudsouicus) at Dover, Maine, 85 ; Hudsonian Chickadee
about Boston, Mass., 87 ; The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the Public
Garden, Boston, Mass., 87; Notes on Several Rare Southeastern
Michigan Birds, 88; Additional Records for Southeastern Michi-
gan, 89; The Apparent Power of Reasoning in Birds, 89;
Guthrie's Geography, 1S15 Edition, 90; Audubon's Ornithologi-
cal Biography, 91.

Contents of Volume XXII.

RECENT LITERATURE.

Cooke's Distribution and Migration of North American Warblers,
91 ; Osgood on Birds of Alaska, 92 ; Nelson on New Birds from
Mexico, 93 ; Henderson's Additional List of Boulder County,
Colorado, Biids, 93; Preliminary Review of the Birds of
Nebraska, 94 ; Scott on the Inheritance of Song in Passerine
Birds, 95; Scott's Ornithology of Patagonia, 96; Bryan's 'A
Monograph of Marcus Island,' 98; Macoun's Catalogue of Cana-
dian Birds, Part 111,99; Todd on the Mammal and Bird Fauna
of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 100 ; Stone on Birds and Mam-
mals from Mt. Sanhedrin, California, 100; Raine on the Eggs
of the Solitary Sandpiper, 100 ; Riley on the Birds of Barbuda
and Antigua, 101 ; Dubois's ' Synopsis Avium,' 102 ; Madarasz's
'An Extraordinary Discovery in Ornithology,' 102; Shalow on
Arctic Birds, 103.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Obituary: Dr. Samuel W. Woodhouse, 104; John Cowing Knox, 106.
New Bird Groups at the American Museum of Natural Historv.
107 ; Taylor's Egg Catalogue, 109; A National Association of
Audubon Societies. 109; Work of the A. O. U. Committee on
Bird Protection, no.

NUMBER II.

Summer Birds of the Bahamas. By Glover M. Allen. (Plate I.) 113

The Migration of Certain Shore Birds. By Austin H. Clark 134

List of Birds seen in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, April i,

1904. By //. //. Kopman . . . . . . . .140

Nesting Habits of Birds in Mississippi. By Charles R.

Stockard . .......... 146

Nesting of the Golden Eagle in Montana. Bv E. S. Cam-
eron. (Plates II- VI.) " . . 15S

Notes concerning certain Birds of Long Island, N. Y. By

Wm. C.Braislin, M. D 167

A Hitherto Unpublished Letter of John James Audubon.

By Ruthven Dearie ......... 170

John James Abert to John James Audubon. (Hitherto unpub-
lished Letters.) By Ruthven Deane . . . . . .172

Some New and Rare Bird Records for Michigan. By Xor-

tnan A. Wood .......... 175

Nesting Habits of the Brown Creeper as Observed in
Plymouth County, Massachusetts, with Description of
a Nest from North Scituate. Bv Arthur P. Chadbourne,
M. D. (Plates VII-IX.) . 179

The Breeding of the Brown Creeper in Eastern Massachu-
setts. Bv Frederic H. Kennard and Frederic B. McKechnie.
(Plates X-XII.) 183

Birds of Delaware : A Preliminary List. By Samuel X.

Rhoads and C.J. Pennock . . ■ ■ ■ . ■ .194

Contents of Volume XXII.

GENERAL NOTES.

Kumlien's Gull : An Addition to the Massachusetts List, 205 ;
Leach's Petrel (Occanodroma leucorhoa) on the Long Island
Shore, 205 ; Two Additional Records of the European Widgeon
(Mareca fienelope), 206 ; An Unusual Migration of Ducks in
Ontario, 206 ; The Gadwall and Yellow Rail near Springfield,
Mass., 207; Shore Birds Eating Small Fish, 208; A Killdeer's
Mishap, 209; A Correction, 210; The Crab Hawk (Urubitinga)
in the Island of St. Lucia, West Indies, 210 ; Scott's Sparrow in
Colorado, 210 ; Nelson's Sparrow in Nebraska, 210 ; A Female
Cardinal Wintering in Concord, Mass., 211; Decrease of Purple
Martins on Long Island, N. Y., 211 ; The Loggerhead Shrike in
Connecticut in Winter, 21 1 ; Parula Warbler and Short-billed
Marsh Wren, 212 ; A Supposed Specimen of the Yellow Warbler
(Dendroica (Estiva) from Grenada, West Indies, 212; Breeding
of Wilson's Thrush {Hylocichla fuscescens) in Virginia, 214 ;
Notes on the Nesting of the Varied Thrush, 214 ; An Unrecog-
nized Subspecies of Bellona crista tus, 215; Michigan Randoms,
216; Erroneous Maine Records, 217; Swainson and Audubon,
218.

RECENT LITERATURE.

Ridgway's 'The Birds of North and Middle America,' Part III, 219;
Richmond on Birds described by Pallas in 1764, 222 ; Harvie-
Brown and Macpherson's ' A Fauna of the Northwest High-
lands and Skye,' 223; Proceedings of the Delaware Valley
Ornithological Club, 224; Proceedings of the Linnrean Society
of New York, 225 ; Dutcher's Report on Bird Protection, 225 ;
Hagmann's Concordance of Brazilian Birds described by Spix,
Wied, Burmeister, and Pelzeln, 226 ; Shufeldt on the Families
and Higher Groups of Birds, 227; Clark on New Birds from St.
Vincent, W. I., 228; Mearns on New Philippine Birds, 228;
Shelley's ' Birds of Africa,' Vol. IV, Pt. 1, 228.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Obituary: Evan Lewis, 229. Nomenclature in Ichthyology, 229;
'The Warbler,' 230; 'The Apteryx,' 230 ; Work of the Biological
Survey, 230; The National Association of Audubon Societies,
232.

NUMBER III.

Ornithological Results of the Canadian 'Neptune' Expe-
dition to Hudson Bay and Northward. 1903-1904. By
Rev. C. W. G. Eifrig ......... 233

The Forms of Vermivora celatu (Say). By Harry C. Oberholser . 242
William Swainson to John James Audubon. (Hitherto unpub-
lished Letters.) By Ruthven Deane 248

vi Contents of Volume XXII.

Extirpated West Indian Birds. By Austin II. Clark . . 259

The Lesser Antillean Macaws. By Austin H. Clark . . 266
Nesting Habits of birds in Mississippi. Bv Charles R. Stock-

ard. (Concluded.) ......... 273

Warbler Migration in Southeast Louisiana and Southern

Mississippi. By H. H. Kopman 289

The Winter Ranges of the Warblers (Mniotiltid.e). By

W. IV. Cooke .......... 296

The Purchase of a Great Auk for the Thayer Museum at

Lancaster, Mass. Bv John E. Thayer. (Plates XIII and

XIV) " 300

Ornithology of a Churchyard. By B. S. Bow dish . . . 302
The Cuban Crab Hawk, Urubiiinga gundlachii (Cabanis). By

Outratn Bangs .......... 307

GENERAL NOTES.

The Dovekie on the Coast of North Carolina, 310; The Golden
Eagle {Aqttila chrysaetos) near Ottawa, 310 ; The Genus Conu-
rus in the West Indies, 310; Nesting of the Raven (Corvus
corax principalis) at Cumberland, Md.,312 ; A One-legged Crow
(Corvus brachyrkynckos), 312; An Unusual Abundance of the
Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) in and near Ottawa, Can.,
313 ; Hoary Redpoll in Montana, 313 ; A curious Anomalv in the
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), 313; The Mi-
grant Shrike (L'anius ludovicianus migrans) at Ottawa, Can.,
314; Capture of the Kirtland Warbler near Richmond, Ind., 314;
The Kentucky Warbler at Winneconne, Wise, 314 ; Wintering
of the Brown Thrasher in a Park in New York City, 314 ; An
Addition to the avifauna of Cuba, 315 ; Note on Lagopus leucu-
rus and Leucosticte australis, 315 ; Notes from Northern New
Mexico. 316 ; The Former Status of the Flamingo and the Fish
Hawk in the Lesser Antilles, 318 ; Two Massachusetts Records,
319; Notes on Nebraska Birds. 319; Do Migrants Fast? 320;
Hybridism between the Shoveller and Blue-winged Teal, 321.

RECENT LITERATURE.

Townsend's 'The Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts,' 322 ; Job's
'Wild Wings,' 324; Sharpe on the Birds of the Antarctic
Regions, 325; Butterfield on Bird Migration, 325 ; Riley's ' Birds
of the Bahama Islands,' 328; Bangs and Zappey's ' Birds of the
Isle of Pines,' 329; Bangs on New American Birds, 329; Thayer
and Bangs on the Birds of Gorgona Island, Colombia, 329; Nel-
son on the Names of certain North American Birds, 330 ; Schice-
ler on the Greenland Mallard, 331 ; Shellev's 'Birds of Africa,'
Vol. IV, Pt. II, 332.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Obituary : Walter E. Bryant, 332 ; Adolphe Boucard, 332. The
Fourth International Ornithological Congress, 333 ; Mr. Ridg-
way's Recent Ornithological Work in Costa Rica, 333 ; Ornitho-

Contents of Volume XXII,

logical Explorations, 334 ; Commemoration of Audubon's One
Hundred and Twenty-fifth Birthday, 334 ; Ornithological Publi-
cations in Prospect, 335 ; Michigan Ornithological Club, 331; ;
Work of the A. O. U. Committee on Nomenclature, 336.

NUMBER IV.

PAGE.

The West Indian Parrots. By Austin H. Clark . . . 337
The Greater Antillean Macaws. By Austin H. Clark . . 347
List of Birds Collected or Observed during the Bahama
Expedition of the Geographic Society of Baltimore.

By J. H.Riley 349

Are the Habits of Birds Changing? By Geo. F. Breninger. 360
A Third Trip to the High Sierras. By Milton S. Ray . . 363
The Direction of Flight in the Fall Migration at New

Haven, Connecticut. By Louis B. Bishop, M. D. . . 372

Summer Birds of Mount Pinos, California. By Joseph Grin-

nell . 378

Notes on the Breeding of Bachman's Warbler, Heltnin-
chophila bachmanii (Aud.), near Charleston, South Car-
olina, with a Description of the First Plumage of
the Species. By William Brexvster ..... 392

Notes on Certain Birds Taken or Seen near Charleston,

South Carolina. By Arthur T. Wayne .... 395

The Status of Certain Swainsonian Genera of Birds. By

J. A. Allen ........... 400

GENERAL NOTES.

A Holbcell's Grebe (Colymbus holbcelli) at Englewood, N. J., in June,
407; The Yellow-billed Tropic Bird near Phoenix, Arizona, 408;
The Man-o'-War Bird (Fregata aquila) at San Pablo Bav, Cali-
fornia, 408; Brant's Nest, 408; A Brood of Albino Spoonbill
Ducks (Spatula clypeatn), 408; Rare Ducks near Bridgewater,
Mass., 409; Rallus elegans and Ionornis martinica in Massachu-
setts, 409; Tlie Ruff at Camden, Maine, 409; The California
Partridge (Callipepla calijornica) in Los Angeles County, Cali-
fornia, 410; The Ruff (Pavoncella pugnax) in Indiana, 410; A
Pigeon's Broken Leg that Healed Itself, 412; The Turkey Vulture
(Cathartes aura) in Michigan, 413; The Turkey Vulture in West-
ern Massachusetts, 413 ; The Gray Gyrfalcon in Wisconsin, 413 ;
Northern Pileated Woodpecker in Massachusetts, 414 ; A Rare
Plumage of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus princi-
palis) 414; The Prairie Horned Lark (Otocoris alpeslris fraticola)
on Mount Washington, N. 11., 414; The Pine Siskin Breeding at
Guelph, Ontario, 415; The White-throated Sparrow Breeding in
Eastern Massachusetts, 415 ; Nesting of Henslow's Sparrow in
St. Clair Co., Michigan, 416 ; Cassin's Sparrow in Colorado, 417 ;
The Orange-crowned Warbler (Helminthophila celata) a Winter
Resident in South Carolina, 417; Brewster's Warbler (Helmin-
thophila leucobrouchialis) at Englewood, N. J., 417 ; Myrtle War-
bler at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in January, 1905, 41S ; The Water-

Cotite7its of Volume XXII.

Thrush (Seiurus noveboracemis) Nesting in Lancaster, Mass.,
418; The Louisiana Water-Thrush in Philadelphia in Summer,
419 ; The Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) a Resident in Dominica,
West Indies, 419; The Black-fronted Warbler {Dendroica audu-
boninigrifroni) in Southern California, 419 ; Young Birds Killed
by Trains, 419; Some Massachusetts Records of Interest, 420;
Notes from Northwestern Connecticut, 420; Two Records for
Colorado, 421; Colorado Notes, 421; Some Wayne County,
Michigan, Notes, 1905, 422.

RECENT LITERATURE.

Stephens's ' Life Areas of California,' 424 ; Chapman on the Life His-
tory of the American Flamingo, 426 ; Oberholser on Birds Col-
lected in the Kilimanjaro Region, East Africa, 427; McGregor
on Philippine Birds, 427; Hartert's 'Die Vogel der palaark-
tischen Fauna,1 Heft III, 428 ; Clark on the Amount of Difference
that should Characterize Species and Subspecies, 429 ; Mascha's
'The Structure of Wing-Feathers, 434 ; Jacobs's West Virginia
Bird Notes, 435 ; Howe's ' Fifty Common Birds of Vermont', 435 ;
Oberholser on the Nomenclature of Certain Genera of Birds,
436 ; Forbush on the Decrease of Birds and Means for their Pro-
tection, 437; Palmer on Game Protection, 438.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Obituary ; Walter E. Bryant, 439 ; Denis Gale, 442 ; Guy M. Brad-
ley, 443. Fourth International Ornithological Congress, 444 ;
Legaut's Giant Bird (genus Legautia), 446; English Names of
American Birds, 446; Twenty-third Congress of the A. O. U.,
447-
Index ............. 449

Contents of Volume XXII ........ iii

Officers, Committees, and Members of the American

Ornithologists' Union ix

LIST OF PLATES.

Plate I. Fig. 1, Cay Vegetation, Great Guana Cay, Bahamas; Fig. 2,
Outer edge of a Mangrove Swamp, Great Bahama.
" II. Site of Golden Eagle's Eyrie, Badlands, Terry, Montana.
" III-VI. Same Eyrie, with Eggs, and Eaglets in different stages of

growth, from two days to two months old.
" VII-XII. Nesting of the Brown Creeper, showing various nesting
trees and nesting-sites, position of nests, the parent
birds, and a nest.
" XIII and XIV. Great Auk and Great Auk Eggs, in the Thayer
Museum, Lancaster, Mass.

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES OF THE AMERICAN
ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. 1904-1905.

1905

a

1905

it

!905

u

I9°S

it

l9°5

u

1905

Expiration of Term.
Cory, Charles B., President November, 1905.

Batchelder, C. F., 1 Jr. j-. .j .

> Vice-Presidents " loot;.

Nelson, E. W., / ^3

Sage, John H., Secretary " 190 5.

Dwight, Jonathan, Jr., Treasurer " 1905.

Additional Members of the Council.

Chapman, Frank M November, 1905 .

Deane, Ruthven

Dutcher, William.

Fisher, A. K

Richmond, Charles W

Roberts, Thomas S

Stone, Witmer

Allen, J. A

Brewster, William

Elliot, D. G j- Ex-Presidents.

Merriam, C. Hart I

Ridgway, Robert J

Editorial Staff of ' The Auk.'

Allen, J. A., Editor November, 1905.

Chapman, Frank M., Associate Editor " 190^.

Committees.
Committee on Publications.

Cory, Charles B., Chairman. Allen, J. A.

Sage, John H., Secretary. Chapman, Frank M.

Dwight, Jonathan, Jr.

Committee of Arrangements for the Meeting of 1905.

Cory, Charles B., Chairman. Chapman, Frank M.

Sage, John H., Secretary. Dwight, Jonathan, Jr.

Dutcher, William.

Fellozvs.

FELLOWS, MEMBERS, AND ASSOCIATES OF THE

AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

OCTOBER, 1905.1

FELLOWS.

[Omission of date indicates a Founder. An * indicates a Life Fellow.]

Date of
Election.

Aldrich, Hon. Charles, S. Marshall St., Boone, Iowa —

Allen, Dr. J. A., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City —

Anthony, A. W., 900 Thurman St., Portland, Ore 1895

Bangs, Outram, 240 Beacon St., Boston, Mass 1901

Barrows, Prof. W. B., Agricultural College, Mich 1883

Batchelder, Charles Foster, 7 Kirkland St., Cambridge, Mass ... —

Beal, F. E. L., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1901

Belding, Lyman, Stockton, Cal 18S3

Bicknell, Eugene P., 30 Pine St., New York City —

Bishop, Dr. Louis B., 356 Orange St., New Haven, Conn 1901

♦Brewster, William, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass —

Brown, Nathan Clifford, 21S Middle St., Portland, Me —

Chadbourne, Dr. Arthur P., 193 Beacon St., Boston, Mass 1889

Chapman, Frank M., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York Citv 1S88

Cooke, Prof. Wells W., 1328 12th St., N. W., Washington, D. C 18S4

*Cory, Charles B., 160 Boylston St., Boston, Mass —

Deane, Ruthven, 504 N. State St., Chicago, 111. 18S3

Dutcher, William, 525 Manhattan Ave., New York Cit* 1886

Dwight, Dr. Jonathan, Jr., 2 East 34th St., New York Citv "886

Elliot, Daniel G., Field Columbian Museum, Chicago, 111 —

Fisher, Dr. Albert K., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. . . —

Gill, Prof. Theodore N., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C. . . . 18S3

Grinnell, Dr. George Bird, Audubon Park, New York Citv 18S3

Grinnell, Joseph, 572 N. Marengo Ave., Pasadena, Cal 1901

Henshaw, Henry W., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C . 1883

Lawrence, Newbold T., 51 Liberty St., New York Citv 1883

Loomis, Leverett M., California Acad. Sci., San Francisco, Cal. . . 1892

1 Fellows and Members of the Union, and Subscribers to ' The Auk ' are
requested to promptly notify Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr., Treasurer, 2 East
34th St., New York City, of any change of address.

Honorary Fellows. xi

Lucas, Frederic A., Museum Brooklyn Inst., Eastern Parkway,

Brooklyn, N. Y 1S92

Mearns, Dr. Edgar A., U. S. A., War Dept., Washington, D. C —

Merriam, Dr. C. Hart, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C... —

Nehrling, H., Palm Cottage, Gotha, Fla 1883

Nelson, E. W., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1SS3

Oberholser, Harry C, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. . . 1902

Palmer, Dr. T. S., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1901

Palmer, William, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C 1S98

Purdie, Henry A., 48 Bolyston St., Boston, Mass —

Richmond, Dr. Charles W , Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C- -1897
Ridgway, Prof. Robert, 3413 13th St. N. E., Washington, D. C. .. . —
Roberts, Dr. Thomas S., 1603 4th Ave., S., Minneapolis, Minn ... .1883

*Sage, John H., Portland, Conn 1883

Saunders, William E., 352 Clarence St., London, Ontario 1883

Shufeldt, Dr. Robert W., 471 W. 145th St., New York City —

Stejneger, Dr. Leonhard, U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C1S84

Stone, Witmer, Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa 1S92

Widmann, Otto, 5105 Morgan St., St. Louis, Mo 18S4

HONORARY FELLOWS.

Berlepsch, Count Hans von, Schloss Berlepsch, Gertenbach, Cas-

sel, Germany 1890

Blanford, Dr. William T., 72 Bedford Gardens, Kensington,

London, W 1S95

Bocage, Prof. J. V. Barboza du, Royal Museum, Lisbon 1SS3

Cabanis, Prof. Dr. Jean, Friedrichshagen, near Berlin 1SS3

Dresser, Henry Eeles, 28 Queensborough Terrace, London, W. ■ 1SS3

Finsch, Dr. Otto, 196 Altewickring, Braunschweig, Germany 1S83

Giglioli, Dr. Henry Hillyer, Director Royal Zoological Museum,

Florence 1SS3

Hartert, Ernst, Zoological Museum, Tring, England 1902

Harvie-Brown, John A., Dunipace House, Larbert, Stirling, Scot-
land 1902

Hume, Allan Octavian, The Chalet, Kingswood Road, Upper Nor-
wood, London, S. E 1 8S3

Meyer, Dr. A. B., Director Royal Zool. Museum, Dresden 1900

Newton, Prof. Alfred, Magdalene College, Cambridge, England. . .1883
Reichenow, Dr. Anton, Kdnigl. Mus. fur Naturkunde, Invaliden-

strasse, 43, Berlin 1891

Salvadori, Prof. Count Tommaso, Royal Zool. Museum, Turin 1883

Saunders, Howard, 7 Radnor Place, Hyde Park, London, W 1S84

Xll

Corresponding bellows.

Sclater, Dr. Philip Lutley, 3 Hanover Sq., London, W 1883

Sharpe, Dr. Richard Bowdler, British Museum (Natural History),

Cromwell Road, London, S. W 1883

Wallace, Prof. Alfred Russel, Broadstone, Wimborne, Dorset,

England 1883

CORRESPONDING FELLOWS.

Alfaro, Anastasio, San Jose, Costa Rica iSSS

Arrigoxi Degli Oddi, Count Dr. E., University of Padua, Italv- . . 1900

Blasius, Dr. Rudolph, Braunschweig, German v 18S4

Blasius, Dr. Wilhelm, Braunschweig, German v 1884

Buller, Sir Walter Lawry, 81 Eaton Terrace, London, S. W 1883

Bureau, Dr. Louis, Ecole de Medicine, Nantes, France 1884

Butler, Lieut. -Col. E. A., Plumton House, Bury St. Edmunds,

Suffolk, England ^84

Buttikofer, J., Zoological Gardens, Rotterdam, Holland 1886

Campbell, Archibald James, Melbourne, Australia 1902

Chamberlain, Montague, Cambridge, Mass 1901

Clarke, William Eagle, Science and Art Museum, Edinburgh 1S89

Collett, Prof. Robert, Zoological Museum, Christiania, Norway.. 1SS3
Dalgleish, John J., Brankston Grange, Bogside Station, Stirling,

Scotland 1SS3

Dole, Sanford B., Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands 1888

Dubois, Dr. Alphonse, Museum Nat. History, Brussels 1S84

Duges, Prof. Alfredo, Colegio del Estado, Guanajuato, Mexico. . . .18S4

Echt, Adolph Bachofen von, Nussdorf, near Vienna 18S3

Evans, Arthur H., 9 Harvey Road, Cambridge, England 1S99

Fatio, Dr. Victor, Geneva, Switzerland 1S84

Feilden, Lieut.-Col. H. W., West House, Wells, Norfolk, England .. 18S4
Ferrari-Perez, Prof. Fernando, Naturalist Mexican Geol. Expl.

Commission, Pueblo, Mexico 1S85

Freke, Percy Evans, 7 Limes Road, Folkstone, Kent, England 1SS3

Furbringer, Prof. Max, Director Anatom. Institute, University of

Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany 1891

Gadow, Dr. Hans, Zoological Museum, Cambridge, England iS^4

Girtanner, Dr. A., St. Galle, Switzerland 1SS4

Godman, F. Du Cane, 10 Chandos Street, Cavendish Sq., London. . 1S8}
Godwin-Austen, Lieut.-Col. H. H., Shalford House, Guilford, Eng-
land 1S84

Goeldi, Dr. Emil A., Para, Brazil 190^5

Grandidier, Alfred, 6 Rond-Point des Champs Elysees, Paris. . . . 1883
Grant, William R. Ogilvie, 29 Elvaston Place, London, S. W 1S99

Corresponding Fellows. xiii

Gurney, John Henry, Keswick Hall, Norwich, England 1SS3

Harting, James Edmund, Linnaean Society. Burlington House, Pic-
cadilly, London 1S83

Hayek, Dr. Gustav yon, Vienna 18S4

Hellmayr, Dr. E. C, Zoological Museum, Tring, England 1903

Henson, Harry V., Yokohama 1888

Hudson, William Henry, Tower House, St. Luke's Road, West-
bourne Park, London, W 1 895

Ihering, Dr. Hermann yon, Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil. . . . 1902

Knudson, Valdemar, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands 1888

Krukenberg, Dr. E. F. W., Wiirzburg,xGerman v 1884

Kruper, Dr. Theobald J., University Museum, Athens, Greece 1884

Legge, William V., Cullenswood House, St. Mary's, Tasmania 1891

Leyerkuhn, Dr. Paul, The Palace, Sophia, Bulgaria 1890

MacFarlane, Robert, Winnipeg, Manitoba 18S6

Madarasz, Dr. Julius von, National Museum, Budapest, Hungary. . 1SS4

Menzbier, Dr. M., Imperial Society of Naturalists, Moscow 1S84

Namiye, M., Tokio 1SS6

Nicholson, Francis, S4 Major St., Manchester, England 1S84

North, Alfred J., Australian Museum, Sydney, New South

Wales 1902

Oates, Eugene William, i Carlton Gardens, Ealing, London, W..1884

Oustalet, Dr. Emile, Jardin des Plantes, Paris 18S8

Palmen, Dr. J. A., Helsingfors, Finland 1S83

Pycraft, W. P., British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Cromwell Road, Lon-
don, S. W 1902

Ramsey, E. P., Sydney, New South Wales 1884

Ringer, Frederic, Nagasaki 1S88

Rothschild, Hon. Walter L., Zoological Museum, Tring, Eng-
land 1898

Schalow, Herman, 15 Sehleswiger Ut'er, Berlin, N. W 1884

Shelley, Capt. G. E., 39 Edgerton Gardens, South Kensington,

London, S. W 1S84

Sucshkin, Dr. Peter, Imperial University, Moscow 1903

Theel, Dr. Hjalmar, University of Upsala, Upsala, Sweden 1SS4

Tristram, Rev. Canon H. B., The College, Durham, England 1S84

Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, Victor Ritter von, Villa Tannenhof,

bei Hallein, Salzburg, Austria 1884

Waterhouse, F. H., 3 Hanover Square, London, W 18S9

Winge, Dr. Herluf, Copenhagen 1903

Worcester, Prof. Dean C, Manila, P. 1 1903

Zeledon, Don Jose C , San Jose, Costa Rica • • • • 1884

Members.

MEMBERS.

Allen, Francis H., 4 Park St., Boston, Mass 1901

Allen, Dr. Glover M., 16 Oxford St., Cambridge, Mass 1904

Allison, Andrew, Bay St. Louis, Miss 1902

Attwater, H. P., Box 697, Houston, Texas 1901

Bailey, Mrs. Vernon, 1S34 Kalorama Ave., Washington, D. C 1901

Bailey, Vernon, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1901

Baily, William L., Ardmore, Pa 1901

Barbour, Prof. Erwin H., Sta. A., Lincoln, Neb 1903

Bartsch, Paul, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C 1902

Beebe, C. William, N. V. Zoological Park, New York City 1903

Bent, Arthur C, Taunton, Mass 1902

Bond, Frank, General Land Office, Washington. D. C 1901

Braislin, Dr. William C, 217 St. James Place, Brooklyn, N. Y 1902

Brown, Herbert, Yuma. Arizona 1901

Bruner,. Prof. Lawrence, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb 1901

Bryan, William Alanson, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, H. 1 1901

Burns, Frank L., Berwvn, Pa 1901

Butler, Amos W., 52 Downey Ave., Irvington, Indianapolis. Ind..i90i
Cherrie, George K., Mus. Brooklyn Inst., Eastern Parkway, Brook-
lyn, N. Y 1901

Clark, Prof. Hubert Lyman, Olivet College, Olivet, Mich 1902

Daggett, Frank S., 341 Rialto Building, Chicago, 111 1901

Deane, Walter, 29 Brewster St., Cambridge, Mass 1901

Evermann, Prof. Barton W., Bureau of Fisheries, Washington,

D. C 1901

Fisher, Walter Kenrick, Palo Alto, Cal 1901

Fleming, James H., 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Ontario 1901

Forbush, Edward II., Wareham, Mass 1903

Fuertes. Louis Agassiz, 13 East Ave., Ithaca, N. Y 1901

Gault, Benjamin True, Glen Ellyn, 111 1903

Goldman, Edward Alfonso, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 1902

Hardy, Manly, 159 Wilson St., Brewer, Maine 1901

Hoffmann, Ralph, Belmont, Mass 1901

Howell, Arthur H., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1902

Jacobs, J. Warren, Waynesburg, Pa 1904

Jeffries, William Augustus, Box 2013, Boston, Mass 1901

Job, Rev. Herbert K., Kent, Conn 1901

Jones, Lynds, 160 N. Professor St., Oberlin, Ohio 1901

Jordan, Prof. David Starr, Stanford University, Cal 1901

Judd, Dr. Sylvester D., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C...1901

Knowltox, F H., U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C 1902

Mackay, George H., 304 Bay State Road, Boston, Mass 1901

Mailliard, John W.. 307 Sansome St., San Francisco, Cal 1901

Mailliard, Joseph, San Geronimo, Cal 1901

Associates. xv

McGregor, Richard C, Govt. Laboratories, Manila, P. 1 1901

Miller, Mrs. Olive Thorne, Glendale, Cal 1901

Morris, George Spencer, Olnev, Philadelphia, Pa 1903

Morris, Robert O., Springfield, Mass 1904

Murdoch, John, 3S Whiting St., Roxbury, Mass 1901

Norton, Arthur H., Mus. Nat. Hist., 22 Elm St., Portland, Maine. . 1902
Osgood, Wilfred Hudson, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C • 1901

Pearson, T. Gilbert, Greensboro, N. C 1902

Pennock, Charles J., Kennett Square, Pa 1901

Preble, Edward A., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1901

Price, William W., Alta, Cal 1901

Ralph, Dr. William L., U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C---i9oi

Rathbun, Samuel F., 217 14th Ave., N, Seattle, Wash 1902

Rhoads, Samuel N., Audubon, N. J 1901

Rives. Dr. William C, 1723 I St., N. W., Washington, D. C 1901

Robinson, Capt. Wirt, U. S. A., Wingina, Va 1901

Seton, Ernest Thompson, Cos Cob, Conn 1901

Silloway, Perley Milton, Lewistown, Montana 1902

Snodgrass, Robert Evans, Stanford University, Cal 1903

Sornborger, Jewell D., ioi Hammond St., Cambridge, Mass 1901

Stephens, Frank, University and Fillmore Aves., San Diego, CaL.1901
Strong, Dr. Reuben M., Dept. Zool., Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, 111 . 1903

Thayer, Abbott H., Monadnock, N. H 1901

Todd, W. E. Clyde, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa 1901

Torrey, Bradford, Newton Lower Falls, Mass 1901

Townsend, Charles H., Aquarium, Battery Park, New York City. . 1901

Trotter, Dr. Spencer, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa 1901

Whitman, Prof. Charles Otis, 5238 Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, 111. . 1902

Wolcott, Dr. Robert H., Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb 1903

Wright, Mrs. Mabel Osgood, Fairfield, Conn 1901

ASSOCIATES.

Abbott, Clinton Gilbert, 153 W. 73rd St., New York City 189S

Abbott, Gerard A., 945 Marquette Bldg., Chicago, 111 1904

Ackley, Miss Adeline E., East Hampton, Conn X9Q4

Adams, C. Wallace, 947 Rhode Island Ave. N. W., Washington, D. C . 1901

Adams, Miss Emily Belle., 167 Maple St., Springfield, Mass 1900

Adams, Mrs. Emma S., 439 Elm St., Chicago, 111 1899

Aiken, Charles Edward Howard, 2 E. Kiowa St., Colorado

Springs, Colo 1898

Allen, Clarence Jones, Box 528, Milwaukee, Wis IS99

Allen, Mrs. Eustace L., 859 Prospect Ave., Hartford, Conn 1904

Ames, J. H., 96 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario 1895

Anderson, Mrs. J. C, Englewood, N. J 1903

xvi Associates.

Angell, Walter A., 37 N. Main St., Providence, R.I 1901

Antes, Frank T., 128 Park Place, Canandaigua, N. Y 1904

Archibold, Joseph A., 187 Hodge Ave., Buffalo, N. Y 1903

Armstrong, Edward E., 546S Washington Ave., Chicago, 111 1904

Arnold, Edward, 126 Van Buren St., Battle Creek, Mich 1894

Arnow, Isaac F., St. Marys, Ga 1903

Atkinson, Dr. Daniel Armstrong, Wilkinsburg, Pa 1899

Atkinson, George E., Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. 1903

Babson, W. A., South Orange, N. J 1901

Bacon, Carrington C, Imboden, Ark 1S90

Bagg, Egbert, 424 Genesee St., Utica, N. Y 1S83

Bailey, Charles E., North Billerica, Mass 1S90

Bailey, Harold H., 54th St., Newport News, Va 1903

Baird, Miss Lucy Hunter, 251 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, Pa 1899

Baird, Robert L., 145 Woodland Ave., Oberlin, Ohio 1901

Baker, Arthur Benoni, 1845 Lanier Ave., N. W., Washington, D. C. 1902

Baldwin, Roger N., Wellesley Hills, Mass 1904

Ball, Carleton R., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1902

Ball, Miss Helen Augusta, 43 Laurel St., Worcester, Mass 1S93

Bangs, Edward Appleton, 501 Pemberton Bldg., Boston, Mass. . . . 1884

Barbour, Rev. Robert, 62 Walnut St., Montclair, N. J 1902

Barbour, Thomas, 13 Conant Hall, Cambridge, Mass. 1903

Barbour, Mrs. William D., 45 W. 35th St., New York City 1901

Barnard, Job, 1306 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C 1886

Barnes, Hon. R. Magoon, Lacon, 111 1889

Baxter, George Strong, Jr., 17 William St., New York City 1S94

Baynes, Ernest Harold, Meriden, N. H 1904

Beard, Daniel Carter, 87 Bowne Ave., Flushing, N. Y 1887

Beck, Rollo Howard, Berrvessa, Cal 1894

Beers, Henry W., 91 Denver Ave., Bridgeport, Conn 1S95

Bennetts, William J., 1941 1st St., N. W., Washington, D. C 1901

Bergtold, Dr. W. H., 1460 Clayton Ave., Denver, Colo 1S89

Berier, de Lagnel, Ridgwood, N. J 1885

Biddle, Miss Emily Williams, 2201 Sansom St., Philadelphia, Pa.iSgS
Bigelow, Henry Bryant, 251 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass. 1897
Bigelow, Homer Lane, Old Orchard Road, Chestnut Hill, Mass. . . 1902
Bigelow, Joseph Smith, Jr., 251 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass. 1896

Bignell, Mrs. Effie, 135 College Ave., New Brunswick, N. J 1899

Birnie, William A., Springfield, Mass 1904

Blackwelder, Eliot, 10906 Prospect Ave., Morgan Park, 111 1S95

Blain, Alex. W., Jr., 131 Elmwood Ave., Detroit, Mich 1901

Blake, Francis G., Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H 1901

Blatchley, W. S., 1725 Broadway, Indianapolis, Ind 1895

Bloomfield, Mrs. C. C, 723 Main St. W., Jackson, Mich 1901

Blunt, Miss Eliza Sinclair, 20 Lynde St., Salem, Mass 1901

Boewe, Max, 15 King St., Taunton, Mass 1903

Associates. xvii

Bogert, William S., Leonia, N. J 1904

Bohlman, Herman T., 46 Ninth St., N., Portland, Oregon 1901

Bond, Harry L., Lakefield, Minn 1890

Bowdish, B. S., Demarest, N. J 1S91

Bowdish, Mrs., B. S., Demarest, N. J 1904

Bowditch, Harold, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Mass 1900

Bowles, John Hooper, 401 S. G St., Tacoma, Wash 1891

Bracken, Mrs. Henry Martyn, 1010 Fourth St., S. E., Minne-
apolis, Minn 1897

Bradford, Mrs. J. L., 3S04 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, La 1S97

Bradford, Moses B. L., Concord Public Library, Concord, Mass.. 1889

Bradlee, Thomas Stevenson, Somerset Club, Boston, Mass 1902

Brandreth, Franklin, Ossining, N. Y 1SS9

Brennan, Charles F., Mount Carmel, 111 1902

Breninger, George Frank, 560 N. 6th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 1898

Brewster, Edward Everett, 316 C. St., E., Iron Mountain, Mich. 1893

Bridge, Mrs. Edmund E., 52 Wyman St., West Medford, Mass 1902

Bright, Miss Anna L., Green Hill Farm, Overbrook, Pa 1903

Brimley, H. H., Raleigh, N. C i9°4

Brock, Dr. Henry Herbert, 687 Congress St., Portland, Me...iS94

Brooks, Allan, Okanagan Landing, B. C 1902

Brooks, Rev. Earle Amos, Waver ly, W. Va 1S92

Brooks, Clarence Morrison, 105 West St., Keene, N. H 1900

Brown, Edward J., Lemon City, Florida 1S91

Brown, Miss Elizabeth V., 1357 Roanoke St, N. W., Washington,

D. C 1904

Brown, Hubert H., Gothic Ave., Toronto Junction, Ontario 1889

Brown, Lewis Boyer, 29 Admiral Road, Toronto, Ontario 1904

Brown, Stewardson, 20 E. Penn St., Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.iS95

Brown, Wilmot W., Jr., 52 Trowbridge St., Cambridge,' Mass 1892

Brownson, W. H., Advertiser Office, Portland, Me 1903

Bryant, Owen, 20 St. Botolph St., Boston, Mass 1903

Buck, Henry Robinson, Box 213, Hartford, Conn '897

Bumpus, Dr. Hermon C, Am. Mus. Natural History, New York City . 1901

Burgess Alexander M., 54 College St., Providence, R. 1 1904

Burgess, John Kingsbury, Chestnut St., Dedham, Mass 1S98

Burke, Wm. Bardwell, 130 Spring St., Rochester, N. Y 1901

Burnett, William L., 128 N. Sherwood St., Fort Collins, Colo. . . .1895

Burnham, John, Jackson, Minn 1903

Burtch, Verdi, Branchport, N. Y 1903

Burtis, Henry Mott, Babylon, N. Y 1897

Butler, Miss Charlotte W., 75 Cabot St., Beverly, Mass 1904

Buxbaum, Mrs. Clara E., 2305 Niles Ave., St. Joseph, Mich 1S95

Cabot, Louis, Brookline, Mass 1904

Callender, James Phillips, 603 Springfield Ave., Summit, N. J.. 1903
Cameron, E. S., V. Ranch, Terry, Montana 1903

xviii Associates.

Carletox, Cyrus, 69 Vinton St., Providence, R. 1 1903

Carpenter, Rev. Charles Knapp, Polo, 111 1894

Carr, Rufus H., 160 Pearl St., Brockton, Mass 1904

Cary, Merritt, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1898

Case, Rev. Bert F., Middle Haddam, Conn 1903

Case, Clifford M., 100 Ashley St., Hartford, Conn 1892

Cash, Harry A., 37 N. Main St., Providence, R. 1 1898

Chamberlain, Chauncy YV., 36 Lincoln St., Boston, Mass 1885

Chapln, Prof. Angie Clara, 25 Freeman Cottage, Wellesley, Mass.. 1896
Chase, Mrs. Agnes, 59 Florida Ave., N. W., Washington, D. C .1896

Chase, Sidney, 346 Beacon St., Boston, Mass 1904

Childs, John Lewis, Floral Park, N. Y 1900

Christy, Bayard H., 403 Frederick Ave., Sewickley, Pa 1901

Chubb, Samuel H., 468 W. 153d St., New York City 1894

Clapp, Miss Martha G. B., 163 East St., Pittsfield, Mass 1903

Clark, Austin Hobart, 107 Auduhon Road, Boston, Mass 1899

Clark, Edward B., 341 Oak St., Chicago, 111 1900

Clark, Josiah H., 238 Broadway, Paterson, N. J 1S95

Clarke, Dr. Charles K., Toronto Asylum, Toronto, Ont 1902

Clarke, Miss Harriet E., 9 Chestnut St., Worcester, Mass 1896

Cleveland, Dr. Clement, 59 W. 38th St., New York City 1903

Coale, Henry K., Highland Park, 111 1SS3

Coggins, Herbert Leonard, 5025 McKean Ave., Germantown,i904

Philadelphia, Pa 189S

Colburn, Albert E., 1204 Main St., Los Angeles, Cal 1891

Cole, Roy Nall, Newnan, Ga 1902

Colson, Harold Roy, 15 Walker St., Cambridge, Mass 1904

Colvin, Walter S., Osawatomie, Kan 1S96

Comeau, Napoleon A., Godbout, Quebec 1885 '

Comey, Arthur C, 54 Concord Ave., Cambridge, Mass 1901

Commons, Mrs. F. W., 2437 Park Ave., Minneapolis, Minn 1902

Conant, Mrs. Thos. O., 243 W. 98th St., New York City 1901

Congdon, James W., 202 S. 9th St., La Crosse, Wis 1902

Cook, Miss Lilian Gillette, 165 W. 82d St., New York City 1899

Coolidge, John Templeton, 3RD, 114 Beacon St., Boston, Mass 1903

Coolidge, Philip Tripp, 17 Garfield St., Watertown, Mass 1902

Cope, Alban, Butler Hospital, Providence, R. 1 18S5

Cope, Francis R., Jr., E. Washington Lane, Germantown, Pa 1S92

Copeland, Dr. Ernest, 141 Wisconsin St., Milwaukee, Wis 1897

Copeland, Manton, 40 Winthrop St., Taunton, Mass 1900

Coues, Dr. William Pearce, 90 Charles St., Boston, Mass 1888

Cox, Ulysses O., 325 Clark St., Mankato, Minn 1894

Cram, R. J., 26 Hancock Ave., W., Detroit, Mich 1S93

Crandall, C. W„ 10 Third St., Woodside, N. Y 1891

Crane, Miss Clara L., Dalton, Mass 1904

Crane, Mrs. Zenas, Dalton, Mass 1904

Crolius, Miss Anne A., 815 Carnegie Hall, New York City 1897

Associates. xix

Cromwell, James \V., i Green St., New York City 1904

Crone, John Valentine, Greeley, Colo 1902

Crosby, Maunsell S., Rhinebeck, N Y i9°4

Cummings, Miss Emma G., Ken nard Road, Brookline, Mass 1903

Currie, John D., 143 Oliver Ave., N., Minneapolis, Minn 1902

Currie, Rolla P., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C 1895

Currier, Edmonde Samuel, St. Johns, Ore 1894

Daniel, John W., Jr., 1794 Lanier Ave., Washington, D. C 1895

Dart, Leslie O., 1603 4th Ave., S., Minneapolis. Minn 1S9S

Davenport, Mrs. Elizabeth Braxton, 45 Green St., Brattleboro,

Vt 1898

Davis, Miss Mary A., 26 W. 97th St., New York City 189S

Davis, Stewart, Narragansett Pier, R. 1 1S99

Davis, Walter R., 139 Park St., Newton, Mass 1900

Davison, Donald B., 204 Prospect Park, Davenport, Iowa 1901

Dawson, Rev. William Leon, 5528 Fifteenth Ave., Seatle, Wash... 1895

Day, Chester Sessions, 280 Newbury St., Boston, Mass 1897

Day, Frank Miles, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa • 1901

Dean, R. H., IT. S. Weather Bureau, Lexington, Kv 1893

Deane, George Clement," 80 Sparks St., Cambridge, Mass 1 899

Dearborn, Ned, Field Columbian Museum, Chicago, 111 1902

De Haven, Isaac Norris, Box 61, Ardmore, Pa 1893

Derby, Richard, 3 E. 40th St., New York City 1S98

Derickson, S. H., Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pa 1904

De Vine, J. L., 5478 Ellis Ave., Chicago, 111 1903

Dewey, Dr. Charles A., 53 S. Fitzhugh St., Rochester, N. Y 1900

Dike, Archie C, Bristol, Vt 1903

Dille, Frederick M., 2927 W. 28th Ave., Denver, Colo 1892

Dionne, C. E., Laval Univ., Quebec 1893

Dixon, Frederick J., Elm Ave., Hackensack, N. J 1891

Dixon, James B., R. F. D. i, Escondido, Cal. 1903

Dobbin, William L., 43 Beverley St., Rochester, N. Y 1902

Dodge, Charles W., Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, N. Y 1900

Dodge, Fred Clinton, 125 Milk St., Boston, Mass 1897

Dodge, Julian M., Wenham Depot, Mass 1903

Doubleday, Mrs. Frank Nelson, hi E. 16th St., New York City. .1S97
Dougherty, Col. William E., Occidental Hotel, San Francisco, Cal.iSgo

Drew, Miss Emma E., 82 Grant St., Burlington, Vt 1904

Drowne, Dr. Frederick Peabody, 20 Benefit St., Providence, R. 1. 1899

Drummond, Miss Mary, 208 West St., Wheaton, III 1904

Dugmore, Arthur Radclyffe, Newfoundland, N. J ^99

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

Durfee, Owen, Box 125, Fall River, Mass 1S87

Dutcher, Dr. Basil Hicks, U. S. A., War Dept., Washington, D. C1886

Dyche, Prof. L. L., Lawrence, Kansas 1S86

Dyke, Arthur Curtis, Bridgewater, Mass 1902

xx Associates.

Eastman, Harry D., Framingham, Mass 1891

Eaton, Elon Howard, 259 Park Ave., Rochester, N. Y 1895

Eddy, Newell A., 615 N. Grant Place, Bay City, Mich 1885

Edson, John M., 2210 Victor St., Billingham, Washington 1886

Ehinger, Dr. Clyde, E., 15 Normal Ave., West Chester, Pa 1904

Eiche, August, 1 133 O St., Lincoln, Neb 1902

Eifrig, Rev. C. W. Gustave, 210 Wilbrod St., Ottawa, Ont 1901

Ells, George P., Norwalk, Conn 1904

Elrod, Prof. Morton, Univ. of Montana, Missoula, Montana 1892

Ely, Mrs. Theodore N., Bryn Mawr, Pa 1901

Embody, George Charles, Bethel College, Russellville, Ky 1898

Emerson, Guy, 6S5 Boylston St., Boston, Mass 1902

Emlen, Arthur Cope, Awbury, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. . . . 1896

Emmet, Robert T., New Rochelle, N. Y 1904

Emory, Mrs. Mary Dille, 156 Foundry St., Morgantown, W. Va 1899

Enders, John O., Box 546, Hartford, Conn 1904

Eppinger, Louis ]., 299 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, Mich 1903

Ericson, Lawrence, 155 Rogers Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y 1901

Eustis, Richard Spelman, ii Wadsworth House, Cambridge,

Mass !903

Evans, Ernest Merwyn, Awbury, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.. 1897

Evans, William B., 205 E. Central Ave., Moorestown, N. J 1S97

Everett, William M., 200 W. 99th St., New York City 1902

Fair, Paul J., 567 Lincoln Ave., Palo Alto, Cal 1904

Farley, John A., Newton, Mass 1 904

Farr, Marcus S., 12 Maple St., Princeton, N. J 1900

Farwell, Mrs. Francis Cooley, Edgewood, Lake Forest, 111 1898

Farwell, Mrs. John V., Jr., Edgewood, Lake Forest, 111 1896

Faulks, Emory N., 22 Madison Ave., Madison, N. J 1902

Felger, Alva Howard, North Side High School, Denver, Colo. . . . 1S98

Fell, Miss Emma Trego, 1534 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa 1903

Fernald, Robert Heywood, Washington Univ., St. Louis, Mo 1890

Ferry, John Farwell, 50 State St., Albany, N. Y 1894

Field, Edward Bronson, Belvedere Apartments, 24 Bancroft St ,

Toledo, Ohio 1S98

Finley, William L., 264 Madison St., Portland, Ore 1904

Finney, Mrs. William W., Churchville, Md 1900

Fisher, Miss Elizabeth Wilson, 1502 Pine St , Philadelphia, Pa. . . 1S96

Fisher, William H., 1318 Bolton St., Baltimore, Md 1895

Fisher, William Hubbell, 13 Wiggins Block, Cincinnati, Ohio.. .1S83

Flanagan, John H., 392 Benefit St., Providence, R.I 1S98

Fletcher, Mrs. Mary E., Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow, Vt. . 1898

Foote, Miss F. Huberta, 90 Locust Hill Ave., Yonkers, N. Y 1897

Forbes, Henry S., Milton, Mass 1904

Fordyce, Geo. L., 40 Lincoln Ave., Youngstown, Ohio 1901

Fowler, Frederick Hall, 221 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, Cal 1S92

Associates. xxi

Fowler, Henry W., Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa 189S

Fox, Dr. William H., 1826 Jefferson Place, Washington, D. C - . 1883

Fraser, Donald, Johnstown, N. V 1902

Freeman, Miss Harriet E.. 37 Union Park, Boston, Mass 1903

French, Charles H., Canton, Mass 1904

Fuller, Charles Anthony, 30 Clinton Road, Brookline, Mass. . . . 1S94

Fuller, Miss T. Otis, Needham, Mass 1904

Gammell, Ives, 170 Hope St., Providence, R. I 1903

Gano, Miss Laura, Richmond, Ind 1903

Gardiner, Charles Barnes, Norwalk Natl. Bank, Norwalk, Ohio- 1903

Gates, George B., Madison, S. D 1904

Gath, John, Box 354, Torrington, Conn 1901

Gaut, James H., Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC 1899

Gibson, Langdon, iS Washington Ave., Schenectady, N. Y 1904

Gifford, Edward Winslow, Acad, of Sciences, San Francisco 1904

Gilbert, Arthur F., New Bedford, Mass 1904

Gillet, Louis Bliss, 122 E. S6th St., New York Citv 189^

Oilman, Harris Hunt, Middlesex School, Concord, Mass 1903

Gleason, Rev. Herbert W., S3 Pinckney St., Boston, Mass 1894

Goddard, F. N., 33 E. 50th St., New York City 1901

Goodale, Dr. Joseph Lincoln, 397 Beacon St., Boston, Mass 1885

Goodrich, Juliet T., 10 Astor St., Chicago, 111 1904

Goodwin, Miss Amelia M., 1*0 Follen St., Cambridge, Mass 1904

Goss, Mrs. Aletta W., 5475 Ridgewood Court, Chicago, 111 1902

Gould, Joseph E., 640 W. Spring St., Lima, Ohio 18S9

Granger, Miss Helen, Pierce Hall, Cambridge, Mass 1904

Granger, Walter W., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City 1891

Greenough, Mrs. Amelia P., 377 Beacon St., Boston, Mass 1904

Greenough, Henry Vose, 45 Carlton St., Brookline, Mass 1901

Griffing, Moses Bowditch, Shelter Island Heights, N. Y 1S97

Griffiths, Bartram W., 4024 Green St., Philadelphia, Pa 1902

Gunnison, Miss M., Sage College, Ithaca, N. Y ^04

Hackenberg, Rev. John H., 3211 Columbia Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 1903

Hales, Henry, Ridgewood, N. J 1S90

Hall, H. Porter, Leominster, Mass 1904

Hall, Charles K., 54 Tweedle Bldg., Albany, N. Y 1903

Hambleton, James Chase, 212 E. nth St., Columbus, Ohio 1903

Hamfeldt, A., Ottawa, 111 1892

Hamlin, George L., Bridgeport, R. F. D. 3, Conn 1S93

Hankinson, Thomas Leroy, Charleston, 111 1S97

Hann, Herbert H., 700 Springfield Ave., Summit, N.J 1903

Harriman, Miss Cornelia, i E. 55th St., New York City 1899

Harriman, Miss Mary, 229 Madison Ave., New York City 1899

Harris, John Campbell, 119 S. 16th St., Philadelphia, Pa 1903

Hartley, Inness, 159 Grove St., Montclair, N. J 1901

Harvey, Miss Ruth Sawyer, Bond Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio 1902

Hathaway, Henry S., Box 49S, Providence, R. 1 1S97

Havemeyer, H. O., Jr., Mahwah, N. J 1S93

xxii Associate*.

Hazard, Hon. R. G., Peace Dale, R. 1 1SS5

Head, Miss Anna, 2538 Channing Way, Berkeley, Cal 1903

Hecox, Miss Laura J. F., Light House Keeper, Santa Cruz, Cal .... 1897
Heermance, Edgar Thornton, 1178 Sheridan Road, Chicago, 111. 1903

Helme, Arthur H., Millers Place, N. Y 1S88

Henderson, Judge Junius, Boulder, Colo 1903

Hendrickson. W. F., 130 12th St., Long Island City, N. Y 1885

Henninger, Rev. Walther F., 206 Jefferson St., Tiffin, Ohio 189S

Higbee, Harry G.. 13 Austin St., Hyde Park, Mass 1900

H ill, Elizabeth, Sewall, Groton, Mass 1904

Hill, James Haynes, Box 485, New London, Conn 1S97

Hill, Mrs. Thomas R., 1825 Greene St., Philadelphia, Pa 1903

Hindshaw, Henry Havelock, N. Y. State Museum, Albany, N. Y.1S97
Hine, Prof. James Stewart, Ohio State Univ., Columbus, Ohio. . . . 1899

Hine, Mrs. Jane L., Sedan, Ind 1890

Hinton, Miss Susan McV., 41 W- 32d St., New York City 1900

Hitchcock, Frank H., Cosmos Club, Washington, D. C 1891

Hix, George E., i 14 W. 90th St., New York City 1904

Hodge, Prof. Clifton Fremont, Clark Univ., Worcester, Mass 1899

Holden, Mrs. Emeline R., 13 E. 79th St., New York City 1902

Holden, Mrs. Edwin B., 353 Riverside Drive, New York City 1903

Holland, Dr. William J., Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa 1899

Hollister, Ned, Delavan, Wis 1894

Hollister, Warren D., Continental Oil Co., Denver, Colo 1901

Holmes, La Rue Klingle, Pine Grove Ave., Summit, N. J 1902

Hooker, Mrs. Charles Parker, 67 Chestnut St., Springfield, Mass. 1903

Horshert, Herman, 3851a Juniata St., St. Louis, Mo 1904

Howard, J. Stanley, S65 Central St., Franklin, Mass 1904

Howard, Ozora William, 853 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, Cal 1898

Howe, Carlton D., Essex Junction, Vt 1901

Howe, Reginald Heber, Jr., Middlesex School, Concord, Mass. . . . 1895

Howland, Randolph H., 130 Grove St., Montclair, N. J -1903

Huard, Rev. V. A., Public Instruction Dept, Parliamentary Bldg.,

Quebec, Que 1904

Hubbard, Mrs. Sara A., Glendale, Cal 1891

Hubel, Frederick C, 112 Alexandrine Ave., W., Detroit, Mich .... 1903

Hughes, Dr. William E., 3945 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa 1S91

Hull, Walter B., Box 1234, Milwaukee, Wis 18S9

Hunn, John T. Sharpless, 1218 Prospect Ave., Plainfield, N.J 1895

Hunt, Chreswell J., 1306 N. 53rd St., West Philadelphia, Pa 1902

Hunter, W. D., Box 174, Victoria, Texas 1899

Hyde, Miss Hazel Rodgers, 45 Pine St., Waterbury, Conn 1902

Ingalls, Charles E., East Templeton, Mass 18S5

Ingersoll, Albert M., S18 5th St., San Diego, Cal 18S5

Irving, John, 550 Park Av., New York City 1S94

Isham, C. B., 30 E. 63d St., New York City 1891

Jackson, Thomas H., 343 E. Biddle St., West Chester, Pa 1S88

Associates.

Jager, H. J., 416 Glendale Ave., Owatonna, Minn

Jacobs, J. Warren, Waynesburg, Pa

Janney, Nathaniel E., 112 Drexel Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa

Jenkins, Hubert Oliver, Stanford University, Cal

Johnson, Everett Edwin, East Hebron, Me

Johnson, Frank Edgar, Coney Island Ave. and Ave L., Brooklyn,

N. Y '...

Johnson, James Howard, Bradford, N. H '■

Johnson, Walter Adams, 133 E. 16th St., New York City

Johnson, William S., Boonville, N. Y

Jordan, A. H. B., Lowell, Wash

Judd, Elmer T., Cando, N. D

Kay, John Wilbur, 62 Selden Ave. , Detroit, Mich

Kay, Wallace G., 62 Selden Ave., Detroit, Mich

Keays, James Edward, 328 St. George St., London, Ontario. ... . . . .

Keim, Thomas Daniel, 405 Radcliffe St., Bristol, Pa

Kelker, William A., Box 1 14, Harrisburg, Pa

Kellogg. Prof. Vernon L., Stanford University, Cal

Kendall, Miss Blanche, 20 Dudley St., Brookline, Mass

Kendall, Dr. William C, U. S., Bureau of Fisheries, Washington,

D. C

Kennard, Frederic Hedge, Brookline, Mass

Kermode, Francis, Curator Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C. • •

Keyes, Prof. Chas. R., Mt. Vernon, la

Keyser, Rev. Leander S., 10S Third St., W., Canal Dover, Ohio. . . .

King, George Gordon, 16 E. 84th St., New York City

King, Le Roy, 20 E. 84th St., New York City

Kirkham, Mrs. James W., 275 Maple St., Springfield, Mass

Kirkwood, Frank C, iSii Maryland Ave., Baltimore, Md

Klugh, A. B„ Wellington Field Nat. Club, Guelph, Out

Knetsch, Robert, Fort Worth, Tex.

Knight, Ora Willis, S4 Forest Ave., Bangor, Me

Knolhoff, Ferdinand William, 28 Winans St., East Orange, N.J.

Kobbe, William H., 1215 High St., New Haven, Conn

Koch, Prof. August, Williamsport, Pa

Kohn, Gustave, 136 Carondelet St., New Orleans, La

Kopman, Henry Hazlitt, 394 Broadway, New Orleans, La

Kunhardt, Mrs. H. R., 124 W. 74th St., New York City

Lacey, Howard George, Kerrville, Texas

Lang, D., Central High School, St. Paul, Minn

Land, Albert, Aitkin, Minn

Lantz, Prof. David Ernest, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

Larkin. Harry H., 237 North St., Buffalo, N. Y

Larrabee, Austin P. , Gardiner, Me

Latimer, Miss Caroline P., 19 Pierpont St., Brooklyn, N. Y

Laurent, Philip, 31 E. Mt. Airy Ave., Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa. .
Lee, Prof. Leslie Alexander, 3 Bath St., Brunswick, Me

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xxiv Associates.

Leutloff, Herman C. A., 666 E. 135th St., New York City

Levering, Thomas Henry, 1627 Howard Ave., Washington, D. C.
Leverson, Dr. Montague R., Si Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y-. •

Libby, Orin Grant, Grand Forks, N. Dakota

Lincoln, Albert L., Walnut Place, Brookline, Mass

Linton, Miss Mary J., 163 East St., Pittsfield, Mass

Livermore, John R., Forest View Farm, Katonah, N. Y

Lloyd, Andrew James, 315 Washington St., Boston, Mass

Loom is, John A., Mereta, Texas

Lord, Rev. William R , Rockland, Mass.

Loring, J. Alden, Owego, New York

Loucks, William E., Care of J. K. Arms by Co., 134 Market St., San

Francisco, Cal

Lowe, Willoughby P., Okehampton, Devon, England

Luce, Percival de, 114 E. 23d St., New York City

Lum, Edward H., Chatham, N.J

Lyman, Miss Emily R., 121 N. iSth St., Philadelphia, Pa

MacDougall, George R., 131 W. 73rd St., New York City

Maddock, Miss Emeline, Care of Mrs. Loring, Merion, Pa

Maher, J. E., Windsor Locks, Conn

Maitland, Robert L., 45 Broadwav, New York City

Malde, O. G., Agric. Exper. Sta., Madison, Wis

Mann, James R. , Arlington Heights, Mass

March, Prof. John Lewis, Care of C. Gano, Easton, Pa

Marrs, Mrs. Kingsmill, South Park, Saxonville, Mass

Marsden, H. W., Palmerlee, Ariz

Marsh, Daniel J., Springfield, Mass

Martin, Miss Maria Ross, Box 365, New Brunswick, N. J

Masterman, Elmer Ellsworth, R. F. D. 2 New London, Ohio. . . ■

Mathews, Miss Caroline, 41 Cool St., Waterville, Me

McAtee, Waldo Lee, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C

McClintock, Norman, Amberson Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa

McConnell, Harry B., Cadiz, O

McCook, Philip James, 15 William St., New York City

McEwen, Daniel C, 160 Stirling PI., Brooklyn, N. Y

McHattqn, Dr. Henry, Macon, Ga

McIlhenny, Edward Avery, Avery Island, La

McKechme, Frederick Bridgham, Ponkapog, Mass

McLain, Robert Baird, Market and 12th Sts., Wheeling, W. Va . .

McMillan, Mrs. Gilbert, Gorham, N. H

McNulty, Henry A., Gen. Theol. Seminary, Chelsea Sq., N. Y. City

Mead, Mrs. E. M., 2465 Broadway, New York City

Mearns, Louis di Zerega, 313 S. Court St., Circleville, Ohio

Meeker, Jesse C. A., Box 163 Danbury, Conn

Merrill, Harry, Bangor, Maine

Miller, Frank M., 309 Hibernia Bank Bldg., New Orleans, La

Miller, Gerrit Smith, Jr., U. S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C- • •

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SS6

Associates.

Miller, James Henry, Lowville, N. Y

Miller, Miss Mary Mann, Glendale, Cal

Miller, Waldron De Witt, 309 E. 7th St., Plainfield, N. J

Mills, Harry C, Box 218, Unionville, Conn

Mills, Prof. William C, Ohio State Univ., Columbus, O

Mitchell, Mrs. Mina Baker, Care of Plow Co., Chattanooga, Tenn-

Mitchell, Dr. Walton I., 202 Levy Bldg., Galveston, Tex

Montgomery, Thomas H., Jr., Univ. of Texas, Austin, Texas

Moore, Robert Thomas, W. Main St. Haddon field, N. J

Morcom, G. Frean, 726 Lake St., Los Angeles, Cal

Morgan, Albert, Hartford Fire Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn. . . .

Morse, George W., Moberly, Mo

Morton, Dr. Howard McIlvain, 316 Clifton Av., Minneapolis, Minn .

Mosle, Mrs. George R., 301 West End Ave., New York City

Mummery, Edward G., 24 E. Atwater St., Detroit, Mich

Miinro, James A., 26 Wellington St. W., Toronto, Ont

Murphy, Dr. Eugene E., 444 Tellfair St., Augusta, Ga

Myers, Miss Lucy F., "Brookside," Poughkeepsie, N. Y

Nash, Herman W., Box 264, Pueblo, Colo

Nelson, James Allen, 317 E. Buffalo St., Ithaca, N. Y

Newman, Rev. Stephen M., 1818 M. St., N. W., Washington, D. C. •

Nichols, John M., 46 Spruce St., Portland, Me

Nichols, John Treadwell, 42 W. 1 ith St., New York City

Nichols, William E., 15 Wall St., New York City

Nolte, Rev. Felix, St. Benedict's College, Atchison, Kan

Norris, J. Parker, 723 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa

Norris, Roy C, 725 N. 10th St., Richmond, Ind

Nowell, John Rowland, Box 979, Schenectady, N. Y.

O'Connor, Haldeman, 25 N. Front St., Harrisburg, Pa

Ogden, Dr. Henry Vining, 141 Wisconsin St., Milwaukee, Wis....

Olcott, Theodore F., 323 Decatur St., Brooklyn, N. Y

Oldys, Henry, Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C

Oliver, Daniel Leet, 701 Ridge Ave., Alleghenj-, Pa

Oliver, Dr. Henry Kemble, 2 Newbury St., Boston, Mass

Ormsbee, Miss Carrie W., Brandon, Vt

Osgood, Henry W., Pittsfield, N. H

Osgyani, A., 367 Union Ave., Bridgeport, Conn

Owen, Miss Juliette Amelia, 306 N. 9th St., St. Joseph, Mo

Paddock, Miss Isabel M., Fairbank's Museum, St. Johnsbury, Vt.

Page, Mrs. Alice Wilson, Englewood, N.J

Paine, Augustus G., Jr., 126 E. 39th St., New York City

Palmer, Samuel Copeland, Swarthmore, Pa

Parke, Louis T., 4039 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa

Parker, Hon. Herbert, S. Lancaster, Mass

Patten, Mrs. John D. H , 2212 R St. N. W., Washington, D. C

Paulmier, Frederick Clark, State Museum, Albany, N. Y

Peabody, Rev. P. B., New Castle, Wyo

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xxvi Associates.

Peabody, William Rodman, 70 State St., Boston, Mass 1S90

Peake, E. E., Salem, 111 1904

Peavey, Robert W., 107 Euclid Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y 1903

Peck, Clark J., 672S Leeds St., W. Philadelphia, Pa 1904

Peck, Henry O., 62 Pomerov Ave., Pittsfield, Mass 1904

Perry, Elton, i 142 Madison Ave., New York City 1902

Peters, James Lee, Walnut Ave., Jamaica Plain, Mass 1904

Peterson, Cyrus A., 8 Shaw Place, St. Louis, Mo 1904

Pettis, Miss Grace L., Museum Nat. Hist., Springfield, Mass . . 1903

Phelps, Mrs. J. W., Box 36, Northfield, Mass 1899

Phillips, Alexander H., Princeton, N. J 1891

Phillips, John Charles, 299 Berkeley St., Boston, Mass 1904

Phillips, Sherman E., Rochester, N. II 1904

Pierce, A. K., Renovo, Pa 1S91

Poe, Miss Margaretta, 1500 Park Ave., Baltimore, Md 1899

Pomeroy, Miss Grace V., Summit, N. J 1904

Pomeroy, Harry Kirkland, Box 575, Kalamazoo, Mich 1894

Poole, Alfred D., 401 W. 7th St., Wilmington, Delaware 1901

Porter, Louis H., Stamford, Conn 1893

Praeger, William E., 5535 Monroe Ave., Chicago, 111 1892

Pratt, Rev. George B., 207 Warren Ave., Chicago, 111 1904

Procter, James N., R. F. D. 2, Ventura, Cal 1904

Purdum, Dr. C. C, Tyler Bldg., Pawtucket, R. 1 1901

Purdy, James B., Plymouth, Mich 1893

Rann, Mrs. Mary L., Manchester, Iowa 1893

Raub, Dr. M. W., 340 W. King St., Lancaster, Pa 1890

Rawson, Calvin Luther, Box 33, Norwich, Conn 1S85

Read, Albert M., i 140 15th St. N. W., Washington, D. C 1895

Reagh, Dr. Arthur Lincoln, 39 Maple St., West Roxburj, Mass- • • 1896
Redfield, Miss Elisa Whitney, 1925 Massachusetts Ave., Cam-
bridge, Mass 1897

Redington, Alfred Poett, Box 66, Santa Barbara, Cal 1890

Reed, Chester A., Worcester, Mass 1904

Reed, Miss Emily E., 12 Louisburg Sq., Boston, Mass 1904

Reed, Hugh Daniel, 804 E. Seneca St., Ithaca, N. Y 1900

Reed, Mrs. William Howell, 218 Commonwealth Ave., Boston,

Mass I9°4

Rehn, James A. G., Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa 1901

Reynolds, George H., 357 Maple St. Springfield, Mass 1904

Rhoads, Charles J., Brvn Mawr, Pa 1895

Ribyn, Albert L., 118 N. 8th St., St. Charles, Mo 1903

Richard, William, Waterford, N. J 1904

Richards, Miss Harriet E., 36 Longwood Ave., Brookline, Mass. . .1900

Richards, John Bion, Box 32, Fall River, Mass 1888

Richardson, C. H., Jr., 435 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, Cal 1903

Richardson, John Kendall, Welles ley Hills, Mass 1896

Ricker, Everett Wilder, Box 5083, Boston, Mass 1894

Associates. xxvii

Ridgway, John L., Chevy Chase, Md 1890

Riker, Clarence B., 48 Vesey St., New York City 1885

Riley, Joseph H., Falls Church, Va 1897

Ritchie, Sanford, Dover, Me 1900

Robbins, Reginald C, 373 Washington St., Boston, Mass 1901

Roberts, William Ely, West Chester, Pa 1902

Robertson, Howard, Station A, Box 55, Los Angeles, Cal 1901

Robins, Mrs. Edward 114 S. 21st St., Philadelphia, Pa 1895

Robinson, Anthony W., 409 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa 1903

Roddy, Prof. H.Justin, State Normal School, Millersville, Pa 1891

Rogers, Charles H., Crosswicks, N. J 1904

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, Hyde Park, N. Y 1896

Roosevelt, Theodore, Jr., White House, Washington, D. C 1902

Ross, G. H., Rutland, Vt 1904

Rowley, John, Jr., Hastings-on-Hudson, N. Y 1889

Sabine, George K., 30 Irving St., Brookline, Mass 1903

Sage, Henry M., Menands Road, Albany, N. Y 1885

Sampson, Walter Behrnard, 36 S. California St., Stockton, Cal.. . 1897

Sand, Isabella Low, Ardsley-on-Hudson, N. Y 1902

Sands, Austin Ledyard, Greenough Place, Newport, R.I 1902

Sanford, Dr. Leonard C, 216 Crown St., New Haven, Conn 1902

Savage, Walter Giles, Monteer, Mo 1898

Schmitt, Dr. Joseph, Anticosti Island, Quebec 1901

Schmucker, Dr. S. C, 610 S. High St., West Chester, Pa 1903

Schoenebeck, August John, R. F. D. i, Lena, Wis 1898

Schutze, Adolph E, 2306 Guadalupe St., Austin, Texas 1903

Schwarz, Frank, 1520 Lafayette Ave. St. Louis, Mo 1904

Seale, Alvin, Stanford University, Cal 1900

Seiss, Covington Few, 1338 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, Pa.. .1898

Severson, Henry P., Winneconne, Wis 1902

Shattuck, Edwin Harold, Granby, Conn 1898

Shaw, Holton A., 610 4th Ave., Grand Forks, N. Dakota 1898

Sheibley, S. B., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C 1903

Sherrill, W. E., Haskell, Texas 1896

Shoemaker, Frank H., Care of Gen. Auditor U. P. R. R. Co.,

Omaha, Neb 189s

Shrosbree, George, Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis i§99

Silliman, Harper, 562 5th Ave., New York City 1902

Smith, Charles Piper, 2106 Central Ave., Indianapolis, Ind 1898

Smith, Rev. Francis Curtis, Boonville, N. Y 1903

Smith, Horace G., 2918 Lafayette St., Denver, Colo 18S8

Smith, Dr. Hugh M., 1209 M St. N. W., Washington, D. C 1886

Smith, Louis Irvin, Jr.. 390S Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa 1901

Smith, Philo W., Jr., Mona House, St. Louis, Mo 1903

Smith, Theodore H., 173 Prospect St., East Orange, N. J 1896

Smyth, Prof. Ellison A., Jr., Polytechnic Inst., Blacksburg, Va 1892

Snow, Prof. Francis H., Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan IQ°3

xxviii Associates.

Snyder, Will Edwin, 109 E. Mackie St., Beaver Dam, Wis 1S95

Soelner, George W. H., 1513 Meridian St., N. W., Washington.

D. C 1 903

Spaid, Prof. Arthur R., 1819 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, Del 1901

Spaulding, Fred B., Lancaster, N. H 1894

Spinney, Herbert L., Seguin Light Station, Popham Beach, Me. . .1900

Sproull, Mrs. Grace H., Creston, O 1903

Stanton, Prof. J. Y., 410 Main St. Lewiston, Me 18S3

Stapleton, Richard P., 235 High St., Holyoke, Mass 1904

Stebbins, Miss Fannie A., 480 Union St., Springfield, Mass 1903

Stephenson, Mrs. Louise McGown, Helena, Ark 1894

Stillman, William M., 426 W. 7th St., Plainfield, N. J 1904

Stockard, Charles Rupert, 519 W. 123d St., New York City 1904

Stone, Clarence F., Branchport, N. Y 1903

Stone, Dwight D., R. F. D. 3, Oswego, NY 1891

Strout, Charles S., 207 Alfred St., Biddet'ord, Me 1904

Sturgis, Mrs. F. L., 3 W. 36th St., New York City 1904

Sturtevant, Edward, St. George School, Newport, R. 1 1S96

Styer, Mrs. Katharine R., Concordville, Pa 1903

Surface, Harvey Adam, Office of State Zoologist, Harrisburg, Pa-. 1897

Swain, John Merton, 10 Bush St., Skowhegan, Me 1S99

Swales, Bradshaw Hall, 145 Gladstone Ave., Detroit, Mich 1902

Swarth, Harry S., 356 Belden Ave., Chicago, 111 1900

Swenk, Myron H., 1821 O St., Lincoln, Neb 1904

Swezey, George, 61 Polk St., Newark, N.J 1901

Taverner, Percy A., 30 Hodges Bldg., Detroit, Mich 1902

Taylor, Alexander O'Driscoll, ii Francis St., Newport, R. I. . . . iSSS
Test, Dr. Frederick Cleveland, 4401 Indiana Ave., Chicago, 111.. 1892

Thacher, Mrs. Thomas W., 21 Dwight St., Brookline, Mass 1904

Thayer, John Eliot, Lancaster, Mass 189S

Thomas, Miss Emily Hinds, Bryn Mawr, Pa 1901

Thompson, Miss Caroline Burling., Wellesley College, Wellesley,

Mass 1 900

Thompson, Dr. M. T., Clark University, Worcester, Mass 1904

Toppan, George L., 18 E. 23d St., New York City 1SS6

Townsend, Dr. Chas. Wendell, 76 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass- 1901

Townsend, Wilmot, 3d Ave. and 75th St., Brooklyn, N. Y 1894

Trotter, William Henry, 36 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa 1S99

Tudbury, Warren C, 47 W. 126th St., New York City 1903

Tufts, Le Roy Melville, Farmington, Me 1903

Turner, Howard M., 10 Francis Ave., Cambridge, Mass 1903

Tuttle, Dr. Carl, Berlin Heights, Ohio 1890

Tweedy, Edgar, 336 Main St., Danbuiy, Conn 1902

Underwood, William Lyman, Mass. Inst. Technology, Boston, Mass. 1900

Van Cortlandt, Miss Anne S, Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y 1SS5

Van Denburgh, Dr. John, 406 Sutter St., San Francisco, Cal 1893

Van Huyck, John Mason, Lee, Mass 1904

Associates. xxix

Van Name, Willard Gibbs, 121 High St., New Haven, Conn 1900

Van Norden, Warner Montagnie, Rye, New York 1899

VAN Sant, Miss Elizabeth, 2960 Dewey Ave., Omaha, Neh 1S96

Varick, Mrs. William Remsen, 1015 Chestnut St.. Manchester, N. H.1900

Vetter, Dr. Charles, 152 Second St., New York City 1S98

Yisiier, Stephen S., Forestburg, S. Dakota 1904

Wales, Edward H., Hyde Park, N. Y 1896

Walker, Dr. R. L., 355 Main Ave., Carnegie, Pa 188S

Wallace, Miss Louise Baird, Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley,i904

Mass i9°3

Walungford, Leo, 118 S. Black St., Alexandria, Ind 1904

Walter, Herbert E., 401 Broadway, Cambridge, Mass 1901

Walters, Frank, 7 W. 103d St., New York City 1902

Warren, Dr. B. H., Box 245, West Chester, Pa 1885

Warren, Edward Royal, 20 W. Caramillo St., Colorado Springs,

Colo 190-

Watson, Miss Sarah R., Care of Robt. S. Newhall, Mt. Airy, Phila-
delphia, Pa 1900

Webster, Mrs. Mary P., 1025 5th St., S. E., Minneapolis, Minn 1900

Weir, J. Alden, ii E. 12th St., New York City 1899

Wells, Frank S., 916 Grant Ave., Plainfield, N. J 1902

Wentworth, Irving H., Matehuala, E. de S. L. P.. Mexico 1900

West, James A., 33 John St., Champaign, 111 1896

West, Lewis H., Roslyn, N. Y. 1SS7

* Westfeldt, Gustaf Reinhold, Box 601, New Orleans, La 1902

Wetmore, Mrs. Edmund, 343 Lexington Ave., New York City 1902

Wheeler, Edmund Jacob, Pequot Ave., New London, Conn 1898

Wheeler, John B., East Templeton, Mass 1897

Wheeler, William A., East Templeton, Mass 1904

Wheelock, Mrs. Irene G , 1040 Hinman Ave., Evanston, HI 1902

Whitcomb, Mrs. Henry F., 721 Franklin St., Milwaukee, Wis 1897

White, Francis Beach, 6 Phillips Place, Cambridge, Mass 1 891

White, George R., P. O. Dept., Ottawa, Ont 1903

White, W. A., 158 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N. Y 1902

Wickersham, Cornelius W., 22 Apley Court, Cambridge, Mass.... 1902

Wicks, M. L., Jr., 65 Madison St., Memphis, Tenn 1890

Wilbur, Addison P., 4 Gibson St., Canandaigua, N. Y 1895

Wilcox, T. Ferdinand, i 15 W. 75th St., New York City 1895

Wilde, Mark L. C, 315 N. 5th St., Camden, N.J 1893

Williams, J. Bickerton, 24 Ann St., Toronto, Ontario 1889

Williams, Richard Ferdinand. Box 521, New York City 1902

Williams, Robert W., Jr., Tallahassee, Fla 1900

Williamson, E. B., Bluffton, Ind 1900

Wilson, Sidney S., 310 S. nth St., St. Joseph, Mo •• -1895

Winslett, Miss Mary E., Stevensville, Mont 1904

Wisler, J. Jay, 231 Cherry St. Columbia, Pa 1903

Wister, William Rotch, 131 S. 5th St., Philadelphia, Pa 1904

xxx Deceased Members.

Wolfe, William Edward, Wray, Colo 1900

Wood, J. Claire, 179 17th St., Detroit, Mich 1902

Wood, Nelson R., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C 1895

Wood, Norman A., 12 16 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, Mich 1904

Wood, S. T., The Globe, Toronto, Ont 1904

Woodcock, ARTHUR Roy, 610 Chamber of Commerce, Portland,

Oregon 1901

Woodruff, Edward Seymour, 14 E. 68th St., New York City 1899

WooDRi'Ki-, FRANK M., Acad. Sciences, Chicago, 111 1904

Woodruff, Lewis B., 14 E. 68th St., New York City 1S86

Woodworth, Mrs. Nelly Hart, 41 Bank St., St. Albans, Vt 1894

Worthen, Charles K., Warsaw, 111 1891

Worthington, Willis W., Shelter Island Heights, N. Y 1889

Wright, Horace Winslow, 82 Myrtle St., Boston, Mass 1902

WRIGHT, Samuel, Conshohocken, Pa 1895

Zerrahn, Carl Otto, Milton, Mass 1904

DECEASED MEMBERS.
Eeli.ows.

Date 0/ Death

Baird, Spencer Fullerton Aug. 19, 18S7

Bendirk, Charles E Feb. 4, 1897

Coues, Elliott Dec. 25, 1899

Goss, N. S March 10, 1891

Holder, Joseph B Feb. 28, 1888

Jeffries, John Amory March 26, 1892

McIlwraith, Thomas Jan. 31, 1903

Merrill, James C Oct. 27, 1902

Sennett, George Burritt March 18, 1900

Trumbull, Gurdon Dec. 28, 1903

Wheaton, John M Jan. 2S, 1887

Honorary Fellows.

BURMEISTER, HERMANN May I, 1S92

Gatke, IIeinrich Jan. i, 1897

Gundlach, Juan March 14, 1896

Gurney, John Henry April 20, 1890

H ARTLAUB, Gl'STAV Nov. 20, I90O

Huxley, Thomas II June 29, 1895

Kraus, Ferdinand Sept. 15, 1890

Lawrence, George N Jan. 17, 1895

Milne-Edwards, Alphonse April 21, 1900

Deceased Members. xxxi

Parker, William Kitchen July 3, 1890

Pelzeln, August von Sept. 2, 1891

Salvin, Osbert June 1, 1S9S

Schlegel, Hermann Jan. 17, 1884

Seebohm, Henry Nov. 26, 1895

Taczanowski, Ladislas Jan. 17, 1890

Corresponding Fellows.

Altum, C. A Jan. 1,

Anderson, John Aug. 16,

Baldamus, Eduard Oct. 30,

Blakiston, Thomas VV Oct. 15,

Bogdanow, Modest N March 4,

Bryant, Walter, E May 2 1 ,

Cooper, James G July 19,

Cordeaux, John Aug. 1,

David, Armand Nov. 10,

Haast, Julius von Aug. 15,

Hargitt, Edward March 19,

Holub, Emu Feb. 21,

Homeyer, E. F. von May 31,

La yard, Edgar Leopold Jan. 1,

Lyttleton, Thomas, Lord Lilkord June 17,

Marschall, A. F , Oct. 11,

Malmgren, Anders Johan April 12,

MlDDENDORFF, ALEXANDER TlIEODOR VON Jail. 28,

Mosjisovics, F. G. Hermann August Aug. 27,

Philippi, R. A Aug. —

Prejevalski, N. M Oct. 20,

Prentiss, D. Webster Nov. 19,

Pryer, Harry James Stovin Feb. 17,

Radde, Gustav Ferdinand

Schrenck, Leopold von Jan. 20,

Seleys-Longschamps, Edmond de Dec. 11,

Severtzow, N Feb. 8.

Stevenson, Henry Aug. iS,

Wharton, Henry T Sept. — ,

Woodhouse, Samuel W Oct. 2^,

Members.

900
900
893
S91
88S

905
902
899
900

887

895
902
889
900
896
887
897

S94
897
904
887
S99
888
903
894
900
885
888

895
904

Adams, Charles F May 20, 1893

Allen, Charles Slover Oct. 15, 1893

Atkins, H. A May 19, 1885

xxxii Deceased Members.

Avery, William Cushman March 1 1, 1S94

Barlow, Chester Nov. 6, 1902

Baur, George June 25, 1S98

Beckham, Charles Wickliffe June 8, 1888

Bill, Charles April — , 1S97

Birtwell, Francis Joseph June 29, 1901

Boardman, George A Jan. 11, 1901

Boli.es, Frank Jan. 10, 1894

Brackett, Foster H Jan. 5, 1900

Breese, William L Dec. 7, 1889

Brokaw, L. W Sept. 3, 1897

Brown, John Clifford Jan. 16, 1901

Browne, Francis Charles Jan. 9, 1900

Burnett, Leonard E March 16, 1904

Cairns, John S June 10, 1895

Call, Aubrey Brendon Nov. 20, 1901

Campbell, Robert Argyll April — , 1897

Canfield, J. B. ■ • • • Feb. iS, 1904

Carter, Edwin 1900

Clark, John N Jan. 13, 1903

Colburn, W. W Oct. 17, 1899

COLLETT, ALONSO M Aug. 22. I9O2

Corning, Erastus, Jr April 9, 1893

Coe, W. W April 26, 18S5

Daffin, Wm. H April 21, 1902

Dakin, John A Feb. 21, 1900

Dexter, Newton July 27, 1901

Elliott, S. Lowell Feb. 11, 1889

Fairbanks, Franklin April 24, 1895

Fannin, John June 20, 1904

Fowler, J. L July n, 1899

Gesner, A. H April 30, 1895

Goss, Benjamin F July 6, 1893

Hatch, Jesse Maurice • May 1 , 1S98

Hoadley, Frederic H Feb. 26, 1895

Hoopes, Josiah Jan. 16, 1904

Howland, John Snowdon Sept. 19, 18S5

Ingersoll, Joseph Carleton Oct. 2, 1S98

Jenks, John W. P Sept. 27, 1894

Jesurun, Mortimer March — , 1905

Jouy, Pierre Louis March 22, 1894

Knight, Wilbur Clinton July 8, 1903

Knox, John C • • • -July 9, 1904

Knox, John Cowing June 1, 1904

Kumlien, Ludwig Dec. 4, 1902

KUMLIEN, THURE ' Aug. 5, l8S8

Lawrence, Robert Hoe April 27, 1897

Deceased Members.

Linden, Charles Feb. 3,

Mabbett, Gideon Aug. 15,

Marble, Charles C Sept. 25,

Marcy, Oliver March 19,

Maris, Willard Lorraine Dec. 1 1 ,

McKinlav, James Nov. 1,

Mead, George S June 19,

Minot, Henry Davis Nov. 13,

Morrell, Clarence Henry July 15,

Nichols, Howard Gardner June 23,

Nims, Lee March 12,

Northrop, John I June 26,

Park, Austin F Sept. 22,

Ragsdale, George H March 25,

Ready, George H March 20,

Richardson, Jenness June 24,

Selous, Percy Sherborn April 7,

Slater, James H Feb. — ,

Slevin, Thomas Edwards Dec. 23,

Small, Edgar A April 24,

Smith, Clarence Albert May 6,

Southwick, James M June 3,

Stowe, W. H March — ,

Thorne, Platte M March 16,

Thurber, E. C Sept. 6,

Vennor, Henry G June 8,

Waters, Edward Stanley Dec. 26,

Willard, Samuel Wells May 24,

Wood, William Aug. 9,

Young, Curtis C July 30,

888
900
900
899

S95
899
901
S90
902
896

903

891

893
895
903
893
900

895
902
884
896
904
895
897
896
SS4
902
S87
885
902

Old | CONTINUATION OF THE f New

VoUCXX ' BULLETIN 0F THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Iv^xxil

The Auk

a (&uarterl\> 3ournal of ©rnitboloop

Vol. 2Z2gXX - JA1TTJAB.Y, 1905— XTo. 1

PUBLISHED BY

The American Ornithologists' Union

RALPH
COLLECnC L r-

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

* '

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

CONTENTS.

Routes of Migration. By Wells IV. Cooke. •

Summer Resident Birds ok Brewster County, Texas. By Thos. II. Montgomery Jr. . 12

Where does the Large-billed Sparrow spend the Summer? By Joseph Grinnell. . • 16
The Status OF Helminthopkila leucobronchialis and Helminthophila lawrencei. By Louis 3.

Bishop 2I

The Decrease of Certain Birds in New England. 'By Edward Howe For busk. . . 25
William Swainson to John James Audubon. (A hitherto unpublished letter.) By Ruthven

Deane .........■•■■■■•■■ 3 '

Plumage Wear in its Relation to Pallid Subspecies. By Jonathan £>wigkt,Jr. . . 34
Notes on the Birds ok the An Sable Valley, Michigan. By -Norman A. Wood and Earl

H. Frothingluxm • • • • 39

Rec.urc.itative Feeding of Nestlings. By Irene C. H'heelock 5'

Twenty-Second Congress of the American Ornithologists' Union. By John H. Sage. . 74

General Notes. — Sabine's Gull in Montana, 76; Additional Record of the European Widgeon
(Mareca peiielope). 76; Little Blue Heron in Connecticut, 76; Little Blue Heron in Massachusetts,
77; Description of Second Michigan Specimen of Cory's Least Bittern, 77; Avocet {Recurvirostra
americana) in New Jersey, 78; The Turkey Buzzard (jCathartes aura) in Maine, 78; A Correction,
70; The Gray Sea Eagle (Halueetus albicilla) in British Columbia, 79; The Arctic Three-toed
Woodpecker in Melrose, Mass., 80; Wintering of the Red-headed Woodpecker at Detroit, Michigan,
80; The Chuck-will's-widow in Kansas, 81 ; I he Raven in Southern New Hampshire: — A Lom-
■ ment, 81 ; The Blue Jay and other Eastern Biids at Wray, Yuma County, Colorado, 81 ; The Blue
Jay at Yuma, Colorado, 82 ; Another Deformed Bill. S3; Clay-colored Sparrow in the Cariboo Dis-
trict, British' Columbia, 83; Henslow's Sparrow in St. Clair County, Michigan, S3 ; The Northern
Parula Warbler in Southern Michigan, 84; Bachman's Warbler in Leon County, Florida, 85 ; The
First Hooded Warbler Taken in Maine, 85 ; Breeding of the Hudsonian Chickadee {Farus hudsoni-
cus) at Dover, tyaine, 85; Hudsonian Chickadee about Boston, Mass., S7 ; The Blue-gray Gnat-
catcher in the Public Garden, Boston, Mass.,S7; Notes on Several Rare Southeastern Michigan
Birds. SS; Additional Records for Southeastern Michigan, 89; The Apparent Power of Reasoning
in Birds, Sq ; Guthrie's Geography, 1815 Edition, 00; Audubon's Ornithological Biography, 91.

Recent Literature —Cooke's Distribution and Migration of North American Warblers, 91; Osgood
on Birds of Alaska, 92; Nelson on New Birds from Mexico, 03 ; Henderson's Additional List of
Boulder County, Colorado, Birds, 93: Preliminary Review of the Birds of Nebraska, 94 ; Scott on
the Inheritance of Song in Passerine Birds, 95 ; Scott's Ornithology of Patagonia, q6 ; Bryan's ' A
Monograph of Marcus Island," 98; Macoun's Catalogue of Canadian Birds, Part 111,99; Todd on
the Mammal and Bird Fauna of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, 100; Stone on Birds and Mammals
from Mt. Sanhednn, California, io<>; Raine on the Eggs of the Solitary Sandpiper, 100; Riley on
the Birds of Barbuda and Antigua, 101 ; Dubois's ' Synopsis Avium,' 102 ; Madarasz's 'An Extraor-
dinary Discovery in Ornithology,' 102 ; Shalow on Arctic Birds, 103.

Notes and News.— Obituary : Dr. Samuel W. Woodhouse, 104; John Cowing Knox, 106. New
Bird Groups at the American Museum of Natural History, 107; Taylor's Egg Catalogue, 109; A
National Association of Audubon Societies, 109 ; Work of the A. O. U. Committee on Bird Pro-
tection, in.

'THE AUK,1 published quarterly as the Organ of the American Orni-
thologists' Union, is edited by Dr. J. A. Allen, with the assistance of Mr.
Frank M. Chapman.

Terms: — $3.00 a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num-
bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to .Fellows, Members, and
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Subscriptions should be addressed to DR. JONATHAN DWIGHT, Jr.,
Business Manager, 2 East 34TH St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscribers
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All articles and communications intended for publication and all books and
publications for notice, should be sent to Dr. J. A. ALLEN, American Museum
of Natural History, 77TH St. and Central Park, West, New York City.

Manuscripts jor general articles should reach the editor at least six weeks
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appear.

THE AUK:

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY.

Vol. xxii. January, 1905. No. 1.

ROUTES OF BIRD MIGRATION.

BY WELLS W. COOKE.

I. Migration Route from Mexico to Texas by Water.

Throughout the broad expanse of level land between the Alle-
gheny and the Rocky Mountains, bird migration is so uniform
that a species is expected always to appear first at the more south-
ern localities. An apparent exception to this rule is noted in the
case of several species whose recorded dates of spring arrival in
northern Texas are earlier than the corresponding dates many
miles to the southward.

Thus the first Black and White Warblers {Mniotilta varia)
were seen near Corpus Christi March 21 (average of five years),
near San Antonio. March 15 (average of seven years), and in
northeastern Texas March 13 (average of four years) . The dis-
tance from Corpus Christi to latitude $t° in northern Texas is 350
miles, a distance that ordinarily is passed over by the Black and
White Warbler in about 17 days, since its average rate of travel
in the Mississippi Valley is not far from 20 miles per day. This
species therefore arrives in northern Texas some three weeks
earlier than would be expected from the records of its spring
appearance in southern Texas. The records for ten years give
March 21 as the average date of arrival of the Parula Warbler
{Compsothlypis america?ia) at San Antonio, while the corresponding
date 300 miles farther north is March 14.

2 Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration. V\^

A probable explanation of such sets of records is that these
early birds in northeastern Texas, have reached the northeastern
coast of Texas by a flight across the Gulf of Mexico, and this long
journey, performed in a single night, has carried them north earlier
than their fellows which reach southern Texas by a slow land
journey from Mexico.

The Worm-eating Warbler (Helmithcros vermivorus) is a not
uncommon migrant in northeastern Texas and is well-known as a
winter resident of eastern Mexico, north to Alta Mira. But this
species is unknown in southern Texas, though the region from
Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande has been carefully searched by
competent ornithologists. Here then the birds apparently fly over
water to northeastern Texas from the coast of the Gulf of Cam-
peche, though the distance to their destination by land through
northern Mexico and southern Texas would be but slightly longer.
Evidently the birds do not shun a long trip over water.

The Chestnut-sided Warbler (Deiidroica pensylvanicd) is not
uncommon along the whole coast of Texas, but is almost unknown
in Mexico; the Mourning Warbler {Geothlypis Philadelphia) is as
common on the coast of Texas as anywhere in the United States,
but has no certain record for Mexico ; the Green-crested Fly-
catcher {Empidonax virescens) breeds in eastern Texas to Corpus
Christi, and is known as a migrant south to the Rio Grande, but
has only one record in Mexico west of Yucatan ; the Red-eyed
Vireo ( Vireo olivaceus) is common in eastern Texas south to Cor-
pus Christi, then its numbers become rapidly less, until south of
the Rio Grande it has been but twice recorded west of Yucatan.
Such records seem to show conclusively that the larger portion of
the birds of these species reach the northeastern coast of Texas
by a flight across the Gulf of Mexico.

The above remarks show three different kinds of records, each
of which leads to the conclusion that some individuals of the
species fly across the Gulf of Mexico to northeastern Texas.
More or less strong reasons of a similar nature exist for believing
that some individuals of each of the following species, use this
same migration route.

V°'ig*f U] Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration.

Migration Route from Mexico to Texas by Water.

Kingbird {Tryannus tryannus).
Green-crested Flycatcher (Bmpidonax virescens).
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).
Scarlet Tanager {Piranga erythromelas).

Red-eyed Yireo (Vireo olivaceus).
Black and White Warbler [Mniotilta varia).
Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).
Worm-eating Warbler (Helmithero* vermivorus).
Golden-winged Warbler (Helminthopkila chrysoptcra).
Parula Warbler (Compsothlvpis americana subsp. ?).
Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica ccrulea).
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica).
Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea).
Kentucky Warbler (Geo/hlypis formosa).
Mourning Warbler (Geolhlypis Philadelphia).
Wilson Thrush (Hylocichla fuscescens).
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Hylocichla alicice).

II. Migration Route between Florida and Yucatan.

The senior editor of 'The Auk' in reviewing my paper on
' Some new Facts about the Migration of Birds ' makes this state-
ment in regard to the routes of migration across the Gulf of
Mexico : "It would be interesting to know to what extent some of
these generalizations rest on negative evidence, for stations along
the eastern coast of Mexico, including Yucatan, where observa-
tions have been made bearing on the migration of birds are cer-
tainly few and far between, and cover only short periods."

The paper in question did not seem the proper place for pre-
senting the original data that served as the basis for these state-
ments. These data are now given that each one may judge for
himself as to the correctness of the conclusions.

As a preliminary it may be stated that the dates of spring
arrival in Louisiana and Mississippi are, for most species, earlier
than the time at which these same species appear in northern
Florida and northern Texas. This seems conclusive evidence
that the Louisiana and Mississippi birds reach the United States
by a flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Indeed, except in the case

4 Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration [j^k

of the Swallows, there is no evidence to show that any birds
migrate to the mouth of the Mississippi overland by way of
Florida or Texas.

The Yellow Warbler (Dendroica cestiva) is one of the most com-
mon breeders throughout eastern North America, from the limit
of tree growth in the north to central Georgia. Then to the
southeast its numbers rapidly diminish, the species is practically
unknown in Florida in spring migration and the numbers that
occur in that State in the fall are but a tithe of those found to the
north and west. The Yellow Warbler is a common migrant in
eastern Mexico, especially in Yucatan and the islands off its east
coast, but no farther east. It is unknown in Cuba or any other
of the islands of the Greater Antilles and the avifauna of these
islands has been sufficiently studied so that it is certain that this
species can exist on them, if at all, only as a rare straggler.

A line drawn from Savannah, Ga., to the islands off the east
coast of Yucatan marks approximately the eastern edge of the
district in which the Yellow Warbler is common, — to the west-
ward ubiquitous, to the eastward scarcely known. While no one
has tagged a Yellow Warbler in the Carolinas and captured that
same individual in Yucatan, it is a stretch of the imagination not
to believe that the Yellow Warblers of the eastern United States
pass in fall southwest, following the general trend of the Atlantic
Coast, and continue this same direction to Yucatan. It is certain
that they cross the Gulf of Mexico ; it is unlikely that they take
any unusual course when the shortest and most direct offers con-
genial conditions.

The case of the Yellow Warbler has been given in full because
it is one of the commonest and best known species. The line of
reasoning is just the same for a number of other species that are
common in eastern United States and in Yucatan, but are rare or
unknown in southern Florida, Cuba, and the other West Indies.

It is not meant, of course, that no individual of these species
ever passes through Florida to Cuba and on thence to Central or
South America. But what is meant is that the avifauna of Florida
and Cuba has been so thoroughly studied for so long a period that
the failure to find these species there except as stragglers is proof
positive that the large majority of the individuals choose some
other migration route.

Vol. XXII
1905

Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration.

Kingbird {Tyrannies tyrannus).

Wood Pevvee (Contopus virens).

Green-crested Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens).

Orchard Oriole {Icterus spurius).

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Zamelodia ludoviciana).

Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca ccerulea).

Indigo Bunting (Cyauospiza cyanea).

Dickcissel (Spiza americana).

Purple Martin {Prague snbis).

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus).

Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitaries ).

Yellow Warbler (Dendroica cestiva).

Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica maculosa .

Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica vitens).

Hooded Warbler ( Wilsonia mitrata).

Olive-backed Thrush [Hylocickla ustulata swainsoni).

All of these sixteen species pass on south and southeast to
South America or proceed at least as far in that direction as
Panama.

In addition to these, there are several other species that are
common in the eastern United States and migrate across the Gulf
of Mexico to Central America and continue to South America or
Panama, avoiding southern Florida and the West Indies, but at
the same time they are not yet known to occur both on the north-
eastern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and regularly in Yucatan, so
that they can be included in the preceding list. Their routes of
migration will be discussed later in this article. For the present
it is sufficient to enumerate them :

Nighthawk (Chordeiles virginianus).
Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus criniius).
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Nuttallornis borealis).
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax ftaviventris).
Alder Flycatcher {Empidonax trailli alnorum).
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus).
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galdula).
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga eryt&romelas).
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon lunifrons).
Philadelphia Vireo ( Vireo philadelphicus).
Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea).
Blue-winged Warbler (Helminthopkila pinus).
Golden-winged Warbler (Helminthopkila c/nysoptera).
Tennessee Warbler (Helminthopkila feregrina).

6 Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration. \jim.

Cerulean Warbler {Dendroica ceruled).
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica).
Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea).
Blackburn ian Warbler {Dendroica blackburniee).
Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis Jormosa).
Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis Philadelphia).
Wilson Warbler ( Wilsbnia pusilla).
Canadian Warbler ( Wilsonia canadensis).

The two lists together present thirty-eight species that regularly
pass from the eastern United States to South America or Panama,
avoiding the West Indies.

Certain species occur in the eastern United States and in the
West Indies, but are known so rarely in Yucatan and adjacent
parts of Central America as to make it practically certain that the
species as a whole passes to South America by way of the West
Indies. Among these are :

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus).
Chuck-will's- widow (Antrostomus carolinensis).
Florida Nighthawk (Chordeiles Virginia tins ckapinaui).
Grav Kingbird {Tyrannies dominicensis).
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).
Black- whiskered Vireo ( Virco calidris barbatulus).
Black-throated Blue Warbler {Dendroica ccerulescens) .
Black-poll Warbler (Dendroica striata).
Connecticut Warbler {Geothlypis agilis).

To South America via the Bahamas :
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Hylocichla alicio?).

In addition to the above-mentioned species there are eighteen
species from the eastern United States that pass in winter to South
America or Panama. The Mangrove Cuckoo {Coccyzus minor) is
resident throughout so much of its range in the West Indies, Cen-
tral and South America that no migration route for it can be out-
lined. At the present, there seem to be no data to prove or
indicate that the Kingfisher ( Ceryle alcyon), the Barn Swallow
{Hirundo erythrogastra), the Bank Swallow {Riparia riparia) and
the Cedar Waxwing (Ampe/is eedrorum) ever cross the Gulf of
Mexico. It is practically certain that some Black-billed Cuckoos
(Coccyzus erythrophthalmus) from the eastern United States pass

Vol. XXIIT Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration. 7

1905 J J a ,

across the West Indies, and it is equally probable that the indi-
viduals from the Mississippi Valley cross the Gulf of Mexico and
reach South America by way of Central America. The Wilson
Thrush {Hylocichla fuscescens) is unknown in migration east or
west of a narrow belt extending north and south between central
Cuba and Yucatan and thence southeast to South America.

There remain the following eleven wide-ranging species that
winter both in the West Indies and in Central America and pass
south to South America or to Panama.

Painted Bunting {Cyanospiza ciris).

Yellow-throated Vireo ( Vireo favifrous).

Black and White Warbler {Mniotilta varia).

Worm-eating Warbler (Ilclmitheros vertnivorus).

Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coronata).

Oven-bird (Seiurus aurocapillus).

Water-Thrush (Seiurus noveboracensis).

Louisiana Water-Thrush (Seiurus motacilla).

Northern Yellow-throat (Geotklypis triclias brachidactyla).

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla).

Catbird (Galeoscoptrs carolinensis).

The above tables may be recapitulated as follows :

Species from the Eastern United States that range to South
America or Panama.

That cross from Florida to Yucatan ...... 16

That cross the Gulf of Mexico on their way from the Southeastern

United States to Central America 22

That cross the West Indies ........ 10

Whose migration route is unknown or not classified ... 7

Wide-ranging species . . . . . . • • • 11

Total • 66

The above summary makes clear the facts that the large major-
ity of land birds from the eastern United States bound for South
America, cross the Gulf of Mexico in preference to journeying via
the West Indies or by Florida and Cuba; and that hardly a sixth
of these species are known to reach South America across the West
Indies. It is believed that the facts here presented justify the
statement : " The main traveled highway is that which stretches

8 Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration. [^a"k

from northwestern Florida across the Gulf, continuing the south-
west direction which most of the birds of the Atlantic coast follow
in passing to Florida."

But it is probable that the case is stronger than so far stated.
If one will study the distribution and migration of birds around
the Gulf of Mexico, he will come to believe in what I call ' paral-
lels of migration.' There is no single fact or series of facts that
proves this, but many facts are explained by it that are difficult to
explain otherwise. An example will show what I mean by paral-
lels of migration. The western edge of the regular range of the
Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) extends from Corpus Christi,
Texas, to the State of Tabasco in Mexico ; the eastern edge from
Florida to Yucatan. The whole path of migration crosses the
Gulf of Mexico. It is a fair presumption that the individuals that
are farthest west in Texas are the ones that fly to Tabasco, and
that the Yucatan Kingbirds come from Florida. Between Florida
and Texas, it is practically certain that the Kingbirds in the fall,
as they reach the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from the north,
launch out across the Gulf from the place where they came to the
coast, without migrating either east or west along the north coast
before undertaking their water flight. Tims each Kingbird starts
across the Gulf in an approximately southerly direction and so
their lines of migration across the Gulf are approximately parallel.

As already stated, this theory is not at present susceptible of
proof, but it seems the most reasonable explanation of the known
facts. It is not meant that all the individuals of a species follow
these parallel lines, because it is known that there are wanderers,
from choice or accident, in most species, but that these parallels
represent the normal and usual lines of flight of the larger portion
of the species.

If this theory of parallels of migration is correct, then it follows
that, in the case of a wide ranging species, like the Black and
White Warbler, occurring in the Bahamas, Cuba, Yucatan and
most of Mexico, the individuals from eastern Florida probably
pass to the Bahamas, from central Florida to Cuba, from north-
western Florida to Yucatan, from the mouth of the Mississippi
southward across the Gulf, and from central Texas to Mexico by
land.

Vol. XXII
1905

Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration.

It is a well-known fact, that it is the individuals from the eastern
United States, rather than from the western United States, that
pass to South America. When a species is so variable that the
eastern individuals can be distinguished from the western, it is
found in most cases that the individuals wintering in South Amer-
ica are similar to those of the eastern United States, while those
from the western United States winter in Mexico and Central
America. Since then it has already been shown that few species
or individuals pass through the West Indies to reach South Amer-
ica, it follows that the individuals that pass to South America are
for the most part those that have flown across the Gulf of Mexico.

If the above reasoning is«correct, then the eleven species given
in the preceding list as ' wide ranging species ', can be added to
those that cross the Gulf of Mexico on their way to South Amer-
ica or Panama. The recapitulation would then stand : —

Species that reach South America or Panama

by way of the West Indies ....... 10

by an unknown route ........ 7

by way of the Gulf of Mexico ....... 49

Total 66

In other words, it is practically certain that 60 per cent — more
probably at least 75 per cent — of the species of land birds from
the eastern United States that winter in South America or Panama,
take a flight across the Gulf of Mexico on the way to their winter
home.

III. Inferential Migration Routes.

The following supposed migration routes are based largely on
negative evidence, that is, on the absence of proof that the species
use other routes. Thus, for instance, in the case of the Canadian
Warbler, it is a common bird of the northeastern United States
and breeds in the mountains south to North Carolina ; it is prac-
tically unknown in Honduras, Yucatan, the West Indies, Florida,
South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama; but it is known in eastern
Mexico and Guatemala, whence it proceeds through Central
America to its winter home in South America. There are so

IO Cooke., Routes of Bird Migration. \_}&n.

many thousands of these birds in the northeastern United States
that they could not all pass through the Gulf States unnoticed, and
so one is led to believe that having passed to the southern end of
the mountains, they start at once on their journey across the Gulf,
flying over the Gulf States. Since they are also unknown in the
lower regions of Yucatan and Honduras, but are known in
the higher regions of Guatemala, the same line of reasoning
leads to the belief that the birds do not alight as soon as they
reach the south shore of the Gulf, but continue their flight to the
mountains beyond. The case is not so clear on the south side of
the Gulf as on the north, since so few competent ornithologists
have visited this section, and since the birds' stay would be
limited to the few days of passage in migration spring and fall.

Future observations may show that a few Canadian Warblers
occur in northwestern Florida, and also along the coast of the
Bay of Campeche, but as the record now stands it indicates that
the principal route of migration of the Canadian Warblers of the
northeastern United States is from the southern Allegheny Moun-
tains across the Gulf of Mexico to the highlands beyond.

Along the route thus outlined it seems probable that the indi-
viduals from the northeastern United States of the following
species pass in their migrations :

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Nuttallornis borealis).
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax Jlaviventris).
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo fhiladelfkicus).
Blue-winged Warbler {Helminthophila finus).
Golden-winged Warbler {Helminthophila ckrysoptera).
Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea).
Canadian Warbler ( Wilsonia canadensis).

If the southern part of the above route is carried eastward to
. include Honduras, it agrees with the present records of the east-
ern individuals of the Chestnut-sided Warbler (De?idroica pensyl-
vanicd).

If at the same time the northern part is supposed to start from
the western slope of the Alleghenies, the route accords with the
known facts concerning the migration of the eastern individuals of
the Tennessee Warbler {Helminthophila peregrina).

If the southern end is shortened, making the flight from the

Vol. XXI I"! Cooke, Routes of Bird Migration. I I

IQ05 J -' *>

southern or southwestern Alleghenies to Yucatan, it becomes the
route probably traversed by the eastern individuals of the Alder
Flycatcher {Empidonax trailli alnorum), Least Flycatcher {Em-
pidonax minimus), Blackburnian Warbler {Dendroica blackburnia) ,
Wilson Warbler ( Wilsonia pusilld).

Along the same general course, it seems probable that the east-
ern individuals of the Crested Flycatcher {Myiarchus crinitus)
cross from Florida to Honduras ; of the Baltimore Oriole {Icterus
galbuld) and the Prothonotary Warbler {Proionotaria citred) from
northern Florida to southern Yucatan or Honduras ; of the Ceru-
lean Warbler {Dendroica cerulea) from the western slope of the
Alleghenies to an unknown destination in Central America ; of
the Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa) from the southern
Alleghenies and northern Florida to an unknown district south of
the Gulf of Campeche, and of the Mourning Warbler {Geothlypis
Philadelphia) from the coast of Louisiana and Texas to the high-
lands of Central America.

So few certain records are known in Central America of the
Nighthawk {Chordeiles virginianus) and of the Cliff Swallow
{Petrochelidon lunifrons) that only the broad statement can be
made that the bulk of these two species cross the Gulf of Mexico,
avoiding the West Indies, southern Florida, and Yucatan.

Almost all of the individuals of the Scarlet Tanager {Piranga
ery thro me/as) seem to pass south in a narrow belt between central
Cuba on the east and Yucatan on the west.

It will thus be seen that all of these twenty-two species cross
the Gulf of Mexico, the difference arising from the carrying of
the eastern edge of the route more or less to the west, and the
variations in the length of the flight.

12 Montgomery. Birds of Brewster Co., Texas. \ Un

SUMMER RESIDENT BIRDS OE BREWSTER COUNTY,

TEXAS.1

BY THOS. H. MONTGOMERY, JR.

The present paper embodies the avifaunistic results of a
collecting trip in Brewster County, from June 14 to July 5, 1904,
when it was my good fortune to accompany the State Mineralogi-
cal Survey. To the director of the Survey, my friend Dr. William
B. Phillips, I am greatly indebted for all the facilities placed at
my disposal.

The region is one very little known to zoologists, though
Messrs. Oberholser and Bailey have collected in the Chisos
Mountains which lie at the southern part of the county. The
County of Brewster is situated in the southwestern part of Texas,
between the 103rd and 104th degrees of longitude, and the 29th
and 30th of latitude. Its southern border is the Rio Grande. A
detailed topographical map of this region is in process of prepara-
tion by the Mineralogical Survey. The trip commenced from the
town of Alpine, in the northwest, on the Southern Pacific Rail-
road ; we reached Altudo, about 12 miles to the east, June 14 and
remained there until the 19th; Altudo has an altitude of 4750
feet. From there we proceeded due east to the town of Mara-
thon, with an altitude of a little more than 4000 feet, where we
spent two days ; thence south, spending one night at Garden
Springs (3750 feet), one at Miller's Wells, then south to Marley's
Wells (4000 feet) where we camped from the 24th to the 27th of
June; then south again to Chisos Pen (3120 feet) where I
remained to July 6, from there making a trip of two days to Green
Gulch (4700 to 6000 feet) in the Chisos Mountains.

The country traversed may be said to be characterized by high
and abrupt sierras, of volcanic rocks and limestones, bordering on
high plains thrown into series of what now appear as rolling hills.
Everywhere are the heavy marks of erosion. There is but little
water, here and there at long distances a rain pool in the moun-
tain sides, or a marshy spring in the plains ; water is so scarce

1 Contributions from the Zoological Laboratory of the University of Texas.

Vol. xxnn Montgomery, Birds of Brewster Co., Texas. i?

1905 j ' j o

that on most of the ranches the cattle are supplied from wells ;
and where the water lies there is apt to be an oasis in the desert,
— shade from a group of cottonwood trees, but elsewhere on the
plateau one looks in vain for shelter from the sun. Cacti, grease-
wood bushes, dwarfed mesquite, and sotol bushes compose the
characteristic flora of the plains, and in large districts the brown,
baked earth bears no grasses. The flora of the mountains is
richer and more varied, and the Chisos is well timbered with
small pines, red oak and other trees.

The fauna is richest on the mountain sides and the wooded
canons, poorest on the plains. The latter may be said to be
essentially Sauropsidan and Hymenopterous : birds, lizards, ants
and wasps, with few Lepidoptera and Arachnida. One reason for
the lack of richness in the fauna of these high plateaus is to be
found, I think, in the occasional destructive torrents which sweep
over them from heavy rains on the mountains ; only the ants
seem to survive these deluges. For most of the year there is
total lack of water, with now and then destructive rivers of it.

Specimens of all the species mentioned in the following list
were secured, unless otherwise stated. This list contains all the
species seen except two or three species of hawks and one wood-
pecker, which could not be identified. A longer time spent in the
Chisos Mountains and along the Rio Grande (which I did not
reach) would undoubtedly add considerably to the number in the
list.

There can well be no question as to all these species being
summer residents, on account of the time of the year, and of the
fact that most of the birds were in moulting plumage, and many
were immature.

i. /Egialitis vocifera. Killdeer Plover. — Alpine to Altudo, Mara-
thon, Garden Spring ; one or two pairs at each permanent spring.

2. Callipepla squamata. Scaled Partridge. — Common along most
of the route, on the plains rather than on the mountain sides. This is
known locally as the " blue quail.1'

3. Cyrtonyx montezumse mearnsi. Mearns Quail. — Two pairs at
Green Gulch.

4. Columba fasciata. Band-tailed Pigeon. — Oak Spring canon,
Chisos Mountains ; quite abundant around springs whither they come
to drink.

I A Montgomery, Birds of Brexvster Co., Texas. \\

e. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — Several pairs observed
at each of the camps.

6. Cathartes aura. Turkey Buzzard. — Present, but not in large
numbers, along the whole route.

7. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. — A pair of these birds were
seen each evening at Altudo as they came to roost in the side of a cliff.
According to the ranchmen they are still rather common in the county.

8. Geococcyx californianus. Road-runner ; " Paisano Bird." —
Garden Springs, Marley's Wells, Chisos Pen ; not numerous.

9. Dryobates scalaris bairdi. Texan Woodpecker. — Marley's Wells,
Chisos Pen, Green Gulch ; fairly common.

10. Phalaenoptilus nuttallii nitidus. Frosted Poor-Will. — Altudo,
Garden Spring, Marley's Wells, nesting on the mountain sides and
strictly nocturnal.

11. Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — A variety of the species
was seen at Altudo, but not secured ; it had the peculiar dropping
descent and booming noise not shared by the following.

12. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis. Texan Nighthawk. — Common
at Christmas Spring and Chisos Pen, crepuscular rather than nocturnal.

13. Aeronautes melanoleucus. White-throated Swift. — Seen and
secured only at Green Gulch where there were about twelve pairs.

14. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — ■ Common
at Altudo and Green Gulch, above the plains.

15 Tyrannus melancholicus couchi. Couch Kingbird. — One pair at
Altudo.

16. Myiarchus cinerascens. Ash-throated Flycatcher. — Com-
mon at Altudo, Marley's Wells, Green Gulch, Chisos Pen.

17. Sayornis saya. Say Phcebe. — Two pairs at Altudo.

18. Aphelocoma woodhousei. Woodhouse Jay. — One secured, and
others seen, about fifteen miles east of Alpine.

19. Aphelocoma couchi. Couch Jay. — Common in Green Gulch, in
the high timbered region of the mountains.

20. Corvus cryptoleucus. White-necked Raven. — A species of
raven, which was possibly this one, was seen but not secured at Alpine,
Altudo and Chisos Pen.

21. Corvus americanus. American Crow. — Seen at Marathon.

22. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Either this species or its race, M. a.
obscurus, was observed at most of the water holes visited, but none could
be obtained.

23. Sturnella magna. Meadow Lark. — A variety of this species
was seen on the grassy plains at Altudo.

24. Icterus parisorum. Scott Oriole. — Common at Altudo, Mar-
ley's Wells and Green Gulch.

25. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis. House Finch. — One pair at
Altudo.

26. Passer domesticus. English Sparrow. — Common in the town
of Alpine.

Vol. XXII
1905

Montgomery, Birds of Brewster Co., Texas. K

27. Chondestes grammacus strigatus. Western Lark Sparrow. —
A few found on the plains just west of Altudo.

28. Amphispiza bilineata deserticola. Desert Sparrow. — I am in
doubt as to whether my specimens are of this race or of A. bilineata, for
they seem somewhat intermediate. Common among the mesquite at
Garden Spring, Marley's Wells and Chisos Pen, not ascending the
mountains.

29. Peucaea cassini. Cassin Sparrow. — Common on the plains
from Altudo to Marley's Wells.

30. Aimophila ruficeps scottii. Scott Sparrow. — At Altudo. much
less abundant than the preceding.

31. Aimophila ruficeps eremceca. Rock Sparrow. — Common in the
timbered part of Green Gulch.

32. Pipilo maculatus arcticus. Arctic Towhee. — Common in the
same locality as the preceding.

33. Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus. Canon Towhee. — Fairly common
from Altudo to Green Gulch, nesting on the sides of the mountains.

34. Pyrrhuloxia sinuata. Arizona Pyrrhuloxia. — Marley's Wells
and Chisos Pen, in mesquite thickets of the plains.

35. Guiraca caerulea lazula. Western Blue Grosbeak. — Seen at
Altudo, Garden Springs, and Green Gulch, but so shy that none were
secured.

36. Cyanospiza versicolor. Varied Bunting. — One pair at Marley's
Wells and at Chisos Pen.

37. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow. — A considerable num-
ber seen at Alpine, collecting mud for their nests.

38. Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides. White-ri mped Shrike. —
One pair at Marley's Wells and at Chisos Pen.

39. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus. Western Mockingbird. — Com-
mon along the whole route, on the plains and in the lower parts of the
canons.

40. Toxostoma crissalis. Crissal Thrasher. — Fairly common at
Garden Spring and Marley's Wells.

41. Heleodytes brunneicapillus. Cactus Wren. — Several found at
Garden Spring.

42. Catherpes mexicanus conspersus. Canon Wren. — Altudo, Mar-
ley's Wells, and Green Gulch, high up on the mountains.

43. Parus atricristatus. Black-crested Titmouse. — Common in the
higher part of Green Gulch.

44. Psaltriparus plumbeus. Lead-colored Bush-tit. — Common on
the mountain sides at Altudo and Green Gulch.

45. Psaltriparus lloydi. Lloyd Bush-tit. — Timbered portion of
Green Gulch.

46. Auriparus flaviceps. Yerdin. — Plains at Chisos Pen.

47. Polioptila plumbea. Plumbeous Gnatcatcher. — Common at
Garden Spring, Marley's Wells, and Green Gulch ; found mostly on the
high plains.

1 6 Grinnell, Large-billed Sparrow. Iran1

WHERE DOES THE LARGE-BILLED SPARROW
SPEND THE SUMMER?

BY JOSEPH GRINNELL.

Strange as it may seem, there is a land bird of California
which abounds at times in suitable places but whose nesting
grounds appear to be entirely unknown. This species, our only
land bird yet remaining thus distinguished, is the Large-billed
Sparrow {Passerculns rostratus). A bird of such unusual interest
warrants particular attention. It is the object of my present arti-
cle to show how little we really know about it, in the hope that
some one may soon come forward with additional and definite
information.

The bird was originally described1 by Cassin in 1852 from
specimens taken at San Diego. In 1859 Heermann recorded'2 it
from San Pedro and Santa Barbara, as well as San Diego.
Cooper in 1870s added Cape St. Lucas to its list of record sta-
tions, and also presented some information in regard to its occur-
rence at San Pedro. This information, quoted far and wide to
the present day, is to the effect that Passerculus rostratus was
found breeding. But that there must have been some error seems
now to be more than likely. The evidence for my belief in this
respect is presented further on.

In 1883 Belding recorded4 the species as found in winter at
several localities in the Cape region of Lower California; also in
December and April at Guaymas, Sonora, across the Gulf from
Lower California. In 1885 Brewster recorded5 two specimens
taken by Stephens at Port [= Cape] Lobos, on the Mexican shore
of the Gulf of California just south of the 30th parallel. These
were taken on August 20, 18S4, on a gravelly beach with no
marshes near (as Mr. Stephens has recently informed me). In

1 Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila., Oct. 1852, 184.

2 Pac. R.R. Rep., X, 1859, 46.

3 Orn. Cal., I, 1S70, 184.

4 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V, March, 1SS3, 537 ; VI, 1883, 343
3 Auk, II, April 1885, 198.

Vol;<£sXI1] Grinnell, Large-billed Sparrow. 1 7

1890 Belding stated1 that he had found the species common in
winter only, in the Cape region of Lower California, and in the
vicinity of San Diego Bay, but although he had searched for it in
the latter locality during April and May he had been unable to
find it later in the spring than March 10.

In 1893 Anthony recorded2 Large-billed Sparrows as very com-
mon in fall and winter all along the seacoast of northern Lower
California from San Ramon northward. He remarks on their
abundance " until the nesting season approaches, when they sud-
denly disappear and are not again noticed until August." It is
further stated by the same writer that a bird was seen by A. M.
Ingersoll at San Diego apparently "carrying food for its young,"
but no nest could be found. Anthony also records that in April,
1887, he "shot a female at San Ramon that had undoubtedly left
her eggs but a few moments before." But he subsequently says
that in spite of patient search since, he has "never again seen
birds during the nesting season," so that the above observations
lack confirmation. In the same connection Anthony makes the
following remark, with which I have reason to concur. "The
eggs of this species which are frequently offered to the public by
local collectors of Southern California have, so far as my observa-
tions have gone, always been taken from the nests of A. beldingi
[= the Belding Marsh Sparrow]."

In 1898 I recorded3 the Large-billed Sparrow as "common in
winter in the salt marshes and along the beaches " of Los Angeles
County, but less numerous than the Belding Marsh Sparrow.
"In San Pedro Harbor the birds frequent wharves and break-
waters, and even hop fearlessly about the decks of vessels, feed-
ing on crumbs and flies. Although observed from August to late
in April, this sparrow apparently disappears altogether during the
summer months, but where it breeds seems to be as yet un-
known." These statements both accord exactly with my knowl-
edge at the present day and I have nothing to add.

In 1899 Price recorded4 what he called the St. Lucas Large-

1 Land Bds. Pac. Dist., Sept. 1890, 145.

2 Zoe, IV, Oct. 1893, 240.

3 Bds. Pac. Slope Los Angeles Co., March 189S, 36.

4 Bull. Cooper Orn. Club, Sept. 1899, 92.

1 8 Grinnei.l, Large-billed Sparrow. \P\m

billed Sparrow, with an interrogation mark, as "quite common"
in November and December, 1898, on the marsh lands about the
mouth of the Colorado River at the head of the Gulf of California.
" It was not seen away from the coarse sea grass, Uniola palmeri."

In 1902 appeared Brewster's paper * reviewing the ornithology of
southern Lower California. In this he states that "all the speci-
mens [of the Large-billed Sparrow] thus far collected in the Cape
Region have been taken in autumn, winter, or early spring.
Indeed, there is no present evidence that the bird breeds any-
where in Lower California." Mr. Brewster's collector obtained
no less than fifty-nine skins, secured from August 31 until "early
March."

Joseph Mailliard has only this year recorded - a specimen taken
at Santa Cruz, California, August 27, 1895. This is by far the
northernmost station. And Breninger has even more recently
recorded 3 the species as secured in February on San Clemente
Island.

This completes the definite distributional data at hand. Now
let us turn to what evidence has been offered in regard to the
breeding grounds of Passerculus rosiratus. I have made personal
inquiry of several observers who ought to know something along
this line, if anything is known at all, but without eliciting any
new facts. Mr. Frank Stephens, who is probably best posted of
anyone on the general ornithology of the Southwest, writes me
that he knows of "no breeding record that may be considered of
value."

Cooper's statements,4 previously referred to, are as follows : "I
found them plenty at San Pedro and San Diego at all seasons,
and doubt whether they migrate at all." " At San Pedro I saw
them in July feeding their young, but never found a nest that
I was certain belonged to this species." Now here are some
present day facts : The Belding Marsh Sparrow {Passerculus
beldingi) is an abundant permanent resident on the salt marshes

1 Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., XLI, Sept. 1902, 138.

2 Condor, VI, Jan. 1904, 16.

3 Auk, XXI, April 1904, 223.

4 Orn. Cal., I, 1870, 184.

Vol.xxn-j Grinnell, Large-billed Sparrow. I g

in the vicinity of San Pedro (and San Diego, too). It nests pro-
fusely in the immediate vicinity of San Pedro, as can be attested
to by numerous recent observers, such as Swarth, Morcom,
Daggett, Law, Judson, and myself. But none of these students
has detected the presence of the Large-billed Sparrow in the same
locality, or anywhere else, for that matter, between " late in April "
and August 31, as far as I have been informed. Now turning to
Cooper's account of " Passerailus anthinus, the Titlark Sparrow,"
which to this extent equals the Belding Marsh Sparrow, we find
these statements : 1 " They abound in winter south of San Fran-
cisco, but I am not sure that any of them spend the summer so
far south, though inclined to think that they do. Near San Diego,
in February, they began to utter a short but pleasant song as they
perched on the top of some tall weed ; and though I observed
them there until April, I did not succeed in finding any nests, and
have not found the species at San Pedro in su7>wier.'''' - It is well
known that Cooper collected but few specimens (often only one)
of a species, and from the above-quoted statements it is plain to
me that in his field observations he sadly confused the two species,
which are not strikingly different out of hand. This reasonably
accounts for the "breeding record" of Passerailus rostratus at
San Pedro, which we need therefore no longer hesitate to put
down as erroneous.

Right here it is interesting to note how definitely expressed
assertions may have evolved from a very small foundation of fact.
Among the many general accounts of the species rn current liter-
ature, I select two of the extremest illustrations. In Reed's
' North American Birds' Eggs,' recently published, we read (p. 253)
under the heading of Large-billed Sparrow, " .... their nesting
habits are similar to and the eggs not distinguished with certainty
from those of the latter [Belding Marsh Sparrow]." Of course
this \s probable, perhaps ; but have authentic eggs been compared ?
Again, in Wheelock's ' Birds of California,' we find under Large-
billed Sparrow (p. 219), "California Breeding Range: along the
salt marshes of the coast from the San Diegan district north to

1 Orn. Cal., I, 1870, iS:

2 Italics mine.

20 Grinnell, Large-billed Sparrow. ffa'n

Santa Barbara " [!]. Also : "Its breeding habits are so similar to
those of the Belding Marsh Sparrow that no separate description
is necessary." What positive assurance ! Such things would be
only amusing if they were not a menace to the reputation of orni-
thology as a serious science.

In recounting the foregoing evidence I have not been endeav-
oring to prove that the Large-billed Sparrow does not breed at
all ! But simply that its whereabouts during the nesting season
are not so far definitely known. This is for us to yet find out.
To sum up, Passerculus rostratus is a migrant, occurring in winter
on suitable seashores from Cape St. Lucas and Guaymas, Mexico,
north as far as Santa Cruz, California. Its numbers are large
enough so that its time of arrival and departure are easy to
determine. But the interval between its departure in the spring
and arrival in the autumn amounts to a period of four months,
during which we know nothing of its whereabouts. It might not
be a sin to speculate somewhat in this regard.

On the Atlantic coast a similar problem puzzled ornithologists
for many years. The Ipswich Sparrow occurred on the coast of
New England in winter, but totally disappeared in summer, no
one knew where. The breeding grounds were finally discovered
to be on Sable Island near Nova Scotia, to which it is now known
to be exclusively confined during the nesting season. I once
thought that Passerculus rostratus might have a similarly restricted
habitat to the northward or westward somewhere. But all of the
Santa Barbara' group of islands have been explored in summer,
and so has every other likely locality on the coast and islands
of British Columbia and Alaska. That the Large-billed Sparrow
has a northern insular breeding area, paralleling the case of the
Ipswich Sparrow, seems to me therefore extremely doubtful.

The alternative theory is that the Large-billed Sparrow breeds
somewhere to the south of its winter home, and migrates north in
the fall, returning southwards each spring! Such a suggestion
may seem absurd, but nevertheless fits best the limited amount of
data so far in our possession. This possible southern summer
home may exist on either coast of Lower California, or on the
coast of Mexico, great stretches of which remain unexplored.
The possibility that the closely related forms sanctorum and gutta-

Vol. XXII

1905

Bishop, //. leucobronchialis and II. latvrencei. 2 I

ties (= halophilus), which appear to be chiefly represented so far
in collections by breeding specimens, represent the worn summer
plumage of rostratus, also presents itself. The effects of abrasion
in fading colors, in restricting and intensifying shaft-streaks, and
in modifying measurements, are well known. The many experi-
enced workers who have studied the large series of specimens in
eastern museums must have given these factors due consideration,
so that we may be wasting space in suggesting this possibility.
In either case, what a remarkable exception there would be to the
rule of southward migration in the northern hemisphere!

Finally, let me ask the question again — Where does the Large-
billed Sparrow spend the summer?

THE STATUS OF HELMINTHOPHJLA LEUCOBRON-
CHIALIS AND HELMLNTHOPHLLA LAW-
RENCE! l

BY LOUIS B. BISHOP.

In the way of theory as to the status of the puzzling specimens
labelled with these names I have nothing new to offer, but wish
simply to bring to your attention a few facts that seem to go far
to establish an old theory, first advanced, I believe, by Mr. Chap-
man.

In southern Connecticut there are three distinct forms of the
Blue-winged Warbler {H. pin us), taking males alone into consider-
ation — the ordinary form with rich gamboge-yellow lower parts,
white wing-bars and bright olive-green back ; a second form,
like the last but with gamboge-yellow wing-patch, resembling the
Golden-winged (/I. chrysoptera), which is much the rarest; and,
third, a form with pale yellow lower parts, much paler back, and

1 Read at the Twenty-second Congress of the American Ornithologists'
Union, Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 29, 1904.

2 2 Bishop, //. leucobronchialis (ind II. lawre?icei. I v"

with usually yellow wing-bars ; and between the three occur all
sorts of intermediates. From this last pale form a series that I
have collected near New Haven stretches without a break to typi-
cal specimens of Brewster's Warbler (If. leucobronchialis) with
pure white lower parts and bluish gray back, the yellow last show-
ing in the center of the breast. All three forms seem, to an extent
at least, to breed true ; although all the evidence tends to show
that they mate together indiscriminately, and their song is indis-
tinguishable. I took in the same piece of woodland August 9,
1904, an adult male and young each of the bright yellow form
with yellow wing-bars. Two young taken with a female Brewster's
Warbler near New Haven on July 4, 1893, prove on further com-
parison to have the yellow of the breast paler than in young
Blue-winged Warblers of the same age ; about half a dozen males
showing in varying degree the character of Brewster's Warbler
have been taken in one small piece of land within a few years ;
and on May 12, 1898, I collected two males within a few hundred
yards of where I knew one was breeding the year before, and
where I had taken one on May 8, 1896.

If H. leucobronchialis were a species and the intermediates hy-
brids between it and H. pinus it would certainly be true that in
the majority of instances it would mate within the species, and
such an occurrence seems never to have been observed, and as its
white throat is not found in either H. chrysoptera or H. pinus it
can hardly be a hybrid between them. That it is merely a phase
of H. pinus is the only alternative left us.

Before discussing the plumage of the bird called Lawrence's
Warbler (Zf. lawrencei), let us spend a few minutes in seeing
what may be learned from the localities in Connecticut where it
has been taken, and the distribution of the Blue-winged and
Golden-winged Warblers in this State. Helminthophila pinus is
an abundant summer resident of the coast, becoming rapidly rare
farther north, but breeding at Bethel on the west, and Warren,
and rarely at Portland, on the north : H. chrysoptera, however, is
rare throughout the State, and is apparently absent along the
coast east of New Haven. It occurs rather commonly at Port-
land, but breeds also at Bethel, and doubtless also at Bridgeport,
Seymour, and New Haven, where it has been taken at the begin-

Vol. XXII
1905

Bishop, H. leucobronchialis and II. laivrencei. 22

ning of the breeding season ; while both species are reported very
rare, if they ever occur, at East Hartford — a few miles north of
Portland. Specimens of H. lawrencei have been taken at Stam-
ford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Seymour, and Portland — places
where both species occur, but one or the other is extremely rare.
Practically all the Golden-winged Warblers collected near New
Haven have been found in a narrow strip of country radiating
from the northwestern part of the city, and here also about all
the Lawrence's have been taken. A male Golden-winged was
taken there by myself May 12, 1894, and on May 15 and 20,
1896, two male Lawrence's were collected within half a mile of
this bird by Mr. A. H. Verrill and myself ; and from this same
stretch of territory Mr. Verrill brought me on May 23, 1898, a
laying female of the Golden-winged and with her a male Blue-
winged which he stated was nesting with this bird. The Blue-
winged is abundant in this region, thus establishing an ideal con-
dition for the production of hybrids.

The song of Lawrence's Warbler may resemble that of either
of the above species, but has no characteristic of its own. These
birds associate freely with both species, and have been found
mated with the Blue-winged, but never with each other.

Typical specimens of H. la%vre?icei have, as is well known, no
character of plumage peculiar to themselves, but only a combina-
tion of characters found in H. chrysoptera&nd H. pinus ; yet the
majority of specimens recorded closely resemble the type, and
to prove it a hybrid under these circumstances intermediates
between it and the above species should be forthcoming. Such
specimens it gives me pleasure to show you to-day. The type,
you will remember, may be considered either a Golden-winged
with the yellow chin, breast, abdomen, postocular and malar
stripe and bright olive-green back of the Blue-winged, or the latter
with the black auriculars and throat of the former ; the wing-bars
being either yellow or white. In the majority of specimens I have
seen the black of the throat extends over the chin, and this form
is, I believe, the true hybrid between the two species, if it is a
hybrid, as I trust these specimens will convince you. Birds like
the type of H. lawrencei, with yellow chin, seem to be rarer,
and are, I believe, the result of crossing the black-chinned birds

24- Bishop, H. leucobronchialis cuid II. laiurencei. I~^uk

T^ LJan.

with H. pinus ; at any rate such a male, that I took near New
Haven May 10, 1904, has the wing-bars chiefly white, and was
quarrelling with a Blue-winged Warbler in the manner that males
of the same species do at this season. Two specimens similar to
this were taken by Mr. Verrill a few years ago.

Between this form and H. pinus stands a bird taken in New
Jersey, and described by Mr. Brewster in ' The Auk ' for July,
1886. In this bird the solid black throat has become merely a
black spotting about one-quarter of an inch wide, while the auric-
ulars are still largely black. Bridging the last gap stands a
male collected by Mr. Verrill and myself May 23, 1902, which dif-
fers from the ordinary Blue-winged only by having a little black
on the auriculars and the black loral stripe extending slightly
below the eye, and a black spot on the outer vane of one or two
feathers on the throat.

Midway between H. chrysoptera and H. lawrencei is a male col-
lected by me at New Haven, May 11, 1900, which has the white
postocular and malar stripe and white abdomen of the former,
and the back chiefly bluish gray, but resembles in the rest of its
plumage the yellow-chinned form of the latter. Nearer still to the
Golden-winged is a female which Mr. Verrill brought me in the
flesh May 21, 1902, with a male Blue-winged which he stated
was its mate, which differs from typical specimens only in having
much bright olive-green on the back, and yellow on the breast and
abdomen. Lastly stands the fact that the majority of Golden-
winged Warblers taken near New Haven have at least a trace of
yellow on the back or breast.

From this evidence the conclusion seems to me to be irresistible
that Helminthophila leucobronchialis is merely a leucochroic phase
of H. pinus, which, from its appearing frequently only within
a very limited area, may in time become a species ; and that H~
lawrencei is a hybrid between H. chrysoptera and H. pinus.

Vol. XXII
1905

Forbush, Decrease of Birds in Netu England. 2Z

THE DECREASE OF CERTAIN BIRDS IN NEW
ENGLAND.

BY EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH.

In the course of an inquiry made in 1903 to determine the
effects exerted on bird-life by an unusual season, some unsought
evidence was received regarding a general and progressive de-
crease in the number of birds in certain sections. This suggested
the propriety of further investigation to determine what species
were known to be actually diminishing in numbers. This paper is
intended as a sequel to the results of the first inquiry and a pre-
liminary statement of some facts gleaned from the mass of material
acquired in pursuing the second.

In summing up the evidence regarding the destruction of nests,
eggs, young and adult birds by the severe weather of the 'Summer
of 1903 and the winter of 1903-04 the following statement was
made regarding the bird probabilities for Massachusetts in 1904.

"If we assume .... that the evidence submitted approximates
the facts, we may be justified in believing that the Bob-white has
been reduced generally at least ninety-five per cent, that Grouse
will be scarce this spring, and that Purple Martins will be gener-
ally absent, although a few individuals or colonies probably will
appear locally in Massachusetts. There probably will be also an
unusual local scarcity of many of the species mentioned [in the
list of birds destroyed] .... and possibly of more not mentioned." 1

The inquiry made in 1904 seems to give to this statement the
force of a prediction fulfilled. Of thirty-eight correspondents
who speak particularly of the Bob-white, six now regard these
birds as exterminated, thirty-one as nearly exterminated or rare,
while only one finds them common. The diminution of the Bob-
white is now a matter of common knowledge. However, many of
these birds have been introduced from other States and liberated,
during the season, by sportsmen's organizations, with the expecta-
tion that they will breed and restock the covers.

xThe Destruction of Birds by the Elements in 1903-04. By Edward
Howe Forbush. Annual Report Mass. Board of Agriculture, 1903. p. 498.

26 Forbush, Decrease of Birds in New England. \_)zn

The Ruffed Grouse also received a severe check ; but the birds
bred fairly well in 1904, and in many localities are now increasing.
Purple Martins seem to have been rather rare in the spring migra-
tions, except in northern New Hampshire, Vermont, and in Maine
and Nova Scotia where they were fairly common.

A few birds came to Massachusetts about April 19, but, appar-
ently, they all disappeared. An inkling of their fate was obtained
in Concord, Massachusetts, where after a few cold days with five
inches of snow which followed the 19th three out of the four adult
birds observed were found dead in a bird house.

Forty-three observers in Massachusetts report as follows : —
Martins gone or extinct, 26 reports : nearly extinct, 3 ; rare, 5 ;
rare and decreasing, 8 ; as usual, 1. But the most significant fact
regarding the disappearance of these birds is that thus far, with
the exception of Springfield, where four colonies still persist,
evidence has been secured of only three pairs breeding in 1904
in the entire State of Massachusetts, although it seems proba-
ble from what has been learned that many are breeding locally
in parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.1 In
Maine they suffered little except in the southwestern portion of
the State and appear to be increasing in numbers rather than
diminishing.

Chimney Swifts seem generally much reduced in numbers, and
in some localities are rare ; but in a few towns they seem as com-
mon as ever. In large sections of Massachusetts Barn Swallows
and Tree Swallows are much reduced, evidently as a result of the
storms of June, 1903 ; but in other sections no such reduction
is noted.

Red-winged Blackbirds, Orioles, and Marsh Wrens appear to be
scarce, locally, from the effect of the storms and floods of June,
1903 ; while Meadowlarks and Flickers are rare in sections of
southeastern Massachusetts as a probable result of the severe
winter following. These birds, however, appear to hold their
own in other sections.

Reports from many parts of Massachusetts indicate that com-

1 Since the above was written it has been learned by correspondence that a
few birds bred in two other localities.

Vol. XXII
1905

Forbush, Decrease of Birds in Netv England. 2J

paratively few of those Warblers which breed in northern New
England and northward were observed here in the migrations,
and there was evidently an unusual local scarcity of such breeding
birds as Chestnut-sided Warblers, Redstarts, and some Vireos.
Still there seems to be no reason why most of these birds cannot
speedily recover their usual numbers. The Purple Martin, how-
ever, has little foothold now in Massachusetts and a large part
of southern New England. Everywhere empty Martin boxes are
taken by the English Sparrows and the Martins, which have been
decreasing for years, may never again be able to regain their
former status here. The June storms of 1903 will long be
marked and remembered by the passing of these beautiful, useful
and familiar birds.

Turning now to the inquiry of 1904, our attention is at once
arrested by the apparent marked and alarming decrease of game
birds, and particularly that of certain wild fowl and shore birds.

Loons and Grebes seem to be decreasing rapidly on the inland
waters of eastern Massachusetts. The Loon, which twenty or
thirty years ago bred in the more remote northern ponds of the
State, seems to have disappeared as a breeder. Along the coast
both Loons and Grebes are still very common in migrations.
The Surf Ducks, Eider Ducks and Shelldrakes apparently hold
their own very well, but the pond and river ducks have fallen off
tremendously within fifty or sixty years. The Ruddy Duck, for-
merly a common migrant, is now fast growing rare, and the Scaup
Ducks seem to be slowly disappearing. Black Ducks appear now
to be the most numerous ducks in the interior. Green-Winged
Teal are very rare, and Blue-wings are not common and are seen
only occasionally in small flocks. The Wood Duck seems gen-
erally verging towards extinction. Ten observers who speak par-
ticularly of this bird report as follows : — Extinct, 2 ; nearly
extinct, 5 ; decreasing, 2 ; decreasing until last two years, 1.

The falling off among the shore birds seems to have been most
remarkable. It is variously estimated as generally from fifty to
seventy-five per cent within fifty or sixty years, while certain
species are estimated to have decreased ninety-five per cent
within ten or twenty years.

It is apparent that more protection is needed to save from

28 Forbush, Decrease of Birds in Nexv England. ("t^

extinction the Bartramian Sandpiper or Upland Plover and some
of its congeners, as well as the Golden Plover and the Curlews.1

These birds once thronged our coasts, marshes or hillsides in
immense flocks during migrations. Only a scattered remnant of
this vast host now remains. The Long-billed Curlew appears to
be nearly extinct in New England. Only thirty years ago the
Upland Plover was a common breeding bird in the uplands of
central Massachusetts. They bred then at Worcester within the
city limits. Now they have nearly disappeared from the State as
breeders, although a few are still found in some remote towns.
They are also growing scarce in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Twenty-four observers report especially on Woodcock in their
sections as follows: — Extinct, i; nearing extinction, 8; rare or
decreasing, 14; decreasing until the last two years, 1. Others
believe that there has been a slight increase in the past two years
owing to a law prohibiting market shooting of these birds.

Fourteen observers report Herons as diminishing in numbers,
and only one reports an increase. Old gunners notice particularly
the scarcity of Great Blue Herons, which they say were very
common fifty to seventy years ago along the coasts and rivers.
These herons have not been known to breed in Massachusetts for
years.

The Passenger Pigeon, as is well known, has been practically
extinct in New England for at least twenty years. They are
occasionally reported as seen, but probably not one has been
positively identified of late.

Mourning Doves appear to be generally rare and growing less.
They are reported as follows : Extinct by 8 observers ; nearing

1 Certain Sandpipers and Curlews which are now rarely seen on the Mass-
achusetts coast are still abundant in their seasons on the coast of South
Carolina. The fact that nights of these birds are occasionally seen on the
Massachusetts coast may indicate that they now ordinarily pass over the New
England coast in their migrations to the south from their northern breeding
grounds, and that they stop here only during stress of weather. The increas-
ing occupation of the shores of Massachusetts and Connecticut in summer and
fall by cottagers and gunners may even cause the birds to change their routes
of migration. The Golden Plover is still common in the West. Whether the
birds have been killed or driven away, New England is the loser.

Vol. XXII

1905

Forbush, Decrease of Birds in New England. 20

extinction, 1 ; decreasing and rare, 11 ; holding their own, 1 ;
increasing slightly, 3.

Birds of Prey seem to be generally decreasing along the Atlan-
tic seaboard. Eagles are regarded as very rare and decreasing by
22 observers located near the cities or in the interior. Along the
shore more are seen, but never in such numbers as in earlier
years.

Twenty-two observers report Hawks and Owls in general as
decreasing. Other reports follow : — Hawks and Owls increasing,
2; in usual numbers, 4; Hawks disappearing or scarce, 5;
Hawks as usual, 2 ; Hawks as plenty as ever, 3 ; Hawks increas-
ing, 4 ; Owls scarce, 4.

Screech Owls, many of which were killed by the last winter, are,
in most cases, reported as uncommon, and in a few localities as
rare or wanting this season. Saw-whet Owls, many of which were
picked up dead last winter, are not reported this year by any
observer.

The locations of the correspondents indicate that hawks in gen-
eral are decreasing in the more thickly settled eastern parts of
Massachusetts and holding their own or even increasing locally
in the western part of the State. In northern New England they
seem generally common. The Great Horned Owl seems to be
growing rarer in all well-populated regions. The Red-tailed
Hawk is apparently disappearing from many regions, and there
is some evidence that the Red-shouldered Hawk is increasing and
slowly taking the place of the other species.

The Pileated Woodpecker, which has been nearing extinction
for many years, now appears to hold its own in northern Worces-
ter County, Massachusetts.

Nighthawks seem to be decreasing over large areas. Reports
follow: — Extinct, 2; almost extinct, 3; decreasing or rare, 18;
plenty, 2; as usual, 1. How much the June weather of 1903
may have had to do with their scarcity we can only conjecture.
But the Nighthawk has been gradually decreasing in much of
eastern Massachusetts, and in some sections of the western part
of the State, for many years. There is also evidence of a
decrease in parts of northern New England.

Six observers report Whippoorwills as decreasing or gone.

lO Forbush, Decrease of Birds in New England. X^t^

The mass of material regarding the smaller birds that is con-
tained in the nearly 200 reports on hand must be digested further
before any positive statement can be made regarding these States.

There can be no doubt, however, that the House Wren is now
either very local or absent in a large part of New England.

Twenty-nine representative Massachusetts reports on this bird
may be summed up as follows : — Extinct, 1 1 ; nearing extinction,
2; rare, 10; decreasing, 4; holding their own, 1 ; plenty, 1.
This sprightly little bird, which was evidently common within
thirty or forty years over much of this region, seems on the whole
to be slowly losing its slight foothold. In most cases where birds
are said to be extinct, reference is had to breeding birds rather
than to migrants, but House Wrens seem to have disappeared
entirely in some cases.

Apparently, Barn, Cliff, and Bank Swallows, though increasing
locally from time to time, have been diminishing generally in
Massachusetts for at least forty years. Cliff and Bank Swallows
are not found at all now in some sections where formerly they were
abundant.

The decrease of Barn Swallows has been more gradual but
nevertheless quite general over a considerable part of the State.
This has been well known to ornithologists for years, and this
inquiry furnishes additional and corroborative evidence.

Bobolinks are decreasing over considerable areas, but are
apparently increasing in some localities in western Massachusetts.
There are other instances of this kind.

The Wood Thrush is reported as decreasing rapidly in some
sections and increasing in others.

There seems to be trustworthy evidence of a remarkable reduc-
tion of birds in general in some localities and an equally notable
increase of the smaller species in others.

The Robin is reported to be increasing in nearly all sections.
There is also considerable evidence to support the belief that the
Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak have increased.
The rise of the Bluebirds in recent years is well known.

To members of the American Ornithologists' Union most of the
above will not be new, but it is written in the hope that it will
again call attention to the imminent danger of extirpation which
menaces certain species.

Vol. XX
1905

^H Deane, Letter of Stvainson to Audubon. ^ I

It is not practicable here to discuss the causes of these fluctua-
tions or to recommend measures for the protection of declining
species. This must be left for the final report.1 It ought to be
possible for this association to make its influence felt toward
securing such uniform legislation in different States as may be
used to check the slaughter of waterfowl and shore birds, which
otherwise must result in the extirpation of several species.

WILLIAM SWAINSON TO JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.
{A hitherto unpublished letter.)

BY RUTHVEN DEANE.

In Dr. Elliott Coues's memorable address delivered at the Fif-
teenth Congress of the American Ornithologists' Union, entitled
'Auduboniana and other Matters of Present Interest,' 2 he called
attention to the fact that the man whom Audubon finally selected
to write the technical part of his ' Ornithological Biography ' and
' Synopsis ' was William MacGillivray. He also stated how fortu-
nate it was that he had not fallen into the clutches of William Swain-
son as a collaborator in that great work, for in 1830 there were
negotiations to that end. In ' The Auk ' for 1898 Dr. Coues pub-
lished a letter of Swainson to Audubon 3 dated 2nd Oct. 1830,
showing conclusively that further attempts to engage in a co-
editorship were terminated.

I have before me another letter of Swainson to Audubon, and
while it bears no date, there is a memorandum at the end, in Audo-

1 The Decrease of Certain Birds and its Causes, with Suggestions for Bird
Protection. Annual Report of Mass. State Board of Agriculture for 1904.
In preparation.

2 Bird Lore, Vol. Ill, 1901, p. 9.

3 William Swainson to John James Audubon (a hitherto unpublished letter).
Auk, Vol . XV, 1 898, pp. 1 1 - 1 3.

72 Deane, Letter of ' Swainson to Audubon. |~^uk

bon's handwriting, "Answered 29th Aug. 1830, J. J. A."; so it
is fail to presume it was received shortly before that date.
This letter was written while negotiations were still in progress,
and a short time prior to the letter published by Dr. Coues, and
shows that self-importance which characterizes some of his other
unpublished letters.

I am under obligations to Miss M. Eliza Audubon, who has
kindly allowed me to copy and publish this letter, for an exact
transcript of the original.

" Thursday

"My dear Mr. Audubon.

" I received your letter yesterday, and hasten to reply to it. By
some mistake or other, of Havell's, he has not sent the birds to
which you allude, and I did not of course know that you had left
them with him, now to your two propositions.

"First, as to boarding with us, you do not know, probably, that
this is never done in England, except as a matter of necessity or
profession, in which case the domestic establishment is framed
accordingly. But this consideration would have no influence with
me, in your case did other circumstances allow of it. It would
however be attended with so many changes in our everyday domes-
tic arrangements, that it becomes impossible.

"Secondly, as to the proposition I once made you, I am fearful
you have put it out of my power to do so much as I mighthave
done, from your having distributed the very birds which would
have been the materials I was to work upon ; and upon which
only, any scientific observations truly original, (& therefore worth
putting into your book), must be founded. Fortunately, however,
my own collection is not poor in North American Specimens, and
these would still furnish a mass of interesting information to the
Scientific. It would be, however, highly advisable that all these
species which I have not, but which you have brought home, and
given away, should be borrowed back again, without delay.

"Next as to plan. I have always told you that the plan you
mention, so far as your own narrative goes, is the very best which
could possibly be chosen. You have to speak of the birds as they
are alive, / to speak of their outward form, structure, and their

Vol. XXII
1905

Deane, Letter of Stvaitison to Audubon. -l*}

place in the great System of their Creator, for the true system, if
I have, or anybody else, has discovered is not a Human System.
If my views are correct, every observation you make, plain, unvar-
nished, and strictly accurate, will fully and perfectly harmonize.
Our parts are totally distinct, and we have no occasion to consult
with each other what we should say at every page. Where our
views may differ, I shall not, of course, say anything. My own
remarks had better be kept distinct, in the form of " Scientific
Notes " to each letter, at the end, and in this way you will make
the work, the standard authority on American Ornithology, which
without Science, it certainly would not be, however interesting or
valuable in other respects.

"As to time, and remuneration, I shall have completed all my
portion of Dr. Richardson's1 works in two months. I can then
devote a portion of each clay to yours. The terms of my remuner-
ation will be those which I always receive from the Booksellers,
and which are fixed, worth twelve guineas a sheet of the same
size and Type as the Zoological Journal, each sheet being 16 pages,
and each page averages 390 words, the calculation is there brought
to a nicety, and you may spend as much as you choose. If I have
to revise and correct the proofs, make alterations etc. that will be
something additional, I always charge this by the time each sheet
takes me, and would come to from 5/ to 7/6 a sheet but the book-
sellers generally give me a round sum, which I name after trying
the three first sheets of a work, with Dr. Richardson's the case was
different, I there had 300^ for my assistance and drawings. It
would of course be understood that my name stands in the title
page as responsible for such portion as concerns me.

" Should we arrange this matter, it will be time enough to fix on
other minor points. But I should like to know your decision soon,
as I have been applied to in another quarter. Indeed I am already
so full of business, that I have two years active employment before
me. I go for two days to assist Burchell2 in the arrangement of

1 As co-author of Swainson and Richardson's Fauna Boreali-Americana.
Part II. The Birds. Born Nov. ^, 1787 — died June 5, 1865.

2 William John Burchell, explorer and naturalist, who collected extensively
in Brazil, Africa, and other countries. Born 1782? — died March 3, 1863.

7 A Dwight, Plumage Wear and Subspecies.

Auk

an.

his African Birds prior to publication, the end of the month, I
shall bear in mind what you say on the Woodpecker but I'have
peculiar notions on Species, which, as I believe them correct, so I
do not suffer to be influenced by the opinion of others, you will see
more of this in my Book of American Birds. Our kindest remem-
brance to Mrs. Audubon, and always look upon me as your sincere,
but very plain spoken friend.

W. SWAINSON.

"P.S. I had a long letter from Chas. Bonaparte J the other day,
Vigors2 is gone to Rome ! !

"J. J. Audubon

c/o Mr. Thomas Fowler, Bookseller,
Manchester."

"Answered 29th Aug. 1830. J. J. A."

PLUMAGE WEAR IN ITS RELATION TO PALLID

SUBSPECIES.3

BY JONATHAN DWIGHT, JR., M. D.

A more progressive generation of ornithologists will no doubt
possess itself of higher standards for estimating the value of sub-
species. At present the standards are shifting, dependent too
much upon individual opinion and often entirely inadequate, even
in the hands of trained observers. Under these circumstances it
is not surprising that geographical races are viewed with disfavor
by many who realize their shortcomings. The millennium has not
arrived when the worn and faded breeding bird will be discarded
as an unreliable basis for subspecies, and many of our races rest

1 Charles Lucian Bonaparte. Born 1803 — died 1857.

2 Nicholas Ayhvard Vigors. Born 1787 — died 1840. Naturalist. First
Secretary of the Zoological Society of London.

3 Read at the Twenty-second Congress of the American Ornithologists'
Union, Cambridge, Mass., November 29, 1904.

Vol. XXII
1905

Dwight, Plumage Wear and Subspecies. "2 £

to-day upon no better foundation than a handful of worn speci-
mens. The question to which I wish to direct special attention is
whether in describing geographical races sufficient distinction has
been made between the effect of climate on the feather and of
climate on the species. In one case the feather alone yields to
environment, in the other the species yields, and there is a wide
difference between the two. The pallid races of arid regions,
where dry atmosphere and sunny skies are most potent bleaching
agents, will illustrate my meaning. If the feather at the time of
its growth reflects climatic conditions by its paleness, we have here
an inherent character that may very properly be made the basis
of a subspecies, but if on the other hand the feather differs in no
wise from one growing in a land of moisture and fades only as the
months roll by, its fading is an accidental character that ought
never to be recognized by a subspecific name. There are those
who fail to grasp this distinction and believe in naming differences
whenever found ; but the real question at stake in not whether the
paleness is of sufficient degree to merit a name, but whether the
color is an intrinsic character. No one would think of calling
a sunburnt man a subspecies, but the sunburnt plumage of the
breeding bird is a fair mark for subspecific description !

The importance of the matter at once becomes obvious when
we consider how many races depend for their recognition upon
shades of color in breeding birds, and how little is known of the
perfectly fresh plumage of these same birds. The effect of wear
has been taken into account very little in naming them or perhaps
largely guessed at, and what is most needed to-day is definite
information regarding all the plumages of subspecies. This is no
insignificant task, and though a thankless one it will be well worth
the doing. My present intention is merely to call attention to it,
for until moulting birds, which alone show the perfectly fresh
plumage, are more abundant in collections than they are to-day,
very little progress can be made in this direction.

A number of reputable subspecies might be selected to illustrate
how little the matter of wear has been taken into account in
naming them, but a few will suffice to show that I am not dealing
wholly with generalities. As a familiar example of a pallid desert
race, I have chosen the Desert Sparrow Hawk (Faho sparverius

96 Dwight, Plumage Wear and Subspecies. f Jan.

phalcena), for in examining a series of over 200 Sparrow Hawks I
have found an unusual number in the midst of moult, making
accurate comparisons of old and new plumages possible. On
comparing newly-moulted specimens from eastern North America,
from the Mississippi Valley, from the Rocky Mountains, from
British Columbia, from California, and from Arizona, I find that
the fresh plumage of birds from all of these widely differing
regions is identical. This is true not only of adults but of young
birds in all plumages. Under these circumstances it is only
possible to conclude that Sparrow Hawks after a moult fade into
pale phalcena in a dry climate, remaining darker wherever the
atmosphere is more humid. Furthermore, it is significant that
during the breeding season when phalcena is perhaps most typical,
the humidity of the air at Denver, we will say, is below 50%
while in Boston or New York the average is above 70%. Similar
conditions prevail at the time of the prenuptial moult, for the fresh
plumage of the Arizona bird is as dark as that of the Eastern, and
only fades on exposure to the hot dry air of the Southwest. As
phahena therefore possesses no intrinsic character, it should not
possess a name. The plumage is sunburnt, but there is none of
the incipient variation of which races are thought to be the
exponent. It is perhaps fortunate that the describer of phalcena
did not name the other "regional phases" that he was able to dis-
tinguish. What is true of the Sparrow Hawk is undoubtedly true
of other species, but it is far easier to describe a race than it is to
produce evidence that invalidates it, and easier still to confuse
wear with subspecific characters.

Most writers have concerned themselves with the effect of
climate on the species, not its effect upon the individual. Mr.
Grinnell, however, has discussed the effect of wear upon several
California species (Auk, 1902, pp. 128-13 1). He states that a
race of the Russet-backed Thrush known as osdica does not in
early summer differ from typical ustulata taken in Sitka, Alaska,
but later in the season fades in the drier, brighter atmosphere of
California. This is unquestionably true, and I have satisfied
myself of the fact by the examination of numerous specimens. It
is desirable, however, to compare fresh plumages ; still, in the
case of this Thrush, unless the new plumage is alike in both forms

Vol. XXII"! Dwight, Plumage Wear and Subspecies. 37

at the period of the last moult, California breeding birds could
hardly be matched by those from Alaska.

My conclusions in regard to the American Goldfinch (Astraga-
linus tristis) are along this same line (Auk, 1902, pp. 149-164). I
stated that I could find practically no difference in color between
the fresh plumage of the California race salicamans and that of the
eastern bird. In this case, however, the eastern Goldfinch seems
to be the pallid race, and this is naturally to be expected, for
where salicamans is found on the Pacific Coast the humidity
averages about 10% greater than in the East.

Some plumages and some colors yield more rapidly to wear
while others are practically insusceptible, especially those plumages
having metallic colors like the Hummingbirds or Swallows. It is
perhaps significant that there are few races of these and similar
species. The Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon lunifrons) that builds
his nest in the shadow of the desert mesas differs not a whit from
his brother that skims the green fields of New England, nor does
the plumage of the Dove (Zenaidura macrura), so widely distrib-
uted over both humid and arid portions of the United States,
yield to atmospheric variations. There is, however, an odd excep-
tion in the case of the Purple Martin (Progne subis), of which a
pale race hesperia, has been described based entirely on characters
of the adult female. As a matter of fact she yields to climatic
influences only at the points (the collar, the forehead, etc.) where
she lacks metallic feathers. The male, on the other hand, being
wholly steel-blue and resistant at every point, shows no variation
from season to season. There does, however, seem to be one
slight character in the somewhat whiter tail-coverts of the western
female, but it does not hold in young females nor in young males,
both eastern and western birds having the tail-coverts equally
white. We have, therefore, at best, a race which rests upon one
weak character, peculiar to one sex, and to the adults only of that
sex.

The immediate and obvious effects of humidity as a preserva-
tive of plumage have not been carefully estimated in individual
races and if a bird must be caught on its breeding ground to tell
what subspecies it belongs to, it looks as if there might be some-
thing wrong with the subspecies. Take the case of Alma's

•5 8 Dwight, Plumage Wear and Subspecies. f Jan.

Thrush {Hylockhla ustitlata alma) which it is claimed differs
from swainsoni by its grayer coloration, a character that would
seem more likely to have been inherited from northern ancestors
than imposed by present "climatic conditions. I have compared
a good many breeding birds from Alaska with others from Eastern
Canada and the difference between them is very slight and not
easily made out. The Alaska birds average slightly grayer but I
have seen several Canadian specimens that are typical alma.
What the variation in the fresh plumage of ahnce. may be I do not
know, but swainsoni shows so great individual variation, that I
think it would be mere guesswork to call pale winter birds taken
in Texas, we will say, alma and dark ones swainsoni. Here again
I believe the validity of the subspecies turns on the comparison
of fresh plumages which are not at present available, and the same
thing may be said of the Juncos and the Horned Larks and a
dozen other species of birds whose limits of variation in fresh
plumage are quite unknown. Among the thousands of birds in
collections a very small percentage throw light upon this matter,
and until new plumages are thoroughly studied there is ample
justification for regarding many of the pallid races with suspicion.
To place them on a thoroughly scientific basis, eliminate the
direct effects of wear and the characters which remain will repre-
sent to a greater or lesser degree geographical variation. Unless
I am much mistaken subspecies will eventually be recognized by
better characters than those visible in breeding birds alone, and
will represent more thorough work than the mere matching of
shades of color or averaging of dimensions. The discovery of
new races will mean more work and less play.

Vol. XXII

1905

I Wood & Frothingham, Birds of An Sable Valley. 39

NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF THE AU SABLE
VALLEY, MICHIGAN.

BY NORMAN A. WOOD AND EARL H. FROTHINGHAM.

The recent discovery of the breeding of Kirtland's Warbler in
the valley of the Au Sable River, Mich., has given that region a
peculiar interest from an ornithological standpoint. The fact that
this bird has remained so long unknown indicates that the bird
life of the vicinity has been very little studied, and observations
upon it should be of value.

These observations were made during two trips undertaken by
Mr. T. G. Gale and the writer as follows : On June 13, 1903, we
drove from West Branch, Ogemaw Co., Mich., to the Au Sable
River, and stopped at the home of James Parmalee, three miles
north of the village of Luzerne in Oscoda County. Exclusive of
the river valleys, the country traversed is typical of this region.
It consists of wide sand and gravel plains varied by morainal
ridges and marshy depressions, and extensively dotted with burnt
stumps and logs, which identify it as "old pine lands." Large
areas are almost without ground cover ; in others jack and Norway
pines occur in scattered clusters interspersed with scrub scarlet
oak and aspen, while the ground is hidden by thick growths of
sweet fern, blackberry, and huckleberry bushes. The barrenness
of the soil is attested by numbers of deserted farms.

At the river valley we found four general types of vegetation,
each apparently dependent upon drainage and the elevation of the
site above* the river. The lowest of these occur on limited areas
of bottom land, and is largely, composed of elms and ashes, with
a thick undergrowth of berry bushes and seedling hardwoods.
Among the birds noticed in this vegetation were, Chestnut-sided
and Black and White Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, Wood Pewees,
Great Crested Flycatchers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Song
Sparrows.

About ten or fifteen feet above the level of the river is a relatively
dry terrace on which scrub oak and sweet fern grow in abundance.

A.O Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. ["fan

This terrace continues for a distance of one hundred to two hun-
dred yards from the river, and here we saw Robins, Kingbirds,
Flickers, Cowbirds, Goldfinches, Vesper Sparrows, Chipping Spar-
rows, and Brown Thrashers.

From this terrace a steep, swampy slope covered with spruce,
balsam, white cedar, and tamarack rises eighty to one hundred feet
to a morainal topography, the greater part of which presents a dry,
sandy surface supporting thickets of jack pine undergrown with
sweet fern. Characteristic birds of the slope are the Black-throated
Green Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Whip poor-will, Hermit
Thrush, Ovenbird, Song Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, and Ruffed
Grouse ; while among those of the higher, dry land are the Field
Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Junco, Shore Lark, and Kirtland's
Warbler. Several birds, including the Sparrow Hawks, the larger
Buzzards, Blue Jays, and Chickadees were found to be of general
distribution.

On the second day following our arrival, while walking among
jack pines on a ridge about three hundred yards from the river,
we heard a strange bird song which we traced to a warbler with
which we were not familiar. We saw near by two other warblers
of the same kind, both of which were singing. At eleven o'clock
of the same day we drove from Parmalee's northwest to the north
branch of the river, a distance of seven miles. During the first
hour of the drive we heard the song at six or eight places along
the road, and at last saw one of the warblers on a high, burned
stump in a slashing. Mr. Gale shot the bird, which proved to be
a breeding male. From this time on we saw no more of the warb-
lers, which seemed to be confined to jack pine thickets. After
our return, — June 21, — to Ann Arbor, the specimen was identified
as Kirtland's Warbler1 and placed in the University Museum.

The discovery of this breeding colony of Kirtland's Warbler,
added to the fact that among the birds of the locality several north-
ern forms had been observed, notably the Arctic Three-toed Wood-
pecker, the Junco, the White-throated Sparrow, and the Pine
Siskin, made it desirable to study further the bird life of the river
valley. Accordingly another trip was taken.

iBull. Mich. Ornith. Club, Vol. IV, p. 61.

Vol. XXII
1905

1 Wood & Frothingham, Birds of An Sable Valley. A.I

Mr. Gale and the writer started on a second trip from the town
of Roscommon, August 8, and floated the length of the Au Sable
River, — about three hundred miles, making the trip in fifteen days.
Kirtland's Warbler was not seen on this trip, although the localities
where it had previously been were carefully searched.1

The Au Sable River rises in the southwest corner of Otsego
County. It flows almost due south to Grayling, whence it bends
to the east. It receives two large tributaries in Crawford County,
viz.: the South Branch, rising in Roscommon County, some twenty
miles east of Roscommon, and the North Branch, whose head is
in Otsego Lake, Otsego County. Big Creek enters from the south
in Oscoda County, and the Lower South Branch in Iosco County,
and this completes the number of larger tributaries. The stream
drains a topography of glacial origin, and as a consequence fre-
quently cuts through morainal ridges, which give the river its steep
bare bluffs of sand or clay. These bluffs are usually crowned
with a thin turf bearing stunted jack pines and thick mats of sweet
fern. The bluffs alternate with areas of low land, known respec-
tively as cedar and hardwood swamps. The former consist of
thick stands of white cedar, balsam, spruce, tamarack, and birches,
in varying proportions. In the hardwood swamps white elms
predominate, associated with basswood, white and black ash, and
red maple. The banks are lined for long stretches with bushy
alders. At other places the bank vegetation is of saw-grass, wild
rice, milkweeds, golden-rod, cardinal flower, and sour dock, with
arrowhead, spatterdock, eel grass, and pickerel weed growing in

1 During the summer of 1904 I made the following observations with regard
to the occurrence of Kirtland's Warbler in Crawford County. On July 21,
a male was heard and seen on the top of a high, sandy ridge, a mile north of
Higgins Lake. This ridge was covered writh an open sprout growth of red,
white and scarlet oaks, red maple, black cheery, june-berry, and prairie willow,
not over eight feet high. A heavy undergrowth of brake, sweet fern, and
huckleberry bushes completely concealed the ground. A pair of these birds
was observed at the same locality on successive days for at least a week, but
though they were seen with insects in their bills and gave every indication of
nesting, I was unable to find the nest. A second pair was observed July 22,
about a half mile from the above location, but these birds apparently were not
nesting.

A 2 Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Ah Sable Valley. [fan!

the water. Lenticular islands are of frequent occurrence wherever
logs or stumps have lodged in the channel.

A noticeable change is to be observed in the tree life of the river
as one passes from Crawford and Oscoda counties into the lower
waters of Alcona and Iosco counties. Here a gradual increase
may be noted in the areas covered by willows and poplars, while
swamp oaks, hard and soft maple, and hemlocks tend to replace
the soft woods of the cedar swamps. This change in the charac-
ter of the vegetation is probably due to the varying proportions of
high and low lands, the latter, as is usual in the lower and older
parts of a river valley, increasing in amount toward the mouth
of the river.

The accompanying list of 103 species of birds, in which Mr.
Wood's and my notes have been incorporated, was taken from the
notes made during each excursion, and thus represents more or
less completely the bird life of the valley, for the period from June
13 to September 22. — E. H. F.

The observations and data which I have contributed to the fol-
lowing list were made during two trips on the river in the summer
of 1903. The first trip was made in search of the Kirtland Warbler
for the University Museum,1 and extended down the South Branch
from Roscommon to the Au Sable, and as far as Big Creek in
Oscoda County. This is about seventy miles, by river, from
Roscommon. My notes on this trip cover a period of sixteen
days, from June 30 to July 16, and therefore at a time when most
of the birds were breeding, or feeding young. This gives us a
list of the summer residents.

My second trip was made in company with Professor J. E.
Reighard. On the morning of Sept. 6, we started down the Au
Sable River from Grayling in a boat to make a survey of the life
in and along the river. This trip occupied fifteen days and cov-
ered a distance of about one hundred miles in a straight line, or
about three hundred by the river.

Grayling is a small town of about 1500 inhabitants, and is situ-
ated in the western part of Crawford County, Michigan, on the

1 Bull. Mich. Ornith. Club, Vol. V, pp. 1-13.

Vol. XX

1905

II_| Wood & Froth inch am. Birds of Au Sable Valley. 4.3

eastern side of a high ridge which is the watershed of this part of
Michigan, and is the highest land on the lower peninsula. It is
1300 to 1450 feet above the sea. From this watershed in Otsego
County starts the Au Sable River, the main stream running south
to Grayling about twenty-five miles, then east and southeast to
Oscoda on Lake Huron. The North Branch, a good sized stream,
also starts in Otsego County and running southeast joins the
main stream about thirty miles east of Grayling. This town is
built on a high, level, barren terrace of light colored sand and is a
poor place for birds. I saw here the English Sparrow, the Song,
Vesper, and Chipping Sparrows, a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds,
a few Robins and a Marsh Hawk near the river.

The Au Sable River here is small, only two to three rods wide
and deep enough to float a small boat ; the banks are lined with
cedars, most of them dead. I had fine views of the birds which
were feeding in the trees along the river. In the dead trees I saw
the Hairy, Downy, and Red-headed Woodpeckers (this last spe-
cies not very common here), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, both the
White and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and the Flickers. These
latter and the Blue Jays were never out of sight or sound. In the
live cedars and tamaracks I saw the Goldfinches, Kinglets and
Myrtle Warblers. We had gone but a few miles when I saw a
Lincoln's Sparrow perched in a low bush at the edge of a thick
swamp. We had the opportunity (my first) of seeing this rare
sparrow at close range, about fifty feet. Its peculiar color and
markings make this bird easy to identify. While I was waiting for
a better shot the bird disappeared in the thick brush and was not
seen again. Near here I saw a Tennessee Warbler, close to the
edge of the water, and heard the sharp rattle of a Kingfisher.
Flocks of Chickadees were feeding in the cedars, while on the
higher banks I saw the J unco.

At the junction of the North Branch with the Au Sable we
camped for two days. This was not far from the locality where,
in July, I found the Kirtland Warblers breeding, and on Sept. 12
we made a visit to the locality. I did not expect to find any of
the birds so late in the season. The spot looked the same as
when I last saw it, even to the tree where I first saw the male of
the first nest. This bird used this tree as a post of observation

A A Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. [ja^

and for song. The day th'at I found the nest he flew down scold-
ing and alighted near the top of a small jack pine immediately
under this tree. Between this tree and the road was the place
where I found the first nest.1

In the immediate vicinity of the nest we saw the Bluebird,
Robin, Chipping, Song, and Vesper Sparrows, Slate-colored Junco,
White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Flicker, Kingbird,
Sparrow Hawk, Hairy, Downy, and Red-headed Woodpeckers. I
found these birds breeding here in July.

In the cedar swamps and at the edge of the plains bred the
Hermit, Wood, and Wilson's Thrushes, also the Ruffed Grouse,
Maryland Yellow-throat, Towhee, Brown Thrasher, White-throated
Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bird, Cedar Bird, Red-
eyed Vireo, Black and White Warbler, Nashville and Yellow
Warblers, Brown Creeper, Black-throated Blue and Chestnut-
sided Warblers, Oven-bird, Black-throated Green Warbler, Cat-
bird, Redstart, Winter Wren, Bob-white (rare), Mourning Dove,
Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Yellow-billed and Black-billed
Cuckoos, Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker (I shot a young bird
July 10, 1903), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker,
Whip-poor-will, Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Crested
Flycatcher, Olive- sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Wood Pee-
wee, Blue Jay, White-rumped Shrike, Crow, Cowbird, Bronzed
Grackle, and American Goldfinch. Along the river bred the
Hooded Merganser, Kingfisher, Bank Swallow, Spotted Sand-
piper, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, American Woodcock,
Phoebe (under the bridges), and Marsh Hawk. I was told that
the Spruce or Canada Grouse nested on the plains, but I did not

1 1 think they migrate slowly in the fall, reaching southern Michigan about
the fifteenth or twentieth of August. Lynds Jones, in the ' Birds of Ohio,' p.
185, reports seeing two near Ironton, Lawrence Co., Ohio, Aug. 28, 1902. I
expect these birds the first two weeks in August at Ann Arbor. Mr. J. A.
Parmalee writes me that the last Kirtland seen in this colony in 1903 was Aug.
20, and the last one seen in 1904 was on Sept. 3. His earliest spring record
is May 3, 1904, and the earliest nesting record June 6, 1904, a set of three.
Mr. Parmalee says : " The male does not help build the nest, but sits near by
and sings constantly." He also states that this colony is much larger than in
1903.

V0l;9o5XI1] WoOD & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. 45

see this species. I found hunters who reported that they had
taken them in fall or winter.

As we went down the river the descent was very gradual for the
first two hundred miles, about 200 feet for every 100 miles, until
we reached the rapids in Alcona County where the fall was 269
feet per hundred miles, and perhaps one half of this fall occurs in
a distance of five miles.1

Passing from Alcona into Iosco County, the descent was quite
noticeable and the river much swifter. In the lower fifty miles
the river was slower and full of islands ; the channel also was
wide and marshy, with submerged swamps full of dead trees.
Here we saw the willow along the river's margin. Below the
rapids we saw for the first time extensive meadows, and in them
were the Meadowlark and Red-winged Blackbirds.

In the region of highest altitude, or from Grayling, Oscoda
County, 1250 feet, down to Flat Rock, Alcona County, about 900
feet, we find some northern forms such as White-throated Sparrow,
Junco, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush,
Olive-sided Flycatcher, Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker, and Kirt-
land's Warbler, all Canadian fauna. Below 900 feet (to the lake,
581 feet) we found such forms as the Meadowlark, Purple Martin,
Yellow-throated Flycatchers, Mourning Dove, and the Red-winged
Blackbird. — N. A. W.

Annotated List.

1. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. — Alcona Co., Sept. 19, one seen
in a bajou.

2. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. — Crawford Co., Sept.
12, very few seen. Oscoda Co., Sept. 15, occasionally seen. Alcona Co.,
Sept. 20, one seen. Iosco Co., Sept. 21, quite rare.

3. Merganser americanus. American Merganser. — Crawford Co.,
Sept. 5, two seen. Oscoda Co., Sept. 18, a pair seen at mouth of North
Branch. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, a female seen on the river. These were
perhaps migrants.

4. Lophodytes cucullatus. Hooded Merganser. — Crawford Co.,
June 30. Several females with young were seen on South Branch.

1 These estimates of altitude were made from data kindly furnished by Mr.
Frank Leverett.

46

Wood & Frothingham, Birds of An Sable Valley. ["ran*

LJan.

On July i, several broods unable to ny were seen. Oscoda Co. July i,
one young shot ; Sept. 13, 16, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19-20,
common. Iosco Co., Sept. 21-22. Common, breeds.

5. Anas boschas. Mallard. — Iosco Co., Sept. 21. Two seen, prob-
ably migrants.

6. Aythya affinis. Lesser Scaup Duck. — Alcona Co., Sept. 19. One
seen, no doubt a migrant.

7. Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron.— Crawford Co., Aug. 13,
June 30, Sept. 6, occasional. Young and old observed. Oscoda Co.,
Aug. 19, frequent ; July 1, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, one seen.
Iosco Co., Aug. 22, frequent ; Sept. 20-21, a few seen.

S. Philohela minor. American Woodcock. — Crawford Co. , Aug. 12,
saw three in a swamp of conifers and hardwoods with thick underbrush.
Oscoda Co., July 1, near Butler Bridge in elm woods; Sept. 15, mouth of
Big Creek, four seen. Reported as breeding by James Buchanan, a
resident.

9. Helodromas solitarius. Solitary Sandpiper. — Crawford Co.,
Aug. S, frequent. Oscoda Co., Aug. 19, frequent. Iosco Co., Aug. 6.

10. Actitis macularia Spotted Sandpiper. — Crawford Co., Aug. 13,
June 30, Sept. 6, 12, common. Oscoda Co., June 14, frequent; nest
seen (Frothingham) ; July 2-16, Aug. 7, 16, 19, Sept. 13-15, common.
Alcona Co., Sept. 19, common. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21, common.
Almost constantly in sight of the bird all along the river (Wood).

11. Colirjus virginianus. Bob-white. — Crawford Co., June 16, occa-
sional ; June 30, one heard near Roscommon ; Aug. 9, occasional ; Sept.
5. A few flocks are said to have worked in near Grayling from the south
and west during the last ten years. Alcona Co , Aug. 20, occasional.

12. Bonasa umbellus. Ruffed Grouse. — Crawford Co., Sept. 13, two
seen. Oscoda Co., June 13, female and young seen ; Aug. 7, 15, frequent ;
July 4, one seen at Butler Bridge, adult male. Alcona Co., Aug. 20,
frequent; Sept. 20, one male shot. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, occasional; Sept.
21, one male shot.

13. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9,
13, occasional ; June 30, Sept. 6, a few pairs seen. Oscoda Co., Aug. 15,
July 2, 15, occasional. Alcona Co., Sept. 20, not common. Iosco Co.,
Sept. 21, one pair observed.

14. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. — Crawford Co., Sept. 5, Gray-
ling, immature male seen. Oscoda Co., July 7, not common. Alcona Co.,
Aug. 20, one seen.

15. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Oscoda Co., Aug. 19,
a female shot.

16. Accipiter cooperii. Cooper's Hawk. — Crawford Co., Sept. 8, one
seen. Oscoda Co., Aug. 15, occasional. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, one seen.

17. Buteo borealis. Red-tailed Hawk. — Crawford Co., Sept. 10,
occasionally seen. Oscoda Co., Sept. 15, a pair seen at McKinley.
Alcona Co., Aug. 20, two seen ; Sept. 20. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21,
occasional.

Vol. XXII
1905

J Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. a J

18. Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle. — Crawford Co., June 30,
two seen, one young bird; Sept. 7, 9, occasional. Heard of one pair breed-
ing on the South Branch.

19. Falco sparverius. American Sparrow Hawk. — Crawford Co.,
Aug. 9, occasional; Aug. 13, frequent ; June 30, July 10, Sept. 6, com-
mon. Breeding in the dead trees on the plains; young seen. Oscoda
Co., June 15, Aug. 17, frequent ; July 2, 16, Sept. 13, 15, common.
Alcona Co., Sept. 19, 20, most common hawk seen. Iosco Co., Sept. 21,
commonly seen.

20. Pandion haliaeetus carolinensis. Osprey. — Crawford Co., Sept. 9,
shot an immature bird at Camp Stevens, eight miles east of Grayling.
Probably breeds ; a number seen. Oscoda Co., Sept. 15, occasionally
seen. Alcona Co., Aug. 20, one seen ; Sept. 20. Iosco Co., Sept. 21.

21. Syrnium varium. Barred Owl. — Oscoda Co., Aug. iS, one seen.
Alcona Co., Aug. 20, one heard.

22. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Crawford Co., June 30,
three seen on South Branch, two were young; Aug. 9, common, young
shot; Aug. 10, 11, common; Sept. 3, two seen. Oscoda Co., Aug. 13, 17,
saw one each day ; Aug. iS, 19, common ; July 2, Sept. 12, saw a number.
Alcona Co., Sept. 19, common. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21, common.

23. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Oscoda Co.,
July 4, 12, occasional; probably breeds.

24. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black-billed Cuckoo. — Oscoda
Co., July 7, 12, occasional. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, one seen.

25. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. Crawford Co., Aug. S-13,
common; June 30, July 10, common, breeding in the high banks, young
seen; Sept. 6, 12, common. Oscoda Co., June 14, frequent; July 2, 16,
Aug. 16, 19, Sept. 10, 14, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19. Iosco Co.,
Aug. 22, common ; Sept. 20, 21.

26. Dryobates villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — Crawford Co., Aug.
9, 13, June 30, July 10, Sept. 6, common. Oscoda Co., June 16, frequent ;
Aug. 15, common, Aug. 19, frequent ; July 2, 16, common, young seen;
Sept. 11, common. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21.

27. Dryobates pubescens medianus. Downy Woodpecker. — Craw-
ford Co., Aug. 13, frequent; June 30, July 10, Sept. 6, 10, common. Os-
coda Co., Aug. 17, frequent ; July 2, 16, Sept. 13, 15, common. Iosco Co.,
Aug. 22, frequent, Sept. 20, 21.

28. Picoides arcticus. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. — Crawford
Co., Jul}' 10, one young female shot two miles west of North Branch;
Sept. 12, one shot, adult male, two miles north of the mouth of North
Branch. Oscoda Co., June iS, one seen.

29. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. — Crawford
Co., June 15, not common ; Aug. 9, 13, frequent; June 30, July 2, com-
mon, young shot; Sept. 6, common. Oscoda Co., Aug. 15, occasional;
July 2, 16, common ; Sept. 15, one immature male shot at mouth of Big
Creek. Breeds. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, occasional. Iosco Co., Aug. 22,
occasional ; Sept. 21, occasional.

4 8 Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable. Valley. \j^.

30. Ceophlceus pileatus abieticola. Northern Pileated Wood-
pecker.— Oscoda Co., July 5. Reported as breeding at Butler Bridge.
Alcona Co., Sept. 19, one seen near river bank.

31. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — Craw-
ford Co., Aug. 12, 13, not common; June 30, occasional. Oscoda Co.,
Aug. 15, frequent; July 2, 15, common in Kirtland Warbler colony,
young seen ; Sept. 18, MeKinley, one immature male shot. Alcona Co.,
Aug. 20, frequent; Sept. 19. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, frequent; Sept. 20.

32. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. — Crawford Co., Aug. 8, common;
Aug. 9, frequent ; Aug. 13, common ; June 3°» July 10, common, breeding
on South Branch; Sept. 6, common. Oscoda Co., June 14, Aug. 15, 19,
July 2, 16, Sept. 13, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, common. Iosco
Co., Aug. 6, Aug. 22, frequent ; Sept. 20, 21, common. Most common
Woodpecker of this section of the State (Wood).

33. Antrostomus vociferus. Whip-poor-will. — Crawford Co., Aug.
8, 12, common ; Aug. 13, July 6, frequent ; Sept. 9, one shot at Steven's
Camp. Oscoda Co., June 14, Aug. 7, 15, frequent; July 5, 15, common;
Sept. 13, one heard calling in the evening. Alcona Co., Aug. 19, fre-
quent. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, frequent.

34. Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — Crawford Co., Aug. 8,
July 10, common; Aug. 7, common at Mio, pair nesting; Aug. 15, 19,
common ; July 5, one shot with egg in ovary; very common. Iosco Co.,
Aug. 22, common.

35. Chaetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Crawford Co., Aug. 8, occa-
sional; Aug. 9, 13, frequent; July 10. Oscoda Co., June iS, occasional;
July 3, 15, occasionally seen.

36. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — Crawford
Co., Aug. 9, common ; Aug. 13, frequent ; Sept. 10, one seen.

37. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9, 13, com-
mon ; June 30, common ; July 16, a nest was seen near Roscommon on
top of a four-foot stump; it contained four eggs. Oscoda Co., June 13,
Aug. 7, at Mio; Aug. 15, at Butler Bridge ; Aug. 19, at Mio, common;
July 2, 16, common, nest found. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, 22, common. None
seen in Sept., they having probably migrated (Wood).

3S. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — Oscoda Co., June
14, July 7, Aug. 19, occasional.

39. Sayornis phcebe. Phcebe. — Crawford Co., June 30, July 10, Sept.
12, common. Seen near the bridges along the river, nesting under them.
Oscoda Co., June 15, occasional, one evidently nesting under a bridge ;
July 2, 16, Sept. 13. Alcona Co., Aug. 20, one heard; Sept. 19. Iosco
Co., Sept. 21.

40. Nuttallornis borealis. Olive-sided Flycatcher. — Crawford Co.,
June 16, seen on tops of jack pines ; Aug. 9, one shot. Oscoda Co., June
iS, in tops of tall pines, rare.

41. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9, 13, com-
mon; June 30, July 10, Sept. 6, common. Oscoda Co., June 14, Aug. 15,

Vol. XXII
1905

1 Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. A(J

19, common ; July 2, 15, Sept. 13, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19.
Iosco Co., Aug. 6, at Au Sable ; Aug. 22, Sept. 21, common.

42. Empidonax minimus. Least Fylcatcher. — Ogemaw Co., June

18, common. Crawford Co., June 30, Sept. 12, July 10. Nest on jack
pine bough, 2 fresh eggs, two miles west of North Branch. Oscoda Co.,
July 3, 15, Sept. 12, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, common. Iosco Co.,
Sept. 21, common.

43. Otocoris alpestris praticola. Prairie Horned Lark. — Oscoda
Co., July 10, a few seen on the plains; Sept. iS, a flock seen at McKinley.
Breeds on plains back from the river; fairly common.

44. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Crawford Co., Aug. 8, 9, fre-
quent; Aug. 13, common; June 30, Sept. 5, common, breeding in pines.
Oscoda Co., June 13, frequent; Aug. 15, common; Aug. 19, frequent;
July 2, 16, Sept. 13, very common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19. Iosco Co.,
Aug. 22, Sept. 20, 21, common.

45. Corvus brachyrhynchos. American Crow. — Crawford Co., Aug.
13, frequent ; June 30, Sept. 6, common; young seen. Oscoda Co., June
13, Aug. 15, frequent; July 2, 16, Sept. 12. Alcona Co., Aug. 20, fre-
quent; Sept. 19, common. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, occasional ; Sept. 20, 21,
common.

46. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — Oscoda Co., July 4. Re-
ported at Luzerne (Royce) as breeding in clover meadows.

47. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Crawford Co., June 30, common,
young seen. Oscoda Co., June 14, common near Butler Bridge ; July 2,
16, common. Not seen in Sept.

48. Agelaius phceniceus. Red-wixged Blackbird. — Iosco Co., Sept.

19, a large flock seen and heard singing near the river.

49. Sturnella magna. Meadowlark. — Oscoda Co., July 5, occa-
sional. Reported as breeding in meadows near Luzerne (Royce). Alcona
Co., Sept. 19, common in old meadows. Iosco Co., Aug. 6.

50. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. — Oscoda Co., July 4, Lu-
zerne. Reported breeding by a resident, Mr. O. Royce.

51. Quiscalus quiscula aeneus. — Bronzed Grackle. — Crawford Co.,
June 16, frequent; Aug. 13, June 30, Sept. 6, common; Sept. 13.
Oscoda Co., July 2, 16, common ; breeding in pines along the river near
Butler Bridge. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, a few seen. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, Aug.
22, frequent ; Sept. 21.

52. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. — Oscoda Co., Aug. 15,
shot one in scrub oaks, several seen. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, saw one on the
river bank.

53. Loxia curvirostra minor. American Crossbill. — Oscoda Co.,
Aug. 7, at Mio ; saw one close at hand, others flying.

54. Astragalinus tristis. American Goldfinch. — Crawford Co.,
June 16, 30, Aug. 9, 13, common. Saw them on the South Branch. Sept.
6, common. Oscoda Co., June 15, Aug. 15, 19. July 2, 16, Sept. 12,
common. Saw them on the North Branch. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, com-

CO Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. Tyan

mon. Some in full plumage. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, common. At Au Sable
Aug. 22, common ; Sept. 20, 21, common.

55. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. — Crawford Co., Aug. 12, common ;
flocks seen passing overhead. Oscoda Co., Aug. 15, occasionally seen.

56. Pocecetes gramineus. Vesper Sparrow. — Crawford Co., June
16, frequent among jack pines and low oaks; Aug. 8, common; Aug. 13,
frequent ; June 30, Sept. 6, common along South Branch of Au Sable,
and on the main stream. Oscoda Co., June 13, Aug. 15, common ; July
2, 16, Sept. 13, common, breeding. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21, common.

57. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throated Sparrow. — Crawford
Co., June 16, frequent, evidently nesting in a cedar swamp ; Aug. 8, 9, 13,
frequent; June 30, young seen ; Sept. 6. Oscoda Co., June 13, frequent ;
June 14, nesting ; Aug. 7, 16, frequent ; July 2, Sept. 12, a few seen.
Alcona Co., Aug. 20, occasional.

58. Spizella monticola. Tree Sparrow'. — Iosco Co., Aug. 6. In
flock with Juncos.

59. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — Crawford Co., June 15.
Aug. 13, common; June 30, July 15, Sept. 6, North Branch. I found a
nest in a small jack pine near the Kirtland Warbler colony (Wood).
Oscoda Co., June 13, Aug. 7, at Mio ; Aug. 15. common ; July 2, 16, com-
mon, Butler Bridge. Breeding, young seen. Alcona Co., Sept. 19, com-
mon. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, at Au Sable ; Sept. 20, 21, very common.

60. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow. — Crawford Co., Aug. 8, com-
mon in jack pines ; June 17, occasional. Oscoda Co., Aug. 7, frequent,
at Mio.

61. Junco hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. — Crawford Co., July
10, Sept. 12, common. Oscoda Co., June 15, feeding young ; Aug. 15,
frequent in jack pines ; July 2, 15, common, breeding in the same locality
with Kirtland's Warbler (Wood) ; Sept. 13, 15. Alcona Co., Sept. 19.
Iosco Co., Aug. 6, in flock with Spizella monticola; Aug. 24, at Au Sable,
frequent ; Sept. 20, 21, common.

62. Melospiza cinerea melodia. Song Sparrow'. — Crawford Co., June
16, common, shot young ; Aug. 8, 9, 13, common ; June 30, common ; seen
on South Branch; Sept. 6, common. Oscoda Co., June 13, common;
Aug. 15, frequent. July 2, Sept. 12, common. Breeding in vicinity of
the Kirtland Warbler colony (Wood). Alcona Co., Aug. 19, Sept. 19,
common. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, Au Sable; Aug. 22, Sept. 20, 21, common.

63. Melospiza lincolnii. Lincoln's Sparrow. — Crawford Co., Sept.
6. I saw one a few miles east of Grayling on the edge of the Au Sable
River in thick brush, evidently on its way south (Wood).

64. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee. — Crawford Co., Aug. S, 9,
common; Aug. 13, frequent; Sept. 6, June 30, common; breeds in same
locality as Kirtland's Warbler (Woodl. Oscoda Co., June 13, July 2, 15,
Aug. 15, Sept. 13, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 19. Iosco Co., Aug. 22,
Sept. 20, 22, common.

65. Zamelodia ludoviciana. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. — Crawford

Voi. XXI
1905

J Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. ^ \

Co., Aug. 9, occasional. Oscoda Co., June 14, occasional ; Aug. 15, 19,
frequent.

66. Cyanospiza cyanea. Indigo Bunting. — Oscoda Co., Aug. 16, one
pair nesting.

67. Piranga erythromelas. Scarlet Tanager. — Oscoda Co., July 2,
15, occasional. Reported as seen near Luzerne by O- Royce. Alcona
Co., Aug. 20, heard one in a swamp. Iosco Co., Aug 21, shot a female ;
Aug. 22.

68. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — Iosco Co., at Au Sable, only
observed at the mouth of the river.

69. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow. — Crawford Co., July 1,
a few seen. Oscoda Co., July 5, occasionally seen about old barns.

70. Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9, fre-
quent; June 30, occasional. A few seen on South Branch. Oscoda Co.,
July 2, 15, occasional. Nests were seen all along the river in the steep
banks, just beneath the sod (Frothingham). Common all along the
river; none seen in September (Wood).

71. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar Waxwing. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9,
13, common ; June 30, common on South Branch ; Sept. 6, common.
Oscoda Co., June 14, July 2, Aug. 15, 19, Sept. 6, common. Alcona Co.,

. Sept. 19, occasional. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, frequent; Sept. 20, 21, occa-
sional.

Cedar birds were very common along the upper waters in August.
They perched like flycatchers on dead limbs overhanging the water, mak-
ing zig-zag excursions now and then whose object seemed to be catching
insects. The birds decreased in numbers as we neared the south bend of
the river, though they were of quite frequent occurrence all the way down
(Frothingham). Seen all along the river (Wood).

72. Lanius ludovicianus migrans. Migrant Shrike. — Oscoda Co.,
July 2, 15 ; five young shot and nest taken on Jack Pine Plain k mile
south of river near Butler Bridge. July 4, one shot near Mio by Dr.
W. B. Hinsdale who also saw several more.

73. Vireo olivaceus. Red-eyed Vireo. — Crawford Co., Aug. 8, com-
mon ; Sept. 8, occasional. Oscoda Co., June 13, frequent ; Aug. 15, 19,
common; July 10, occasional. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, common.

74. Vireo gilvus. Warbling Vireo. — Crawford Co., June 30, on
the South Branch ; rare.

75. Vireo flavifrons., Yellow-throated Vireo. — Alcona Co., Sept.
20, one shot near bank of Au Sahle by Prof. J. E. Reighard.

76. Mniotilta varia. Black and White Warbler. — Crawford Co.,
Aug. 9, occasional; July 15, one young seen on Big Creek. Oscoda Co.,
June 18, female shot in hardwood swamp ; Sept. 10.

77. Helminthophila ruficapilla. Nashville Warbler. — Crawford
Co., Aug. 10, occasional, in swamp, with berry-bushes and poplars.
Oscoda Co., June 18, frequent on low old-pine land. Aug. 16, frequent ; a
family seen.

Cj2 Wood & Frothingham, Birds of Au Sable Valley. \J\^

78. Helminthophila peregrina. Tennessee Warbler. — Crawford Co.,
Sept. 6, one seen a few miles east of Grayling, at the edge of the river,
probably migrating (Wood).

79. Dendroica aestiva. Yellow Warbler.— Crawford Co., Aug. 9,
occasional, song heard ; June 29, South Branch occasional.

80. Dendroica caerulescens. Black-throated Blue Warbler. —
Crawford Co., Sept. 9, one shot at Stevens Camp, eight miles east of
Grayling. Not common. Saw this warbler in Ogemaw Co., five miles
north of West Branch, June 19, in hardwoods; probably breeding (Froth-
ingham).

81. Dendroica coronata. Myrtle Warbler. — Crawford Co., Sept. 6,
occasionally seen ; probably on its way south. Oscoda Co., Aug. 15,
shot a moulting female, the only one seen, in a swamp of white pine,
etc.

52. Dendroica pensylvanica. Chestnut-sided Warbler. — Craw-
ford Co., Aug. 10, pair seen feeding young. Oscoda Co., June 18, one
male seen.

53. Dendroica blackburniae. Blackburnian Warbler. — Oscoda Co.,
Aug. 17, one male seen.

84^ Dendroica virens. Black-throated Green Warbler.- — Craw-
ford Co., Aug. 10, a family seen at Camp Douglas on the South Branch.
Oscoda Co., Aug. 15, saw family in swamp of birch, white pine, alder
and dogwood ; June iS, frequent. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, saw family in jack
pines two miles from Oscoda ; Aug. 24, common, old and yo"ng, in same
pines. Sept. 20, 21, common.

85. Dendroica kirtlandi. Kirtland's Warbler. — Crawford Co.,
July 8, one shot (Wood) ; July 9, three seen (Wood) ; July 10, one shot
(Wood); July II, two shot (Wood) ; July 13, two shot (WTood) ; J.ily 15,
male shot (T. G. Gale); June 15, several seen and songs heard (Frothing-
ham). Oscoda Co., July 2, one shot (Wood) ; July 7, one shot (Wood) ;
July 7, several seen and heard (Wood). Breeds. Two nests taken in July
with egg and young (Wood).

,86. Seiurus aurocapillus. Oven Bird. — Crawford Co., Aug. 11, fre-
quent at Camp Douglas; June 29, 30, at Camp Douglas. Oscoda Co.,
June 13, frequent; July 2, 16, common. Iosco Co., Aug. 24, saw one in
jack pines at Oscoda.

87. Geothlypis trichas. * Maryland Yellow-throat. — Crawford
Co., Aug. 9, 13, frequent; July 1-12, breeding at the edge of a swamp
where I heard them singing every day (Wood) ; Sept. 6, occasional.
Oscoda Co., June 13, 18, frequent ; Sept. 9, a female seen.

88. Setophaga ruticilla. American Redstart. — Crawford Co., Aug.
9, frequent; June 31. Oscoda Co., July 1, occasionally seen ; Sept. 7, not
very common. Saw and heard a male singing in hardwoods five miles
north of West Branch, Ogemaw Co., on June 19 (Frothingham).

89. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Catbird. — Crawford Co., June 15,
Aug. 8, 9, 13, frequent ; July 1, Sept. 5, common ; breeds ; young seen.

Vol. XXII
1005

Wood & Frothingiiam, Birds of Au Sable Valley. c ?

Oscoda Co., Aug. 15, frequent ; July 2, 15, Sept. 13. Alcona Co., Sept.
19. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21.

90. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher. — Crawford Co., June 15,
young and adult seen; Aug. S, 9, 13, frequent; June 29, frequent; Sept.
6. Common, breeds on plains. Oscoda Co., Aug. 15, frequent ; July 2,
15. Alcona Co., Sept, 19. Iosco Co., Sept. 20, 21, common.

92. Troglodytes aedon. House Wren. — Crawford Co., June 29, occa-
sional, near Grayling, probably breeding. Iosco Co., Aug. 6; frequent
at Au Sable.

93. Olbiorchilus hiemalis. Winter Wren. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9,
occasional; July 1, one seen near Roscommon ; breeds in the slashings.
Oscoda Co., Aug. 17, frequent.

93. Certhia familiaris americana. Brown Creeper. — Oscoda Co.,
rare ; July 4, one shot ; a few probably breed ; young seen.

94. Sitta carolinensis. White-breasted Nuthatch. — Crawford
Co., Aug. 10, Sept. 6, July 11, frequent, young seen ; Aug. 19, Sept. 17,
July 2, frequent. Alcona Co., Sept. 19. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, Sept. 20, 21,
frequent.

95. Sitta canadensis. Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Oscoda Co., Sept.
17, one shot; July 4, one shot. Saw them in jack and Norway pines;
common. Iosco Co., Aug. 24, saw five or six in jack pines with Chicka-
dees.

96. Parus atricapillus. Chickadee. — Crawford Co., Aug. 9, 13, com-
mon; July 1, Sept. 5, common in pines ; breeds, young birds seen. Os-
coda Co., June 14, Aug. 15, 19. Sept. 13, common ; July 2, 15. Alcona Co.,
Sept. 19. Iosco Co., Aug. 6, 24, common at Au Sable; Aug. 22, Sept. 20,
2 1, common.

97. Regulus satrapa. Golden-crowned Kinglet. — Crawford Co.,
Sept. 6, occasionally seen, probably migrating.

98. Polioptila caerulea. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — Crawford Co.,
Aug. 10, two seen.

99. Hylocichla mustelina. Wood Thrush. — Crawford Co., Sept. 9,
one seen at Steven's Camp, eight miles east of Grayling. Oscoda Co.,
July 4, 15, common.

100. Hylocichla fuscescens. Wilson's Thrush. — Oscoda Co., July
6, 15, occasionally seen.

101. Hylocichla guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. — Crawford Co.,
Aug. 11, frequent; July 1, occasional on South Branch; Sept. 6, occa-
sional. Oscoda Co., June 14, frequent; July 11, frequently seen and
heard. Saw a number of thrushes on the upper waters but was unable to
identify them. Shot a young of this species (probably) at Butler Bridge
on Aug. 17. Oscoda Co. (Frothingham).

102. Merula migratoria. American Robin. — Crawford Co., June 17,
July 1, 11, Aug. 9, 13, Sept. 6-12, common. Oscoda Co., June 13, July 2,
Aug. 7, 15, 19, at Mio, Sept. 13, common. Alcona Co., Sept. 20, Aug. 22.
Iosco Co., Aug. 6, Sept. 21, 22. This bird was one of the most common
species.

CA Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. If*

103. Sialia sialis. Bluebird. — Crawford Co., Sept. 12, saw a number
in the Kirtland Warbler region (Wood). Oscoda Co., June 13, Aug. 17,
occasional; July 6, frequent; Sept. 12, very common, breeding, young
seen. Alcona Co., Aug. 19, frequent. Iosco Co., Aug. 22, frequent.

University Museum, Univ. of Michigan,
October, 1904.

REGURGITATIVE FEEDING OF NESTLINGS.

BY IRENE G. WHEELOCK.1

My claim upon your attention this morning lies in the fact that
many years of field work, averaging three to five months each
year, have been spent about equally divided between California
and Illinois in obtaining the data which I shall present for your
consideration. I am confident that it is accurate, and I believe
that it is new. The field is large, it is practically unworked, and
it offers a rich opportunity for original research.

Realizing that there is time to present only a small proportion
of the mass of data at hand, I will pack facts closely and select
from my records species representing as many families as possi-
ble. Of course it is necessary to record many broods of each spe~
cies before we can claim that any peculiarity observed is a habit
of that species. Having records of one hundred and eighty-seven
broods {not species), I claim that every brood hatched in a naked
or semi-naked condition was fed by regurgitation from a period
varying from one day to four weeks. To those critics who believe
that their own observations prove this statement untrue I would
address two questions: First, Have you determined accurately the
age of the brood at the date of the record? Because some birds
regurgitate for one day only.

Second, Just what is understood by " Regurgitation I " As defined
by Worcester, Webster and others it means "a flowing back," and

1 Read at the Twenty-second Congress of the American Ornithologists'
Union, Cambridge, Mass., November 29, 1904.

Vol. XXII
1905

Wiieelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. C C

in this sense I use the term. It does not always imply pre diges-
tion. It refers only to food that has been swallowed by the adult
and carried in the craw to the young. Oftentimes there is no
appreciable digestion of the raw material, as when a Cedar Wax-
wing swallows choke cherries and two minutes later disgorges
them one by one into the mouth of the nearly fledged nestlings ;
or when the Nighthawk comes with throat full of fireflies and,
according to Mr. Herrick, pumps the young full of the glowing
mass ; or when the Flicker empties her sack full of ant larvae into
the eager throat of her hungry offspring. An examination of the
crops of the young immediately after feeding, in each of these
cases, reveals food in a comparatively fresh condition except for a
certain sliminess caused by the saliva of the adult. But, although
the result in each of these instances is the same, the methods dif-
fer widely. For instance, the Waxwing simply fed the cherries
one at a time exactly as he might have done had he brought each
one singly. Yet we all accept the fact that the cherries were car-
ried in his throat and consequently were regurgitated. The Night-
hawk (I cite from Mr. Herrick) placed her capacious bill over,
not in, that of the little one and allowed the contents of her throat
to escape into the gullet of the nestling. But Mr. Herrick does
not hesitate to pronounce this act regurgitation. The long, flabby
throat of the young Flicker, on the other hand, requires some fur-
ther help in swallowing, and hence the shaking process so distress-
ing to witness. But I wish to emphasize the fact that this elabo-
rate process is 710 more truly regurgitation than is the quick ejection
of food in the case of the Cedar Waxwing. — The three cases cited,
although differing so widely from each other, are unhesitatingly
accepted by all scientists as examples of regurgitative feeding. All
the instances I have recorded follow one of these three modes.

In obtaining this data several methods have been followed. In
about one third of the instances it was possible to watch at close
range, concealed either in ambush or by protective coloring in
dress and by patience in remaining motionless. By close range I
mean from ten to forty feet. With field glasses forty feet is prac-
tically two feet.

In cases where such watching was obviously impossible from
the position of the nest or the intervening foliage, I was obliged to

c6 Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. It

be content with investigating the crops of the nestlings immedi-
ately after feeding. This was done in all cases whether watched at
close range or not. As soon as possible after the parent bird had
given the meal and left the brood, we took one of the little ones
up and by touching it gently with a feather induced it to open its
bill. Unless fed to a surfeit the nestling responded eagerly ; and
the feather, trimmed to a blunt point, was thrust into the throat,
turned once and withdrawn. Usually sufficient food adhered to
it to be placed on a slide and examined under a microscope if
necessary. Whenever it was found impracticable to insert the
feather we forced the young bird to disgorge by a slight pressure
on the gullet. Often the skin of the crop was so distended and
so transparent that it was possible to judge of the condition of its
contents from an external examination. Usually the internal ex-
aminations were limited to one a day for each young bird.

Just here let me call your attention to a few salient points.
First. — In every case offered in evidence the record begins on the
day of hatching. Data obtained without knowledge of the exact age
of the young birds is incomplete, and while more or less valuable is
not sufficiently reliable to be used here.

Second. — That in every case the crops of the young were exam-
ined within five minutes, usually within two minutes after feeding
was completed, and before any digestive process could have taken
place in the throat of the young. This is a most important point
— that the examination of the crop was made before any digestion
by the nestling could have been under way ; hence whatever state of
digestion the food showed must have been effected in the throat
of the adult before it was given to the young. Moreover, as soon
as any food was given in a fresh condition by the adult the fact
was at once apparent in the examination. In order to note the
rapidity of digestion, I experimented with a brood of Thurber Jun-
cos by feeding them fresh food and examining the contents of the
craw at ten minutes afterward. There was practically no change
in form and but slight change in substance, it being a trifle
softer, and more slimy. The same experiment was tried with
young Robins' with the same result. In the case of Crows and
Blue Jays digestion was somewhat more rapid.

The first brood that I recorded as feeding by regurgitation was

Vol. XXII
1905

Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. C 'j

that of a caged German Canary. Hard boiled egg was swallowed
by the adult and in about six minutes was passed on to the young
in the form of a white mass resembling very moist library paste.
This process was continued until the eyes were open and the pin-
feathers showed plainly. American Goldfinches (Astragalinus
tristis) nesting in July in the crotch of a sapling at Glencoe, Illi-
nois, were next watched and fed their young by regurgitation of
husked and partly digested seeds of the thistle. It was possible
to see the food given and an examination of the crops immedi-
ately afterwards proved its character. It looked like cooked
farina. These birds were fed by regurgitation during the entire
period of remaining in the nest. Toward the last the character
of the food changed in being less affected by digestion of the
adult, that is, less mushy and glutinous, but the seeds were always
hulled and softened, probably with saliva of the adult.

The nest of a Vesper Sparrow (Pocecetes gramineus) was dis-
covered May first on the ground on a bare sandy knoll in a field
at Evanston, Illinois. Sparse grass blades and thin lichen-like
moss covered the earth, and in a slight hollow at the root of a
clump of wild strawberries lay the nest. It contained three spar-
row eggs and two eggs of the Cowbird, all of which hatched the
next day. I removed the Cowbird's. By crouching behind
bushes at the foot of a tree twenty feet distant, it was possible
to see much that took place at the nest. The parent birds were
fully aware of my presence and the male flew scolding to a branch
in my view with a large insect in his bill. As soon as he fancied
that he had attracted my attention to himself he dodged down
behind a weed about thirty feet from the nest site, swallowed the
bug and reappeared with a great show of courage. I turned from
watching him just in time to see the female sneaking away from
the real nest and knew that she had fed the little ones. An
examination of their crops showed the contents to be a slimy
mass, pale cream in color, evidently vegetable matter. Examina-
tion after subsequent feedings proved the food to be largely weed
seeds, always hulled and partly digested. On the third day the
larvae of some insects unknown to me, macerated soft parts of
grasshoppers and spiders, all partially digested, were found in the
crops at different times. One of the examinations made on the

c8 Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. [^"^

fourth day revealed part of a grasshopper in a nearly fresh condi-
tion. Evidently, feeding by regurgitation was giving place to
fresh food. But the next feeding was by regurgitation again.
By the morning of this day (the fourth) the little slits between
the eyelids were well open and pin-feathers were showing along
the feather tracks. All feedings recorded on the sixth day were
of fresh food, mostly insects. No record was kept after the sixth
day.

A pair of Chipping Sparrows {Spizella socialis) nesting in a
thornbush at Cedar Lake, Indiana, May 16, were surprisingly
bold in living their home life under our close surveillance. The
wee brown mother allowed me to touch her when brooding her
eggs, and after the tiny bits of bird life were hatched she fed
them, by regurgitation, within four or five feet of the watchers,
eight times in two hours. The unusually small amount of food
found in the gullet of the young, however, convinced me that the
meals were given too hastily for the best interests of all concerned.
For the first two days the contents seemed to be soft, creamy
white, very much like that fed the young canaries described pre-
viously. I am free to confess that all inspection of the food in
this case was external only ; for, so tiny were the nestlings and
so thin the skin of their throats that I feared to use even the
feather test lest I injure the delicate membrane. However, the
actions of both adults at the nest could not be mistaken. After
alighting on or near the edge, the one who had come to feed the
young would seem to look at them for some seconds as if trying
to decide which one to supply first. This is the interpretation
often given by popular writers, but the real cause of hesitation is
shown in the swelling of the throat as the food rises to be disgorged.
As soon as all is ready, the act of feeding is too quick for even an
'instantaneous' to catch. Mr. Ned Dearborn, whose part in that
valuable work ' Birds in their Relation to Man ' is well known to
you, is the only one I know of who has succeeded in photograph-
ing it. He has two fine negatives of the Goldfinches feeding by
regurgitation, but .for this one success has hundreds of failures to
report. As for the Chipping Sparrows, a camera record of the
act is, I believe, impossible. It is quicker when the food is regur-
gitated than later when fresh insects are brought, which must be

Vol. XXII

1905

Wheelock, Regui'gitativc Feeding of Nestlings. . CO

tucked carefully down into the throat and watched until they dis-
appear.

In the case of the Chipping Sparrows, the first bit of fresh food
recorded was a spider given on the afternoon of the fifth day.
At this time the eyes were able to open and feathers were form-
ing, though showing merely as dark hues along the feather tract.
After this, the food consisted largely of grasshoppers, smooth
caterpillars and a few moths.

A nest of Thurber Juncos {/unco oreganus thurberi) snugly
hidden under the edge of a decayed log at Mt. Tallac in the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, proved a most interesting find and
added much valuable data for the finch family. So shy were
the adults that it was impossible to watch the feeding from a
nearer distance than thirty feet, and the protective color of both
parents blending with the brown pine needles surrounding the
nest greatly increased the difficulty. In these circumstances I
was obliged to depend largely upon the condition of the food
found in the crop of the young to prove the method of feeding.
On the day of hatching, June 11, fifteen feedings by regurgitation
took place between 8 and 1 1 a. m. During this period I examined
the crops five times within three minutes after feeding, — that is,
each nestling was examined once. In every case the food was
found to be partially digested, forming a grayish, slimy mass
mixed with darker. Only one of the five crops showed seeds;
the others, insects. During the second day the meals were more
frequent and in two hours, from 9 to 1 1 a. m., the male came to
the nest six and the female eight times. From 1 to 2 p. m. there
were eleven feedings. Examination of the crops showed the
same condition as on the previous day. There was no record on
the third day. The fourth day differed from the first and second
days in the large amount of vegetable matter found in the food,
and also because four of the fourteen feedings recorded on this
day were of fresh food. The vegetable matter found in the crops
was small, round, highly mucilaginous seeds from some weed un-
known to me. The fresh food consisted of large insects which
had been carefully denuded of wings and legs before being given
to the young. On the fifth day all food given was fresh, — that is,
unregurgitated; feathers were commencing to show and the

60 WHEELOCK, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings,. Man

eyes were open. On the sixth day, being compelled to leave that
vicinity, I kidnapped two of the young Juncos and bringing them
across the divide completed the study in Chicago.

Among the thrush family the American Robin {Merula migra-
torid) first claims our attention from its commonness. The pair
whose record I offer you nested at the top of a trellis under the
eaves of a veranda at my home, and in unobstructed view from a
window five feet away. It was their third season in that dooryard
and they paid no attention to the observers at the window, and,
after the first day, made little protest against examination of the
young.

On the first day, the crops of the nestlings contained balls of
partially digested earth worms and white grubs, very jelly-like and
with much saliva. On the second day, the food was of the same
character but mixed with darker masses which seemed to be the
abdomen of spiders ; no legs or other hard portions were found in
it, however, until the third day, when two bits of spider legs and
balls of grass were discovered. Early on the morning of the
fourth day an earth worm, thoroughly macerated, was given fresh
to one of the nestlings. This was the first fresh food I had seen
given. During the fourth day the food was all administered in a
fresh state, and consisted of earth worms, grass, grubs and various
species of insects. It was warm, wet, April weather and earth
worms were the most abundant food, which doubtless accounts for
their occurring in such quantities in the food of the young. June
broods that I have recorded have more often fed upon fruit, cater-
pillars and grasshoppers.

Bluebirds, nesting for several seasons in the same deserted
woodpecker's hole in an old tree on our lawn, furnished data for
the statement that their young are fed by regurgitation until the
fourth day, when this is varied with fresh food for a day ; but, from
the sixth day on, all the food given is in a fresh state. Insects
and bits of grass formed the entire supply.

The Wood Thrush was found to resemble the Robin closely in
nesting habits, but its bill of fare is more like that other thrush,
the Bluebird. The young were fed by regurgitation for three days
on soft parts of insects, crushed and swallowed by the adults, but
only partially digested.

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Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. 6 1

In the thrasher family records were made of the Brown Thrasher
{Toxostoma rufum) and the Catbird (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) .
The nesting habits of these two species are very similar. The
difference lies chiefly in the large amount of fruit eaten by the
Catbird. This was especially apparent in the crops of the nest-
lings, even in the first two days when feeding was entirely by regur-
gitation. The young Thrashers had been fed upon ants and spiders
chiefly, while the Catbird nestlings, recorded at the same date,
May 30, showed traces of strawberries, beetles, and larvae of
insects.

As if to assist in my collection of hitherto inaccessible data, a
pair of Baltimore Orioles {Icterus galbula) swung their cradle over
a third story balcony of a residence occupied by interested friends
who at once notified me. The house stood on one of Chicago's
busiest residence streets, but the birds reared their brood unmo-
lested by anyone save a meddlesome bird lover who insisted upon
knowing all that took place in the nursery and exactly what food
was given the young orioles. On the first day, feeding by regur-
gitation took place at intervals averaging twenty minutes for each
nestling. As the nest was not more than three feet from the win-
dow, it was possible to watch just what was being done and to
make examination of the young as often as seemed expedient.
One particularly noticeable fact was that the female came to the
nest much more freely than the male, and fully twice as often.
Also, she invariably turned her back to the observer, shielding the
young from sight with her body, while the male alighted as far
from the window as possible and fed by little pecks with one eye
constantly on us. The food given was the soft part of grasshop-
pers and dragon flies, and the larvae of different species of insects
mixed with green leaves, — all thoroughly macerated and partially
digested. No traces of fruit were found. On the third day, the
male was seen to give the soft part of a dragon fly, having removed
the wings in full view of the observer, without first swallowing it
himself. After the fourth day all food recorded was given in a
fresh condition. In the case of this brood no fruit was fed the
nestlings, possibly because of the difficulty of procuring it.

Among other members of this family, Brewer Blackbirds {Eu-
phagus cyanocephalus) in California and both Red-winged {Age/a/us

62 Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. \P\tn

/>//d7//trus) and Yellow-headed Blackbirds {Xanthocephalus xantho-
cephalus) in Wisconsin were recorded; and, in the case of the
Yellow-head, the nest was removed from its original site to one
better adapted for observation. The food habits of these three
species are so similar as to be nearly identical. The young are
fed by regurgitation for two (.lavs, afterwards by both methods for
two days, then entirely by fresh food. Examination of the crops
of the broods reared in late June showed, on the first day, snails,
waterslugs and larvae all partially digested. On the second day,
insects denuded of wings, legs, and all hard parts, and thoroughly
crushed as well as predigested, were found mixed with occasional
water moss. The third day showed little change in the menu but
the food was less digested and, on this day, occasional meals of
fresh food began to supplant the regurgitated.

Meadowlarks, both the western (StumeUa magna negleeta) in
California and the eastern (Stttrnclla magna) in Illinois, were
recorded. They feed by regurgitation for three days, gradually
giving fresh food until by the fifth day all food is fresh.

In most parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Pigmy Nut-
hatches ( S'itta pygmad) aTe very abundant and seem to be abso-
lutely without fear. One pair, nesting in a pine stump, went in
and out their small doorwav even while my eager fingers were try-
ing to enlarge it and scrambled over my hand repeatedly in so
doing. In this case there were newly hatched young in the nest;
and, as the adults went inside to feed them not more than two feet
from my eves, 1 was able to see perfectly that the food was carried
in the throat. Of course this could only mean regurgitation ; but
not until the third day could I get at the nestlings to examine the
crops. The contents consisted of larvae of insects and ant eggs,
all partially digested. On the fifth day the examination indicated
the presence of fresh or unregurgitated insect and grass food. On
the sixth day most of the food given was fresh, but on two occa-
sions the adults visited the nests with no visible supply in the bills.
No record was kept of this brood after the sixth day. Two other
broods of this species were recorded at the same place and with
practically the same results. The interval between feedings
shortened with the increasing age of the nestlings and on the last
day of the record twenty-eight meals were served by one pair

Vol. XXII
1905

WHEELOCK, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. (5$

between eight and ten-thirty a. m. as contrasted with seventeen
fh the same length of time on the day of hatching.

Slender-billed Nuthatches (JSitta carolinensis aculeatd) are so
much shyer than their small relatives, the Pygmies, that they are
much more difficult to observe. A nest found in an old wood-
pecker hole twenty feet from the ground at Romardennan, Cali-
fornia, May 3, contained five eggs just ready to hatch. On May
5, four nestlings and one infertile egg were found in it. feedings
by regurgitation took place for one day only, and the contents of
the crops were insect eggs and larvae. The parents resented our
meddling after this examination and did not come to the nest again
for more than two hours. On the second day, to my great surprise,
one of the adults brought a grub in his bill thus showing plainly
that fresh food was being given. Unfortunately for the record
either my investigations caused the Nuthatches to desert their
brood, or both parents fell victims to a collector ; for the third clay
found only the lifeless bodies of the young in the nest and no sign
of the adults about the place.

For many years I had watched in the vain effort to obtain a com-
plete record of some species of Tanager. Nests in abundance we
had found, both of the Scarlet and Summer Tanager of the East
and the Louisiana Tanager in California, but so inaccessible were
they as to make accurate data impossible. Of three nests of the
Scarlet Tanager {Piranga erythromelas) within watching range, two
were deserted before incubation,— one because a Cowbird laid her
eggs in it, one because of our meddling. The third, in a tangle of
wild grapevine at the foot of a bluff, with Lake Michigan dashing
spray over it at every easterly gale, was the only one to fulfill our
hopes. It was a curious location for both nest and grapevine, and
we could hardly credit our good luck when we stumbled upon it
in descending from the Cliff Swallows seventy-five feet above. It
contained, July 2, four eggs which hatched two days later. The
old birds were very shy, refusing to come to the vicinity when any
watcher was in sight. We could keep no record of the visits of
the female because of her protective coloring; but, concealed in. a
deserted bathhouse, we were able to see the bright gleam of scar-
let as the male came to and left the nest. An examination of the
young, immediately after his departure on the first day, showed

64 Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings.

their crops full of insect food in advanced digestion. Two subse-
quent examinations gave the same result. It differed in no respect
from results of similar examinations of young broods which we had
wratched at close range while they were being fed by regurgitation.
On the second day, by burying myself in the sand and covering
head and shoulders with a tree branch, I managed to see both
parents feed the young. There was the same hesitation, the same
swelling of the throat, and the same quick pouring of the food into
the open bill of the nestling, that we had seen in the case of all
the perching birds during the first few days of feeding their young.
The examination, however, revealed insect food of a dark color.
I recorded it as ants, with a question mark. Whether our watch-
ing had exposed this brood to other meddlers, or whether the par-
ents deserted them, I know not; but the third day found the nest
empty, and the record is only valuable as establishing the feeding
habits of the first three days. I offer it hoping someone may take
up the clew and obtain fuller results.

One of the most interesting of the Swallow records is that of a
pair who plastered their mud nest under the eaves of a bungalow
at Lake Pewaukee in Wisconsin. Standing on the ground I could
re.ich into the nest and, but for the overhanging eaves, could have
looked into it. The location was much more like a Phoebe's nest-
ing site, yet the housekeepers were Cliff Swallows (Pe troche I idon
lunifrons). The young were hatched on July 10, and were larger
in proportion to the size of the adults than any nestlings I have
seen, except young Purple Martins. From early morning until
after sunset the parents were busily flitting to and fro over the
marshy land and bringing their harvest of gnats to the little ones.
No tent was necessary to watch this brood. Their home life was
carried on with the utmost freedom while I sat hour after hour
within five feet of the nest. In this they were like the Purple
Martins again, who insisted upon entering the nest hole with food
while I was reaching in for the young. On the first clay, the young
Eave Swallows received forty-six meals in three and one half
hours, all by regurgitation. The adult never failed to alight on
the edge of the pocket shaped nest in such a way as to stand
between me and the young so that I could not see exactly what
took place. After waiting several seconds, the parent leaned over

Vol. XXII
1905

Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. 6^

quickly and delivered the food it had brought in its throat. Twelve
examinations of the craws were made on the first day and fourteen
on the second day. The only difference was in the slightly more
solid condition of the food on the second day. Ants, gnats and
small flies had been given, all partially digested and mixed with an
unusual amount of saliva. Large insects were brought at inter-
vals on the afternoon of the fourth day, but toward night the feed-
ings by regurgitation were resumed. This was proved by the
change in the character of the food found in the craw as well as
by noting the condition of the adults' throat and bill as they came
to the nest. At this time the heads and backs of the young were
covered with a thin down, the skin had turned darker and the eyes
were commencing to open.

On the sixth day ten regurgitative feedings and sixteen fresh
meals were recorded in two hours from four to six p. m. There
was no further record until the tenth day when four regurgitative
and eleven fresh feedings were given in one hour from four to five
p. m. On the eleventh day this brood came to an untimely end
through the fall of the nest in a hard rain storm, and the record
was not finished until 1901, when I saw another brood fed by
regurgitation on the day of leaving the nest.

Study of the nesting habits of a Hutton Vireo ( Vireo huttoni)
at San Jose, California, proved to me how like this western species
is to his eastern cousin, the Warbling. The records of the two
are almost identical. The dainty cradle of the Hutton Vireo was
swung from the lower branches of a sapling less than seven feet
from the ground on the side of a hill. By sitting opposite and a
few feet higher I was able to see most that went on in the vireo
household. The four eggs, hatched May 14, had been incubated
only eight days. At ten a. m., when I began the record, both
adults were busy supplying food to the young and, during two hours,
visited the nest sixteen times, brooding a good deal between times.
Every feeding was by regurgitation. External examination of the
crops showed the thin, pasty contents usual on the first day. I
can describe this in no better way than to say it is like thin, whit-
ish library paste, occasionally streaked with darker color.

On the second day, May 15, meals were given by regurgitation
nineteen times between ten and twelve a. m. The nestlings,

66 Wheelock, Regurgitative Reeding of Nestlings. Man

seemed to have more than doubled in size and their crops plainly
indicated a darker color of the contents than on the day before.
The feather test was used in this examination and revealed a slimy
formless substance too far digested to be identified. As usual,
this examination was made immediately after the young had been
fed, and the result would seem to indicate that Vireos digest the
food more thoroughly before regurgitation than do most birds.
On the third day, the first meal of fresh food was recorded at 10 : 30
a. m. It was a large spider and was plainly visible in the bill of
the adult. At 10:47, a feeding by regurgitation took place with
two nestlings and examination showed that it consisted of small
insects. At 10 : 52, another spider was given and at 1 1 : 10, sev-
eral small worms were brought as food. At n 135 the entire
brood were given something by regurgitation. Examination of the
crops made me suspect that this was water, for only a fluid was
apparent. During the afternoon of the third day, feedings recorded
were by regurgitation. When four days old the young vireos were
still quite naked, only a thin down covering their upper parts, and
their eyes were just beginning to open. On this day they were
fed both by regurgitation and fresh food. The contents of the
crops revealed spiders, caterpillars, beetles and small insects, both
partially digested and fresh. Of eighteen feedings in two hours,
eleven were by regurgitation. On the fifth day only one regurgi-
tative feeding was recorded, and from this time on all feedings
were of fresh food.

On page 126 of Prof. Weed's ' Birds in Relation to Man ' he
quotes Prof. Herrick as saying of a brood of Red-eyed Vireos :
" On the third day the mother brought a ripe red raspberry, its
juice fairly streaming down her bill." Prof. Herrick's statement
occurs on page 68 of his ' Home Life of Wild Birds ' and is cor-
rectly quoted except that the third day referred to is the third day
of Prof. Herrick's record, not of the life of the vireos. He says
that the young vireos were four or five days old when he began to
watch them and, consequently, they were seven or eight days old
when this red raspberry was brought. In the three vireo broods
I have recorded, no fruit was found in the crops until the sixth
day when, in the case of the Red-eyed, two blueberries were dis-
covered. Cassin Vireos whom I recorded, were fed bits of leaves,

VoL XXIIH Wheelock, Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings. 6j

whether accidentally or otherwise, but I never found any trace of
fruit in the crops.

More interesting than the Waxwings, because less common, is
its western cousin, the Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens). In
feeding and nesting habits these birds are so like the Waxwings
that they may be taken as a type of both branches of the family.
The brood whose record I offer here were hatched on June 2 in
a nest built by the male in an old oak tree near Pasadena, Cali-
fornia. They were naked except for a thin covering of down on
head and back, and were about the size of newly hatched Red-
winged Blackbirds, which they also resemble in color. The adult
Phainopeplas were soon reconciled to the presence of a motionless
observer, and came to the nest freely after the first few hours.
On the first day, sixty-eight meals were recorded between one and
six p. m., and all by regurgitation. The adults alighted on the
edge of the nest with the gullet visibly swollen and, after a moment
of waiting, fed the little ones in the same manner recorded of the
Waxwings.

On the second clay, in three and one half hours, the male
brought food twenty-eight times and the female twenty-one
times. The third and fourth days registered an increased fre-
quency in the visits of the male, on an average about two out
of three meals being given by him, and all feedings by both parents
were regurgitative. The intervals of feeding varied with the
time of day, being shortest early in the morning when they were
sometimes only five minutes apart.

For the first four clays the craw showed only insect food, always
in a partially digested condition ; but on the fifth day at least one
feeding was of pepper tree berries regurgitated in a fairly fresh
state. From the sixth day on, part of the meals were regurgitated
and part not. Large insects were given fresh ; berries by eructa-
tion. The craws were examined once a day until the nestlings
were twelve days old when, on leaving that locality, I was obliged
to close the record. Up to that time the contents showed large
insects and berries of various sorts, in about equal proportions.

California Bush-Tits {Psaltriparus minimus cattfomicus) are about
the most fascinating feathered mites of my acquaintance. A paper
twice as long as this could not do justice to all their tricks and

68 W heelock, Regnrgiiative Feeding of Nestlings. \_]an

manners. In some localities they are as common as Bluebirds in
Illinois, and no bird is more easily observed. The pair of this
record nested in an evergreen tree near the reservoir of Elysian
Park, Los Angeles. On the day of hatching, as soon as the young
were fed, we cut a slit in the nest and investigated. The adults
are scarcely as large as Kinglets and the nestlings were about the
size of a bumblebee, certainly less than an inch long. Obviously
any thorough examination of the crops was impossible, but its
external appearance was like that of the German Canary, soft,
creamy and yellowish in color. Whatever the food, it was nearly
digested when given. For four days a diligent watch was kept
and not once was any visible food brought to the nest. No rec-
ord on the fifth day. On the sixth day, a second examination
revealed crops full of insect food partially digested. On this day
also we saw one of the adults bring a grub to the nest. The eyes
were now open and the skin was covered with down. No record
was kept of this brood after the sixth day. In the crops of other
broods, which were feathered and ready to leave the nest, we found
insect eggs, grubs and caterpillars. In the case of the first brood
mentioned, feeding was surprisingly frequent, the thirty meals in
two and a half hours being the highest I have recorded of any
species.

The habits of the Sapsuckers are typified by a pair of William-
son Sapsuckers (Sp/iyrapicus thyroideus) of California whose rec-
ord I now offer you. Half way up from the ground, in a burned
pine stump, was the entrance to the nest and easily accessible to
the small boy climber who was my chief aid. Sometime before
this I had discovered a nest similarly located but nearer the ground,
and had found the adults so shy that I had not kept a record of
them, fearing a repetition of the Slender-billed Nuthatch tragedy.
But the second pair of Williamsons were resigned to their fate.
With scarcely a scolding protest they fled, leaving us to investigate
and returned as soon as we had gone. It was May 24 when the
eggs hatched, and five naked nestlings lay cuddled together on
the hard wood of the nest. At the first absence from home of the
adults, two of the young were lowered to me for investigation.
They had just been fed and were surfeited. The contents of the
crops were thick fluid, very sticky, as indicated by the inserted

V0l'i^fnl Wheelock, RegurgUative Feeding of Nestlings. 69

feather. Both adults came to the nest at frequent intervals through-
out the first day, but never with any food visible in bill. These
conditions continued up to the eighth day when the first trace of
fresh solid appeared in the crops. By this time the adults were
sufficiently brave to come to the nest with us in sight, fifty feet
away. On the ninth day the female was seen to bring insects
eleven times and the male six times, the other feedings being from
food carried in the gullet. The young sapsuckers matured slowly
and had scarcely begun to feather up to this date. No record
was kept after the ninth day, as we left that locality.

The Northern Pileated Woodpecker feeds by regurgitation as
conspicuously as do the Flickers, and for the same reason ;
namely, that his food is largely ants' eggs and larvae with which
he fills his gullet to pour them out into the throats of the young.

In the case of Kingfishers (Cery/e alcyofi) nesting in a low sand
bank at Riverside, Illinois, we found data valuable and interesting.
By care in concealment we were able to discover that the adult
came to the nest on the first day with no visible supply of food in
the bill but with a gullet conspicuously swollen. We had pre-
viously excavated the nest from the rear making a false back to it
so that it would be protected from the weather and at the same
time open easily. As soon as feeding was completed and the
adult out of sight, we opened the nest at the false back, took out
the young, then one day old, and examined the crops. They con-
tained a dark gray, oily mass, nearly fluid and very ill smelling, but
with no bones or scales in it. If fish they were very small and
digested. Returning the young fishers to the tunnel, we closed
it. Two days later the experiment was repeated with the same
results. Four days later, or the seventh day after hatching, we
examined again. This time one of the nestlings had swallowed
several small fish about one and one half inches long and the
others were still hungry. As yet we had not seen either of the
adults bring visible food and the most frequent feedings had been
forty minutes apart, I believe all by regurgitation. No record
was kept from the seventh to the fourteenth clay when an exam-
ination was made for the third time. We now found the young
showing well developed pin feathers, and there were traces of
disgorged fish bones and scales in the nest which had not been

yO Wheelock, Regit rgilative Feeditig of Nestlings. Tf^'

there before. The crops examined showed fish only slightly
digested and regurgitative feeding had evidently given place
wholly or in part to fresh food. On this day one of the adults
brought several fish, possibly four inches long to the nest in dif-
ferent journeys. Examinations made on the twenty-first day
revealed the same food conditions as the fourteenth. The pile
of fish bones and scales was a trifle larger but was partially buried
in the earth. There was surprisingly little of this debris in the
nest or tunnel but the ground seemed to be saturated with fishy
oil. On the twenty-eighth day the young kingfishers resented
being examined or photographed, and made good their escape
when taken from the nest.

I am sorry that there is not time to give you records of the
Cassin Kingbird, nesting at Pasadena, California, who fed his
young by regurgitation for one day ; of a Loggerhead Shrike
who impaled each grasshopper on a barbed-wire fence, ate the
soft parts, and ten minutes later regurgitated them into the throats
of his nestlings ; of the western Gnatcatchers at San Jose, Cali-
fornia, who were fearless in coming to the nest while I bent over
it and who gave all meals by regurgitation until feathers were well
started over the little ones ; of the Sierra Creeper who tucked his
nest behind the bark of a dead pine tree and until the nestlings
were four days old was never caught carrying visible food to
them ; of the Audubon Warblers at Lake Tahoe, California; the
Yellow Warblers and American Redstart in Illinois, all of whom
fed by this method for the first three days.

All of my records of the Lark family have been incomplete and
are therefore unreliable.

Among the water birds I have found the Herons, Bitterns and
Cormorants feeding by regurgitation in the same violent fashion
as the Flickers. There is no record of this method among the
game birds, and but few among the birds of prey. The distinc-
tion seems to be the condition of the young at hatching. Those
species which are covered with down are usually given only fresh
food. Although lacking the positive proof of the examination of
crops I have reason to believe that the Marsh Hawk is an excep-
tion to this rule and regurgitates its food for one day.

Vol. XXII
1 905

Sage, Twenty-second Congress of the A. O. U. J I

Explanatory Note.

At the recent Congress of the A. O. U. in Cambridge the author's
attention was called to some parts of the introduction to ' Birds of Cali-
fornia,' which have created a wrong impression concerning the work,
among those lacking time to investigate the matter." Hence, it seems
best to state definitely that the book is not the result of one season's
reconnaissance in the field ; it is based upon the author's own field notes,
begun in October, 1894, and continued, zvith fe-w interruptions, until July,
1Q02.

These years of data gathering in the field were supplemented by two
years' work upon the text.

The "test study " refers only to the last five months, which were spent,
as stated, in ascertaining so far as possible what birds were most com-
monly met with by the casual observer. The list of places where obser-
vations were made includes all places visited during the eight years men-
tioned, and does not refer alone to the last trip.

Also, the word "cases" on page 13 is used as synonymous with
u instances," the specific meaning intended being "broods."

When Mr. F. M. Chapman, in reviewing the book in ' Bird Lore,' inter-
preted 'cases' as ' species,' the author was appalled and at once wrote to
Mr. Chapman, asking that this error be corrected in the next issue.
Owing to Mr. Chapman's absence in the Bahamas, the letter failed to
reach him and the correction was not made.

TWENTY-SECOND CONGRESS OF THE AMERICAN
ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

The Twenty-second Congress of the American Ornithologists'
Union convened in Cambridge, Mass., Monday evening, Novem-
ber 28, 1904. The business meeting was held in Mr. William
Brewster's museum, and the public sessions, commencing Tuesday,
November 29, and lasting three days, were held in the Nash
Lecture-room of the University Museum.

Business Session. — The meeting was called to order by the
President, Mr. Charles B. Cory. Sixteen Fellows were present.
The Secretary stated that at the opening of the present Congress

7 2 Sage, Twenty-secotid Cotigress of the A. O. U. lTan'

the membership of the Union numbered 808, constituted as fol-
lows : Fellows, 46; Honorary Fellows, 18; Corresponding Fel-
lows, 66; Members, 70; Associates, 608.

During the year the Union lost seventy-two members, ten by
death, thirty by resignation, and thirty-two for non-payment of
dues. The deceased members include one Fellow, two Corre-
sponding Fellows, one Member, and six Associates, as follows :
Gurdon Trumbull,1 a Fellow, who died in Hartford, Conn., Dec.
28, 1903, in his 63d year; Dr. R. A. Philippi, of Chili, a Corre-
sponding Fellow, who died in Aug., 1904 ; Dr. Samuel W. Wood-
house,'2 a Corresponding Fellow, who died in Philadelphia, Oct.
23, 1904, in his 84th year ; John Fannin,8 a Member, who died at
Victoria, British Columbia, June 20, 1904; and the following
Associates : Josiah Hoopes,4 who died in Westchester, Pa., Jan.
16, 1904, in the 72d year of his age; J. B. Canfield, who died in
Bridgeport, Conn., Feb. 18, 1904 ; James M. South wick,5 who
died in Providence, R. I., June 3, 1904, at the age of 58 ; J. C.
Knox,6 who was drowned in Shoal Lake, Manitoba, June 10, 1904-
Leonard E. Burnett; and Lee Nims.

The report of the Treasurer showed the finances of the Union
to be in a satisfactory condition.

All of the officers were reelected, as follows : Charles B. Cory,
President ; Charles F. Batchelder and E. W. Nelson, Vice-Presi-
dents ; John H. Sage, Secretary; Jonathan D wight, Jr., Treas-
urer ; Frank M. Chapman, Ruthven Deane, Witmer Stone, A. K.
Fisher, Thos. S. Roberts, William Dutcher, and C. W. Richmond,
members of the Council.

Glover M. Allen, of Cambridge, Mass. ; Robert O. Morris, of
Springfield, Mass. ; and J. Warren Jacobs, of Waynesburg, Pa.,
were elected to the class of Members, and the following one hun-
dred and twenty-five persons were elected Associates, namely :

Gerard A. Abbott, Chicago, 111.; Miss Adeline E. Acklej, East Hamp-

1 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XXI, pp. 310, 31 1.

2 For an obituary notice, see Ibid., XXII, p. 104.

3 For an obituary notice, see Ibid., XXI, p. 510.

4 For an obituary notice, see Ibid., XXI, pp. 311, 312.

5 For an obituary notice, see Ibid., XXI, p. 511.

6 For an obituary notice, see Ibid., XXII, p. 106.

Vol. XXII
1905

Sage, Twenty-second Co?igres$ of the A. O. U. J 7

ton, Conn.; Mrs. Eustace L. Allen, Hartford, Conn.; Edward E. Arm-
strong, Chicago, 111.; Frank T. Antis, Canandaigua, N. Y. ; A. D. Atwood,
Tenarly, N. J.; Roger N. Baldwin, Wellesley Hills, Mass.; Ernest Harold
Barnes, Meriden, N. H. ; Wm. A. Birnie, Springfield, Mass.; William S.
Bogert, Leonia, N. J.; H. H. Brimley, Raleigh, N. C. ; Lewis B. Brown,
Toronto, Canada; Miss Elizabeth Brown, Washington, D. C; Alex. M.
Burgess, Providence, R. I. ; Miss Charlotte W Butler, Beverly, Mass. ;
Louis Cabot, Brookline, Mass. ; Rufus H. Carr, Brockton, Mass.; Sidney
Chase, Boston, Mass. ; A. W. Child, Boston, Mass. ; Harold R. Colson,
Cambridge, Mass. ; Miss Clara L. Crane, Dalton, Mass. ; Mrs. Zenas
Crane, Dalton, Mass. ; James W. Cromwell, New York City ; Maunsell
S. Crosby, Rhinebeck, N. Y. ; Percival de Luce, New York City; S. H.
Derickson, Annville, Pa.; Emma E. Drew, Burlington, Vt. ; Miss Mary
Drummond, Wheaton, 111.; Dr. Clyde E. Ehinger, Westchester, Pa.; Geo.
P. Ells, Norwalk, Conn. ; Robert T. Emmet, New Rochelle, N. Y. ; John
O. Enders, Hartford, Conn.; Paul J. Fair, Freeport, 111.; John A. Farley,
Boston, Mass.; William L. Finley, Portland, Oregon; Henry S.Forbes,
Milton, Mass.; Charles H. French, Canton, Mass.; T. Otis Fuller, Need-
ham, Mass. ; J. E. Gardner, Cambridge, Mass.; Geo. B. Gates, Madison,
S. D. ; Langdon Gibson, Schenectady, N. Y. ; Arthur F. Gilbert, New
Bedford, Mass.; Edward W. Gifford, San Francisco, Calif.; Juliet T.
Goodrich, Chicago, 111. ; Miss Amy Goodwin, Cambridge, Mass. ; Miss
Helen Granger, Cambridge, Mass. ; Mrs. Amelia P. Greenough, Boston,
Mass. ; Miss Marion Gunnison, Ithaca, N. Y. ; H. Porter Hall, Leominster,
Mass.; Elizabeth S. Hill, Groton, Mass. ; Geo. E. Hix, New York City;
Herman Horshert, St. Louis, Mo. ; John S. Howard, Franklin, Mass. ;
Rev. V. A. Huard, Quebec, Canada; H. J. Jager, Owatonna, Minn. ; John
W. Kay, Detroit, Mich. ; Wallace G. Kay, Detroit, Mich. ; Blanche Kendall,
Brookline, Mass.; Francis Kermode, Victoria, B. C. ; Chas. R. Kejes,
Mt. Vernon, Iowa; A. Vincent Kidder, Cambridge, Mass. ; Mrs. Fanny B.
Kirkham, Springfield, Mass. ; A. B. Klugh, Guelph, Out. ; Mrs. II. R.
Kunhardt, New York City ; D. Lange, St. Paul, Minn. ; Albert L. Lincoln,
Brookline, Mass. ; John R. Livermore, Katonah, N. Y. ; Edward H. Lura,
Chatham, N. J. ; O. G. Malde, Madison, Wis.; H. W. Marsden, Witch
Creek, Calif.; Henry B. McConnell, Cadiz, Ohio; James II. Miller,
Lowville, N. Y. ; Mrs. E. M. Meade, New York City; Mrs. Geo. R. Mosle,
New York City ; James A. Munro, Toronto, Ont. ; Fred. Mutchler, Wor-
cester, Mass.; Wm. G. Neal, Walton, Ont.; Wm. E. Nichols, New York
City ; Roy C. Norris, Richmond, Ind. ; Mrs. Carrie W. Ormsbee, Brandon,
Vt. ; A. Osgyani, Bridgeport, Conn. ; Miss Isabel M. Paddock. St. Johns-
bury, Vt. ; Edgar M. Parker, Montgomery City, Mo. ; Herbert Parker,
So. Lancaster, Mass.; Elmore E. Peake, Salem, 111. ; Clark J. Peck, West
Philadelphia, Pa.; Henry O. Peck, Pittsfield, Mass.; James L. Peters,
Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Cjrus A. Peterson, St. Louis, Mo.; John C. Phillips,
Boston, Mass. ; Sherman E. Phillips, Rochester, N. H. ; Stanley E. Piper,
Washington, D. C. ; Grace V. Pomeroy, New York City ; Rev. Geo. B.

74 Sage, Twenty-second Congress of the A. O. U. [^aunk

Pratt, Chicago, 111.; James N. Proctor, Ventura, Calif. ; Chester A. Reed,
Worcester, Mass.; Emily E. Reed, Boston, Mass. ; Mrs. Wm. Howell
Reed, Boston, Mass. ; Geo. H. Reynolds, Springfield, Mass. ; William
Richard, Waterford, N. Y. ; Chas. H. Rogers, Wayne, Pa. ; G. H. Ross,
Rutland, Yt. ; Howland Russell, Milwaukee, Wis.; Frank Schwarz, St.
Louis, Mo.; Richard P. Stapleton, Holyoke, Mass.; Wm. M. Stillman,
Plainfield, N. J.; Chas. R. Stockard, New York City ; Chas. S. Strout,
Biddeford, Me. ; Mrs. F. L. Sturgis, New York City; Myron H. Swenk,
Lincoln, Nehr. ; Mrs. Thos. W. Thacher, Brookline, Mass. ; Dr. M. T.
Thompson, Worcester, Mass.; John M. Van Iluyck, Lee, Mass.; Arthur
W. Van Pelt, Chicago, 111. ; Stephen Visher, Chicago, 111. ; Leo Wallings-
ford, Alexandria, Ind. ; William A. Wheeler, East Templeton, Mass.; Miss
Mary E. Winslett, Stevensville, Montana; Wm. R. Wister, Philadelphia,
Pa. ; Norman A. Wood, Ann Arbor, Mich. ; S. T. Wood, Toronto, Ont. ;
Frank M. Woodruff, Chicago, 111.; Dr. L. F. Woodward, Worcester,
Mass. ; Dr. Samuel B. Woodward, Worcester, Mass. ; and Carl O. Zerralin,
Milton, Mass.

Drs. Allen, Dwight, Merriam and Richmond, and Messrs.
Brewster, Ridgway and Stone, were reelected ' Committee on
Classification and Nomenclature of North American Birds.'

Public Session. First Day. — The meeting was called to
order by Vice-President Batchelder. The papers read during the
morning session were as follows :

' The Direction of Flight in the Fall Migration at New Haven,'
by Dr. Louis B. Bishop.

' Regurgitative Feeding of Nestlings,' by Mrs. Irene G.
Wheelock. Remarks followed by Messrs. Hoffmann and Oldys,
Prof. Hodge, Dr. Palmer, and the author.

' Some Interesting 1904 Bird Songs,' by Henry Oldys.

' Helminthophila leucobronchialis and Helminthophila lawrencei'
by Dr. Louis B. Bishop.

' The Psychological conditions of Bird Study,' by Rev. Wm.
R. Lord.

The papers of the afternoon session, illustrated by lantern
slides, were :

' Florida Notes,' by Frank M. Chapman.

' The Land Birds of Oregon and California,' by William L.
Finley.

Vol. XXII
1905

Sage, Twenty-second Congress of the A. O. U. ^CJ

Second Day. — The meeting was called to order by the Presi-
dent. The papers read during the morning session were:

' The Birds of the Southern West Indies,' by A. H. Clark.
Remarks followed by Dr. Palmer.

' Experiments in rearing Ruffed Grouse in Confinement,' by
Prof. C. F. Hodge. Illustrated by lantern slides, and in the
absence of the author presented by Miss Helen A. Ball.

' Wear in its relation to Subspecies,' by Dr. Jonathan D wight,
Jr. Remarks followed by Messrs. Nelson, Clark and Dutcher,
and the author.

' A Review of the Gulls which have light-colored Primaries,' by
Dr. Jonathan D wight, Jr.

' The Nesting Habits of the Flamingo,' by Frank M. Chapman.
Illustrated by lantern slides.

The following papers — both illustrated by lantern slides —
were given at the afternoon session, viz.:

' The Sea-birds of the Oregon Coast,' by William L. Finley.

' Illustrated Readings from Thoreau's Journals,' by the Rev.
H. W. Gleason.

Third Day. — The meeting was called to order by the Presi-
dent.

The papers of tlie morning were:

' The Present Status of the Prairie Chicken east of the Mis-
sissippi,' by. Dr. T. S. Palmer.

' An Untenable Theory of Bird Migration,' by Prof. W. W.
Cooke. Read by Mr. Oberholser in the absence of the author.

' Observations on the Birds of the Sand-hill Region of
Nebraska,' by Dr. R. H. VVolcott. Illustrated by lantern slides
and presented by Dr. Palmer in the author's absence.

Resolutions were adopted thanking the authorities of Harvard
University for the use of the Nash Lecture-room as a place of
meeting for the Union ; to the Nuttall Ornithological Club for the
very cordial welcome and generous hospitality extended to the
visiting members and friends of the Union, and to the Harvard
Natural History Society for its hospitable invitation.

The following papers were read by title :

' Cyanocitta cristata, and other Eastern Birds, at Wray, Yuma
County, Colorado,' by Horace G. Smith.

7 6 General Notes. [^

' Ornithology of a Churchyard,' by B. S. Bowdish.

As the opening paper of the afternoon, Mr. Dutcher, Chairman
of the ' Committee on Protection of North American Birds,' read
a summary of the report of his committee for the previous year.

The concluding paper, illustrated by lantern slides, was :

'The Season's Experiences with Shore-birds, Herons and
Water-fowl,' by Rev. H. K. Job.

The next meeting of the Union will be held in New York City,
in November, 1905.

The good attendance at this Congress, together with the new
members .elected, the largest number in any year since the found-
ing of the Union, was most gratifying.

Jno. H. Sage,

Secretary.

GENERAL NOTES.

Sabine's Gull in Montana. — -I enclose two photographs of an imma-
ture example of Sabine's Gull [Xema sabi?iii), which, as far as I know,
has not before been recorded from Montana. This bird was shot Septem-
ber 23, on the Yellowstone, by the ferryman at Terry, who told me that
on the previous day he had seen about fifty gulls, all resting on the river
shore — the flock including this species and others slightly larger. I pre-
sumed the larger gulls to be Ring-billed Gulls, which, as well as Ameri-
can Herring Gulls, I have observed on the Yellowstone at different dates.

The specimen is a male. The dimensions in inches are : Length to end
of tail, 13 ; to end of wings, 14 ; extent, 30 ; wing, 10 ; tail, 5 ; across fork
of tail, i\; bill, along gape, i£. The bill was black; legs and feet flesh
color; irides dark brown. — E. S. Cameron, Terry, Montana.

Additional Record of the European Widgeon (Mareca penelope). — I
have recently examined a fine adult male of this species, which was shot
on an overflowed meadow near Nippersink Lake, Lake County, 111., on
April 1, 1904, by Mr. Charles Muehrcke, and is now in his possession.
The bird was in company with six of his American cousins, all of whom
were shot. The specimen is mounted representing dead game. This rec-
ord makes the eighteenth for the interior. — Ruthven Deane, Chicago,
III.

Little Blue Heron in Connecticut. — A flock of Little Blue Herons
{Florida ca?r/tlea), all young in the white plumage, made its headquarters

Vol.XXII-J General Notes. 77

during a large part of this summer on a chain of three ponds connected
by the Patagansett Stream, township of East Lyme, near this village.
Two were recorded on July 22, and until August 18 from one to ten were
present on one or another of the ponds every day. After August 18 they
disappeared until Sept. 7, when two returned and were then seen for the
last time.

I personally observed them from July 25 to July 31 inclusive and on the
28 took one, which upon dissection proved to be a female. The crop was
full of small fish, species not determinable by reason of decomposition.
This specimen is now in the county collection of Mr. James H. Hill, New
London.

The birds were not very wild, and gave me an opportunity to watch
them from a short distance. It has been sometimes said that they are
silent except on the roost, but I heard them on several occasions, while
feeding on the pond margins, utter a low chuckling or croaking sound. —
P. J. McCook, Niantic, Conn.

Little Blue Heron in Massachusetts. — The Boston Society of Natural
History has recently acquired for its New England Collection, a fine speci-
men of the Little Blue Heron (Florida ccerulea). It was shot by Mr. Ben-
jamin Pease on Chappaquiddick Island, Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard,
on April 14, 1904. The morning when the bird was shot was cold, the
ponds .were skimmed with ice, and a snow-storm came two hours after the
bird's capture. The specimen is unsexed and is in the blue and maroon
plumage. I am indebted to Mr. C. W. Johnson, curator of the Society, for
permission to record the above facts. — Glover M. Allen, Cambridge,
Mass.

Description of Second Michigan Specimen of Cory's Least Bittern. —
This bird (Ardetta neoxena), taken on the St. Clair Flats May 14, 1904,
by Mr. E. Craven of Detroit, Mich., and now in the possession of Mr. J.
L. Childs of Floral Park, N. Y., is an adult male in full breeding plumage
and shows no very decided departure from what seems to be the typical
plumage of the species. A close examination, however, shows both the
color aberrations common to this species, and in view of the peculiar
interest attached to the variations of individuals of this species, I append
the following detailed description of the specimen.

The melanotic tendency is shown only on the head, and is not as erratic
in this individual as in many others previously taken, and in the regular-
ity and plan of the black spots resembles specific markings more than
aberrant patches. It appears on both sides of the head nearly equally, and
a description of one side will do for both, though a close comparison
shows that the right side of the head is a little more strongly marked than
the left.

The black of the crown shades off softly into the chestnut of the ear
coverts, giving that part a peculiarly rich, warm coloring. Below" and

78 General Notes. [^

behind the eye is a triangular patch of black, its apex following the edge
of the bare orbital surface in a thin line to about half way up the eye.
The base of the triangle extends backward along the bottom of the ear
coverts, fading away at their extremity ; and forward, to the angle of the
mouth, following the base of the lower mandible in a very fine line until
it vanishes in the interramal space beneath.

The albinistic tendency is not as regular in its distribution as the mela-
notic, and in this respect agrees with the majority of the others that have
been taken. On the upper part of the abdominal region, just at the lower
edge of the sternum, are two white contour feathers, now springing from
opposite sides of the incision made in skinning, but plainly arising from
adjoining parts and must have formed a single patch in life. The body
down on either side of the taxidermist's cut, and extending for a short
distance on either side and from the sternum to the vent is also white.

Each leg is decorated with albino characters. On the left leg there is
a patch composed of three feathers showing f inch long and extending
from the front slightly over half way around the leg and with the lowest
point just touching the bare part of the tibia. On the right leg there are
but two white feathers placed a little more towards the outer side and
extending over a visible space of h. inch by a little less than half way
around and not reaching the bare parts by \ inch.

All the white is pure and immaculate and not of the creamy coloration
seen in corresponding parts of A. exilis. — P. A. Taverner, Detroit' Mich.

Avocet (Recur virostra americana) in New Jersey. — A record of the
specimen herewith reported has never been made in any ornithological
journal, though the label which it carries is now nearly 25 years old. It
was shot at Barnegat, on the ocean beach, and the label, written and en-
closed in the glass which protects the bird, bears the legend : "Shot by
John Fonda at Barnegat, Decoration Day, 18S0." Stone's 'Birds of E. Penn.
and New Jersey,1 1S94, P- 7°» mentions but two records, one in 1S77 and
one in 1S86. This specimen is in Mr. Fonda's possession, nearly as fresh
as when mounted, at his home, 250 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. —
William C. Braislin, M. D., Brooklyn, N. Y.

The Turkey Buzzard (Cart hartes aura) in Maine. — While driving at
Scarboro Beach, Me., on August 5, 190.4, my attention was directed to a
large bird flying over the woods several hundred vards back from the
road. I at first took it to be an eagle but at second glance the charac-
teristic sailing of the bird, with tips of wings raised, left no doubt as to
its identity. The Buzzard crossed the road behind us, circling over the
salt marshes of the Libby River, and finally recrossed the road directly
over our carriage and sufficiently near for us to distinctly see the crimson
head and neck.

In replying to a letter sent to Mr. Ora W. Knight for other Maine

Vol. XXII-j General Notes. 79

records, he has very kindly given me the following information under date
of August 9, 1904.

"Replying to your inquiry relative to the Turkey Buzzard in Maine, I
will say that I have the following unquestionable records: One taken at
Standish, Cumberland County, in summer of 1874 (cf. Smith, Forest &
Stream, Vol. XX, p. 26) ; one taken in Denmark, Oxford County, March,
1S82, by Abel Sanborn and now in his possession. (This specimen was
recorded by R. A. Gushee in Forest & Stream, for 1883, p. 245, and the
same specimen was erroneously recorded as Black Vulture by Smith, For-
est & Stream, Vol. XX, p. 285 ; it has, however, been seen within a year
bv a number of persons who can vouch that it is a Turkey Vulture, not a
Black Vulture). Mr. Boardman had one specimen taken near his home in
Calais; one was killed in Buxton in December, 1S76 (cf. Brown, Catalogue
Birds of Portland, p. 23).

"All the above records have been carefully verified by inquiry and
examination of specimens by undoubted authorities. A few other records
have been found to really refer to the Black Vulture or were not suscepti-
ble of verification."

Mr. Manly Hardy of Brewer, Me., under date of September 8, 1904,.
wrote me as follows : —

" Seeing a Turkey Buzzard is a very unusual thing in this State.
Some years ago I saw one at Whitney's Hill, near Bangor. It was in a
small ash tree in a large open field. It was late in November, after all
the Hawks were gone. It was a warm sunny day and he sat with his
wings stretched above his head just like the one on the ' Buzzard dollar.'
I have seen hundreds of Buzzards but I have never seen any other bird sit
in this way. I know of two cases of their having been caught in bear-
traps. The hunters did not know what they were but told me of their
bare red heads and white hills, so there could be no question of identity."

Mr. G. A. Boardman in his ' Catalogue of the Birds found in the
vicinity of Calais, Maine,' etc., published in 1862, records one specimen
as referred to by Mr. Knight, but in a copy of this list which he sent me
in 1872, with additions and corrections up to date, under Turkey Buzzard
he has interlined, " 2 since." This last record therefore makes the tenth
for the State. — Ruthven Deane, Chicago, III.

A Correction. — In my list of the birds of Margarita Island, Venezuela
(Auk, XIX, p. 261), I included Buteo albicaudatus Vieill., saying that I
obtained one specimen, an immature female. Buteo albicaudatus was
fairly common near the coast, and the bird I found nailed to a tree near
El Valle was of this species ; but the specimen brought back proves to be
a young female of Parabuteo unicitictus (Temm.), the southern form of
Harris's Hawk. — -Austin H. Clark, Boston, Mass.

The Gray Sea Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla) in British Columbia. — In a
small collection of bird-skins bought in the fall of 1903 by Dr. Dwight and

80 General Notes. \ '^uk

myself from Mr. Fred Foster, a taxidermist in Victoria, British Columbia,
we found a single specimen of this species in first winter plumage. On
the tag was written only " March 18/98. c?.," and I wrote Mr. Foster
asking him whether he remembered the bird and could tell me where it
was taken. He replied, "The Eagle marked March 18/1898 is the young
Bald Eagle (or gray eagle) ; all the eagles were taken on the coast of Van-
couver] Island."

Thanks to Dr. Dwight, this skin is now in my collection. It is in the
same plumage as the young Gray Sea Eagle found dead on Unalaska, Oct.
5, 1899, which I recorded in ' North American Fauna,' No. 19, pp. 73, 74.
The range of this species is thus extended almost to Washington, and it
seems probable that it will yet be found breeding in Alaska or the Aleu-
tian Islands. — Louis B. Bishop, New Haven, Conn.

The Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker in Melrose, Mass. — On October
22, 1904, in Melrose, Middlesex County, Mass., a fine male Arctic Three-
toed Woodpecker {Picoides arctic us) was seen by Mr. M. C. Blake of
Brookline and the subscriber. Subsequently he moved into Pine Banks
Park in Maiden, but a short distance from where he was first found, and
remained there eighteen days, being seen repeatedly by myself and
others up to November 8. He worked upon the dead pine trees which
unfortunately have been killed in this region by the Gypsy moths. —
Horace W. Wright, Boston, Muss.

Wintering of the Red-headed Woodpecker at Detroit, Michigan. —
An interesting feature of the extremely severe winter of 1903-1904 was
the wintering of the Red-headed Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythrocefhalus)
in large numbers at Belle Isle, the island park of Detroit, situated in the
Detroit River slightly above the city. On my many trips there during
December, January, and February, on some of the coldest days of the win-
ter, I never failed to find these birds active, energetic, and almost as noisy
as in mid-summer. Covered as these woods were with deep snow from
December 1, sometimes two or more feet deep, and crusted, it is a matter
of interest to me as to what influences this bird to winter here in numbers,
and to be entirely absent from the mainland in Wayne, and surrounding
counties. I cannot account for the fact that during some winters the
Red heads remain in numbers at Belle Isle, in others are entirely absent.
During the winter of 1902-1903 no birds remained ; long and frequent
search failed to reveal them either here or on the mainland. The abun-
dance of their food supply — acorns for the most part — without doubt
determines the wintering of this species, and yet what food could not
have been found in as great an abundance and with more ease during the
comparatively mild winter of 1902-1903 as during the intense cold and
deep snow of 1903-1904? The few birds I have met with on the main-
land were single birds residing in a certain tree throughout the win-
ter.— Bradshaw H. Swales, Detroit, Mich.

Vol. XXin General Notes. 8 1

1905 J

The Chuck-will's-widow in Kansas. — 1 note that on page 17 of Prof.
F. H. Snow's Catalogue, ' Birds of Kansas,' he reports the Chuck-will's-
widow [Antrostomus carolinensis) as an accidental visitor to the State of
Kansas. I wish to add a few notes on this interesting species, whereby it
can be easily placed as a summer resident in restricted localities along the
southern border of the State. My notes were taken during the middle of
May, 1902, in the vicinity of Cedarvale, Chautauqua County, located six
and one half miles north of the Indian Territory line, in the heart of the
Flint Hills.

About 5.00 p. m., May 22, I heard my first Chuck-will's-widow singing
in a small copse on Bird Creek, in the Osage Nation, seven miles below
the State line. My brother, who was with me at the time, advised me
that the Chuck-will's-widows were rather sparingly distributed along the
Big Caney Valley, near Cedarvale. He also informed me that previous,
in June, 1901, he flushed a parent bird from its young, in a thicket, near
town. I believe the statement can be accepted as a substantial fact, as
Whip-poor-wills, so he informed me, do not summer there, and during
my entire stay of two weeks, none were noted, but Chuck-will's-widows I
met with occasionally in the thickets along the Caney River, in the
State.

About dusk, on the evening of May 24, and for several ensuing
evenings, I heard three or four Chuck-will's-widows singing in the thick-
ets near the town of Cedarvale, Kansas.

The fact that the specimen that Prof. Snow speaks of, was secured in
the middle of June, is, in my opinion, a warrant to believe it other than
an accidental specimen. — W. S. Colvin. Osawatomt'e, Kans.

The Raven in Southern New Hampshire: A Comment. — Apropos
of my Monadnock Raven-record, published in ' The Auk,' for October,
1904 (p. 491), Mr. John E. Thayer write; me that a yearling Raven escaped
from his aviary at Lancaster, Mass., less than forty miles southeast of
Monadnock, on May 28, 1903, and disappeared after loitering about Lan-
caster for almost a week. Probably, as Mr. Thayer suggests, it was this
bird that appeared on Monadnock on July 4. At all events, the likelihood
that such was the case robs my record of all value. — Gerald H. Thayer,
Monadnock, JV. H.

The Blue Jay and other Eastern Birds at Wray, Yuma County,
Colorado. — During a few days' collecting (May 17-22, 1904) at Wray,
Yuma Co., Colo., in company with Mr. Wm. C. Ferril, curator of the
Colorado State Historical and Natural History Society, a number of
Eastern species whose Colorado range is little known, were secured for
the State museum.

Most notable of these was a female Blue Jay ( Cyanocitta cristata) —
shot by the writer May 21 near a corral about a mile from town — which
I believe is the first one taken in the State. However, to Mr. W. E.

82 General Notes. P?uk

LJan.

Wolfe of Wray, an Associate of the American Ornithologists1 Union,
belongs the credit of first reporting to the writer the occurrence of the
species within our borders, he having observed several during the two
previous years, and indeed it was partly for the purpose of securing a
specimen that the above trip was undertaken. Through the guidance of
Mr. Wolfe we were not long in locating three specimens within the town,
and soon discovered a nest in process of construction in the crotch of a
cottonwood tree on one of the main streets. An attempt was made to
shoot one of these, but as they were rather wild it was abandoned as
unsafe and the next day — May 21 — we tried the country in the vicinity
of Jackson Canon, with the result above mentioned. Several others were
seen within the Canon but on being approached took flight and left the
locality during our stay there.

Mr. Wolfe informed me that he had previously found the species
breeding just over the State line in Nebraska. According to his observa-
tions they do not spend the winter at Wray.

Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black-billed Cuckoo. — A single male
was taken in Jackson Canon May 21, thus adding one more to the meagre
records for the species in the State. Mr. Wolfe believes he has observed
it in the locality before.

Guiraca ccerulea lazula. Western Blue Grosbeak. — Another
northern capture, a male at Jackson Canon May 21. At least one other
was seen in the same locality later in the day. Mr. Wolfe occasionally
meets with it, he tells me.

Vireo bellii. Bell Vireo. — To the single male specimen taken by the
writer near Denver, June 12, 1903, and recorded in 'The Auk,' I can now
add three more — two taken by myself on May 18 and 20 respectively,
and one taken by Curator Ferril on May 21. Two of these proved to be
males, the third was undetermined. All were taken in the vicinity of
Wray, and several others were heard, both in Jackson Canon and at Olive
Creek.

Helminthophila peregrina. Tennessee Warbler. — Shot two females
in the shrubbery of Jackson Canon, May 20 and 21 respectively. —
Horace G. Smith, Ass't. Curator, State Historical and Natural History
Society, Denver, Colorado.

The Blue Jay at Yuma, Colorado. — Miss Jennie M. Patten, of Yuma,
Colo., writes that she saw a Blue Jay (Cyanoci/ta cristata) at Yuma, on
November 1, 1904, under such circumstances that there can be no possible
mistake as to its identity. She also reports that last year two were seen
in Yuma. I find no record of the species in Colorado, but Mr. Horace G.
Smith, of Denver, informs me that he took one at Wray, Colo., on May
21, 1904, of which he has recently sent a record for publication in ' The
Auk '. For the purpose of centralizing the records it might be well
to have this record in the same issue. — Junius Henderson, Boulder,
Colo.

VoLXXIIj General Notes. 83

Another Deformed Bill. — On page 279 of the April number of 'The
Auk', 1904, is figured and described an abnormal bill of Corvus ameri-
canus. This brought to mind a bill deformity in the English Sparrow in
my collection, of which I herewith append a description : —

Passer domesticus, $, Snyder Collection, No. 5399, San Jose, Calif.,
Jan. 3, 1900, coll. by Ernest Adams. Plumage and lower mandible nor-
mal; both mandibles of usual color. Upper mandible : Length, 18.5 mm. r
width, 6 mm.; depth 4 mm.; notched on both sides, the notch being back
4.5 mm. from tip. Tip of mandible broken off abruptly. Mandible from
base to tiu of equal depth and width throughout. — W. E. Snyder, Beaver
Dam, Wis.

Clay-colored Sparrow in the Cariboo District, British Columbia. — On
the 3d July, 1901, at 158-Mile House, Cariboo District, I shot two spar-
rows which I identified at the time as Sfiizella bretueri. I now find these
to be Clay-colored Sparrows, Spizella -pallida, — another instance of the
infusion of the Great Plains element so noticeable in that District.

These were both singing males but they were not breeding though the
sexual organs were great! v enlarged. I had worked the locality where
they were taken very thoroughly for about two months previously with-
out hearing their very peculiar song, which as soon as heard at once drew
my attention. — Allan Brooks, Comox, B. C.

Henslow's Sparrow in St. Clair County, Michigan. — Up to the present
season Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus lienslozvii) has been treated by
me as a rare summer resident in southeastern Michigan. The only
authentic record of the occurrence of the species here was made by Mr.
Jas. B. Purdy of Plymouth, Wayne County, who detected a pair breeding
in a hay field near his home on July 27, 1S93, and discovered the nest in
the tall grass, containing eggs which were destroyed by the mowing
machine. Mr. Purdy secured the female. (Auk, 1897, p. 220).

On the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, near the mouth of the Thames
River, Mr. W. E. Saunders found a small colony of about ten pairs on
May 24, and June 12, 1898. On July 2 lie met with two males near Sarnia,
Ontario, which is directly across from Port Huron. (Bull. Mich. Ornith.
Club, Vol.11, p. 38.)

The above records gum up all available data with regard to this species
here.

Lake St. Clair, in southern St. Clair County, is bordered by an exten-
sive stretch of grassy meadows which practically extend the entire circuit
of the lake. This territory is flat, very wet in places, and is intersected
with an occasional slough or dredged cut bordered by a growth of willows.
In this section of the country I was convinced that Henslow's Sparrow
would be found, if anywhere, especially with the Ontario records on the
Canadian side.

On June 18, 1904, Mr. Percy A. Taverner and I were working in the

84

General Notes. [jU]i

LJan.

locality and were passing down the line of willows along an extensive
canal. A strange faint note arising from out of the meadows beyond
arrested our attention, the author of which we could not discover. It
struck me that this was the object of our search although I had never met
with the species before. This supposition proved correct, as a few minutes
later Taverner was able to flush a small bird, which he secured, prov-
ing it to be a female Henslow's Sparrow. We found a small colony of
these birds in this portion of the meadows — about twelve pairs as far as
we could judge. The two females taken demonstrated that they were
breeding- by the bare abdomen and the tough thickened skin of the bellv.
In the limited amount of time at our disposal no nests were found;
indeed, it was a difficult matter to locate the birds themselves, much less
the nests. In the vast expanse of meadow the search was in vain. By
careful concentration we could detect the se-slick notes of the birds arising
from out of the medley caused by the Meadowlark, Bobolink, and Red-
winged Blackbird, but to an unaccustomed ear the notes would easilv be
passed over or ignored.

The birds favored perching on the tops of the various weed stalks,
golden-rod, asters, etc., that invested certain portions of the field. Once
flushed the birds would fly in a peculiar wavering manner a short dis-
tance, drop suddenly into the tangled grass, and were with extreme
difficulty put up again. Mouse-like they would worm their way through
the matted grass and were shortly in a different direction from the place
one expected to find them. Towards sunset the birds were more active
and the notes would arise from various points. I did not hear them after
sunset.

We visited this colony again on July 23 and 24 and August 21. On the
latter date the birds had moved up to higher ground where a tangle of
golden-rod and other weeds made a good cover. On September 25
thorough search failed to reveal even a single bird. On October 2, in
Wayne County, we were passing through a neglected piece of meadow
when I flushed a small sparrow which, by its peculiar flight I realized
was an Ammodrainus of some species. This bird quickly dropped into
the grass and we searched for an hour before Taverner flushed it again in
a distant portion of the field and secured it. This bird proved to be a
male Henslow's Sparrow — a much more brightly plumed bird than the
June specimens ; the dark streaks of the sides showed up very plainly
against the ochreus wash on the breast.

I think that A. henslotvii will prove to be a much more abundant
species in this section of Michigan than is supposed, though very locally
distributed. — Bradshaw H. Swales, Detroit, J\/ic//.

The Northern Parula Warbler in Southern Michigan. — I am enabled
by the courtesy of Mr. J. Claire Wood of Detroit to record the first speci-
men of the Northern Parula Warbler {Compsothlypis americana tisnece)
taken in Wayne County. Michigan. On September 25, 1904, Mr. Wood

Vol;<JXI1] General Notes. 85

met with several of these birds and secured an adult male which is now in
his collection. I have expected to find this species here for some time, as
Mr. Taverner found it at Port Huron, St. Clair County, to the north, and
it has been taken in Monroe and Washenaw Counties, southeast of here.
— Bradshaw H. Swales, Detroit, Mich.

Bachman's Warbler in Leon County, Florida. — In the October, 1904,
number of 'The Auk' Mr. R. W. Williams, Jr., in a list of the birds of
Leon County, Florida, says concerning Bachman's Warbler: "Only one
record. I took this specimen on August 4, 1900." On March 22, ^04,
while in company with Mr. Morgan Hebard of Thomasville, Georgia, I
collected a male specimen of this species in a black gum swamp in the
extreme northeastern section of Leon County, about four miles distant
from the Georgia line. The individual taken was in company with sev-
eral others which appeared to be the same species, but as the identitv was
not known until the specimen was in hand, no others were secured. —
James A. G. Rehn, Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa.

The First Hooded Warbler Taken in Maine. — On the 9th of Septem-
ber, 1904, Mr. Samuel T. Uana, of Portland, informed me that he had seen
a Hooded Warbler ( Wilsonia mitrata) at Falmouth. As this bird had
never, to my knowledge, been recorded in Maine, I asked him to secure
a specimen, which he did on the 10th of September, 1904. The bird was
brought to a Portland taxidermist the same day and mounted. It is now
in the possession of Mr. Dana. It is a male bird, an adult, and is in per-
fect plumage. It was taken in the trees near a dwelling, and had been
there several days, in company with other warblers. The capture of this
warbler and the establishing of a new record has attracted considerable
comment among local ornithologists. — W. H. Brownsox, Portland,
At a i ne.

Breeding of the Hudsonian Chickadee (Panes hudsonicus) at Dover,
Me. — There has been so little said or written in relation to the breeding
of this species that the record of a nest with young discovered by the
writer the present season may be of some value to the working ornithol-
ogists.

During a 12 years' residence at Dover, Piscataquis County, I have occa-
sionally during my rambles met this species, but the meetings have
usually occurred during the late fall or winter seasons, and have been so
infrequent as to merit a special record in my notes. Accordingly it was-
indeed a surprise to discover a pair engaged in the act of rearing a brood
of young this season. The date was June 21. I had spent the morning
botanizing in a place locally known as Sangerville bog, located due west
from Dover village, the nearest portion of the bog being about a mile
distant. The boundary line between the towns of Dover and Sangerville
passes directly through the morass, a portion lying in either town, but
the ' find ' was located on the Dover side.

86 General Notes. [^aunk

This bog is of the character of many others scattered throughout
northern and central Maine, lying in a valley surrounded by hills of mod-
erate height, the slopes of which are well wooded, principally with beech,
birch and poplar. The swampy margin of the bog produces a belt of fir
and cedar with a fair percentage of yellow birch and swamp'maple, while
the center of the bog consists of open areas interspersed with clumps of
the hackmatack, locally known as juniper.

The nest was located in the coniferous belt at the extreme edge of the
swarnp, about six rods from an opening where the growth had been cut
away and is now occupied as pasture. A portion of a dead cedar, nine
inches in diameter and about ten feet in length, had fallen and stood
leaning with a gentle incline against a birch, and in this stub about four
feet from the ground the nest was located. The birds had done appar-
ently but little excavating in solid wood ; taking advantage of a decayed
place in the side of the stub, had there begun their building operations.
The opening at the entrance was irregular in shape, measuring about two
by three inches, the cavity expanding with the descent until a depth of
six inches was reached where the inside diameter was about four inches,
and there the nest was placed. It contained six young birds, well covered
with dark feaihers, which were probably about a week out of the shell,
and they tilled the nest so completely it was a question how they would
all be able to exist and reach maturity in these narrow quarters.

The old birds were engaged in feeding the young, and the fact of one
having a woodland moth — species unknown — in its bill first led me to
suspect a brood of nestlings might be near. Both birds were seen and
positively identified through my glass at a distance of about 30 feet
before the nest was discovered. While I was examining the nest, the
bird with the moth in its bill, presumably the female, as she was the most
fearless of the pair, flew to within seven or eight feet of my head and
nearly on a level with it. showing the greatest anxiety and uttering pite-
ous cries. Her call notes before I approached the nest were similar to
the following syllables, tsivee-chee ya-a-a-ck (emphasis on last syllable
and with rising inflection) and were uttered at intervals of five or six sec-
onds quite constantly. The male was not apparently as anxious as his
mate, nor did I hear any note from him during my stay in the vicinity of
near a half hour.

I could not remain longer to study this interesting family, and after
carefullv marking the spot, returned home intending to return and secure
material proof of the bird's identity, but business detained me and I was
riot able to again visit the place until July 1, an absence of ten days,
when I found the nest empty. From its appearance I had no doubt that
the voung brood had occupied it until within a day or so, and expected to
find them near, but a search of the surrounding territory failed to dis-
cover any trace of them.

The stub containing the nest was secured and the nest-lining examined,
which proved to consist mainly of vegetable down from ferns and what

Vol;<£5XI1] General Notes. 87

appeared to be the fur of the northern hare or rabbit nicely felted
together.

This record of Parus hudsonicus would appear to indicate a later season
for nesting than that occupied by P. atricapillus, as I discovered a flock
of the latter containing both the old and young birds, several days from
the nest, feeding only a few rods from the spot where, snug in their tree,
lay concealed the brood of young hudsonicus which appeared to be only
about a week out of the shell. Accordingly atricapillus must have been
out in the world quite ten days before hudsonicus would leave its nest.

During my rambles in this vicinity in the months of September and
October, I found hudsonicus to be more abundant than during previous
years, and on at least one occasion a flock containing five or six individ-
uals was seen. May we not hope that this occasional resident bird is
becoming more abundant within our borders, and that the observations
of future seasons may prove it to be a permanent though rare species. —
Sanford Ritchie, Dover, Me.

Hudsonian Chickadee about Boston, Mass. — Mr. M. C. Blake and I
have four records of the Hudsonian Chickadee (Parus hudsonicus) in the
vicinity of Boston in November, 1904, namely: Middlesex Fells, Virginia
Wood, November 4 ; Ipswich, Castle Hill, November 12 ; Belmont, No-
vember 25 ; and Waverley, Beaver Brook Reservation, November 25. In
each instance a single Hudsonian has been in the company of a flock of
Blackcaps in evergreen growth. In the case of the Ipswich bird he was
in closely growing young spruces and hardly above the level of the ejre
and was very finely seen while he gave a sweet warbling song. The Bel-
mont bird was also well seen and gave a few notes of the warbling song.
In another flock of P. atricapillus the distinctive calls of a second hud-
sonicus were heard, and when we reached Waverley upon the same after-
noon a third hudsonicus was giving calls among a flock of atricapillus.
As it has not been my good fortune in previous autumns and winters to
meet with this species, it would appear that at least it is in more evidence
this season in the vicinity of Boston than for the last five years. —
Horace W. Wright, Boston, Mass.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the Public Garden, Boston, Mass. — In
the early morning of October 22, 1904, which was clear with a light south-
westerly wind, following a southeasterly gale of fifty miles an hour along
the Middle Atlantic and New England coasts the previous day, I found
upon entering our Public Garden in the heart of the city a Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher (Polioptila c&rulea). Immediately upon my entrance his
call was heard from a neighboring beech, and being different from any
call-note with which I was acquainted, — tiny, nervously given and oft-
repeated, — it guided me at once to the presence of the bird. He constantly
flitted from one bough to another with even more rapidity than does a king-
let and was of about kinglet size. The clear blue-gray of the entire head

88 Getieral Notes. [~^uk

Ljan.

and back, the white outer tail-feathers, the drooping of the wings and erect-
ness of the tail at once made his identity clear. He was also engaged in
his Sittings in catching and eating insects. His companions were Black-
poll Warblers and Juncos. From the beech he took flight into a tall syca-
more maple and gradually worked down from the top of the tree into the
lower branches, where he was seen at very near range and his catching of
insects was observed with much interest. The House Sparrows, how-
ever, soon began to make trouble for him and at length drove him to a
distance, but not before I had spent twenty minutes with this so rare bird
in Massachusetts and made good acquaintance with it. I had not ob-
served whether it had a black forehead and black line over the eye, not
knowing at the time that these markings differentiate the male from the
female, but as the color of the entire upper parts was a conspicuously
clear blue-gray, and Coues's ' Key' describes the female as " duller and
more grayish above," it was not improbably a male. When I made my
usual morning visit to the Public Garden the next day, the Gnatcatcher
could not be found. In the ' Birds of Massachusetts,' compiled by
Messrs. R. H. Howe, Jr., and G. M. Allen, and issued in 1901, but six
records of Polioptila ccendea are given, namely : Chatham, November 18,
1877; Falmouth, December 18, 1877; Magnolia, August 27, 1879; Oster-
ville, September 26, 1879 ; Brookline, September 8, 1887 ; Highland
Light, October 9, 1889. In the opinion of Mr. Willam Brewster it is not
improbable that the bird may have drifted north before the southerly
storm of October 21. — Horace W. Wright, Boston, Mass.

Notes on Several Rare Southeastern Michigan Birds.— Gavia lumme.
Red-throated Loon. — We recently examined an immature bird of this
species in the flesh which was shot November 11, 1904, on the Detroit
River, near Point Mouille, by a local gunner and sent in to L. J. Eppinger,
the local taxidermist, for mounting. This is the first record for Gavia
lumme in southeastern Michigan, and there are but two records for the
southern peninsula, both very old.

Oidemia deglandi. White-winged Scoter. — A bird of this species,
sex not determined, was shot November 11, 1904, on the Detroit River,
off Point Mouille, and sent in for mounting to Mr. Eppinger. No prior
record for Wayne County is obtainable, although Mr. Swales examined a
mounted specimen taken at the North Channel, St. Clair Flats, by Henry
Avery during the fall of 1900.

Oidemia perspicillata. Surf Scoter. — A female Surf Scoter was shot
at the St. Clair Flats, St. Clair County, on October 13, 1904, and sent in
with other ducks to Mr. Eppinger's, where we examined it. This is the
second record for the species in this section, but without doubt both this
and O. deglandi are occasionally shot by the gunners without the birds
falling into any ornithologist's hands.

Cistothorus stellaris. Short-billed Marsh Wren. — On October 2,
1904, Mr. Swales shot a female in Wayne County, six miles north of De-

Voiig^5XI1] General Notes. 89

troit, in a tangled grassy field. In fifteen years' observation, this is the
first stellaris that has actually been taken here. Mr. Jas. B. Purdy writes
that some years ago he met with a pair of this species near Plymouth,,
where he found it breeding. — B. H. Swales and P. A. Taverner, De-
troit, Mich.

Additional Records for Southeastern Michigan. — Savanna Sparrow.
Passe re //Iks sandwickensis savanna. — June iS, 1904, near Pearl Beach, St.
Clair Co., on the edge of the St. Clair Flats, I found a colony of these
birds breeding. About a dozen birds were seen.

Clay-colored Sparrow. Sfizella pallida. — Took one bird at Port
Huron, St Clair Co., May 2, 1901. The specimen is in the collection of
J. H. Fleming of Toronto, Ont.

Lincoln's Sparrow. Melospiza lincolnt. — May 15, 1904, I took a male
near Palmer Park, Detroit. It is in the collection of B. H. Swales.

Prairie Warbler. Dendroica discolor. — I took a female at Port Hu-
ron, May 20, 1900. It is now in the collection of J. H. Fleming.

Connecticut Warbler. Geothylpis agilis. — May 23, 1900, a female,
taken at Port Huron. Now in collection of J. H. Fleming.

I also wish to record a Purple Gallinule [Ionornis tnartit/ica) taken near
Guelph, Wellington Co., Ontario, about 1894. It is an immature bird and
is in the possession of Mr. Wm. Holliday of that city. — P. A. Taverner,
Detroit, Mich.

The Apparent Power of Reasoning in Birds. — The apparent power of
reasoning, I say, because we cannot be sure of an animal's mental con-
dition, as Mr. Wheeler points out in 'The Auk1 for April, 1904, our
mind being no doubt very different from that of the animal. We will
have to be converted into the animal and live for a while as such before
we can thoroughly understand how it feels and what motive causes it to
act in a certain way. It does not do for us to treat the animal's actions
as though it were a human being, and yet there are actions on the part of
the animal which seem to show some mental faculty closely akin to man's
power of reasoning. Whether the animal really has any forethought as
to the best method of accomplishing a desired end or not we cannot say,
but at times it certainly appears to have.

In the early summer of 1903, a friend and myself procured a nest of
young Red-winged Blackbirds and raised the brood. Since then I have
made a pet of one of them — a female. The cage sits upon the window-
sill and the blackbird takes much interest in the English Sparrows which
are attracted to the outer sill by her presence. Her cage has a large perch
which reaches the full length of the window. This perch is securely fas-
tened at one end while the other end rests in a notch upon a cross strip of
wood. This perch is some twelve inches from the vvindowpane, and when
upon it the blackbird was unable to see the sparrows upon the outer sill.
In some way or other she discovered that one end of the perch was free.

go General Notes. \_\xn

She would cling to the side of the cage and pry under this end with her
bill until she had raised the perch up out of the notch where it rested,
then, by a series of pushes with her bill, or by having one foot upon the
perch and the other upon the side of the cage, she would work it over
until it reached diagonally. to the corner of the cage. She could now
stand upon it and look out at the sparrows Of course she may have dis-
covered this by accident, but she went about it in such a methodical way
that she appeared to be thoroughly aware that in this way she could
accomplish her end.

She also displayed another bit of intelligence — if I may call it such. I
had caged a male Cardinal with her. There was no assertion of authority
on the Cardinal's part — he gave in to her in everything. But with the
Cardinal came a new kind of food into the cage. I fed him a mixed seed,
a good portion of which was sunflower seeds. Now the blackbird's bill
was not strong enough to break the sunflower seed. She watched the Car-
dinal eat them, and she finally took the following method of procuring
them :

The Cardinal would pick up a sunflower seed and start to crack it in his
bill. When he had cracked it several times, the blackbird would walk up
to him and seize it and she was then able to get at the contents with little
trouble.

In obtaining these ends the blackbird seemed to show some instinctive
or mental faculty which, if not identical, is apparently very similar to the
reasoning powers of man. — Chreswell J. Hunt, 1306 N. 33rd St., Phil-
adelphia, Pa.

Guthrie's Geography, 1815 Edition. — Some of the readers of ' The Auk '
may be interested to know that a copy of the second volume of the 1815
edition of Guthrie's 'Geography' has recently come to light. This edi-
tion had become so rare that in 1S94 Mr. S. N. Rhoads issued a reprint of
the zoological matter contained therein,1 and which, as was shown by
Mr. Rhoads, was prepared by Mr. George Ord expressly for this edition.

The copv above referred to was found amongst a street-corner lot of old
books, composed for the most part of school books and modern editions
of travel, fiction, etc., and is in fairly good condition, seemingly complete
as to text and maps. Since Mr. Rhoads's reprint appeared, the copy
therein referred to as having been lost1 from the library of the Philadel-
phia Academy of Natural Sciences has come to light and proves to be a
"separate " only of the zoological portion of Volume II. The copy now
noticed would appear to be the second known copy of this edition, which
is the only edition of the work containing the technical portion of the
Zoology. — C. J. Pennock, 8 Kennett Square, Pa.

1 See ' The Auk' for January, 1895, an^ April, \l

Vol. XXII"] Recent Literature 9 1

1905 J

Audubon's Ornithological Biography. — Reading in the April, 1904,
number of 'The Auk' the note by Mr. Reginald Heber Howe. Jr. on a
certain imprint of this work reminds me that I have a copy with similar
imprint in my ornithological library. My copy has untrimmed margins,
is yellow with age and bound in cardboard covered with a thin, unmarked,
uncolored cloth. This copy contains 528 pages, 506 being of text, fol-
lowed by an Index, Prospectus, Contents of Vol. I of the Birds of Amer-
ica, Extracts from Reviews, and List of Subscribers. My copy was
received in 1S94 from Wm. D. Doan of Coatsville, Pa.— W. E. Snyder,
Beaver Dam, Wise.

RECENT LITERATURE.

Cooke's Distribution and Migration of North American Warblers.1 —
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Professor Cooke's important
contribution to our knowledge of the seasonal distribution and migration
of this, one of the largest and the most distinctly peculiar of North
American birds, the Warblers, or the Mniotiltidae. It is a subject which
has long occupied the author's attention, and for the investigation of
which he has had access to an accumulation of data gathered during
many years of well directed effort on the part of the Chief of the Bio-
logical Survey, Dr. C. Hart Merriam — an amount of information
unequalled outside of North America for the investigation of the distri-
bution and migration of the birds of any area or of any group. The
degree of migration exhibited by different members of the family varies,
as is well known, from nearly sedentary species to those which breed as
far north as the limit of arboreal vegetation and spend the winter far
dovvn in the tropics. Some, also, are exceedingly local in their disper-
sal, while others range over a large part of two continents.

Professor Cooke treats first and rather briefly (pp. 8-14) of migration
routes, on the same lines as in his paper in the present number of 'The
Auk' (pp. 1-15) entitled 'Routes of Bird Migration,' and also in his 'Some
New Facts about Bird Migration' (see Auk, XXI, p. 501), but of course
with more direct reference to his present subject. The species are first
(pp. 14-16) briefly reviewed with reference to the " southernmost exten-
sion of their winter ranges," those of eastern North America being

1 Distribution and Migration of North American Warblers. By Wells W.
Cooke, Assistant, Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Divi-
sion of Biological Survey — Bulletin No. 18, C. Hart Merriam, Chief. Wash-
ington : Government Printing Office, 1904. 8vo,'pp. 142.

Q2 Rece?it Literature. T^ulc

y LJan.

arranged under four categories : (i) ' Species that range to the mainland
of South America ' — about 20; (2) ' Species known to range to but not
beyond Panama,' — 7 species ; (3) 'Species entering Mexico and Central
America but not known to reach Panama' — 9 species ; (4) 'Species that
do not regularly winter on the mainland south of the United States, but
remain in the Southern States or the West Indies ' — 11 species.

The species formally treated in the ' Systematic ' part (pp. 16-139)
include only those found north of Mexico and in Lower California, and
are taken up in the sequence of the A. O. U. Check-List ; they number
"59 species and 19 subspecies." "In each case," says the author, " the
breeding range is given first, then the winter range, followed by a synop-
sis of the time of spring migration and of fall migration. ... Most
interest attaches to the movements of the warblers of the eastern part of
the United States that pass by flight over water to their winter homes.
These, therefore, receive full treatment, while less is said of the migra-
tion of the western species that make the journey from the United States
to Mexico and southward entirely by land. Special attention has been
paid to the definition of the southern limit of the breeding range
of each species — a subject that for many years has received the careful
consideration of the Biological Survey. So far as known to the writer,"
continues the author, "the present paper is the first attempt to define
exactly the northern limit of the winter range of each species, and also
to indicate the altitudinal range of the same in its winter home."

The above extract fully sets forth the scope and aims of the work, which
appear to have been carried out with all possible care and completeness;
and we have thus a contribution to ornithological literature as unique as
it is important. Based largely on records received from voluntary
observers by the Biological Survey, from land stations and lighthouses
covering a wide area and a period of twenty years or more, other unpub-
lished records from Mexico, Nicaragua, and especially Costa Rica, have
also been available, and the literature of ornithology has been syste-
matically examined, and thousands of scattered records have been col-
lated and utilized. While there are still gaps to be filled, as along the
Gulf coast of the United States, and in Middle America between Mexico
and Costa Rica, we have at least the main facts convenientlv accessible,
for which we should be deeply grateful. — J. A. A.

Osgood on Birds of Alaska. — In his account of 'A Biological Recon-
naissance of the Base of the Alaska Peninsula,' ' made during the summer
and fall of 1902, Mr. Osgood gives a general account of the country
traversed, with lists of the mammals and birds (pp. 51-81) collected or
observed by him, or hitherto recorded or collected by others. He landed

1 North American Fauna, No. 24, November 23, 1904, pp. 1-86, with 2 maps
and 5 half-tone plates.

Vol. XXiri Recent Literature. Q2

1905 j y o

at Iliamna Bay July 10, and proceeded westward and northward to Lake
Clark, then westward and southward to Nushagak, on Bristol Bay, and
then eastward again across the peninsula to Cold Bay, near the mouth of
Shelikof Strait. A map of the region traversed indicates the principal
physical features, and another map the faunistic features, while eleven
half-tone cuts furnish views of scenery and vegetation in a hitherto
almost unexplored region. About twelve pages are given to a general
description of the region, and four to a consideration of its life zones,
which are plotted on the accompanying map. The journey was made
chiefly by canoe. The special interest of the region consists in the fact
that it constitutes the meeting ground of the Hudsonian and Arctic life
zones, the boundary between which, being the junction of the treeless and
timbered regions, Mr. Osgood is now able to define with considerable
accuracy. " The Arctic occupies the main part of the Alaska Peninsula
southwest of the vicinity of Naknek Lake, together with a narrow strip
northward along the coast of Bristol Bay and Bering Sea ; the Hudsonian
stretches over the region to the northward on the mainland."

The annotated 'List of Birds' numbers 134 species, based in part on
specimens taken by the late C. L. McKay, and his successor J. W.John-
son, some twenty years ago (1 881-1886) when stationed as United States
Signal Service observers at Nushagak (formerly Fort Alexander), and
not hitherto published, except to some extent incidentally. With the
exception of the work of McKay and Johnson, nothing had been done in
this region before Mr. Osgood's visit in 1902. It is fortunate to have
their records, resting on specimens in the National Museum, thus
rescued and brought together with those of Mr. Osgood. The McKay-
Johnson specimens here mentioned appear to represent about 111 species,
while Osgood appears to have taken or positively identified about 108,
respecting many of which he has extended and very interesting field
notes. — J. A. A.

Nelson on New Birds from Mexico. — Mr. Nelson has recently de-
scribed ' four new birds collected by Mr. E. A. Goldman during the
spring and summer of 1904 in southern Mexico, mostly in the state of
Chiapas. They are: (1) Porzana goldmaui, generally similar to P.
noveboracensis, from the Valley of Toluca, Mexico; (2) Empidonax
fulvifrons fi/sciceps, from Chiapas ; (3) Arretnenops superciliosus chia-
pensis ; (4) Tehnatodytes palustris toluccnsis, from Valley of Toluca. —
J. A. A.

Henderson's Additional List of Boulder County, Colorado, Birds. 2 —

1 Descriptions of Four New Birds from Mexico. By E. W. Nelson. Proc.
Biol. Soc. Wash., XVII, pp. 151, 152, Oct. 6, 1904.

2 Additional List of Boulder County Birds, with Comments thereon. By
Junius Henderson. The University of Colorado Studies, Vol. II, No. 2,
July, 1904, pp. 107-112.

GA. Recent Literature. \^n

This is an addition of about 50 species to a previous "preliminary list"1
(which we have not seen), published in April, 1903, which makes "a
total of 206 species now recorded from the County." The nominal list of
additions is followed by several pages of interesting annotations, those on
the Juncos (of which six species are listed) and the White-necked Raven
being of special interest. — J. A. A.

Preliminary Review of the Birds of Nebraska.2 — This 'preliminary
review' is under the joint authorship of Messrs. Lawrence Bruner,
Robert H. Walcott, and Myron H. Swenk. An introduction of two
pages states the origin, purpose, and scope of the work, and the share each
author had in its preparation. It also states that, preliminary as it is in
the sense of being the forerunner, it is hoped, of a more elaborate work
to appear later, " it has been prepared with the greatest care, and is be-
lieved to represent exactly the state of our knowledge at the present day."
The introduction is followed by an essay by Professor Bruner on ' Birds
in their Relation to Agriculture and Horticulture' (pp. 5-1 1), in which it
is stated that 400 different kinds of birds have been found within the
State of Nebraska, of which 200 are known to nest within the State. The
' Synopses and List,' forming the main text ( pp. 15-116), is preceded by two
pages of cuts and explanations illustrating the ' Topography of Bohemian
Waxwing for Beginners,' which, with the 'synopses,' is designed to
make the work useful to those who are not ornithologists, and so aid in
increasing interest in birds " and advancing the cause of bird protection."
The ' synopses' are in the nature of 'keys,' to the higher groups as well
as to the species and subspecies, and are based (with acknowledgments)
on those in Apgar's 'Birds of the Eastern United States.' As the keys
are printed in the same style and size of type as the list, the different
kinds of matter are not obvious except on actual inspection of the text.
The numeration, as well as the nomenclature, is that of the A. O. U.
Check-List, but a special or consecutive numeration could have been
added (in parenthesis after the A. O. U. No.) with advantage, especially
in the absence of any general summary of the list. Species previously
attributed to the State on what is now considered unsatisfactory evidence,
as well as those of probable occurrence but not yet detected, are included,
both in the keys and in the list, but in the list are properly distinguished
from the authenticated species, — the first by being placed between
brackets, and the latter by the designation ' extra-liinital.' The list is
thus apparently all the authors claim for it — a careful exposition of

1 Ibid., Vol. I, No. 3, April, 1903.

2 A I Preliminary Review | of the | Birds of Nebraska | with Synopses | — |
By I Lawrence Bruner, Robert H. Walcott, Myron H. Swenk — (No date nor
publisher's imprint on title page.) Rlopp & Bartlett Co., Omaha, Neb. 8vo.
pp. 1 — 1 16, and an unpaged index of 5 leaves.

VOl;9oXI1] Recent Literature. 95

present knowledge of the birds of Nebraska, and as such, with its included
' synopses,' must prove of great assistance to students of Nebraska
ornithology, as well as an important contribution to fauna 1 literature.
-J. A. A.

Scott on the Inheritance of Song in Passerine Birds. — In two recent
papers in 'Science'1 Mr. Scott continues the relation of his interest-
ing observations in regard to the growth, changes of plumage, song, and
nest-building of hand-reared Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Meadowlarks.
On June 19, 1903, three young Grosbeaks, then about five days old, were
taken from the nest and successfully reared by hand in the author's
aviary, and were thus excluded from contact with wild birds of their own
species. They had moulted by September into the usual fall dress of the
species, and the second moult was completed early in February, this in-
cluding the tail feathers but not the wing quills, which latter, however,
underwent some change in color. Just what the change was is not stated,
but as tc the ' how ' of the change Mr. Scott tells us, in italic type, " I am
strongly inclined to the opinion that there is a physical change in the
feather itself, which alters its appearance so far as color is concerned";
or, as he says again, the primaries "attain their brilliancy either by wear
or by direct change in the color of the feather.'1'1 As this is given as his
" opinion," we naturally wait with interest for some proof that this opin-
ion has some basis of fact, since the well-established facts thus far are
quite opposed to such a belief.

Soon after the Grosbeaks, of which two were males and the other a
female, had recovered from their second moult the males began to make
feeble attempts at song, which presently increased in volume, and while
extremely musical and possessing "the soft plaintive quality character-
istic of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak," "no one would refer the method of
song to the bird in question." In the second report on these birds, and
referring to the third week in May, 1904, the song is described as "abso-
lutely and entirely different from the song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak
as it is heard when wild out of doors." The two male Grosbeaks had
then for some time been kept in cages adjacent to a Hardwick's Bulbul,
and by the middle of May their songs "were so close an imitation of the
insistent song of the Bulbul that it was difficult, when not looking at the
birds, to tell which species was singing."

1 The Inheritance of Song in Passerine Birds. Remarks on the Develop-
ment of Song in the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Zamelodia ludoviciana (Lin-
naeus), and the Meadowlark, Sturnella magna (Linnaeus). By William E. D.
Scott. Science, N. S., Vol. XIX, No. 495, pp. 957-959, June 14, 1904.

The Inheritance of Song in Passerine Birds. Further Observations on the
Development of Song and Nest-building in Hand-reared Rose-breasted Gros-
beaks, Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linnaeus). Ibid., Vol. XX, No. 504, pp. 282,
283, Aug. 26, 1904.

g6 Rectnt Literature. \^

The birds mated with females provided for them, and about the middle
of May showed a desire to build nests, and for some time busied them-
selves with "abortive attempts at nest-building." They proved unable to
successfully adjust the materials supplied to them, and were finally fur-
nished with artificial nests. They availed themselves of these, soon
completing a lining and beginning to lay. Each female laid a full com-
plement, but the eggs were broken by the birds, apparently by accident
in their continued efforts to complete the nest structure to their liking.
Each female laid another set of eggs, which shared the fate of the first
set. Mr. Scott summarizes his observations on this case as follows :
"While I am not prepared to conclude that the Grosbeaks would not have
built a nest if furnished with more commodious quarters and nearer like
the condition of affairs that exist out of doors, 1 conclude that so far as
nest-building in cages is concerned they are unable to accomplish any-
thing. So far as the song is concerned, I believe that they inherit the
call-notes of both pleasure and fear, but that the song of the males was
an imitation of a song of a bird that strongly impressed them during
the period when they were cultivating this secondary sexual character-
istic."

The account of the young Meadowlarks is less detailed. A male
acquired a song "quite dissimilar to that of a wild Meadowlark," and
accompanied the performance by what Mr. Scott calls "a parade or dance,
analogous to the strut of a turkey-cock." A part of the song consisted
of "a silvery whistling sequence of five or six notes rather long drawn
out, and given with much precision," which so resembled a part of the
song of a European Blackbird confined in the same room, that it was
several weeks before Mr. Scott and his assistant were able to identify
the real author of the strain.

In his comment on this case Mr. Scott says : "My conclusion is that
birds are influenced in their early lives very strongly by any noise that
arrests their attention, even in a wild state, and that this propensity to
imitate and differentiate their normal methods of song is greatly exag-
gerated under the artificial state wherein they live when in confinement."
-J. A. A.

Scott's Ornithology of Patagonia. — The first fasciculus of the ornitho-
logical volume x of the Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to

1J. Pierpont Morgan Publication Fund | — | Reports | of the Princeton
University Expeditions | to Patagonia, 1S96-1899 | J. B. Hatcher in Charge |
Edited by | William B. Scott | Blair Professor of Geology and Palaeontology,
Princeton University | Volume II | Ornithology | Part I. | Rheidae-Sphen-
iscidae | By | William Earl Dodge Scott | Princeton University | associated
with I R. Bowdler Sharpe | British Museum of Natural Plistory | Princeton,
N. J. I The University | Stuttgart | E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlags-Handlung
(E. N agele) | 1904. — 4to, pp. 1-112. Issued July 26, 1904.

Vol. XXII j Recent Literature. gj

Patagonia, conducted by the late Dr. J. B. Hatcher, has made its appear-
ance under the joint authorship of Mr. W. E. D. Scott of Princeton and
Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe of the British Museum of Natural History, and
is thus likely to be well done and authoritative. The first part begins
with the systematic portion, without any introductory matter, which,
under separate pagination, will doubtless appear with the final part of
the work. The basis of the present volume is the ornithological collec-
tions made by Dr. Hatcher and his principal assistants, Mr. Peterson and
Mr. A. E. Colburn, incidentally to the main work of the Princeton Uni-
versity Patagonian Expeditions, which was to explore the geology and
rich deposits of animal remains in Patagonia. The scientific results of
these eminently successful expeditions will form twelve large quarto vol-
umes, abundantly illustrated with plates and text cuts, and will be pub-
lished at the expense of the J. Pierpont Morgan Fund. Several volumes
have already appeared, including the narrative volume, by Dr. Hatcher,
whose untimely death a few months ago is lamented as a most serious
loss to science. His wonderfully successful researches in Patagonia
were due to his indomitable perseverance, energy, and remarkable power
of endurance, under grave hardships and adverse conditions. As a
field explorer he had few equals, and he had also attained eminence as
an investigator which presaged long years of useful work when disease
suddenly cut short his career. In the narrative volume of the Expedi-
tions he recorded many observations on the birds of the region visited,
which we are glad to see are here utilized.

Naturally the classification adopted is that propounded by Dr. Sharpe
and employed in his well-known ' Hand-List of the Genera and Species
of Birds.' The families treated in the present brochure include the
Rheida;, Tinamida?, Columbidae, Peristidae, Rallida;, Podicipedidre, and
Sphenicida;, and include 29 species, occupying 112 pages, with numer-
ous text cuts of heads, bills, feet, etc. Very full tables of bibliographi-
cal references are given, for the higher groups as well as the species,
with technical descriptions of the species, followed by a brief paragraph
giving the geographical range, and as much biographical matter as could
be conveniently gathered from preceding writers, including Darwin's
extended observations on many of the species included in the scope of
this work. Although its exact geographical limits are not here stated, it
is evidently intended to be a complete monograph of the ornithology of
Patagonia, including the Falkland Islands. Hence only a small propor-
tion of the species are represented in the collections made by the Prince-
ton University Expeditions — only one fourth of those covered by Part
I. In most cases, in fact, the descriptions are avowedly based on
material in the British Museum, to which Mr. Scott took the specimens
collected by the Princeton Expeditions for identification. The work has
thus authoritatively determined material for its basis, and through the
association of Dr. Sharpe in the authorship, such an authoritative stand-
ing that we may pardon even the use of emended names. — J. A. A.

g8 Recent Literature. Ilan

Bryan's 'A Monograph of Marcus Island.' 1— Marcus Island is a small
islet near the middle of the North Pacific Ocftan (Lat. 240 14' N., Long.
1540 E.) described as "an ancient triangular atoll which has been elevated
above the sea," with an area of about 740 acres, a coast line of about four
miles, and an elevation in the interior, which is covered with heavy forest,
of from 25 to 75 feet. The island was claimed for the United States by
right of discovery, by Captain Rosehill, in June, 1889, and in July, 1898,
was taken into possession by the Japanese, who later relinquished their
claim in favor of the United States. It has guano deposits and cocoanut
palms, but its economic importance is, of course, slight.

Mr. Bryan gives first an account of its discovery and location, especially
with reference to other more or less mythical islands in the vicinity, and
a history of recent attempts at its exploitation. Up to 1900 it appears to
have been go little known that its exact location and physical characteris-
tics were still in doubt. After a detailed description of its physical
features, its geology and its meteorological conditions, Mr. Bryan, aided
by specialists in various branches, proceeds to give an annotated list of the
fauna, and some account of the flora, based on observations and collections
made by him during a week's sojourn on the island in August, 1902,
under the auspices of the Bishop Museum. The birds (pp. 77-116) num-
ber 18 species, all water birds, and most of them pelagic or marine species
of wide distribution. Not only was no land bird met with, but Mr.
Bryan satisfied himself that had "any existing terrestrial or arboreal bird
been in any way introduced on the island, it would have perished for
want of suitable food." Fifty-six specimens were taken, which, with his
field notes, form the basis of the present list. One species, a tern {Alte-
rations marcusi), is described as new, it differing, however, only slightly
from M. katvauensis. At the time of his visit the Japanese had a naval
officer and a party of marines on the island, and the military regulations
imposed by them greatly hampered the work of his party and shortened
its stay, and especially interfered with his bird collecting. The Japanese
themselves, however, have been exceedingly destructive of bird life there
for commercial purposes, particularly of the Sooty Tern [Sterna fuligi-
nosa) which is the most abundant bird on the island. Mr. Byran found
their number beyond estimate ; "probably" he says, "to say that there
were hundreds of thousands would convey a conservative suggestion as to
their abundance." The Japanese had a party of some thirty men engaged
in collecting their skins for the New York, Paris, and Berlin millinery
markets ; and "during the six months from March to September not less

1 A Monograph of Marcus Island, an Account of its Physical Features and
Geology, with descriptions of the Fauna and Flora. By Wm. Alanson
Bryan, B. Sc. Illustrated by a map, seven half-tone cuts and line drawings
by the author. Occas. Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Mus., Vol. II, No.
1, 1903, pp. 77-!j9-

V0l;9o5XI1] Recent Literature. gg

than 50,000 birds are there slaughtered as a sacrifice to the cruel goddess
of fashion." Their method of prosecuting the work is described in detail.
Also, "the story of the Marcus Island colony of Goonies (Diomedea
immutabilii) is one of death and extermination." Disappointed in being
unable "to find guano by their crude methods," the Japanese developed a
scheme to make a marketable commodity of the Goonies, by killing them
and boiling them down in great kettles to form a fertilizer which thev
shipped to Japan, saving, however, the long wing quills to sell as 'eagle
feathers' for the decoration of women's hats, and the breast feathers were
"plucked off and sold by the pound." Under this treatment the colony
has greatly dwindled, and in 1902 the birds were onlv killed for their
feathers.

Mr. Bryan's extended notes on the habits of a number of the species of
birds are of especial interest and value. Besides two species of reptiles,
a considerable number of crustaceans, and a large collection of mollusks,
he secured some 60 species of fishes, a number of which proved new to
science. His brief stay at Marcus Island has thus not onlv for the first
time made the island really known to the world, but has given us a fair
conception of its fauna and flora. — J. A. A.

Macoun's Catalogue of Canadian Birds, Part III.1 — The publication
of Part III completes this important work, forming a volume of about
770 pages, and constituting the most extensive and valuable single con-
tribution to Canadian Ornithology since the publication of the bird vol-
ume of the 'Fauna Boreali-Americana,' seventy-five years ago. We have
so fully noted the character and scope of this work in our notices of
Parts I and II (Pt. I, A.uk, XVII, 1900, pp. 394, 395 ; Pt. II, Auk, XX,
1903, p. 441) that there is little new to say of it beyond the announce-
ment of its completion. As already said, the work forms a compendium
of the previously published information regarding the range and breed-
ing areas of all the species and subspecies of birds known to occur in
North America north of the United States, including those of Greenland
and Alaska as well as those of Canada, supplemented by a large amount
of hitherto unpublished material gathered by members of the Canadian
Geological Survey, including contributions from a large number of trust-
worthy correspondents. The authorities are given for all the statements
made respecting the manner of occurrence of all of the forms included

'Geological Survey of Canada | Robert Bell, M. D., Sc. D., (Cantab.,)
LL. 1)., F.R. S. I — I Catalogue | of | Canadian Birds | — | Part III | Spar-
rows, Swallows, Vireos, Warblers, | Wrens, Titmice and Thrushes. | Includ-
ing the Order: | Passeres after Icteridaj | — | By | John Macoun, M. A., F. R.
S. C. I Naturalist to the Geological Survey of Canada. | [Vignette.] Ottawa: |
Printed by S. E. Dawson, Printer to the King's Most | Excellent Majesty
I 1904 I No. 883 I Price ten cents. — 8vo, pp. i-iv + 41 5-733-l-i-xxiii.

IOO Recent Literature. T^

in the ' Catalogue,' but it is not always clear whether the- information
given is new or taken from published sources, as the proposed bibliog-
raphy of works consulted has been omitted, it having been found, per-
haps, too voluminous for the space at the author's command. As a
supplemental part, or' addendum' "will, it is hoped, be published in the
near future," to include the voluminous "notes on and references to the
species included in the first two parts of this Catalogue," it may be that
we shall have a bibliography in the proposed additional part. Part III
closes with two pages of addenda and an index to the whole work.

Mr. Macoun has succeeded in bringing together and rendering avail-
able a vast amount of information on the distribution and habits of Can-
adian birds, and has thereby placed the ornithological world under grate-
ful obligations. — J. A. A.

Todd on the Mammal and Bird Fauna of Beaver County, Pennsyl-
vania.1— Beaver County, in its faunal relationships, is Carolinian, a
dozen or more characteristically Carolinian species of birds being enu-
merated by Mr. Todd as of common occurrence in the County. The lists
are briefly annotated; the bird list numbers 178 species, and is believed
to be fairly complete. — J. A. A.

Stone on Birds and Mammals from Mt. Sanhedrin, California. '2 —
Mount Sanhedrin is in Mendocino County, California, and attains an
altitude of 5,000 feet. The birds here recorded were collected by Mr. A.
S. Bunnell of Berkeley, and number 56 species, with field notes on these
and 33 others observed by Mr. Bunnell. As nothing had previously been
published on the region, the present paper forms a welcome addition to
the faunal literature of California. — J. A. A.

Raine on the Eggs of the Solitary Sandpiper.3 — "At last," says
Mr. Raine, "the long-sought for eggs of the Solitary Sandpiper have been
found, and it affords me much pleasure to be the first ornithologist to
have the opportunity of recording its nesting habits, which are unique
amongst North American birds, for I have positive proof that this species
lays its eggs in the [abandoned] nests of other birds." After considering

1 The Mammal and Bird Fauna of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. By W.
E. Clyde Todd, Custodian, Depart. Mammals and Birds, Carnegie Museum,
Pittsburg, Pa. Bausman's History of Beaver County, Pa., Vol. II, 1904, pp.
1195-1202. Separates, dated Nov. 23, 1904. Birds, pp. 1 198-1202.

2 On a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Mount Sanhedrin, California.
By Witmer Stone. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1904, pp, 576-585.
Oct. 17, 1904. Birds, pp. 580-585.

3 Discovery of the Eggs of Solitary Sandpiper. By Walter Raine. Ottawa
Naturalist, Vol. XVIII, 1904, pp. 135-13S. Published Oct. 20, 1904.

Vol. XXIII Recent Literature. IOI

1905 J

the several alleged discoveries of the eggs of this species — in ground
nests — and showing that they cannot be taken as authentic, he proceeds
to describe the taking of three sets of eggs by Mr. Evan Thompson, in
northern Alberta, — one on June 16, 1903, in a deserted Robin's nest,
another June 9, 1904, in the nest of a Bronzed Grackle, and the third on
June 24, 1904, in the nest of a Cedar Waxwing. The second set was
unfortunately destroyed, but of the third set he says : "Mr. Thompson
was fortunate in shooting the parent bird as she flew from the nest and
thus identification is very complete and establishes the fact once for all,
that the Solitary Sandpiper does not lay its eggs in a nest on the ground
like other sandpipers, but takes possession of the nest of other birds,
built in trees, just the same as its Old World representative the Green
Sandpiper is known to do." The eggs are described as being entirely
different from those of the Spotted Sandpiper, but as bearing "family
likeness to eggs of the European Green and Wood Sandpipers, as might
be expected, but, of course, like the birds themselves, the eggs are much
smaller than those " of the two species of European Sandpipers men-
tioned. The separate of Mr. Raine's paper is accompanied by a photo-
graph of the two sets obtained, in situ in the nests, and also a memoran-
dum in pencil to the effect that set No. 3 is now in the collection of the
Hon. John H. Thayer of Lancaster, Mass. — J. A. A.

Riley on the Birds of Barbuda and Antigua.1 — This paper is based
"on a collection of 325 bird skins formed by Mr. H. G. Selwyn during
the late summer, fall, and early winter of 1903, recently acquired by the
United States National Museum," it constituting the largest single col-
lection ever made on these ornithologically little-known islands. The
collection adds several species new to the islands and one, Dendroica
subita, new to science. This species belongs to the D. adelaidce group,
but is quite distinct from any previously known. The total number of
species recorded from these islands is 51, respecting several of which
there is extended critical comment. The form of Butorides represented
is called B. virescens maculatus (Bodd.) ; the form of Little Blue Heron
found there is designated as Florida carulea carulescens (Lath.) ; the
Zenaida and Ground Doves are respectively, Zenaida zenaida aurita
(Temm.) and Columbigallina passe rina trochila (Bonap.) ; the Sparrow
Hawk is Cerchneis sparveria carib&arnm (Gm.), and a new subspecies,
C. s. loquacula, is described from Porto Rico; of the Mangrove Cuckoos,
three forms are recognized, one of which, Coccyzus dominica; Shelley
receives a new name, being called C. in. skelleyi, Shelley's name proving
to be preoccupied; and there are a few other modifications of nomen-
clature.

1 Catalogue of a Collection of Birds from Barbuda and Antigua, British
West Indies. By J. H. Riley. Smithsonian Collections (quarterly issue),
Vol. XLVII, 1904, pp. 277-291. Published Nov. 9, 1894.

102 Recent Literature. ["tuk

Mr. Riley has also recently described a new flycatcher from Grenada
and St. Vincent as Myiarchus oberi nugator.^ — J. A. A.

Dubois's ' Synopsis Avium.'2— Since our last notice of this work it has
been concluded by the publication of fasciculi XIII-XVI, completing
the Herodiones and containing the Grallatores, Palamedete, Anseres,
Steganopodes, Gaviae, Tubinares, Pygopodes, Impennes, Apteryges, Casu-
arii, Rhea', and Struthiones ; also the Supplement and the alphabetic
tables, or indexes, to the genera, species and subspecies, and the system-
atic table of the orders and families.

According to the author's ' postface,' the 'Synopsis' includes 12,509
species and 3969 subspecies, or a total of 16,478 species and subspecies,
apportioned among 2252 genera. The orders number 23, and there are
145 families.

The author's plan and purpose, and the system of classification adopted,
has already been explained in our notices of the first fasciculus (Auk,
XVII, 1900, p. 81), and of Part I (Auk, XIX, 1902, p. 409). As said
before, the ' Synopsis' is constructed very nearly on the plan of the late
G. R. Gray's ' Hand List of the Genera and Species of Birds,' completed
in 1S71, and, including the ' supplement,' brings the subject down to
the early part of 1902. The supplement (pp. 1053-1118) contains the
'genera, species, and subspecies, and many corrections of nomenclature,
which appeared during the publication of the work (1S99-1902) too late to
be included in it, the new species and subspecies alone numbering
respectively 510 and 642. It is the author's plan to issue additional sup-
plements from time to time, thus keeping the work up to date. While
the classification is far from modern, the author is to be congratulated
on the completion of so arduous and useful an -undertaking, which ren-
ders so conveniently accessible references to the original descriptions and
figures of the world's ornis.— J. A. A.

Madarasz's ' An Extraordinary Discovery in Ornithology.' — This is a

1 Description of a new Myiarchus from Grenada and St. Vincent, West
Indies. Smithsonian Contributions (quarterly issue), Vol. XLVII, 1904, pp.
275, 276. Published Nov. 8, 1904.

2 Synopsis Avium | — | Nouveau | Manuel d' Ornithologie | par | Alphonse
Dubois I Docteur en sciences naturelles, | Conservateur au Musee Royal
d'Histoire naturelle de Belgique, | Officier de l'Ordre de Leopold, | Membredu
Comite internationale et permanent d' Ornithologie, | de la Commission per-
manente d' etude des Collectiones de Musde de 1' Etat Independant du Congo,

I Membre honoraire, correspondant ou effective de plusiers Societes savantes.
I — I Deuxieme Partie | (1902-1904) | — | Bruxelles | H. Lamertin, editeur
I 20, Rue du Marche-au-Hois. | — 1904 — Roy. 8vo, pp.i-x +731 _I339- pU- c°l-
xiii-xvi. '

Vol. XX in Recent Literature. IO3

grallatorial passeriform bird,1 obtained by Coloman Katona on the shores
of Lakejippe in East Africa, and here described as Charadriola singu-
laris, gen. et. sp. nov. The terminal third of the tibia is unfeathered,
scaled, and reticulated as in the plovers. In other respects this new type
is much like the South African genus Macronyx, having the same long hind
claw and other features, but a slenderer bill. The bird is illustrated by
three text-figures, giving full-length figures of the male and female, the
hind limb (natural size), and an enlarged figure of the tibia and proximal
portion of the tarsus, to show the plover-like scutellation. In a notice of
this paper in a recent number of 'The Ibis '(Oct. 1904, p. 653), however, the
bird here described is said to be not anew discovery, but a redescription
of Tmetothylacus tenellus Cabanis, and "that it is not an aquatic spe-
cies!" Cabanis first described and figured the species as Macronyx
tenellus (J. f. O. 1878, pp. 205, 220, pi. iii, fig. 2), and later {ibid., 1S79, p.
438) made it the type of a new genus Tmetothylacus, on the basis mainly
of the nakedness of the lower half of the tibia and its scaly covering.
Sharpe, in 18S5 (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., X, p. 618), referred the species to
Aut/ius and cites the already considerable literature relating to it. — J. A. A.

Shalow on Arctic Birds.2 — The area embraced in the present elaborate
memoir is limited to the seas and islands north of the Arctic Circle.
Some fifteen pages of introductory matter (pp. 81-96) treat of the fau-
nal relations of the region, and the views of leading writers thereon,
and define the limits of the region under consideration. The bibliog-
raphy of the subject takes the next fifteen pages (pp. 96-110), the titles
being arranged chronologically, beginning with Martens, 1675, and
including a portion of the literature of 1904. A systematic enumeration
of the species, subspecies and higher groups follows. The 270 species
and subspecies are next treated (pp. 1 14-271) in due sequence under the
subheading ' Die Geographisch Verbreitung der das nordliche Polarmeer
bewohnenden Vogel,' under which is given for each the synonymy, bib-
liographic references, and a detailed account of its manner of occurrence
in the region.

Following this, the main bod}' of the work, is an analysis of the distri-
bution of the species and subspecies in the different islands, with refer-
ence to their faunal relations, — whether circumpolar, pahearctic, or
nearctic, and whether known to breed or not at the various islands in
question.

1 An Extraordinary Discovery in Ornithology. By Dr. Julius v. Madarasz.
Ann. Mus. Nat. Hungarici, II, 1904, pp. 396-398.

2 Die Vogel der Arktis. Von Herman Schalow in Berlin. Fauna Arctica,
eine Zusammenstellung der arktische Tierformen, mit besonderer Berucksich-
tigung des Spitzbergen-Gebietes auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Deutchen
Expedition in das Nordliche Eismeer im Jahr 1898. Band IV, Lieferung I,
Verlag von Gustav Fischer in Jena. 1904. — 410, pp. 81-288.

1 04 Notes and News. \*\x*

The region is limited, as already said, to the area north of the Arctic
Circle, and includes the following eleven islands and groups of Islands:
(1) Bear Island, with 28 species and subspecies, of which 17 breed on the
island. (2) Spitsbergen Archipelago, with 50, of which 25 breed, while 18
of the 50 are circumpolar. (3) Franz Joseph Land, 28, 16, and possibly 18,
of which breed, while 18 are circumpolar. (4) Nova Zembla, 49, of which
18 are circumpolar. (5) KoJgnew, 51, of which 42, or S4 percent, breed,
and 16 are circumpolar. (6) Dolgoi, 23, of which 18 are circumpolar
and 18 breed. (7) Waigat, with 49, of which 29 breed, and 17 are circum-
polar. (8) New Siberia, 50, of which 19 are circumpolar, 23 palaearctic,
and 8 nearctic, and 37 breed. (9) Wrangel Island, 28, of which 15 breed,
12 are circumpolar, 10 ' pacific-nearctic,' and 6 palaearctic. (10) Herald
Island, 23, of which 14 breed, 8 are circumpolar, 11 ' pacific-nearctic,' and
4 'Europaeo-Asiatic.' (n) Greenland, 161, of which 20 are circumpolar, 83
palaearctic, and 58 nearctic, with 60 that breed. Of these 56 are common
to both East and West Greenland ; West Greenland has 153, of which 20
are circumpolar, 60 nearctic, and 73 palaearctic ; East Greenland, 64, of
which 17 are circumpolar, 9 nearctic, and 38 palaearctic. (12) Jan Mayen,
52, 18 of which are circumpolar, 4 nearctic, and 30 palaearctic, and 19
have been found nesting.

The ornithology of these different islands is very unequally known,
some, like Jan Mayen, being very well known ornithologically, while
others, like Dolgoi, Kolgnew, Waigat, etc., are very imperfectly known,
so that the statistics for some of them include some more or less doubtful
species. As will be seen, however, from the foregoing, in this critical
examination of the arctic ornis the author has brought together a vast
amount of exceedingly important and interesting information. — J. A. A.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Dr. Samuel W. Woodhouse, a Corresponding Fellow of the American
Ornithologists' Union, died at his home in Philadelphia on October 23,
1904. Although for many years retired from active work, Dr. Wood-
house's early life was full of adventure and his name was prominent
among men of science and travel fifty years ago.

Samuel Washington Woodhouse was born in Philadelphia, June 27,
1821, the son of Com. Samuel Woodhouse, U. S. N., and H. Matilda Rob-
erts. The family came from Northumberland, England, his grandfather
emigrating to America in 1776.

Dr. Woodhouse was educated at private schools in Philadelphia and at

VOliqoSXI1] N°teS °"d NeWS- IO5

West Haven, Conn. For a time he engaged in farming, but later deter-
mined upon the study of medicine and matriculated at the University of
Pennsylvania, graduating in 1847. He then became assistant resident phy-
sician at the Philadelphia Hospital, a post which he held for a year or
more, when he resigned to become Surgeon and Naturalist to the U. S.
Topographical Engineer Corps on the survey of the boundary between
the Creek and Gherokee Indian nations.

From early life he had been enthusiastically interested in natural his-
tory, especially ornithology, and had visited the Academy of Natural Sci-
ences. Here he became intimate with Thomas Nuttall, the botanist and
ornithologist, J. K. Townsend, Drs. George Leib, Samuel G. Morton,
Robert Bridges, Paul Goddard, Joseph Carson, Elwyn and Zantzinger,
and other active members of the Society. On his farm he continued his
study ofe ornithology, and under the instruction of Dr. Leib became skil-
ful in the art of taxidermy, which was then an important part of the orni-
thologist's equipment. With these strong tastes it is not surprising that
he preferred positions in which he could combine his love of nature with
the sterner duties of the medical profession. Therefore, when Col. J. J.
Abert, the chief of the Topographical Engineers, applied to Dr. Morton
to recommend a doctor and naturalist, Woodhouse was only too anxious
for the appointment. He reported in Washington in April, 1849, and
reached Fort Gibson, where the expedition under Lieutenant Sitgreaves
was to rendezvous, on June 6. The country traversed by the Survey was
an unexplored section of the Indian Territorv, and his collections were
consequently of much importance to science. In the followingyear, under
Lieutenant Woodruff, the survey was completed.

In 1851, Jigain under Lieutenant Sitgreaves, Dr. Woodhouse was a mem-
ber of the Zuni River Expedition, traveling from San Antonio, Texas,
via El Paso to Santa F6, and then west to the Zuni, which was followed
to its junction with the Little Colorado, thence across the San Francisco
Mountains and down the Colorado River to Yuma, reaching San Francisco
early in 1852.

Much of the country was virgin soil to the naturalist, and Dr. Wood-
house secured many specimens, though he was seriously handicapped in
his collecting by a rattlesnake bite which he received at the pueblo of
Zuni. This hindrance to his natural history researches was, however, of
importance from a medical standpoint, and he made a careful study of the
effects of the bite and the result of his treatment.

At the close of this expedition, in 1852, Dr. Woodhouse returned to Phil-
adelphia and prepared a report upon all the collections of birds and mam-
mals obtained by him in the Southwest, and this treatise forms one of the
most valuable pioneer contributions to the ornithology and mammalogy
of our western States and Territories. Six new quadrupeds were described
and named, and an equal number of novelties were discovered among the
birds, while many other of Dr. Woodhouse's specimens proved later on
to belong to undescribed forms. Some of these, such as the Woodhouse's-
Jay {AJ>kelocoma xvoodhousei) have been named in his honor.

Io6 Notes and News. |~^uk

LJan.

His next position was that of surgeon to the Inter-ocean Canal, Rail-
road, and Mining Company Expedition to Nicaragua and Honduras, cov-
ering the years 1853-1854, when he traveled over the route to Lake Nica-
ragua, since made famous by the more recent advocates of the Nicaragua
Canal.

Returning from this enterprise Dr. Woodhouse became surgeon at Fort
Delaware from 1S54 to 1856 and later, 1859-1S60, was surgeon on Cope's
Line of Packets plying between Philadelphia and Liverpool.

In 1872 Dr. Woodhouse married Miss Sarah A. Peck, and is survived
by two children. The last of his generation of scientific men, he had
been for many years in retirement, as it were, and out of touch with the
leaders in his favorite study, but more recently he became associated with
the younger ornithologists of the present day and attended two Con-
gresses of the American Ornithologists1 Union, and many meetings of
the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, where his reminiscences of the
older bird students were received with deep interest ; his stories of Nut-
tall, combining his hobbies by digging up plants with his gun-barrel,
and the details of the capture of rare birds where city streets and blocks
of houses now stand, were ever interesting themes.

His earnest attention to papers and communications and his interest
in every new discovery gave evidence that the enjoyment of these meet-
ings was not all on one side, and the revival of the favorite pastime of
his youth seems to have added not a little to his pleasure and to have
cast a brighter glow over the closing years of a life as full of action and
adventure as it was marked by modesty and earnestness. — W. S.

John Cowing Knox, of Jackson, Minnesota, an Associate of the Amer-
ican Ornithologists' Union, was drowned in Shoal Lake, Manitoba, Can-
ada, on June 10, 1904. Mr. Knox was one of a part} of three, and had
started to row from the mainland to a small island three miles distant.
When about two miles from shore a gale sprung up and the boat went
over. This occurred at nine in the morning. The three occupants clung
to the boat and tried to swim and push the boat to shore. This failed,
and at two o'clock in the afternoon one of the party dropped from the
boat from exhaustion and sank. Mr. Knox managed to hang on until
two-thirty, when he, too, relaxed his hold and sank. The third member
of the party managed to cling to the boat until it finally drifted ashore at
•eleven o'clock that night, and was rescued. The two bodies were recov-
ered several days later. Mr. Knox was twenty-five years of age, and had
just recently gone into partnership with his father, in law business. He
was a graduate of the University of Minnesota in 1900, and of the Law
Department of the same university in 1903. He had been interested in
ornithology since childhood, and had formed an excellent collection of
eggs of Minnesota birds. He had long planned this ornithological out-
ing to Canada, which came to such a sudden and sad ending. He was an
excellent student, and very popular with his friends, having a warm,
open-hearted nature. — W. T. M.

Volio^5XH] Notes and News. I07

Two bird groups which are nearing completion in the American Mu-
seum of Natural History are believed to exceed in beauty, in scientific
accuracy, and in educational value anything of the kind which has
heretofore been attempted.

The first group is designed to represent the bird life of the irrigated
portion of the San Joaquin Valley in California, near Los Baiios. Mate-
rial for this group was collected by Mr. Frank M. Chapman in May and
June, 1903. Mr. Chapman was assisted by Mr. Louis A. Fuel tes, whose
sketches from life and whose paintings of the soft parts of birds proved
of the greatest value to the taxidermists ; Mr. John Rowley, formerly
chief of the Department of Taxidermy of the American Museum of Nat-
ural History, who prepared models of the characteristic vegetation of the
region ; and Mr. C. J. Hittell, the well-known San Francisco artist,
■who painted a background representing the Valley with the Coast Range
in the distance.

The group will contain the Avocet, Stilt, Killdeer, Mallard, Cinnamon
Teal, Coot, and Black Tern, all with newly hatched young, and also
Forster's Tern, the Ruddy Duck, the Pintail, the Fulvous Tree Duck,
the Red-head, the Black-crowned Night Heron, and the White-faced
Glossy Ibis. All these species were abundantly represented in the irri-
gated section, their presence or absence depending largely upon the
distribution of water.

The group is twenty feet long, nine feet wide, and ten feet high, and
will contain about eighty individuals of the species mentioned. The
birds have been successfully mounted by Mr. H. S. Denslow and the
aquatic vegetation, consisting of over ten thousand leaves, has been pre-
pared at the American Museum of Natural History, and is a facsimile
reproduction of the actual plants. Doubtless no more difficult subject
has previously been attempted in this line of bird exhibits, but the group
is already sufficiently near completion to place its success beyond
question.

A second, and even more remarkable group, which will be opened
to the public some time during the present month, will represent the
nesting habits of the American Flamingo. .This group is also based upon
Mr. Chapman's studies from life, and perhaps better than any other
group of birds which we can now recall, illustrates the importance of
detailed studies in nature as a basis for an accurate representation of the
nesting habits of a bird.

Mr. Chapman made two trips to the Bahamas before he succeeded in
finding an occupied colony of Flamingoes. On the second journev to
these islands, in the spring and summer of 1904, a fully occupied colony
of birds was discovered, and a large series of photographs was made,
portraying very satisfactorily the heretofore unknown nest-life of this
remarkable species. Specimens were also secured, representing not only
the adults, but the newly-hatched chick, which illustrate its development
to about the age of one month.

1 o8 Notes and News. f"^uk

LJan.

Great difficulty was experienced in collecting newly-made nests of the
Flamingo. On a former trip Mr. Chapman secured nests which had
been built the previous year and, at the beginning of the rainy season,
were sufficiently sun-baked to permit of their successful transportation to
New York City. Newly-made nests, however, were found to be water-
soaked by almost continuous rains, and not only was their weight there-
fore greatly increased, but an attempt to remove them generally resulted
in their disintegration. This emergency having been anticipated, a can-
vas canoe was taken to the rookery, into which the nests were directly
removed after having been placed upon boards. Without further hand-
ling, the canoe itself being lifted upon the deck of the schooner in which
Mr. Chapman travelled, the nests were conveyed directly to Nassau where
they were cast by Dr. B. E. Dahlgren, Chief of the Museum's Department
of Preparation. The surface structure and modelling were, therefore,
perfectly preserved, and the plaster models subsequently made from
these casts were covered with characteristic Bahaman marl, of which the
nests themselves are composed. The result is a perfectly satisfactory
and accurate representation of the Flamingo's nest, far less perishable
than the nest itself, which experience has shown crumbles very quickly
when exposed to steam heat in the Museum.

The group of Flamingoes which the Museum is now about to place
upon exhibition will contain some seventeen adult birds, with young in
various stages of development. The pose of each bird, whether feeding
or brooding its young, incubating or roosting in various poses, is based
upon photographs from life, and is, therefore, true to nature. It was recog-
nized, however, that, even with the greatest care in the production, such
a group would come far short of representing the conditions under which
the birds live, if it could not be shown as the foreground of a colony of
from fifteen hundred to two thousand pairs of these brilliantly colored
birds. Accordingly the services of Mr. Fuertes,-who accompanied Mr.
Chapman upon his first trip to the Bahamas, were secured to paint upon a
canvas, twenty feet long and ten feet high, a representation of the nesting
colony, which, in connection with the birds represented in the group
would give a graphic idea of a. populous Flamingo rookery.

Mr. Hindi's work in connection with the Los Banos painting, previ-
ously mentioned, was so successful that he was induced to come to New
York from San Francisco to paint the landscape for the background of
the Flamingo group. So satisfactorily have these artists cooperated that
the result of their combined efforts has met with the approval not only of
artists but also of naturalists.

The successful completion of these two elaborate, exceedingly difficult
and striking groups is due not alone to the skill of the artists, taxider-
mists, and modellers who have so effectively contributed to their con-
struction, but primarily to the foresight, energy, and intelligence of the
Associate Curator of this Department, Mr. Frank M. Chapman, who
conceived their execution, secured the materials that compose them, and

Vol. XXI I j Notes and News. I 09

directed the work in all its details. Especially is this true of the Fla-
mingo group, which has entailed on Mr. Chapman's part indomitable
perseverance, much hardship,, and field-craft of the highest order. The
locating, after many discouraging experiences, of this immense Flamingo
colony, its successful invasion with a novel photographic equipment, and
a sojourn for days almost within hand-reach of the brooding birds, is a
triumph of tact and skill, buoyed by unflagging enthusiasm, unparalleled
in the annals of ornithological exploration. Mow it was accomplished
has been modestly told by Mr. Chapman in an article in the ' Century
Magazine' for December, 1904, which strikingly illustrates, with its many
photographs, the home life of the Flamingo in its Bahaman home. There
is now little left to imagine in the domestic life of this striking and pecu-
liarly interesting bird, the camera has so fully revealed the long-hidden
mysteries of its manner of reproduction. There is no longer any doubt
that it sits on its nest as do other birds, and does not straddle it with a
leg hanging down on either side, as formerly believed. The young have
been found to have a general resemblance to young fluffy ducklings, but
to be less precocious, being fed for several days in the nest by the
old birds ; on the other hand they are not so helpless and are less altri-
cial than the Heron tribe, with which and with the Anseres they
were formerly alternately placed by the systematists. The younger
stages of their infantile life and their subsequent development are now
not only for the first time made known, but the most important period of
their life history is fully portrayed in a museum group, forming one of
the most interesting and instructive ornithological exhibits ever placed
before the public.

The second edition of Henry Reed Taylor's ' Standard American Egg
Catalogue ' will doubtless be warmly welcomed by not only egg collectors
but by others, as it gives the A. O. U. Check-List numbers, and the tech-
nical and common names to date, arranged in proper sequence. It con-
tains also a Directory of some sixty or seventy of the leading collectors,
and a dozen pages of introductory matter of general interest to oologists.

For several years past there has been a National Committee of Audu-
bon Societies, made up of representatives of each of the State societies,
with Mr. William Dutcher as Chairman. The purpose of this Committee
was to secure cooperation and unity of interest between the several State
organizations. As the field of activities has broadened and the impor-
tance of the undertaking has steadily increased, it has seemed more and
more desirable to centralize the work of bird protection in a national
organization, and accordingly steps have been taken, and are now about
completed, for the incorporation of a National Association of Audubon
Societies. The National Association will be incorporated under the laws
of New York, and the headquarters of the Association will be in New
York City. The management will be vested in a board of thirty directors,

HO Notes and News. |~*uk

LJan-

chosen from the several State societies, with, in all probability, Mr.
Dutcher as the active head of the new organization, as it is through his
energy and zeal as Chairman, both of the National Committee and of the
A. O. U. Committee for the Protection of Birds, that the work of bird
protection has been for years past so effectively and successfully
advanced. It is the purpose of the new organization to secure funds,
not only for present use, but for permanent endowment, so that the work
may be established on a secure foundation for many years to come; for all
who are in touch with this great and beneficent enterprise must know
that the fight for the protection of birds and other useful animals must
be a perpetual strife against unwise legislation and selfish and short-
sighted interests. The management of the new organization, has already
secured the services of Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson, of Greensboro, N. C,
to take the field as a propagandist in the cause of bird protection, to
awaken public interest and secure financial assistance for the National
Association, for which special work he is eminently fitted by his energy
and earnestness, and his well-known effectiveness as a public speaker.

The work of the A. O. U. Committee for the Protection of North
American Birds has not only been very aggressive during the past year
but the results achieved have been extremely important and gratifying,
as shown by the following summary, kindly prepared by the Chairman,
Mr. William Dutcher, for publication in the present connection.

As usual the Committee has directed its efforts along three lines, the
first of which, Warden work, has been continued with funds procured
through Mr. Abbott H. Thayer ; without such financial support this
branch of the work could not be carried on at all, as it is impossible to
secure the services of wardens unless they are paid a small salary during
the time they are actually guarding the birds in the breeding season.

In Maine the colonies of Herring Gulls, Terns, Black Guillemots,
and Puffins are rapidly increasing. All of the reports received, not only
from the wardens themselves but from interested outsiders, show that the
protected birds are becoming uncommonly fearless of man. While it is
true that the conditions for bird protection on the Maine coast are
extremelv favorable, the large increase in their numbers is entirely due
to the care" given to the breeding birds by this Committee.

In Massachusetts the results are practically the same ; the Terns on
Penekese, Muskeget and the Weepecket Islands are doing finely, as are
also those in the two colonies on Gardiner's Island, in New York State.

In New Jersey the colonies of Laughing Gulls and Terns made a small
increase, but the conditions there are unfavorable, for the reason that the
coast is becoming more densely populated every year, especially during
the summer months, and the shores are being taken up for resident pur-
poses, thus contracting annually the area occupied by the birds. The
New Jersey colonies were very small when the Committee commenced
to protect them and it is very doubtful whether they can be continued ; it

Vol. XXIin Notes and News. Ill

1905 J

is probable that Laughing Gulls and Terns will eventually cease to breed
in the State, although by careful protection this unfortunate result can
be indefinitely postponed.

In Virginia it is believed that the birds are not only holding their own
but are slowly gaining in numbers ; this applies especially to the Laugh-
ing Gull and Least Tern ; the Chairman made an extended trip along the
Virginia coast during the past breeding season and was astonished to
note the extent of the territory occupied by the birds ; it is practically
worthless for any purpose except as a breeding resort. With care and
the creation of a proper sentiment regarding the aesthetic and economic
value of birds it will be easy to not only maintain but rapidly increase
the birds of this coast.

In North Carolina all of the colonies made a large increase, owing to
the splendid work of the Audubon Society. This Society is unique in its
character, as its charter confers on it the powers of a Fish and Game
Commission.

In Florida four wardens were employed ; one during the entire year and
the others during the breeding season only. In the localities in charge
of these wardens the birds made a normal increase ; in other parts of the
State, however, the conditions were not so satisfactory. A commercial
collector was detected shipping skins of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers from
the State contrary to law ; he was arrested, but has not yet been tried.
As the Ivory-bills are on the verge of extinction it is extremely important
that this man should be convicted as a warning to all persons who collect
birds for commercial rather than scientific purposes.

A warden was employed in Texas for the first time during the past
year; he was stationed near Matagorda Bay. Undoubtedly there are a
number of colonies of birds on the Texas coast that should be protected
but they cannot be located unless a bird survey is made; it was impos-
sible to make such a survey during the past year owing to lack of funds.
The large colony of Herring Gulls in Lake Superior was again pro-
tected, and the Committee joined with the game commission of Oregon
in giving special protection to the water birds that breed in the numerous
shallow lakes in the southeastern portion of that State.

Several other colonies of birds were discovered during the past year
that it is purposed to protect with wardens during the coming season.

The second line of work is legislation. During the past year the
A. O. U. model law was adopted in two very important States, viz.,.
Mississippi and Louisiana. In the latter State, in addition to the law
protecting the non-game birds, a very drastic statute was passed pro-
tecting game birds.

This new legislation in Louisiana has an influence reaching far beyond
the confines of the Stale, inasmuch as it stops the sale of native caged
birds throughout the United States ; nearly all of the Mockingbirds,
Cardinals, Nonpareils, and Indigo Buntings that were sold by dealers
came from Louisiana, and the cutting off of the supply of these birds
actually stops the traffic in other parts of the country.

112 Notes and Netvs. [^a"k

Efforts were made to secure the passage of the A. O. U. model law in
Iowa and Vermont, but both attempts were unsuccessful.

In New York State a determined effort was made by the professional
gunners of Long Island to repeal the anti-spring shooting wild fowl law ;
but, owing to the opposition of the sportsmen of the rest of the State,
aided by the Committee, this important law is still in force. At the last
election, however, the repeal of this law was made a political issue on
Long Island and the battle will have to be fought again at the coming
session of the legislature.

In New Jersey the law preventing the shooting of snipe and shore birds
during the spring migration was repealed, notwithstanding all of the
efforts of this Committee to prevent it. An attempt was also made to
remove protection from Robins, on the ground that thej were destructive
to fruit ; this, however, was not successful.

As heretofore, the Committee has fostered the Audubon movement as
much as possible; during the past year one very active society was
organized and is now successfully working in California. Many of the
other State Audubon Societies are rapidly increasing in size and strength
and are doing more effective work than ever in creating favorable senti-
ment and educating the public as to the value of bird life.

A detailed report of the joint work of this Committee and of the
National Association of Audubon Societies will be published in the
February number of 'Bird-Lore,' the official organ of the Societies;
separates of this report will be mailed free to members of the American
Ornithologists' Union on request sent to any member of the Committee.

The Committee for the following year is as follows :

William Dutcher, Chairman, 525 Manhattan Ave., New York, N. Y.

Abbott H. Thayer, Monadnock, N. H.

Ralph Hoffmann, Belmont, Mass.

Robert W. Williams, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.

Frank M. Miller, New Orleans, La.

Frank Bond, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Mrs. Florence M. Bailey, Washington, D. C.

Edward B. Clark, Chicago, Ills.

T. Gilbert Pearson, Greensboro, N. C.

Mrs. Louise McG. Stephenson, Helena, Arkansas.

A. W. Anthony, Portland, Oregon.

Subcommittee on Laws.
Dr. Theodore S. Palmer, Washington, D. C.

Publications Received (continued.)

Ridgway, Robert. Birds of North and Middle America. Part III.
Riley, J. H. ( i) Description of a new Myiarchus from Grenada and
St. Vincent, West Indies. (Smithsonian Misc. Coll., Vol. XLVII, pt.
2, 1904, pp. 275, 276. (2) Catalogue of a Collection of Birds from
Barbuda and Antigua, British West Indies. (Ibid., pp. 277-291.)

Schalow, Herman, Die Vogel der Arktis. (Fauna Arctica. Bd. IV,
Lief. 1, 1904, pp. 81-288).

Stone, Witmer. On a Collection of Birds and Mammals from Mount
Sanhedrin, California. With Field Notes by A. S. Bunnell. (Proc.
Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1904, pp. 576-591.)

Taylor, Henry Reed. Taylor's Standard American Egg Catalogue.
2d ed., Alameda, Cal., 1904. Price 25 cents.

Todd, W. E. Clyde. The Mammal and Bird Fauna of Beaver County,
Pennsylvania. (Bailsman's Hist, of Beaver Co., Pa., Vol. II, 1904, pp.
1 195-1202.)

Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, Viktor Ritter von. Ornithologische Litera-
tur Osteneich-l'ngarns und des Okkupationsgebietes 1902. (Verhandl.
der k. k. zoolog.-botan. Gesell. Wien, 1904, pp. 487-507.)

Actes Soc. scient. du Chili, XIII, livr. 4, 5, 1903.

American Ornithology, IV, Oct.-Dec, 1904.

Annals Scottish Nat. Hist., Oct. 1904.

Avicultural Magazine, N. S., II, Oct.-Dec, 1904.

Bird-Lore, VI, Nos. 5 and 6, Sept. -Dec, 1904.

Birds and Nature, XVI, Nos. 3-5, Oct.-Dec, 1904.

Bulletin British Orn. Club, CIX, C\, Oct., Nov., 1904.

Bulletin Michigan Orn. Club, V, Sept., 1904.

Condor, The, VI, Nos. 5, 6, Sept-Dec, 1904.

Emu, The, IV, No. 2, Oct., 1904.

Forest and Stream, LXIII, Nos. 14-27, 1904.

Journal Maine Orn. Society, VI, No. 3, July, 1904.

Knowledge, N. S., Nos. 9-1 1, Oct.-Dec, 1904.

Monthly Bulletin, Divis. Zoology, Perm. Dept. Agric, Nos. 6, 7, Oct.-
Nov., 1904.

Naturalist, The, a Month. Journ. Nat. Hist, for North of England, Nos.
573-575- Oct.-Dec, 1904.

Nature Notes, Mag. of the Selbourne Soc, XV, Nos. 175, 176, 179, 1904.

Ornithologisches Jahrbuch, XV, Heft 5, 6, Sept.-Dec, 1904.

Ornithologische Monatsberichte, XII, Nos. 10-12, Oct.- Nov., 1904.

Ornithologische Monatsschrift, XXIX, Nos. 9-1 1, Sept.-Nov., 1904.

Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, Nos. 8, 9, Nov.-Dec, 1904.

Our Animal Friends, XXXII, Nos. 2-4, Oct.-Dec, 1904.

Records Australian Museum, V, No. 4, June, 1904.

Science, N. S., XX, Nos. 509-522, 1904.

Transactions Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow, VI, pt. 3, 1903.

Verhandlungen Orn. Gessell. in Bayern, IV, 1903.

Warbler, The, II, No. 6, Nov.-Dec, 1904.

Wn n Bulletin, N. S., XI, No. 4, Dec, 1904.

Zoologist, The, (4), VIII, Nos. 93-95, Sept.-Nov., 1904.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Beebe, C. William. Ornithological Notes from the New York Zoolog-
ical Park. (Science, N. S., XX, No. 512, pp. 538, 539, Oct. 21, 1904.)

Bruner, Lawrence, and Robert H. Wolcott and Myron H. Swenk. A
Preliminary Review of the Birds of Nebraska, with Synopses. 8vo, pp.
116, +5 unpaged leaves.

Bryan, Win. Alanson. A Monograph of Marcus Island. (Occas.
Papers Bishop P. P. Museum, Vol. II, pp. 79-139, 1903.)

Cooke, Wells W. Distribution and Migration of North American
Warblers. IT. S. Dept. Agric, Divis. Biol. Survey, Bull. No. 18.

Dresser, H. E. On some rare or unfigured Eggs of Palaearctic Birds.
(Ibis, Oct. 1904, pp. 485-4S9, pi. x).

Dubois, Alphonse. Synopsis Avium. Fasc. XVI and XVII, complet-
ing the work.

Dutcher, William. The Marsh Hawk; The Red shouldered Hawk;
The American Sparrow Hawk ; The Screech Owl; The Short-eared Owl.
(National Committee of Audubon Societies, Educational Leaflets, Nos.
8-12.)

Finsch, O. [Subspecies and Trinomials.] (Ibis, Oct. 1904, pp. 660,
661.)

Henderson, Junius. Additional List of Birds of Boulder County [Col-
orado] Birds, with Comments thereon. (Univer. Colorado Studies, Vol.
IV, No. 2, July, 1904, pp. 107-112.)

Ihering, H. von. (1) Estudo comparative das Avifaunas do Paraguay
e de S. Paulo. (Revista do Mus. Paulista, Vol. VI, 1904, pp. 310-384..)
(2) O Riojurua. (Ibid., pp. 3S5-460.)

Leverkuhn, Paul. (1) Notice biographique sur le Compte Amed^e
Alison. (Ornis, XII, 1903-04, pp. 573-581.) (2) Ueber eine pseudo-orn:th-
ologische Mitteilung aus dem Jahre 1720. (Orn. Monatssch., Vol.
XXVIII, 1903, pp. 294-297.) (3) Campbell's Australische Oologie. (Ibid.,
pp. 463-466.) (4) Unsere Waldschenepfen. (Der Jagdfreund, Vol. Ill,
Oct. 1903 — separate, 8 pp.)

Macoun, John. Catalogue of Canadian Birds. Part III, 1904.

Madarasz, Julius von. Ueber die V6gel Cyperns. (Ann. Mus. Nat.
Hungarici. II, 1904, pp. 499-561, pi. XV.)

Nelson, E. W. (1) Description of Four New Birds from Mexico. (Proc.
Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XVII, pp. 151, 152, Oct. 6, 1904.) (2) A Winter
Expedition in Southwestern Mexico. (Nat. Geogr. Mag., Sept. 1904, pp.

34!-356-)

Palmer, T. S. Hunting Licenses, their History, Objects, and Limita-
tions. U. S- Depart. Agric, Biol. Survey, Bull. No. 19.

Palmer, T. S., and Henry Oldjs and R. W. Williams, Jr. U. S. Depart.
Agric, Farmer's Bulletin No. 207. #

Raine, Walter. Discovery of the Eggs of the Solitary Sandpiper.
(Ottawa Nat., Vol. XVIII, 1904, pp. 135-138.)

(Continued on 3rd page of Cover.)

Old | CONTINUATION OF THE f New

V^XXX ' BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB 1 Vol'xXI

The Auk

a (SUiarterty Journal of ©rnitboloos

Vol. 2I2ZXX -APRIL, 1905

ZTo. 2

PUBLISHED BY

The American Ornithologists' Union

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

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

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Summer Birds of the Bahamas. By Glover M. A lien. {Plate I.) 113

The Migration of Certain Shore Birds. By Austin F. Clark , 134

List of Birds seen in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, April i, 1904. By H. H. Kopman. 140

Nesting Habits of Birds in Mississippi. By Charles R. S toe hard 146

Nesting of the Golden Eagle in Montana. By E. S. Cameron. (Plates I I-V.) . . 158

Notes concerning certain Birds of Long Island, N. V. By IVm. C. Braislin, M. D. . 167

A Hitherto Unpublished Letter of John James Audubon. By Ruthven Deane . . 170
John James Abert, to John James Audubon. (Hitherto unpublished letters). By Kuthven

Deane . 172

Some New and Rare Bird Records for Michigan. By Norman A . Wood . . . -175
Nesting Habits of the Brown Creeper as Observed in Plymouth County, Massa-
chusetts, with Description of a Nest from North Scituate. By Arthur P.

Chadbourne,M.D. (Plates VI-IX.) 179

The Breeding ok the Brown Creeper in Eastern Massachusetts. By Frederic H.

Kennard and Frederic B. McKechnie. (Plates A'- XII.) ....... 183

Birds of Delaware: A Preliminary List. By Samuel IV. Rhoads and C. J. Pennock . 194

General -Notes. — Kumlien's Gull: An Addition to the Massachusetts List, 205; Leach's Petrel
(Oceanodroma lencorhoa) on the Long Island Shore, 205 ; Two Additional Records of the European
Widgeon (Mareca f>atelope), 206; An Unusual Migration of Ducks in Ontario, 206; The Gadwall
and Yellow Rail near Springfield, Mass., 207; Shore Birds Eating Small Fish, 208; A Killdeer's
Mishap, 209; A Correction, 210; The Crab Hawk {Urubitinga) in the Island of St. Lucia, West
Indies, 210; Scott s Sparrow in Colorado, 210; Nelson's Sparrow in Nebraska, 210; A Female
Cardinal Wintering in Concord, Mass., 211; Decrease of Purple Martinson Long Island, N. Y.,
211; The Loggerhead Shrike in Connecticut in Winter, 211; Parula Warbler and Short-billed
Marsh Wren, 212 ; A Supposed Specimen of the Yellow Warbler {Dendroica cestiva) from Grenada,
West Indies, 212; Breeding of Wilson's Thrush (Hylocichla fuscescens) va. Virginia, 214; Notes on
the Nesting of the Varied Thrush, 214; An Unrecognized Subspecies of Bellona crislalus, 215;
Michigan Randoms, 216; Erroneous Maine Records, 217; Swainson and Audubon, 218.

Recent Literature. — Ridgway's 'The Birds of North and Middle America,' Part ill, 219; Rich-
mond on Birds described by Pallas in 1764, 222 ; Harvie-Brown and Macpherson's ' A Fauna of the
Northwest Highlands and Skye,' 223 ; Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, 224 ;
Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New York, 225; Dutcher's Report on Bird Protection, 225 ;
Hagmann's Concordance of Brazilian Birds described by Spix, Wied, Burmeister, and Pelzeln, 226;
Shufeldt on the Families and Higher Groups of Birds, 227; Clark on New Birds from St. Vincent,
W. I., 22S; Mearns on New Philippine Birds, 228 ; Shelley's ' Birds of Africa,' Vol. IV, Pt. 1,228.

Notes and News. — Obituary: Evan Lewis, 229. 'Nomenclature in Ichthyology,' 229; 'The War-
bler,'230; ' The Apteryx,' 230 ; Work of the Biological Survey, 230; The National Association of
Audubon Societies, 232.

'THE AUK,' published quarterly as the Organ of the American Orni-
thologists' Union, is edited by Dr. J. A. Allen, with the assistance of Mr.
Frank M. Chapman.

Terms : — $3-oo a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num-
bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and
Associates of the A. O. U. not in arrears for dues.

Subscriptions should be addressed to DR. JONATHAN DWIGFfrf, Jr.,
Business Manager, 2 East 34TH St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscribers
may obtain 'The Auk' through R. H. PORTER, 7 Princes Street, Caven-
dish Square, W., London..

All articles and communications intended for publication and all books and
publications for notice, should be sent to Dr. J. A. ALLEN, American Museum
of Natural History, 77TH St. and Central Park, West, New York City.

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

THE AUK:

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY.

Vol. xxn. April, 1905. No. 2.

SUMMER BIRDS IN THE BAHAMAS.

BY GLOVER M. ALLEN.

Plate I.

This is the third of a series of short papers on the results of
a visit 'to the northern Bahamas in July, 1904, made by the writer
in company with Mr. Thomas Barbour and Mr. Owen Bryant.

Notwithstanding that the birds of the Bahamas are now fairly
well known, the following account of the species observed during
our cruise among the cays and larger islands of the northern part
of the group is of interest partly because most of the ornithologi-
cal work in this region has been done in the winter and spring,
and partly because these northern islands are apt to be neglected
by visitors who pass at once to those of the more southern and
eastern groups. Indeed, the summer avifauna of Great Bahama
and the northeastern cays is very little known. Mr. F. M. Chap-
man, so recently as 189 1, wrote that of "Great Bahama we know
nothing ; no ornithologist has ever visited it." l Later in the same
year, however, Cory2 published a list of birds obtained by his
collector, C. S. Winch, at Great Bahama and Abaco, in March and
June. Mr. Robert Ridgway 3 listed the specimens obtained in
March and April from Abaco and the more southern islands by

1 Chapman : Amer. Naturalist, Vol. XXV, 1891, p. 536.

2 Cory: Auk, Vol. VIII, 1891, pp. 298, 350.

3 Ridgway : Auk, Vol. VIII, 1891, p. 333-339- .

I I A G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. lADr

the naturalists of the Fish Commission steamer 'Albatross,' and
Mr. J. L. Bonhote l has also reported on a collection of birds
made during the winter of 1901-02 among the northern Bahamas.

From June 28 until July 28, the writer, in company with Messrs.
T. Barbour and O. Bryant, was engaged in studying the bird life
in the vicinity of Nassau and, more particularly, of Great Abaco,
Little Abaco, Great Bahama, and the chain of cays along the
northern shores of these latter islands. Altogether, some three
weeks were spent cruising among the northern Bahamas. During
the first week of August, Mr. Bryant also visited Andros, and a
few notes are here included based on his collections there.

Among the spongers or ' conchs ' of the northern Bahamas, the
larger islands, — Great Abaco, Little Abaco, Great Bahama, —
are termed the 'Mainland,' while the fringe of small islands to
the north and east are the ' wind'ard ' cays, and those to the south
and west the 'leeward ' cays. The majority of the windward cays
are small islands but a few feet above tide-water, covered with
sand and supporting a tangled growth of scrubby bushes, palmet-
tos, and small trees, here and there bound together by matted
creepers. This is called ' coppet ' by the natives. Often there is
a narrow strip of more open ground just back of the beach, thinly
covered with coarse grass and weeds, though in other places a
thicket of mangroves may extend out to low-tide level or even
slightly beyond. Many of the smallest cays are simply jagged
rocks with a little grass growing here and there.

The larger ' main ' islands support extensive tracts of open pine
barrens, with a thick undergrowth of vines and bushes. Clear-
ings have been made here and there, and pineapples, sweet pota-
toes, sugar cane, and other subtropical products are grown on a
small scale, although the soil is thin and quickly becomes ex-
hausted. In certain parts of these larger islands a number of
deciduous trees thrive and often form a fairly respectable forest.

The seemingly barren cays afford a home for a large number of
birds. Sooty, Bridled, Noddy, and Roseate Terns nest in the
grass of the more open portions ; Wilson's Plovers haunt the sea
beach, and Nighthawks frequent the dry strip of open ground

1 Bonhote: Ibis, Ser. 8, Vol. Ill, 1903, p. 273-315.

Vol. XXII
1905

G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. 1 j r

just back of the shore. Among the thick growth of bushes are
to be found Honey Creepers, Thick-billed Vireos, Yellowthroats,
and the Bahama Mockingbird. Numbers of White-headed
Pigeons breed on some of the cays, while Bahaman Red-wings,
and Gray Kingbirds inhabit the edges of the thickets and the
mangrove swamps.

On the large islands, the pine woods afford a home for Blake's
and Hairy Woodpeckers, Pine Warblers, Bahaman Warblers, and
other species. Some birds are of common occurrence in nearly
all situations ; for example, the Gray Kingbird, the two Hum-
mingbirds (in the northern islands), and Honey Creepers.

The resident avifauna of the Bahama Islands is of considerable
interest. Mr. Chapman, in his important paper on the origin of
this fauna, has distinguished four classes of resident species: (i)
those representing forms of general distribution, (2) those which
occur as island forms of continental species, (3) those of purely
West Indian origin, (4) represented by the Bahaman Swallow, a
genus peculiar to the group. He points out that although the
northernmost islands of the Bahama group are over one hundred
miles farther north than the southern point of Florida, and are
separated from that peninsula by only 60 miles of water, yet there
is almost no tendency on the part of the Bahaman species to cross
to the continent, and this notwithstanding that the 'prevailing
winds are favorable for such flights. One reason for the failure
of these island species to occur elsewhere is doubtless that many
of them are thicket frequenters and hence would rarely be blown
from their normal habitat. The uniform presence of many West
Indian species throughout the islands, even to the most northern
of the group, is a striking feature, and serves to emphasize the
distinctness of this fauna from that of the adjacent mainland.

Several of the species of birds common to the Bahamas as a
whole, show a tendency to become differentiated into local races
on some of the groups. Thus certain of the birds of the north-
ern Bahamas differ from the corresponding varieties of New
Providence and its immediately neighboring islands, so as to be
recognizable as distinct subspecies, but with one possible exception,
such birds do not differ subspecifically on the different islands of
this group. Thus the Hairy Woodpecker of Great Bahama, Little

Vol. XXI
1905

I G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. 117

Abaco, and Abaco is uniformly different from the true may-
nardi of New Providence. Spindalis zena townsendi is the Spin-
dalis of the northern group. It occurs on the larger islands, and
is quite distinct from true zena of the more southern islands. The
Abaco Pine Warbler is the same as that found among the pine
woods of Great Bahama, and is represented on New Providence
by the quite distinct race achrustera. Tanner's Yellowthroat is to
be found in summer throughout the bushy parts of the larger
islands and cays of the northern Bahamas, and was the only
Yellowthroat we found. It is not known to occur elsewhere. The
reason for this homogeneity among birds of the northern Bahamas
is doubtless that the land masses are practically contiguous or
only separated from one another by slight stretches of quiet water,
while between them and the more southern groups (New Provi-
dence, etc.) some 40 or 50 miles of rough sea intervene.

According to Cory,1 the Centurus of Great Bahama Island is
subspecifically distinct from that found on Abaco. In view of
what has just been said this is rather unexpected, and as the
characters claimed for the Great Bahama bird are very slight, it
is not unlikely that a large series would show the same variations
on both islands.

In the following list, a few notes are included on birds seen
during the voyage between New York and Nassau. The local
names of the birds are also appended in quotation marks.

1. Larus atricilla Linn. Laughing Gull; "Gullie." — Throughout
the smaller cays and along the shores of the larger islands these birds
were rather common in pairs, and were breeding. Most of those seen
apparently had young near by, and invariably followed us with cries of
protest whenever we were near their nesting sites. We saw a number of
young birds that were evidently but a few days old, yet able to scramble
nimbly about over the rough rocks.

2. Sterna maxima Bodd. Royal Tern; "Red Shank."— Royal
Terns were not uncommon about the islands, though we rarely saw more
than two or three at a time flying over the quieter waters or sunning on
the mud flats. We found no sign of their breeding.

3. Sterna dougalli Montag. Roseate Tern ; " Black Shank." —
Rather common among the outer cays where it was breeding in early

1 Cory : Auk, Vol. IX, 1892, p. 270.

I I 8 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. \_k^

July. The local name "Black Shank" is derived from the fact that the
bird's beak is black, whereas the Royal Tern, with a reddish bill, is the
"Red Shank."

4. Sterna antillarum (Less.)- Least Tern ; "Kill-'em-Polly." — On
several of the smaller islands this little tern was breeding, and we found
eggs during the first week of July near Elbow Cay. Although we found
no large colonies, yet the bird was constantly met with in small numbers
throughout our cruise. Several times they were seen with flocks of other
terns following schools of small fishes.

5. Sterna fuliginosa Gmel. Sooty Tern; "Egg Bird." — Abundant
among the smaller islands.

6. Sterna anaethetus Scop. Bridled Tern; "Egg Bird." — One
adult (J shot July 4, 1904, at Long Rock, off Abaco. The natives apply
the term "Egg Bird" indiscriminately to these two species. We were
not always able to distinguish between the two and did not wish to shoot
the birds unnecessarily. At several places, notably at Fish Cays, we
found immense numbers of terns breeding, most of which were seem-
ingly Sooties. Many young birds were seen still in the down during
July, while eggs were also plentiful. The crews of the sponging vessels
gather quantities of these eggs for food during their voyages among the
islands. Several of the young birds were captured and kept aboard our
vessel during the cruise. They made interesting pets as they ate eagerly,
were active and inquisitive, and wholly without fear. Their constant
peeping, however, became eventually quite distracting.

7. Anous stolidus (Linn.). Noddy. — At Fish Cays, on July 14, we
saw a number of Noddies among the hundreds of other terns of the two
preceding species. This was evidently a large breeding colony. Else-
where we saw Noddies on only a few occasions and in small numbers.

S. Pufnnus gravis (O'Reilly). Greater Shearwater. — On the after-
noon of the second day out from New York (June 25), and some 250 to
300 miles south of that port, we began to see shearwaters in small num-
bers. Most of them were apparently of this species and usually appeared
singly, flying in their characteristic manner, at some distance from the
vessel. Sometimes two or three would pass by together, and once we
saw a flock of eight. Only one was seen during the last day of the
voyage to Nassau. Very few were observed on our return trip to New
York, the first one making its appearance some 300 miles north of
Nassau, off Georgia.

9. Pufnnus lherminieri Less. Audubon's Shearwater; "Pimlico."
— Although this shearwater breeds commonly in the Bahamas earlier in
the season, we found none nesting at the time of our visit. Occasional
individuals of what appeared to be this species were seen at sea with the
preceding species. A few were also seen at nightfall as we left Nassau in
our schooner, July 3, but otherwise we saw none among the islands during
our cruise save for a single female which was captured under a rock on
Pelican Island late in the afternoon of July 14. Several times loud cries

Vol. XXII
1905

G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. 1IQ

were heard overhead at night as we lay off shore which probably came
from these birds, fhough as noted by Mr. Bonhote, the cry is very similar
to that of the Sooty Terns.

10. Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl). Wilson's Petrel. — Petrels were
seen from the first morning out of New York until we bad crossed the
Gulf Stream off Hatteras. During this time large flocks of from 30 to
50 birds were occasionally seen, while a few were almost constantly
observed flying zig-zag back and forth over the steamer's wake some hun-
dred yards or more astern. After entering upon the Gulf Stream and
the warmer waters to the south, only one or two single birds were seen,
the last being in about lat. 280 N. Cory, while cruising among the Baha-
mas at an earlier time of the year, found petrels abundant at a short dis-
tance off the coast, which might indicate that the birds were at that time
passing through the latitude of the Bahamas and by July, when we made
our trip, the main flight had passed still farther to the northward. On
our return voyage, July 2S-31, the first petrels, three or four in number,
were observed after crossing the Gulf Stream off Hatteras Light, but they
did not become common until we were within some 300 or 400 miles of
Sandy Hook.

11. Phaethon americanus Grant. Yellow-billed Tropic Bird;
"Tropic." — But few Tropic Birds were seen among the northern Baha-
mas. At Hurricane Hole, near the northeastern end of Great Abaco, a
small colony was nesting and a few other birds were seen about some
of the rocky islets near Elbow Cay.

12. Sula sula (Linn.). Booby. — Mr. Bryant obtained a single imma-
ture specimen near Andros Island about August 1.

13. Phalacrocorax dilophus floridanus (Aud.). Florida Cormorant ;
"Cormoril." — This appears to be an uncommon and local species at the
present day among the northern Bahamas. We found but three small
rookeries. The first of these was visited by Messrs. Barbour and Bryant,
July 7, and consisted of some ten pairs of birds which were breeding on
the south side of Great Abaco. On July 16, at Great Sale Cay, we came
upon a small colony of less than half a dozen pairs. Four or five new
nests were discovered about 15 feet up, in the tops of some large man-
groves by the water's edge. Only three of these nests were in use, appar-
ently. Two held newly hatched young while the third contained one egg
and one very young bird. A small isolated clump of mangroves near the
nests may have been used as a roost by the non-incubating birds for its
thick branches were well whitewashed with excrement. A third small
colony of cormorants was found at Great Bahama, near Riding Point,
but we were told that the birds were then through breeding. Two adult
specimens which we secured are scarcely different from the true dilophus
of the north, being rather larger than typical Florida specimens. These
latter, however, vary considerably in size among themselves.

14. Pelecanus occidentalis (Linn.). Brown Pelican. — Although
Brown Pelicans are said to breed abundantly on some of the Bahama

120 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. !~Apr

Islands, we saw but few throughout our trip among the northern islands.
Two were observed on July 6, among the Marls of Great Abaco, and again,
on July ii, we sailed up very near to a single bird as it sat sedately on one
of the small rocky islets of the Pensacola Cays.

15. Fregata aquila (Linn.). Man-o'-war Bird. — These birds are
common throughout the islands but we found no nests and rarely saw
many together save at their roosts. Two large roosts were visited. One
of these, at Great Abaco, was a large isolated clump of mangroves rising
from the shallow waters of the "bight "to the south of Marsh Harbor.
Thither the birds began to repair some hours before sunset, but evi-
dently did not settle down till towards nightfall. As we passed this roost,
locally known as "Man-o'-war Bush," at about daybreak of July 6, some
fifty or more birds flew off and scattered in all directions. The other
roost mentioned was at Fish Cays, Great Abaco. Some of our crew vis-
ited this roost after dark on July 5, and captured ten birds alive among
the big mangroves. These were of both sexes, and two which we kept
alive aboard our schooner became fairly tame. Though thej' had the lib-
erty of the ship, they seemed unwilling or unable to fly away, but perched
contentedly on the anchor chains or about the capstan, and ate greedily
of the fresh fish we gave them. They were rather ill-tempered, however,
and were quick to take offence if crowded or jostled. With their sharp
beaks they would lay hold of passers-by or of one another, and could
inflict a considerable wound. One of the birds eventually perished, but
the other stayed by us throughout most of our trip. When finally we
reached Great Abaco on our return voyage, we tossed him into the air,
and he shook himself together with a curious motion and sailed away out
of sight.

16. Pcecilonetta bahamensis (Linn.). Bahama Duck. — On the south
side of Great Abaco, stretching for many miles east and west, is a tide-
water region locally known as "the Marls." Long reaches of shallow
water alternate with clayey flats a few inches above tide level. These flats
are thinly covered with a growth of small mangroves, grasses, and a few
other halophytes while here and there are little pools surrounded by taller
mangrove bushes. In this sort of country we found a good number of
these handsome ducks. Most of those seen were in pairs, but one flock of
fifteen birds was started from a small pond among the mangroves, July 6.
Cory found them breeding at Andros about the last of May.

17. Phcenicopterus ruber (Linn.). Flamingo; "Fillymingo." — Mr.
Bonhote1 states that he was unable to ascertain certainly whether the
Flamingo still exists on Great Abaco, but we were more fortunate. So
far as we could learn from exploration and inquiry there is but a single
colony of these gorgeous birds among the northern Bahamas. This
colony inhabits the great "Marls" of Abaco, but for the past two years

1 Bonhote : Ibis, Ser. 8, Vol. Ill, 1903, p. 310.

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G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. 121

none of the natives had been able to locate the nesting site. Mr. Barbour
and the writer spent July 5 and 6 with two guides sailing among the
intricate waterways of the "Marls" and were fortunate in finding one
flock of 54 birds. They were very shy, however, and would not allow us
to approach within gunshot. Most of them seemed to be old birds and
they presented a brilliant sight standing in the water against a back-
ground of green. This apparently is the most northerly breeding colony
on this coast. They are subject to constant persecution by the natives
who esteem their flesh as preferable to that of the gaunt chickens of tbe
Bahamas. The negroes believe that the birds possess a keen scent and in
hunting them, try to approach from the leeward. Others approach from
the windward as the birds must rise into the wind and hence come toward
the hunter for a distance before swinging off. We purchased a male
wing-tipped bird of some boys who had hunted this same flock on the day
before our visit. He soon became very tame and greatly amused us with
his ludicrous ways. "Filly," as he was dubbed by the crew, would stand
all day in his feed-pan that contained a thin mixture of meal and water.
We did not discover that he fed much in the daylight hours, but appar-
ently he spent a large part of the night dabbling and sputtering in his
meal. One of the crew aptly compared the continuous sound produced
to that of a little waterfall. If approached or handled he would make
feints at biting, at the same time uttering very duck-like quacks, but there
seemed to be little power in his mandibles, for his bites were quite harm-
less. When angry he had an odd way of lowering his head well below
the level of the body, at the same time bending his long neck into a
sigmoid curve. We were finally obliged to chloroform the bird, and
eventually ate the meat which was not unlike that of a fowl. The fleshy
tongue is considered a particular delicacy.

18. Ajaia ajaia (Linn.). Roseate Spoonbill. — A single Spoonbill
was seen July 6, on the Marls of Great Abaco, by Messrs. Barbour
and Bryant.

19. Dichromanassa rufescens (Gmel.). Reddish Egret; "White
Arsnicker." — Several times we saw what were undoubtedly examples
of this species, but all were in the white phase. In early July we saw a
few on the Marls of Great Abaco, and a single bird on July 19 on the
tide-water flats of Great Bahama. In all cases they were very wary and
flew off long before we could approach within gunshot.

20. Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis (Gosse). Louisiana Heron ;
"Poor Joe." — This was perhaps the commonest heron we observed.
A few were usually to be found about the mangrove swamps and one
large rookery was visited July 7, on Great Abaco, where a number of
young birds were seen about ready to leave their nests.

21. Butorides bahamensis (Brewster). Bahama Green Heron ;
"Bittern " or "Bitlin." — Single birds were seen on most of the larger
islands visited, including New Providence. On many of the cays they
were also found among the mangroves. Specimens were taken which

122 G. M. Ali.en, Summer Birds iu the Bahamas. [a"^

seemed to be young of the year, and we found no signs that any birds
were still breeding. On New Providence the expressive name "Poor
Joe " is applied to this bird though elsewhere that term was reserved for
the Louisiana Heron.

22. Nyctanassa violacea (Linn.). Yellow-crowned Night Heron;
"Gaulin." — Although of general distribution among the northern
Bahamas, we did not find this a common species. They breed early, and
apparently were done nesting at the time of our visit.

23. Rallus coryi Maynard. Cory's Rail; " Marsh Hen." — A single
specimen in very worn plumage was taken on the Marls of Great Abaco,
July 6. We came upon the bird as we were making our way through a
growth of small mangroves, where it stood tamely, watching our move-
ments.

24. Actodromas minutilla (Vieill.). Least Sandpiper. — A single
female bird, doubtless one of the advance guard of the fall migrants, was
taken at Great Bahama, on July 18.

25. Totanus melanoleucus (Gmel.). Greater Yellow-legs. — On
the Great Abaco Marls we came upon one of these birds feeding about the
edge of a small pool among the mangroves. The date, July 6, seems so
early as to render it unlikely that the bird was a newly arrived migrant
from the north.

26. Symphemia semipalmata (Gmel.). Willet ; "Pilly-willick." —
Among the salt water marshes grown up to small mangroves and other
bushes, and particularly among the Marls of Great Abaco, Willets were
everywhere common. More often we saw them in pairs and their actions
betokened that they were still breeding. One of our guides at Great
Abaco said he found a nest containing four eggs on the Marls, July 6.
We also obtained a fully grown bird of the year on July iS at Great
Bahama. Their habit of perching on the low bushes was frequently
noted, and at such times they often uttered a sharp and plaintive cry of a
single note. When startled, they fly about in an aimless sort of way up
and down the marshes, now approaching, now swinging away from the
observer, all the while uttering their loud " pill-will-willet." After com-
paring our series of skins with birds from the northern parts of America,
we are unable to discover any constant or tangible differences.

27. Ochthodromus wilsonius (Ord). Wilson's Plover; "Snipe." —
This was the only plover observed among the northern islands, and
almost every sandy beach or mudflat had a pair or two of them. In many
cases young birds but a few days from the egg were noticed running
about at the water's edge or seeking shelter among the rocks and grass
while the parent bird with loud cries endeavored to lead us away by feign-
ing a broken wing or a crippled leg.

28. Colinus bahamensis Maynard. New Providence Bob-white. —
A few were heard calling in the open pine barrens back of Nassau on
July 26.

29. Columba leucocephala Linn. White-crowned Pigeon ; " Pi-

Vol. XXII

1005

G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. I 23

geon." — According to Cory, these handsome pigeons are rarely seen in
the winter on account of their frequenting the thickly wooded parts of the
islands, but "as soon as the summer season sets in they become gregari-
ous, and repair in immense flocks to the outer keys to breed .... Incubation
commences about May 1." Green Cay, to the south of New Providence, is
a famous nesting place. We found one large breeding colony on Moraine
Cav, July 12-14, where hundreds of birds must have been nesting. The
nests were built in the dense growth of bushes and vines, usually at
from 4 to 6 feet from the ground. Many contained the complement of
two eggs, others held young squabs, and some had one egg and one
young bird- During much of the day many of the birds seemed to
be absent and could be observed in the early morning leaving in small
flocks for their feeding grounds on neighboring islands, but towards
evening they returned, and we obtained a number of the incoming
birds for our table. Practically all of a number thus obtained were
males, whose crops were filled with small purple berries. At Great
Abaco many birds came nightly to roost among certain large isolated
clumps of mangroves growing in the shallow waters of the "bight" on
the south side of the island. They would fly in at just about sunset, and
we were told that later in the season they resorted to these roosts in large
numbers. A great many are killed for the local markets by gunners who
conceal themselves in these clumps and shoot the incoming birds. Those
which we found during the first week of July at these mangroves must
have finished breeding.

30. Zenaida zenaida (Bonap.). Zenaida Dove; "Wood Dove.'' —
This dove was apparently uncommon among the islands visited. Two
or three individuals were seen at Stranger Cay, July 15-16, and about as
many more among the large colony of breeding White-crowned Pigeons
at Moraine Cay. All those seen were single birds and were quite tame in
contrast to the pigeons, which were very wary.

31. Columbigalhna passerina bahamensis (Maynard). Bahama
Ground Dove: "Tobacco Dove." — On all the islands that had any
considerable growth of trees and bushes this little dove was found to be
generally distributed. Of the outer cays visited, a few were found on
Elbow Cay, Great Guana Cay, Moraine Cay, Stranger Cay, and Great
Sale Cay. At Elbow Cay, July 4, 1 came upon one of these birds about
noon, sitting on her nest which contained neither eggs nor young. The
nest was a loosely made platform of twigs and grass placed in the crotch
of a small tree some ten feet from the ground. Clearings and cultivated
fields, or the edges of woods are the favorite haunts of these doves, and
much of their time is spent feeding on the ground.

32. Cathartes aura (Linn.). Turkey Vulture. — Buzzards were
seen on the larger islands only of the northern group — Great Abaco,
Little Abaco, Great Bahama, and Elbow Cay. At Little Abaco they were
seen more numerously than elsewhere as they had been attracted by the
remains of a recently slaughtered sheep. They appear to be quite absent

124 G- M- Allen> Summer Birds in the Bahamas. [^

from the smaller uninhabited islands and cays. Curiously enough, also,
they are unknown on New Providence, notwithstanding that it is more
thickly settled than the other islands. Dr. Henry Bryant, in 1859, attrib-
uted this absence from the vicinity of Nassau to an inability to procure
food, as "all the animals slaughtered there are literally devoured by the
blacks." To the present writer, however, the voracity of the blacks seems
hardly a sufficient explanation of this curious distribution. Northrop '
found them "very common on Andros," but his statement that "more
were seen on New Providence" is evidently a misprint for "none
were seen on New Providence."

33. PFalco sp.— At Great Abaco, on July 21, a small falcon, hovering
after the manner of a Sparrow Hawk was seen for several moments, but
so far away as to make identification impossible. At Nassau, we also
saw what was undoubtedly a Sparrow Hawk, on June 29. It flew past
at close range, so that its colors were fairly distinguishable.

We saw nothing of the Bahama Osprey nor of the resident Red-tailed
Hawk during our entire trip.

34. Strix pratincola Bonap. American Barn Owl. — At Hurricane
Hole, Great Abaco, a single bird was started from a large open cave by
the shore.

35. Amazona bahamensis (Bryant). Bahama Parrot. — We were
interested to learn through the captain of our schooner, that a few par-
rots still exist on Great Abaco. He told us of having seen a flock near
Marsh Harbor the year before (1903) and in previous years had some-
times observed a flock in late summer at that part of the island. We
learned that at Acklin's Island, about 140 miles south of Nassau, parrots
still nest in numbers and the young birds are regularly taken from the
nest when fledged, and brought to Nassau to be sold as pets. Mr. Robert
Johnstone, the Colonial Magistrate at Nassau, showed us a handsome
bird which he had obtained in this way. It was very tame and docile,
and frequently was allowed the liberty of the yard.

36. Crotophaga ani Linn. Ani ; "Jackdaw "; "Long-tailed Crow."
— On the larger islands Anis are not uncommon, and are usually found
in the vicinity of cultivated lands and gardens. Yet they keep well out
of sight and we saw but few at Nassau and vicinity. A small flock was
seen at Elbow Cay, July 4, near a cocoanut grove, and at Little Abaco we
were shown a nest with five eggs taken there shortly before our visit.

Of other members of the Cuculidse we saw nothing though once or
twice some cuckoo-like notes were heard but could not be identified.

37. Dryobates villosus piger,2 subsp. nov.
Type. — Male, adult, No. 40207, collection of the Museum of Compara-

1 Northrop : Auk, Vol. VIII, 1891, p. 76.
2 piger, indolent, slow.

Vol. XXII
1905

G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. I 2 C

tive Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. Collected at Great Bahama Island, July
17, 1904, by Thomas Barbour and Glover M. Allen.

Subspecific characters. — A black spot on the inner web near the tip of
each of the two outer pairs of tail feathers ; the black stripe on the breast
at each side is narrower and terminates less abruptly than in D. v. audu-
boni but is not continued as a series of streaks as it is in D. v. maynardi.
Description. — Adult male : crown, scapulars, upper tail coverts, a stripe
behind the eye, and another below it from base of beak to neck and con-
tinued along side of upper breast, black. A white stripe above and one
below the eye, united in front at base of bill, and often forming a ring
which encircles the eye ; a tuft of bristly feathers covering nostrils,
and sometimes a few small feathers at base of upper mandible, white.
Throat, breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts white, the body feathers
with plumbeous bases; a white median stripe on the back. Wings
brownish black with numerous rounded white spots. A red transverse
occipital patch, which may show a tendency to a division into two lateral
patches as in D. v. auduboni. The first outer pair of tail feathers white
with a small amount of black at base of inner vane, and a black spot about
1 cm. from tip on margin of inner vane ; second pair of tail feathers
similar but with the black at the base extending up for § the length of
the inner vane and for a less amount on the outer vane of each, the ter-
minal black spot usually larger than on first fair ; third pair of tail
feathers black save for a small subterminal patch of white mainly on the
outer web; central pair of tail feathers entirely black.
Adult female similar but without the red occipital patch.
Size. — Smaller than D. v. auduboni of the mainland, but equalling
D. v. maynardi of the more southern Bahamas. Wing: average of
5 specimens, 102 mm., as against an average of 112 mm., for 9 specimens
of D. v. auduboni.

Specimens examined : Great Bahama, 2 (in collection of Mus. Comp.
Zool.) ; Abaco, 5 (in collection of U. S. Nat. Mus.).

Remarks. — This race is more nearly related to D. v. maynardi than to
the continental D. v. auduboni. Hairy Woodpeckers, in any considerable
series, show more or less variation in the markings. In the series of 7
skins from the northern Bahamas, however, all save one have a well
marked spot on the inner side of the first two pairs of tail feathers. The
exception, a young $, No 108615, collection U. S. National Museum,
from Abaco, shows a very small black spot on the inner web of the right
outer tail feather only and none at all on the feathers of the second pair.
In none of the 11 adult topotypes of D. v. maynardi in the Bangs collec-
tion, and that of the American Museum of Natural History, is there any
trace of these black spots on either of the outer two pairs of tail feathers.
Among the larger, continental Hairy Woodpeckers these spots rarely
occur, but in one specimen in the collection of Mr. William Brewster
they are in the nature of transverse bands such as are present normally
in the case of the Downy Woodpecker.

126 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. LApr

In the Northern Bahama and the Maynard's Hairy Woodpeckers is
seen a progressive reduction in the amount and extent of the black in the
side stripe or epaulette, so that from a large, triangular patch with
sharply defined borders in D. v. audnboni it becomes in D. v. figer a
band with a less clear-cut limit posteriorly while in D. v. maynardi the
band becomes finally reduced to a series of streaks at its posterior exten-
sion. This is due to the restriction of black in the terminal feathers of
the stripe, so that while in D. v. piger most of these feathers are entirely or
largely black, in D.v. maynardi the black is limited to a median streak.
One of the New Providence specimens of D. v. maynardi (a fine adult
female) has the breast stripe practically as in the Northern Bahama bird,
but in all the other skins examined the difference is usually apparent at
a glance.

Through the courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History, I
have been able to examine four birds from Andros. These as expected,
are quite typical of D. v. maynardi, and have unspotted tips to the outer
two pairs of tail feathers, except that one specimen (an immature male)
approaches the Northern Bahama bird in having a minute black spot on
the inner web of the right outer tail feather and another on the left tail
feather of the second pair.

We did not find this bird except among the open pine woods of Abaco
and Great Bahama, where it apparently is generally distributed but not
verv common. Its movements impressed me as being slow and lethargic
as compared with the energetic jerks and resounding thwacks of our New
England Hairy Woodpecker. The notes were similar to those of our bird.
All the specimens had the breast feathers stained a dull reddish from the
pine bark.

38. Centurus blakei (Ridgw.). Blake's Woodpecker. — Near Sweet-
ing's Village, Great Abaco, we found several of these woodpeckers on
Julv 21, among the trees which here form a fairly respectable forest.
One pair was accompanied by several fully grown young, which, how-
ever, were still being fed by the old birds. Their loud, tree toad-like
rattle was very similar to that of our Red-headed Woodpecker. Accord-
ing to the natives these woodpeckers were almost always to be found in
this particular vicinity, and, indeed, we did not meet with them else-
where.

39. Chordeiles virginianus vicinus Riley. Bahama Nighthawk;
" Killy-ka-dick." — We found the newly-described Bahama Nighthawk
common on most of the islands visited. At Nassau numbers of them
were flying, towards sunset, and elsewhere we sometimes observed them
at other hours of the day hawking after insects. On many of the outer
cays they were almost always found in the strip of grass and scattered
bushes just back of the beach, and on Moraine Cay we started several
pairs from such cover in a walk of half a mile or less. When flushed
they usually alighted again a short distance away. Their color harmo-
nized well with that of their surroundings. On Moraine Cay a specimen

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G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas.. 127

was taken whose plumage was unusually light because of a partially
albinistic tendency. The four-syllabled note of the bird has gained for
it its local name, rendered throughout the northern islands as " Killy-ka-
dick." This note has the same penetrating quality as that of our northern
bird, and oftentimes is heard apparently close at hand while the bird
itself is a distant speck against the sky. We found them common at
Great Bahama as well as on most of the cays.

40. Riccordia aeneoviridis Palmer & Riley. Bronzy Riccordia. —
This hummingbird occurs commonly with the following species on the
" main " islands, Great Abaco, Little Abaco, and Great Bahama and also
on all the outer cays wherever there is any considerable growth of bushes.
On Great Bahama both species of hummingbirds were numerous, fre-
quenting the bushy undergrowth in the open pine woods. On the larger
cays we usually found them among the low bushes on the edges of open
spaces, and often heard their squeaking notes as they darted past in play-
ful pursuit of one another. On only one occasion did we see them off the
islands. This was on July 4, when a bird flew past our schooner close to
the water, crossing the bay at Elbow Cay off the Hopetown harbor. Its
flight over sea was hardly less than a mile but the water was perfectly
calm.

41. Doricha evelynae (Bourc). Bahama Woodstar. — On all the
islands and cays wherever there was bush or tree growth this humming-
bird occurred. Both species were especially numerous in the undergrowth
of the Great Bahama pine woods. Curiously enough, this species does
not seem to have been reported heretofore from Great Bahama though
we found it there during our visit on July 17-18, and also on Elbow Cay,
Moraine Cay, Stranger Cay, and at Nassau, New Providence.

42. Tyrannus dominicensis (Gmel.). Gray Kingbird; "Pick-
Peter." — This was one of the most conspicuous of the land birds and
nesting pairs Avere found on all the islands and larger cays wherever there
was a growth of tall bushes or trees. They prefer the vicinity of the
water and even frequent the usually barren mangrove swamps, nesting
along their edges. Nests with fresh eggs were found at Elbow Cav on
July 5 ; these were usually placed in a crotch some ten feet from the
ground or overhanging the water. The sharp notes of the birds were
not unlike the words " Pick-Peter," whence the local name.

43. Myiarchus leucaysiensis Bryant. Rufous-tailed Flycatcher.
— A pair only of these birds was seen at Cedar Harbor, Little Abaco,
July 11. They were silent and kept near together along the bushes
fringing a limestone bluff by the sea.

44. Blacicus bahamensis (Bryant). Least Bahama Flycatcher. —
Among the open pine woods to the south of the city of Nassau, New
Providence, we found two individuals of this little flycatcher, July 26.
Their habits were somewhat like those of our Wood Pewee. They
perched among the higher branches of the pines whence they occasionally
darted after passing insects, and returned again to the same or a nearby

I 28 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. fApr1

branch. They were rather lethargic in their motions and maintained an
absolute silence. We did not meet with this bird elsewhere.

45. Agelaius phceniceus bryanti Ridgw. Bahama Redwing; "Rice-
bird." — This is a common and characteristic bird of the larger islands
wherever there are marshes and in the bushy growth along the shores of
these islands and the cays. It is one of the few birds found among the
mangrove swamps. They were very tame at all times and the males
would sing fearlessly but a few feet from the observer. The breeding
season seemed to be practically over by the first week of July, and we fre-
quently found small family flocks consisting of the pair of old birds with
their fully grown young. The song differs from -that of our northern bird
not only in its thin and scraping quality, but also in the addition of a
note at the end of the bar, thus: kon-ki-reee-ah with a slight rising
inflection.

46. Icterus northropi Allen. Northrop's Oriole; " Cocoanut
Bird." — At Andros, Mr. Bryant obtained a single immature specimen
near Mangrove Cay, in early August. We were also told by Mr. Meeres,
of the Sisal Fiber Co., that he had taken a specimen of this rare oriole on
Little Abaco early in July, 1904.

47. Pyrrhulagra violacea (Linn.). Purple Grosbeak. — We saw a
few scattered flocks of this species on New Providence and Great Abaco,
but did not meet with it elsewhere although it is known from the other
larger islands. It appears to be quite absent from the cays.

48. Tiaris bicolor (Linn.). Bahama GRAssquiT; "Parakeet." —
Everywhere among the islands this was an abundant species. Most of
the old birds taken were in very worn breeding plumage and the nesting
period seemed to be passed. Nevertheless male birds were in full song
throughout July. Many of the birds seemed to be settled in certain
localities where they were almost always to be found. They feed largely
on the ground or among the low bushes, but at intervals a male will fly up
to the top of a bush or sisal stalk and burst into song after which he pres-
ently returns to the ground again. At Nassau a male that frequented the
hotel gardens usually flew to a telegraph wire stretched across at some
twenty feet above the ground, when he wished to sing, but usually a more
humble perch is chosen. We frequently saw small family parties of adult
birds and fully grown young by the roadside, in thickets and open fields,
or even about the houses. They were common in nearly all situations on
the larger islands and were certain to be met with on all the outer cays in
the less dense bushy growth. At Little Abaco, while visiting Mr. A.
H. Nield of the Sisal Fiber Co., we were interested to observe the fear-
lessness of these little finches. They flew in at the open windows, and
regularly visited the dining room at meal times for crumbs, or perched at
arm's length from us on the piazza railing to sing.

49. Spindalis zena (Linn.). Black-backed Spindalis ; "Banana
Bird"; "Cock Robin." — At New Providence this was a common
species, frequenting the edges of woods near cleared ground. Several

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G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. I2Q

times we saw what seemed to be scattered flocks feeding on the ground
or among the bushes, and on Jul/ 26th we heard several of them singing
softly among the open pine woods. Mr. Bryant also secured a specimen
at Andros. It has less white in the outer tail feathers than our New
Providence specimen.

50. Spindalis zena townsendi Ridgway. Townsend's Spindalis. —
This race is characteristic of the large islands of the northern Bahamas,
and is strikingly different from the more southern zena by reason of its
olive-green back. So far as at present known, it is found only on Great
Abaco (tvpe locality), Little Abaco, and Great Bahama. The only
examples we met with were two specimens taken at Great Bahama among
the thick undergrowth of the pine woods. The cays seem not to offer
any attractions for this bird.

51. Vireo calidris barbatulus (Cab.). Black-whiskered Vireo. —
This vireo is a bird of the more open tree growth, particularly in the
neighborhood of cultivated lands. We met with it not infrequently on
New Providence and Abaco, but saw none on Great Bahama, from which
island it has not yet been reported. Its absence there is doubtless due to
a lack of suitable tree growth, at least in the portions hitherto visited.
The extensive pine forests seem to be wholly avoided by it. The song is
somewhat similar to that of the Red-eyed Vireo, but less varied, almost a
monotone, delivered in a quiet apathetic way from some hidden perch.
On Elbow Cay, July 4, we found a nest of this bird swung from the
slender fork of a small tree at some six feet from the ground. The nest
contained a single egg of the usual vireo type, and appeared to be quite
fresh. We also found this species on several of the larger cays where
there were tall bushes, as at Stranger Cay.

52. Vireo crassirostris (Bryant). Thick-billed Vireo. — This species
was the more conspicuous of the two vireos observed and was found on
all the large islands and on most of the cays of any size. Its explosive
little song was heard frequently during most of July and at times I was
able to observe the singer sitting quite motionless on some small branch
usually but a few feet from the ground. On the outer cays a few pairs
were found here and there in the dense tangled growth of vines and small
bushes which the Black-whiskered species generally avoids. We saw no
nests, but full grown young were not uncommon. This species was
noticeably tamer than the Black-whiskered, and it was a simple matter to
approach a singing bird very closely for the cracking of twigs or stirring
of branches seemed not to alarm it in the least.

53. Callichelidon cyaneoviridis (Bryant). Bahama Swallow. — At
Nassau there was a small colony of these swallows about the Colonial
Hotel. A few were to be seen at almost all hours of the day flying about
the eaves or resting on the shelf-like cornice. We were unable to dis-
cover if the birds were breeding, but they seemed to use the hotel as a
rendezvous. At Hurricane Hole, Great Abaco, on July 22, a flock of a
dozen or more was watched for a while, flying back and forth about the

1 30 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. \ a^

mouth of a large open cavern among whose upper ledges there may have
been nests though no birds were seen £0 alight. A single swallow was
also observed flying about on the edge of the pine woods at Great
Bahama.

54. Ccereba bahamensis (Reich.). Bahama Honey Creeper; "Yel-
lowbreast." — This is one of the commonest and most characteristic of
the Bahaman land birds, and was found on every island and cay where
there was tree or bush growth. Few or none occur in the mangroves,
however. At New Providence in early July, we occasionally heard the
peculiar wirey song of the Honey Creeper which has somewhat the
quality of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet's intricate melody with a peculiar
far-away and ethereal softness. Most of the birds were through nesting
at the time of our visit and we found numbers of abandoned nests.
These were usually from four to six feet from the ground, in the fork of
a small bush, globular, with the entrance near the top at one side. A
nest containing four partly incubated eggs was found July 4, at Elbow
Cay. Everywhere on the islands, among the bushes and thickets were
little groups of these birds, old and young. They were exceedingly tame
and eyed us curiously, often but arm's length away. At Great Bahama
we found them as abundant as elsewhere yet the species is almost
unknown on the Florida coast only 60 miles distant. A partial albino
was taken at Elbow Cay, July 5. The yellow patches were present as in
normal specimens but the rest of the plumage was whitish.

55. Dendroica petechia flaviceps Chapman. Bahama Yellow
Warbler. — This was nowhere a common bird though we found it
among the large mangrove swamps in several localities as at Great
Abaco, Moraine Cay, and Great Sale Cay. On July 4, at Elbow Cay, an
adult male accompanied by two full grown young in immature plumage,
was observed among some bushes not far from a small swamp. The
bright song of the old bird somewhat resembled that of our Dendroica
(estiva. On a few other occasions we observed singing birds; and while
among the Great Abaco Marls we found several young birds of the vear
and one or two singing adults in a large mangrove "bush" or island,
July 6.

56. Dendroica dominica (Linn.). Yellow-throated Warbler. — A
single specimen was obtained at Mangrove Cay, Andros, by Mr. Owen
Bryant on August 2. Another was also seen at Nassau by Mr. Bryant on
August 7. Doubtless these were early migrants.

57. Dendroica pityophila bahamensis Cory. Bahama Warbler. — So
far as known this species is confined to the large islands of the northern
Bahamas where it lives among the pines. We found a few at Great
Bahama, and one immature bird taken there July 17, was just beginning
to acquire the yellow breast and crown feathers. These are active, rest-
less little birds and live well up among the branches of the slender pine
trees. Several times we heard the short rich song during the afternoon
of July 17.

Vol. XXII
1905

G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. I 7 I

58. Dendroica vigorsii achrustera (Bangs). New Providence Pine
Warbler. — This very distinct race is common on New Providence
Island among the open pine woods, and we found birds in song during
our stay there in early and late July. On July 26 an adult female was
watched for some time as she waited upon one of her fully grown young.
The latter was restless and during the intervals when its parent was
absent in search of food, would fly here and there among the trees keep-
ing up a constant chipping characteristic of many young warblers, in
order that its parent might find it when she arrived with food.

59. Dendroica vigorsii abacoensis Ridgway. Abaco Pine Warbler. —
Several specimens were obtained at Great Bahama, July 17 and 18, 1904,
and these agree precisely with Ridgway's description of the Abaco bird.
There can be no doubt that this is the form characteristic of the large
islands of the northern group of the Bahamas. Since it frequents the
open pine woods only, its range is restricted to the islands of Great
Abaco, Little Abaco, and Great Bahama, where these trees grow. The
habits and song of both these subspecies seemed indistinguishable from
those of our Pine Warbler of the northern United States.

60. Geothlypis tanneri Ridgway. Tanner's Yellowthroat. — Unfor-
tunately our collections do not throw very much light on the somewhat
complicated problem of the geographical relationships of the various
Bahama Yellowthroats. We were unsuccessful in finding the genus at
all on New Providence, and after careful search among the islands of the
northern group found only the species tanneri. This is common in
bushy growths both on the "main " islands and on several of the larger
cays. At Great Bahama a number of individuals were found both in the
swamps along shore and among the bushes in the dry pine woods. All
the specimens obtained are typical tanneri. The adult males still retained
(July 18) their black cheek-patches, though the breeding season was about
over. Specimens were taken on Great Bahama and Moraine Cay, and
birds were also observed in full song on Abaco and Elbow Cay. At
Moraine Cay, July 14, an adult male was seen feeding a full grown young
bird which followed its parent closely, begging for food. The species
incompta described by Ridgway from two Abaco specimens taken early in
April, 1886, seems to represent the group of Yellowthroats with light
abdomens. If it is actually resident among the northern Bahamas it is
odd that we did not find it.

61. Mimus gundlachi (Cab.). Bahama Mockingbird. — On the outer
cays where there is an abundance of thick bushes and tangled creepers
this Mockingbird is not uncommon, although we found it rather shy and
retiring. None were seen on any of the large islands, although Mr.
Bonhote has found them in winter on New Providence and Little Abaco.
At the time of our visit they seemed to be about through breeding,
though some were seen tending fully grown young. Thus on Moraine
Cay, July 13, an adult male was seen hopping quickly about on the ground
among the undergrowth closely followed by two young birds whom he
fed from time to time. The latter kept up all the while a fine sibilant

1^2 G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. [a"t

note which I at first mistook for the chirp of a grasshopper. On one or
two occasions we heard the song of this Mockingbird, but most of them
seemed to have stopped singing. We saw birds on Stranger Cay, Mo-
raine Cay, and Great Sale Cay.

62. Mimus polyglottos (Linn.). Mockingbird. — As noted by Bon-
hote,1 the White-winged Mockingbird of the northern Bahamas appears
to be the same as the bird of the neighboring mainland. It seems to
have come in within a recent period and keeps close to the villages and
settlements. We found it commonly about the edges of clearings and
cultivated ground at Elbow Cay, and discovered nests with fresh eggs at
that place on July 4 and 5. Bonhote records the bird also from Great
Abaco, as well as nests and eggs in March from Little Abaco. At the
extensive sisal plantations on the latter island we saw numbers of the
birds, particularly near the houses, and were told by Mr. Meeres, of the
Sisal Fiber Company, that they had noticeably increased during the past
few years. Many of the Mockingbirds were still in song, and I several
times heard them at various hours of the night during the full moon of
early July.

63. Polioptila caerulea caesiogaster Ridgway. Bahama Gnatcatcher;
"Catbird." — We met with this bird only twice among the northern
islands, once on Elbow Cay, July 4, and again, July 17, a few were found
at Great Bahama among the bushy growth of the pine woods.

64. Mimocichla plumbea (Linn.). Plumbeous Mockingbird ; "Blue
Thrasher." — Only two specimens of this bird were seen throughout
our trip, one at Cedar Harbor, Little Abaco, on July 11, and a second
near Sweeting's Village, Great Abaco, July 22. They were not shy but
their manner of life among the thickets and their silence at this season
of the year rendered them difficult to observe.

By way of summary it is interesting to group together the
species of birds that inhabit the different sorts of country. Thus
the following 20 species and subspecies occur chiefly if not exclu-
sively on the larger " main " islands, as New Providence, the
Abacos, and Great Bahama :

Pcecilonetta bahamensis.

Pluvnicopterus ruber.

Coliitus bahamensis (New Providence).

Cathartes aura (except New Providence).

Amazona bahamensis (Great Abaco).

Crotophaga atii.

Dryobates villosus maynardi and D. v. piger.

Centurus blakei.

My in rchus leucaysiensis.

1 Bonhote: Ibis, Ser. 8, Vol. HI, 190J, p. 276.

Vol. XXII
igos

G. M. Allen, Summer Birds in the Bahamas. I ? 2

Blacicus bahamensis.

Icterus northropi.

Pyrrhulagra violacea.

Spin da lis zena zena and 6". z. toivnsendi.

Dendroica pityopkila bahamensis.

Dendroica vigorsii achrustera and D. v. abacoensis.

Minius polyglottos.

Mimocichla plumbea.

Of these, the Hairy Woodpeckers, Least Bahama F ycatcher,
Bahama Warbler, and Pine Warblers we found in the pine growth
only.

A few species, some 15 land birds, we found not only on the
larger islands with their more varied growth, but also on the
smaller and rather barren outer cays. These are mainly such
birds as frequent thick bushes or the mangrove swamps. Those
that we noted are the following : —

Columba leitcocepkala. Tiaris bicolor.

Zenaida zenaida. Vireo calidris barbatulus (rarely).

Columbigallina passerina bahamensis. Vireo crassirostris.

Chordeiles virginianus vicinus. Ccereba bahamensis.

Riccordia tzneoviridis. Dendroica petechia Jiaviceps.

Doricha evelyinr. Geothlypis tanner.

Tyrannies dominicensis. Minius gundlachi.

Agelaius phecuiceus bryanti.

These small cays apparently have no land birds peculiar to
themselves.

The birds of the mangrove swamps are few. Cormorants and
several of the Herons nest among their branches, and the Man-
grove Warbler {Dendroica petechia Jiaviceps) is practically confined
to them as far as we could observe. But otherwise they offer little
attraction from an ornithological standpoint, and are quite barren
and deserted save for a few Gray Kingbirds and Bahama Red-
wings that nest on their borders.

In conclusion I wish to express my thanks to Mr. Outram Bangs
for his aid in identifying many of the specimens, and to the
authorities of the American Museum of Natural History and of
the United States National Museum for the loan of specimens for
comparison. The greater part of the birds that we collected have
been presented to the Museum of Comparative Zoology, at Cam-
bridge, and the remainder have been added to Mr. Outram Bangs's
collection of West Indian birds.

I34. Clark, Migrations of Shore Birds. [ a"?

THE MIGRATIONS OF CERTAIN SHORE BIRDS.

BY AUSTIN H. CLARK.

The object of this paper is to explain, in as brief terms as
possible, what I consider is the main factor by which many of our
shore birds are guided in their migrations. I refer especially to
those species which pass southward over the western Atlantic,
from the eastern Canadian Provinces, past the Bermudas and the
easternmost of the West Indies to South America, as far south as
Patagonia, and return by way of Central America and the Miss-
issippi Valley. The bird which I have chosen as the best repre-
sentative of this class, and with which I shall mainly deal, is the
Golden Plover (Charadrius dominions), as it is large, well known,
easily identified (even when passing over at night), and does not
occur commonly, as do many other species (for instance the
Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius, the Turnstone, Arenaria
interpres, and the Yellow-legs Totanus flavipes) , in the southern
part of its range at all seasons.

Briefly summarized, the route taken by this plover in its migra-
tions {vide Cooke, Yearb. Dept. Agriculture, 1903, p. 371) is as
follows : — Starting from the breeding grounds in western Arctic
America, it goes to Labrador (arriving in August) where it fattens
on the ' curlew berries ' which are ripe at that time, and then
travels southward, leaving the continent at Nova Scotia, over the
sea past (sometimes four hundred miles or more east of) the Ber-
mudas, then just east of and over the Lesser Antilles, reaching
South America at the Guianas and the northernmost coast of
Brazil (about the first of September) . It soon disappears, but
reappears again on the prairies of Argentina, and goes as far
south as Patagonia, where it remains from September to March.
In March it appears in northwestern Colombia, Panama, and Cen-
tral America, passes up the Mississippi Valley, reaches the prairie
regions of the United States in April, crosses into Canada in May,
and is back on its breeding grounds in June.

The question naturally arises, why do the birds come north by
a different route from that taken going south, and what guides
them in their long sea journey from eastern Canada over the
Atlantic to the Guianas ?

Vol. XXII
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Clark, Afigratiotis of Shore Birds. \ -? c

As long ago as 1848, Sir Robert H. Schomburgk made the
interesting observation (Hist. Barbados, p. 681) that these plover,
in common with other shore birds, when flying over the island of
Barbados (the most easterly of the West Indies) take a course
from northwest to southeast, at right angles to the direction of
the wind (the northeast trade). Col. H. W. Feilden, in writing
of the birds of Barbados (Ibis, 1889, p. 490; West Indian Bulle-
tin, III [1902], p. 343), also notes this fact adding that "it
appears to be a well established observation that birds prefer
migrating with a ' beam ' wind." When in Barbados in September,
1 90 1, I was told by several sportsmen that the shore birds were
always seen to pass the island flying from northwest to southeast,
and I observed the fact myself in the migration seasons of 1903
and 1904.

Thus it appears that within the trade-wind belt, at least, these
birds always direct their flight in a definite relation to the direction
of the wind. With us, living in the north temperate zone, the
winds are so irregular and variable that we can hardly form any
accurate idea of the regularity of the winds within the tropics,
and to a lesser extent, over the sea in general, unless we have had
more or less experience with them.

Acting upon the supposition that the invariable relation of the
flight of the Golden Plover to the direction of the wind when in
the West Indies might be in reality a key to the course taken by
them during the major part, if not the entire extent of their flight,
I have mapped out a theoretical course which the birds would
follow, provided they depended on the direction of the wind as a
guide, and flew always at right angles to it.

There is one important point to be borne in mind in connection
with this, and that is that a bird flying directly across a wind will be
carried to leeward out of the course it appears to be taking just as
many miles every hour as the force of the wind is miles per hour.
I may illustrate what I mean by a parallel case. If a man were to
row a boat at the rate of four miles an hour across a stream with
a current of two miles an hour, which (let us assume) it takes him
an hour to cross, if he rows always with the axis of the boat at
right angles to the force of the current, he will reach the other
bank at a point as far down stream from a position exactly

176 Clark, Migrations of Shore Birds. Ta"^

opposite the place from which he started, as the current of the
stream will have gone on during the time he took in crossing. In
the case given, he would be two miles below the position opposite
the starting point, as the stream had a current of two miles per
hour, and he took an hour to get across. In the same way,
assuming the flight of Golden Plover to be one hundred miles an
hour, and the strength of the wind which it is crossing to be thirty
miles an hour, in one hour's flight, the plover would have reached
a point one hundred miles from where it started, but thirty miles
to the leeward of a line drawn from the starting place at right
angles to the wind. Thus in calculating the course which would
be taken by birds, provided they relied on the wind for a guide
and flew at right angles to it, we must remember that the direction
taken is in reality more or less diagonally across it (depending on
the strength of the wind) although the birds are all heading
directly across it.

Starting from their breeding grounds in western Arctic America,
the course of the Golden Plover would be southeasterly across the
prevailingly southwest winds, which would bring the birds across
north central and northeastern Canada to Labrador, and the
eastern Canadian Provinces (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia).
This may be considered the first stage of their flight. It is inter-
esting to notice here that the Whimbrel {Numenius phceopus) and
the Ring Plover {Aigia/itis hiaticula) which breed in Greenland
and about Cumberland Gulf also in migrating fly across the pre-
vailing southwesterlies of the north Atlantic, which brings them
to the shores of Europe and Africa, instead of down the American
coast, as it might be supposed they would come. As a matter
of fact, the Whimbrel is unknown on the eastern sea-board of the
United States, while the only record for ALgia/itis hiaticula in
America (south of its breeding grounds) is Barbados (September
10, 1888), to which island a number of European birds (for
instance Pavoncella pug/iax, 1848 and 1878, Vanellus vane// us,
1886, Hydroche/idon leucoptera, 1888, and H. hybrida) have
strayed.

Mr. William Brewster believes that the Whimbrel and s£gialitis
hiaticu/a in eastern Arctic America are merely colonies, the birds
from which would most naturally go south during the migrations
by the route taken by others in the European habitat of the spe-

Vol. XXII
1905

Clark, Migratioji of Shore Birds. 1^7

cies ; and the fact that they cross over to Europe and then pro-
ceed to southern Africa instead of going to southern South America
is merely due to their starting on their journey by the same route
by which they originally reached the territory. This, however,
is not so serious an objection as might at first sight appear ; for
very possibly the species were first established in those regions by
certain individuals or companies getting off the main track of the
migrations north along the coasts of Africa and Europe, and,
directing their course from perhaps northwestern Africa across
the prevailing southwesterly winds (in the spring), finally reach-
ing land in Greenland and the regions immediately to the west
of it.

Starting from Labrador and the eastern Canadian Provinces,
the Golden Plover would fly in a southeasterly direction, across
the prevailing southwesterly winds until the latitude of Bermuda
was reached. This would bring them to a point a few hundred
miles to the eastward of those islands. Here the course would
change to westerly, and then southwesterly in the ' horse lati-
tudes.' The variable and rather light winds which occur here at
this season would tend to scatter the flocks somewhat, and we
should expect the line of migration to be somewhat wider from
this point south. The prevailingly southeasterly, then easterly
winds in the ' horse latitudes ' would cause them to go first in a
southwesterly direction, becoming more southerly as the northern
limit of the northeast trades was approached. They would begin
to feel the effects of the trades in a position due east of the
Bahamas, and due north of Porto Rico. Their course would
then change from southerly to southeasterly, and they would pass
along just to the eastward of, and over, the Lesser Antilles,
reaching northern South America in the Guianas. At the season
when the birds reach the Guianas, the wind in that district is very
light, but what little there is comes from the east. Here they
stop and feed (being in a very lean condition after their long
flight) and appear, from what I can learn from people who have
travelled in the interior of British Guiana, to follow up the rivers
into the higher land.1

1 There is a specimen in the British Museum from Mt. Roraima, and one
from the Maroni River, Surinam.

1^8 Clark, Migrations of Shore Birds. [a"^

From this point their course is not accurately known ; but if we
apply this theory, they would follow down the northeastern tribu-
taries of the Amazons until they came within the influence of the
southeast trades, which would carry them southwest, over central
Amazonia toward Peru and Bolivia.1 Somewhat northwest of the
Matto Grosso region, the birds would come under the influence of
the easterly winds on the southern border of the trades, which
would turn them south, and gradually (as they became more north-
easterly) southeast, which would bring the plover into the prairie
region of the Argentine. Here the prevailing westerlies of the
pampas region would be felt, and the birds would, under their
influence, continue down the eastern part of Patagonia toward
Tierra del Fuego.

In returning, the birds would first go north (across the prevail-
ing westerlies), until in the vicinity of Buenos Ayres, and the
country just to the west of it where they would encounter north-
easterly winds, which would turn them inland, up the valley of the
La Plata and along the plains to the east of the Andes, the course
gradually becoming more northerly, and then northeasterly in the
area covered by the southeast trades. They would reach the
Amazons valley in its western half, and then under the guidance
of the northeast trades fly northwest, toward the isthmus of
Panama and Central America. The course from here would be
northwest across the trades to Texas and the Mississippi Valley.
The birds follow up this valley, northward, and then, on reaching
Canada fly northwest, across the prevailing southwesterly and
westerly winds to their breeding grounds in western Arctic
America.

This, then, would be the path travelled by the main flights of
the Golden Plover. Those flocks which visit the lakes of Maine
and the eastern seacoast of the United States may very well be
parties which have become detached from the main body, perhaps
during a period of squally weather, with uncertain and variable
winds, conditions very liable to occur at the time of their journey
south.

1 There are specimens in the British Museum from Peru taken in September
and October.

Vol. XXIIT Clark, Migrations of Shore Birds. \ 1Q

Col. Feilden remarks (Ibis, 1889, and West Indian Bulletin,
III, [1902], loc. cit.) that "a shift of wind from the northeast, with
squally weather to the southeast is ardently longed for by the
Barbados sportsmen towards the end of August, as this forces the
migratory hosts [of shore birds] to alight instead of passing over
at a great height, as they are seen to do when the wind is from
the northeast."

Along the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts (where the wind
should be west or southwest to favor their flight), the gunners
have observed that numbers of Golden Plover sometimes appear
if the wind happens to be northeast at the time they are passing;
but if the wind shifts to the southwest, they all disappear. These
two instances seem to offer additional evidence that the birds are
to a considerable degree reliant on the direction of the wind to
guide them in their flight.

Mr. Brewster believes that the knowledge that an immense
supply of food awaits them in Labrador would be more potent in
bringing the plover to that district than the direction of the wind.
Here, as in the case of the parallelism between the course taken
in the first stage of the migration by Golden Plover, and by the
Whimbrel and ^gia/itis hiaticula, the result would be the same,
no matter which was the true cause ; but it seems to me that the
question of food cannot influence these plover, as, although the
old birds may remember the attractions of Labrador in regard
to food, the young of the year, which have never seen the place
could hardly be influenced in the direction of their flight by any
such considerations, and in this species the young and old do not
migrate together, but the first to arrive at any given point are
invariably adults, and nearly all males; next come the females,
and, about twelve days after the main flight of the adult males, the
light-breasted young. It may, of course, be argued that the old
males lead the way, followed by the females and the young; but
it seems more probable that all are guided by the same cause, as
otherwise we should expect the young, if they should for a few
days lose sight of the others, to get off the track and turn up at
places remote from the usual path of migration, a thing which
they are no more liable than the adults to do.

Of course it is probable that in wide and rich valleys, like those

1 40 Kopman, Birds of Jefferson Parish, La. \_kat

of the Mississippi and La Plata, and to a lesser extent the rivers
of the Guianas and the northeastern tributaries of the Amazons,
the birds are guided largely by their direction, and the courses of
the streams ; but it seems as if outside of these areas, we must
look for the key to the course of their flight in the direction of the
winds, as by no other method can we satisfactorily explain (1)
why they pass over the West Indies always from northwest to
southeast, (2) why they are usually observed to migrate with a
'beam ' wind, (3) why they never alight on Barbados or the other
West Indies if the wind is northeast, but only if it comes from the
southeast or some other direction, not necessarily contrary to
their course, (4) why they appear on the Massachusetts coast
during northeast winds, but leave if the wind changes to the
southwest or west, and (5) why they reach the South American
continent in the Guianas on their journey south, but leave it
at the isthmus of Panama in coming north.

LIST OF BIRDS SEEN IN JEFFERSON PARISH,
LOUISIANA, APRIL i, 1904.

BY H. H. KOPMAN.

The following list of 64 species seen by the writer and two
companions, Messrs. Andrew and W. B. Allison, during an ex-
tended walk near New Orleans, April 1, 1904, presents the typi-
cal bird-life of the section at that season with an unusual degree
of closeness to what might be considered the ideal typical state of
the avifauna. The season was absolutely normal, no extremes of
cold having occurred during the winter, and the spring having
developed slowly but practically uniformly from small beginnings
after the first week in January, and more rapidly and without the
slightest interruption from the cold, after the 20th of February.

Because the list gives a typical view of our bird-life at the
season in question, and because it is the largest Louisiana list of

Vol. XXII
1905

Kopman, Birds of Jefferson Parish, La. IAI

which I have any record, I have concluded that it would be of
interest to observers in other parts of the country. It is not
remarkable for rare species. In fact, there are scarcely any un-
expected birds in it, while nearly everything that might have been
expected in the character of country visited was recorded during
the fifteen hours spent afield, from 6 a. m. to 9p.11. No additional
species was recorded after about 7.30 p. m. Resident birds, a
few of the winter visitors, and summer visitors, arrived and arriv-
ing, gave the predominant character to the bird-life of the day.
Species purely transient were little in evidence. The weather
was too stable and rather too warm for the marked movement of
transients that had been noted two days before.

Sixty-four Species of Birds seen by Amireiv Allison, W. B. Allison,

and H. H. Kopman, April 1, IQ04, in Jefferson Parish,

Louisiana, West Bank of the Mississippi, opposite

New Orleans.

1. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — Several of these winter-
ing gulls were still present on the river.

2. Florida caerulea. Little Blue Heron. — Though the species had
arrived some time since, we saw only one in the country we crossed.

3. Nyctanassa violacea. Yellow-crowned Night Heron. — We saw
two before dark and heard several after dark.

4. Gallinago delicata. Wilson's Snipe. — Andrew Allison was the
only member of the party who touched at a spot where we are almost sure
of finding the Snipe in spring. In this wet pasture he saw a few of the
birds.

5. Helodromas solitarius. Solitary Sandpiper. — We saw but one,
though it is usually common at this season.

6. Oxyechus vociferus. Killdeer. — The Killdeers were seen by Mr.
Allison in the same spot as the Snipe.

7. Colinus virginianus. Bob-white. — Though not well established
about New Orleans, this species is occasionally found in the vicinity. A
covey that we have observed repeatedly was found in the usual place on
open briery land.

8. Cathartes aura. Turkey Buzzard. — Usual numbers.

9. Catharista urubu. Black Vulture. — Usual numbers.

10. Buteo lineatus (alleni?). (Florida?) Red-shouldered Hawk. —
Saw one pair, circling rather high, but resident birds.

11. Syrnium varium alleni. Florida Barred Owl. — Heard sev-
eral.

I 4 2 Kopman, Birds of Jeffersoti Pa risk, La. \ h^

12. Megascops asio floridanus. Florida Screech Owl. — Heard
one after dark.

13. Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. — Though this spe-
cies is rather common, and sometimes fairly conspicuous in the country
through which we went, we heard but one this day.

14. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. — Noted several.

15. Dryobates villosus audubonii. Southern Hairy Woodpecker.
— Noted one or two.

16. Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — In the growth
of a slough which our road followed for a long distance, and in some
rather deep woods through which we passed later, this species was very
common.

17. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. — This species is an infrequent breeder
about New Orleans, and as all the winter residents had gone, we saw
but one bird.

18. Chaetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Though the first arrived
the 19th of March, we saw but a few this day.

19. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — Thor-
oughly common. Arrived March 23.

20. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Never very common in Louisi-
ana in spring. We saw but one. The first had been noted March 23.

21. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — Rather common
along the slough where so many Red-bellied Woodpeckers were
seen. Arrived March 30.

22. Sayornis phcebe. Phoebe. — A single bird still lingered where I
had seen it on two recent trips. The day of its departure was very close
at hand, the last never having been seen later than April 6.

In the matter of flycatchers, the trip was rather disappointing. March
30, two early arrivals, the Wood Pewee {Contopus virtus) and the Green-
crested Flycatcher {Empidonax vircscens), had both appeared, one of each
species being noted, but neither was seen April 1. The recording of the
Green-crested Flycatcher March 30 antedated anj' previous arrival record
for this latitude by six days, so it was not surprising that none was noted
April 1. The Wood Pewee, however, might readily enough have been
seen.

23. Corvus brachyrhynchos. American Crow. — Common.

24. Corvus ossifragus. Fish Crow. — We heard this species only
early in the morning near the river.

25. Cyanocitta cristata florincola. Florida Blue Jay. — Seen in only
one locality, a briery pasture bordered chiefly by small live and water
oaks. At this one spot it is nearly always seen.

26. Agelaius phceniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — The long slough
was the only breeding situation of this species we visited. Here we saw
a few. The bulk of the residents had departed for their breeding
grounds in the marshes.

27. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — A single one was seen on the edge
of a weedy field.

Vol.XXin Kopman, Birds of Jefferson Parish, La. 1 43

28. Sturnella magna argutula. Southern Meadowlark. — The ob-
servations made in regard to the Bob-white about New Orleans are appli-
cable to this bird. Andrew Allison saw one of several that have become
established in and about the pasture where he saw the Snipe and Kill-
deer.

29. Icterus spurius. — Orchard Oriole. — Males were very common,
and we saw the first female. The first males arrived March 25.

30. Quiscalus quiscula aglaeus. Florida Grackle. — Abundant.

31. Megaquiscalus major. Boat-tailed Grackle. — Abundant, one
large flock and many single birds being seen, though the majority had
left for their breeding grounds in the marshes

32. Zonotrichia albicollis. White throated Sparrow. — Rather com-
mon ; singing occasionally.

33. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow. — This was certainly the most
unexpected bird of the day, for while it is common in some parts of the
bluffy and sandy lands further north in the State, it is rare in the flat
alluvial lands of the southeast. The single one seen appeared in the same
spot where I had seen one March 23, and was doubtless the same bird.
This was in the dry, brier-grown pasture to which reference has already
been made.

34. Melospiza georgiana. Swamp Sparrow. — Not very common, but
showing about normal numbers for the season.

35. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna. Savanna Sparrow. — Only
a few seen in the morning.

36. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee. — Seen at only one spot, the
thickets about the pasture where we saw the Blue Jays and the Field
Sparrow.

37. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. — As noisy\ melodious, and
abundant as ever.

38. Cyanospiza cyanea. Indigo Bunting. — There was no increase
over the number seen March 30, when the species arrived. About 3 were
seen.

39. Piranga rubra. Summer Tanager. — A male in all but perfect
plumage was recorded as the first arrival for 1904. This is next to the
earliest date of which I have any record, one having been seen by Andrew
Allison at Bay St. Louis, Miss., March 31, 1902.

40. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — The only one I observed was
heard in New Orleans in the morning just before I crossed the river.

41. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallows. — The only ones we
saw were three or four that passed with some Tree Swallows in the morn-
ing. These were the first arrivals recorded.

42. Iridoprocne bicolor. Tree Swallow. — Ordinarily common.

43. Vireo olivaceus. Red-eyed Vireo. — Rather common, at least
well distributed. The first had arrived at Covington, in the pine woods
north of New Orleans, March 20.

44. Vireo noveboracensis. White-eyed Vireo. — In normal abun-
dance.

IA.A. Kopman, Birds of Jefferson Parish, La. \_\p^.

45. Compsothlypis americana ramelinae. Parula Warbler. — As
abundant as usual, many having begun to nest. Arrived March 7.

46. Protonotaria citrea. Prothonotary Warbler. — Hardly as
widely distributed as March 30. The first came March 19.

47. Helinaia swainsonii. Swainson's Warbler. — In a brake of
switchcane in a rather dense wood of Texas red oak, water oak, live
oak, box elder, red maple, ash, haw, hackberry, and elm, where we can
usually count on finding this species in spring, we heard several singing,
and Andrew Allison took one specimen. The notes of this species were
almost constantly intermingled with those of the Hooded Warbler, to
which they bear considerable resemblance. We observed that the first
part of the song was tremulous and quavering, highly modulated and
slightly complex, but that the termination was very similar to notes of
the Hooded Warbler. The species had probably arrived several days
before. We have never been able to prove that the spot where we found
it is a breeding ground, though the species is well established there in the
middle spring.

48. Dendroica dominica albilora. Sycamore Warbler. — The species
was not singing much. The first arrived March 12.

49. Dendroica coronata. Myrtle Warbler. — Noted only a few.
The bird is sometimes still abundant this late, but the mild character of
the whole spring had advanced their movement a week or so.

50. Dendroica aestiva. Yellow Warbler. — Where I had seen the
first bird of the season, March 30, in some willows in the slough, there
was still one this day. It was doubtless the same bird, and was in song
as on the previous occasion. April 2 had been the earliest date for arrival
previous to this.

51. Geothlypis formosa. Kentucky Warbler. — There had been no
special increase in numbers over the number seen March 30, when the first
arrived.

52. Geothlypis trichas. Maryland Yellow-throat. — Saw only a
few.

53. Wilsonia mitrata. Hooded Warbler. — As abundant as usual.
The first had arrived March 12.

54. Parus carolinensis. Carolina Chickadee. — Nothing out of the
ordinary was noted in regard to this common resident.

55. Baeolophus bicolor. Tufted Titmouse.-5- In statu quo, like the
Chickadee.

56. Mimus polyglottos. Mockingbird. — Owing to the prevalence of
trapping in Jefferson Parish before the new bird law was passed, Mock-
ingbirds have not been very common there of late years, and we saw only
a few, at distant points.

57. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Catbird — The spring transients of
this species are rarelv present here in large numbers. We saw but two.

58. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher. — Common and somewhat
musical. These birds were probably all transients, certainly not summer
visitors, as the species is not known as a breeder in southern Louisiana.

VO',^XU] Kopman, Birds of Jefferson Parish, La. 145

59. Thryothorus ludovicianus. Carolina Wren. — As conspicuous
and musical as the Cardinal.

60. Troglodytes aedon. House Wren. — This winter visitor was still
present, some half dozen being noted.

61. Hylocichla mustelina. Wood Thrush. — We noted only two or
three. The first came March 26.

62. Hylocichla guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. — Had become very
scarce. We were constantly watching for them, but saw only two.

63. Polioptila caerulea. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — Though the date
of its general arrival had long passed, it was not particularly common
this day.

64. Regulus calendula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Saw only cuie,
probably the last, though the species has often been seen a week later,
and on one occasion as late as April 18.

Several species that we might readily have expected to see
were :

1. Laughing Gull (Lams atricilla). Had disappeared from the river
rather earlier than usual for its breeding grounds on the coast.

2. Wood Duck (^4« s/(?«.w).

3. White Ibis (Guara alba).

4. Great Blue Heron (Ardea kerodias).

5. Green Heron (Butorides virescens).

6. Pectoral Sandpiper (Actodromas maculata).

7. Bartramian Sandpiper (Bartramia longicattda).
S. Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon).

9. Painted Bunting (Cyanospiza ciris).

10. Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis).

11. Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus).

12. American Pipit (Anthus pensilvanicus).

All the water birds mentioned above and a half dozen more we
should have been practically certain of noting had we been able
to include in our itinerary some of the marsh and water surfaces
of the parish, so that a spring list of 75 species in Southeast
Louisiana would be by no means impossible to establish, though
I should never expect to see that number exceeded.

I/J.6 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. \m*.

NESTING HABITS OF BIRDS IN MISSISSIPPI.

BY CHARLES R. STOCKARD.

An attempt is made in the following article to condense and
summarize, and as nearly as possible to bring out the most inter-
esting facts noted while collecting for several years in various
parts of Mississippi. It is evident to all readers that in arranging
data of this kind some of the habits and customs of birds which
are well known to most observers must occasionally be repeated.
The nesting records of birds in one section of the country are not
always strikingly different from those of another, particularly for
the same species. But the manner of nesting does differ slightly
in many and very strikingly in a few cases. In those localities
where particular kinds of material and certain peculiar conditions
predominate the method of nest building will differ widely from
that which is followed in sections where such conditions do not
prevail ; this fact is shown clearly in many instances cited below.
One observing the nesting habits of birds may at times be im-
pressed by the constant fixedness of style followed, and then
again the same observer will be surprised by the great diversity
in nesting habits evinced by a single species.

My intention has been to arrange the data below so that they
shall clearly and briefly show the facts regarding the Usual nesting
sites selected by different species, as well as to indicate the season
during which each species deposits its eggs. Yet in many cases
birds were observed to deviate markedly from the rule in their
selection of nesting sites ; such instances have been particularly
enumerated and emphasized, as they appear to me of especial
interest in showing on the one hand a faculty apparently similar
to discretion in the choice of nesting places, while as evidently on
the other hand some cases illustrate the most absurd stupidity.
The ordinary manner of nest construction will not be given in
detail and only in remarkable cases will most of the particulars be
entered into. I have deemed it only necessary in most instances
to give the extreme dates in any season on which the eggs of a
species were recorded, because the notes extend over a period of
nine years, during which time a great number of nests of one spe-

Vol. XXII
1905

Stockard, ATesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 147

cies may have been noted, and it is useless to string out a list of
the dates on which all these nests were observed.

1. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. — These birds are seen
in Mississippi every month of the year, and often in considerable num-
bers. Many careful searches were made for their nests but all proved
unsuccessful, though I am confident that they nest in the State.

2. Sterna maxima. Royal Tern. — This beautiful large tern is to be
found nesting abundantly on the small islands to the south of Mississippi
Sound. No nest is constructed, the eggs being placed on the bare sand.
Sets were found consisting of two and four eggs each; those of four were
very rare, only two such being observed. The earliest date on which they
were taken was May 28, and the latest was June 21, 1903. There is no
doubt that fresh eggs may be found during a much longer period than
these dates indicate, as few trips were made to the islands. Mr. C. Del-
mas of Scranton has collected on the islands near that place many eggs
of these birds as well as those of the Cabot's Tern.

3. Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida. Cabot's Tern. — This tern is found
breeding on the islands in company with the Royal Tern. In Mississippi
Sound one finds many eggs of this species in the latter part of May and
June. All the sets observed contained one or two eggs ; never as many
as three were found in a set. No nest is built, the eggs lying on the
sandy ground of the island. The earliest sets were taken on May 28,
1901, almost all consisting of fresh eggs, and the latest were found June
21, 1903, most of which contained well formed embryos, and many nest-
lings were seen on the islands at this time.

4. Anhinga anhinga. Anhinga. — This bird is commonly known in
Mississippi as the Water Turkey. They are often noticed in autumn and
winter flying in large flocks. During the breeding season they are rarely
observed unless one visits some swampy wood, or better some lake that is
situated in a dense timber-land. There the Anhinga will be found nest-
ing in small colonies. Nine occupied nests was the largest group found,
but usually only from three to five pairs nest about a small lake. The
nest was rather loosely constructed of sticks and was very shallow, being
little more than a platform, suggesting at once the architectural style so
commonly employed by the herons. The Little Blue Heron was found
nesting about the same lakes with the Anhingas. The earliest eggs were
taken on April 21, 1901, and the latest on May 14, 1902. As the nesting
localities have not been at all constantly observed, the laying season may
well have wider limits. Four eggs constituted the full set in all cases
noted.

5. Ardetta exilis. Least Bittern. — The nest of the Least Bittern
was not found, although the birds were present during the nesting
season. They were always very rare, however, in the marshes in which I
collected. '

I48 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. Ta"^

6. Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis. Louisiana Heron. — In the marshes
of the western and southern portions of the State many of these herons
were found nesting, usually in company with the Little Blue. The nests
were placed near the ground in small trees or bushes and were built in
the careless heron style. Four eggs constituted the complete set, and the
earliest date of collecting these eggs was May 11, 1896, the latest being
June 12, 1902.

7. Florida ccerulea. Little Blue Heron. — A very common species
in many parts of the State where it was found breeding in small colonies
and sometimes alone. All complete sets contained four eggs. The nests
were placed from ten to thirty feet above the ground in swampy woods
and small marshes. Many of these herons nested along the Tombigbee
River in the eastern part of Mississippi, and they were also common on
the lakes in counties bordering the Mississippi River. Their nesting sea-
son commenced about the middle of April, and the latest eggs were taken
June 4, 1900.

S. Butorides virescens. Green Heron. — This bird is generally
known by the odd name of "Shitepoke," a name whose probable mean-
ing and origin will be readily understood by those acquainted with early
English who have noticed a certain action of the Green Heron when sud-
denly leaving the ground. The Green Heron does not appear to be as
partial toward wooded districts for nesting localities as the other herons
of the State. They were often found nesting in small willows and
bushes that grew along the edges of drain ditches passing through open
pastures and fields. I have failed to find this bird nesting in company
with the other herons, and rarely more than two pairs were found
making their homes in any one vicinity. The sets were composed of
three and four eggs each. May 5, 1895, was the earliest, and June 11,
1900, was the latest date on which complete sets were collected.

9. Nycticorax nycticorax naevius. Black-crowned Night Heron. —
The writer has not found this bird at all abundant, though he was unable
to visit some of the heronries claimed to exist in the swamps bordering
the Mississippi River. In a small marshy wood in the eastern part of the
State, Lowndes County, several pairs of this heron were found to make
their homes each year. Large water-oak trees appear to be their favorite
site, and one such tree in the spring of 1S97 was found to contain nine
nests, only two of which were occupied at that time. Trees in this wood
during the breeding season are surrounded by water about eighteen
inches in depth, caused by the heavy spring rains which drain in from
the neighboring fields. All sets observed consisted of four eggs. The
date of the earliest set was March 21, 1895, and of the latest May 11, 1897.
The nests were all placed on horizontal branches, usually a considerable
distance away from the tree trunk, and on this account they were often
reached with difficulty. In all cases they were mere platforms of sticks.

10. Rallus elegans. King Rail. — Only one nest of this fine rail was
seen and it was placed on the ground and formed of reeds. The eggs

Vol. XXII
1905

Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 1 49

were well concealed by the thick mat of grass that drooped over them.
This waste of reeds covered several acres along a marshy stream border
and was a favorite resort for many Red-winged Blackbirds, Maryland
Yellow-throats, and other marsh lovers. The above mentioned nest con-
tained six fresh eggs on June 29, 1S96.

11. Rallus crepitans. Clapper Rail. — These birds are found laving
in the brackish marshes near Scranton, Mississippi. On my only visit
to these places one set of ten slightly incubated eggs was collected. The
nest was on the ground, raised several inches above the surface by a heap
of reeds that was piled under it. The thick growth above hid the eggs
from view, and they would have been passed over but for the fact that
the female was flushed from them.

12. Porzana Carolina. Sora. — I have observed this species in Louisi-
ana but have never seen one in Mississippi, although no doubt they occur
in the marshes along the river in the northwest portion of the State.

13. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — These birds were pres-
ent throughout the year, more abundant in winter than in summer, but
their nests were never found.

14. Oxyechus vociferus. Killdeer. — This plover is rather abundant
in all sections of the State, and at times other than the breeding season
will be found feeding in small flocks. They nest throughout Mississippi,
always on the ground and, in the large number of cases observed, in open
fields and pastures. The eggs are never hidden in grass or weeds but are
placed in slight depressions on the bare ground or on a short grass turf.
The saucer-like depression of a nest has scattered in it bits of shells,
small pebbles, short pieces of weeds or sticks, and often small bits of
crayfish armor. This rubbish is never arranged so as to form a real
nest since only a few bits of it are scattered in the depression and can
apparently serve no purpose whatever except to suggest to the observer
that the Killdeer has a slight nest-building instinct either in an incipient
or a rudimentary condition. The earliest set was taken on April 17, 1897,
and the latest June 6, 1900. All full sets contained four eggs. Whenever
the female is flushed from her nest she pretends to be unable to fly and
staggers off in a wounded manner fluttering along the ground. This
action is evidently intended to allure the intruder into a chase and thus
draw him away from her nest.

15. Colinus virginianus. Bob-white. — The Bob-white is still abun-
dant, though becoming scarcer each year, at the hand of the sportsman.
In fields of sedge 'grass or oats many pairs will often nest very close
together. June, 1895, I found in a thirty acre field of sedge grass sixteen
nests of the Bob-white, all containing large sets, ranging from twelve to
twenty-two eggs, and the total number of eggs in this field must have
been about three hundred. As the eggs were not taken the exact total
was not known. In 1S97 a ten acre oat field contained six nests, but in
the last several years I have not observed more than three or four nests in
one field and usually only one was found. The earliest complete set was

I^O Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. \ \^

seen June 3, 1S96, and the latest fresh eggs on June 29, 1900. The nest
was almost invariably placed at the base of a clump of sedge grass, oat
stalks, or a small shrub; it is usually composed of long grass blades and
well arched over so that the eggs are only visible from the direction
toward which the entrance faces, except in some cases where the roof is
poorly made. In large sets the eggs often roll out at the front and sides
of the nest so that the bird has difficulty in keeping them all within the
nest basin.

16. Meleagris gallopavo silvestris. Wild Turkey. — The Wild
Turkey is still rather common in some parts of Mississippi, chiefly in
large deep woods. One may often see them in small droves during the
autumn and winter. The nests are rarely found, only two being observed
by the writer, and in one of these cases I was conducted to the place.
The sets consisted of eight and eleven eggs, slightly incubated in both
instances. The first eggs were found May 14, 1895, in Lowndes County,
and the second were seen on May 26, 1902, in Adams County. The nests
were well concealed in thick weeds and arched over by low bushes and
vines near the edge of dense woods. There was a definite path of
entrance through the weeds formed by the birds in both cases. The
eggs were placed on a few leaves and straws irregularly raked together,
forming at best a very droll structure.

The sites selected by domesticated turkeys where they run on large and
wooded ranges are very similar to these, and, excepting the fact that the
area is a little more limited, their nests are just as difficult to discover.
They go in under dense bushes and vines and almost completely hide
their eggs, and any one who has attempted to find them can appreciate
fully the masterly manner in which they are hidden.

17. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — This species is ex-
tremely common and in fall and winter they are seen collecting in large
numbers. Late in summer they begin roosting in company and many
hundred come about sunset to their chosen place for the night. During
this season they are shot in large numbers while flying to the hedge or
small wood that has been selected as a roosting place.

Doves often nested in small colonies. In a clump of about fifteen
young pine trees I once found nine nests, and in an ossage orange hedge
about one half mile long twelve nests were located. But most doves nest
singly, or with the nests too far apart to suggest any gregarious nesting
habit. The nest is scarcely more than a mere platform of sticks, and the
eggs are often visible through the floor on account of its loose arrange-
ment. In only one instance a nest was found placed directly on the
ground ; it was constructed of small sticks and grass roughly arranged
and set in a slight depression. The earliest nest was found May 1, 1900,
and the latest June 19, 1902. Two eggs always composed the set. The
female of this species also leaves her nest in a wounded fashion. She
drops in a semi-helpless manner from the limb on which the nest is
placed, and flutters along on the ground as if struggling desperately to

Vol. XXII
igos

Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 1^1

escape the intruder. All doves are not given to this trick as some fly
swiftly from the nest tree without any attempt to cajole the collector. I
made special observations to ascertain whether or not there was any rela-
tion between the action of the bird on leaving the nest and the condition
of the eggs or young. My results were entirely negative; some birds
were seen to perform in a frantic manner after leaving perfectly fresh
eggs, while others would fly in an ordinary way from a nest containing
young. The actions seemed only dependent upon the feelings or nature
of the mother.

18. Cathartes aura. Turkey Vulture. — Only five nests of this vul-
ture were observed, the earliest on March 21, 1898, and the latest fresh
eggs on April 25, 1902. The breeding places selected were either the
hollows of fallen logs or the hollows in large stumps. A pair will
continue to use the same nest for many consecutive seasons even though
their eggs were taken during the previous year. (For fuller details of
nesting habits of Vultures see Stockard, ' Nesting Habits of Woodpeckers
and Vultures in Mississippi.' Auk, Vol. XXI, No. 4.)

19. Catharista urubu. Black Vulture. — The earliest set from this
species was taken on March 11, 1902, but a set was collected on March 16,
1901, that had been incubated for about three weeks; thus it was probably
laid as early as February 23. April 19, 1902, the latest set was found,
which was the second set of that season for the same pair, and as far as I
am aware this is the only case recorded of two sets within one season
from the Black Vulture.

20. Accipiter cooperii. Cooper's Hawk. — A very common hawk in
Mississippi, where it is rather retiring in its nesting habits, usually select-
ing a deep wood in which to rear its brood. The eleven nests observed
were all located high up in oak or hickory trees which usually stood
more than a quarter of a mile within the wood. The nests were built
early in the year, generally about the last of February, and were at
this time fully exposed to view from all sides, since the nest trees
had not yet put forth their leaves. But about the time the young had
hatched, late March or early April, the foliage had become sufficiently
dense to almost completely conceal the nest. I have never known this
hawk to use the same nest for a second season, or to use any other old
nest, but all observed built new nests each year. The numbers of eggs
composing sets were three and four. The earliest set was found on
March 2, 1895, and the latest on April 5, 1899. Their laying season
reaches its maximum about the middle of March.

21. Buteo borealis. Red-tailed Hawk. — This hawk was found in
all the farming districts of the State, and seems to remain almost con-
stantly in any locality that it may choose for a hunting ground. A
certain pair can be observed almost at any time within their small domain,
and they apparently retain this as a home for many years. When one
Red-tail's nest is found in a wood the observer may feel quite certain that
similar nests will be constructed near this one for several seasons to

1^2 Stockard, Nesti?ig Habits of Mississippi Birds. [ a^

follow, even though their eggs are removed each year. But I have failed
to note them using the same nest for more than a single season ; new
nests were always built each year. Their homes were made in more or
less dense timber-lands, and at times in the depth of heavy swampy
woods, never in open fields and pastures where the Broad-winged Hawk so
often makes its nest. Large oak and hickory trees were the favorite sites
selected by borealis for nesting. The bulky nest was well made of sticks,
leaves, bark, and moss, and lined with fibrous bark, moss, and feathers;
it was placed in a main trunk crotch or in a crotch of one of the large
oblique branches. All sets contained only two eggs each. The maximum
laying time was about the middle of March ; the earliest set seen was
March 3, 1898, and the latest eggs were found April 24, 1896. This hawk
is much detested by farmers and when its nest is found it is fired into with
shotguns, thus destroying the brood.

22. Buteo lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. — The Red-shouldered
is strikingly similar in nesting habits to the Red-tailed, and was, I
believe, the more abundant of the two species in the State. Its nests
were also placed in large oak and hickory trees, usually in dense woods
but sometimes in thickly grown brakes. The writer has observed many
nests of this species, but must also state that in no case have they been
found using the same nest for more than one season. They, also, like bore-
alis, seem partial to a particular wood as a nesting locality after it has once
been chosen. The sets contained only two eggs. The time of principal
laying seemed somewhat later than the middle of March. March 6, 1896,
was the earliest nest found to contain eggs, and April 18, 1900, a set of
comparatively fresh eggs were taken.

23. Buteo platypterus. Broad-winged Hawk. — Although I have
observed only one pair of these hawks while nesting the case proved very
interesting. Through an open pasture, bordered on two sides by rather
thick woods, ran a small stream only a few feet wide with a line of large
cotton-wood trees along its course. On entering this pasture April 4,
1898, a hawk's nest was seen in one of the cotton-wood trees which was
at this date in rather scanty foliage. To convey some idea of how com-
pletely exposed this large nest was, it may be stated that it was seen for
the first time and recognized to be a hawk's nest from a distance of at
least one half mile. It contained a set of two eggs. Situated in another
one of the cotton-wood trees, about fifty yards distant, was a similar nest,
probably of the previous season. On April 13, 1899, in the same line of
trees and about two hundred yards distant from the 1898 nest, was a new
nest containing two eggs. Thus for three seasons apparently the same
pair had used this line of trees as nesting sites. The pair of hawks could
be seen circling about the pasture almost any day of the year. In 1900 I
again attempted to locate their nest but failed; the cotton-woods were
deserted and the birds were not to be found.

24. Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle. — This bird is rather
common in the western portion of Mississippi along the river. I have

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Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. I S3

never seen its nest in the State, but it is said to breed year after year in
the tall swamps of the river counties. There is a cypress brake bordering
a lake shore in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, where a pair of Bald Eagles
rear their brood each year. The same nest is used season after season
and is situated far up in the topmost branches of a huge cypress tree.
This brake is about twenty-five miles from the Mississippi River, west of
Natchez, Mississippi.

25. Falco sparverius. American Sparrow Hawk. — The Sparrow
Hawk was rather abundant in towns and villages as well as through the
country districts. I found them in Adams County nesting in a manner
almost social or colonial. In a newly cleared field there were many old
stumps of deadened trees, some of which were very tall, and many pairs
of this little hawk were nesting in these stumps. Some were in natural
cavities and others in the deserted burrows of Pileated and other wood-
peckers. On March 18, 1 901, four hollows in this 'deadening' contained
four eggs each ; no nests were built in the hollows. On April 2, 1902,
three other sets of four were found in the same locality. Many more
pairs nested here, but most of the dead trees were impossible to climb
without danger ; thus few nests were observed. This clearing was about
one mile long and half a mile wide.

26. Syrnium varium. Barred Owl. — This is the common large owl
of the State, and almost every wood, large or small, has its Barred Owls.
On passing along almost any country road after sunset the hoot of this
owl is heard, and where the road leads through the wood it is not at all
uncommon to find one or two of them perched on some lower branch of
a large tree. Then the owl will incline its body forward and peer at the
passer-by in a most amusing fashion, stretching and twisting its neck and
bobbing its head up and down in a remarkable way.

The eggs are laid in large hollows of trees, which are usually located
in thick woods. No nest is made in the cavity, the two eggs lying directly
on the soft floor of decayed wood. A pair was observed to occupy the
same hollow for four years, and it was stated that the owls had reared
their young in this place for many seasons before. All sets consisted of
only two eggs. They are rather early layers, a set being seen on Febru-
ary 2, 1903, in Adams County, and another on February 18, 1895, in the
east central part of the State, while the latest eggs were found on March
11, 1898; at all later dates the nests contained young. One nest was
found to contain young about one week old at the early date of February
28, 1903, so these eggs were probably laid in the month of Ja,nuary,
although not knowing the period of incubation for this bird I am unable
to give a definite calculation.

The young were easily reared and fed on almost any kind of meat, being
especially partial to small fish and the common crayfish. But they
finally, after being fed on other diet, took a marked dislike for beef and
would often go hungry rather than eat it. I reared a fine pair of these
birds in 1903, and after they became able to fly and were set at liberty

IK A. Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. lApr

they returned each day about sunset to their familiar feeding shelf and
cried for food; after being gorged they flew away again to the near-by
wood. They continued this habit for about one month after being liber-
ated ; I then left this locality and so was unable to observe them longer.

27. Megascops asio. Screech Owl. — The Screech Owl is abun-
dantly distributed over all parts of Mississippi. Its shivering screechy
cry is commonly heard around the farmhouses at night. This owl will
also nest year after year in the same hollow. They usually select a small
cavity such as an old Flicker's burrow or natural cavity and in this they
build a shabby nest of small sticks, but in two instances observed the
eggs have been found lying on the soft chips in the bottom of wood-
peckers' burrows with no attempt at a nest. One pair was found nesting
in a box that had been prepared for Purple Martins. The sets were all
rather small in comparison with those reported from other parts; never
more than four and usually three eggs composed them. The earliest set
was taken March 14, 1903' and the latest on May 3, 1902, well incubated
and placed in the martin box mentioned above. Both red and gray types
of this owl were common and the two types mate together about as often
as they mate straight. The broods are commonly mixed, some individ-
uals being red and others gray. This might prove interesting material
for the study of inheritance.

28. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Occasional individ-
uals of virginianus are seen throughout the State. They probably nest
also, as they are found at all seasons, but I have never been so fortunate
as to locate their breeding places.

29. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — This species is
very common during spring and summer. It selects the wooded borders
of streams and young groves as nesting localities. The nest is built
much on the same general plan as that of the Mourning Dove, being so
thin and loosely constructed that the eggs are usually visible through its
floor. It is placed at a moderate height, ranging from eight to twenty
feet above the ground, and in almost all cases rests upon a horizontal
branch some distance from the trunk of the tree. Though sets of as
many as six eggs are reported from other States, I have never seen more
than two eggs in a nest. The earliest nesting date noted was May 5,
1896, and the latest was June 21, 1899. They are late layers and appar-
ently have a long breeding season.

30. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — This is a familiar fisher-
man in almost all of the lakes and streams. Its burrows are seen in the
perpendicular banks of nearly all creeks and rivers, and they are also
noted some distance from water in the sandy cliffs of hills. The tunnel-
like burrow often extends back as far as eight feet, and rarely less than
five. It is an almost cylindrical tunnel until the back portion is reached,
where it flares out, forming a considerable chamber, ten or twelve inches
across and with its top and floor scooped so as to give concave surfaces.
These burrows are usually straight but occasionally bend at an angle,

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Stockard, Nesting' Habits of Mississippi Birds. ICC

possibly to avoid some obstruction in the line ; they are always dug by
the birds, and in all those observed were occupied only for a single sea-
son. This construction is very similar to that made by the Bank Swal-
low but is rather larger and extends further back. The two species were
often seen building their burrows close together in the same bank. The
Kingfisher builds no nest in its tunnel, although the floor of the back
chamber is often strewn with pieces of crayfish shells that have been
ejected from the stomach of the old birds. The Bank Swallow, on the
other hand, places a rather neat nest of straws in the back of its burrow.
The Kingfisher laid in all cases six eggs, and the earliest were seen on
April 28, 1897, the latest on June 7, 1895. May is their chief month for
laying. They often dig many shallow burrows in the same bank before
striking the permanent nest cavity, just as woodpeckers do on their nest
tree. After finding many Kingfisher burrows, some new and many old,
I noticed that in the case of all occupied nests there was a slight ridge
running along the middle line of the tunnel floor, which was due to the
fact that the feet of the birds pressed down paths along the sides of the
floor, thus leaving the middle ridge untrampled as they passed back and
forth through the tunnel. Nearly all traces of this delicate ridge were
obliterated in the old tunnels, particularly near their entrances, so that
they were readily distinguishable from those occupied.

31. Campephilus principalis. Ivory-billed Woodpecker. — I have
never seen this woodpecker in Mississippi, although many claim to
observe them in the western part of the State in the dense river swamps.

32. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. — The earliest set
of this species was taken April 20, 1900, and the latest on May 18, 1902.
For fuller details of the nesting habits of Woodpeckers in Mississippi, see
Auk, Vol. XXI, No. 4. In this article I shall give only the extreme dates
on which sets were taken.

33. Ceophlceus pileatus. Pileated Woodpecker. — The earliest eggs
were found April 1, 1901, and the latest set was seen on May 8, 1903.

34. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — May
12, 1901, was the date of the earliest set seen, and fresh eggs were found
as late as June 14.

35. Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — The earliest
set was found on April 24, 1900, and the latest on June 2, iqoo. These
two extreme sets were both from the same pair, the last mentioned being
the fourth set of the season. These birds have a remarkable capacity for
continuous laying.

36. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. — The earliest and latest dates on
which eggs of this species were collected were April 12, 1896 and June 4,
1899.

37. Antrostomus carolinensis. Chuck-will's-widow. — The call of
the Chuck-will's-widow is a familiar sound throughout Mississippi, but
to observe the bird is not a common pleasure, and to find its eggs is a
difficult proposition indeed. The birds are migratory and reach home

1^6 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. \a^

rather late in spring, most of them about the middle or last of April.
But since their brooding is such a simple process they begin laying soon
after their arrival. No nest whatever is made, and the eggs that I found
were placed on the bare ground in one case, and in three others on the
pine needles that happened to be scattered upon the ground near the edge
of thick pine woods. The pine straws showed no arrangement at all, so
that after the eggs were taken up one could detect no difference between
the spot on which they had been deposited and the surrounding straw.
The earliest set was found on May 3, 1902, and the latest on May 23,
1903. The bird in two instances left her eggs in a wounded fashion,
fluttering along the ground as if unable to arise and fly, evidently to call
the intruder's attention from her eggs, and should he watch her actions
very closely he finds trouble in locating the spot from which she arose, as
the eggs are about as difficult to detect while lying on the ground as one
could well imagine. In another case the bird arose and flew directly into
the dense wood and was not again seen.

38. Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — This bird is known in
Mississippi as the ' Bull-bat' on account of the roaring noise it produces
while swooping with its large mouth open to capture insects. About
dusk during the summer months large numbers of these birds begin to
circle over pastures and open fields scooping insects on the dart, and at
this time they are foolishly slaughtered by pseudo-sportsmen who shoot
them merely to watch the bird's graceful fall or to improve their skill
as marksmen. Thus this useful insect destroyer is fast becoming less
abundant.

The Nighthawk deposits its two eggs on the ground with no attempt at
clearing or sweeping off a place for them. The mottled color of the eggs
so closely resembles the earth on which they lay that there is more chance
than skill in seeing them. One is very fortunate to find as many as two
sets within the same season. The earliest set was found on May 5, 1899,
and the latest was taken June 2, 1902.

39. Chaetura pelagica. Chimney SwIft. — As in most other States
the 'Chimney Swallow' is extremely common. After the breeding
season is over they may be seen in immense droves of many hundred
individuals circling about before going into some large unused chimney
for the night. The chimneys of vacant houses as well as the unused ones
of occupied dwellings form the familiar nesting places of these birds.
The many sets observed contained either four or five eggs, usually four,
and were taken as early in the season as May 15, and as late as June 17.

40. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — This
beautiful little bird was common in all flower-gardens and orchards as
well as in the meadows and fields. Owing to the minute size of their nest
it is rarely found. In two cases I located vicinities in which I felt sure
nests were situated and then carefully watched the female for some time
until at last she buzzed to a limb and perched close to the nest. It seems
that she is apt to thus expose the presence of her home if one will

Vol. XXII
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Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Bird^. I C y

patiently watch for thirty minutes or an hour. The sets of two eggs
were in the usual delicate nests of down with outer coats of lichens, and
both were placed upon horizontal branches, one twenty feet from the
ground and the other about forty. The collecting dates were May 14,
1896, and May 9, 1899.

41. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — The commonly termed "Bee-
martin " is found nesting in fields, pastures, and along road sides and
streams. Some nests could be reached while standing on the ground,
but others were placed in the topmost boughs of oaks and gums. This
bird is very noisy around its nest, and one with little experience can spot
a nest tree by the actions of the birds some time before he is near enough
to see the nest itself. It is usually conspicuously placed in the crotch of
a medium sized horizontal branch. The sets consisted of three and four
eggs. Kingbirds are comparatively late nesting in this locality, the earli-
est set being seen on May 10, 1896, and the latest on June 13, 1900.

42. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — The Crested Fly-
catcher is called in Mississippi by the misnomer Kingbird. It nests
throughout the State, in every variety of hollow in tree or post as well as
in martin boxes. The natural cavities of china trees seem to be their
favorite sites. The nest is built on the bottom of the hollow and is rather
elaborate, being composed of straw, fibrous tree bark, feathers, moss, and
usually a cast off snake's skin, but several nests were seen without this
supposedly indispensable component. The sets contained from four to
six eggs, the earliest being taken on April 23, 1902, and the latest May
27, 1899.

One is struck by the profuse markings of this egg when he remembers
how thoroughly it is concealed from ordinary view in the depths of a
hollow. It forms the most marked exception to the general rule, that
eggs laid in dark cavities are white. But when we recall the fact that the
most typical hollow layers build no nest and usually make their own
burrow, we are then led to believe, from the well made nest and highly
mottled egg of this species, that the habit of laying in hollows is a com-
paratively recent acquirement. The random selection of cavities made
by these birds seems to point toward the same conclusion.

43. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — This modest and attractive
little bird is found nesting in the edges of most small woods and brakes
as well as in the groves near houses. The nests are placed on horizontal
branches at various distances above the ground, but always more than*
fifteen feet. This nest is a very shallow affair but neatly rounded and
covered on the outer side with lichens and thus resembles a natural knot
of the limb. All sets seen consisted of three eggs, and the earliest laying
date for this species was May 17, 1897, the latest June 19, 1902.

44. Empidonax virescens. Green-crested Flycatcher. — A species
with most retiring habits. The nest may be found and removed without
the birds having made their appearance or the slightest sound. Those
nests observed were all in rather dense woods and in perfectly unfre-

ICj8 Cameron, Nesting of the Go/den Eagle. [^rk

quented places. Several nests were found in the east central part of the
State, which were loosely built between the prongs of small forked
branches ; the sides were plaited about these prongs, and the nest bottom
was so thin that the eggs could be counted through it. The nests were
also very flat so that care was necessary in collecting them to prevent the
eggs from rolling out over the sides. Two nests taken in Adams County
were very interestingly constructed, being composed entirely of Spanish
moss woven between the prongs of small elm forks. A surplus of moss
was used so that long beards or streamers of it hung down for a length of
eighteen inches below the actual nest. This arrangement gave the exact
appearance of ordinary bunches of this gray moss hanging from the
branches. Both nests would have been passed unnoticed but for the fact
that the birds flew off as I passed under the limbs. The extreme dates
for noting eggs of this species were May 4, 1898, and June 19, 1901.

45. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jav. — With the exception of the
English Sparrow the Blue Jay is probably the most abundant bird in the
State. The shade trees bordering the streets of towns, the groves near
dwelling houses, trees along road sides, orchards, pastures, and pine
woods as well as thick woods, are nesting localities of this bird. One
nest was placed in a tree crotch not more than six feet from a bed-room
window, thus one might look out on the bird as she sat calmly upon her
eggs, and later she was not noticeably nervous while feeding her nestlings
before an audience of several persons who observed the performance
from the window.

[To be concluded.)

NESTING OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE IN MONTANA.

BY E. S. CAMERON.

Plates II- VI

For two years (1903-04) a pair of Golden Eagles (Aquila
chryscetos) have nested near my ranch on the north side of the
Yellowstone, opposite Fallon on the Northern Pacific Railroad ;
and during 1904 I was able to keep the birds under constant
observation. The nest was first discovered at the end of June,
1903, owing to the boldness of one of the parents which carried
away a lamb in presence of an indignant shepherd who followed
to ascertain the fate of his charge. He thus found the eyrie,
along with two fully fledged eaglets ; and succeeded in ruthlessly

Vol. XXII
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Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. I CO

killing one, although the female made good her escape by flight.
I felt convinced that the eagles would use the eyrie again, and
obtained a promise from the man's courteous employers (Undem
Bros.) that the eagles should not suffer further molestation no
matter how many lambs they might destroy. It is a curious fact
that although the birds had carried off several lambs prior to the
death of their offspring, they took none thereafter, and in 1904
entirely abstained from the practice, a proceeding which, with
sheep all around them, I cannot explain. It seems difficult to
believe that they connected their loss in 1903 with the theft of
lambs and avoided a woolly prey in consequence ; but, in the
absence of any other explanation, I am inclined to pay this com-
pliment to the extraordinary intelligence of the birds.

The eagles' eyrie was situated near the top of a scoriacious
rock in the badlands, a crimson pillar which crowned a high butte
sloping abruptly to deep washouts. The upper part of this
column consisted of easily detachable pink layers, called laterite
by geologists, but scoriae of every color strewed the base which
rested on red ochre clay reminiscent of a painter's palette.
Placed in a hollow niche of the wall face the eyrie was entirely
enclosed and sheltered on three sides by a dome of rock. On the
fourth, and open side, the enormous sunken nest greatly over-
lapped the seemingly inadequate ledge, which served as a sup-
port, and thereby secured the safety of the eggs and young.
Obviously the situation was chosen to afford daily shade, for as
long a period as possible, to the eaglets, which, as the day wore
on, suffered intensely from the heat and were shaded by either
parent when the afternoon sun shone upon them. It was possible
to climb to a north ledge of the rock, immediately over and about
a yard above the eyrie, but the whole pillar behind was seamed
with a gaping fissure which threatened immediate collapse, while
a sheer precipice yawned to the front or west. From this pre-
carious position the accompanying photographs, were, neverthe-
less, obtained. On March 14 there was a snowstorm from the
north, and towards evening the eagles flew slowly across the
creek, on which my ranch was situated, when they were observed
to tumble and recover themselves in the air, much after the man-
ner of a Marsh Hawk, an evolution which greatly astonished me,

l6o Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. LApr.

having never previously seen the like with these birds. They
first commenced to carry sticks and pine tops to the eyrie on
March 15 when there was deep snow, but were forced to suspend
operations during a three day blizzard, the material already col-
lected being thereby dispersed.

Not disheartened the birds began building again on March 25,
and, as the hen sat on two white, yellow spotted eggs on April 2, they
had evidently completed their nest within a week! (Plate III.)

One egg was more heavily blotched than the other, but I have
never seen eagles' eggs in Scotland with such pale markings,
though I am aware that such occur. The period of incubation
was 35 days. The nest, which measured about 5 feet in diameter
at the widest part, was constructed of sage brush stalks, grease-
wood, and pine tops, scantily lined with down from the eagle's
breast. Soapweed and more pine tops were added after incuba-
tion had commenced, no doubt for the purpose of ornament, as
pointed out by Mr. C J. Cornish in 'Country Life' (London) of
]une 18, 1904. The same writer mentions an instance in Cali-
fornia where the eagles decorated their eyrie with sacks ! At first
the nest was a rather neatly formed cupped structure precluding
accident to the newly hatched young, but by the time the eaglets
were a month old the constant trampling of the family had made
it perfectly flat. The hen bird allowed me to reach the upper
ledge and look over before leaving her eggs, when she would
cleverly make a lift backwards with her wings, to clear them, and
another, sideways, which floated her into space. She was often
immediately joined by' the male, and the two would then sail
round, ascending in graceful spirals to an immense height, like all
species of Buteo. Sometimes one bird would hang on the wind
above the rock, and, anon rise with motionless wings like an
artificial kite, to sink gradually down upon its perch. This was
very pretty to witness. I have climbed to the eyrie when the
female was apparently asleep, and although the wide awake
nestlings would stare at me with wondering eyes, they never, even
when six weeks old, communicated my presence to her.

The male eagle took no part in the duties of incubation but
helped to brood the young birds and seemed the most assiduous
in shading them after June 8 when they were a month old.

Vol. XXII "1 Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. l6l

igo5 J ° J

Although previously very wild he now became as tame as his
mate and would mount to the small point of projecting rock, which
shows plainly in some photographs, while I stood below watching
him. Here he cast a shadow on the south side of the eyrie into
which the eaglets hastily scrambled, pressing close up against the
rock wall under his tail in their eagerness to enjoy the shade.
The eagle, being naturally uneasy, would turn about on his pedes-
tal, and regard first the nestlings and then me with that cruel gaze
characteristic of his tribe. Powerful binoculars showed every
motion at a height where the camera was useless. After the June
rains incomparable contrasts of red and green were here presented,
vermilion lava-strewn rocks nestling in verdure, and covered
with yellow flowers and vetches, while tall cream-colored soap-
weeds swayed under the divides.

No trace of food was visible before the eaglets were hatched,
but after their arrival the nest always contained either grouse
(Pedioecetes phasianellus columbianus), jack-rabbits, cotton-tails,
mountain rats, meadowlarks, or snakes. (Plate IV.) Sometimes,
indeed, the putrid remains of all these creatures contaminated the
air. The fur of the hares was removed, and the birds plucked
clean, before the eaglets were allowed to partake of them, but
while mammals and snakes were generally decapitated, the birds
were seldem thus treated. No carrion was ever taken to the eyrie,
although I knew of 80 cattle carcasses round about, and prairie
dogs were also disdained. As I never visited the eyrie without
finding a Sharp-tailed Grouse the eagles must levy severe toll on
this species, more especially in June when the hens are sitting on
from 10 to 15 eggs. On the other hand the eagles captured num-
bers of rattlesnakes. According to eye-witnesses they feint sev-
eral times at the snake to make it uncoil and seize it just behind
the head with one foot, while gripping it further back with the
other. The snake is then taken to a tree or rock and the head
torn off, which according to one observer is immediately devoured,
before the body is deposited in the eyrie. It is possible that the
wing is also used as a shield, after the manner of the African Sec-
retary Bird, but, in any case, I doubt if the rattlesnake could bite
through the bird's thick feathers. The eagles hunted in the early
morning or on cool, cloudy days, one, or both, always shading the
young from the sun on hot afternoons.

l62 Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. Yk™

Whether the male or female happened to be frightened from the
eyrie by me neither would return if I chanced to be near, and
before realizing this fact I wasted hours waiting to see the bird
come back, unconscious that the eagle watched for my departure
from some lofty pinnacle. At length, however, by searching the
badland peaks with my binoculars I discovered the watching bird
and the principles of its game.

On the other hand, the parent that happened to be absent on
commissariat duty, when I visited the nest, had no scruples about
returning to shade the eaglets, and I have known the male to do
this before I had ridden 200 yards away, the bird sweeping past
to the eyrie with a great rush of wings. When both parents were
frightened away I never waited long at the eyrie, believing that
the hot sun might kill the eaglets. In keen distress they pressed
into the angles of the rock laboriously panting, the water dropping
from their mouths, while swarms of flies, attracted by the raw
meat odor they exhaled, completed their torment. This deter-
mination never to face the sun added to the difficulties of the
photographer. (Plate V.)

At first the call of the young for the parents was a piping or
whistling on two notes, more like a plover than an eagle, but
when they were nearly two months old it became harsh, resembling
that of the American Sparrow Hawk. The old birds afforded
shade to their young with drooping wings, keeping the breast
or tail over them indifferently ; but while thus engaged, they had
no shade themselves, and they, too, panted with gaping beak which
was not becoming to their style of beauty. At a month and eight-
een days old, when the male eaglet was still a crouching spiritless
object, the female stood boldly in the eyrie and looked something
like an adult eagle, as the photograph shows. (Plate VI.) In
plumage, as in everything else, she was far in advance of the
male, and at two months old (July 8) left the rock to take short
flights in the badlands attended by her admiring parents. When
tired she perched in a low cedar, at the edge of a ravine, the old
birds sitting on the ground beside her. They had now become
so accustomed to seeing me as to pay but little attention to my
presence. Meanwhile the male eaglet would not leave the rock
and did not fly for a week later although hatched at the same time !

Vol. XXII-j Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. 1 63

Both eaglets were caught and could be picked up with bare
hands, but, while handled a good deal for the purpose of photog-
raphy, they never acted on the aggressive, as might have been
expected. I had previously found fledglings of Buteo borealis
and B. swainsoni equally submissive, and it may be safely
assumed that young eagles and buzzards may be handled with
impunity for a time after they have flown.

As the female eaglet was too lively a subject for the camera,
the male was photographed on my wife's arm, around which a
sack had been wrapped to protect it from the talons. The bird's
crop, however, was so enormously distended with grouse that a
near view would have been most inartistic. At this time the
eaglets appeared to be fed entirely upon Sharp tailed Grouse
which were still plucked for them by the parents. No other
remains were seen. I should much like to have witnessed the
eagles in pursuit of the grouse, but they hunted at such a long
distance from home that I had little opportunity of seeing this
particular pair take any quarry. My wife saw one of them stoop
at, and miss, a jack-rabbit, which was loping along only about
1,00 yards distant, on which occasion the intended victim sought
refuge in a prairie dog hole. Whereupon the eagle took up its
station at the hole waiting for the hare to come out. It may be
interesting here to relate a parallel incident in Scotland.

Within the last few years, the Golden Eagle has reestablished
itself in the heart of the deer forest on the Island of Jura, Inner
Hebrides, where there are no white hares, and observation has
shown that at least one resident pair of eagles feed largely on
grouse. My brother has frequently described an eagle 'hawking'
grouse just as a Peregrine will do. On one occasion the royal
bird, in full chase of a grouse, passed within a few feet of my
brother's head, and on another occasion the eagle was surprised
sitting on a stone in the heather at about 30 yards distance, when
it flew unwillingly away.

Shortly afterwards my brother almost trod upon a cock grouse,
lying like a stone in deep heather close to where the eagle had
been waiting, and came to the conclusion that the eagle, having
hunted the grouse into this thick covert, was waiting, like a cat at
a mouse hole, for the quarry to reappear. Owing to the panic

1 64 Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. \avt

caused by the continued presence of the eagles among the winged
game, the grouse gradually left the ground, and a good grouse
moor was spoiled in consequence. In this country a similar
flight of eagles after a Sage Grouse is recorded by Mr. Ridgway.1
"A pair — the female leading — were observed to give chase to a
sage hen, chasing her on the wing until the fugitive dropped down
to the ground from exhaustion, where she was picked up by the
foremost of the eagles." There is some evidence that, in Scot-
land, eagles have struck down both grouse and ptarmigan on the
wing, but at present absolute confirmation is lacking. In his
letter to ' Country Life ' (London), mentioned above, Mr. C. J.
Cornish has raised the question of the carrying power of eagles.

Personally I have never known an eagle to carry anything
heavier than a seven pound jack-rabbit and would think eight-
een pounds (the extreme weight of a jack-rabbit or a Scotch
brown hare), to be the extent of the largest eagle's capacity. It
follows, therefore, that the lambs taken are very small. Thirty
years ago eagles were extremely common on the west coast of
Scotland, and during the breeding season each pair taxed the
sheep farmer from one to two lambs a day according as game
was plentiful or scarce. A war of extermination was waged
against them and my uncle, a sheep farmer in Skye, killed to his
own gun during his life time 90 eagles in defence of his lambs.

It is gratifying to know that the collapse of sheep-farming in
the Scottish Highlands as a profitable industry, and the con-
sequent abandonment to deer of large areas formerly grazed by
sheep, has given the Golden Eagle as a species a new lease of
life, these birds being now as jealously preserved by owners and
lessees of deer forests as they were once ruthlessly destroyed by
the sheep-farmers on the same ground.

As regards the changes of plumage in Golden Eagles, the
nestlings hatched ' downy white ' and remained in this stage for
a month, when they were about the size of a Herring Gull, and
black feathers appeared in the wings and tail. At six weeks old
they had changed almost completely to a black brown, while at

1 A History of North American Birds, by Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway.
Land Birds, Vol. Ill, p. 319, 1874.

Vol. XXII
iqos

Cameron, Nesting- of the Golden Eagle. j ()C

two months they were about three parts grown. At this time a
description of their plumage is as follows. Whole body and tail
darkest chocolate brown, excepting the fluffy white crop and chin,
the latter brown streaked. Legs" dull white, streaked with pale
brown in the male, and tawny in the female. Iris dark hazel ;
bill bluish slate; cere and angle of mouth yellow; claws black.

In 1903 observations could only be made on the female eaglet
after it had moulted, as the male was killed by a shepherd before
it could fly, as above stated. In this bird, which lingered about
my ranch until April, the basal two thirds of the tail became
white, and she showed a great deal of white under the primaries
and elsewhere when flying, which was otherwise unobservable.

Her mother was, apparently, but two years old in the spring of
1903, and while, in 1904, I often approached within a yard I saw
no concealed white, as she flew off, which seems to show that
this is lost after the second moult. On the other hand, as the
white band encompasses nearly half of her tail, I am led to sup-
pose that maturity is reached at about five years but would be
glad to know the real facts. The male, which was seen in imma-
ture plumage for two years, moulted into full adult dress in 1903,
and being more than twice the age of his mate eclipses her in size
and appearance although the reverse is usually the case. Absence
of white anywhere on the body easily distinguishes him, the entire
tail looking black, although it may be marbled with brown, and
while the crown and nape (the cowl), are really cream color they
look white at a distance in marked contrast to black cheeks and
chin.

In the early nineties eagles were very common in Montana and
very tame, but became almost exterminated as a result of the high
bounties placed on wolves. At this period eastern Montana
swarmed with professional wolfers, occupied in destroying wolves
by poison and otherwise so that no one could keep dogs at all,
and the game, as well as the eagle, was almost wiped out.

A wolfer would "string out a line of baits," as he called it,
from one creek to another ; which simply meant that deer and
antelope were shot down wholesale in a line across country, the
carcasses filled with strychnine, and the poisoned baits scattered
around. When the weather became too cold for strychnine to

1 66 Cameron, Nesting of the Golden Eagle. \jvx

work effectually, the wolfers started trapping, and great numbers
of Golden Eagles, as also Magpies, fell victims to the process
which by their flapping prevented the suspicious wolves from
approaching the bait. I was constantly with trappers and know
that their average catch was from three to six eagles apiece every
winter. Sometimes an eagle wpuld leave a toe in the trap, but
more often they were caught by both legs — springing a second
trap in the struggle to free the imprisoned leg from the first.
Carcasses of range cattle, which succumbed in hundreds to bliz-
zards and starvation, provided the eagles with an ample supply of
beef, but their preference for the venison with which the traps
were baited proved their destruction — the violent struggles of
the trapped victim making even a quick release futile. Magpies
were entirely exterminated on the south side of the Yellowstone,
and, although eagles just survived, fifty or sixty must have
perished annually in my locality alone from poison and traps
combined. Had not, indeed, the appropriation for bounties
become exhausted the last named birds could hardly have
escaped total extinction ; but as the wolfers were latterly paid in
scrip, which they cashed at a loss, they became disheartened, and
the eagles were respited. It may be mentioned that during 1897,
22,082 coyotes and 6,112 wolves were killed in the State, and in
November, 189S, bounty claims amounting to $70,000 were not
only still unpaid, but were continually increasing. A fresh
impetus was given to wolfers in 1901 and 1902, by the uniform
bounty of five dollars each fixed on wolves and coyotes, and I
doubt if there are now half-a-dozen pairs of eagles within a 50
mile radius of Terry, where once they were common. There is
no creature more easy to trap than an eagle, which feeds on
carrion as readily as a vulture. In the winter of 1893 when I
was setting traps around a dead deer which had been visited the
previous evening by numerous suspicious wolves, an eagle was
observed to watch the proceedings from a pine close by, and the
same bird alighted subsequently to its doom. In the Highlands
of Scotland a' common and favorite bait with the preserver of
game was a dead cat, the success of which may possibly be due
to the fact that it resembles a mountain hare, the principal food
of the mountain-dwelling eagle. When staying with my brother

Vol. XXII
1905

Braislin, Long Island, N. T., Birds. J 67

in Scotland during May, 1889, four Golden Eagles were caught
on an adjoining estate by means of a single dead cat.

The total extermination of eagles would be to my mind an
indescribable calamity, as wherever wild regions are found, either
in the Rocky Mountains, the Scottish Highlands, or the badlands,
the appearance of an eagle puts the finishing touch to the grand-
est and most impressive scene.

NOTES CONCERNING CERTAIN BIRDS OF LONG
ISLAND, N. Y.

BY WILLIAM C. BRAISLIN, M. D.

In the accompanying notes data concerning some of the com-
mon gulls of our coast are presented for the purpose of empha-
sizing the favorable results, evident even to the casual observer,
which have been produced by the passage of laws of greater
stringency for the better protection of these birds. The enact-
ment of these, together with the conviction and fining of a few
flagrant offenders through the activity of the Chairman of the
National Association of Audubon Societies, Mr. William Dutcher,
have been of evident benefit to birds, in that gulls have been seen
more or less commonly the past summer through, along the whole
south shore of the island.

The passage of the law preventing spring shooting of ducks
seems likewise to have been beneficial. Sportsmen and baymen
are unanimous in their opinion that ducks have been more
abundant in the Great South Bay this autumn than usual. It is
possible that other factors have combined with the law to bring
about this immense increase in the number of ducks this autumn.
At any rate the facts are a strong argument against the repeal of
this law, which latter many short-sighted Long Islanders desire.
Brief references to a few other species are given for reasons which
are evident in the text.

1 68 Braislin, Long Zsla/td, N. 2"., Birds. [a"*

Larus kumlieni. Kumlien's Gull is herewith definitely
recorded for the first time as a bird of Long Island. Dr. Jona-
than Dwight, Jr., whose paper on the plumages and moults of
North American Gulls is, we believe, in press, has examined the
specimen which I recorded in ' The Auk,' April, 1899, p. 190,
as " Larus leucopterus (or kumlieni)" Dr. Dwight's investigations,
which will hereafter enable one to identify the immature as well
as the adults of L. leucopterus and L. kumlieni, have determined
the differential diagnosis of the two immature birds heretofore
impossible. The color of the shafts of the primaries are, he finds,
invariably distinctive.

Larus marinus. The first Great Black-backed Gull observed
this autumn at the western end of Long Island was seen by Mr.
Robt. L. Peavey, on Nov. 20, 1904, at Rockaway. The earliest
fall record of this bird for this locality which the writer knows
is November 3. Both these dates are considered early, the birds
rarely occurring here in abundance much before Christmas. The
northward departure occurs correspondingly early, March 13 being
the date on which the last bird has been seen.

Larus argentatus. The common Herring Gull has been
rather common the summer through for the past three or four
years from Rockaway Beach to Montauk. Before this, one saw
them regularly in Peconic Bay and but rarely elsewhere, in sum-
mer. They do not nest on Long Island but the increasing num-
ber of ' left overs,' as the baymen term them, is taken to indicate
their increasing numbers elswhere, which we regard as due largely
to the efforts of the Audubon Societies, through their Treasurer, to
extend absolute protection to them along the whole Atlantic
coast, especially during the breeding season.

Larus delawarensis. The Ring-billed Gull is not uncommon
in our locality in summer. At least 50 were observed July 4,
1902, at Freeport. One killed there on Sept. 5, 1901, was in an
advanced stage of moult, the throat being nearly bare. Imma-
ture and adult Ring-billed Gulls pass along this part of the coast
in large numbers in October, when they are also common in our
harbors. The last one was noted on November 17. The writer
has no record of this bird in winter for this locality.

Larus atricilla. The only gull for which evidence still exists
to support a claim for it as a breeding species on Long Island,

Voi. XXII
1905

Braislin, Long Island, AT. 2'., Birds. 1 69

has as yet shown no marked evidence of increased numbers.
One was seen at Rockaway Beach as late as Sept. 2, 1904.

Aythya americana, Aythya vallisneria, Aythya marila
nearctica. During the last week of August, 1904, Scaup Ducks
and Red-heads were present in the South Bay opposite Speonk
and the vicinity, the larger number being the first. Both these
have continued to be abundant during October and November.
Gunners, quite a number of whom have been questioned by the
writer, report them more common than they remember them to
have been before.

During October, 1904, Mr. J. A. Fonda saw in the eastern end
of the Great South Bay a flock of six Canvas-backs, two of which
were secured, and later a single Canvas-back was killed from a
flock of Scaup Ducks.

Among other ducks more common here in October than usual
were Anas boschas, Daftla acuta and Erismatura jamaicensis.

Limosa hemastica and Tryngites subruficollis. Two
specimens of the Hudsonian Godwit and one Buff-breasted Sand-
piper were collected by Mr. Robt. L. Peavey of Brooklyn, the for-
mer (9 and <?) on Aug. 30, 1903, and the latter Sept. 11, 1904,
all at Rockaway Beach. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was flying
along the outer beach.

Petrochelidon lunifrons. According to the personal testi-
mony of Mr. W. W. Worthington the Cliff Swallow was formerly
rather common locally on Long Island. As a breeding bird it is,
now, certainly rare. It seems to migrate along the ocean coasts
much less abundantly than other species of swallows. Though
often looked for, the writer only obtained his first Long Island
specimen Sept. 5, 1904, at Rockaway Beach.

Hirundo erythrogastra. An albino Barn Swallow was shot
by the writer at Centre Moriches, L. I., Aug. 19, 1904. Hun-
dreds of this species and Tachycineta bicolor were at this season
passing westerly on their day-time migration and this white bird
was seen approaching over the salt meadows, conspicuous from its
color. It was supposed to be an albino before it came to bag
but the species was not determined until then. The chin and
throat and portions of the remiges margining the usual white spots
on the tail are washed with buffy ; elsewhere the bird is pure
creamy white.

iyO Deane, Unpublished Letter of Audubon. [~Apr

A HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.

BY RUTHVEN DEANE.

It is extremely interesting to read any of Audubon's original
letters, particularly those touching upon certain birds or subjects
which we are familiar with by frequent reading of his works. The
following short letter written on the completion of his drawing of
the Golden Eagle (Aquita chrysaetos) has but recently come into
possession of his granddaughter, Miss M. R. Audubon, and
through her kindness I am able to present it here. In his
' Ornithological Biography ' Vol. II, in the article on the Golden
Eagle, Audubon writes: "In the early part of February 1833,
while at Boston in Massachusetts, I chanced to call on Mr.
Greenwood,1 the proprietor of the Museum of that city, who
informed me that he had purchased a very fine Eagle, the name

of which he was desirous of knowing I recognised it at once

as belonging to the species whose habits I have here to describe,
and I determined to obtain possession of it, .... I sat up nearly
the whole of another night to outline him, and worked so con-
stantly at the drawing, that it nearly cost me my life, I was sud-
denly seized with a spasmotic affection, that much alarmed my
family, and completely prostrated me for some days ; but thanks
to my heavenly Preserver, and the immediate and unremitting
attention of my most worthy friends Drs. Parkman,2 Shattuck,3

1 Ethan A. Greenwood bought out the management in a Museum, January
1, 1825, and located on Court St., Boston. This was known as the New Eng-
land Museum and was at that time considered valuable and was very popular.
Three years previous to this date Greenwood had bought the larger part of
a collection which had been sold at auction by one Wood. In 1839 the
assignees of Greenwood (N. E. Museum) sold the collection to Moses Kim-
ball for his Boston Museum, which was opened in 1841 on the corner of Tre-
mont and Bromfield Sts., and in 1846 was moved to the new museum building
near Court St. This Museum afterwards became celebrated as a theatre, a
portion of it being still reserved for a natural history collection, where, in
1900, the types of many of Wilson's birds were found.

2 Dr. George Parkman, born 1791, died 1849.

3 Dr. George Cheyne Shattuck, born 1783, died 1S54.

Vol. XX in Deane, Unpublished Letter of Audubon. \n\

and Warren1 I was soon restored to health and enabled to pur-
sue my labors. The drawing of this Eagle took me fourteen days,
and I had never before labored so incessently excepting at that of
the Wild Turkey."

Boston.

Feb. 5th 1833.
My dear friends

I am just now quite fatigued by the drawing of a Golden Eagle
which although it will make a splendid plate has cost me sixty
hours of the severest labor I have experienced since I drew the
Wild Turkey. You shall I hope see it through the care of Mr.
Gordon.'2 Do not ever ship any more Nos. to this port unless on
vessels that are intended as packets. The Charlotte has not
come and it will be a rubber if I can get enough cash to establish
our going to Labrador until she does. Push Jos. B. Kidd 3 of
Edinburgh if he can be pushed to paint copies of our drawings.
I look on that series as of great importance to us all. Havells'
blunder in not having the numbers and paper on board the New
York in time, is one which, with him I never can correct. If you
can do more than I on this score of punctuality I will be gratified.
I shall proceed to New York as soon as the weather moderates,
on Sunday last the thermom. was 12 below zero. The work is
now I am assured free of duty. When you write give a word of
recollection to Dr. Parkman who is a most desirable and worthy
friend.

God bless you, forever yours

J. J. Audubon.

1 Dr John Collins Warren, born 1778, died 1856. At his death was Presi-
dent of the Boston Society of Natural History.

2 Alexander Gordon. A Scotchman, who married Ann Bakewell, youngest
sister of Mrs. John James Audubon.

3 Joseph Bartholomew Kidd, bom 1808, died 18S9. At the age of 23
years he arranged with Audubon to copy some of his birds, which were to be
sold and the proceeds divided.

1^2 Deane, Letters from Abert to Audubon. [\"r

JOHN JAMES ABERT, TO JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.

(Hitherto unpublished letters.)

BY RUTHVEN DEANE.

The following letters written by John James Abert are based
upon information and specimens furnished by his son, Lieut. James
William Abert, who in 1848 wrote his ' Report of an examination
of New Mexico in the years 1846-7.' Lieut. Abert was at that
time an officer of Topographical Engineers.

In each of these letters reference is made to a partridge, then
unknown to them, which in the Report of 1848, had been identi-
fied as the Scaled Partridge (Cattipepla sguamata). While this
species was first described by Vigors in 1830 from specimens sent
from old Mexico, those collected by Lieut. Abert were the first
records for the United States. The only quotation from Abert's
Report referring to this partridge which I find, is by Cassin,1 but
these letters are particularly interesting as they antedate any pub-
lished records of the Scaled Partridge for our fauna. Mr. Ridg-
way writes me that none of these specimens found their way into
the Smithsonian collection, but Mr. Winner Stone writes, " I am
happy to say we have one of the Abert Scaled Partridges in the
Philadelphia Academy (No. 24331, December, 1846, New Mexico);
it is mounted and in good shape." These letters are copied "ver-
batim, literatim et punctuatim" and I am under many obligations
to Miss M. Eliza Audubon for the privilege of publishing them.

Dear Sir :

My son Lieut. A.'2 has some taste for Natural History. He has
just returned from Santa Fe, having been on General Kearney's 3
expedition. He had learned to prepare bird skins & had prepared
many, but unfortunately during a long & Severe illness his Skins
and arsenick were lost — when he recovered he prepared a few

1 Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Rus-
ian America. Philadelphia, 1856, p. 129.

2 James William Abert, born November 18, 1820; died August 10, 1897.

3 General Stephen Watts Kearney, born August 30, 1794 ; died October 31,

Vol. XXII
'9°5

Deane, Letters from Abert to Audubon. I 73

Skins with corn-meal and has brought them in, in good condition,
what should now be done with them. Among these skins are
some of a quail or Partridge x which I do not find among your
birds of America. It is about the size of our quail, but totally
different in color, being ash or lead color. Also the skin of a
lark,'2 not larger than our house sparrow and brown. Also 3 or 4
Skins of what I think (but I have not yet compared) is the
Shafted Woodpecker, 3 a Skin of the Meadow Lark,* differing
slightly in plumage from ours, but totally different in its notes.
Some Skins also of (probably) the ultra-marine Jay.6

He says our Prairie Dog (a marmot) does not hybernate but is
out all winter as lively and as fast as on any Summer day. He
has a skin of one. Also a skin of the black tailed hare, and of a
rabbit, the latter much smaller than our rabbit, and of a Skunk so
differently marked from any that I have ever seen, or have ever
seen described, that there may be something new in it. The ears
of his hare, differ from those of the drawing you once showed
me, being much wider, rather leaf shaped. May not these add
something to our contributions to Science.

Yours

J. J. Abert.6

J.J. Audubon Esq. April 7 '47

1 In the Report of 1848, Lieut. Abert writes, "December 9, 1846. Spent
the morning hunting quails in the vicinity of the ' mesa' below; procured a
female ' ortix squamosa.'1 December 12, 1846. I obtained five beautiful speci-
mens of the ' ortix squamosa' as the arsenic that we had obtained in St.
Louis has been taken to California I was obliged to fill the skins with corn
meal."

2 Referable to one of several forms of the Shore Lark. In the Report of
1848 Lieut. Abert frequently refers to the large flocks of Alauda alpestris.

3 Undoubtedly the Red-shafted Woodpecker (Colaptes cafer). In the Re-
port of 1848, under date of December 8, 1846, is given : " We procured sev-
eral specimens of the red-winged flicker picus Mexicanus."1"1

4 Sturnella neglecta. In the Report of 1848, under date of December 5,
1846, is given : "On my return I got five specimens of the Mexican Meadow
lark '•Sturnella neglecta '."

5 Probably referable to Woodhouse's Jay (Ap/ielocoma woodhouseii).
6John James Abert, born September 17, 1788; died September 27, 1863.

Became Colonel in command of topographical engineers in 1838, one of the
organizers of the National Institute of Science, which subsequently merged
into the Smithsonian Institution.

I^zj. Deane, Letters from Abert to Audubon. [a"t

Dear Sir.

I have sent you a copy of my son's first expedition to the Rocky
Mountains.1 The report of his second, from which he has just
returned is, of course, not yet made out. I shall talk to him about
the subjects of your letter.

It was after an examination of your small edition of the birds
of America that I considered the Quail a new one. There is cer-
tainly nothing like it in that work, unless it be out of place in the
book and in that way has escaped my examination. A person of
some knowledge in these matters, who has seen the skins, calls it
a new bird, but there is no one of sufficient authority to depend
upon.

Yours truly

J. J. Abert

J.J. Audubon Esq. 12 April '47

Dear Sir

There are two birds brought in by my son which we have not

yet been able to find described by any one, one is a Quail and the

other a Sialia? Our examination in reference to the latter, have

not yet been very thorough. It was only yesterday that the skins

had got through the thorough preparation you advised in order to

preserve them. His mamalian skins are now going through a

similar process. He says he will send them on for your inspection

when cured and when an opportunity shall offer, the Skunk is a

singular skin in its markings, and differing from anything that I

have seen. Yours

J. J. Abert.

27 April '47.
J. J. Audubon Esq.

1 Notes on a Military Reconnoissance, from Fort Leavenworth in Missouri,
to San Diego, in California. By W. H. Emery, 1848. Appendix No. 6.
Notes by Lieutenant J. W. Abert, pp. 386-405.

2 In the Report of 1848, under date of December 7, 1846, Lieut. Abert writes :
"During the morning I was busily engaged in skinning birds, we had eight
Mexican blue birds 'sialia occidentalis\ They differ from the blue birds of
the United States in having the back brown and the wings tipped with black
and are more delicate in their contour."

Vol. XX in Wood, Rare Bird Records for Michigan. I 75

Dear Sir

The Siaha brought in by Lt. A. is, I think, the "Western Blue
Bird ", but we cannot yet identify the partridge with anything in
your book. It is decidedly a dove colored bird, slightly tinged
with brown, a longer tail than our quail and full as large. He saw
many of them and brought in six skins. Peale * is disposed to
think it new. He saw the skins in the hands of Pollard,2 who
was employed to put them up. I have advised Lt. A. to describe
this bird without delay.

Yrs.

J. J. Abert.

28 April '47.
J. J. Audubon Esq.

SOME NEW AND RARE BIRD RECORDS FOR
MICHIGAN.

BY NORMAN A. WOOD.
[University Museum, University of Michigan.]

During the summer of 1904 these records were made by
Messrs. A. G. Ruthven, Otto McCreary, W. A. Maclean, Max M.
Peet and the writer, while members of the Museum Expedition to
the Porcupine Mountains and Isle Royale. A detailed report on
the ornithological results will be published later.

Prof. W. B. Barrows of the Michigan Agricultural College is
preparing a volume on the birds of Michigan, which he expects to
publish at an early date. At his suggestion the following records
are published in advance of the regular report, in order that they
may be incorporated in his forthcoming volume.

No attempt will be made to prove that all of these are "breed-
Titian Ramsey Peale, born 1800, died March 13, 1885. He accompanied
the South Sea Exploring Expedition in 1838-42, under Lieut. Charles Wilkes.
as Naturalist.

2 Pollard. An assistant in taxidermical work under Titian R. Peale.

176 Wood, Rare Bird Records for Michigan. \pf$

ing records." The facts as observed by the members of the party
will be presented and the reader can draw his own conclusions.
It is well understood that the presence of adult birds, even when
accompanied by their young, is not positive proof of the breeding
of the species in that locality, except early in the breeding season.
.In order that we may fully understand the conditions which pre-
vail in the region worked it will be best to locate the Porcupine
Mountains on a map of Michigan. They are situated in Ontonagon
County on the south shore of Lake Superior. Across the lake to
Grand Marias, Minnesota, it is about 80 miles; Isle Royale is 67
miles north. To cross the lake south from these points would
be a long flight for young birds. It is possible that the birds
migrated here by land, either around the western end of Lake
Superior, or from Keweenaw Point, 100 miles to the northeast.
There is also the possibility of a migration, partly by land, from
the Minnesota shore opposite the Apostle Islands; where by
crossing 40 miles of water, a rest could be had before another
flight of about 40 miles due east over the lake, to the Porcupines.
But to my mind none of these possibilities account for the presence
of such northern forms as the Connecticut Warbler, Olive-backed
Thrush, Pigeon Hawk, and the White-winged Crossbill, all of
which I believe bred in the Porcupine Mountains during the past
summer of 1904.

Given the presence of the young bird with the adult, the time
of the year at which they are seen does not so strongly substantiate
their breeding in a certain locality, as does the age and condition
of the young. I have tried to make plain in the list, the data
bearing on this point. I have excluded from the list birds that
are early migrants like the waders, of which we took the following
at the Porcupine Mountains: Wilson's Snipe July 19, Solitary
Sandpiper July 18 (we saw families of this bird on Carp River at
this date), Least Sandpiper July 21, and Yellow-legs August 3.

Isle Royale is about 15 miles from the Canadian shore and this
distance would prevent migration of northern species until the
young were old and strong enough to make the flight. All
unfledged young seen here were surely bred on the Isle. The
presence also, in the summer, of the Sharp-tailed Grouse on the
island proves to me that they breed here. Additional authority

Vol. XXII
'9°5

Wood, Rare Bird Records for Michigan. I 77

for this is the statement of residents and hunters who told us of
them.

The determination of several doubtful forms was made by Mr.
H. C. Oberholser, for which we are indebted to Mr. Robert Ridg-
way of the Smithsonian Institution and to Dr. C. Hart Merriam,
Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey.

i. Pedicecetes phasianellus (?). Northern Sharp-tailed Grouse.

— Siskowit Bay, Isle Royale, Aug. 29. A family of this species was seen
at close range by Ruthven. The residents told me that the "Prairie
Chicken " lived at Siskowit Bay throughout the year. The large clearing
(about 500 acres) near the old mines, seems to furnish the favorable con-
ditions for them.

2. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Porcupine Mountains,
July 13. Adults and young were seen nearly every day of our stay. Isle
Royale, Aug. 16. Common during our stay on the Isle.

3. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Hawk. — Porcupine Mountains, July
24. An adult and three young were seen, and two young taken by
Maclean. Isle Royale, Aug. 23. Several seen and three taken.

4. Asio magellanicus occidentalis. Great Horned Owl. — Porcu-
pine Mountains, July 24. An adult and two young were seen and one of
the young birds was taken by Maclean. Isle Royale, Aug. 26. A family
of four was seen and three of them were taken by McCreary.

5. Dryobates villosus leucomelas. Northern Hairy Woodpecker.

— Isle Royale, Aug. 4 to Sept. 4, several were seen and two taken.

6. Perisoreus canadensis. Canada Jay. — Porcupine Mountains. Aug.
7. One seen near Little Carp Lake by Peet. Washington Harbor, Isle
Royale, Aug. 18 to Sept. 4. Common. A resident said they were pres-
ent throughout the year.

7. Agelaius phceniceus fortis. Thick-billed Redwing. — Washing-
ton Harbor, Isle Royale, Aug. 18 to Aug. 29. Two males and two
females were taken.

8. Loxia curvirostra minor. American Crossbill. — Porcupine
Mountains, Aug. 5. Small flocks or families were seen in the tamaracks
and several were taken.

9. Loxia leucoptera. White-winged Crossbill. — Porcupine Moun-
tains, Aug. 5. Adult male and three females were taken in the tamarack
swamp near Carp River by McCreary. The crops of these, as well as of
the American Crossbill, were full of the seeds of the tamarack. Washing-
ton Harbor, Isle Royale, Aug. 18 to Aug. 30. Several small flocks were
seen.

10. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. — Porcupine Mountains, July 15 to
Aug. 14. Common and several were taken. I saw a female, Aug. 4,
pick up some hairs near the door of the camp and fly to the woods. The
testes of the males taken also indicated the breeding season. Washington
Harbor, Isle Royale, Aug. 18 to Sept. 5. Common.

1^8 Wood, Rare Bird Records for Michigan. \_ht*

ii. Vireo solitarius. Blue-headed Vireo. — Porcupine Mountains,
Aug. 5. Adult male and female were taken by McCreary. They were
also seen here on July 27.

12. Dendroica caerulescens. Black-throated Blue Warbler. —
Porcupine Mountains, July 17. A pair was found whose actions indicated
a nest near by. July 20, young in the down were taken and many seen,
too young to fly. Washington Harbor, Isle Royale, Aug. 18 to Sept. 4.
Common.

13. Dendroica coronata. Myrtle Warbler. — Porcupine Mountains,
July 16. Adults with young seen by McCreary. Washington Harbor,
Isle Royale, Aug. 20 to Sept. 3. Common. An adult female and a young
male were taken.

14. Dendroica blackburniae. Blackburnian Warbler. — Porcupine
Mountains, July 14 to Aug. 1. An adult female, while feeding young
not able to fly, was taken with the young by Peet. Several adult birds
with families were seen near camp.

15. Dendroica vigorsii. Pine-creeping Warbler. — Porcupine Moun-
tains, July 19. McCreary saw adults carrying food to young in the top
of a pine, at the edge of a cliff.

16. Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis. Grinnell's Water Thrush.
— Washington Harbor, Isle Royale, Aug. 20 to Sept. 1. An adult female
taken, Aug. 24. An adult male taken Aug. 26. In a cedar swamp I
heard one singing a low sweet song Sept. 1.

17. Geothlypis agilis. Connecticut Warbler. — Porcupine Moun-
tains, July 27. An adult female and young of the year were taken by
Maclean. This female had the large bare space on abdomen and the thick
tough skin so characteristic of breeding birds. A family of four was seen
in a swampy clearing near the Lake Superior shore by McCreary.

18. Geothlypis Philadelphia. Mourning Warbler. — Porcupine
Mountains, July 15. Adult female and two of her young were taken by
Peet. Adults were seen near camp several times feelrig young unable
to fly.

19. Wilsonia canadensis. Canadian Warbler. — Porcupine Moun-
tains, Julv 15. An adult was seen with an insect in its bill. This bird
acted as though its young were near by. Aug. 7, in a cedar swamp near
the Lake Superior shore, an adult female was observed whose actions
indicated young near at hand.

20. Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii. Olive-backed Thrush. —
Porcupine Mountains, July 26. A nest with two eggs was found by
McCreary. This nest was built on a small hemlock (about 10 feet from
the ground) and composed of leaves, strips of bark and grasses. The eggs
were a bluish green with cinnamon brown spots sprinkled over them.
An adult female was taken July 22 which had the large bare space on
the abdomen and the thick skin found on breeding birds. A young
unfledged bird was taken July 29. This species was common and was fre-
quently seen and heard singing by McCreary.

Vol. XXII
1905

Chadbourne, Nestifig Habits of the Brown Creeper. I yo

NESTING HABITS OF THE BROWN CREEPER
AS OBSERVED IN PLYMOUTH COUNTY,
MASSACHUSETTS, WITH DESCRIP-
TION OF A NEST FROM
NORTH SCITUATE.1

BY ARTHUR P. CHADBOURNE, M. D.

Plates VI-IX.

Ever since 1896, when I first spoke of the Brown Creeper (Cer-
thia fatniliaris americana) as undoubtedly breeding in one of the
white cedar swamps so common throughout Plymouth County,
Mass.,2 I have found these birds each summer during May or
June with the single exception of 1899, when I was unable to look
for them until July. My efforts to find the nest, however, were
unsuccessful until May, 1900, when I discovered one at North
Scituate, Mass., only a short distance from what is not inappropri-
ately called " the shore of the swamp." The swamp in question
is large and cut up into a number of narrow strips, each not unlike
a yard stick in shape, and having different owners ; consequently
the growth varies on each strip according to the time at which the
timber was last cut off. A few of the lots are still covered with
old cedar ; but the greater part is large second-growth, and mixed
hardwood ; in other cases, almost clear cedar, from fifteen to thirty-
five feet in height. Scattered about in the hardwood, and, to a
less extent in the cedar, are numerous white pines, hemlocks,
and here and there yellow, or, as they are locally called, "swamp
pines." It was on the southern edge of one of these narrow
strips, which had been cut "clean" two years before, that I
found the present nest. Deep mud and water had made the
place almost inaccessible until last year (1899), when the water
was more or less drained off by a ditch. Around this clearing
the growth is chiefly cedar and hemlock, with a few old white

1 This was written, to a large extent, in 1900. The article, by Messrs. Ken-
nard and McKechnie which also appears in this number of 'The Auk,' covers
the published accounts of the nesting of the Creeper in the southern part of
its range, and I have omitted, therefore, what I had written on this subject.

2 Cf. Auk, Vol. XIII, 1896, p. 346.

I 80 Chadbourne, Nesting Habits of the Bro-w?i Creeper. [_Apr.

pines to the south; and on the other sides more or less cedar
and mixed second-growth hardwood. On the southern edge of
this cleared strip was an old wind-shaken white cedar1 which,
with a few of its fellows and half a dozen hemlocks and white
pines, were the sole remnants of the large old timber which
had formerly covered the clearing. Beneath these old trees, and
throughout the swamp was the usual undergrowth of ferns, thick
sphagnum moss, mountain laural bushes, black alder, etc. ; while
beneath, the black mud and water was bridged by the roots,
and decaying stumps of dead trees, and even in midsummer the
air was damp and not unlike the mossy northern woods where
the Creepers and other northern birds are habitually found in the
nesting season.

The morning of May n, 1900, the day of the so-called "May
freeze," I started a Creeper from the ground under a clump of
cinnamon ferns (Osmum/a dn/iamomea), where she was gathering
the soft yellow down from the young fronds. The bird quickly
flew to the trunk of the nest tree, hesitated a moment, then with
a horizontal run sideways and most decidedly crablike, she disap-
peared with her load in the upper part of a rift which extended
completely through the trunk of the tree for a distance of five feet
or more from the base, as is clearly shown in the photograph
(Plate VI). It took the Creeper a long time to arrange the down
to her satisfaction, and her mate three times brought her food
while she was hidden within the soft materials of the nest.
In about fifteen minutes she flew out and began zigzagging
up, and occasionally backed down, the trunk of a neighboring
tree, looking for insects. It was fully thirty minutes before she
returned to the nest, but during the latter part of the time I had
lost sight of her, and when she returned it was with another load
of fern-down. The crack, or rift, near the top of which the nest
was placed, extended completely through the tree trunk from
northeast to southwest, and at the level of the top of the nest was
about eight inches in width from side to side ; while the space

1 When a swamp has been cut off the trees which border it are exposed to
the northeast storms, and many of them, either blown down or partly uprooted,
lean against their fellows.

Vol. XXII
1905

J Chadbourne, Nesting Habits of the Brown Creeper. I 8

between the two walls was. roughly, four inches. The framework
of the nest did not extend quite to the edge of the trunk, but
completely filled the center. The side walls rose in two peaks
several inches above the nest proper and had a sharp pitch like an
inverted V, the outside being almost vertical, though on the inside
the slope down to the nest itself was less steep. The twigs and
pieces of bark which formed the outside wall were laid regularly
like thatch, being held in place by a few cross loops of thin cedar
bark ; but on the inside there seemed to be no regular arrange-
ment. On the east there was just enough space above to allow
the bird to slip in sideways between the two parts of the tree
trunk and then back down into the hollow where the eggs were.
This she could do without turning ; but occasionally she entered
through the southwest side, or gable, and there being very
little space here, she usually turned somewhat before entering
the cleft and came down the trunk, head first, tail last, regardless
of ornithological rules, which are binding upon all woodpeckers,
creepers, and the like. While thus " standing on her head," she
seemed to move as surely and easily as in the more natural posi-
tion.

It was several days after I saw the bird carrying nesting mate-
rial before I thought it was safe for me to inspect the contents of
the nest. On looking in no eggs were to be seen, only a mass of
down fluffed like a feather bed, but as, on May 22, there were
four open bills belonging to as many young creepers, protruding
from the down, it is evident that there must have been four, per-
haps five or six eggs in the set, although I cannot say that I ever
had a glimpse of any of them. The young were fed by both of
the birds, who, I think, seldom extended their search beyond the
circle of a couple of rods in width, which included only ten
trees, and I never saw them visit the piles of fallen tree trunks
and unbarked logs which were scattered throughout the clearing
and must have contained countless numbers of borers, judging
from the amount of sawdust about, and the rasping noise of the
larvae. Both birds fed the young, and occasionally each other as
well, for though it was impossible to distinguish the male from the
female, yet both individuals were seen feeding and also being fed.
Whether incubation was shared between the male and the female,

182 Chadbourne, Nesting Habits of the Brown Creeper. lApr

I cannot say with certainty ; nor am I sure that the peculiar
wheezy little song was made only by the male. It was so slight
and feeble that it could not be heard more than a few feet away,
and shows how easily the birds might be overlooked in the breed-
ing season even when one has penetrated to their almost inacces-
sible haunts. The clump of a dozen or more old trees above
referred to, evidently contained an abundant supply of food for
both old and young, and during one whole afternoon neither bird
left these few old trees, nor was more than three or four minutes'
search ever necessary in order to find a suitable morsel for the
young. Considerable time was spent by one or both birds hang-
ing motionless to the trunk of some large tree, and not even the
familiar s creep was heard, the birds being perfectly silent. When
coming from the nest the bird usually carried a bit of excrement
and dropped it a short distance away.

Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the nest between June 4
and June 6, and on the latter date the nest was empty and no
trace of old or young could be found. On July 15, Creepers were
again seen near the nesting tree, but, of course, they may not
have been the former occupants. I hoped the birds would return
to their old home the next season and, in order to keep everything
unchanged, wire guys were run from the leaning tree to brace it
against the winter's storms. But since 1900 the tree has been
unoccupied, nor have I seen Creepers during the breeding season
in that particular part of the swamp. This may be due to the
growth along the south of the nesting tree having been largely
cut off for firewood, as has been the case with many of the swamp
lots which in 1900, were covered with a dense growth of white
cedar.

That this nest was not exceptional, and that the Brown Creeper
regularly, though locally, breeds in similar situations, is shown by
the fact that, in 1896, 1897, and 1898, I saw Brown Creepers in
various parts of the same swamp during May or early June. In
1899, I did not look for them until late. In 1900 was found the
nest mentioned above. In 1901 and 1902, I again saw Creepers
both in May or the first week in June, but could not find a nest.
In 1903, the greater part of the suitable old growth had been cut,
and I saw no birds; while in 1904, I was not able to visit the

Vol. XXII"| Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. I 83

swamps at all. So much for my cedar swamp at North Scituate.
In addition, in 1897, I saw a pair of Brown Creepers in another
cedar swamp some six miles distant from the one in which the
nest was found in 1900; and in 1899, about May 12, I met two
pairs of Brown Creepers in what is known as "Valley Swamp,"
near South Weymouth. It seems to me that the right of the
Brown Creeper to a place among the regular summer birds nesting
locally and sparingly in favorable localities in southern Massachu-
setts, is sufficiently vindicated, after having been challenged and
doubted for many years. The conditions which determine the
distribution of the Creeper in this region, are apparently a very
moist, humid atmosphere, dense evergreen growth, through which
the sun penetrates with difficulty, and considerable extent of wild
woodland which is not disturbed by man throughout the nesting
season. That the bird is common in the breeding season I do
not believe. That it is far more common than has been supposed,
it seems to me is also evident. That it is and has been a regular
summer resident in the cedar swamps of Massachusetts — unseen
because usually inaccessible — needs little if any additional proof.
Unfortunately, May and June have been with me the busiest
months of the year, and I have had little opportunity to search
as carefully or as often for the bird and its nest as I have desired.

THE BREEDING OF THE BROWN CREEPER
IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS.

BY FREDERIC H. KENNARD AND FREDERIC B. MCKECHNIE.

Plates X-XII.

As a first record of the breeding of the Brown Creeper (Certhia
familiaris americand) in eastern Massachusetts we have the account
of Dr. J. A. Allen in his ' Catalogue of the Birds of Springfield,
Mass.'1 in which he describes the bird as "common. Resident;

1 Proceedings Essex Institute, Vol. IV, July, 1864, p. 69.

iSA. Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. [Apr*

but most numerous in winter. Found mostly in high open woods,
but also common in city. Breeds sparingly." Then he goes on to
say : " Mr. Bradley Hosford showed me a nest of this species June
2nd, 1863, containing young that had apparently been hatched for
some four or five days. The nest was in a large elm, in Court
Square, Springfield, about ten feet from the ground, and built
behind a strip of thick bark that projected in such a way as to
leave a protected cavity behind it."

Then after a number of years H. D. Minot, in ' The Land Birds
and Game Birds of New England,' published in 1877, speaks on
page 68 of having found, presumably in the early 70's, ''in the
neighborhood of Boston," a nest containing fresh eggs, " a few feet
from the ground placed in the cavity formed by the rending of a
tree by lightning."

Next, the late Dr. T. M. Brewer, in an article on ' The Ameri-
can Brown Creeper,' l writes of its nesting " recently near Lynn,
Mass.," and then of its nest being found "after a careful search
by Mr. Charles T. Snow of Taunton, on the 27th of May, 1878,
in the middle of a large maple swamp, where he had noticed the
presence of the bird for several previous summers, without being
able to discover its nest." This last evidence is of importance as
showing both the continued presence of the bird in this locality
for several years, as well as the difficulty in finding its nest. Then
he goes on to say, speaking of the nest: "This had been con-
structed between the bark and the trunk of a dead pitch pine,"
and after further describing it says that "the young were just
leaving the nest, which was ten feet from the ground."

With only the above records to fall back upon, although Stearns
and Coues 3 went to the extreme of speaking of this bird as "resi-
dent throughout New England and a common bird in all suitable
localities," it is only natural that at this time it was held that the
breeding of the Brown Creeper in eastern Massachusetts was of
"rare and exceptional occurrence."

1 Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. IV, No. 2, April, 1879,
pp. 88, 89.

2 New England Bird Life, Vol. I, p. 90, 1881, by W. A. Stearns, edited by
Dr. Elliott Coues.

Vol^XII"| Kennard and McKechnie, Broxvn Creeper. 1 85

In October, 1879, appeared Mr. Wm. Brewster's most interest-
ing article on ' The Breeding Habits of the American Brown
Creeper,'1 an article with which all the readers of 'The Auk'
should, if possible, be familiar before perusing the present paper.
In it Mr. Brewster describes very beautifully and at length, the
finding of a number of nests of this bird near Lake Umbagog,
Me., between May 31 and June 23, 1879.

With the exception of the fact that the late Mr. Elwin A.
Capen of Canton, Mass., has told Mr. McKechnie of a pair of
these birds which spent one breeding season near his home in
the early 8o's but whose nest he had been unable to discover,
although he felt confident that it was somewhere in the vicinity,
there seems to be a lapse in the records of the breeding of the
Brown Creeper in eastern Massachusetts, till Dr. Arthur P. Chad-
bourne published a record 2 in which he tells of seeing Brown
Creepers in a swamp near Plymouth, Mass., during the months
of June and July. In speaking of the swamp he says, "in many
portions the original growth of huge white cedars (Cupressus
thyoides) and hemlock {Abies canadensis) have never been cut."
Afterwards, we believe, Dr. Chadbourne found these birds sup-
posedly breeding for several successive years, and on one occa-
sion found their nest which he photographed. 3

The next record of the breeding of this bird in eastern Massa-
chusetts that we know of, and hitherto unpublished, has been sent
to us by Mr. Wm. Brewster, and will be cited by him in his forth-
coming 'Birds of the Cambridge Region of Massachusetts.' In it
Mr. Brewster states that "in 1898 a nest of the Brown Creeper
was found at Andover, Mass., by the late Mr. Howard S. Ford of
that place," who wrote him that "it was in a dead oak, placed
within a sneath of loose bark about four feet from the ground.
The tree stands in an oak grove which lies between cultivated
fields on the one hand, and an extensive swamp on the other."

1 Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. IV, October, 1879,
pp. 199-209.

2 The Auk, Vol. XIII, October, 1896, p. 346.

3 Since the above was written Dr. Chadbourne has sent an article to the
current number of ' The Auk ' giving a full and detailed account of this occur-
rence.

I 86 Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. |Apr

"This nest," Mr. Brewster adds, "was discovered on April 26,
when it was finished, but empty. There were three eggs on May
6, and six on May 13."

So, with only the above records, while it has been generally
accepted that the Brown Creeper breeds not uncommonly in
certain western and higher portions of the State,1 it has not been
conceded that they breed otherwise than accidentally in the
eastern and lower portions of the State.

The writers of this paper have, however, long been of the opin-
ion that the Brown Creeper was not so rare, in certain portions at
least of eastern Massachusetts, as was generally supposed.

A pair of Creepers had been seen during several breeding sea-
sons in the late 8o's, about a certain woodland near a swamp not
far from the home of Mr. Kennard at Brookline, Mass. Not, at
this time, knowing how or where or when their nests should be
hunted, his searches were unsuccessful, and not being aware of
their supposed rarity at this season, we regret to say no record of
the dates was kept.

Mr. McKechnie had noted in a swamp at Canton, Mass., on
May 13, 1898, one bird, which, from its peculiar actions, he sup-
posed had a nest nearby. He saw Creepers again in this same
swamp in one of the succeeding years, the date of which, however,
has been lost, and noted a pair of them there still later on May n,
1902, while on May 28, 1903, in this same swamp, he chanced
upon a nest with young, while hunting for the nest of a Canadian
Warbler ( Wilso?iia canadensis).

He was watching a pair of Warblers, when his attention was
attracted by a Brown Creeper moving quickly, and apparently
anxiously, from tree to tree, gathering something in her bill, either
nesting material or food. All at once he saw two birds instead of
one, and they appeared to have a strong liking for a certain group
of young hemlocks, till suddenly one of them disappeared, and

1 See Walter Faxon, 'The Summer Birds of Berkshire County, Mass.,' The
Auk, Vol. VI, April, 18S9 ; Faxon and Hoffmann, 'The Birds of Berkshire
County, Mass.,' in ' Collections of the Berkshire Historical and Scientific Soci-
ety,' published by the society in 1900; and Howe and Allen, 'The Birds of
Massachusetts,' p. 90.

Vol. XXII
1905

Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. 187

shortly reappeared minus the contents of its bill. Then, after a
few minutes, the other bird, flitting in the same direction and
watched closely, was seen to enter a slit about one and one-half
feet from the base of a nine-inch red maple growing beside the
hemlocks. On approaching the tree the old bird flew out disclos-
ing a nest full of young, nearly fledged, number unknown, although
four were visible. The slit was about ten inches long by one and
one-half inches wide, and led into a hollow within the tree. (Plate
X, Fig. 1.)

The finding of this nest in 1903, and the supposition that these
birds probably built there every year, caused us to make up our
minds that we would not only find this nest again in the spring of
1904, but would also keep our eyes and ears open for Creepers in
other suitable localities, either in Canton, or Brookline, or else-
where ; with the result that we actually found four nests with eggs,
in four different swamps, and knew of one other pair of birds for
whose nest we did not have time to hunt.

For convenience we will take each nest separately, giving as
briefly as possible an account of its finding and the methods
employed in hunting for it.

At Brookline, Mass., on April 25, 1904, at about dusk, while
walking along a path bordering the swamp about which Creepers
had in previous years been seen in the breeding season, Mr. Ken-
nard was startled by hearing a strange, sweet song, one that was
new to him, and which he soon found came from one of a pair of
Creepers that were flitting along the hillside beside the swamp.

This song which they repeat at intervals while flitting and feed-
ing about the tree trunks, is difficult to describe, except to say,
perhaps, that while it is nothing like that of the Winter Wren,
either in length or strength, it nevertheless reminds one of it on
account of what may be called its sylvan quality. Mr. Kennard
watched them for some time, until it was dark, and they had
flown off across the swamp, then noting the exact locality, he
resolved to return at a later day.

On May 2, a careful search was made for these birds, and after
about an hour's unsuccessful hunt they were finally located, near
where they had been seen before. They seemed, however, to
have no idea of visiting their nest, if they had one, but spent
their time feeding, and led a fruitless chase about the swamp.

1 88 Kenxard and McKechnie, Brozvn Creeper. [ a^

Whatever our success later in finding and tracing them to their
nests, we owe to our method of first locating them by ear, listen-
ing for those faint call notes that they utter so constantly while
feeding, and which are so singularly like those of the Golden-
crowned Kinglet ; and then when once seen, following them
wherever they may lead, through swamps and thickets, never
losing sight of them for a moment, if possible.

May 3, at about 3:30 p. m., after a half hour's search, these
birds were again located near where they had been seen before,
and after about an hour's watching and wading back and forth
through the swamp, which was two to three feet deep with water,
one of the birds was seen to go behind a piece of loose bark about
ten feet up, on an old dead maple stub. (Plate X, Fig. 2.)
Behind this bark was a typical nest, evidently an old one, but
from its remarkably good state of repair, undoubtedly last year's.

Needless to say, upon this discovery, efforts at finding this year's
nest were redoubled, and as the birds had been lost sight of
while the oiu ..est was being inspected, a systematic search of that
part of the swamp was begun, till finally at about 6:15 p. m. a
bunch of sticks was discovered protruding beneath the bottom of
a piece of bark about four and one-half feet up. on the stub of a
dead fifteen-inch white pine.

This proved to be the much sought for nest ; not quite finished
as to superstructure and lining, and also apparently ready to fall
into the water on the slightest provocation. (Plate XI, Fig. 1.)
So sticks were stuck beneath it into the cracks of the tree as a
support ; these, however, proved later to have been unnecessary,
as the nest "was firmly secured to the trunk of the tree by cob-
webs, plant down, etc., with which the rather bulky foundation
was held together.

The birds had not been seen since the discovery of the old nest
about an hour and a half before.

On May 6, this nest seemed to be about completed. The sides
or points at each side of the nest, which Mr. Brewster calls ' horns,'
had been built up and made more compact, and the hollow thus
formed between these horns and the trunk and the bark of the
tree had been lined and made into a beautiful soft deep cup.
The Creepers were calling to each other and feeding, as usual,

Vol. XXII
1905

Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. 189

but at the other end of the swamp. They had never been seen
within 60 or 75 yards of their nest. If the nest were approached
they always kept quiet, and this afternoon, while it was being
watched for over an hour, they made no appreciable move, one of
them sitting in one spot for about twenty minutes, never making a
motion except to turn his head in watching the watcher.

On May 8 the nest contained one egg, and the birds were up to
their usual tactics of feeding, apparently unconcernedly, the male
singing spasmodically, when no one was near the nest, or keeping
absolutely quiet if the nest was approached. May 11 the nest
contained three eggs, and the birds were again at their usual tac-
tics. May 15 we both visited the nest, and procured a set of
seven beautiful eggs, Mr. McKechnie taking several photographs
in spite of the fact that it was cold and rainy, and we were bare-
legged in icy cold water. The female was sitting as we ap-
proached, and only flew off upon the appearance of a human eye
within a few inches of her as she sat on her nest. She flitted
about for a few moments on the neighboring tree „L«nks until we
had stepped back a little way from her nest, when she quickly
flew to it, alighting on the trunk just beneath and then running up
and in under the bark, and this, in spite of the fact that Mr.
McKechnie was setting up his camera within fifteen feet of her.
We flushed her from the nest several times, and she invariably
returned as soon as there was an opportunity. The male hung
about at a distance, calling to her but never coming very near.

On May 1, 1904, the writers watched and followed for over
an hour the pair of Creepers, at Canton, Mass., of which Mr.
McKechnie had known for several seasons, and the young of
which he had found the previous year. They led us away
from the swamp in which we had located them, feeding, singing,
and flitting about in such an aimless sort of fashion that we finally
gave up following them, thinking from their actions either that
they had not yet begun to lay, or else that their set of eggs was
as yet incomplete. Mr. McKechnie returned here on the 8th of
May and could find only one bird, which lead him off out of the
swamp and then, leaving him, flew back, not to be seen again.
After hunting around for two hours he concluded the female was
sitting and the male keeping quiet pending his departure.

IQO Kennard and McKechnie, Broivn Creeper. \x^

On May 14 we both returned to this swamp and were lucky
enough to find one of the birds within five minutes by our usual
method of listening for their call notes. After watching him
for perhaps ten minutes he suddenly flew to the foot of a
small dead red maple, and from an aperture in this same maple
hopped the female whom he fed. This aperture was about three
and one-half feet from the ground and led into the nest, which
was built like a Chickadee's in the heart of the tree, and which
contained seven well incubated eggs. Although it was rain-
ing, McKechnie started in immediately to photograph the nest,
while Kennard endeavored to keep the female away from it till
McKechnie could set up his camera, and catch her if possible
as she entered. (Plate XI, Fig. 2.) She seemed, however, to
be particularly solicitous, succeeded in getting back on to her
eggs, and stuck so close that after pounding on the tree, shaking
it, etc., all to no purpose, we finally had to pry her off with a stick,
a dangerous process so far as the eggs were concerned. When off
the nest she never went far away, while the male, on his part, sel-
dom came near except to feed her, which he did several times,
both when she was on her eggs and came out to be fed, and after
she had been dislodged and was on some neighboring tree.

The maple was one of twins — the other being alive — and
stood in a very large wet maple swamp (Plate XII, Fig. 1) in
which there were a few pines and hemlocks, large and small,
scattered about, but in which there appeared to be none of those
large dead trees with pendant strips of bark which the Creepers
seem to like best; this probably accounting for their building in
holes both in 1903 and 1904.

On the afternoon of May 1, 1904, while walking along the edge
of another swamp in Canton, perhaps a mile or so from the swamp
where we had in the morning been watching the above Creepers,
we first heard and then saw another Creeper with something in her
bill. We sat down and kept quiet until she finally flew to a dead
white pine and disappeared under a piece of bark some twelve or
fifteen feet from the ground. She soon emerged, however, and
repeated the operation several times, until finally appearing to catch
sight of us, she vanished. We went to the foot of the tree, but
could see nothing and did not dare to climb it for fear of further
disturbing her.

Vol. XXII
1905

Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creefer. igi

On May 8 Mr. McKechnie visited this swamp again and found
both birds easily. He watched the male for about an hour, until
the female appeared and attracted his attention by perching prac-
tically immovable for another hour, watching him, preening herself,
etc., until she finally tired him out. The male had during this time
visited her often with food.

An inspection of the supposed nesting site, however, revealed
the fact that they had done nothing to it and had apparently
moved elsewhere ; possibly they had been frightened away by our
watching them on May 1. On May 13 we both visited the swamp
at about 9 a. m. We thought we heard their call note once, but
we were unable to find them. So, as they were behaving this way,
we concluded to make a systematic search, which was finally
rewarded after about an hour and a half of wading and crawling
in water and sphagnum through all kinds of thickets, high bush
blueberries, black alders, clethra, mountain holly, and the like, by
the finding of the nest with five fresh eggs behind the bark of a
dead 14-inch white pine, some little distance from where we had
first seen them. The nest was not what one could truly call
conspicuous, only a few twigs showing through a rift in the bark
some 12 or 15 feet up, and just above the second limb on the
right of the trunk, the whole tree being pretty well covered with
bark. On May 16 Mr. McKechnie took a set of six fresh eggs
from this nest. The female was sitting as he approached, and
stayed on her eggs until he had climbed up and was actually look-
ing in at her, when she hopped off the nest, and after clinging for
a moment to the trunk just above it, disappeared through a back
entrance.

Both birds hung about the vicinity for a while, but seemed possi-
bly less solicitous than had the other pairs in our experience.
She only went to the nest once while it was being photographed,
and the male fed her occasionally. Plate XII, Fig. 2, shows a
back view of this nest as it looked when stripped from the tree,
together with its bark thatch.

On May 12, 1904, at about dusk, while Mr. Kennard was in
the top of a red maple on the edge of a swamp in Canton, inspect-
ing a Hairy Woodpecker's nest, he heard the call notes of a pair
of Brown Creepers as they flitted through the woods behind him.

IC)2 Kennard and McKechnie, Brotvn Creeper. \ a*t

He did not see the birds, much less follow them, but only was
able to note the direction in which they apparently flew.

Two days later, however, on May 14, after finding one nest in a
swamp two miles away, we determined to have a look for this pair,
which we guessed were probably breeding in a certain cedar
swamp. The quest seemed nearly hopeless, but we had an after-
noon to spare, and waded in accordingly.

The water was deep, the trees were thick and the swamp par-
ticularly dark, as it was cloudy, while the leaves that were then
bursting forth added very materially to our difficulties. However,
after an hour, we at last thought we heard one of the call notes of
the Creeper, a note that closely resembles that soft call which
Chickadees often utter when feeding and which differs somewhat
from the Creeper's ordinary Kinglet-like call. After considerable
search we finally discovered the Creeper, and the discovery seemed
to be mutual, for he allowed us to light our pipes and sit down and
watch him for about fifteen minutes, during which he never stirred
until, apparently making up his mind that we were harmless, he
moved on. The trees and bushes were so thick, and his move-
ments so rapid, that it was impossible to keep an eye on him all
the time, and we often had to content ourselves with merely a
general idea of his whereabouts. When all at once we realized
that two birds had come upon the scene, our difficulties were
doubled, each of us trying to watch one bird, and often finding
that we were watching the other's, particularly after the male had
mixed things up by feeding the female, which he did at intervals.
However, one of them finally flew to a hard pine stub, some ten
feet from where one of us was standing, and disappeared beneath
a long strip of bark about six feet above the water.

One of us climbed on the other's shoulders and, on prying
out the bark and peeking in, found that the nest contained six
fresh eggs. This nest could never have been discovered had it
not been for the bird's kindness in leading us to it, as it was abso-
lutely hidden behind a very large strip of bark, while the stub
stood in the middle of a very thick tangle, so thick in fact that we
were unable to photograph it, as we could not do so without cut-
ting away a lot of trees, shrubs, etc., and we had no hatchet.

In addition to the above records, Dr. Chas. W. Townsend

Vol. XXII
1905

Kennard and McKechnie, Brown Creeper. I 93

writes us of his having found at Hamilton, Mass., on May 11,
1904, a pair of these birds "building a nest behind the loose bark
of a pitch pine stub about ten feet from the ground." x It was
situated in "mixed woods of white pine and white oak with a few
white birch and pitch pines on the border of a red maple swamp."
He was unable to look into the nest without disturbing it, but
knows that they later hatched and reared their brood.

Summing up the evidence here presented, it seems to us that
this species may have been in the past overlooked. The observers
now are more numerous than heretofore, and accordingly are able
to cover much greater territory. The birds themselves are incon-
spicuous and apparently very shy when building their nests or
laying their eggs; and the breeding places in this vicinity, at
least, that they seem best to like, leaving out of consideration
such an unusual site as that recorded by Dr. Allen, appear to be
in or about those cool wild swamps, which, in the breeding sea-
son are apt to be avoided by self-respecting mankind. Maple
and cedar swamps, or dark pine or hemlock groves, with thick-
ets and tangles of a more or less boreal flora, and preferably
those in which dead trees and stubs may be found, to which the
loose bark is still clinging.

Then again, one must get into the woods early in hunting for
these birds, in order properly to locate them, perhaps while the
ice is still in the swamps and the water deep. If this is not done
and the leaves burst forth before the birds are found, even though
when incubating they appear to be less shy, the task of finding
their nest is much more difficult. They seem to breed earlier
hereabouts than we had been led to suppose, and we believe that
some, at least, of these birds that one sees in the latter part of
April may be residents and not migrants as heretofore supposed.

Finally, after duly weighing the above evidence it seems to us
that the American Brown Creeper (Certhia fami/iaris americana)
may be taken from the list of birds whose breeding in eastern
Massachusetts is purely accidental, and placed rather in a list of
those birds, which, though perhaps rare, may be found breeding
locally, but not uncommonly in suitable localities.

1 See ' The Birds of Essex County, Mass.,' by Dr. Chas. W. Townsend.

194 Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. [.Apr.

BIRDS OF DELAWARE: A PRELIMINARY LIST.

by samuel n. rhoads and c. j. pennock.

Geographical.

Delaware, next to Rhode Island, is the smallest of the United
States and has an area of but 2200 square miles. From Delmar
on the Maryland line at the south, to the Pennsylvania State line,
it reaches from latitude 380 28' to 390 47' North, — or a distance
of about ninety miles. Extending these lines we find the north
end of the State to be about ten miles south of the latitude of the
city of Philadelphia, Pa., while the extreme southern end is on a
line with Port Tobacco and Culpepper in Virginia, and over one
third of the State is south of the latitude of Cape May, N. J., and
Washington, D. C.

Physical.

A glance at the map of Delaware shows an extended shore line
and numerous waterways. Over one hundred miles of ocean and
river front on the east is pierced between Wilmington and Lewes,
a distance of less than seventy-five miles, by no less than fifteen
streams of sufficient importance to be named, and eight at least of
sufficient size to carry light-draft steamboats, and extending on an
average two-thirds of the distance across to the western border of
the State. These streams form the upper and lower — north and
south — boundaries of the various ' Hundreds,' corresponding to
townships or towns in other States, and are bordered generally by
marshes, salt or fresh, as the case may be, for a considerable part
of their extent. Below Lewes the broad expanses of Rehobeth,
Indian River, and Assawaman Bays offer great attractions to the
aquatic and littoral migrants and residents.

The southern half of the State still contains large bodies of
timber, reaching their greatest development on the river bottoms
of the Choptank and Nanticoke in the southwest, and continuing
across the Maryland ' Eastern Shore ' to Chesapeake Bay.

Across the upper end of the State and included in the semi-
circular arc, but embracing less than one-half of that segment, we

Vol. XXII
1905

Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. I 95

find almost all of the hilly section of the State. From this ele-
vated area, running southward and followed by the line of the
railroad, is a narrow, slightly elevated plateau, which forms the
watershed between the Delaware and Chesapeake basins. After
crossing the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal by railroad about
twelve miles from Wilmington, we find almost no elevation worthy
of the name of hill, and from Clayton south the entire State is
extremely level with numerous extensive, low, wet, undrained
areas.

Floral.

We have not found any hemlocks growing native in Delaware,
but a few are found along the Brandywine Creek, but a few miles
north of the Delaware State line, in Chester County, Pa. There
are yet remaining a few cypress trees along the borders of Indian
River Bay, and, until destroyed by fire a few years ago, a consid-
erable body of cypress was to be found in the Cypress Swamp,
indicated on older maps of Delaware as extending into Maryland.
The long-leaf or southern pine is found abundantly in Sussex
County, along the line of the railroad, but disappears at or near
Harrington, which place is at the head-waters of the Nanticoke
River.

Faunal.

The State as a whole is of course referable to the Carolinian
Fauna, but the bird-life of the southern portion contains several
species typical of the Lower Austral life zone as defined by Mer-
riam.

A feature that may have considerable bearing on the occurrence
of certain species of birds found in Delaware and but rarely to
the north and east thereof, is perhaps to be explained by the
position of the State in reference to Delaware Bay and its broad
waters and open exposure to the Atlantic, presenting a barrier to
the passage of such species as may have already about reached
their northernmost limit of migration. As a case in point, the
Mockingbird is an extremely rare species through southern New
Jersey, while in suitable localities in Delaware it is to be found

ig6 Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. ["a"^

nesting as far up the State as Delaware City, fifty miles north of
Cape May.

Just why Delaware has been so persistently ignored by orni-
thologists seems difficult to determine, but the fact remains, that
since Wilson's scant and for the most part casual notes, but few
trustworthy records have been found relating to this section.
Turnbull in his ' Birds of East Pennsylvania and New Jersey '
gives a few records; in 'The Auk' for 1885, Dr. Dwight records
one species new to the State ; Mr. W. G. Smith of the Delaware
Valley Ornithological Club, in the Club's 'Proceedings' for 1898,
reports a trip to Marydel ; and in ' The Wilson Bulletin ' No. 34,
Mr. F. L. Burns gives some interesting vernacular names from
Kent County.1

We have found but one collection of Delaware birds of any con-
siderable number. This was made several years ago by the late
Mr. W. D. Bush of Wilmington, Del., and it is now deposited with
the Friends' School in Wilmington. The collection is of particular
value in having for the most part accurate data accompanying the
specimens. Mr. Bush kindly gave us access to the collection and
placed his annotated list at our disposal. For the most part, how-
ever, the present list merits publication on the basis of local sys-
tematic field work taken up within the last few years by Mr.
Pennock during frequent visits in eastern and central New Castle
County, and more particularly to that carried on more thoroughly
in the southern part of the State by both authors during the years
1903 and 1904.

Geographically and topographically the State might be divided
into four rather distinct areas of Faunal distribution : —

(1) The Hill Country, of very limited extent in the north end
of the State and in a slight degree approaching the Alleghanian
Fauna. The hills bordering the Christiana, Brandywine, White
Clay, and Red Clay Creeks are embraced in this area.

(2) Intermediate area, comprising the central plateau and the
more elevated tracts between the streams emptying into the Dela-
ware and Chesapeake Basins.

1 Other references will be found in a Bibliography of Delaware Ornithology
in course of preparation.

Vol. XXII
1905

Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delazvare. IQ7

(3) Marsh region, maritime and fresh, belonging to the Dela-
ware Basin.

(4) Chesapeake Basin, comprising the bottom-lands of the
Choptank and Nanticoke Rivers.

The list subjoined is far from complete and is based on notes
of a Preliminary List which was presented by the authors at the
annual meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union held in
Philadelphia in November, 1903. Much work remains to be done
in the State in this line, and it is attractive because so nearly
pioneer. The writers desire to acknowledge their obligations for
valued assistance in connection with the accompanying list, to the
late Walter D. Bush, Esq., of Wilmington, Del. ; Mr. E. W. Wool-
man and R. F. Miller of Philadelphia, Pa. ; and to Mr. Witmer
Stone of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who
have so cordially assisted, by the loan of specimens, field notes,
and otherwise, in presenting a First List of the Birds of Delaware.

Annotations here given on the occurrence, etc., of species have
been confined for the most part to such as are of unusual interest.

1. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. — Winter resident.

2. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. — Summer resident.
Found breeding near Rehobeth June 22, 1903 (S. N. R.), and in the
Chesapeake basin by Lieut. Frank B. Eastman.

3. Gavia imber. Loon. — Winter resident.

4. Gavia lumme. Red-throated Loon. — Winter resident.

5. Uria lomvia. Brunnich's Murre. — Rare straggler. A male in
collection of C. J. P., was shot at "River Farm," on the Delaware River,
near Odessa, December 18, 1896.

6. Larus argentatus. Herring Gull. — Winter resident.

7. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — Transient resident.
Rare in winter.

8. Larus Philadelphia. Bonaparte's Gull. — Transient migrant.

9. Sterna hirundo. Wilson's Tern. — Summer resident. Rare. One
seen by Rhoads at Rehobeth, June 22, 1903. Given by Woolman.

10. Sterna antillarum. Least Tern. — Summer resident. Almost ex-
terminated. Four young birds in Bush's collection, taken in Sussex
County, July 27, 1SS0. Given by Woolman.

11. Phalacrocorax dilophus. Double-crested Cormorant. — Tran-
sient migrant. Three Cormorants seen by Pennock, Sept. 10, 1903, are
referred to this species.

12. Merganser serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. — Winter resi-
dent.

i98

Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. \ x™.

LApr.

13. Anas boschas. Mallard. — Winter resident.

14. Anas obscura. Black Duck. — Resident. Occasionally remains
to breed. Common in winter.

15. Mareca americana. Baldpate. — Winter resident. Mr. Wool-
man gives it as unusually abundant during winter of 1903-04.

16. Nettion carolinensis. Green-winged Teal. — Winter resident.

17. Querquedula discors. Blue-winged Teal. — Winter resident.

18. Spatula clypeata. Shoveller. — Winter resident. Included in
Woolman's list.

19. Dafila acuta. Pintail. — Winter resident.

20. Aix sponsa. Wood Duck. — Summer resident. Breeds regularly,
but not abundantly, throughout the State.

21. Aythya americana. Redhead. — Winter resident. Given by
Woolman.

22. Aythya vallisneria. Canvasback. — Winter resident. One shot
by H. C. Webb, near Odessa, March 22, 1903. Given by Woolman.

23. Aythya marila. Scaup Duck. — Winter resident.

24. Aythya affinis. Lesser Scaup Duck. — Winter resident.

25. Clangula clangula americana. American Golden-eye. — Winter
resident. Included in Bush's list.

26. Charitonetta albeola. Buffle-head. — Winter resident.

27. Harelda hyemalis. Old Squaw. — Winter resident. A mounted
specimen seen in a private collection at Dover, October, 1903.

28. Somateria spectabilis. King Eider. — Straggler. Two Eiders
recorded by Mr. Woolman were presumably of this species.

29. Oidemia americana. American Scoter. — Winter resident.

30. Oidemia deglandi. White-winged Scoter. — ■ Winter resident.

31. Erismatura jamaicensis. Ruddy Duck. — Winter resident.

32. Chen hyperborea nivalis. Greater Snow Goose.— Winter resi-
dent. Occurs at rare intervals. On Woolman's list.

33. Branta canadensis. Canada Goose. — Winter resident.

34. Branta bernicla. Brant. Winter resident.

35. Olor columbianus. Whistling Swan. — Winter resident. Ex-
tremely rare on Rehobeth Bay.

36. Botaurus lentiginosus. American Bittern. — Summer resident.
Common in spring and fall ; rare during nesting season.

37. Ardetta exilis. Least Bittern. — Summer resident.

38. Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron. — Resident.

39. Herodias egretta. American Egret. — Straggler.

40. Butorides virescens. Green Heron. — Summer resident.

41. Nycticorax nycticorax naevius. Black-crowned Night Heron. —
Summer resident.

42. Rallus elegans. King Rail. — Resident. Not uncommon through-
out summer; rarely winters.

43. Rallus crepitans. Clapper Rail. — Summer resident.

44. Rallus virginianus. Virginia Rail. — Summer resident.

Vol. XXII
1905

Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. *99

45. Porzana Carolina. Sora. — An abundant migrant; a few are said
to remain and breed.

46. Fulica americana. American Coot. — Transient migrant. Pos-
sibly breeds rarely.

47. Gallinula galeata. Florida Gallinule. — Summer resident;
abundant migrant. An adult and four very small young seen near
Odessa, July 5, 1902 (C.J. P.).

4S. Philohela minor. Woodcock. — Resident.

49. Gallinago delicata. Wilson's Snipe. — Transient migrant. A
few usually remain through milder winters.

50. Macrorhamphus griseus. Dowitcher. — Transient migrant. One
in Bush collection, from New Castle County, October, 1881.

51. Actodromas minutilla. Least Sandpiper. — Transient migrant.

52. Actodromas fuscicollis. White-rumped Sandpiper. — Transient
migrant. A female was captured near Lewes, June 8, 1898 (C. J. P.).

53. Ereunetes pusillus. Semipalmated Sandpiper. — Transient
migrant. Occasional in winter.

54. Ereunetes occidentalis. — Western Sandpiper. — Transient mi-
grant. One specimen in Bush collection taken in the State ; no date.

55. Calidris arenaria. Sanderling. — Winter resident.

56. Totanus melanoleucus. Greater Yellow-legs. — Transient
migrant.

57. Totanus flavipes. Yellow-legs. — Transient migrant.

58. Helodromas solitarius. Solitary Sandpiper. — Transient mi-
grant.

59. Bartramia longicauda. Bartramian Sandpiper. — Summer resi-
dent.

60. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — Summer resident.

61. Oxyechus vociferus. Killdeer. — -Resident.

62. ^gialitis semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover. — Transient
migrant.

63. /Egialitis meloda. Piping Plover. — • Summer resident.

64. Colinus virginianus. Bob-white. — Resident.

65. Bonasa umbellus. Ruffed Grouse. — Formerly not uncommon
in northern hill country. One was shot in the fall of 1902 in Pennsyl-
vania within a mile of Delaware state line.

66. Zenaidura macroura. Turtle Dove. — Resident.

67. Cathartes aura. Turkey Vulture. — Resident,

68. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. — Resident.

69. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Resident.

70. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper's Hawk. — Resident.

71. Buteo borealis. Red-tailed Hawk. — Resident.

72. Buteo lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. — Resident.

73. Buteo platypterus. Broad-winged Hawk. — Resident.

74. Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle. — Resident.

75. Falco peregrinus anatum. Duck Hawk. — Winter resident.

200 Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. |_Apr.

76. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Hawk. — Winter resident.

77. Falco sparverius. Sparrow Hawk. — Resident.

78. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. Osprey. — Summer resident.

79. Strix pratincola. American Barn Owl. — Resident.

80. Asio accipitrinus. Short-eared Owl. — Winter resident.

81. Asio wilsonius. American Long-eared Owl. — Resident.

82. Syrnium varium. Barred Owl. — Resident. Common in Chesa-
peake Basin.

83. Nyctala acadica. Saw-whet Owl. — Winter resident. One in
Bush collection taken in January, 1879. One seen in a taxidermist's shop
in Wilmington, taken in the State, during winter of 1903-04.

84. Megascops asio. Screech Owl. — Resident.

85. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Resident.

86. Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. — Winter straggler. One in Bush
collection taken in the State ; no record of locality or date.

87. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Summer resi-
dent.

88. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black-billed Cuckoo. — Summer
resident.

89. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — Resident.

90. Dryobates villosus. Hairy Woodpecker. — Resident.

91. Dryobates pubescens medianus. Downy Woodpecker. — Resi-
dent.

92. Sphyrapicus varius. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. — Winter
resident.

93. Ceophlceus pileatus (abieticola ? ). Pileated Woodpecker. —
Resident. Still seen rarely throughout lower Delaware where the timber
tracts are extensive.

94. Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — Summer resi-
dent. Found breeding at Marydel ; may remain in winter.

915. Colaptes auratus luteus. Flicker. — Resident.

96. Antrostomus vociferus. Whip-poor-will. — Summer resident.

97. Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — Summer resident.

98. Chaetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Summer resident.

99. Trochilus colubris. Hummingbird. — Summer resident.

100. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Summer resident.

101. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — Summer resident.

102. Sayornis phoebe. Phcebe. — Summer resident.

103. Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. — Summer resident.

104. Empidonax virescens. Green-crested Flycatcher. — Summer
resident.

105. Otocoris alpestris. Horned Lark. — Winter resident.

106. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Resident.

107. Corvus brachyrhynchos. American Crow. — Resident.

108. Corvus ossifragus. Fish Crow. — Resident.

109. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — Transient migrant. A

Vol. XXII
1905

Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. 201

male in apparently full spring plumage seen at River Farm, July 19, 1903
(C. J. P.)-

no. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Resident. Rare in winter.

in. Agelaius phceniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — Resident.

112. Sturnella magna. Meadowlark. — Resident.

113. Icterus spurius. Orchard Oriole. — Summer resident.

114. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. — Summer resident.

115. Euphagus carolinus. Rusty Grackle. — Winter resident.

116. Quiscalus quiscula. Purple Grackle — Resident.

117. Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. — Winter resident.

118. Loxia curvirostra minor. Red Crossbill. — Winter resident.
One seen by Dr. W. E. Hughes, near Lewes, May 19, 1895.

119. Acanthis linaria. Redpoll. — Winter straggler. One in Bush
collection taken in New Castle County in "spring of 1S82."

120. Astragalinus tristis. American Goldfinch — Resident.

121. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. — Winter resident. Two in Bush
collection dated October, 187S.

122. Passerina nivalis. Snowflake. — Winter resident. A small
flock seen by Pennock at Lewes, Feb. 5, 1904.

123. Pocecetes gramineus. Vesper Sparrow. — Summer resident.
Rare in the lower part of the State and on the Choptank. Common in
more northern sections.

124. Passerculus princeps. Ipswich Sparrow. — Winter resident.
Recorded from Rehobeth, by Dr. J. Dwight, Jr., in ' The Auk,' January
1S85.

125. Passerculus sandwichensis savanna. Savannah Sparrow.

Transient migrant. Probably also a winter resident.

126. Coturniculus savannarum passerinus. Grasshopper Sparrow.
— Summer resident.

127. Ammodramus henslowii. Henslow's Sparrow. — Summer resi-
dent. Mr. Rhoads noted it during the breeding season of 1903 at Dela-
ware City, New Castle County, and in lower Sussex County. Noted twro
at River Farm, July 10, 1904 (C.J. P.).

128. Ammodramus caudacutus. Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Summer

resident. Probably not rare in suitable localities. One shot June 8, 180,8
at Lewes (C. J. P.).

129. Ammodramus maritimus. Seaside Sparrow. — Summer resi-
dent.

130. Zonotrichia leucophrys. White-crowned Sparrow. — Transient
migrant. One specimen secured Oct. 8, 1904, in upper New Castle
County (C. J. P.).

131. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throated Sparrow. Winter

resident.

132. Spizella socialis. Chipping|Sparro\v. — Summer resident. Oc-
casionally seen in winter.

133. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow. — Resident.

202 RHOADS and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. \_Aor

134. Spizella monticola. Tree Sparrow. — Winter resident.

135. Junco hyemalis. Junco. — Winter resident.

136. Melospiza cinerea fasciata. Song Sparrow. — Resident.

137. Melospiza georgiana. Swamp Sparrow. — Resident.

138. Passerella iliaca. Fox Sparrow. — Transient migrant.

139. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. TOWHEE. — Summer resident. Occa-
sionally seen throughout the winter.

140. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. — Resident.

141. Zamelodia ludoviciana. Rose breasted Grosbeak. — Transient
migrant.

142. Guiraca caerulea. Blue Grosbeak. — Summer resident. Adult
male, in spring plumage, in Bush collection, taken near Dover, 1882.
John D. Carter of Lansdowne, Pa., writes July 4, 1904: "Yesterday....
below Medford's Mills .... just across the line in Maryland .... we
found .... Blue Grosbeak (male, female, and one young), not in nest."

143. Cyanospiza cyanea. Indigo Bird. — Summer resident.

144. Piranga erythromelas. Scarlet Tanager. — Summer resident.
Becomes scarce on southern border, being replaced by the next species.

145. Piranga rubra. Summer Tanager. — Summer resident. A com-
mon breeder in lower Sussex County (S. N. R.).

146. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — Summer resident.

147. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow. — Summer resident.

148. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow. — Summer resident.

149. Iridoprocne bicolor. Tree Swallow. — Summer resident.

150. Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. — Summer resident.

151. Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Rough-winged Swallow. — Sum-
mer resident.

152. Ampelis cedrorum. Cedar Bird. — Resident.

153. Lanius ludovicianus (migrans ? ). Loggerhead Shrike. —
Transient migrant. One spring specimen — 1882 — in Bush collection.
Other dates are July 9, 1903, July 21, 1S99, Dec. 18, 1900. May breed
occasionally.

1^4. Vireo olivaceus. Red-eyed Vireo. — Summer resident.

155. Vireo gilvus. Warbling Vireo. — Summer resident.

156. Vireo noveboracensis. White-eyed Vireo. — Summer resident.

157. Vireo flavifrons. Yellow-throated Vireo. — Summer resident.
15S. Vireo solitarius. Blue-headed Vireo. — Transient migrant.

159. Mniotilta varia. Black and White Warbler. — Summer resi-
dent. An abundant breeder throughout the State.

160. Protonotaria citrea. Prothonotary Warbler. — Summer resi-
dent. An abundant breeder in Choptank bottoms. Also noted at Seaford,
June iS, 1903 (S. N. R.).

161. Helmitherus vermivorus. Worm-eating Warbler. — Summer
resident. One specimen collected by Bush, from New Castle County,
May, 1S82. Two or three pairs feeding young along Brandy wine Creek,
near Wilmington, July 14, 1903 (S. N. R.).

Vol. XXII
«9°5

Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delazvare. 203

162. Helminthophila pinus. Blue-winged Warbler. — Summer
resident.

163. Compsothlypis amencana. PARULA Warbler. — Summer resi-
dent.

164. Dendroica aestiva. Yellow Warbler. — Summer resident.

165. Dendroica caerulescens. Black-throated Blue Warbler. —
Transient migrant.

166. Dendroica coronata. Myrtle Warbler. — Transient migrant
and winter resident. Found regularly in winter in the lower part of the
State.

167. Dendroica cerulea. Cerulean Warbler. — Summer resident.
June 3-6, 1903, at Choptank Mills (S. N. R.). June 18-20, 1903, Seaford
(S. N. R.). "My surprise was great to hear the song of this bird min-
gling with that of the Prothonotary in the heavily timbered bottoms
below the dam, and on down the river — Choptank. They were quite
frequently seen, and kept to the higher treetops, where their actions
showed plainly they were nesting. Two specimens were taken to make
sure of the identification. They did not go into the highland woods
adjoining the river bottoms. The breeding of so many of these birds
east of the Alleghanies is much at variance with our former view of
their summer habitat " (S. N. R.). A male and female shot in bottom
lands of Choptank River, May 29, 1904. The female was collecting nest-
ing material (C.J. P.).

168. Dendroica pensylvanica. Chestnut-sided Warbler. — Tran-
sient migrant.

169. Dendroica castanea. Bay-breasted Warbler. — Transient mi-
grant.

170. Dendroica striata. Black-poll Warbler. — Transient migrant.

171. Dendroica blackburniae. Blackburnian Warbler. — Transient
migrant.

172. Dendroica dominica. Yellow-throated Warbler. — Summer
resident. Found breeding at Seaford and at Frankford, June 19-20, 1903
(S.N. R.).

173. Dendroica virens. Black-throated Green Warbler. — -Tran-
sient migrant.

174. Dendroica vigorsii. Pine Warbler. — Summer resident.

175. Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea. Yellow Palm Warbler.—
Transient migrant.

176. Dendroica discolor. Prairie Warbler. — Summer resident.
Noted by S. N. R. at Seaford and Frankford, June 19-20, 1903. A set of
four eggs collected at Newport, Del., May 25, 1903, by R. F. Miller, of
Philadelphia, Pa.

177. Seiurus aurocapillus. Golden-crowned Thrush. — Summer
resident.

178. Seiurus noveboracensis. Water-Thrush. — Transient migrant.

179. Seiurus motacilla. Louisiana Water-Thrush. — Summer resi-

20A. Rhoads and Pennock, Birds of Delaware. \ \.^

dent. An abundant breeder along the Choptank, also seen June 19-20,
1903, at Seaford and Frankford (S. N. R.). Young flying along the Chop-
tank, May 29, 1904 (C. J. P.) .

180. Geothlypis formosa. Kentucky Warbler — Summer resi-
dent.

1S1. Geothlypis Philadelphia. Mourning Warbler. — Transient mi-
grant. In the Bush collection are two specimens taken Ma\-, 1878.

182. Geothlypis trichas. Maryland Yellow-throat. — Summer resi-
dent.

1S3. Icteria virens. Yellow-breasted Chat — Summer resident.

184. Wilsonia pusilla. Wilson's Warbler. — Transient migrant.

185. Wilsonia canadensis. Canadian Warbler. — Transient migrant.

186. Setophaga ruticilla. American Redstart. — Summer resident.
Found breeding along the Choptank June, 1903 (S. N. R.) ; May 30, 1904
(CJ. P.).

1S7. Anthus pensilvanicus. American Pipit. — Winter resident.

188. Mimus polyglottos. Mockingbird. — Resident. Locally abun-
dant as a breeder as far north as the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal.
Usually resident where found.

189. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Catbird. — Summer resident. One
seen at Lewes, February, 1904 (C.J. P., Auk, April, 1904).

190. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher. — Summer resident.

191. Thryothorus ludovicianus. Carolina Wren. — Resident.

192. Troglodytes aedon. House Wren. — Summer resident.

193. Olbiorchilus hiemalis. Winter Wren. — Winter resident.

194. Cistothorus stellaris. Short-billed Marsh Wren. — Summer
resident. Nest and three eggs taken at Newport, June 11, 1SS6 (C. J. P.).

195. Telmatodytes palustris. Long-billed Marsh Wren. — Summer
resident.

196. Certhia familiaris americana. Brown Creeper. — Winter resi-
dent.

197. Sitta carolinensis. White-breasted Nuthatch. — Resident.

198. Sitta canadensis. Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Winter resident.

199. Sitta pusilla. Brown-headed Nuthatch. — Resident. Found
only in the lower part of the State, at Seaford, June iS, 1903, a family of
5 or 6 (S. N. R.). One seen at Lewes, Feb. 4-5, 1904 (C. J. P., Auk, April,
1904).

200. Basolophus bicolor. Tufted Titmouse. — Resident.

201. Parus carolinensis. Carolina Chickadee. — Resident.

202. Regulus satrapa. Golden-crowned Kinglet. — Winter resi-
dent.

203. Regulus calendula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Transient mi-
grant.

204. Polioptila caerulea. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — Summer resi-
dent. Common in summer throughout Sussex County.

205. Hylocichla mustelina. Wood Thrush. — Summer resident.

Vol. XXII-j General Notes. 205

206. Hylocichla fuscescens. Wilson's Thrush. — Transient migrant.
One heard July 8, 1903, in deep woods and ravine near Greenville,
New Castle County (S. N. R.).

207. Hylocichla aliciae. Gray-cheeked Thrush. — Transient migrant.
One from near Wilmington in Bush collection taken Sept., 1877.

20S. Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii. Olive-backed Thrush. — Tran-
sient migrant. Bush collection, May, 1878.

209. Hylocichla guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush. — Transient mi-
grant.

210. Merula migratoria. Robin. — Resident.

211. Sialia sialis. Blue Bird. — Resident.

GENERAL NOTES.

Kumlien's Gull : An Addition to the Massachusetts List. — It has long
been supposed that Lams kumlieni would prove to be an occasional visitor
to the Massachusetts coast. I am glad to be able to report the taking of a
specimen by myself at Moon Island in Boston Harbor on February 22 of
this year. I first saw the bird February 19, in a large flock of Herring
Gulls hovering over and feeding in the sewage discharges into the Har-
bor at that point. It was identified without much difficulty when flying,
by the faint markings of the wings, which at first sight appeared to be
immaculate, and the size, slightly less than that of L. argentatus. The
bird was taken three days later at the same place and is now in the col-
lection of Mr. William Brewster. It is a male in adult plumage with a
few very small and indistinct dark spots in the white. The slate-gray
markings of the primaries are somewhat darker than in most of Mr.
Brewster's other specimens. The establishment of the occurrence of
Kumlien's Gull in Massachusetts is especially interesting because its
presence here is probably in a sense normal rather than accidental, being
simply a southward extension of its usual winter range in a season of
unusual severity. — Francis H. Allen, Boston, Mass.

Leach's Petrel (Oceatiodroma le.ucorhoa) on the Long Island Shore. —
On October 21, 1904, while walking along the Sound beach off Mt. Sinai
Harbor, about six o'clock p. m., I observed a long-winged bird flying low
over the waves, a short distance from shore. I shot the bird, which proved
to be a male Leach's Petrel. Early next morning, two miles further west
on the same beach, I secured a second specimen, which was found to be
a young female. Both birds were flying westward when shot. These are

206 General Notes. \ ^uk

LApr.

the only cases I know of in which Leach's Petrels have been found so
near land. One of the skins is now in my possession ; the other is in the
collection of Mr. Arthur Helme of Millers Place, L. I. — Robert C.
Murphy, Mt. Sinai, Long Island, N. Y.

Two Additional Records of the European Widgeon (Mareca penel-
ope). — In the 'Wilson Bulletin,' Vol. XI, No. 4, p. 112, under the title
'Notes from Sandusky, Ohio,' Mr. E. L. Moseley writes, without data:
"Two specimens of the Widgeon {Mareca penelope) were mounted by
John Herb this spring."

Through the kindness of Mr. Moseley I am enabled to state that one
specimen, a male, was shot by Mr. Edward Hinde on April 18, 1904, some
five miles east of Sandusky on the West Huron marsh, which forms an
extension of Sandusky Bay. This bird is now in possession of Mr.
William Hanson.

The other specimen, also a male, was brought to Mr. Herb, taxidermist,
on April 20, 1904, having been shot on Sandusky Bay about two days
previous by Mr. Henry Hartung in whose possession it now is. These
records make the twentieth for the interior. — Ruthven Deane, Chicago,
Til.

An Unusual Migration of Ducks in Ontario. — In February 1899, an
unusual inland flight of ducks was noticed in various parts of southern
Ontario. Mr. John Bo yd has lately placed at my disposal letters relating
to this flight, received by him in response to a letter on the subject pub-
lished in the Toronto 'Globe ' of March 10, 1S99. These letters, in addi-
tion to the notes I already had, are sufficient to show how important and
wide-spread the movement was.

During the second week of February ducks were picked up in various
parts of Toronto, on the streets, in the freight yards, in open fields in the
suburbs, and on the roads leading into the city ; they were found princi-
pally by the drivers of delivery wagons, and so exhausted were the birds,
that in no case did they survive more than a day or two, in confinement.

The species were principally Cowheens (Harelda hyemalis), with a few
Golden-eves (Clangula clangula americana) and American Mergansers
{Merganser americana) ; the species being in about the same proportion
as is usual on Lake Ontario in winter. Though a few Bluebills (Aytkya
marila) winter about Toronto none were noticed in the flight and it is
possible that they were too weak to attempt it.

I heard of about thirty ducks being found about Toronto, though the
number actuallj' taken must have been greater. A Grebe (probably
Colmybus auritus), was picked up alive a few miles west of Toronto, and
this bird survived three days.

At Grimsby, on the south shore of Lake Ontario, about twenty-seven
miles west of Niagara Falls, Ont., Mr. Edward Farewell picked up about a
dozen dead ducks on the lake shore ; of these two were Mergansers, and

Vol. XXII-I General Notes. 207

1905 J '

four Golden-eyes; he says," . . . .found from ten to twelve, which is an
unusual number for this place, as the shore is very open, and ducks very
seldom stop here."

At Newmarket, thirty-four miles north of Toronto, and about the same
distance south of Lake Simcoe, some ducks were found on the roadside.
At Ayr, sixty-eight miles southwest of Toronto and about thirty-five
north of Lake Erie, Mr. W. H. Stockton noticed three Cowheens, in Feb-
ruary, dead on the ice beside open water in different small streams. At
Forest, twenty-three miles east of Saima (at the south end of Lake Huron)
and about fifteen from the lake shore, Mr. Montague Smith found, on
March 10, a Cowheen dead on a wood pile in the bush. At Exeter, about
the same distance from Lake Huron and some miles further north, Mr.
William Sweet saw one Cowheen found alive in a barnyard, and one
picked up dead in a field ; he also saw one on the snow, but it flew away
when approached ; a Grebe was found alive in some woods. At Depot
Harbor, on the Georgian Bay, Mr. J. Kirkwood noticed, about the middle
of February, considerable numbers of ducks flying in from the bay and
dropping exhausted on the shore, where most of them died. At Beau-
mauris, on Lake Muskoka (about thirty miles east of the Georgian Bay),
Cowheens were reported by Mr. P. A. Taverner as having been found
there early in March in an exhausted condition.

The second week of February was marked by a sudden fall of the tem-
perature in Ontario, and ice formed with great rapidity over a much
greater area of water than is usual on the lakes, covering the regular feed-
ing grounds, and leaving no open places, as in the case of a slow freeze-
up. The ducks finding the regular feeding grounds covered by ice, and
being unable to obtain food in the open lake, apparently made a hurried
exit with no particular objective except to get away from the Great Lakes ;
while this seems the most apparent explanation, other reasons connected
with the food supplv may be possible. A record of the mean temperature
at Toronto as given in the meteorological reports from the 7th to the 15th of
February show how sudden was the fall of temperature. The mean
daily temperature, Fahrenheit, for February 7 to 15, inclusive, was as
follows :

Feb. 7

S.24

" 8

6-75

" 9

— 1.50

" 10

— 5.10

" 11

-5-§9

Feb. 12

— 3-63

" 13

— 0.1S

" 14

11.50

" 15

25.98

James H. Fleming, Toronto, Canada.

The Gadwall and Yellow Rail near Springfield, Mass. — Chaulelasmus
streperus. A Gadwall was taken October 14, 1904, in Glastonbury, Conn.,
thirty miles below Springfield. Individuals of this species appear in the
Connecticut Valley only in very rare instances.

2o8 General Notes. [j*urk

Porzana noveboracensis. Ten years ago, in a certain piece of wet
meadow land near Springfield, I captured a Yellow Rail. This was the
first and only one that to my knowledge had been observed in this part of
the State. One day in the autumn of 1901, at the same place, I found four
of this species, and there, later that season and each of the three following
autumns, I found others. So little has been known, or at least written,
about the Yellow Rail, that I took particular pains to observe them. The
place where they were found was wet meadow land covered with wild
grass, which in October stood, in places where it had not been harvested;
to the height of two or three feet and harbored many Virginia Rails and
Soras. The grass upon the other part of the land was cut in the summer,
and by the middle of October the second growth reached the height of
seven or eight inches, and in this portion the Yellow Rails are to be
found, they apparently not desiring so thick a cover as do the common
kinds. When the bird is in the air the white spots on the wings make
the identification an easy matter. Its flight is much like that of the Sora,
although it is apt to rise higher. On alighting it usually immediately
secretes itself, but not always, as 1 have seen it on such occasions run with
great rapidity. I have flushed all by the aid of a dog, except one, and
that rose about twenty feet ahead of me, evidently frightened by my
approach. The earliest date in any autumn that I have found them was
the 17th of September, and I think that the latest was the 22d of October.
In this part of the Connecticut Valley I have been in many meadows of
the same character as the one in question, accompanied by a dog educated
in such a way that the scent given out by any kind of rail would so
attract his attention that he would be likely to make known the presence
of such a bird, if any were there, but in these places I have never found a
Yellow Rail, and it seems worthy of note that this species should be a
regular autumn visitor to a certain piece of meadow land, containing per-
haps three acres, and to be found nowhere else in this vicinity at any
time. — Robert O. Morris, Springfield, Mass.

Shore Birds Eating small Fish. — In ' The Auk ' for January, 1S98 (Vol.
XV, p. 51), Mr. H. D. Kirkover records an instance of the Greater Yellow-
legs feeding on minnows about an inch and a half in length. While on
the island of St. Vincent, West Indies, last October, I observed a number
of our shore birds feeding on the young of a small fish known as the
' tri tri' (Sicydium plumieri), which were at that time ascending the
Richmond River, near which I was staying, by thousands. The land
about the lower reaches of this river was laid completely bare by the
recent eruptions of the Soufriere, and in its present state proves very
attractive to all the species of shore birds which visit the island during
the migrations. Those observed or proved by dissection to be eating the
young tri tri (which were at that time from half an inch to an inch and
a quarter long) were Golden Plover {Charadrius dotninicus), Turnstones
(Arenciria tnterpres), Willets (Syjnphemia semipalmata), Pika, or Greater

Vol. XXin General Notes. 200

i9°5 J

Yellow-legs [Totanus melanoleucus), Lesser Yellow-legs (T. Jlavipes),
Solitary Sandpipers (Helodromas solitarius), and Spotted Sandpipers
(Actitis macular ia). All but the last two kept near the mouth of the
river, or on the flat land along its lower reaches ; the Solitary Sandpiper
followed the stream up into what were formerly arrow-root fields, half or
three quarters of a mile from the sea, and the Spotted Sandpiper was
found well into the mountain forests. — Austin H. Clark, Boston, Mass,

A Killdeer's Mishap. — February 10 last, while watching a large flock
of Killdeers on the golf links at Audubon Park, New Orleans, I came upon
one of the birds prostrate in an inch of water that had collected in a
depression as a result of continued rains. On examining the bird more
closely, I found its left leg was protruding into a crayfish hole of about
an inch and a half in diameter, and I had literally to tear the bird out to
liberate it from its captor, which was most likely a large crayfish. Any
more powerful animal, such as a musk rat, a turtle, or a ' blind eel '
(Amphiuma means), would hardly have mutilated the leg in the way I dis-
covered to be the case when I was able to examine my prisoner critically.
The middle toe was nearly eaten off, while the muscles of the leg below
the knee were punctured and rather badly lacerated. How the Killdeer
ever made such a mistake as to step into the hole, and how the crayfish, if
it was such, had succeeded in catching the agile bird, were mere matters
of conjecture with me, but it was evident that the first grip had been upon
the toes, and that the captor, then dragging its prey further in, had caught
the leg higher up. This was the circumstance that pointed to the cray-
fish as being the culprit, for the gap between the two points of injury
were so far apart,— the length of the tarsus and half the length of the
leg below the knee. A large crayfish, with the resistance offered by the
sides of its hole, might well have had the grip that seemed at first so
astonishing. The bird was drawn down with its breast flush with the
ground, further than which, of course, the smallness of the aperture pre-
vented the bird's being dragged. There being nothing at hand with
which I could excavate the ground about the hole, I was unable to acquaint
myself more fully as to all the circumstances of this strange occurrence,
one that must have been cruelly trying to the bird. Further investigation
would probably have been useless anyhow, as the captor of the Killdeer,
after it had been forced to loosen its hold, no doubt retreated well into its
subterranean chambers.

How long the bird had been in this situation was difficult to say. When
I released it from its awkward, not to say perilous, situation, it was almost
in a state of paralysis, from the combined effects of fear, pain, and being
held evidently for some time in the cold water, the day being rather chilly.
After I had taken it home, and had cleansed the wound, and kept the bird
in a warm room, it soon revived sufficiently to attempt a flight indoors.
I kept it overnight, however, and by next morning it had partially recov-
ered the use of the injured foot and leg, and stood upright, even if some-

2 I O General Notes. \_A&-

what wabbly. However, it was otherwise active, and beat its wings
strongly when I took it out of the basket where I had kept it all night.
There was a little weakness in the first part of its flight when I liberated
it from a second story window, but it had soon steadied itself, and flying
through the rain towards the Mississippi, was shortly out of sight. — H.
H. Kopman, New Orleans, La.

A Correction. — In my note on 'The Turkey Buzzard in Maine' (Auk,
XXII, p. 78.) I stated that the present record made the tenth for the State.
I included two specimens which Mr. Boardman added to a revised list
which he sent me in 1873. Mr. Ora W. Knight has called my attention
to the fact that the title of Mr. Boardman's list ' Catalogue of the Birds
found in the vicinity of Calais, Maine,' admits a number of records for
the vicinity but over the State line, and that Mr. Boardman had informed
him by letter that the two buzzards in question were records for New
Brunswick. This fact reduces the legitimate number for the State to
eight. — Ruthven Deane, Chicago, III.

The Crab Hawk {Urubitinga) in the Island of St. Lucia, West Indies.
— On August 2, 1903, I observed and identified an example of Urubitinga
anthracina (Licht.) near the town of Soufriere, St. Lucia, British West
Indies. There are, I believe, no other records for the island, although the
bird very possibly is resident in the highlands of St. Lucia, as it is on
the neighboring island of St. Vincent, as St. Lucia is comparatively little
known ornithologically. On the other hand, the bird may have strayed
from St. Vincent during the late eruptions, as did great numbers of
Ramier (Columba squamosa Bonn.) which at that time visited the island
of Grenada. — Austin H. Clark, Boston, Mass.

Scott's Sparrow in Colorado. — While engaged in field work for the
Biological Survey in the fall of 1903, I collected an immature male Scott's
Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps scottii) at Trinidad, Colorado- — the first
record for the State. It was taken September 17, 1903, on a pifion ridge
near the city, and was evidently migrating southward at the time. —
Arthur H. Howell, Washington, D. C.

Nelson's Sparrow in Nebraska. — On the Sth of October last I collected
the first specimen of Nelson Sparrow (Awniodranius nelsoni) in this
State. It was a j'oung male and was a member of a flock of about a dozen
birds mingled with great numbers of Leconte and Grasshopper Sparrows,
in a marsh surrounding a pond northeast of this city. The birds were
shy, only occasionally mounting to a weed-stalk or grass-stem for a
moment to take a look at the intruder ; and no note was heard but a
low chip, not distinguishable from the notes of the associated species. —
Robert H. Wolcott, Lincoln, Nebr.

VOlI9o5XI1] General Notes. 211

A Female Cardinal Wintering in Concord, Mass. — Mrs. Russell Robb
of Concord gives me permission to record the presence of a female Car-
dinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) on her place on Punkatasset Hill. The bird
was first seen on the 28th of January, 1905, and on February 23 is still
about. During the winter months when the days were short the bird would
come to be fed at nine in the morning and early in the afternoon. Now
that the days are longer it comes by six a. m., and in the afternoon not
until four.

This is the second female beside the one that bred in Cambridge, to be
noted in Massachusetts. — Reginald Heber Howe, Jr., Concord, Mass.

Decrease of Purple Martinson Long Island, N. Y. — Seeing a note
on Purple Martins in Concord, Mass., a short time ago in 'The Auk,' I
thought the following might possibly be of some interest. Three sum-
mers ago, Purple Martins (Progne subis) were very common at Qiiogue,
L. I., and bred in boxes erected for their occupation. The summer of
1903 they had decreased in number, and last summer they had disappeared
apparently from the locality. I am afraid English Sparrows took posses-
sion of their boxes.

The summer of 1903, I killed a Black-breasted Plover (Squatarola
squatarola) on July 1, as recorded in 'The Auk' (XXI, p. 79). Last sum-
mer I saw one on July 6, with a very black breast, but unfortunately
missed him. Snipe and Plover were exceedingly rare all last summer. —
F. W. Kobbe, Nezv York City.

The Loggerhead Shrike in Connecticut in Winter. — I am indebted to
Mr. Wilbur F. Smith, of South Norwalk, Conn., for the opportunity of
recording the capture of a very dark-colored specimen of the Loggerhead
Shrike {Lanius ludovicianus) taken at South Norwalk, Conn., on Febru-
ary 17, 1905, and brought by him to me for identification. The bird was
found wounded by the roadside, and brought alive to Mr. Smith, but died
soon after being taken into the warm air of a house from a temperature of
nearly zero out of doors. This may have hastened the bird's death,
although it had lost one eye and the left half of the tail, and was found
on dissection to have received severe internal injuries.

As there are several winter records for the Northern Loggerhead Shrike
(L. I. migrans) in southern and middle New England, the chief interest
in the present connection is the exceptionally dark coloration of the spec-
imen, which is very much darker even than the darkest Florida specimen
I have ever seen. The upper tail-coverts were nearly as dark as the back;
the lower parts were as dark gray as is the back in an average specimen
of ludovicianus from Florida or the Gulf States, while the upper parts
were many shades darker ; even the throat, lower tail-coverts, and the
tips of the rectrices were strongly grayish white instead of clear white,
as in ordinary specimens. The bird is thus strikingly darker than
migrans, being, as said above, darker than even very dark specimens of

2 12 General Notes. [ £urk

ludavicianus, and for this' reason is referred to the latter form. — J. A.
Allen, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City.

Parula Warbler and Short-billed Marsh Wren. — In referring to the
Parula Warbler and Short-billed Marsh Wren in the January issue Mr.
Swales has left the impression that these birds are very rare in Wayne
County, Michigan. His records represent the first specimens taken but
not the first observed. I have seen the Parula here at various times dur-
ing both spring and autumn. The specimen I secured, and mentioned by
Mr. Swales, is typical of Ridgwav's C. a. ramalince.

The Short-billed Marsh Wren is a summer resident but not common
and no eggs have been taken in this immediate vicinity, probably because
no local oologist has devoted especial attention to the species. In Ecorse
Township, on May 27, I found two nests in a small inland swale covered
with fine marsh grass interspersed with bush clusters. The greatest
depth of water at that time was about one foot, but this swale is perfectly
dry from July to November, except during short periods after heavy rains.
The nests were fastened to the marsh grass only a few inches above the
water. They were composed of fine grasses and were without lining,
being either the well known false nests or good ones not yet completed.
I drove one of the birds out of the grass and into a bush where he
remained for some time not more than five feet from me. My next visit
was September 11, but no birds were seen in the marsh. However, one
was discovered in a thick weed tangle on the bordering high ground. —
J. Claire Wood, Detroit, Michigan.

A Supposed Specimen of the Yellow Warbler {Dendroica azstiva) from
Grenada, West Indies. — Mr. Ridgway (Birds No. and Mid. America, II,
p. 510, 1902) gives Dendroica astiva (Gmel.) as having occurred in
Grenada. His words are : " No certain record from West Indies, except
Grenada, but doubtfully credited to Bahamas and Cuba." In the distri-
bution of the subspecies D. a;, cestiva he includes Grenada, " one specimen,
November 14, 1882, in U. S. National Museum collection. "

Through the kindness of Dr. C. W. Richmond I have been enabled to
examine the bird in question. The label attached to the skin reads :
" Shot on a mangrove tree on border of swamp at Telescope, 14th Nov.
1SS2. Only 2 seen." This is in the writing of the late Mr. John Grant
Wells, by whom the bird was taken. The name of the bird as given on
the label is " Dendraca petechia" but the name " petechia" is crossed
out and " (estiva " written above it. The dimensions of the bird (which
is an immature male) are given on the label as "4^ inches, 7^ inches, and
2| inches."

In Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., IX, 1886, p. 611, in a list of the birds of
Grenada we find: " No. 5. Dendroica petechia (Linn.). Yellow Bird.

" <J ; Length, 4^ in., expanse, 7^ in., wing, 2§ in.

"Not numerous; very shy; frequents the mangrove trees near to the
swamps or windward side of the island."

Voligo5Xn] General Notes. 213

The occurrence of " D. petechia " in Grenada was apparently based on
this specimen, if one can judge from the dimensions given on the label
of the bird and their correlation with those in the text ; the locality given
in the article and that on the label (Telescope is on the windward side of
the island) ; the fact that the bird was originally labelled " D. petechia " ;
and the fact that in writing up the species Mr. Wells gave it the local
name of " Yellow Bird," which name is also on the label in his hand-
writing.

This one specimen, therefore, represents two records ; Lawrence records
" D. petechia " from Grenada, and Mr. Ridgvvay D. mstiva on the evi-
dence of it alone.

Now Dendroica ruficapilla occurs as a resident in the swamps of
Grenada, Carriacou, Union Island, and Prune Island (Grenadines), and is
probably the bird referred to by Lawrence and Wells as " D. petechia"

With the assistance of Mr. Outram Bangs I tried to determine whether
this bird was an example of D- ruficapilla or of D. cestiva. It is an
immature male, with the coloration of the female. In size it is identical
with specimens of D. cb. cestiva in Mr. Bangs's collection, and also with
specimens of D. ruficapilla obtained by myself on Prune Island and on
Carriacou. The pileum is of the same color as the back as in the adult
females of D. &stiva\ but one example of D. ruficapilla which I
obtained in Carriacou (an immature male) also shows this character, and
I have seen it in birds of that species from Dominica. There is, there-
fore, absolutely no way of distinguishing between the young of these two
species, either by coloration or size.

From the following circumstantial evidence, however, it seems clear to
me that the bird in question is an example of D. ruficapilla and not of
D. cestiva.

Although it appears not to have been previously known, D. ruficapilla
occurs, as a rather rare resident, in the swamps on Grenada, especially on
the windward side. Telescope (near Grenville) is one of the localities in
which it is found. Unless one is familiar with the retiring and shy
character of this bird, it is very easily overlooked, which probably
accounts for the fact that no collectors ever previously obtained it on
Grenada or the Grenadines. It is far more often heard than seen. The
greatest number which I ever obtained in a single day was two, the result
of wading about knee deep in mud and water in the midst of a mosquito
infested mangrove swamp from sunrise to sunset. Mr. Wells, who
recently died, at the age of fifty-eight years, lived all his life in Grenada,
except for eleven years spent in Carriacou. lie never took but a single
Yellow Warbler in his life, and does not record the species from Carria-
cou, although ray specimens all came from a swamp within gunshot of
his residence.

I believe, therefore, that we had best exclude D. astiva from the avifauna
of the West Indies for the present, until a bird referable to that species
is taken on St. Vincent, or on some island which has no resident vellow

214 General Notes. \_a^

warbler, or which has a species which may be distinguished from D. (estiva
in all its forms. — Austin H. Clark, Boston, Mass.

Breeding of Wilson's Thrush {Hylocichla fuscescens) in Virginia. —
"Northern New Jersey and the northern part of the Lake States north-
ward" is the breeding range of Wilson's Thrush ( Turdus fuscescens Steph.)
as outlined in the A. O. U. Check-List. There does not appear to be any
record of the breeding of this species further to the southward. It there-
fore gives me pleasure to record the fact that on June 25, 1903, while on
a collecting trip in my interest to Mt. Rogers (5,719 ft.), Grayson County,
Virginia, Mr. Harvey G. Davis found a nest of this species containing
three eggs, which, together with the parent birds, is in my collection.
This record definitely establishes the breeding range of this species as
including the higher mountain region of Virginia. It is probable that
this species breeds also in the mountains of North Carolina, but this fact
does not seem to be yet established. — John W. Daniel, Jr., Lynchburg,
Va.

Notes on the Nesting of the Varied Thrush. — The following notes on
the nesting of the Varied Thrush {Ixoreus ncevius) in southern British
Columbia may be of interest, as most of the published records are from
more northern latitudes.

During the Spring of 1903 I had a good opportunity to note their nest-
ing habits, while running a line of bear traps at the base of Cheam Peak
on the lower Fraser River, altitude about seventy feet above sea level.

The birds were found nesting in heavy coniferous forest of very tall
timber, with very little undergrowth for the coast district, where dense
brush is the rule.

The nesting site was usually a small tree heavily draped with the rank
growth of green moss which grows in such profusion in these dark woods.
Five nests were taken on the following dates :

28th April. Three eggs, incubation slight. Nest in small hemlock,
nine feet from ground, saddled on limb close to trunk, composed of green
moss, twigs and rootlets, in a loose foundation of larger twigs, and lined
with shredded cedar bark.

3d May. Three eggs with large embryos. Nest in moss-covered spruce,
on dead limb ten feet from ground. Nest same as last but lined with fine
dry grass, with a few dead leaves in outer structure.

3d May. Three eggs with small embryos. Nest in leaning cedar nine
feet from ground ; structure and lining same as preceding.

7th May. Three eggs, nearly fresh. Nest in vine maple {Acer circin-
atum), nine feet from ground.

16th May. Four eggs, fresh. Nest in the pendant branch of a large
cedar, twelve feet from ground. The last may have been a second laying,
as I noticed the birds were breeding there two weeks previously.

Three eggs seems to be the average, as two nests I have taken in previ-

Vol. XXIIH General Notes. 2 I S

1905 J •" * J

ous years had two and three eggs respectively. The former was a full
clutch, as the bird was sitting.

The outside structure of the nests being principally green moss made
them comparatively inconspicuous, in spite of their large size, as they
were usually saddled on a limb that was completely covered with the
same moss.

There is generally a considerable admixture of damp leaf mold in the
foundation of the nest, but not in the walls. The average dimensions
are about six and a half inches for outside diameter, and three and a half
across the cavity.

The ground color of the eggs is rather lighter than in those of Merula
migrator ia\ the spots vary from raw umber to dark sepia, and are usually
rather sparsely scattered, rather denser towards the larger end but never
forming a distinct zone.

The shape is usually a long oval. One set (§) seems to present the
extreme variation in size, the eggs measuring 1.20 X .80 in., 1.21X72,
and 1. 15 X -73 inches.

In no instance were two pairs of birds found breeding near each other;
the nests were about half a mile apart. The proximity of the nest is
usually betrayed by the actions of the birds, which flutter from tree to
tree uttering a peculiar chatter not heard at other times.

Before closing these disjointed notes it might be as well to record the
irruption of the Varied Thrush during the present winter (1904-05).
During other winters a few may be seen, even in the coldest weather,
throughout the district west of the Cascades. This winter they fairly
swarm ; and reports from Okanagan show they are even wintering in the
cold interior of the Province. Large numbers of Audubon's Warbler
are also wintering in the lower Fraser Valley, though the winter is a
fairly severe one. — Allan Brooks, Sumas, B. C.

An Unrecognized Subspecies of Bellona cristatus. — In his 'Descrip-
tions of New Species of Birds of the]Families Trochilida? and Tetraonidas,
(Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., I, p. 50, 1877) Mr. Lawrence described a new
hummingbird under the name of Orthorhynchus emigrans as follows:

" Male. — The basal half of the crest is of a shining emerald-green, the
terminal half deep reddish-violet ; the upper plumage is dark grass-green ;
tail-feathers blackish-purple, the two central ones washed with green ;
quills light purple ; throat smoky -gray ; breast and abdomen smoky-black ;
bill and feet black.

"Length, 3^ in.; wing, i| ; tail, \\ ; bill from termination of frontal
feathers, T%

" A younger specimen, but with the crest full}' developed, has the throat
whitish-ash, and the outer two lateral feathers [rectrices?] tipped with the
same. . . .

"Habitat. — Venezuela. Type in my collection. [Now in the Ameri-
can Museum of Natural History, New York.]

2 I 6 General Notes. \j^

" Remarks. — This is a close ally of O. cristatus from Barbadoes ; the two
colors of the crest are equally divided in both , but they differ in shades
of coloring ; the green in the new species is without the strong golden
tinge existing in the other, and the violet is rather deeper in color, which
color it retains in all positions — whereas in some lights that of O. cris-
tatus is greenish ; the upper plumage of the latter is lighter and of a
golden-green ; the new species is also rather smaller, with a longer bill.
They differ strikingly in the ends of the tail-feathers, these being obtusely
pointed in the new species, and rounded in the other."

On working up a large series of these hummingbirds from Barbados,
the Grenadines, and Grenada, the difference between those from Barba-
dos and those from the other islands at once struck me, and I found that
the above description of O. emigrans exactly fitted the Barbados bird.
Although Linnseus's type of Trochilus cristatus probably came from
Barbados (as that island was at that time much better known), there is
nothing to make us absolutely sure, and his description (Syst. Nat., I, p.
192, 1766) is applicable to either form. Lawrence's description, on the
other hand, could not have been taken from a Grenada specimen, as he
brings out the characters which my study of a large series collected by
myself on Barbados and others from Grenada and the Grenadines have
shown separate the two forms. His locality "Venezuela" is undoubtedly
erroneous, as the genus is purely West Indian, occurring only from Porto
Rico south to Grenada. The fact that he compares his new species with
a specimen from "Barbadoes" is of no significance, as Barbados is the
great shipping port of these islands, where merchandise is transhipped
from intercolonial craft (trading between the less important colonies) to
ocean going boats.

The coloration of the crest of this hummingbird, in common with the
metallic colors of many other species, changes somewhat with age (after
death) , but in a series of fresh specimens the differences exhibited between
the birds from these two localities is very marked. I have not been able
to examine any old skins from Barbados, but I have no doubt that could
be instantly distinguished (by the more violet color of the posterior half
of the crest) from others from Grenada or the Grenadines.

Bellona cristatus will therefore stand, with its two forms, as follows : —
Bellona cristatus {Linn.).

Habitat. Barbados, the Grenadines, and Grenada.
Bellona cristatus cristatus (Linn.).

Habitat. The Grenadines and Grenada.

Bellona cristatus emigrans (Laiv.).

Habitat. Barbados. — -Austin K. Clark, Boston, Mass.

Michigan Randoms. — Opened the oological season with a set of two
eggs o£ the Great Horned Owl on March 1, followed by three of the Bald
Eagle on the 13th ; then the usual run of Red-tail, Red-shoulder, Cooper's,
Sparrow Hawk, etc., during April and May, and a "wind up" with the
Warblers in June, the rarest find being two sets of Cerulean.

Vol;9^5XI1] General Notes. 21 7

Henslow's Sparrow is of regular occurrence as a fall migrant ; in fact, ,-
can always be found in suitable localities during that period. Have ob-
served it only twice in spring ; but this is no indication of rarity, having
never really looked for it.

Lincoln's Sparrow cannot be considered rare. Met with it on the
three days afield in September ; also October 2 and 9.

Connecticut Warbler. — Secured an immature bird on October 6 in
Ecorse Township. This is the second record, Mr. P. A. Taverner taking
the first specimen in Greenfield Township.

Red-throated Loon. — May 9 I had the pleasure of examining an adult
male on Grosse Isle, Monguagon Township. It was shot by a French-
man who invited me down to inspect a "Red-throated Hell-diver."

Blue-winged Teal. — Was on Elba Island, Monguagon Township, June
20-24, ar)d noted a male in the marsh throughout my stay. The female
was noticed but once and only for a short time, from which I conclude
she was incubating. In 1886-87 I saw parents followed by young in a
marsh just below the city in what is now known as the Village of River
Rouge. Black-crowned Night Herons were also common about this
same marsh at that time, but I have seen none since the summer of 1890.

American Merganser. — A pair spent the summer in the vicinity of
Elba and Hickory Islands. Noted them on several visits during June,
July and August.

Passenger Pigeon. — While woodcock shooting in October I was joined
by a soldier from the fort who stated he shot several of these pigeons in ►
September from a flock of about twenty. They were feeding on beech
nuts in a large woods near Orchard Lake, Oakland County. This has a
ring of truth about it. The last seen by me in Wayne County was in
Greenfield Township, on March 21, 1890, and the very last was a pair
near Corunna, Michigan, on May 10, 1892.

Bob-white. — The severe winter of 1903-04 nearly exterminated the Bob-
wrhite. One farmer told me that of about twenty on his farm in Novem-
ber, not one was left the following spring.

A notable feature of the autumn migration was the unusual abundance
of Gray-cheeked Thrushes and Fox Sparrows and the total absence of
Tennessee Warblers.

Except as otherwise stated, the above randoms refer to Wayne County
and the season of 1904. — J. Claire Wood, Detroit, Michigan.

Erroneous Maine Records. — During the past seven years it has re-
peatedly been necessary to call the attention of ornithological writers to
the fact that many of the birds recorded in Mr. George A. Boardman's
lists were taken on land and waters within the British dominion and are
not entitled to be listed as birds of Maine and New England. Mr. Board-
man's original list (cf. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. IX, pp. 122-132)
by its very title, ' Catalogue of the Birds Found in the Vicinity of Calais,
Maine, and about the Islands of the Bay of Fundy,' shows that he did not

2l8 General Notes. [£^k

intend to limit it to a consideration of Maine taken species because he
added to the first portion of the title 'and about the Islands of the Bay
of Fundy.' In many of Mr. Boardman's writings exact localities where
specimens were taken, such as Grand Menan, Indian Island, St. Stephen,
were given ; but in spite of this subsequent writers have called such rec-
ords Maine records, and cited the specimens recorded as being taken in
Maine.

In 1S96-97, when preparing the manuscript of ' A List of the Birds of
Maine' for publication, Mr. Boardman and I desired to have his records
straightened out, as he realized he had been persistently misquoted by
many ornithologists of note. Accordingly Mr. Boardman went carefully
over all his records, and all entitled to be cited as birds of Maine are given
completely and correctly, as I was assured by Mr. Boardman, in 'A List of
the Birds of Maine,' while in the hypothetical list at the end of this work
reason for excluding many of the species previously accredited to Maine,
owing to the misquoting of Mr. Boardman, is given.

Writers in the future should be careful not to accredit any species to
Maine upon the authority of quotations from Mr. Boardman's lists, or on
other authority directly or indirectly derived therefrom, unless such spe-
cies is given in the publication above referred to, or unless other positive
information of more recent date is at hand. It is perhaps well at this
stage to call the attention of ornithologists to the fact that Mr. Boardman
published a list entitled ' St. Croix Birds ' and other scientific lists in the
Calais 'Weekly Times' between November 23, 1899, and February 5,
1900. I wish to especially emphasize the fact that this St. Croix List is
not confined in its enumerations to Maine specimens, and that it does not
purport to be anything other than what the title taken in its very broad-
est sense would indicate, and that consequently many species recorded
there were taken or seen in New Brunswick.

Though, as stated in the beginning, the attention of orn'thological
writers has been called to the facts herein stated more or less frequently,
yet the erroneous citation of Mr. Boardman's records by two writers
within the past month would indicate that many are still in ignorance of
the facts in the case. — O. W. Knight, Bangor, Maine.

Swainson and Audubon. — The letter of Swainson to Audubon in
1 The Auk ' for January, 1905 (XXII, p. 31-34) solved a problem that per-
plexed me in 1900 while writing a biography of Swainson. I assumed
that Swainson's letter of "2d October 1830" (see Auk, Jan., 1S98, p. n-13)
might have been an answer to Audubon's of "22 Aug. 1830," inasmuch as
no subsequent letter from Audubon earlier than "6 June 183 1 " was in the
Linncean collection (see Osprey, V, 24). The letter of Swainson published
by Mr. Ruthven Deane, however, shows that such was not the case. It
is now clear that Audubon made his proposition for limited partnership
while in Manchester, in his letter dated "22 Aug. 1830" ; to this Swainson
responded in his letter dated "Thursday." (Thursday of August in 1830

^'ig^f11] Recent Literature. 219

fell on the 26th.) To this Audubon must have replied, but his letter is
missing from the Linnaean collection. To that lost letter Swainson's
letter of "2d October 1830" undoubtedly is an answer. The letters are
published in the following Journals :
1830, Aug. 22 (Manchester). Audubon's letter proposing cooperation,

etc. (Synopsis in Proc. Linn. Soc, London, May 22, 1900, p. 26;

republished in Osprey, IV, p. 24 )
1830, Aug. 26. Swainson's letter (undated) published in Auk, XXII, pp.

32-34-
1830, Aug. 29. Audubon's letter in reply to last : apparently lost.
1830, Oct. 2. Swainson's letter in answer to last, published in Auk, XV,

1898, pp. 11-13 ! republished in Osprey, IV, p. 171, V, pp. S, 9.
Let us hope that the editor of 'The Auk ' will procure a cop}' of Audu-
bon's letter of Aug. 22 and publish it. — Theo. Gill, Washington, D. C.

RECENT LITERATURE.

Ridgway's 'The Birds of North and Middle America,' Part III.1— The
first 500 pages — rather more than half — of the present volume, we are
told in the preface, "were printed during the year 1903," when it became
necessary to suspend the printing until July, 1904; its publication was

1 The Birds | of | North and Middle America : | A Descriptive Catalogue |
of the I Higher Groups, Genera, Species, and Subspecies of Birds | known
to occur in North America, from the | Arctic Lands to the Isthmus of
Panama | the West Indies and Other Islands | of the Caribbean Sea, and
the Galapagos Archipelago. | By | Robert Ridgvvay, | Curator, Division of
Birds. I — I Part III. |
Family Motacillada; — The Wagtails Family Corvidas — The Crows and

and Pipits. Jays. |

Family Hirundinidae — The Swal- Family Paridae — The Titmice. |

lows. Family Sittidae — The Nuthatches. |

Family Ampelidae — The Waxvvings. Family Certhiidae — The Creepers. |
Family Ptilogonatidae — The Silky Family Troglodytidae — The Wrens.

Flycatchers. Family Cinclidae — The Dippers. |

Family I) ulidae — The Palm Chats. Family Chamaeidas — The Wren-

Family Vireonidae — The Vireos. Tits. |

Family Laniidae — The Shrikes. Family Sylviidas — The Warblers | —

I Washington : | Government Printing Office, | 1904.= Bulletin of the United
States National Museum, No. 50, Part III. 8vo, pp. i-xx+1-801, pll. i-xix.

2 20 Recent Literature. \a^

thus delayed much beyond the anticipated date when Part II was issued,
only a few advance copies in paper covers being distributed during the
last days of 1904. It includes about the same number of pages as Part
II, and almost exactly the same number of species and subspecies, namely
434, as compared with 433 in Part II. As the general character of the
work has been indicated in our review of Part I (Auk, XIX, Jan., 1903,
pp. 97-102) we have now merely to note the contents of Part III, which
includes the following 15 families.

(1) Motacillidae, with 3 genera and 8 species; (2) Hirundinidae, 12
genera and 32 species and subspecies; (3) Ampelidse, 1 genus and 2 spe-
cies ; (4) Ptilogonatidse, 3 genera and 5 species; (5) Dulida? (wholly
West Indian), 1 genu's and 2 species; (6) Vireonida?, 8 genera and 78 spe-
cies and subspecies ; (7) Laniidse, 1 genus and 21 species with 6 additional
subspecies; (8) Corvidse, 13 genera and 83 species; (9) Paridse, 4 genera
and 36 species and subspecies ; (10) Sittidae, 1 genus and 10 species and
subspecies; (11) Certhiida;, 1 genus and 6 subspecies ; (12) Troglodyti-
dx, 17 genera and 135 species and subspecies; (13) Cinclidae, 1 genus and

3 species and subspecies; (14) ChamaMdas, 1 genus and 4 species and
subspecies ; (15) Sylviidse, 3 genera and 22 species and subspecies.
These statistics include the 5 subspecies added in the Addenda.

Four genera, 1 species, and 14 subspecies are described as ' new,'
mostly in the first half of the volume, but only one appears to have been
really new at the time of its publication, the others having been pub-
lished elsewhere before the volume was completed, and thus antedate by
nearly a year the date of Part III. Their real place of publication, how-
ever, is duly stated in the addenda, and attention is called to the fact in
the ' Table of Contents.'

The genus Polioptila, provisionally referred in Part I (pp. 18 and 23) to
Mimidge, here finds a resting place in the Svlviidae, forming a subfamily
Polioptilinre. The only alternative, Mr. Ridgway believes, is to make the
group a separate family.

To take up the nomenclature of the work somewhat in detail with
special reference to the A. O. U. Check-List, it is to be noted that Neororys
is considered as not entitled to even subgeneric recognition ; Vireosylva
and Lanivireo are given full generic rank; Cractes Billberg ( 1828) is
made (in the addenda, p. 750) to replace Perisoreus Bonaparte (1831 );
Penthestes unfortunately has to take the place of Parus, which is
restricted to the Old World, with Parus major as the type. On the
whole this is a very slight disturbance of our current generic nomen-
clature.

In respect to species and subspecies, the status of a few forms is
changed ; a number of forms rejected by the A. O. U. Committee have
been admitted, but in most instances its decisions are confirmed. A
curious case, however, is that of " Ba?olop/uis atricristatits sennetti, sub-
sp. nov.," which takes the place of both Bceolophus bicolor texensis (Sen-
nett) and B. atricristatus casta?ieifron$ (Sennett), which are ruled out as

Vol. XXII-j Recent Literature. 22 1

' hybrids1 between B. atricristatus sennetti and B. bicolor, and are thus
"without nomenclatural standing" ! The ' hybrid' theory is not here for
the first time invoked by our author as an easy way to clear up a knotty
case, as witness his treatment in Part I of Junco annectens Baird, J. ridg
ivayi Mearns, etc., and in other instances on earlier occasions.

Further changes among the Titmice include Bazolophtts inoruatus
tnttrinus as a new subspecies from southern California and northern
Lower California ; B.ivolliveberi is restricted to the highlands of Mex-
ico, and the United States form takes the name B. w. annexns (Cassin).
Partis (or Penthestes) carolittensis impiger of Bangs is added, as is also
P. hudsonicus liltoralis, while P. h. stoneyi is referred to hudsonicus.
Psaltriparus minimus saturates is described as new from the Puget
Sound region.

The range of Corvtis corax clarionensis is extended northward to
include the Santa Barbara Islands, and is thus brought within our Check-
List limits. • Corvtis brachyrhyttchos hespcrius is revived, and C. caurinits
is reduced to a subspecies of C. brachyrhynckos. Cyanocitta stelleri
borealis is not recognized while C. ■;. carbonacea is, although the former
is quite as good a form as the latter.

Among the Wrens are many additions of forms recently denied admis-
sion to the Check-List, as Telmatodytes paltistris thryophiltts, T/iryomanes
bewickii eremophiltis, T. b. cerroettsis, T. b. nesophiltts, T. b. drymcecus,
and Catherpes mexicantis polioptilus while, on the other hand, T. leu-
cophrys is reduced to a subspecies of T. betvickii, and Troglodytes aedon
aztectts is made a synonym of T. a. parkmani and the range of the latter
continued eastward to Indiana. Salpittctes obsoletus pulverius is also
admitted, and 6\ guadaltipensis is reduced to a subspecies of .S. obsoletus.

The American Dipper takes the name Cinclus mexicatttis unicolor
(Bonap.), typical mexicatttis being restricted to Mexico and Guatemala.
All the hitherto described forms of C/tatmva are admitted, and Regulus
cuvierii ranks as a good species on the basis of a single record and the
"type lost"; in other words, on the description and drawing of a speci-
men alleged to have been taken near Philadelphia nearly a century ago.

The ' Addenda,' as often happens, forms an important part of the
volume. It not only contains many overlooked references which are to
be added to the tables of synonymy, but many references to publications
that appeared during the printing of the volume, and especially after the
printing of the first half, among which, as already noted, are references
to the publication of the genera and subspecies indicated as new in the
main text; and it also includes a number of additional subspecies and
changes of nomenclature. Attention is called to most of these, by foot-
notes or otherwise, in the table of contents, but the table of contents is
not to be taken as giving the nomenclature of the species as finally modi-
fied in the addenda ; for there are no footnote references to guide the
unwary to such changes as that of Corvtis americanus to Corvtis brachy-
rhynckos, or the substitution of Cractes for Perisoreus, as one would
naturally expect.

22 2 Recent Literature. Ta"^

Part III is of course uniform with the preceding parts in execution,
showing the same painstaking attention to details of citation in the
synonymies, and care and thoroughness in elaboration, and is invaluable
as an exponent of our present knowledge of the fifteen families of birds
embraced within its scope, as represented in North and Middle America.
It brings up the total number of families treated to 20, of genera to 216,
and of species and subspecies to 1256, and includes more than three
fourths of the Oscines of the region.

Part IV, which is about halt completed, will contain the remaining
families of the Oscines and the Tyrannida, Pipridse, and Cotingidaa.
We trust the author's present change of scene through a long vacation
trip to the mountains of Costa Rica will give him renewed energy and
zeal for the completion of this great task, already so well advanced. —
J. A. A.

Richmond on Birds described by Pallas in 1764.-10 1764 appeared a
sale catalogue of natural history specimens published by A. Vroeg, to
which was added a separately paged supplement in which were described
38 species of birds by P. S. Pallas. A transcript of this appendix, by
C. Davies Sherborn, has just been republished under the title ' The New
Species of Birds in Vroeg's Catalogue, 1764.' ' This ' Catalogue ' is so
rare, says Mr. Sherborn, that the only copy he has seen "is preserved
among Linnaeus' collection of books in the library of the Linnaean
Society of London. The new species of birds," says Mr. Sherborn,
" (there are no other new species) are collected at the end of the Cata-
logue in a separately-paged ' Adumbratiuncula,' and as these new species
are properly diagnosed the Linnaean Society has kindly consented to a
reprinting of the pages. The reprint follows the original, line for line,
the only addition being the localities, which have been added from the
entries in the Catalogue to which the numbers prefixed to each item
refer." Mr. Sherborn states that there is no clue to the author of these
names, but Dr. C. W. Richmond has found that the author was P. S- Pal-
las, and that Linna-us cited some of these names in the twelfth edition of
his ' Systema Naturae,' 1766, as from " Pallas, adumbr." etc., and says
(/. c, p. 342 inedit.) "without doubt Linnaeus was indebted to Pallas for
his copy of the Catalogue.'1''

Following Mr. Sherborn's reprint of the ' Adumbratiuncula,' Dr. Rich-
mond 2 gives the modern equivalents of Pallas's names. He says: "This
separately-paged portion of the Catalogue contains descriptions of thirty-

1 The New Species of Birds in Vroeg's Catalogue, 1764. By C. Davies
Sherborn. Smithsonian Miscel. Coll. (Quarterly Issue), Vol. XLVII, p. 332-
341, Jan. 31, 1905.

2 Notes on the Birds described by Pallas in the "Adumbratiuncula" of
Vroeg's Catalogue. By Charles W. Richmond. Ibid., pp. 342-347.

Voliqo5XI1] Recent Literature. 223

eight species, thirty-five of which were supposed to be additional to the
tenth edition of the Systema Naturae. Although his name does not
appear in connection with it, the ' Adumbratiuncula ' was written by
Peter Simon Pallas, as he tells us in his Zoografkia Rosso-Asiatica (II,
p. 199). a statement long anticipated by Linnaeus in the 1766 edition of
the Systema Naturae, when ' Pallas, adumbr.' is quoted in the synonymy
of several species." Although anonymous, the authorship of the 'Adum-
bratiuncula' is thus not in doubt, nor is this the first time it has been
cited as Pallas's work.

For 16 of these species Pallas's names appear to have priority, while 4
are not positively identified, and of the remainder 16 have earlier names,
and two are synonyms of other species here described. The only North
American species affected is the Sanderling, which should apparently be
called Calidris alba (= Trytiga alba Pallas, 1764= Tringa are?iaria
Linnaeus, 1766. — J. A. A.

Harvie-Brown and Macpherson's ' A Fauna of the Northwest High-
lands and Skye.'1 — This is the ninth volume, in order of publication, of
' The Vertebrate Fauna of Scotland,' by J. A. Harvie-Brown and Thomas
E. Buckley, some of which have been noticed in previous volumes of
'The Auk.'2 The first hundred pages are chiefly historical and topo-
graphical; mammals occupy forty-eight pages, birds something over
three hundred, the reptiles and amphibia about three, and there are about
ten pages of supplemental matter, and the Index. Like all the volumes
of this series, it is beautifully printed and illustrated, the illustrations
including a number of maps, many beautiful full-page plates from pho-
tographs, principally of scenery and the breeding places of birds, but they
include also several portraits of prominent Scotch naturalists, now
deceased, and numerous text cuts, of scenic or historic interest. There
are biographical sketches of two of Mr. Harvie-Brown's colleagues, — Mr.
Thomas E. Buckley and Rev. H. A. Macpherson, — recently deceased, the
former having been joint author with Mr. Harvie-Brown of ' The Verte-
brate Fauna of Scotland ' series, while the latter was co-author of the
volume here under notice, and also author of 'A History of Fowling,'
noticed in 'The Auk' for January, 1900 (XVII, pp. 85, 86), and of other
standard works. Both are well known authorities on the natural history
of Scotland and the north of England.

The present volume, like its predecessors, shows exhaustive research
and patient, conscientious labor, and cannot fail to be of great local inter-

1 A Fauna of the Northwest Highlands and Skye. By J. A. Harvie-Brown
and Rev. H. A. Macpherson. Edinburgh : David Douglas. 1904. Sm. 4to,
pp. i-civ -f- 1-378, maps, numerous plates and text illustrations from photo-
graphs. Price 30s.

2 See e.g., ' A Fauna of the Moray Basin, Auk, XIII, 1896, pp. 351, 352.

224 Recent Literature. [ a^

est and a record of present and past conditions that will be of ever
increasing historic value as time passes. — J. A. A.

Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. — 'Cassinia1
for 1904 l appears promptly with its 80 pages of articles and notes on the
"Ornithology of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware," including an
'abstract of the proceedings' of the Club for 1904. The first paper, by
Witmer Stone, is a biographical notice of the late Dr. Samuel W. Wood-
house, with portraits, the text of the article being in substance the same
as Mr. Stone's notice of Dr. Woodhouse in 'The Auk' for January, 1905,
but fuller in respect to details. The frontispiece is an excellent likeness
of Dr. Woodhouse as he appeared in his later years, while in addition two
early portraits are given and a view of one of the camps of the U. S.
Topographical Engineers, in the Indian Territory in June, 1850, with Dr.
Woodhouse and other officers in the foreground, from daguerreotypes.

Other papers are : (2) 'A Chimney Swift's Day,' by Cornelius
Weygandt, giving a day's observations of a family of Swifts, describing
in detail their manner of entering and leaving their chimney quarters,
etc.; (3) 'That Feathered Midget of our Tide-water Swamps — the Long-
billed Marsh Wren,' by ChreswellJ. Hunt; (4) 'The Short-billed Marsh
Wren (Cistot/iorus stellaris) in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey,'
by LaRue K. Holmes ; (5) 'The Barn Owl (Strix pratincola) in Chester
County, Pennsylvania,' by Thomas H. Jackson, with plate from life,
showing old and young birds ; (6) ' Summer Birds of Pocono Lake,
Munroe County, Pennsylvania,' by John D. Carter ; (7) ' Summer Birds of
Port Alleghany, McKean County, Pennsylvania,' by Thomas D. Keim, —
an annotated list of about 70 species; (8) 'A Glimpse of Winter Bird
Life in Delaware,' by Charles J. Pen nock ; (9) 'Report on the Spring
Migration of 1904,' by Witmer Stone — based on 50 schedules, the
results being given in tabular form by localities, followed by a supple-
mentary annotated list. Following these papers is the usual ' Abstract
of Proceedings'; 'Bird Club Notes,' mostly personal in character and
including notices of deceased members ; and the list of officers and mem-
bers, the latter numbering 19 Active, 57 Associate, and 33 Corresponding.
Sixteen meetings of the Club were held during the year, with an average
attendance of 23 members, the largest number at one meeting being 37.
Such a record of attendance and general activity denotes a remarkable
and well-sustained interest. The officers for 1905 are : President, Spencer
Trotter, M. D. ; Vice-President, William A. Shryock ; Secretary, William
B.Evans; Treasurer, Stewardson Brown. — J. A. A.

1 Cassinia. Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club of
Philadelphia, 1904. 8vo, pp. 80, 3 pll. and map. Philadelphia, Pa., Feb.,
1905. 50 cents.

Vol. XXII
1905

Recent Literature. 2 2?

Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New York. — Numbers 15-16
of the 'Abstract' of the proceedings of this society1 have recently
appeared, forming a pamphlet of about seventy pages, with two half-
tone plates. Besides the usual abstract of the proceedings, lists of mem-
bers, etc., it contains the following papers: (1) 'Field notes on the Birds
and Mammals of the Cook's Inlet Region of Alaska,' by J. D. Figgins ;
(2) ' Some Notes on the Psychology of Birds,' by C. William Beebe ; (3)
'Some apparently undescribed Eggs of North American Birds,' by Louis
B. Bishop. Mr. Figgins's notes are based on observations made in 1901,
while connected with the American Museum Expedition of that year to
the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and are mostly additional to those published
in the American Museum 'Bulletin ' (Vol. XVI, pp. 215-247). Two half-
tone plates give views of characteristic scenery of the region. Mr. Beebe's
article, based mostly on his observations made at the New York Zoolog-
ical Society's Garden's, and first published in the Seventh Annual
Report of the Society, are here revised and extended. Dr. Bishop's relates
to the eggs and nesting habits of two forms of Rallus (R. crepitans scottii
and R. c.-waynei), two subspecies of Agelaius (A. pkaniceus fioridanus
and A. $. fort is), Nelson's and Macgillivray's Sparrows {Ammodramus
nelsoni and A. maritimus macgillivraii), Marian's Marsh Wren (Telmato-
dytes palustris marianee), and Alma's Thrush (Flylocichla alma;).

According to the Secretary's report, the Society held six meetings in
1902-03, with an average attendance of 19, and nine meetings in 1903-04,
with an attendance "somewhat above the average for recent years."
The officers for the year 1904 were: President, Jonathan Dwight, Jr.;
Vice-President, Walter W. Granger; Secretary, Clinton C. Abbott;
Treasurer, Lewis B. Woodruff. — J. A. A.

Dutcher's Report on Bird Protection.2 — Mr. Dutcher's 'Report'
opens with a ' History of the Audubon Movement' (pp. 45-58), which had
its inception in 1884, through the appointment of a Committee on bird
protection at the Second Congress of the American Ornithologists' Union,
this leading up to the formation of the first Audubon Society, in 1886, by
the management of the Journal 'Forest and Stream,' as an auxiliary to
"the Committee of the American Ornithologists' Union." The "second
cycle of bird protection " began in January, 1896, with the organization

1 Abstract of the Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New York, for the
year ending March 10, 1903, and for the year ending March 8, 1904. Nos.
15-16. Published Dec. 19, 1904. 8vo. pp. 1-69, and 2 half-tone plates.

2 Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies: also on the
Results of Special Protection to Water Birds obtained through the Thayer
Fund for the year 1904 : together with a History of the Audubon Movement.
By William Dutcher, Chairman. Bird-Lore, Feb., 1905, pp. 45-120, 9 half-
tone illustrations and 2 maps. Also separate.

2 z6 Recent Literature. LApr

of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, followed rapidly by the forma-
tion of other State societies to the number of 36, and, finally, the organi-
zation and incorporation of the National Association of Audubon Socie-
ties, in January, 1905.

The 'Report of the National Committee1 (pp. 58-74) opens with
several pages of 'suggestions,' relating to (1) legislation for bird pro-
tection, (2) the incorporation of State societies, (3) the enlistment of
'Junior' members, the girls and boys, (4) increase of membership, and
(5) a 'law Committee' for each society. Then follows a report on the
Thayer Fund, which in 1904 amounted to $3,731, and was expended
mainly for the services of wardens, and for printing and distributing
' warning notices ' and bird protection literature. An interesting feature
is the account of the Committee's work in securing bird protection in the
foreign possessions of the United States and in foreign countries, and
especially of the prompt aid always rendered by our National Government
in such matters. The State Reports (pp. 74-116) are of the usual fulness
and abound in information of ornithological interest as well as from the
viewpoint of bird protection. — J. A. A.

Hagmann's Concordance of Brazilian Birds described by Spix,
Wied, Burmeister, and Pelzeln. — In a paper1 of 21 pages Dr. Hagmann
(including an introduction of four pages by Dr. Gceldi) gives a concord-
ance of the nomenclature of the Brazilian birds described by Spix, Wied,
Burmeister, and Pelzeln with that of the Catalogue of Birds of the British
Museum, publishing in tabular form the names employed by these
authors and the equivalent names of the British Museum Catalogue. Of
Spix's 325 species, the generic and specific names both remain unchanged
in only 17 cases, while 134 of the specific names remain unchanged.
Apparently about the same proportions holds with Wied, but it is very
different with the later authors, as would naturally be expected, about one
fourth of Burmeister's names, both generic and specific, and about one
half of Pelzeln's agreeing with those of the British Museum Catalogue,
while about four-fifths of Pelzeln's specific names remain unchanged.
This concordance, while not of high utility, is a convenience and in
addition furnishes a ready means of getting at much curious information
in tracing changes in both taxonomy and nomenclature between the
earlier and the more recent standards.

In this connection attention may be called to an important paper by

'As Aves Brasilicas mencionadas e descriptas nas obras de Spix (1825), de
Wied (1830-1833), Burmeister (1854) e Pelzeln (1874) na sua nomenclatura
scientifica actual. Chave synonymica organisado pelo Dr. G. Hagmann.
Boletim do Museu Gceldi (Museu Paraense) de Hist. Nat. e Elhnogr., IV,
1904, pp. 19S-208.

Vol. XX
ige>5

n"j Recent Literature. 2 27

Count von Berlepsch and Dr. Hellmavr1 relating in part to the same sub-
ject. These authors give the results of the examination of the types of
many South American birds described by Reinhardt, Tschudi, Cabanis,
and Pelzeln. Pelzeln's species here treated, ten in number, are nearly
all left undetermined in Hagmann's 'Concordance,' but are here definitely
assigned. — J. A. A.

Shufeldt on the Families and Higher Groups of Birds. —In a recent
paper of 25 pages, published in the 'American Naturalist,'2 Dr. Shufeldt
presents his views respecting the arrangement of the higher groups of
birds, from families to orders. His scheme of expressing the affinities of
the groups, from families upward, is by means of five grades, as follows :
orders, supersuborders, suborders, superfamilies and families. He does
not admit the existence of subclasses among birds, and recognizes only
two orders, Saururae and Ornithurae, which correspond to the subclasses
of most other authors. As everybody knows, the class Aves is morpho-
logically the most homogeneous of the vertebrate classes, and is necessa-
rilv so on account of its volant mode of life, which does not admit of the
bizarre tvpes of divergence seen among mammals, reptiles, and fishes.
The fundamental plan of structure in the avian type is the special modifi-
cation for aerial life, and this precludes a wide range of morphological
variation. For this reason, according to the views of most systematists,
the degrees of divergence that constitute orders are not to be measured
by the same standards as in other classes of vertebrates, where a terres-
trial or aquatic mode of life permits of wide modifications of the class
type.

As already said, Dr. Shufeldt's ' orders ' correspond to the subclasses of
most modern systematists, while his 39 ' supersuborders ' correspond to
orders. He has also 62 'suborders,' 17 'superfamilies,' and 176 'fami-
lies.' There is nothing xevy novel in his arrangement of these various
groups, although some of his allocations do not seem to be an improve-
ment upon those previously made. If we translate his ' orders ' as sub-
classes, and his 'supersuborders' as orders, his suborders, superfamilies
and families have about the usual significance, and serve very well to
indicate the relative rank of the groups thus indicated; except that the
application of the terms supersuborder and suborder to precisely the
same group adds nothing as an expression of its rank; as, for example,
supersuborder Aptenodytiformes and suborder Impennes ; supersub-
order Procellariiformes and suborder Tubinares, and so on in a dozen
other parallel cases. In other instances, as under Halcyonformes, where
there are six suborders, the term has some significance and use.

1 Studien iiber wenig bekannte Typen neotropischer Vogel. Von Hans Graf
von Berlepsch und C. E. Hellmayr. Journ. f. Orn, Januar-Heft, 1905, pp. 1-33.

2 An Arrangement of the Families and Higher Groups of Birds. By R. W.
Shufeldt. Amer. Nat., Vol. XXXVIII, Nov. -Dec, 1904, pp. S33-857, figs.
1-6.

2 2 8 Kecent Literature. [ ^uk

|_Apr.

A number of families more or less currently recognized are suppressed,
and we are left in doubt as to the author's allocation of them ; in other
cases families that actually inosculate are widely separated. Of course no
lineal arrangement can be made to express the affinities of groups that
have multiple alliances. On the whole the arrangement here presented
appears to be about as satisfactory as any we have seen, it differing not
very widely from several of the later systems. — J. A. A.

Clark on New Birds from St. Vincent, W. I. — In working up the birds
collected by himself on the island of St. Vincent during 1903-04 Mr.
Clark has found four new forms that he considers as entitled to recogni-
tion. These are Euplionia Jiavifrons X'iscii'ora,1 inhabiting Grenada, St.
Lucia, and Martinique, as well as St. Vincent; Holoquiscalus dispar,2
Buteo antillarum, allied to Buteo p/atypterus, but smaller and more
rufous; and Urubitinga anthracina cancrivora. We await with interest
the publication of his report on the results of his extended ornitholog-
ical explorations in the Lesser Antilles. — J. A. A.

Mearns on New Philippine Birds. — This preliminary paper on Dr.
Mearns's ornithological work in the Philippine Islands during the years
1903-04 contains descriptions of eight new species,* with notes on seven
others new to the islands. The name Carpophaga for a genus of Fruit
Pigeons is shown to be preoccupied and is replaced by Muscadivora,
nom. nov. Dr. Mearns, aided by other members of the Philippine Scien-
tific Association, collected over 1000 birds in the military department of
Mindinao during 1903 and 1904, comprising 216 species. The more ex-
tended paper that may be expected to appear later on this collection can-
not fail to increase greatly our knowledge of the birds of this particular
district. — J. A. A.

Shelley's ' Birds of Africa,' Vol. IV, Pt. I.— The first part of Volume IV
of Shelley's 'Birds of Africa,'4 just to hand, includes the first two sub-

1 Description of a New Euphonia from the Southern West Indies. By Aus-
tin H. Clark. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. XVIII, pp. 19-22, Feb. 2,
1905.

3 Preliminary Descriptions of Three New Birds from St. Vincent, West
Indies. By Austin H. Clark. Ibid., pp. 61-64, Feb. 21, 1905.

3 Descriptions of Eight New Philippine Birds, with Notes on other Species
new to the Islands. By Edgar A. Mearns, Major and Surgeon, U. S. Army.
Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. XVIII, pp. 83-90, Feb. 21, 1905.

4 The I Birds of Africa, | comprising all the species which occur | in the |
Ethiopian Region. | By | G. E. Shelley, F. Z. S., F. R. G. S., &c. | (late
Grenadier Guards), | author of "A Handbook to the Birds of Egypt," | "A
Monograph of the Sun-Birds," etc. | — | Volume IV. | Part I. | — | London :

I published for the Author by | R. H. Porter, 7, Princes Street, Cavendish
Square, W. | 1905. — Roy, 8vo, pp. viii -|- 287, pll. col. xxix-xxxv. Price 31s.
6d. net.

Vol. XXin Notes and News. 22Q

1905 J ?

families of the Ploceida?, the Viduinae and the Estrildina?, leaving the
Ploceinre for treatment in Part II of the present volume. The species
and subspecies embraced in the present part number 167, being Nos. 356
to 522 of the ' Nomenclator Avium ^Ethiopicarum,' as given in volume I,
or about one-fifth of the Ethiopian ornis. The seven colored plates illus-
trate 14 species, previously unfigured. As in former volumes (see Auk,
XVIII, 1901, pp. 122, 123, and XX, 1902, p. 414, for notices), the text con-
sists of keys to the species and higher groups, the synonymy and princi-
pal bibliographical references, and description of the external characters,
followed by a summary of what is known of its geographical range and
life-history of the species. — J. A. A.

NOTES AND NEWS.

Evan Lewis died in Pasadena, California, October 23, 1904. He was
born in Berks Co., Pa., April 3, 1856, and there acquired his fondness for
bird study which clung to him through his subsequent life. In 1S81 he
removed to Colorado, where he has since resided, in the vicinity of Idaho
Springs.

Here he was engaged in mining interests, and his opportunities for
observing the birds of that locality were exceptionally good, and most of
his spare time was devoted to them. Probably few persons know the
birds of a given district better than Evan Lewis did in his chosen field.
His fondness for them frequently led him into the higher mountain
regions where the White-tailed Ptarmigans make their summer home.
He found numerous nests of these interesting birds, and secured a fine
series of photographs, showing the female bird on the nest; the eggs
and young ; as well as many interesting facts relating to their nesting
habits. Eggs of this species taken by him, are in the Smithsonian collec-
tion, as well as in the private collections of J. P. Norris of Philadelphia
and T. H. Jackson of West Chester, Pa.

Evan Lewis was an enthusiastic student of Nature. No climb was too
difficult, no hardship too great to deter him from the pursuit of his favor-
ite object, and his death will be felt as a distinct loss to those who knew
him or of his work. — T. H. J.

In the January-February issue of 'The Condor' (pp. 28-30) appeared
a notice, with extended extracts, of a paper entitled ' Nomenclature in
Ichthyology.' While it is professedly based on the A. O. U. Code, it
contains several radical departures from it and from all other modern
codes, some of them almost revolutionary in character. As the new

23O Notes and Nevjs. [^urk

' Ichthyological Code ' is discussed at some length in the issue of
'Science' for March 17, 1905 (pp. 428-433), further notice of it in the
present connection is not necessary, as those interested in nomencla-
torial matters douhtless have ready access to ' Science.'

We congratulate the editor and publisher of ' The Warbler, A Maga-
zine of American Ornithology,' Mr. John Lewis Childs, of Floral Park,
N. Y., on the greatly improved character of the first number of its ' Second
Series ' (Vol. I, No. 1, Jan , 1905), as regards both the matter and the illus-
trations. Each issue, it is promised, " will contain at least two colored
plates of rare North American birds' eggs." The first number opens
with a colored plate of the eggs of Kirtland's Warbler, with appropriate
text, and contains also a colored plate of the eggs of the Olive Warbler,
" one of the two or three sets of this species that have thus far been
taken." Subscription, $1.00 per year, single copies 30 cts.

Volume I, No. 1, of a new periodical called 'The Apteryx, A New
England Quarterly of Natural History,' bears date, January, 1905. It is
edited by C. Abbott Davis, and published " by the Roger Williams Park
Museum of Providence, R. I." A journal of this character may be a
desirable medium of communication for local workers, and may serve a
useful function in increasing interest in the study of the local fauna and
flora, but the name of the present candidate for honors seems most
inaptly chosen, suggesting New Zealand rather than New England, and
ornithology rather than the organ of a local museum, devoted to general
natural history and only incidentally dealing with birds. The journal is
octavo in form, and the first number consists of 28 pages and two half-
tone plates. Subscription, $1.00 per year, 25 cts. per copy.

The Chief of the Biological Survey, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, in his report
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1904, gives a most interesting sum-
mary (Yearbook Depart. Agric. for 1904, pp. 291-305) of the work carried
on under his direction, which comprises the four sections, (1) Geographic
Distribution, (2) Economic Ornithology, (3) Bird Migration, (4) Game
Protection. Field work on geographic distribution was "carried on over
wide areas in California, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, and also
in several Provinces of Canada and States of Mexico. In California the
field operations for the purpose of securing data for a detailed map of the
life and crop zones of the State have been continued under the personal
direction of the Chief, along the western slope and foothills of the Sierra
Nevada, in some of the interior valleys, and among the Coast Ranges
south of San Francisco Bay.

"The field parties in charge of Vernon Bailey, chief field naturalist,
have practically completed work in western Texas, and are now in New
Mexico. In Texas explorations were carried on mainly in the Pan-handle
region and the southwestern corner of the State in the vicinity of El

Vol. XXIT-1 Notes and Ne-ws. 211

1905 j o

Paso. In New Mexico field work was done in the northern, middle, and
southern parts of the Territory. The work in Mexico, under the direc-
tion of E. W. Nelson, was continued, and a supplementary study of the
distribution of animal and plant life was made on the southern end of the
Mexican table-land, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, on the coastal low-
lands near Tampico, and in the highlands of Chiapas. The biological
exploration of the Mackenzie Basin, including Great Slave Lake and part
of the Barren Grounds in the neighborhood of Great Bear Lake, was con-
tinued from the previous year. E. A. Preble, who has charge of this work,
wintered at Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie for the double purpose of
studying the conditions during an arctic winter and of being on the
ground to resume field work in the early spring long before the opening
of communication with the outside world. These investigations, in con-
nection with recent work in Labrador, and the explorations already car-
ried on by the Biological Survey in the Hudson Bay, Athabasca, and
Great Slave Lake regions and Alaska, will form a most valuable chain of
observations, making it possible for the first time to understand and intelli-
gently discuss the distribution of the numerous boreal types of animals
and plants that inhabit Alaska and enter some of the Northern States.
Explorations in Alaska have been continued under the direction of
Wilfred H. Osgood, among the northern spurs of the Rocky Mountains,
about the upper and middle Yukon, and on some of the islands of south-
eastern Alaska. A report on the work done by Mr. Osgood about the
base of Alaska Peninsula in the summer of 1902 is ready for the press,
and will appear shortly. " x

The investigation of the food of our native birds was continued as
usual, through both laboratory work and field observations, the investi-
gations of the past year relating in large part to the birds of California,
where Professor Beal was engaged for seven months, with a view of deter-
mining not only what damage birds do to the fruit crops, but to what
extent they tend to check the ravages of noxious insects.

The work on bird migration was continued as usual, migration sched-
ules being received from the regular observers and filed for future use,
and also special circulars requesting data on the arrival and departure of
the Nighthawk, Catbird, Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, and Redstart, with
a view to determining more accurately the principal routes of migration.

The section of Game Protection, under Dr. Palmer, is becoming better
equipped and organized, and the report of its work holds a prominent
place in the report of the division. It covers: " (1) Supervision of the
importation of foreign birds and mammals; (2) cooperation in restricting
interstate shipments of game contrary to law; (3) protection of game in
Alaska, and (4) collection and publication of matter relating to game pro-

1 Published Nov. 23, 1904, as North American Fauna, No. 24, and noticed
in ' The Auk ' for Jan., 1905, p. 92.

232 Notes and News. \a^

tection." Permits were issued for the importation of 327 consignments,
which include " 1470 mammals, 205,400 canaries, and 41,630 miscellane-
ous birds"' ; besides, about 17,000 parrots were brought in, for which no
permit for importation is required.

A national organization of Audubon Societies was effected early in
January of the present year through the incorporation under the laws of
the State of New York of 'The National Association of Audubon Socie-
ties for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals.' with headquarters in
New York City. The particular objects of the Association are : " (a) To
hold meetings, lectures and exhibitions in the interest of the protection
of birds and animals, and to use all lawful means for the protection of
birds and animals, (b) To publish and distribute documents or other
printed matter on these or other subjects, and to acquire and maintain a
library, (c) To cooperate with the national and state governments and
regularly organized natural history societies in disseminating knowledge
relative to birds and animals." The membership consists of two classes,
Active Members and Sustaining Members; the latter pay an annual fee
of five dollars, have the right to vote on all business matters, including
the election of the officers and the Board of Directors, and are unlimited
as to numbers; the former are chosen by duly organized State Audubon
Societies, which are each entitled to name three Active Members, and the
American Ornithologists' Union a like number, while seven members at
large may be appointed by the Board of Directors. The Board of Direc-
tors is not to exceed thirty in number, of whom twenty are to be chosen
by the various State Audubon Societies and three by the A. O. U., and
seven at large, the full term of office of whom is five years, but to be
divided by lot at the first annual meeting into five equal classes, to hold
office respectively for one, two, three, four, and five years. The regular
meeting of the Board must be held in New York City on the last Tuesday
of October ; but special meetings may be called as required. The officers
are a president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, and a treasurer, and are
to be chosen by the directors. At the first meeting of the Board of Di-
rectors, held in January, 1905, the following officers were elected for the
ensuing year: President, William Dutcher ; First Vice-President, John E.
Thayer; Second Vice-President, Theodor S. Palmer; Secretary, T.Gil-
bert Pearson ; Treasurer, Frank M. Chapman. An Executive Committee
and a Finance Committee, each of five members, including the President
and Treasurer as members ex officio, were also chosen.

The most urgent need of the Association to enable it to successfully
carry on its work is funds; and provision has been made that: " $100
paid at one time will constitute a person a Life Member ; $1,000 paid at
one time will constitute a person a Patron; $5,000 paid at one time will
constitute a person a Founder; $25,000 paid at one time will constitute a
person a Benefactor." It is hoped that many philanthropic people, inter-
ested in the work of the Association, will early take the opportunity to
aid liberally so worthy a cause.

Richmond, Charles W. Notes on the Birds described by Pallas in the
"Adumbratiunculae" of Vroeg's Catalogue. (Smith. Miscel. Coll. (quart,
issue) Vol. XLVII, pt. 3, pp. 342-347, Jan. 31, 1905.)

Sage, John H. American Ornithologists' Union. Twenty-second
Congress. (Science, N. S., Vol. XX, pp. 9^S~9l1^ Dec. 30, 1904.)

Shelley, G. E. The Birds of Africa. Vol. IV, Pt. 1, London : R. H,
Porter, 1905. Price 31s 6d net.

Sherborn, C. Davies. The New Species of Birds in Vroeg's Catalogue,
1764. (Smith. Miscel. Coll. (quart, issue), Vol. XLVII, Pt. 3, pp. 332-34^
Jan. 31, 1905.)

Shufeldt, R. W. An Arrangement of the Families and the Higher
Groups of Birds. (Amer. Nat., Vol. XXXVIII, Nov.-Dec, 1904, pp. 833-

8570

Abstract of Proc. Linn. Soc. of New York, Nos. 15-16, 1902-1904.

American Ornithology, V, Jan.-March, 1905.

Annals Scottish Nat. Hist., Jan., 1905.

Annual Reports Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1904.

Annual Report Field Columbian Museum, for the year 1903-1904.

Aquila, XI, 1904.

Apteryx, The, I, No. 1, Jan., 1905.

Avicultural Magazine, N. S., Ill, Nos. 3-5, Jan.-March, 1905.

Bird-Lore, VII, No. 1, Jan.-Feb., 1905.

Birds and Nature, XVII, Nos. 1-3, Jan.-March, 1905.

Boletim do Museu Goeldi, Vol. IV, 1904.

Bulletin British Orn. Club, CXI-CXIII, Dec, 1904, Jan.-Feb., 1905.

Bulletin Michigan Orn. Club, V, No. 4, Dec, 1905.

Cassinia, 1904.

Condor, The, VII, Nos. 1-2, 1905.

Emu, The, IV, pt. 3, Jan., 1905.

Forest and Stream, LXIV, Nos. 1-13, 1905.

Journal Maine Orn. Soc, VI, No. 4, Oct., 1904, VII, No. 1, March,
1905.

Knowledge. N.S.,II, Nos. 1-2, Jan.-Feb., 1905.

Monthly Bulletin, Divis. Zoology, Penn. Dept. Agric, Nos. S, 9, 10,
Dec, 1904, Jan., 1905.

Ornithologische Monatsberichte, XIII, Nos. 1-3, Jan.-March, 1905.

Ornithologische Monatsschrift, XXIX, No. 12, Dec, 1904, XXX, No. 1,
Jan., Feb., 1905.

Ornithologisches Jahrbuch, XVI, Jan. -April, 1905.

Ottawa Naturalist, XVIII, Nos. 10-12, Jan.-March, 1905.

Our Animal Friends, XXXII, Nos. 5-7, Jan.-March, 1905.

Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1904, pt. 3, Sept. -Dec. (1905).

Science, N. S., XXI, Nos. 523-534, 1905.

Warbler, The, N. S., I, No. 1, Jan., 1905.

Wilson Bulletin, The, N. S., XII, No. 1, March, 1905.

Zoological Quarterly Bull., The, Penn., Dept. Agric, II, No. 3, Nov., 1904.

Zoologist, The, 4th Sen, VIII, No. 96, Dec, 1904, IX, Nos. 97-99, Jan.-
March, 1905.

- PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Allen, Glover M., and Thomas Barbour. Narrative of a Trip to the
Bahamas. Svo, pp. io, pll. 3. Privately printed.

Allen, J. A. A New Code of Nomenclature. (Science, N. S., XXI, No.
533, pp. 428-433, March 17, 1905.)

Bonhote, J. Lewis. On Coloration in Mammals and Birds. (Linn.
Soc. Journal, Zool., Vol. XXIX, pp. 185-187.) >

Bartley, [E. H., and YV. L. Chapman. The Influence of Weather
Changes upon Man and the Lower Animals, with a record of Experi-
ments on Pigeons. (Reprinted from Brooklyn Medical Journal, Oct.,
1904.)

Beebe, C. William. Some Notes on the Psychology of Birds. (Abstr.
Proc. Linn. Soc. New York, Nos. 15-16, pp. 40-47, Dec, 1904.)

Berlepsch, Hans Graf von, and C. E. Hellmayr. Studien fiber wenig
bekannte Typen neotropischer Vogel. (Journ. f. Orn., Jan., 1905, pp.

1-330

Butterfield, W. Ruskin. Remarks on some Theories in regard to the
Migration of Birds. (Nov. Zool., Vol. XII, pp. 15-20, Jan., 1905.)

Clark, Austin H. (1) Description of a new Eup/iouia from the South-
ern West Indies. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.. XVIII, pp. 19-22, Feb. 2, 1905-
(2) Preliminary Description of three New Birds from St. Vincent, West
Indies. (Ibid., pp. 61-64, reD- 2I> I9°5-)

Dutcher, William. Report of the National Association of Audubon
Societies. (Bird-Lore, Feb., 1905, pp. 45-120.)

Hartert, Ernst. Einige nomenclatorische Betrachtungen. (Zool. Anz.,
Vol. XXVIII, No. 4, pp. 154-158, Oct., 1904.)

Harvey-Brown, J. A., and H. A. Macpherson. A Fauna of the North-
west Highlands and Skye. Sm. 4to, pp. civ + 378. Edinburgh : David
Douglas, 1904. Price 30s.

Hellmayr, K. E. Leber neue und wenig bekannte Fringilliden Brasil-
iens. (Verhandl. d. k. k. zool. bot. Gesells. Wien, 1904, pp., 516-537.)

Henderson, Julius. Preliminary List of Birds of Boulder County, Col-
orado. (University of Colorado Studies, Vol. I, No. 3, pp. 233-237, April,

1903- )

Holmes, La Kue K. The Short-billed Marsh Wren (Cistothorus stel-
laris) in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. (Cassinia, 1904, pp.

17-250

Jacobs, J. Warren. Some Notes on the Summer Birds of Monongalia
County, West Virginia. (Gleanings, No. IV, 1905.)

Laverkuhn, Paul. Biographisches iiber die drei Naumanns und Bibli-
ographiches iiber ihre Werke. (Aus Naumanns Naturgeschichte der
Vogel Mitteleuropas, Band I, 1904.

Mearns, Edgar A. Descriptions of eight new Philippine Birds, with
notes on other species new to the Islands. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.,
XVIII, pp. S3-90, Feb. 21, 1905.)

(Continued on 3rd page of Cover.)

Vol

Old ) CONTINUATION OF THE f New

d^XX ^ BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB l^xx!!

The Auk

a <Sluarterl\> 3ournal of ©rnitbolO0\>

Vol. 2Z2ZXX — JXJIiY, 1905

No. 3

PUBLISHED BY

The American Ornithologists' Union

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

COL.

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

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Ornithological Results of the Canadian 'Neptune' Expedition to Hudson Bay

and Northward. 1903-1904. By Rev. C. IV. G. Ei/rig . . . . . . 233

The Forms of Vermivora celata Say. By Hurry C. Oberholser ...... 242

William Swainson to John- James Audubon. (Hitherto Unpublished Letters.) By

Ruthven Deane " 248

Extirpated West Indian Birds. By Austin F. Clark 259

The Lesser Antillean Macaws. By Austin F. Clark 266

Nesting Habits of Birds in Mississippi. By Charles R. Stockard . . .- . 273

Warbler Migration in Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. By H. H.

Kofjnan. . ... 2S9

The Winter Ranges of the Warblers (Mniotiltid.<f.). By IV. IV. Cooke . . . 296

The Purchase of a Great Auk for the Thayer Museum at Lancaster, Mass. By John

E. Thayer. (Plates XIII and XI T '.) 300

Ornithology of a Churchyard. By. B. S. Bowdish 302

The Cuban Crab Hawk, Urnbitinga gundlachii (Cabanis). By Ontram Bangs . . . 307

General Notes. — The Dovekie on the Coast of North Carolina, 310; The Golden Eagle (Aquila
chrysa'ctos) near Ottawa, 310; The Genus Contents in the West Indies, 310; Nesting of the Raven
{Corvus corax principalis) at Cumberland, Md., 312 ; A One-legged Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos),
312; An Unusual Abundance of the Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) in and near Ottawa,
Can., 313 ; Hoary Redpoll in Montana, 313 ; A curious Anomaly in the White-throated Sparrow
(Zonotrichia albicollis), 313; The Migrant Shrike {Lanius ludovicianus migrans) at Ottawa, Can.,
314; Capture of the K.irtland Warbler near Richmond, Ind., 314; The Kentucky Warbler at Winne-
conne, Wise, 314; Wintering of the Brown Thrasher in a Park in New York City, 314; An Addi-
tion to the Avifauna of Cuba, 315; Note on Lagopns tendinis and Leucosticte australis, 315 j Notes
from Northern New Mexico, 316; The Former Status of the Flamingo and the Fish Hawk in the
Lesser Antilles, 318; Two Massachusetts Records, 319; Notes on Nebraska Birds, 319; Do
Migrants Fast? 320; Hybridism between the Shoveller and Blue-winged Teal, 321.

Recent Literature. — Townsend's ' The Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts,' 322 : Job's 'Wild
Wings,' 324; Sharpe on the Birds of the Antarctic Regions, 325; Butterrield on Bird Migration,
325; Riley's ' Birds of the Bahama Islands,' 328; Bangs and Zappey's ' Birds of the Isle of Pines,'
329 ; Bangs on New American Birds, 329 ; Thayer and Bangs on the Birds of Gorgona Island,
Colombia, 329; Nelson on the Names of certain North American Birds, 330; Schioeler on the
Greenland Mallard, 331 ; Shelley's ' Birds of Africa,' Vol. IV, Pt. II, 332.

Notes and News. — Obituary: Walter E. Bryant, 332; Adolphe Boucard, 332. The Fourth Inter-
national Ornithological Congress, 333 ; Mr. Ridgway's Recent Ornithological Work in Costa Rica,
333 ; Ornithological Explorations, 334 ; Commemoration of Audubon's One Hundred and Twenty-
fifth Birthday, 334 ; Ornithological Publications in Prospect, 335 ; Michigan Ornithological Club,
335 ; Work of the A. O. U. Committee on Nomenclature, 336.

'THE AUK,' published quarterly as the Organ of the American Orni-
thologists' Union, is edited by Dr. J. A. Allen, with the assistance of Mr.
Frank M. Chapman.

Terms : — $3-oo a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num-
bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and
Associates of the A. O. U. not in arrears for dues.

Subscriptions should be addressed to DR. JONATHAN DWIGHT, Jr.,
Business Manager, 2 East 34TH St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscribers
may obtain 'The Auk' through R. H. PORTER, 7 Princes Street, Caven-
dish SquARE, W., London.

All articles and communications intended for publication and all books and
•publications for notice, should be sent to Dr. J. A. ALLEN, American Museum
of Natural History, 77TH St. and Central Park, West, New York City.

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

THE AUK:

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF

ORNITHOLOGY.

Vol. xxii. July, 1905. No. 3.

ORNITHOLOGICAL RESULTS OF THE CANADIAN

'NEPTUNE' EXPEDITION TO HUDSON BAY AND

NORTHWARD. 1903-1904.

BY REV. C. W. G. EIFRIG.

In the summer of 1903 an expedition was sent out by the Can-
adian Government to Hudson Bay and northward for the purpose
of taking formal possession of certain lands and islands, which
for many years had been understood by everyone to belong to
Great Britain or Canada, but which in some cases had never been
formally claimed as such. The purpose of the expedition was
also to establish custom and police relations with some of the
whaling stations in the far north, make surveys, etc. The good
sealing steamer ' Neptune,' chartered by the government, carried,
beside its complement of men and officers, Mr. A. P. Low, in
charge of the expedition, several members of the Geological Sur-
vey of Canada, Mr. A. Halkett, the naturalist, and an officer and
five men of the Northwestern Mounted Police. They left Halifax
harbor August 23, 1903, and entered it again October 11,1904,
being thus absent one year and fifty-one days. As such expe-
ditions are not made very frequently and not many ornithologists
reach the places visited by this one, it may not be amiss to make
the ornithological results obtained more widely known than can
be done by the usual government report. The writer, therefore,
with the kind permission and aid of Messrs. A. P. Low and A.
Halkett, carefully went over the material brought back and took
copious notes of it and from the journals of these gentlemen.

2 2A Eifrig, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. flulv

The route followed was roughly as follows : From Halifax along
the coast of Labrador to Port Burwell, near Cape Chidley, the
northeasternmost point of Labrador ; from there, with many devi-
ations right and left to some whaling stations, across the northern
part of Ungava Bay and westward to Charles Island and Cape
Wolstenholme into Evans Strait; south of Southampton Island to .
Cape Fullerton, at the entrance of Chesterfield Inlet in the north-
western corner of Hudson Bay. Here they remained in winter
quarters from October, 1903, to July 18, 1904, at which date the
ice broke up sufficiently to admit of their passage out. During this
long stay excursions were made inland to the west, northward to
Hayes River, and many to Southampton Island. They then sailed
out of Hudson Bay over approximately the same route as inward,
then from Cape Chidley north to Frobisher Bay, Cumberland
Sound, then across Davis Strait to Greenland, and along its coast
to latitude 780 40'. They landed at Ellsmere Land and North
Devon Island and went quite a distance west into Lancaster Sound,
and into Pond's Inlet, along the coast of Baffin Land ; then again
eastward on account of the ice, once more into Cumberland Sound,
Port Burwell, Kikkerton, Blacklead, etc., and back to Halifax.

The following is a list of the ornithological material brought back
and some of the notes furnished me by Messrs. A. P. Low and
A. Halkett.

1. Gavia arctica. Black-throated Loon. — Four skins, one male,
June 17, 1904, and two females, July 16, 1904, at Cape Fullerton, and one
from Southampton Island. One full set of 2 eggs, Southampton Island,
July 5, 1904. The eggs are dark chocolate, glossy, with a few and small
umber spots; size 3.10 X 2 in., and 3.10 X 2.03 in. Common in the
northern part of Hudson Bay, but not seen much elsewhere; not seen in
winter. Breeds abundantly on Southampton Island in the manner of the
common Loon. Stomach contents : stones and fragments of shells, but
no fish bones.

2. Gavia lumme. Red-throated Loon. — Three skins from Cape
Fullerton, a male June 17, and 2 females July 16, 1904. One egg, from
Cape Chidley, is elongated, dark olive with numerous inconspicuous
umber spots or dots. The full set is also two eggs. Size 2. 85 X 1.70.
This species is not quite as common as the preceding, still it is not
uncommon in the same places. In Labrador it nests on grass tussocks
along the ponds or on little islands in them. It can fly directly from the
water (A. P. L.), which the preceding species cannot do so easily. Stom-
ach contents : fish bones and stones.

Vol. XX
1905

II_| Eifrig, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. ^35

3. Cepphus mandtii. Mandt's Guillemot. — Eight skins, 6 in adult
summer plumage, 2 immature, taken June 16, July 16 and 17, 1904, at Cape
Fullerton, where thev are common summer and winter, as also throughout
Hudson Bay and northward ; some were seen at North Devon. Although
feeding on crustaceans and small fishes they are used as food by both
Eskimos and white people. They nest in cavities under rocks and boul-
ders, one, two, or very seldom three eggs being the full set. They nest
late, none of the 12 eggs collected being taken before July 10. The
ground color of the eggs is greenish white to chalky white, with large
and small spots and blotches of black, umber and lilac, most numerous
and largest at the larger end.

4. Uria lomvia. Brunnich's Murre. — Three skins from Cape Wols-
tenholme, Hudson Strait, where there is a large rookery. Male and two
females, Jul v 21, 1904. They were sitting on the ice cakes of a large ice jam.
All through Hudson Strait they were numerous, often flying about the
ship. They are common at North Devon and other arctic islands, also on
the coast of Greenland.

5. Alle alle. Dovekie. — This species was observed to be common
from Frobisher Bay northward, where it nests in the cliffs on the coast of
Baffin Land, Hall Island, and North Greenland. Two eggs were collected
on the Cary Islands near Cape Parry, North Greenland. It deposits its
single egg, like the Guillemots, in crevices. The eggs are very pale
green, one unmarked, the other sprinkled with minute brown dots.

6. Stercorarius parasiticus. Parasitic Jaeger. — Two skins were
brought from Cape Fullerton, where the birds were not uncommon. The
Arctic Tern (Sterna para disced) suffers most from its depredations. Two
eggs were collected in Southampton Island ; the ground color is dull
olive-grayish with dark and pale umber-vinaceous spots and blotches,
also some lines. Size, 2.40 X 1.90. The stomach contents of this and
the next species were bones and feathers, which seems to indicate that
they may occasionally act as true birds of prey. This species was more
common than the next.

7. Stercorarius longicaudus. Long-tailed Jaeger. — Three speci-
mens, in the light phase of plumage, were collected at Fullerton (date ?).
To this species probably belong two Jaeger eggs obtained at CapeChidley
on the outward trip, September, 1903, from Eskimos. They are of the
same color and appearance as the preceding, but the markings are more
obscure, and they are smaller, measuring 1.S0 X 1.30 and 1.70 X 1.45.

8. Pagophila alba. Ivory Gull. — A beautiful young bird was taken
at Fullerton, Sept. 22, 1904. The primaries are all tipped with black and
there are many partly hidden black spots on the greater and lesser wing-
coverts, and above the under edge of the wing, which form a pleasing con-
trast to the otherwise immaculate white, soft plumage. The gizzard
contained oily and hairy substances, also what was apparently an onion,
gotten no doubt from refuse thrown from some whaler, which they like
to follow up.

2 ?6 Eifrig, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. \_]uh

9. Rissa tridactyla. Kittiwake. — Met with, but not common.

10. Larus glaucus. Glaucous Gull ; Burgomaster. — An immature
specimen was taken Sept. 11, 1904, in Ungava, Labrador. It is in the
typical plumage of birds of the year. It had fish bones and surface am-
phipods in its stomach. Not common.

11. Larus marinus. Great Black-backed Gull. — Found to be not
rare on the Labrador coast, and common at North Devon. They live on
fish, but on account of their size are not subject to the attacks of Jsegers.
Ten eggs from different nests were collected ; ground color, grayish
white, greenish or even brown, while the spots and blotches are umber,
yellowish brown and pale lilac. Size of three: 3X2.05; 3.10 X 2.15;
2.85 X 2.

12. Larus argentatus. Herring Gull. — Three adult specimens were
taken at Cape Fullerton May 29 and June 10 and 15. They had broken
shells, seeds, berries, and one a crab, in the stomach. Common in Hud-
son Bay and Strait but not common further north.

13. Xema sabinii. Sabine's Gull. — This gull was common on South-
ampton and other islands, breeding there along the shores and the banks
of small ponds in company with the Arctic Tern. They make no nest
but deposit their eggs in the sand. Two eggs were taken at Southamp-
ton, June 28, 1904; ground color of one, dull pale greenish, the other,
grayish greenish white, with brown and pale lilac spots and much blotch-
ing of brown and blackish at the large end. These birds were very in-
quisitive and not at all shy at Southampton.

14. Sterna hirundo. Common Tern. — Seen in some parts only of
Hudson Bay. Not as plentiful as next species.

15. Sterna paradisaea. Arctic Tern. — One female was taken June 16,
1904, at Fullerton and two more on Southampton Island. This was the
most common tern seen from the northern parts of Hudson Bay to the
far north. They nest along the shores, placing their eggs, without nest-
ing material, on the sand or gravel. Thirty-six eggs were brought along,
which unfortunately were not kept in their original sets, since the Esqui-
mos which lived about the ship would bring some. The ground color
varies much, from light grayish brown, olive or pale greenish to darker
shades of the same colors. Some have small, others large spots and
blotches of umber, pale lilac, etc. Sizes of five: 1.45 X 1.10; 1.65 X 1.20 ;
1.55 Xi. 10; 1.60 X 1.20; 1.75X115. Several were collected at Fullerton,
June 28, 1904, others at Cape Chidley, Labrador, in June, 1903.

16. Fulmarus glacialis. Fulmar; 'Noddy.' — One taken Aug. 19,
1904, at Eclipse Bay, Pond's Inlet, in the far north. Numbers of them
could be seen around the sterns of whaling vessels.

17. Harelda hyemalis. Old Squaw. — Three skins taken June 16
{$ and $) and June 22 (J) at Cape Fullerton. These were very dark,
upper parts and breast nearly all black; some rusty brown on back, neck
and scapulars. They were very abundant and noisy at Fullerton and
Southampton. They nest around ponds ; the nests are made of grasses,

Vol. XXII
1005

Eifrig, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. ^37

lined with feathers. One set of 7 eggs was taken June 30, 1904; color
pale bluish olive ; measurements, 2.25 X 1.50; 2.15 X 1.45 ; 2.20 X 1.45.
Another set of 8 eggs, was taken June 27, 1904, also at Fullerton, which
were much paler in color; sizes : 2.05 X 1.50; 2.10 X 1.45 ; 2.3.5 X 1-55-

18. Somateria mollissima borealis. Greenland Eider. — This fine
duck was found to be common around Fullerton and in all the region to
North Devon. Some remained in the open water all winter and were fre-
quently shot for food. The head of one of these, thrown out by the cook,
was by chance put into formalin by Mr. Halkett, and this shows a curi-
ous anomaly in color, inasmuch as the areas around the bill are black,
which Mr. H. thinks is not caused by the preservative. The skins show
the regular coloring. A young one, still in its downy stage, was taken at
Cumming Creek, North Devon Island, Aug. 13, 1904. The entire upper
parts are fuscous, the under parts light mouse color. This species breeds
on rocky islands, placing its nest on sandbars, in grass between rocks, or
in any available place near the shore. One set of 9 eggs was taken on
Southampton Island, July 17, 1904; color, pale olive to greenish gray;
sizes : 2.75 X 2; 3.20 X 2.10; 2.90 X 1.95. A single egg was also picked
up on the beach of Charles Island, Sept. 3, 1904. Two incomplete sets of
4 eggs each were taken at Fullerton, July 17, 1904.

19. Somateria spectabilis. King Eider. — Not as common as the pre-
ceding. Four skins, taken June 16 and 26 at Fullerton and Southampton.
It is much less timid than the preceding species, allowing close approach.
It does not remain in winter at Fullerton and breeds in different localities
from those of 6". mollissima borealis. It places its soft, down-lined nest
on tussocks of grass along the shores and on islands of inland ponds. It
was common on Southampton Island where the other was scarce. A
set of 4 eggs was taken at this place, June 28, 1904. Color, pale olive
gray; size, 2.50 X 1.75. The stomach contents were fragments of mol-
lusks, stones and sand.

20. Chen hyperborea. Lesser Snow Goose. — This species, called
Wavy by the whalers, is rather common on Southampton Island and
Baffin Land. Two males were taken June 4 and 7 respectively. On the
former date a flock of twenty-two was seen, the first two of which seemed
to be Blue Geese {Chen ccerulescens). Stomach contents: vegetable mat-
ter and stones. They breed mostly on islands along the eastern shores
of Hudson Bay, and more abundantly to the northward. Their nests are
found in wet ground and are made of grass, moss, etc., with down on top,
the whole 6-8 inches high. A set of 7 eggs was taken on Southampton
Island June 22, 1904. They are creamy white, much like eggs of the
common hen ; sizes : 3.25 X 2.10 ; 3.25 X 2.05.

21. Branta canadensis. Canada Goose. — Found common at Labra-
dor ; not met with further north.

22. Branta c. hutchinsii. Hutchin's Goose. — A typical specimen
was taken June 17, 1904, in the vicinity of Cape Fullerton. Length, 27
in.; wing, 17.50; bill, 1.75. The line of demarcation between the black
and white areas on the head is a straight slanting line.

21 8 ElFRlG, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. \ ja\

23.? Branta c. minima. Cackling Goose. — There is a skin in the
collection which to all appearances belongs here. It was identified as
this form also by Mr. E.. White, who is familiar with this subspecies from
the Pacific coast. It is much smaller than the preceding ; the black area
on the head is rounded out below the eyes, not forming a straight line,
and the depression at the end of the bill is more pronounced. Length,
24; wing, 15.50; bill, 1.25. Both species were rare at Fullerton and
Southampton.

24. Branta bernicla. Brant. — A few breed around Cape Fullerton.
Not common.

25. Olor columbianus. Whistling Swan.— Two were taken on
Southampton Island, where it was common, as also in the fiat land north
of Repulse Bay. They breed in low lands with lakes, where their nests, con-
structed of seaweed, grass and moss, are very conspicuous. They are very
bulky affairs, about 3 feet in diameter at the base tapering to 18 inches at
the top, and iS inches high. A set of 2 eggs was taken on Southampton,
July 4, 1904. They are ivory color, unspotted, one end as large as the
other ; sizes : 4 X 2.55 ; 3.50 X 2.45. It may be interesting to ornitholo-
gists who make their own bird skins to hear, that the fat of all these
fatty skins was removed by the Eskimos, who bite it off. And they do
it cleanly and thoroughly. Tastes differ !

26. Grus canadensis. Little Brown Crane. — A bird of the year
was taken in Southampton in July, 1904. No more were seen.

27. Crymophilus fulicarius. Red Phalarope. — This was very com-
mon around Fullerton and Southampton. The skins of five adult and two
immature specimens were brought back, taken at the above place in June
and July, 1904. They nest around fresh water ponds, laying their eggs,
without nesting material, in depressions in the sand or moss, often in
lichens. A set of 4 eggs was collected July 2, 1904. at Southampton.
They are very acutely tapering; ground color light brown, with large
chocolate blotchings. A single egg, taken June 26, had a greenish tint in
the ground color.

28. Actodromas fuscicollis. White-rumped Sandpiper. — Three
adults of this species were taken at Cape Fullerton May 22 and June 16,
1904. Not very common.

Nine sets of sandpiper eggs were brought back, but the owners of most
of these were not identified. While it might be possible to identify them
by comparing them with sets of known identity and with descriptions
and measurements, it would not be satisfactory owing to the great varia-
bility in the eggs of the different species, and the little knowledge we
have of them in some cases. The first one of these sets was collected
June 23 and the last July 4.

29. Actodromas minutilla. Least Sandpiper. — This and the Semi-
palmated were the most common sandpipers in the region. A set of eggs
was taken July 4 at Fullerton. The four eggs are, like all these sand-
piper eggs, pyriform ; the ground color of two is whitish, of the other

Vol. XXII
1005

Eifrig, Canadian Exf edition to Hudson Bay. 2 7Q

two pale brown, with many dark brown, umber, black, and pale lilac
markings.

30. Pelidna alpina sakhalina. Red-backed Sandpiper. — One adult
was taken in July, 1904, at Southampton. Not common.

31. Ereunetes pusillus. Semipalmated Sandpiper. — Very common,
as are also their nests. A set of 2 eggs, which Mr. Low thinks is referable
to this species, has the ground color whitish, with an almost impercepti-
ble bluish tinge, heavily dotted, blotched and washed with umber, brown,
and faint lilac. Spots larger at the larger end; size : 1.25 X .85.

32. Calidris arenaria. Sanderling. — Common; one taken at Fuller-
ton June 16, 1904.

33. ? Numenius hudsonicus. Hudsonian Curlew. — Mr. Low says
Curlew are not uncommon on Southampton and breed there. I suppose
that would mean this species. None were taken.

34. Squatarola squatarola. Black-bellied Plover. — A female was
taken at Fullerton in June, 1904. They were not common.

35. Charadrius dominicus. Golden Plover — Not rare; some breed
on Whale Point.

36. /Egialitis semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover ; Ringneck. —
Common. Their eggs are laid on the sand or gravel of the beaches,
no attempt being made at nest building. One set of 4 eggs was taken at
Whale Point, near Fullerton, July 1. They are large for the bird, light
brown with a slight green tinge and numerous roundish blackish umber
and lilac spots and dots. Another set of 3 eggs was taken at Fullerton,
June 28.

37. Arenaria interpres. Turnstone. — Two adults in fine plumage
were taken in July, 1904, at Southampton. Rather scarce.

38. Lagopus rupestris. Rock Ptarmigan. — Fairly common as far
north as the willow, dwarfed at last to a height of only six inches, is met
with. They build their nest of grasses, etc., lined with finer grass and
some of their own feathers. The usual complement is S-10 eggs. Five
eggs of this species were taken at Cape Chidley, Labrador. They were
creamv-buff, heavily dotted, spotted, and blotched with blackish umber ;
size of 2 : 1.55 X 1.15 ; of 3 : 1.70 X 1.20.

39. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. American Rough-legged
Hawk. — Common at Labrador, where it nests on the top of cliffs, not
on the side, like the Duck Hawk. The nest is rudely built of sticks.
Ten eggs were obtained from Eskimos at Cape Chidley.

40. Falco islandus. White Gyrfalcon.

41. Falco rusticolus obsoletus. Black Gyrfalcon. — These two
species are reported by Mr. Low as common near Cape Chidley and
over the whole of Ungava, where they also breed in numbers. Mr. Low
has frequently been in Labrador.

42. Falco peregrinus anatum. Duck Hawk. — An immature bird
was taken at Fullerton, June 27, 1904. At Cape Chidley and in Labrador
generally it is more common, nesting on the sides of cliffs, in almost

2A.O Eifrig, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. Ilulv

inaccessible places. Two eggs were obtained at Cape Chidley. They are
bright reddish brown, covered so profusely with markings of the same
color, only darker, as to almost hide the ground color. Size, 2.10 X

43. Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. — This species is said by the
Eskimos, who are quite shrewd observers, to breed inland from Cape
Fullerton.

44. Otocoris alpestris. Shore Lark. — Three male specimens were
taken at Fullerton May 25 and 26, 1904. They were not common there ;
a few could be seen walking around among the Snowbirds. Much more
common at Cape Chidley, from where a nest with four eggs was brought.
The nest, placed on the ground, partly sunk in moss, is made of moss,
plant stems, grasses, finer toward the cup ; this is lined with feathers and
caribou hair. The outside diameter is 5 in., of cup, 2 in., depth of cup,
1.75-2 in., outside depth, 2-2.50 in. The eggs are of a dull olive whitish
ground color, almost covered by innumerable small spots of brownish
lilac.

45. Corvus corax principalis. Northern Raven. — A fine specimen
was shot at Eric Cove, Ungava, Sept. 13, 1903. Several were seen at Cape
Fullerton throughout the winter. Five were seen flying in single file at
Port Burwell. No doubt they are conspicuous in that endless waste of
white in winter.

46. Acanthis linaria. Redpoll. — One was taken April 26, 1904, at
Fullerton, where it was rarely seen. This is not to be wondered at, when
we hear that the largest thing in the line of trees or bushes to be found
there are stunted willows, six inches high.

47. Acanthis linaria rostrata. Greater Redpoll. — A specimen of
what seems to be this species was taken on the vessel off the Labrador
coast, Sept. 4, 1903.

48. Passerina nivalis. Snowflake. — This was the most abundant
bird in all places visited by the expedition, it equalling in numbers all
the other birds combined. It was found breeding at all places touched,
as far north as 780 30'. Therefore there was more material brought back
of this species than of any other, namely 17 skins and 18 sets of eggs, 7
of which are in their original nests. According to Mr. Halkett the first
ones arrived at Fullerton in the season of 1904 about April 7, fresh flocks
coming every day after that until after April 20, when they seemed to be
all there that cared to stay. About the middle of September they com-
menced leaving Cape Fullerton and after the 26th of that month no more
were seen by him. The skins are of birds taken from April 23 to June
11. Accordingly there is a great variation in the coloring, from the rusty
looking individuals which we see further south to the pure white and
black of the highest breeding plumage. A female taken May 25 has the
feathers of the head black at the base, brownish and grayish at the end ;
back similar but with some feathers bright rusty. A male, May 29, has
upper half of wings pure white, a female, June 11, is blackish fuscous all
over.

Vol. XXII"] Eifrig, Canadian Expedition to Hudson Bay. 24 1

iqo5 J * ^

Although they arrived at Fullerton the middle of April, thej did not
commence to nest until the end of June. The first and incomplete sets
were taken June 30, containing 4 eggs; July 1, two of 3 and one of 4
eggs were taken ; July 2, one of 6, July 3 one of 7 and one of 3 ; July 5
one of 3 ; July 6 one of 4 ; from Cape Chidley come two of 7 eggs col-
lected by Eskimos in July, 1903 ; sets of 4, 5, and 6 eggs each have no
date. So the full set seems to vary from 3 or 4 to 7 eggs. There is great
variation also in the color and markings of the eggs of different sets.
One set has the color pale bluish, much washed with light brownish,
with a few conspicuous blackish dots ; another is faint bluish white with
pale lilac markings, heavily dotted with umber, mostly at the larger end,
size .85 X .65 ; another is darker bluish green, with many minute brown
and lilac spots and a few large umber dots at the larger end ; some are
almost white; some again more elongated in shape than others, one set
measuring .85 X .55 in.

All the nests found were not placed in the open, as stated in most
books, but below rocks and boulders. In a typical nest the material con-
sists of grasses, old feathers and plant pappus, lined with the last and
feathers of larger birds. Some have a lining of caribou hair and the
outside rim of moss and lichens. The dimensions are : diameter outside,
6.50 in., inside 2.75 in., height 2.25 in., depth of cup, 1. 25-1. 50 in.

The stomach contents were small seeds, sand, and vegetable matter.

49. Calcarius lapponicus. Lapland Longspur. —This species began
to arrive at Fullerton about May 26, and was thereafter seen in the com-
pany of Snowflakes and Shore Larks. Ten skins were brought home,
taken from May 26 to June 16, and one taken on board the vessel Sept.
4, 1903. These skins are far prettier than those of birds taken further
south during migration, the blacks being deep and velvety, the chestnut
collar bright and glowing. They were not as abundant as the Snowflakes,
nor were any seen at Fullerton when the ship reached there at the end
of September, 1903.

The first eggs are laid about July 1. The nests are placed in grass in
the open, especially on the side of banks of fresh water ponds. Two sets
of eggs, one of four, the other of six, were collected, both taken July 1.
The size is .80 X .62. They are dull olive or brown, with many streaks,
marks and washes of darker brown or vinaceous. The nest is of coarser
make than that of the Snowflake, the walls are also thinner. It is made
of grass, the cup, lined with fine grasses and feathers, is large for the
bird. Outside diameter 3.50 in., of cup 2.50 in., depth of cup, 2.50 in.

50. Setophaga ruticilla. Redstart. —A poor skin of one was shown
to Mr. Halkett at Port Burwell by the factor of the station, showing that
this species occasionally reaches the north of Labrador.

51. Anthus pensilvanicus. American Pipit. — Not rare at most places
visited. The nest is placed on the ground in grass.

2J.2 Oberholser, Forms of Vermivora celata. I rH

THE FORMS OF VERMIVORA CELATA (SAY).

BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER.

Three forms of the North American warbler, Vermivora 1
(= HelminthophUd) celata (Say), are at present commonly recog-
nized. An examination of the pertinent material in the Biological
Survey of the Department of Agriculture and in the United States
National Museum, some 280 specimens in all, shows conclusively
that an additional race should be defined, and that the ranges, as
well as, to slight extent, also the characters of the already known
forms readjusted. This is attempted in the succeeding paragraphs.

Vermivora celata celata {Say).

Sylvia celatus Say, Long's Exped. Rocky Mts., I, 1823, p. 169.

Helminthophaga celata var. obscura Ridgway, in Baird, Brewer and
Ridgway, Hist. North Am. Birds, Land Birds, I, 1S74, p. 192, pi. xi, fig. 6
(Georgia and Florida).

Chars, subsp. — Of medium size ; palest and most grayish of all the
forms of the species.

Type locality. — Engineer Cantonment, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Geographical distribution. — Alaska, excepting the coast region from
Cook Inlet southward ; Canadian territories of Yukon, Mackenzie, Atha-
basca, and central Keewatin ; in migration south to Washington, Ari-
zona, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, New England, and eastern Mexico
to the state of Hidalgo.

Specimens from the neighborhood of the western base of the
Alaska Peninsula are quite typical celata, though of rather large
size ; the only example from Kadiak, an adult male in perfect
plumage, taken June 7, 1893, is of maximum celata dimensions,
and is much too grayish for lutescens or even the Rocky Mountain
race. This form of the species is, like all the others, noticeably
more grayish in fall and winter than in summer. The bird de-
scribed as Helminthophaga celata var. obscura by Mr. Ridgway 2

1 For the use of this generic name, cf. Oberholser, Smithson. Quart., Ill,
1905, p. 66.

2 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. North Am. Birds, Land Birds, I, 1S74
p. 192, pi. xi, fig. 6.

Vol. XXII"! Oberholser, Forms of Vertnivora celata. ^43

was based on adventitiously soiled winter individuals of typical
celata.

True celata has been detected from the following localities, breed-
ing records being indicated by an asterisk:

Alaska : — Circle * ; Yukon River, 20 miles above Circle * ; Mountains
near Eagle*; Yukon River at Alaska-Canada Boundary*; Fort
Yukon*; St. Michael*; Mouth of Porcupine River*; Nushagak * ;
Lake Clark*; Port Heiden * ; Lake Aleknagik * ; Kadiak Island*; Lake
Iliamna *.

Alberta: — Edmonton.

Assiniboia : — Medicine Hat ; Indian Head.

Athabasca: — Fort Chippewyan * ; Smith Landing*.

Keewatin : — York Factory*.

Mackenzie: — Fort Resolution *; Fort Rae*; Fort Simpson *.

Manitoba : — Carberry.

Yukon: — Caribou Crossing, Yukon River*.

Arizona : — Fort Huachuca.

Florida: — Gainesville; Newman's Lake, Alachua County: Fort lias-
singer ; Enterprise.

Georgia : — Atlanta.

Illinois : — Mt. Carmel.

Montana: — Fort Keogh.

North Dakota: — Souris River.

South Carolina: — Mount Pleasant; Port Royal.

Texas : — Fort Clark ; San Antonio ; Laredo; Sycamore Creek.

Washington : — Neah Bay.

Wisconsin : — Dane County.

Hidalgo : — Pachuca.

Nuevo Leon : — Monterey. .

Tamaulipas : — Camargo ; Matamoras ; Soto la Marina; Charco Es-
condido.

Vermivora celata orestera, subsp. nov.

Chars, subsp. — Similar to Vermivora ceLita celata, but larger and
much more yellowish, both above and below.

Description. — Type, adult male, No. 1S6782, U. S. N. M., Biological
Survey Collection ; Willis, New Mexico, July 16, 1903 ; V. Bailey. Upper
parts yellowish olive green, brighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts,
the crown with a partially concealed orange rufous patch ; wings and tail
fuscous, edged with yellowish olive; sides of head and neck yellowish
olive, somewhat lighter than the back ; a rather ill-defined yellow super-
ciliary stripe ; under surface yellow, washed with olive, most heavily so on
breast and sides.

2A.A. Oberholser, Forms of Vermivora celata. I July

Geographical distribution. — Mountains of New Mexico, Arizona, and
southeastern California, to British Columbia ; in migration east to Min-
nesota and Pennsylvania, south to Texas, and Mexico to Lower Cali-
fornia, Michoacan, Guerrero, and Puebla.

This new form has usually been included with V. celata celata,
but breeding specimens recently obtained, principally from New
Mexico and British Columbia, indicate its much closer relationship,
in all respects except size, with the west coast forms. From Ver-
mivora celata lutescens it may, however, readily be distinguished by
its duller, less yellowish color, both above and below, and by its
much greater size.

Specimens of this form are in hand from the subjoined localities :

Alberta : — Canmore ; Banff ; Edmonton.

British Columbia : — Penticton.*

Arizona: — Mount Graham*; San Francisco Mt. ; San Pedro River,
Mexican Boundary Line; Adonde ; Tucson ; Fort Huachuca; seven miles
north of Bisbee.

California: — Argus Range; Panamint Mts.*; Olanche Peak.

Colorado : — Denver.

Minnesota : — Fort Snelling.

Montana : — Columbia Falls ; Fort Keogh ; Dry Creek, Gallatin County;
Jefferson River, Gallatin County.

Nevada: — Ruby Mts.*;' Humboldt Valley; Upper Humboldt Valley.

New Mexico: — Willis*; Rinconada ; Stinking Spring Lake; Guada-
lupe Canon, Mexican Boundary Line; Taos Mts.; Fort Defiance; Big
Hatchet Mts. ; Arroyo Hondo*; Santa Rosa ; Culebra Mt. *; Twining* ;
Capitan Mts.*; Corner Monument No. 40 (100 miles west of El Paso),
Mexican Boundary Line.

Pennsylvania : — Williamsport.

Texas: — Guadalupe Mts.; Fort Clark ; San Antonio; Benbrook ; Paint
Rock.

Utah :— Parley's Park, Wasatch Mts.*

Wyoming : — Fort Bridger* ; Bridgers Pass.

Chihuahua: — Chihuahua.

Guanajuato : — Guanajuato.

Guerrero : — Mountains near Chilpancingo.

Hidalgo:— El Chico.

Jalisco : — San Sebastian.

Lower California: — La Paz; Gardiners Lagoon, Salton River.

Michoacan : — Patamban.

Morelos : — Huitzilac ; Tetela del Volcan.

Nuevo Leon : — Rodriguez ; Monterey.

Vol. XXII"! Oberholser, Forms of Vermivora celata. 24S

1905 J ^

Puebla: — Orizaba; Huachinango.

San Luis Potosi :— Soledad ; San Luis Potosi.

Tamaulipas : — Matamoras.

Vermivora celata sordida {Townsend).

Helminthophila celata sordida Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIII,
1890, p. 139.

Chars, subsp.— Similar to Vermivora celata orestera, but wing shorter;
bill longer; upper and lower parts darker and duller.

Type locality. — San Clemente Island, California.

Geographical distribution. — Santa Barbara Islands, California; occa-
sional on adjacent mainland.

Specimens have been examined from the following localities :

California : — Santa Catalina Island; Santa Cruz Island ; Santa Rosa
Island; San Clemente Island ; Pasadena.

Vermivora celata lutescens (Ridgway).

Helminthophaga celata var. lutescens Ridgway, Amer. Journ. Sci. and
Arts, 3rd Ser., IV, Dec. 1S72, p. 457.

Chars, subsp. — Similar to Vermivora celata sordida, but smaller, and
lighter colored, the yellow of lower parts brighter, the olive green of
upper surface more yellowish.

Type locality. — Fort Kenai, Alaska.

Geographical distribution. — Pacific coast region, from Cook Inlet,
Alaska, to Los Angeles County, California, east to the Sierra Nevada and
Cascade Mountains ; in winter east to Nevada and Arizona, and south
through western Mexico to Guatemala.

Birds from the northern Sierra Nevada (Lake Tahoe to Mount
Lassen) are somewhat intermediate between V. c. lutescens and V.
c. orestera, but appear to be nearer the former. In the original
description of this race 1 the range is said to be " Pacific coast from
Kadiak to Cape St. Lucas," and Mr. Ridgway has recently given 2
the type locality as Kadiak Island ; but the Kadiak bird is, as
already noted, almost typical celata ; while the type locality is
really Fort Kenai, Alaska, as proved by the type specimen, an

1 Am. Journ. Sci. and Arts, 3rd. Ser., IV, Dec. 1872, p. 457.

2 Birds N. and Mid. Amer., II, 1902, p. 467.

246

Oberholser, Forms of Vermivora celata.

r Auk
LApr.

adult male collected by Bischoff, which still bears its original label
with the statement that it is the type.

Examples of this race have been seen from the localities given
below :

Alaska: — Kasaan Bay, Prince of Wales Island*; Sitka*; Yakutat*;
Haines*; FortKenai*; Gustavus Point * ; Mitkof Island *; Wrangell*;
Virgin Bay*; Glacier Bay.*

Arizona: — Fort Huachuca; Tinajas Altas, Mexican Boundary Line;
Pinal County.

British Columbia: — Port Simpson*; Cumshewa Inlet, Queen Char-
lotte Islands* ; Victoria*; New Westminster ; Burrard Inlet*; Welling-
ton * ; Port Moody * ; Lund, Melaspina Inlet *.

California: — San Francisco* ; Rio Dell* ; Calaveras County*; Lassen
Peak* ; Donner * ; Mount Shasta* ; Tejon Valley ; Weaverville* ; River-
side ; Mono Lake; South Fork of Merced River*; Soda Springs*; Los
Gatos * ; Fort Jones * ; Oakland ; Haywards : Baird * ; Yuba County.

Nevada:— East Humboldt Mts.; Humboldt Valley.

Oregon: — Sodaville ; Columbia River; Fort Klamath; Diamond
Lake * ; Beaverton ; Maury Mts. * ; Fort Umpqua * ; Seaside * ; Portland * ;
Des Chutes River.

Washington: — Neah Bay * ; Mt. St. Helens*; Chiloweyuck Depot*;
Fort Steilacoom; Lapush*; Suez*.

Colima : — Manzanillo.

Lower California: — La Paz; Cape St. Lucas; Sierra San Gertrude.

Sinaloa : — Mazatlan .

Millimeter measurements of males of the four forms of Vermi-
vora celata may be compared from the following table :

Vermivora celata celata.

Exposed

Middle

Locality.

Date.

Wing.

Tail.

culnien.

Tarsus.

toe.

July 16

59-5

48-.S

9-

18.

10.5

Fort Resolution, Mackenzie .

June 22

59-5

47-

10.

16

s

1 1.

u a it

(( u

61.5

47-5

9-5

18

5

1 1.

York Factory, Keewatin . .

July 16

60.

48.

10.

17

5

9-5

Fort Chippewyan, Athabasca

June 1

61. S

5°-

9-

17

10.5

Smith Landing, Athabasca .

June 11

61.

48. s

10.

17

5

10.5

Carberry, Manitoba ....

May 14

62.5

50-5

9-5

18

1 1.

Mt. Carmel, Illinois . . .

Apr. —

<*■

49-5

10.

18

11.

Gainesville, Florida ....

Feb. 1

64.

53-

1 1.

18

5

11. 5

Fort Clark, Texas ....

Mar. 22

61.

49.

10.

17

10.5

61.4

49.2

9.8

17.7

10.7

Vol. XXII
1905

Oberholser, Forms of Vermivora celata.
Vermivora celata orestera.

247

Exposed

Middle

Locality.

Date.

Wing.

Tail.

culmen.

Tarsus.

toe.

Willis, New Mexico . . .

July 16

6l.

51-

IO.5

18 =;

I I.

u u u

Aug. 19

63..S

5i-5

IO.

18

10.

Rinconada, New Mexico .

Apr. 28

64.

5°-5

IO.5

17

s

I I .

11 it U

May 3

66.

53-

IO.

iS

IO.5

Stinking Spring Lake, N. M.

Oct. 2

61. S

49-5

1 1.

17

s

IO.

Argus Range, Calif. . . .

May 9

62.

48. S

IO.

18

s

10.

U U 11

u

64.

50.

IO.

18

s

10.

Columbia Falls, Mont. . .

May 4

64.

50.

IO.

19

10.5

Ruby Mts., Nevada . . .

June 20

6.1- S

49-5

IO.

19

s

10.5

Guadalupe Mts., Texas . .

Aug. 24

62.

50.

IO.

18

10.5

63-4

50.4

10.2

IS.3

10.4

Vermivora celata sordida.

Exposed

Middle

Locality.

Date.

Wing.

Tail.

culmen.

Tarsus.

toe.

Santa Catalina I., Calif. . .

Apr.

23

60.5

50.

"•5

iS.S

I I.

1 1

62.

5i-5

10.5

18. s

10.

u u u

20

60.

5J-5

1 1.

iS.s

II.

12

6l.

5-o

11. 5

I8.S

IO.5

21

59-5

4S.5

1 1.

I8.S

IO.5

25

62.

5!-5

1^-5

19.

12.

22

62.

5/.

1 1.

18.

IO.5

u u a

22

60.

47-5

1 1.

19.

I I.

Santa Cruz I., Calif.

Feb.

7

60.5

52-

"•5

19.

I I.

Santa Rosa I., Calif.

Jan.

7

59-

49-5

1 1.

19.

I I.

Average

60.7

5°-7

"•3

IS.7

IO.9

Vermivora celata lutescens.

Locality.

San Francisco, Calif. .
Sodaville, Oregon .
Neah Bay, Washington

Fort Simpson, Brit. Col.
Queen Charlotte Is., Brit. Col
Prince of Wales I., Alaska

Sitka, Alaska

Yakutat, Alaska ....
Haines, Alaska ....

Wing.

May 3
May 21
May 18
June 4

Aug-1 3
June 15
May 19
July 31
June 19
June 1

Average [ 59.6

46.9

Exposed
culmen.

Tarsus.

9-5

18.

9-5
10.

17-5

16.

10.
9-

17.5
18.

10.5

17-

10.5

18.

10.

18.

10.
10.

I7-S

18.

9.9

17.6

Middle
toe.

10.5
II.
II.
1 1.

10.5
10.5
1 1.
10.5
12.

IO.9

248 Deane, Letters from Stvainson to Audubon. fjuly

WILLIAM SWAINSON TO JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.
(Hitherto Unpublished Letters.)

BY RUTHVEN DEANE.

The following letters, covering dates between 1828-30, show,
as in other letters of Swainson's which I have published, his crude
method of writing and expressing himself. In Dr. Albert Giin-
ther's interesting address delivered at the Anniversary Meeting of
the Linngean Society of London, May 24, 1900, he writes : " Swain-
son was extremely careless in orthography and loose in his style
of writing ; he persistently misspelt not only technical terms, but
also the names of foreign authors, and even of some of his famil-
iar friends and correspondents." These letters were written at
a period when he was deeply engaged in his literary pursuits, yet
in a discontented and nervous frame of mind, mortified at the
slow sale of his 'Zoological Illustrations,' his temporary embarrass-
ment for funds, and his evident growing dislike for American
naturalists.

I am under many obligations to Miss M. R. Audubon for the
gift of three of these letters and to Miss M. Eliza Audubon for
the loan of the others with permission to publish them.

No. 1.

Tuesday 11 Nov. 1828.
I had written the enclosed, my dear Mr. Audubon, before your
letter of monday reached me. It has come this instant. Dreams,
you know, must be always interpreted contrawise, we might have
lifted up our arms, as you saw in your dream but, if you had not
awoke, it was no doubt to have shaken hands ! But that my re-
gard for you may be evinced, I will bring myself to lay under an
obligation, which I would only ask from one of my own family.
I was that moment thinking to which I should write, to ask the
loan of 80 ,£ for a few months, and now I will ask it of you. If
you was aware of the peculiar feelings which we Englishmen have

Vol. XXIII Deane, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. 2A.Q

1905 J J ^y

on such occasions, perhaps you would smile, but so it is that we
never ask any one, from whom we have the least idea of a refusal.
Now, did I not believe you to be a sincere friend, do you imagine
I should have told you I was in want of Money much less have
asked you to lend me some. The fact is, I have suffered a severe
loss during my being in Paris, what little I had on hand, has been
spent there and in making preparations for the publication of my
Zool. Illustrations. Two or three months however, hard work will
bring me round again & repay you.

Let me see your letter to the President of Zool. Soc.1 before it
goes, and you shall see mine.

I shall be most thankful for the Grouse. I send 2 drawings to
Havell to be engraved spur him on for I want to have every thing
ready before the new year.

Yours most sincerely
W. Swainson.
John J. Aububon Esq.
79 Newman St.

No. 2.

Friday.
[No date given, probably 1828].
My dear Audubon,

I am rejoiced to hear you are safe and well, & I answer
your letter immediately, for I have no prospect of going to London,
for some weeks, nor could I expect on a matter of urgent neces-
sity, for I am to have my first volume or " Preliminary Discourse "
ready the first week in June under a penalty of 500 £.

As I cannot come to you, pray write me some few of the many
things you want to say to me. When once this volume is done
I shall have time to breath. You will find I have put your friend
V.[igors] hors de combat}

1 Audubon was elected an original member of the Zoological Society of
London, February 24, 182S.

8 While in Paris in 182S Swainson entered into a lively controversy with
Vigors, and as Dr. Theodore Gill writes "a great fire was kindled from a very
little flame." For a detailed account see ' Osprey,' Vol. V, No. 3, and subse-
quent numbers.

2 CO Deaxe, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. Ljuly

He is now part of O'Connell's1 Political tail. Kind regards
to Mrs. A. & your son.

Ever yours, most sincerely
W. Swainson.
J. Audubon Esq.

care of Mr. Havell,
77 Oxford St.
London.

No. 3.

18 January, 1829.
My dear Mr. Audubon,

I write this in utter uncertainty whether it will find you in Lon-
don. My first number2 has now been out three weeks — it has
been seen and universally admired, and how many copies do you
think the Publisher has sold ? now pray guess as the Americans
say. 100 — no. 50 — no. twentyfive, no. fifteen, no. ten?
yes. positively ten copies and no more, has been sold. I blush
almost to confess this mortification to even, you, but so it is.
Now, my dear Sir, what am I to think of the "generally diffused
taste" as the phrase is, for Natural History.*

This allthough vexing to me, may be a consolation to you, who
are able to exhibit on what I call your Red Book the names of a

1 An Irish political patriot. Born 1775, died 1S47.

2 Zoological Illustrations. 3 vols., 1820-23, with 182 colored plates by
himself. Second Series. 3 Vols., 1832-33.

aIn the preface of 'Zoological Illustrations,' Second Series, Vol. II, 1831-32,
Swainson writes : " Neither literature nor art has been encouraged in our opu-
lent Island, half as much as they have been by some of the petty Kingdoms
of the Continent. It is a melancholy fact, that while our present laws crush
individual exertion, by extorting a large number of free copies of the most
costly works, undertaken by their Authors without the slightest hope of
remuneration, the Government of France assigns for subscriptions to such
publications, an annual sum of £10,000. But on questions regarding the pat-
ronage of science, Great Britain, unfortunately, is poorer than any Nation in
Europe." This volume was dedicated to King Louis Philippe, of whom
Swainson writes : "A true Patron to Science, munificently encourages, both
privately and publicly, all wTho are engaged in its pursuit."

Vol. XXII
1905

Deane, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. 2^1

good portion of 150 Subscribers to a 200 guinea Book. Think
yourself my friend exceedingly well off.

The amount of sale must be kept silent, it would be a nice nut
to crack for V[igors]\ & his friends.

I shall be able to do without the water birds, if you have not
found any.

I have had a most extraordinary letter from Waterton,2 which
will highly amuse you. The man is mad. — stark, staring, mad.

Yours very faith'ly

W. Swainson.

Can you tell me any safe expeditions made of sending and
receiving letters and Parcels from Philadelphia.

J. J. Audubon Esq.

79 Newman St.
Oxford St.

No. 4.

Saturday, 1 May, 1830.
Welcome once more, my good friend to merry England : s
I had indeed heard from Havell,4 with the greatest pleasure,
that you had safely landed at Liverpool; and I regret very much
that you did not reach London before I left it ; for I am now
much seldomer in town than formerly, and I know not when I
may have the power to do so again. My old and most valued
friend Mr. Burchell5 has also, to my great delight, just returned

1 Nicholas Aylward Vigors. Born 1787, died 1S40. Naturalist. First
Secretary of the Zoological Society of London.

2 Charles Waterton. Born 1782, died 1S65. For one of his most vindic-
tive letters to Swainson, see his ' Essays on Natural History,' iS7i,p. 511.
This effusion is bitter from start to finish and contains some four thousand
words.

3 Audubon sailed for America April 1, 1S29 where he remained one year,
returning in April, 1830.

4 Robert Havell. Engrarer of Audubon's plates. Born November 25,
1793, died November 11, 1878.

5 William John Burchell. Explorer and Naturalist, who collected exten-
sively in Brazil, Africa, and other countries. Born 1782, died March 3,
1863.

2s2 Deane, Letters, from Sivainson to Audubon. Ifuh

to England after six years spent in wandering over the Forests
and Andes of South America bringing with him collections, that
will make everything else in this country sink into titter insignifi-
cance, he too, is longing to see me, and if I possibly can get away
for a day next week, with two such desirable objects I will, but
my literary engagements bind me, hand and foot.

You think I do not know that you are an F. R. S. 1 — you are
mistaken, furthermore, will you be surprised at knowing I have
been fighting your battles against a rising opposition which origi-
nated among some of your Ornithological friends (at least so I
strongly suspect) for the purpose of your name being blackballed.
But more of this when we meet, such matters had better not be
committed to paper.

The whole of your bundle of young trees reached me as
withered sticks, not a spark of life in any one of them.

So you are going to write a book 'tis a thing of little moment
for one who is not known, because they have no reputation to
loose, but much will be expected from you, and you must, there-
fore, as the saying is, put your best leg foremost. I am coming
fast round to the prejudice, as you may think it, against the
Americans.

Dr. Richardson's and my own volume on the Arctic Birds,2 is
now at press. Not being able to refer to your plates, I have not
had the power to quote your work, you know how repeatedly I
have applied on this head, both to you and Mr. Havell in vain.

Prince C. Bonaparte s has long promised me his second &: third
volume but they have never come. Ward4 is a regular Scamp he
has taught me a good lesson — fool that he is — and that is, to
steal my heart against distress such as his was, and to consult,
like all the rest of the world, my own interest only. I am sick of
the world and of mankind, and but for my family would end my
days in the primeval forests of my beloved Brazil.

1 Audubon was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of England, March
18, 1830.

2 Fauna Boreali-Americana, Part 11, 1S31.

3 Charles Lucian Bonaparte. Born 1830, died 1857.

4 J. F. Ward. Swainson refers to him as an animal preserver of consider-
able talent.

Vol. XXII
1905

Deane, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. 2 £ 3

So Mr. Lea x did not settle my account with you ? I have found
him out, also, to be no better than he should be. He also is one
of your friends who would, if he could, cut your throat. Another
friend of yours has been in England, Mr. Ord 2 and has been
doing you all the good he can : if these are samples of American
Naturalists, defend me from ever coming in contact with any of
their whole race.

Mrs. Swainson's health I am grieved to say, has suffered much
the last twelve months, she is now at Birmingham with the
children. I have not failed to mention your kind inquiries after
both, whenever Havell has a parcel for me, I hope you will
occasionally accompany it with a few lines.

Yours my dear Sir very faith'ly
W. Swainson
John J. Audubon
at Mr. Havell's

79 Newman St.

Oxford St.

No. 5.

My dear Mr. Audubon :

I am still very poorly, but as I can put this under cover, I
should wish to ask you, whether you would like to have a copy of
my Illustrations,3 with the plain proof on India paper, there are
only 10 printed lor private Sale (to avoid the tax of Public Libra-
ries)4 and I have just now one copy of the first volume bound up.
Should you like it, you can return me the three numbers of the
common edition. I shall then have greater hopes of possessing

1 Isaac Lee of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, naturalist and publisher. Born
1792, died December 8, 18S6.

2 George Ord. Born 1781, died January 23, 1866. I quote from 'Audu-
bon and his Journals,' Vol. 1, p. 56: "Mr. Ord was one of those (of the
very few, I might say) who disliked the Naturalist from first to last, who was
perhaps, his bitterest enemy."

3 ' Zoological Illustrations.'

4 They secure the Author the sole right to publish his works for twenty-
eight years, upon the presentation of eleven copies to the public libraries of
the Kingdom.

2CA Deaxe, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. I Tulv

myself of your Gigantic book, some day or other ; at present one
of my volumes only cost as much as one of your numbers !

Let me, as a friend, request you not to decide irrevocably on
the subject of your book. I have thought upon it much since I
saw you, and I want to find time to write you more fully upon it
than I was able to speak, on the first consideration of the matter,
particularly as I was then nervous and unwell.

I hope in 2 or 3 days to write you this, at present I am much

hurried, and am expecting Sir W. Jardine ' and Mr. Selby 2 every

day.

Yours very Faith'ly

J. J. Audubon Esq. W. Swainson

43 (Toy shop, corner house) 13 May 1830.

Great Russell St.

Bloomsburg ?

No. 6.

My dear Mr. Audubon.

Your letter perfectly surprised me. I thought you were wander-
ing about Lancashire ! Have you been and returned or are you
going. Why are you so sad ? I would lay ten shillings that old
Havell has been disappointing you as he has done me. He is in
matters of business a complete dandle — an old woman, and I
have done with him. His son I think better of he has a good
idea of punctuality in business. Still he also wants an occasional
spur. I have been drawing Richardson's Grouse, but have not
succeeded to my mind.

I am terribly hurried in prepairing my first number. Pray
desire Havell to hand you a copy, & to supply you every month
with it. I am prepairing a few sets of the old Series, and one
will be sent to you, our exchange will then be fairly commenced.

1 wrote very particularly to Pitois s three weeks ago, and am sur-
prised at having no answer. I shall come to town some of these

'Sir William Jardine. Born February 23, 1806, died November 21, 1874.

2 John Prideaux Selby. English ornithologist. Author of 'British Birds.'
Born July 23, 1788, died March 27, 1867.

3 M. Pitois, Paris, France. Acted as Audubon's Agent on the recommen-
dation of Baron Cuvier.

Vol. XXII
1905

Deane, Letters from Sivainson to Audubon. 2 C C

days unexpectedly and surprise you. I cannot however bear that
you should be " in the blues " at this season of merriment and fes-
tivity. If therefore you think it would give you pleasure, it cer-
tainly would to Mrs. Swainson and myself to see you at our Christ-
mas dinner, where there will be only ourselves. The weather is
remarkably fine, and the change air and scenes will invigorate &
make you for the time forget those every day annoyances which
we are all subject to.

If you come, have the goodness to let us know and I shall trou-
ble you to bring with you everything which Havell has for me &
which he will pack up in a parcel, your bed is quite ready.

I shall thank you also to buy me a pair of clogg springs, similar
to the pattern sent.

In one of your walks I hope you have thought about the French
Wine that we talked so much about and have ascertained the par-
ticulars from your friend, so that we may order a cask. I hope
you have not mistaken the price, — for if not, nothing that can be
drank in this country is one half as cheap. Mrs. Swainson &
the little ones are quite well & all hope to see you soon.

Ever yrs faith'ly
W. Swainson.
J. Audubon Esq. Monday morn.g.

No. 7.

My dear Mr. Audubon

I welcomed the news of your arrival in America yesterday, and
as I am making up a packet for Liverpool today, I seize the
opportunity of wishing you joy and happiness in the new world.
I am surprised and disappointed as not receiving one line from
Ward it is at the best negligent, and somewhat ungrateful. Hope
you have began your studies among the birds on a better plan
than formerly, that is, in preserving the skins of every one on
which there is the least doubt whether the bird is young or old,
particularly the former. If you are to give scientific descriptions
and definitions of the species this precaution is absolutely neces-
sary. What your Americans do with their money I know not, Mr.
Lea tells me he cannot procure one purchaser for my new Illus-
trations : here it now going on very well.

2C6 Deane, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. Ljuly

You asked me what you can do for me in America. I will tell
you. Send me a cart load of shells from the Ohio, or from any
of the Rivers near New Orleans. The very smallest, as well as
the very largest — all sizes. I have been long expecting those
which your son promised you for me near twelve months ago 1
but I have heard nothing of them ! you may spend a few dollars for
me and send people to fish the shells at the dry season, when the
waters are low, that is the best time.

Things go on here much as usual, but I have not been in Lon-
don since Xmas. The first volume, containing the Quadrupeds,
of Dr. Richardson's work, is out. I am now busy in prepairing
the second, which contains the Birds. Let me particularly direct
your attention to the manners of the Cedar Bird, Ampelis Ameri-
cana. I suspect it feeds much on Insects in default of fruit, but
what is desirable, is to know the way in which it captures Insect?,
whether as a flycatcher ie. by seizing them on the wing, or like
the Gold crest — by picking them up among the branches or
leaves. I am now in close correspondance with Charles Bona-
parte, & a most valuable correspondant he is.

Mrs. Swainson is just recovering from her confinement after
giving me another little son I am happy today they are both going
on well.

Wilson I believe mentions two birds very like the Red eyed
Flycatcher, this is a point deserving your attention, but the man-
ners of these birds are much more important. I feel convinced
there are several species of my Genus Ammodramus shore finch,
in the So. States, they all have narrow pointed tails, like the sea-
sidefinch of Wilson. I further suspect there is more than one
species confounded with the Towee Buntling.

I hope soon again to hear more fully from you, and of your
ornithological acquisitions. The dear little ones are quite well.

Yours very sincerely,
Wm. Swainson
The Green 26 June 1829.
Mr. John J. Audubon
care of

Mess. Thomas E. Walker & Co.
Merchants.

New York.

,~,s *"] Deane, Letters from Swainson to Audubon. 2S7

No. 8.

My dear Mr. Audubon.

I delayed not replying to your last letter soon after I received
it, and it fortunately was sent to Havell the very day that he was
making up a packet for you, I conclude therefore it has long ago
reached you. I know not in what part of the Wilds of America
you may now be wandering, but I hope you are fully intent upon
your great object, and that you are not only making drawings,
and taking notes, but preserving Skins, of all your little favorites.
Don't forget the Shrikes, of which I have strong suspicions there
are 2 or 3 species mixed up with the name of Loggerhead. Should
you be in the land of the Scarlet Ibis, do pray procure a dozen or
two of the best skins, they are the most magnificent birds of No.
America, and are said to be common towards New Orleans.

You will learn frm the Newspapers how uncommonly severe is
our winter the snow has now been upon the ground five weeks and
it is still falling. I manage, however to walk out every day, and
thus have acquired better health than I have enjoyed for many
years.

Previous to your embarking to England, which I hope you will
do very early in the spring you must dome one favor. Bring me
two Grey Squirrels alive, and a cage full of little birds, either the
painted or non-Pareil finch the Blue finch, or the Virginian Night-
ingale, as they are called, 3 or 4 of each to guard against casual-
ties by death on the voyage. I do not care one farthing whether
they sing or not, so that I presume they may be got for a mere
trifle. The Squirrels would delight the little people beyond meas-
ure, and would prove a neverfailing source of amusement to them.
I believe you have other kinds than the grey, so that any will do.
If you cannot get them pray supply their place by two Parrots of
America.

We continue pretty well at the Green.1 Seldom go to town,
but I find people begin to discover the true character of V.[igors]
and many that were formerly his friends now speak very differently

1 Tittenhanger Green. Within a mile of the little village of London Colwey,
Herts.

2C8 Deane, Letters from S-cvainson to Audubon. Ilulv

of him. His father having died the property has come to him.
He has now taken a fine house in the Regents park, and holds
conversaziones (in humble imitation of those of the President of the
Royal Society) every Sunday evening during the season ! ! all this
is very grand, and he appears to have abandoned writing any more
papers on ornithology, since I have began to point out his errors.

Ward wrote to me since my last, he is a poor weak fellow, with
a good natural disposition, but so little to be depended upon, that
he is turned round by every feather, after inserting that he could
not go on " in my service " as he called it, under ten dollars a
week, he now says he should be most happy to receive four. He
says not one word of his marriage, which proves his wish to
deceive one. I have done with him.

My Boxes are in possession of Mr. Gilpin & shall thank you to
procure them from him, and bring them back for me, they will
hold your own things on the voyage.

I hope you have got for me lots of River shells. Mrs. Swainson
writes in kind wishes, and the little children often talk of you, and
ask me when you will come back.

Your sincere friend
W. Swainsen
30 Jany 1830
J. J. Audubon Esq.

care of Mr. Havell

Vol;*.XI1] Clark, Extirpated West Indian Birds. 259

EXTIRPATED WEST INDIAN BIRDS.

BY AUSTIN H. CLARK.

In the present paper I have brought together all the evidence
as to the existence in former years of birds not known at the pres-
ent day on the islands of Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines,
and Grenada (with the exception of the members of the family
Psittacidae) , and have given them what appears to me to be (in
the light of my recent studies in West Indian ornithology) their
proper standing.

Some of the birds represent (as the Purple Gallinule, Tonornis
martinica) merely locally extirpated colonies of wide ranging spe-
cies, while others (as Cindocerthia) were probably subspecifically
or even specifically distinct from those on the neighboring islands.

? Podilymbus podiceps {Linn.).

Pied-billed Grebe.

The Tivo-Peny Chick Hughes, Nat. Hist. Barbados, p. 71 (1750).
Podiceps dominions, The Two-Penny Chick Scho.mb., Hist. Barbados, p.
682 (1S4S). — Feilden, Ibis, 1SS9, p. 503; W. I. Bull., Ill, p. 352 [1902].

Hughes mentions a Grebe "of the Bigness and much the Colour
of the American Quail " as occurring in Barbados in his day.
Schomburgk also in his list includes a Grebe under the name of
P. dominicas. P. dominicus has never been found in the Lesser
Antilles, but Podilymbus podiceps is a breeding resident in many,
if not most of the islands, and there is a specimen in the British
Museum from Barbados. It is not known there at the present
time. The name " Two-Penny Chick," formerly applied to the
Grebe, is still used on the island, but now refers entirely to the
Sora (Porzana Carolina).

Col. Feilden has followed Schomburgk in giving the Grebe as
P. dominicus ; but for the reasons given above I prefer to regard
it as Podilymbtis podiceps.

l6o Clark, Extirpated West Indian Birds. rAu,k

LJuly

Buteo (? antillarum Clark).

West Indian Buzzard.

Bussard Ligon, Hist Barbados, p. 60 (1673)
Milan Ligon, Hist. Barbades, p. 101 (1674).
Buteo borealis Schomb., Hist. Barbados, p. 6S1 (1S4S).

Ligon says: "The birds of this place [Barbados] (setting two
aside) are hardly worth the pains of describing, yet, in order, as
I did the beasts, I will set them down. The biggest is a direct
Bussard, but somewhat less than our Grey Bussard [B. buteo]
in England, somewhat swifter of wing ; and the only good they do
is sometimes to kill the rats."

Schomburgk gives "B. borealis" as a resident on Barbados.
Probably he refers to this species or a closely related form (as it
is abundant on the neighboring islands of St. Vincent, Grenada,
and Dominica) for B. borealis does not occur in the Lesser An-
tilles, except, perhaps, on St. Kitts.

Hughes (1750) does not mention any hawk.

At the time Ligon wrote the greater part of Barbados was still
clothed in natural forest, and it is very probable that this hawk
was then resident.

Note. — Falco columbarius is given by Schomburgk as a resident
on Barbados (Hist. Barbados, p. 681, 1848). Col. Feilden (Ibis,
1889, p. 489 ; W. I. Bull., Ill, 342, [19C2]) believes him to be in
error, and he is not confirmed by other authors. However, there
is a possibility that it did breed there in his time, as it is said to
be a permanent resident on the island of Dominica, and occurs in
all these islands as a fall and winter visitor.

Ionornis martinica (Linn.).
Purple Gallinule.

Blue-Pated Coot Hughes, Nat. Hist. Barbados, p. 71 (1750).
Ionornis martinica Feilden, Ibis, 1SS9, p. 499 ; W. I. Bull., Ill, p. 349
[1902].

Vol. XX I II CHARTS., Extirpated West Indian Birds. 26 1

1905 j *

I have no hesitation in referring Hughes " Blue-Pated Coot "
to this species. He says, "They (Coots or Moor-Hens) are dis-
tinguished into Three Kinds ; The White- \_Fulica a?nericana\
the Red- [Ga//init/a galeatd\, and the Blue-Pated." They were
apparently common in Barbados in his day.

At the present time it is only accidental on Barbados, although
common on Dominica. St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines,
and Grenada.

Note. — Gallinula gal eat a and Fuliea americana (probably
referable to F. caribma Ridgw.) are both now exceedingly rare
on Barbados, although they were formerly abundant. Col.
Feilden obtained a nest of the former in July, 1888, and found a
few of the latter in Graeme Hall Swamp in the same year. If not
already gone, their extirpation is only a matter of a few years. I
found no examples of either.

Columba squamosa Bonn.
Ramier.

? Pig-eons Sloane, Nat. Hist. Jamaica, I, p. 34 (1707).

The Wild Wood Pigeo?i Hughes, Nat. Hist. Barbados, p. 76 (1750).

Sir Hans Sloane writes, speaking of Barbados, that " Turner
(ap. Purchas. p. 1265) found Hogs, Pigeons, and Parrots there."

Hughes says of "The Wild Wood Pigeon": "This is about
the Bigness of an House Pigeon. The Head is of a blackish
Colour ; and from the under Bill to the Breast, of a light Mouse-
Colour ; from thence to the Belly and the under Part of the Tail,
of an Ash-Colour ; the upper Side of the Neck, Back, and Wings,
of a dark Ash-Colour, growing lighter toward the Extremities of
the Wings.

"These come hither, tho' in no great Numbers, about the
latter End of July or August, always alighting upon Trees, and
feeding upon the Berries of them."

Although the coloration is rather inexact, Hughes probably
refers to this pigeon, as the size is pretty close, and he mentions

262 Clark, Extirpated West Indian Birds. \*h£

its exclusively arboreal habits. Columba squamosa, although
abundant on the neighboring islands, does not now visit Bar-
bados, possibly because of the cutting down of the forests.

Geotrygon montana {Linn.).

Perdrix.

This bird appears to be now extirpated from St. Vincent, pos-
sibly as a result of the importation of the mongoose. I am told
that it has disappeared from St. Kitts, and is becoming rare on
other islands, more especially on Grenada.

Strix (? nigrescens Lawr.).
Owl.

Strix Jiammea Schomb., Hist. Barbados, p. 6S1 (1S48).

Schomburgk includes " 5. flammea " in his list of the birds of
Barbados. No other author mentions any owl, but possibly some
form of this genus occurred when the island was largely under
forest. It may have been ■S'. nigrescens, at the present time a
common resident on Dominica, St. Vincent, Bequia (Grenadines),
and Grenada.

Note. — Colinus virginianus (Linn.) is included by Schom-
burgk in his list of the birds of Barbados. There appears to be
no evidence that this bird ever lived there, although it is resident
on several of the more northern islands. Possibly he came into
the possession of a stray specimen captured in the island, as he
obtained in this way a specimen of the Ruff (Pavoncella pugnax).
A Quail was shot in Barbados in September, 1886, and another
seen in September, 1887.

Cinclocerthia sp.
Quaking Thrush.

Thrush Ligon. Hist. Barbados, p. 60 (1673).

Grive Ligox, Hist. Barbades, p. 101 (1674).

Quaking Thrush Hughes, Nat. Hist. Barbados, p. 72 (1750).

Turdus jamaicensis (!) Schomb., Hist. Barbados, p. 6S1 (184S).

Vol. XXII
1905

Clark, Extirpated West Indian Birds. 262

Ligon says: "The next is a bird like a Thrush, of a melan-
choly look, her feathers never smooth, but always ruffled, as if she
were mewing, her head down, her shoulders up, as if her neck
were broke. This bird has for three or four notes, the loudest
and sweetest that I ever heard ; if she had variety, certainly no
bird would go by her ; she looks always as if she were sick or
melancholy."

Hughes writes : " We have Two species of Thrush in this
Island." One "is a solitary Bird, and is known by the name of
the Quaking Thrush."

Schomburgk gives " Tardus jamaicensis " in his list, calling it
the " Quaking Thrush."

The members of the genus Cindocerthia all have a peculiar
habit of occasionally shivering or shaking, as if afflicted with ague,
which has given them the name of " Trembleur " in all the
islands where they are found at the present time. This habit
is not shared by any other Lesser Antillean genus, so we appear
to be justified in referring the " Thrushes " of the authors men-
tioned to Cindocerthia. I interpret Ligon :s statement that the
bird always appears " sick or melancholy " to have reference to
this peculiarity also, a comparison between the shivering of the
bird and the shaking of a person ill with a tropical fever.

At the present time, Cindocerthia occurs on all the islands from
Guadeloupe south to St. Vincent, as well as on some of the more
northern Lesser Antilles. It was probably driven from Barbados
by the deforestation of that island.

Allenia (? albiventris Later.).

" Wren."

Wren Ligon, Hist. Barbados, p. 60 (1673). Hughes, Nat. Hist. Barba-
dos, p. 73 (1750).

Roytelct Ligon, Hist. Barbades, p. 101 (1674).

Ligon says : " Another there is, not unlike a Wren, but big as a
Thrush ; and this is as merry and jolly as the other ^Cindocerthia]
is sad ; and as she sits on a stick, jets, and lifts up her train [tail],
looking with so earnest and merry a contenance, as if she would

264 Ci.ark, Extirpated West Indian Birds. \j%

invite you to come to her, and will sit till you come very near.
This bird I never heard sing."

Hughes writes: "The Wren. This, excepting its Note and
Bill, differs very little from the Thrush, as to its Plumage and
Bigness. Its Bill is somewhat more sharp pointed and longer than
that of the Thrush.

"It is most commonly to be seen in the Wood near Hackleton's
Clift, and feeds chiefly upon Oranges and such ripe Fruit, as well
as upon Lizards."

I believe that there can be no doubt that these descriptions
refer to an Allenia. The habit of keeping the tail in the air like
a wren is very characteristic, and in its actions it is lively and
restless. If it inhabited Barbados, one would expect it to be
found in the rugged country about Hackleton's Cliff and in the
Scotland District, and not in the level portions of the island, as it
is a bird of the hills.

A. albiventris (Lawr.), the only species of the genus, occurs
from St. Eustatius to St. Vincent, and also on Grenada.

Margarops sp.
" Counsellor."

Counsellor Ligon, Hist. Barbados, p. 60 (1673).

Counseiller Ligon, Hist. Barbades, p. 102 (1674).

Thrush Hughes, Nat. Hist. Barbados, p. 72 (1750).

Turdus mustelinus (!) Schomb., Hist. Barbados, p. 681 (1848).

Ligon writes : " The next is of the colour of a Fieldfare [Turdus
pilaris'], but the head seems too big for her body, and for that
reason they call her Counsellor ; her flying is extremely wanton ;
and for her tune, 'tis such as I have not heard any like her, not
for the sweetness."

According to Hughes : " We have two Species of Thrush in this
Island ; the one much resembling in her note the English Thrush.

" As soon as the Day appears, she mounts up like a Lark into
the Air, almost out of Sight."

Of the two " Thrushes " included by Schomburgk in his list,
" Turdus jamaicensis " must refer to a plain colored bird without

Vol. XXIII Clark, Extirpated West Indian Birds. 265

any distinctive markings ; as he also gives it the name of " Quak-
ing Thrush," we refer it to Cinclocerthia ; the other, " T. musteli-
nus" is probably the second species mentioned by Ligon and
Hughes ; there is, however, a possibility that he refers to Attenia
under this name.

I have referred these " Thrushes " to Margarops and not to
Ciiiihlerminia, as the former genus is more widely distributed, its
species more abundant where they occur, and not essentially birds
of the deep woods (as are the species of Cinchlerminia), and the
habits as given agree better with those of Margarops. Moreover,
a male of M.fuscatus densirostris (a straggler) was obtained on
Barbados on March 2, 1889.

Coereba atrata Lawr.

Normal Form = saccharina Lawr.

Molasses Bird.

The Yellow-breasted Honey Creeper appears to have become
extinct on St. Vincent. I could find no trace of it. Ober ob-
tained two specimens in 1878, but Lister, writing in 1880, does
not mention it. It seems to be now wholly replaced by the black
form {atrata Lawr.).

Coereba wellsi Cory.

Normal Form.

SUCRIER.

Ober says (1878) that "this bird is not found in great numbers
(on Grenada), as in some of the northern islands ( ? northern
Lesser Antilles, or Grenadines) ; indeed I have seen it but twice
on the mangrove flats of Point Saline." This is inserted under
the heading " C. atrata" but must refer to this bird, as the black
form is abundant all over Grenada. Wells says it is not found at
all in Grenada.

In May, 1904, while at St. George's, Grenada, Mr. Charles

266 Clark, Lesser Antillean Macaws. [julv

Vernet very kindly presented me with a specimen of this bird,
taken by himself at Point Saline ; it was the only one he ever
saw.

It is abundant on all the Grenadines.

Besides these forms, I failed to find the following on St. Vin-
cent, although I explored almost the whole island very carefully.
Possibly they still exist in limited numbers in certain remote
localities.

Catharopeza bishopi (Lawr. ).
Cindocerthia ruficauda tenebrosa Ridgw.
Cinchlerminia sancta-lucice. (Scl.).
Allenia albive?itris (Lawr.), which became a common resident
on Union Island and Carriacou, Grenadines, after the great hurri-
cane at St. Vincent in 1898, has now entirely disappeared from
those islands.

THE LESSER ANTILLEAN MACAWS.

BY AUSTIN H. CLARK.

We find mentioned by the earlier writers who dealt with West
Indian ornithology, a number of birds which are not known to
inhabit the islands at the present day, and which have been
extinct for many years. In this paper I shall bring together all
the evidence existing as to the presence of Macaws in the Lesser
Antilles, in the islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique.

These three islands collectively show affinities to the Greater
Antilles and to South America, at the same time having genera and
species peculiar to themselves. For instance, a species of Mimo-
cichla (Dominica) and a species of Melanerpes (Guadeloupe), to-
gether with the fact that Guara alba is a breeding resident on
Dominica, appear to show a Greater Antillean relationship ;
Dendroica riifigitla (Martinique), Stenopsis cayenensis (Marti-
nique), Ceryle stictipennis (Guadeloupe and Dominica), and Rup-

Vol. XXII
1905

Clark, Lesser Antillean Macaws. 2D7

ornis magnirostris1 Martinique) seem to ally them with South
America ; while Cinchlerminia 2 (Guadeloupe, Dominica, and
Martinique), Rhamphocindus brachyurus (Martinique and St.
Lucia), Saltator guadeloupensis (Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Mar-
tinique), and Thalurania bicolor (Dominica) demonstrate that as
a group they are distinct from the islands around them.s

We must admit, then, the possibility of these three islands
having had upon them species of the genus Ara (which is found
in the Greater Antilles, Central, and South America), even although
it is unknown from any of the other Lesser Antilles.

Dutertre (1654) is the first to give an account in detail of the
ornithology of these islands. Under the heading " De V Arras"
(p. 294) he says: "We have in Guadeloupe three of the parrot
kind, viz : — Macaws, Parrots, and Parrakeets, each different from
those which inhabit the neighboring islands ; for each has its
parrots different from those of the others in size, voice, and
color.

"The Macaw is the largest of all the parrot tribe ; for although
the parrots of Guadeloupe are larger than all other parrots, both
of the islands and of the main land, the Macaws are a third larger
than they.

"The head, neck, underparts, and back are flame color. The
wings are a mixture of yellow, azure, and scarlet. The tail is
wholly red, and a foot and a half long. The natives hold the
feathers of the tail in great esteem ; they stick them in their hair,
and pass them through the lobe of the ear and the septum of the
nose to serve as mustaches, and consider themselves then much
more genteel and worthy of the admiration of Europeans.

" This bird lives on berries, and on the fruit of certain trees,
but principally on the apples of the manchioneel (!), which is a
powerful and caustic poison to other animals. It is the prettiest
sight in the world to see ten or a dozen Macaws in a green tree.

1 Vide Gurney, Ibis, 1876, p. 482.

2 One species is found on St. Lucia also.

3St. Lucia, with a resident South American species {Antrostomus rtifus)
and two peculiar genera" (Melanospiza and Leucopeza), together with a species
of Cinchlerminia, is most nearly allied to them.

268 CLARK, Lesser Antillean Aft/catvs. l]u^

Their voice is loud and piercing, and they always cry when flying.
If one imitates their cry, they stop short. They have a grave and
dignified demeanor, and so far from being alarmed by many shots
fired under a tree where they are perched, they gaze at their com-
panions who fall dead to the ground without being disturbed at
all, so that one may fire five or six times into the same tree with-
out their appearing to be frightened.

" The natives make use of a strategem to take them alive ; they
watch for a chance to find them on the ground, eating the fruit
which has fallen from the trees, when they approach quietly under
cover of the trees, then all at once run forward, clapping their
hands and filling the air with cries capable not only of astounding
the birds, but of terrifying the boldest. Then the poor birds, sur-
prised and distracted, as if struck with a thunderbolt, lose the use
of their wings, and, making a virtue of necessity, throw themselves
on their backs and assume the defensive with the weapons nature
has given them — their beaks and claws — with which they defend
themselves so bravely that not one of the natives dares to put his
hand on them. One of the natives brings a big stick which he
lays across the belly of the bird, who seizes it with beak and
claws ; but while he is occupied in biting it, the native ties him so
adroitly to the stick that he can then do with him anything he
wishes.

" The flesh of this bird is very tough, and considered by many
unwholesome, and even poisonous. I never had any ill effects
from it, although we inhabitants often eat it."

In a later work (1667) Dutertre gives practically the same ac-
count, but he says that the Macaws only eat the manchioneel
apples in case of necessity (II, p. 247). He says further (II, p.
249), "The male and the female are inseparable companions, and
it is rare that one is seen singly. When they wish to breed
(which they do once or twice a year) they make a hole with their
beaks in the stump of a large tree, and construct a nest with
feathers from their own bodies. They lay two eggs, the size of
those of a partridge (Perdix dnerea). The others of the parrot

kind make their nests in the same way, but lay green eggs

The Macaws are much larger than the large parrots of Guade-
loupe or Grenada, and live longer than a man ; but they are
almost all subject to a falling sickness."

Vol. XXII
iQ°5

Clark, Lesser Antillean Macaws. 269

In the "Histoire Naturelle et Morale des Isles Antilles de 1'
Ame'rique " (1658; 1665) we find the following (p. 154, 2nd ed.,
p. 170) : —

"The Macaws are preeminently beautiful birds, the size of a
pheasant; but they resemble parrakeets in the shape of their body.
Their head is large, their eyes bright and bold, their beak hooked,
and they have a long tail composed of beautiful feathers which
are of different colors in the different islands where they live.
There is a kind which has the head, the back, and the wings pale
yellow, and the tail entirely red. Others have nearly the whole
body flame color, except that they have in their wings feathers of
yellow, blue, and red. Still others are found which have the
whole plumage a mixture of red, white, blue, green, and black ;
that is, five colors, which forms a very pleasing combination.
They commonly fly in flocks. One judges by their actions that
they are bold and resolute, for they are not alarmed by the report
of fire-arms, and if none are wounded at the first discharge, they
await a second without moving from the place where they are ;
but there are many who attribute this boldness to their natural
stupidity rather than to their courage. They tame very easily,
but their tongue is too thick to enable them to speak as well as
parrots and the smaller parrakeets. They are so sensitive to cold
that it is difficult to bring them across the sea."

Labat (1742) says (II, p. 211): "The Macaw, which I place
at the head of the parrots, is the largest of all the parrot tribe,
either in these islands or on the mainland. It is the size of a full
grown fowl. The feathers of the head, neck, back, and under-
pays are flame color ; the wings are a mixture of blue, yellow, and
red; the tail, which is from fifteen to twenty inches in length, is
wholly red. The head and the beak are very large, and it walks
gravely; it talks very well, if it is taught when young; its voice
is strong and distinct; it is amiable and kind, and allows itself
to be caressed."

He also says (II, p. 211) : "There are Macaws, Parrots and
Parrakeets in each of our islands, and it is easy to tell from their
plumage from which island they have come. Those from Guade-
loupe are generally larger than the others, but the parrakeets are
smaller."

2 70 Clark, Lesser Antillean Macaws. Ij"ly

Buffon (Hist. Nat. Ois., VI, p. 181, 1774) states that Macaws
occur in all the warm parts of America, and in the West Indies.
He says further (/. c, p. 177): "Christopher Columbus in his
second voyage touched at Guadeloupe and found there Macaws,
to which he gave the name of ' Guacamayas.' He met with them
only in the uninhabited islands, and they were by far the most
beautiful ornaments of the gloomy forests which covered the land
given up to nature."

Brisson (Orn., IV, p. 183, 1760) says (under " L'Ara Rouge"),
quoting from a letter from M. de la Borde, Medecin du Roi at
Cayenne : " In all the islands (Antilles) the Macaws have become
very rare, because the inhabitants destroy them for food. They
retire into the unfrequented districts, and do not come near the
cultivated areas."

Edwards says (Birds, IV, p. 158, 1751) : "This bird ('The
Red and Blue Maccaw ') is a native of America, and, I believe, is
found everywhere between the tropics, not only on the continent
but on some of the American islands."

Latham says of the " Red and Blue Maccaw " (Gen. Hist.
Birds, II, p. 102, 1822) : " Inhabits Brazil, Guiana, and other parts
of South America, and, we believe, some of the islands also, but
becomes scarce or wholly eradicated in proportion to the increase
of inhabitants."

From the foregoing we appear to have ample proof that there
were Macaws in these islands ; we are told also that they were
becoming rare before 1760 (Brisson). That the various members
of the parrot tribe are among the first to be exterminated from
any given locality, especially if the species be confined to an insu-
lar habitat, we learn from the cases of Nestor productas Gould
(Philips Island), N. norfolcensis Pelz. (Norfolk Island), Lophopsii-
tacus mauritianus (Owen) (Mauritius), Necropsittacus rodericanus
(Milne-Edw.) (Rodriguez), Mascarinus mascarinus (Linn.) (Re'un-
ion), and Palaornis exsul Newt. (Rodriguez) ; and so, everything
considered, I believe we are justified in giving credence to the
writings of the three principal authors quoted. That they knew of
the different conditions which pertain in the different islands is
brought out in their remarks about the parrots being different in
the different islands, and also by the account of the Armadillo

Vol. XXII-1 Clark, Lesser Atitillean Macaws. 2 7 1

1905 J /

given by Dutertre and Labat. Both record this animal as found
only in Grenada, and say that it cannot be introduced into the
other islands. To-day Grenada is the only island (except, of
course, Tobago and Trinidad) where the Armadillo is found, and
it is there known by the same name that they give it — Tatu.

The Lesser Antillean Macaw, as described by Dutertre, had
" the head, neck, underparts, and back, flame color; wings azure,
yellow, and scarlet; tail red, 18 inches long." Labat says:
"Head, neck, back, and underparts flame color; wings blue, yel-
low, and red ; tail red, 15 to 20 inches long."

This shows that the bird differed from A. viacao in (1) having
the tail wholly red ; in A. macao the two central feathers are red,
the others with blue tips, increasing in extent to the outer pair,
which are almost wholly blue; and (2) in having a shorter tail
(? smaller 1 ) ; the tail of A. macao is two feet long.

From A. chloroptera it differed (1) in having a wholly red tail
{A. chloroptera has even more blue in the tail than A. macao) ;
(2) in having yellow on the wings, and (3) in having a shorter
tail ( ? smaller) ; the tail of A. chloroptera is 21 in. long.

From A. tricolor it differed in (1) having yellow on the wings,
and (2) in having a much longer tail ( ? larger) ; the tail of A.
tricolor is 10 in. in length.

Dr. Latham has figured and described (Gen. Hist. Birds, II,
p. 107, pi. xxi, 1822) under the name of the "Red and Yellow
Maccaw," a bird entirely scarlet, except the posterior half of the
wings, which is yellow ; the lower rump, and tail coverts are rose
white. The bird came from Trinidad ( ! ) (probably Guiana or
Venezuela), and appears to be a variety of A. macao.

D'Aubenton (PI. Enl. 12, "L'Ara Rouge") figures a bird with
all the tail feathers red (central pair and three on right side
shown), and with much more red on the scapulars and tertials
than in A. macao. There appears to be a possibility that the fig-

1 In the Macaws the relative length of tail and wing, or of tail and total
length is variable, so that we cannot say with certainty that the bird was
smaller. A. tricolor measures, tail 10 in., wing 11 in., total length about 18
in. ; A. ararauna, tail 12 in., wing 14 in., total length about 31 in.; A. macao,
tail 23.5 in., wing 16 in., total length about 31 in. In the green Macaws the
wing and tail are about equal in length.

27 2 Clark, Lesser Antillean Macaivs. Ijuly

ure is from a West Indian bird, although it is regarded by system-
atists as a specimen of A. macao.

The names which have been applied to Red and Blue Macaws
are all referable to A. macao or to A. chloroptera. Linnaeus (Syst.
Nat., I, p. 139, no. 1, 1766), under \Psittacus\ macao,1 refers to
the PI. Enl. 12 ; but in his description says "rectrices rubrae, later-
alibus caeruleis," his diagnosis being referable to A. macao as now
understood. Ps[iltacus] aracanga Gmelin (Syst. Nat. I, p. 313,
1788) et auct., Ara'canga Levaill. (Perr., I, pi. 2, 1801) and Sittace
coccitiea Reichenow (J. f. O., 188 1, p. 267) are all referable to A.
macao.

I believe we are justified in admitting provisionally into the avi-
fauna of the Lesser Antilles a red, yellow, and blue Macaw, under
the name of

Ara guadeloupensis.

Lesser Antillean Macaw.

Characters. Apparently similar to A. macao Linn., but smaller (tail
15 to 20 in. long [Labat] ; iS in. long [Dutertre]), and with the tail wholly
red.

Habitat. Guadeloupe (extinct) ; ? Dominica (extinct) ; Martinique
(extinct).

Ara Dutertre, Hist. Gdnerale des Isles des Christophie, de la Guade-
loupe, de la Martinique, et autres dans l'Amerique, p. 294 (1654) ; Hist,
gen. des Antilles habitees par les Francois, II, p. 247 (1667).'2 — Anon.,3
Hist. Nat. et Morale des Isles Antilles de 1'Amerique, p. 154 (165S), 2nd
ed., p, 170 (1665). — Labat, Nouv. Voyage aux Isles de 1'AmeVique, con-
tenant Thistoire naturelle de ces pays, II, p. 211 (1742). — Buffon, Hist.
Nat. Ois., VI, p. 1S1 (1774) (part).

1 The name "macao " was given to this bird because it was first supposed
to have come from Macao, near Hong Kong. The English "Macaw" is sup-
posed by some to be derived from it.

2 In the title it says "en deux tomes," but three volumes were published —
Vol. I (1667) ; Vol. II (1667) ; and Vol. Ill (1671), entitled "Histoire Gen-
6rale des Ant-Isles habitees par les Francois " (Paris). The spelling "Ant-
Isles " is to agree with a theory of the author's as to the derivation of the
word "Antilles."

3 This book was published at Rotterdam: other early writers refer to it as
being the work of C. Cesar de Rochefort.

Vol. XXII
1905

Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 273

UAra Rouge, ? D'Aibentox, PI. Enl. 12. — Brisson, Orn., IV, p. 1S3
(1760) (part).

The Red and Blue Maccaiv (part) Edwards, Birds, IV, p. 15S (1751). —
Latham, Gen. Hist. Birds, II, p. 102 (1S22).1

NESTING HABITS OF BIRDS IN MISSISSIPPI.

BY CHARLES R. STOCKARD.

(Concluded from p. sjS.)

The following observations complete a summary appearing
in this journal of the nesting habits of birds recorded by the
writer in Mississippi from 1895 to 1903 inclusive. As stated in
the introduction to the former article, no attempt is made to enter
into the details of nest building and such matters as are commonly
known. Only the important facts regarding nesting seasons,
places, and peculiarities are stated, these being of general interest
coming from a locality hitherto not specially observed.

45. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay (concluded). — The outside of the
Jay's nest is composed of coarse sticks and above these is then daubed
and plastered a thick coat of mud ; here the work seems to stop for sev-
eral days, apparently to allow the mud to dry and harden more advan-
tageously than it would if immediately covered with the lining of fibrous
roots which is to be later added. In many cases cloth, paper, strings,
leaves, etc., enter into the composition of the nest. One was found with
no lining whatever, the eggs being deposited on the hard mud floor.

The sets taken early in the season contained almost invariably five eggs
while those observed near the close of the laying time, about the last of
May, consisted of only four. Whether these late sets were second lay-
ings of the season or not I am unable to state, but in some instances such
was apparently not the case. The Blue Jay's earliest set was found March
29, 1899, and the latest June 5, 1897.

46. Corvus americanus. American Crow. — The Crow is common
throughout the State and detested by most farmers as a corn consumer.

1 The references to Latham's ' Index ' and ' Synopsis ' are given in this
book.

274 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. \ A^k

A total of forty-two nests were visited, all situated in pine trees with the
exception of two that were in large water oaks and one in a hickory. In
each case the nest tree was in dense foliage with the one exception of
that in the hickory, which was utterly bare, and the nest was fully
exposed to view on three of its sides. One nest was only twelve feet up
in the forks of a dwarfed pine, while another was about seventy feet from
the ground in a large water oak, the average distance from the ground
being about forty feet. The nest tree always stood in more or less of a
wood, never out in a clearing. In the east central part of the State
nearly all nests contained five eggs, while in the southwest portion only
one set of five was taken, all others containing only four eggs. March
9, 1901, the earliest set was collected and the latest was found on April
22, 1900. The Crows generally became very noisy in the neighborhood
of the nest tree as soon as one had well started on his climb, so that the
observer felt almost certain about the condition of the nest that he was
struggling to reach.

47. Agelaius phceniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. — This was by far
the most plentiful blackbird of the marshes, and often nested in consid-
erable colonies. A small marsh in Lowndes County was found to con-
tain on May 30, 1896, forty-seven occupied nests of these birds. The
marsh was not visited again for three years; then only nineteen nests of
the season were found. This falling off in numbers was probably due to
the fact that the fields near the marsh were now under cultivation, and
that the farmers tried to destroy these birds, which are very fond of corn
and are often industrious enough to scratch it up shortly after it has been
planted. In the spring of 1901 eleven nests of the Red-wing were found
in a peach orchard which was located one mile from the Mississippi
River, but the ground was dry and not at all marshy. I never saw the
nest actually placed on the ground but have found several only a foot
from it, and have visited others twenty-five feet up, but they were gener-
ally situated about six or eight feet high in small shrubs or bushes. The
nests were plaited in between the prongs of vertical forks or fastened to
the stalks of several reeds growing close together. The set generally
contained four eggs, though in many cases it consisted of only three.
Their nesting time was rather late in the season, the limiting dates noted
being May 12 and June 27 ; the height of the breeding time was about
June 1.

48. Sturnella magna. Meadowlark. — The pleasant call of this bird
is the most familiar note of many fields and pastures. Its nest is placed
in a slight depression on the ground near the base of a small bush or tuft
of sedge or other grass. The nest is as a rule arched over the top in
oven-bird fashion, but is again sometimes almost roofless. The female is
usually found at home and will allow one to approach within a few feet
before she is flushed, then she flutters and staggers off as if utterly unable
to fly, as was noted above in reference to the Mourning Dove, Killdeer,
Chuckwill's-widow, and is a common trick of many smaller birds that

Vol. XXII
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Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 27^

nest on the ground. No doubt this serves them well in drawing off other
animal intruders from their eggs and young. I have seen an untrained
dog follow a bird for many yards snapping at her every few paces until
she was a safe distance from her nest when she arose and flew swiftly
away to a perch from which she might watch results. The pursuer was
so dismayed at her ability to escape that he would rarely turn to go back
in the direction of the nest, and it was highly probable that in his intense
interest in the chase the nest was entirely overlooked. The extreme dates
of noting these eggs were April 29, 189S, and June 7, 1S96.

49. Icterus spurius. Orchard Oriole. — This species was rather
abundant in all parts of Mississippi while the following one, galbula, was
locally distributed. The cup-shaped nest of spurius is easily found in
orchard trees as well as in the trees along roadsides and in many groves.
Though the nest is not quite so deep as that of the Baltimore it is just as
artistically constructed yet not so gracefully swung. The grass forming
the outer nest wall is in some cases a rich golden while in others it has a
decided greenish tinge, giving in each instance a neat new appearance.
On May 17, 1900, a set of seven eggs of this species was taken, which is
larger than any other set that the writer has seen recorded for this bird.
The earliest full set was found May 4, 1899, and the latest on June S,
1900. Most sets contained five eggs but six was not uncommon. Finally
mention should be made of two nests that were extremely interesting in
their uniqueness. In both cases these nests were completely hidden and
tucked away in large masses of Spanish moss which swung from the
limbs of live oak trees. The birds had worked their way into the moss
and constructed their nest, using, however, the ordinary building material
and not the moss which served only to conceal and suspend their home.
These nests were very attractive pieces of bird work.

50. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. — The distribution of this
bird was rather remarkable ; in many counties it was not seen at all,
while in other parts of the State it was as plentiful as the Orchard Oriole.
Adams County was more highly favored by its presence than any other
section closely observed. 1 found near Natchez as many as four occupied
nests in a single oak tree. The nests were either tied or plaited to the
prongs or forks with cotton cord or various strings, and when these
seemed not available grass blades and stems served equally as well. The
sets were generally composed of five eggs and were all collected during
the month of May.

51. Quiscalus quiscula. Purple Grackle. — These grackles were
found nesting in the treesof small marshes and also in the large oaks
and gums of hill sides. They nested more or less in company and no
nest was found situated alone. Several nests were often placed in the
same tree. In the Lowndes County marsh mentioned in connection with
the Red-winged Blackbirds this grackle also nested in large numbers.
Their nests were placed overhead in the gum and willow trees while the
Redwings occupied the bushes below. On May 30, 1896, in this marsh

2^6 Stockard, Nesting Habit* of Mississippi Birds. ftu^

fourteen occupied nests of the grackle were found. In Oktibbeha County
was a low hill-top on which stood about ten large gum trees, and the Pur-
ple Crackles built in these each season. Most sets contained five eggs but
four was not an uncommon complement. The earliest set was noted May
3, 1S96, and the latest June 6, 1899.

52. Quiscalus major. Boat-tailed Grackle. — These birds were
rarely seen, but on one occasion a marsh was visited in which they
nested, though it was too late for their laying season, the date being June
21. The newly fledged young were fluttering about and many of the
adults were flying nervously from tree to tree.1

53. Passer domesticus. English Sparrow. — As in almost all parts
of the country this sparrow is truly a nuisance in Mississippi. No one
after observing can doubt the fact that these pests are driving many
native birds into the background. They have taken possession of many
martin houses, bluebird and woodpeckers' nests, as well as every other
available cavity they can find. They nest under the eaves of houses and
in the vines clinging to the walls of buildings. Thus some buildings with
vine-covered walls have at times become almost uninhabitable on account
of the bird lice that wander all through the house from the nests in the
vines. There was a church in Columbus the walls of which were com-
pletely covered with ivy and the ivy was almost as completely filled with
sparrows' nests. Permission was obtained to raid this colony and in one
day four hundred and fifty-nine eggs were taken and about seven hundred
young sparrows were killed. The mass of hay and trash used in build-
ing these nests was astonishing; it at least can never be held against the
sparrow that she is too lazy to carry nest material unless on account of
their compound nests mentioned below. Several compound nests were
found, one a large ball of hay with three small openings each leading to a
separate feather-lined chamber containing a set of eggs. Single nests
were also seen containing a brood of feathered young and a set of slightly
incubated eggs, which were probably warmed by the young, but of course
this cannot be positively stated. In Mississippi these birds nest during
almost the entire year, but no exact data were obtained as to the total
number of sets produced bv a single pair within twelve months.

54. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — This sparrow was rather
common along the edges of sparse woods and in young pine brakes. All
nests found were hidden in the thick foliage of young pines from four to
fifteen feet above the ground. A number of pairs were accustomed to
nest year after year in the same young pine brake. May 7 the earliest set
was taken, and sets were seen as late as June 10.

55. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow. — These birds select various

1 Since this paper was sent to the printer I have found three large colonies
of Boat-tailed Grackles nesting in Washington County. They began laying
April 28, and all the sets contained five eggs each.

Vol. XXII

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Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 277

sites for nesting such as blackberry vines, low hawthorn bushes, and often
the nest is tucked down into a tussock of sedge grass. The sparrows
are common in the fields, along the edges of woods, and among the
bushes bordering roadsides. A large number of sets were observed,
most of them consisting of four eggs but many had only three. For so
small a species their nesting season began rather early, eggs being found
on April 14, 1900, and the latest were seen on May 21, 1896.

56. Peucaea aestivalis bachmanii. Bachmax's Sparrow. — Onlv one
nest of this sparrow was found. The birds were very rare, being seldom
seen. The one nest was built over a slight depression on the ground
close beside a small bunch of weeds, and composed of dead grass blades
and stems. It was totally roofed over and the eggs could only be seen bv
slightly stooping so as to look back under the roof where they lav upon
the nest bottom of grass. The location was near a brake of mixed pine
and oaks. The date of finding was May 14, 1896, and the nest contained
four fresh eggs.

57. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee. — The Towhee is common in
most of the small brakes and woods and its strong note is a familiar
sound through the entire year. All the nests were placed in low thick
bushes or vines, usually two or three feet from the ground ; none were
seen directly on the ground. They lay during the month of May and
comparatively fresh sets were taken June 6, 1S99, and June 3, 1902. There
were always three eggs in the set.

58. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. — The ' Redbird,' as it is gener-
ally termed through the Gulf States, was common everywhere, and so
familiar has it become that the nest is often placed in the vines that shade
the galleries and arch the entrances of houses. They were found nesting
in rose bushes and vines of the flower gardens, and in orchards their nest
was a common sight. When, on the other hand, they were found in the
deep woods and the thickest canebrakes, they were very shy and would
flit off of the nest sometime before the disturber came close to it, flying
away to a safe distance and uttering their twitter at intervals until danger
was past. Three eggs almost invariably constituted the set in this sec-
tion ; in the many seen only two or three contained four eggs. The
Cardinal was an early nester, beginning about the tenth of April and
fresh eggs are rarely taken after May 20. Some eggs were scarcely spot-
ted at all while some were covered almost entirely by large light chocolate
blotches. In sets of three eggs two were usually lightly marked while
the third was so heavily spotted that it resembled its set mates only in
size. In one set of four that I have all the eggs are similarly marked.

59. Guiraca caerulea. Blue Grosbeak. — This very interesting spe-
cies was by no means a stranger in Mississippi, nor was it very common
in many portions. The earliest set was found on May 9, and the latest
on June 1. Several sets were found, all consisting of four eggs each.

In connection with this bird the following interesting and peculinr
observation was made. — May 18, 1895, a nest containing four fresh eggs

278

fAuk

Stock ard, Nesting- Habits of Mississippi Birds. j u.

was found in the bushes that bordered a country road in Lowndes
County. This road was used in the fall and winter for hauling cotton
and some of the lint remained tangled in the bushes throughout the year.
The nest was placed three and one half feet from the ground in a crotch
of a small gum bush, and the outer part of it was cotton giving the whole
much the appearance of a ball of lint caught in the branches. This nest
and set of four eggs were taken. Two weeks later, June 1, on chancing
to pass along the same road and glancing toward the former nest bush a
second nest was seen. This was exceedingly like the other, its outer part
being of cotton, and was placed in the identical crotch from which the
first had been removed. On approaching it was found also to contain
four fresh Blue Grosbeak's eggs. This was rather quick work, building
a nest and laying four eggs within fourteen days. These birds are not
very common in this section and it looks highly improbable that two
pairs would have selected the same fork of a bush during one season.
Presuming that one pair built both nests, which seems to be the case,
this is a most marked illustration of the lack of ability to select another
site when one proves so unfavorable. Considering the promptness with
which the nest was replaced evidently no attempt was made to choose
another suitable bush from the many close at hand.

60. Passerina cyanea. Indigo Bunting. — This bunting was not a
common bird, but it was often seen perched on the tops of bushes or the
tip of a weed where it uttered its pleasant warble, more frequently about
middav. The nests were found in low bushes and blackberry vines near
the edges of fields, but were also found in dense cane thickets, in which
locality the foundation of the nest was made entirely of cane leaves.
The nest was placed only a few feet from the ground. The sets usually
contained three eggs, rarely four. The earliest noted set was May 6,
1S97, and the latest June 9, 1900.

61. Passerina ciris. Painted Bunting. — In only one county of the
State was this bunting seen.1 In Claiborne County they were plentiful,
though I did not have an opportunity to observe their nests. Directly
across the river in Louisiana they were common almost everywhere and
nests were easily found. The male was often caged and known by the
foolish name ' pop.1

62. Spiza americana. Dickcissel. — The Black-throated Bunting, as
this bird is also called, was commonly seen. The nests were occasionally
found though only two were recorded before the spring of 1900. That
spring a large field was located that had been planted in vetch the pre-
vious fall and by the first of May a long luxuriant growth completely
covered the land. This arrangement evidently appealed strongly to the
Dickcissels, for late in April they could be seen in all parts of the field,

1 1 have since found the Painted Bunting rather common in Washington
County.

Vol. XXI
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'I Stockard, Nesti?ig Habits of Mississippi Birds. 279

and thev were singing during most of the day from the rails of the fence
that surrounded it. I had collected in this district during the four pre-
vious seasons and had never observed one fourth as many of these birds
in all as were now to be seen in this single field. How had they located
the place and from where had they come ? During the month of May
fourteen nests were found and at least as many more could probably have
been located with careful searching. The nests were placed in clumps of
tangled vetch only a few inches above the ground. Eleven sets were com-
posed of five eggs each and three contained four each. They were col-
lected from May 9 to 23, 1900.

63. Piranga rubra. Summer Tanager. — These birds seem to have a
foolish fancy for building their nests on horizontal branches that over-
hang roadways. They were rather common and many nests were found
each season, fully half of which were placed in trees along the wayside.
The male was usually accommodating about leading the collector to his
mate's nest, and one with slight experience in observing his antics could
go almost directly to the nest tree. The observer finally felt that when-
ever he heard the male's call during the nesting season a Tanager's nest
was soon to be noted. They build a neat home of smooth contour and
always lined with a golden yellow grass straw or a similar greenish straw
giving to the concavity of the nest a very characteristic appearance ; the
common 'pepper grass' stems make a favorite material for the outer
layer. About one half of the sets contained four eggs while the others
contained only three. Some of these eggs are so similar in appearance
to those of some Mockingbirds that when a large number of the two
kinds are scattered together it is not an easy task to discriminate between
them. The earliest set was found April 28, 1S96, and the latest June 6,
1900.

64. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — No farm cabin is complete
without its martin-box or pole with several gourds strung near the top as
nesting places for these birds. They also come to the smaller towns,
though they are far less evident during the past several years, as the
English Sparrow has usurped most of their breeding places. The eggs
are generally deposited in May, and four or five compose the sets. A
rather neat nest of sticks and straw is constructed.

65. Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. — Along the perpendiculnr
banks of rivers and creeks, in railroad cuts, and in the cliff-like hill sides
many of these swallows were found digging their tunnels. They were
numerous along the banks of the Tombigbee River where dozens of holes
were often seen in a single cliff. They dig their own tunnels and in the
back of these their nest of sticks and straw was placed.1 May and the

1 On May 2 of this year I found a Bank Swallow's nest placed in a King-
fisher's deserted tunnel. The tunnel was six feet long, and three feet from
the entrance it made a bend of 45 degrees, and at this place the swallows had
placed their nest.

2 So Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. \P\\^

early part of June constituted the chief laying season, and the sets con-
sisted of four, five, and six eggs. One set of four eggs was taken April
21, 1S97, which was the earliest set noted.

66. Lanius ludovicianus. Loggerhead Shrike. — This species is
commonly termed 'Butcher-bird,' on account of its well-known murder-
ous reputation. The Shrike's favorite nesting places were orchard trees
or the hawthorn bushes of open pastures. The nest was comparatively
large and usually composed of a number of different materials but it was
almost invariably thickly lined with wool and feathers. The sets con-
tained either five or six eggs, the one number about as often as the other.
March 30, 1S9S, was the earliest date of observing a complete set, and
June 2, 1899, was the latest day on which eggs were found.

67. Vireo olivaceus. Red-eyed Vireo. — The Red eyed was the most
plentiful vireo observed, and was usually to be found in all small brakes
and woods. The pensile nest was swung from a small fork about ten
feet up, though one was situated sixty feet from the ground in the top-
most boughs of a gum tree. Three or four eggs constituted the sets.
The extreme dates of finding full sets were May 9, 1S97, and June 14,
1899. The birds were very shy when nesting. On leaving three partial
sets to be completed, after I had merely looked into the nests, all three
were deserted. Whenever an unfinished nest was molested in the slightest
way, it was abandoned.

68. Vireo gilvus. Warbling Vireo. — Only one nest of gilvus was
seen, and the birds were not at all abundant. The nest was suspended
from the prongs of a fork in a small oak sapling, and resembled very
closely that of the Red-eyed. It was eighteen feet from the ground and
contained a set of four fresh eggs on May 28, 1896.

69. Vireo noveboracensis. White-eyed Vireo. — This vireo was
almost as frequently seen as the Red-eyed. It confines itself, so far as
observed, to rather deep woodlands, only in exceptional cases being seen
along the roadsides. The nests were found in the low bushes that
formed the undergrowth of woods. This nest is never to be confused
with that of the Red-eyed by any one who has seen several of each ; it is
smaller in circumference, though deeper, and has a characteristic color,
being composed of special material. The nests were usually placed about
waist high. This vireo was also provokingly willing to abandon its home
and eggs ; whenever the nest was slightly disturbed it was very apt to be
deserted, though the bird was apparently not in the vicinity when the
offence was committed. Three eggs constituted the sets recorded and all
were taken during the month of May.

70. Seiurus aurocapillus. Oven-bird. — These birds were rare in
those portions of Mississippi in which I collected. Only two were seen
during the breeding season, though their call was occasionally heard.
On May 26, 1895, the only nest was taken. It was constructed of leaves,
grass, fibres, and straw, and was almost perfectly roofed over. This
structure was placed at the base of a tuft of vines and grass and contained

Vol. XXII
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Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 28 I

five fresh eggs. The site was a wooded valley near the foot of a hill in
Lowndes County.

71. Geothlypis trichas. Maryland Yellow-throat. — This was by
far the commonest of the few warblers found nesting in the State.
Almost every marshy stream had its Yellow-throats. In the tussocks of
grasses and rushes its nests were often seen. The nest of grass blades
and small straws was tucked down into the center of these tussocks or
placed on the ground at the base of such a clump. Many sets were
found, all consisting of four eggs, and some were beautifully lined while
others were speckled. April 28, 1S96, was the earliest date of finding a
nest, and in 1900 one was taken as late as May 26 containing a fresh set
of four.

72. Icteria virens. Yellow-breasted Chat. — Nests of this bird are
often found in the edges of sparse woods, along lake banks, and in the
bushes of groves. The birds build in blackberry vines or small heavily
leaved bushes, and the nest is composed of leaves and grass lined with
fine grass straw. All complete sets consisted of four eggs.

In 1900 I noted a very interesting feat on the part of this bird ; a simi-
lar performance was recorded above for the Blue Grosbeak. May 17 a
nest containing four fresh eggs of the Yellow-breasted Chat was found
in a hawthorn bush which stood near the edge of a small wood. The
nest and set were taken from the bush and added to my collection. On
May 26, only nine days later, strange as it may seem, while passing again
along this wood border and looking toward the bush that had favored me
on the 17th my surprise was to see a chat slide from her nest that now
occupied the identical spot from which the other had been removed.
This nest also contained a set of four fresh eggs, and it seems as certain
as anything could be under the conditions that the same female built both
nests and laid both sets. The eggs of the two sets when placed together
were indistinguishable, and most observers appreciate the fact that a
slight set difference exists among nearly all sets that are laid by different
females.

92. Mimus polyglottos. Mockingbird. — No farmyard, garden, or
meadow is complete without its pair of these master singers. The
Mockingbird is also present in the towns and villages. On summer
nights while the moon shines these birds seem to overflow with song, and
their vocal performances often continue through almost the entire night;
they may also be occasionally heard on perfectly dark nights.

In Mississippi the Mockingbird is sedentary, being present during the
entire year. They seem strongly inclined to remain near a nesting site
when it has been once chosen, and will often build year after year in the
same bush or vine, although none have been found to use a nest for the
second season. Six nests of the Mockingbird were once counted in a
single large hawthorn bush ; one of them contained eggs and the others
were in different degrees of dilapidation ; they were all probably the work
of a single pair. This bird will nest in the vines shading a door or win-

282 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. (~tulk

dow and does not seem to object to having its eggs and young closely
observed, provided they are not touched. Orchards and roadsides are
their favorite nesting places. The nest is rather large and often bulky,
the outer foundation consisting of coarse sticks ; it is lined with various
materials, such as moss, root fibres, etc. In 1902 a Mockingbird's nest
was found in a hollow of an old pine stump, the only nest observed in
such a place. Several nests were seen placed between the rails of fences
and in piles of dead brush.

On May 30, 1897, two nests were found which contained runt or dimin-
utive eggs; one held a single runt and three normal eggs while the other
contained three runts about one third the natural size and one normal
egg. These nests were in hawthorn bushes on the slope of a hill and
not more than twenty-five paces apart. This is singular, since so few runts
were seen among the great number of eggs observed.

While noting many Mockingbirds' nests the following happenings
were observed : — If a nest and eggs were removed the parents would
build another nest and deposit a second set of eggs, while on the other
hand, as was seen in several cases, if by some mishap one or several eggs
became broken in the nest the birds did not attempt to build or lay again
that season, though they remained in the immediate vicinity.

The sets consisted of four or five eggs, and a series of them presented
great differences in size, color, and markings. The earliest eggs were
seen April 20, 1S96, and the latest on June 24, 1S99.

74. Galeoscoptes carolinensis. Catbird. — The Catbird was found
more or less abundantly in most parts of the State ; some localities, how-
ever, seemed entirely without them. In the east central portion they
nest in the bushes bordering lakes, and the nests often overhang the
water. They also nested in gardens and orchards and at times very near
houses. The earliest complete set was noted on May 2, 1900, and the
latest on June 17, 1899. All sets contained four eggs.

75. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher. — This was one of the
commonest species observed. They were found in the bushes along the
edges of woods, in orchards and along the roadsides. The nests were
usually placed in low bushes and vines, but some were high up in trees,
and two were found on the ground under the edges of small brush piles.
April 21, 1900, the earliest set was noted and June 8, 1899, the latest
unhatched eggs were seen. A series of sets from this bird show great
variations in their ground color and markings. Four or five eggs
composed the sets. In the spring of 1897 a nest of the Mockingbird
containing two of its own eggs also contained one egg of the Brown
Thrasher.

76. Thryothorus ludovicianus. Carolina Wren. — More different
places were selected by this bird for nesting sites than by any other
observed. Nests were noted in tin cans placed under the eaves of sheds,
in the eaves of well-houses, between the logs of cotton houses, in the hol-
lows of low stumps, on the timbers under country bridges, between the

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Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. 283

logs and weatherboarding of cabins, and strangest of all in the seat of an
old pair of hunting trousers that hung on the wall of a farmhouse gal-
lery. The nest was also found in brush piles. The birds -were very con-
spicuous on account of their loud song, but the nest was often difficult to
locate even when one was sure of its approximate position. These birds
will often lay as many as three sets during one season, and they usually
rear two broods within the summer. They are commonly termed in this
section ' House Wren,' but of course are not confounded with the true
House Wren. April 17 and June iS are the extreme dates of observing
sets. The set number was almost always five, rarely six.

77. Sitta pusilla. Brown-headed Nuthatch. — In the old pine dead-
enings of Adams County this small bird was found nesting in consider-
able numbers. They dug their own burrow but it was a badly botched
affair, nothing about it suggesting the even smoothness of a woodpeck-
er's hollow. The Nuthatch makes a small entrance through the bark
of a dead snag, then usually, rather than burrow into the stump itself,
they scooped out an irregular cavity by removing the soft wood that
generally lies just under the bark. This burrow ran a crooked course
but generally extended ten or fifteen inches below the entrance. In this
cavity they placed a nest of soft fibers, moss, feathers, cotton, and wool.
The burrows were usually only a few feet from the ground but one was
found twelve feet up. The nests were best located by pulling the bark
from pine stumps in a deadening where the birds were seen to be plenti-
ful, unless one chanced to see them building or entering their burrow.
On one occasion when the bark was pulled away exposing a nest while
the female sat upon it, she could not be made to leave until pushed off
with my finger.

These tiny birds are early layers, nesting at the time when the hawks,
owls, and crows do. March 17, 1902, the earliest set was taken and the
latest eggs were found on April 19. Sets consisted of five eggs.

78. Parus bicolor. Tufted Titmouse. — Around the edges of woods,
in deadenings, and often in groves the Tufted Titmouse was a common
bird. The nests were found in natural cavities and in the deserted bur-
rows of woodpeckers. This species, the Brown-headed Nuthatch, and
Carolina Chickadee were often found nesting in the same vicinity, prob-
ably because they all select similar trees and stumps as homes. In the
nest building of the Titmouse were used such materials as leaves, moss,
fibrous bark, feathers and hair. The sets were composed of five and six
eggs. On April 20, 1901, the earliest set was taken, and May 22, 1903,
was the latest date on which eggs were found.

79. Parus carolinensis. Carolina Chickadee. — This bird nested in
natural cavities and in the burrows of the smaller woodpeckers. The
favorite sites were old fence posts which so often contain hollows. By
walking along a line of posts in the country districts one seldom fails to
find a Chickadee's nest. They also nested in deadenings where hollows
were plentiful. All of the nests were composed partly of green moss,

284 Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds. \_fuU

other ingredients being feathers, cotton, wool, and fibers. Most sets
contained five eggs but six were not uncommon, and Mr. R. P. Gillespie
took a set in Oktibbeha County that contained nine, — these are now in a
collection at the State Agricultural College. Most eggs were found
during the month of April, and after the first of May nearly all nests
contained young.

80. Polioptila caerulea. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — Although this
bird was often seen in most woods only two of its nests were found.
The nests were composed of sycamore fuzz and other plant down, some
hair, and small feathers as lining, while the outer part was almost com-
pletely covered with lichens so as to resemble very closely a mossy tree
knot. The first nest was taken May 16, 1897, from an old honey locust
tree near the edge of a wood. The second nest was found May 9, 1902, in
another locust tree which was located in a small grove seventy yards
from a college dormitory. Both sets contained four eggs.

81. Turdus mustelinus. Wood Thrush. — This handsome thrush
was found rather abundantly in most low woodlands as well as in the
yards of the towns. The nests were found placed on horizontal
branches, often a considerable distance from the tree trunk. The outer
wall of the nest was composed of sticks and leaves, which were plastered
inside with a heavy layer of mud, the mud was then covered with fine
fibrous roots as a nest lining, but these were often so thinly laid on that
the mud was visible over almost the entire nest floor. Some sets had
three eggs and others four. May 4. 1900, was the earliest set date and
May 27, 1897, was the latest; most sets were taken about May 10.

82. Merula migratoria. American Robix. — I have never observed
this bird in Mississippi during the breeding season, though a collector
in the northern part of the State once showed me a set of four Robin's
eggs that he claimed to have collected in the county that year.

83. Sialia sialis Bluebird. — Bluebirds were found nesting in many
kinds of cavities ; the strangest nesting site observed was the hollow iron
coupling of a flat car which stood for many weeks on a side track. The
old style link and pin couple had a long hollow iron neck and back ; in
this neck a Bluebird had built its nest and deposited a set of five eggs.
These birds lay several sets during the season if their eggs are taken
away, and will often complete the set if the eggs are removed one by one.
Sets of pure white eggs were observed on two occasions. On March 29,
1902, the earliest sets were taken and June 3, 1896, was the latest, this
being a second set of the season. The number of eggs laid was either
four or five.

The notes recorded above, with those which appeared under a
similar title in the April number of this journal, may be conven-
iently summarized in the table below. The full meaning of the
columns is to be understood as follows : The number refers to

Vol. XXII
'905

Stockard, Nesting Habits' of Mississippi Birds. zSZ

the number placed before the name of the same species in the
above articles; the species is given by the common name; under
occurrence three terms are used : common — indicating that the
bird was abundant and readily found ; casual — birds not popu-
larly known though not really rare; rare — birds that were seldom
seen and few nests found ; under nest location will be given the
general character of the vicinity in which the nests were usua41y
built ; earliest date indicates the earliest date of the season on
which I recorded nests of the given species ; latest date the other
extreme date ; maximum date means the season during which
most eggs of the species were to be found ; number of nests is self-
explanatory, but I may add that in several cases of the common
species this number does not represent all the nests seen but only
those specially observed.

2 86

Stockard, Nesting Habits of Mississippi Birds.

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Vol. XXII"| Kopman, Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. 280

WARBLER MIGRATION IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI.

BY H. H. KOPMAN.

As applied to the conditions of bird migration in this vicinity,
some of the deductions and generalizations made by Professor
Cooke in his extremely interesting and instructive report on the
'Distribution and Migration of North American Warblers,'1 give
a slightly incorrect and incomplete view of the actual conditions of
warbler migration in southeastern Louisiana and the middle Gulf
coast of Mississippi. It should be said at the outset, however,
that the records from which Professor Cooke drew, contributed
by Andrew Allison and the writer, were circumscribed in many
instances, owing to our imperfect opportunities for observation.
It is not surprising, therefore, that in some cases our reports to
the Biological Survey have failed to convey to Professor Cooke
the real significance of the state of affairs to be exploited. The
reports were in the nature, chiefly, of a series of categorical an-
swers to categorical questions. It was unavoidable, therefore,
that in many instances, the part of Professor Cooke's book relat-
ing to this locality and section should fail as to a precise definition
of conditions.

Before taking up ad seriatim the species of warblers whose
status in the above mentioned districts Professor Cooke has not
made perfectly clear, I will touch upon two points of general appli-
cation. The first concerns a mistake that would be made by any-
one who had never visited this section of the country.

In the districts under consideration, there are two principal
points from which we sent the reports that Professor Cooke used.
One is Bay St. Louis, Miss., and the other is New Orleans. In
many cases what might be said of a species at New Orleans would
be true for that species at Bay St. Louis, for the latter point is
only fifty miles east of New Orleans, and less than half a degree
north. But on the other hand, assertions that fit some species at

1 Bulletin No. 18, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Biological
Survey, 1904.

29O Kopman, Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. [fal^

New Orleans are entirely inapplicable to the same birds as occur-
ring in the piney country about Bay St. Louis. Species that ar-
rive in numbers and with regularity at both places in spring and
fall arrive at practically identical times, but there is a consider-
able number of birds which will be found in important numbers
at one of these points at one season and not be found at the
other. And this difference is of much more significance than
might seem at first. New Orleans is on a rather low, alluvial
plain, a country in large part swampy, with few characteristic tree
growths except the water oak, the live oak, the tupelo gum, and
the bald cypress. Bay St. Louis, on the other hand, is about fif-
teen miles east of the western limit of the piney belt in its coast-
ward extension (the delta and immediate valley deposit of the
Mississippi covering the lands about New Orleans that otherwise
would be pine-bearing). Bay St. Louis, moreover, is on rather
high ground, completely of white sand and red and yellow clay
formations, and has a highly characteristic tree and shrub flora,
of which the pines are most conspicuous. It can be seen, there-
fore, that many important distinctions in the avifauna are to be
found when we compare the two districts. Some birds that
migrate with regularity through the country about Bay St. Louis
in spring, put in an appearance at New Orleans only occasionally,
and vice versa. In the present instance, the trouble is that by far
the larger part of the data have come from New Orleans, and the
Bay St. Louis data, especially in regard to spring, have been used
to supplement our reports for the New Orleans district. But the
story of the migrations told us by the New Orleans records, is
much more than supplemented, in many cases, by the observa-
tions made on the Mississippi coast. There are things brought
out in the records from that district which we should never have
discovered from the returns at New Orleans. In other words, the
Bay St. Louis district is part of a distinct faunal area, and in its
bearings to migration as well as to every other phase of bird-life,
should be treated as such.1

1 Some of the differences between the avifauna of the fertile alluvial of
southeast Louisiana and that of the pine districts to the north and east in
Louisiana and Mississippi were pointed out by me in an article in ' The Gulf
Fauna and Flora Bulletin,' Vol. I, No. 2.

Volj^XII"l Kopman, Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. 2QI

The second point, and it is a matter upon which much differ-
ence of opinion might readily exist, concerns Professor Cooke's
method of finding the average date of first arrival in spring. To
add the number of days intervening each year between the first
of the month in which the earliest record falls and the day of
arrival for the year in question, and then to divide by the number
of records, may be the best method to find the average date of
arrival where the seasons are very consistent and regular ; but in
a region where there is occasionally a peculiarly abnormal year,
the use of the record for such years vitiates the determination of
the normal or typical time of arrival. Again, this is a matter that
can be settled for any one region only by those who are on the
ground all the time, and can use judgment in selection. The
very late dates occasioned by late blizzards have been used by
Professor Cooke in finding the average dates of arrival for this
latitude. The records themselves do not in every case reflect the
true state of affairs for certain seasons, because opportunities for
observation in some of such years were limited, and the best date
obtained was sent, though it might be known to be a late date.
The necessary notes to that effect, it is true, were not appended
in all cases. These circumstances aside, however, in this latitude
at least, the average date of arrival in spring is the average of all
records for normal seasons, though this statement applies better
of course to the early part of the season, since a season rapidly
catches up time once it has a good headway. It should be added
that it would be as much of a mistake to include the date of
arrival for one of our extremely forward springs as the date in
a spring delayed by a blizzard. Including both extremes, one
might expect to come reasonably near the practical rather than
the ideal average, but in one case at least, that of the Hooded
Warbler, Professor Cooke's method carries us considerably astray.
The date upon which the Hooded Warbler appears most likely to
arrive in a normal season is March 12. Professor Cooke, how-
ever, using the records available to him, determines the average
date of arrival at New Orleans to be March 25. If one had a
very full and trustworthy record, would not the best method, after
all, be to settle upon that date which occurs most frequently ? In
the case of many species there would certainly be such a date.

2Q2 Kopman, Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. \ t"\

This seems a more natural method than striking an ideal average
date upon which the species may never have arrived !

i. Black-and-white Warbler. — Professor Cooke calls atten-
tion to the lateness of the spring arrival of this species in south-
ern Louisiana, where it is common only in fall. It is much
commoner in spring at Bay St. Louis, and doubtless usually
arrives there about March 20, the date on which Professor Cooke
would expect to find it. We have but one complete spring
record from Bay St. Louis; this is for the year 1902, and shows
that the first Black-and-white Warbler came March 15, the next
March 24, while the bulk of transients arrived April 10. The
birds seen at New Orleans usually belong to the last designation,
and that is the reason the arrival at New Orleans nearly always
seems so much delayed, if it is detected at all. Professor Cooke
thinks that the reason the Black-and-white Warbler usually delays
its uncertain appearance at New Orleans is because the first
migrants seek higher ground. The early arrival of the species on
the coast of Mississippi shows, however, that this is only partly
true ; the difference in the character of the growth appears to
explain the phenomenon, though, of course, this difference is
partly associated with the altitude. Moreover, the Black-and-
White Warbler was observed at New Orleans, Mar. 19 and 20,
1905.

2. Prothonotary Warbler. — Professor Cooke gives the
average date of arrival at New Orleans as March 18. This is
about as near the truth as one can come. It might be said that in
normal seasons they would always be found by March 20. and not
infrequently from one to three days earlier. In fact, there is a
record of March 13, another of March 15, while twice the first has
arrived March 19.

3. Swainson's Warbler. — Since the publication of Professor
Cooke's book, we have established Louisiana records consider-
ably earlier than any available to him when he was at work on his
report. April 1, 1904, we heard about four in Jefferson Parish,
opposite New Orleans, in a cane brake in thick, moist woodland
where the species had been observed in April during several
springs. On this occasion we took a specimen ; several other
specimens had been taken previously. It is not unlikely that the

Vol. XXin KOPMAN Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. 2Q3

1905 J ° SO

birds seen April i had arrived with a general wave on March 30.
and I observed the first, a single bird, on the latter date in 1905.
So far we have been unable to prove more than the fact that
Swainson's Warbler is a regular transient in these woods, where
we have seen it every spring we have looked for it since it was
discovered there by A. B. Blakemore, April 11, 1896.

4. Worm-eating Warbler. — At New Orleans this species is
decidedly rare, especially in spring. It is more common at points
in the pinewoods north and east. Professor Cooke's quotations
from our records apply chiefly to Covington and Bay St. Louis.

5. Bachman's Warbler.— In addition to the records cited,
Andrew Allison saw one at Lobdell. West Baton Rouge Parish,
La., May 9, 1903.

6. Tennessee Warbler. — Our later records throw some little
light upon the spring migration of this bird through southern
Louisiana and Mississippi. In a small lot of warblers sent
Andrew Allison, in the spring of 1902, from the lighthouse on
Chandeleur Island, off the southeast coast of Louisiana, was a
Tennessee Warbler that had struck the lighthouse April 13. While
I had some dubious records of the occurrence of the Tennessee
Warbler at New Orleans in the early part of April, it was not until
1903 that I saw the species, in spring, and then in some numbers,
singing, and loitering to a degree that surprised me, for the first
of these transients appeared April 26, and the last was noted May
9. They were restricted almost to one spot, a thicket of willows
beside a pond in the suburbs of New Orleans. I observed others
the latter part of April, 1905.

I once saw a specimen of a Tennessee Warbler that had been
taken by H. W. Pring, in St. James Parish, fifty miles west of New
Orleans, in March, but the exact date could not be supplied. The
bird was killed probably about the 20th.

7. Parula Warbler. — It is deduced from the records fur-
nished that the average date of arrival in spring is March 5, and
the average time of first abundance is March 14. Practical
experience here, however, suggests that the state of affairs would
be slightly better indicated by approximating these two dates.
One may always be fairly sure of seeing the first Parula at New
Orleans March 7, while the species is usually abundant within
three or four days.

294 K.OPMAN, Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. Th"/4

8. Yellow Warbler. — There is undoubtedly a very restricted
spring movement of this species, earlier than that which the
majority of our records show. Dates of arrival as early as April
i are rare, April 6, as Professor Cooke shows, being the average
date when the first bird has been seen. However, in 1904, in the
course of a twenty mile trip, March 30, I came across a single
Yellow Warbler. Passing the same way the first of April, I found
the bird still there. Ordinarily, one thinks to have done well in
seeing this species at New Orleans or anywhere in that neighbor-
hood, by April 3 or 4.1

9. Black-throated Green Warbler. — Professor Cooke is
inclined to think that a specimen of this bird taken at Beauvoir,
Miss., July 30, 1897, was an individual that had gone astray, and
all the evidence of the fall migration of the species elsewhere sup-
ports his view. I am inclined to think, however, that parallel
cases could be found, for while I positively recorded but one indi-
vidual on the date mentioned, shooting that bird, which was an
immature male, I saw several other birds that seemed to be of the
same species. Furthermore, about July 23, 1896, in Madison
Parish, northeastern Louisiana, I saw some birds that I feel well
assured were Black-throated Green Warblers, but circumstances
prevented a chance for either critical observation or identification
by shooting. While the fall migration of the Black-throated
Green Warbler appears to be much later, on the whole, than that
of the Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Cerulean, etc., I believe op-
portunities for further investigation of early migration on the
Gulf coast might justify the belief that the Black-throated Green
Warbler shares to a considerable extent in this early southward
migration.

1 It might be added here that what has been said of the Yellow Warbler
applies to a large number of birds migrating through southeast Louisiana, or
appearing there even as summer visitors. So often the first record of a bird,
even after one has covered much territory, will be of a single individual,
instead of the three or four, at least, that one might have expected to find.
While this feature could hardly be called characteristic of this region, it is
very noticeable, and because of it, a peculiar difficulty attaches to the collec-
tion of rrugration data here. It may be partly explained by the sameness of
the country, so that the first arrivals are widely dispersed instead of being con-
gested in some favorite localities.

Vol. XX
1905

n~] KOPMAN, Warbler Migration in La. and Miss. -95

10. Prairie Warbler. — Although the name of this species
appears but a few times in our records, a fact noted by Professor
Cooke, this was because it was observed only occasionally as an
early migrant on the Mississippi coast, July 22, 1902, at Bay St.
Louis, and July 28, 1897, at Beauvoir. Later in the summer, it
has been seen on various occasions, and is by no means rare in
the pine woods of southern Mississippi.

11. Louisiana Water-thrush. — The records from this region
available to Professor Cooke contained no instance of early
arrival of this species in southern Louisiana, but March 19, 1904,
I saw a single bird. This record makes it easier to understand
the early arrival of the species at St. Louis, where Mr. Widmann
has found it by March 29. Even so, our best date seems very
late.

12. Yellow-breasted Chat. — While I was formerly inclined
to agree with the opinion of Professor Beyer, quoted by Professor
Cooke, that the Chat never reaches our district before the middle
of April, having more recently seen the bird as early as April 11
(1903), I am inclined to think that in forward seasons at least, it
is not so late a migrant as we had supposed.

13. Hooded Warbler. — As before noted, the deductions
made in regard to the arrival of the Hooded Warbler at New
Orleans are considerably astray. March 12 is a normal time of
arrival, and by March 25 it is nearly always abundant. The
reason Professor Cooke has misunderstood the New Orleans
records relating to this species is that some of them were for
blizzard seasons, while others were made in seasons when oppor-
tunities for observation were limited. There is this, however, to
be noted of the arrival of the Hooded Warbler in this section,
that it comes much earlier at New Orleans and in identical coun-
try of southeast Louisiana, than at points in the pine woods or
in some of the higher alluvial lands west of New Orleans, in other
words, further up the river. This is no doubt because the species
is so highly typical of the extremely low and wet alluvial lands of
the southeastern corner of the State, and the legion breeding birds
come to their stands there before the transients and smaller num-
ber of breeding birds have arrived at the higher lands. This is
just the reverse of the case of the Black-and-white Warbler, for

296 Cooke, Winter Ranges of Warblers. [A"k

the earliest birds of that species, transients in our latitude, pass
hurriedly, and stop only in such kinds of country as most resemble
their ultimate destination. In other words, as a general rule, their
occurrence in the State in spring becomes extended from the
higher lands to the lower as the season advances.

THE WINTER RANGES OF THE WARBLERS
(MNIOTILTID^E).

BY W. W. COOKE.

Many expert ornithologists have spent a great deal of time and
care in working out the breeding range of each species of North
American birds. No comparable effort has been bestowed on the
question of the winter home, and as a result many loose state-
ments are current in ornithological literature. There seems to be
a tendency to consider any record south of the United States as a
wintering record, whereas quite a number of species pass in
migration through the West Indies or Central America to winter
in South America.

The following tables show at a glance what part of the district
south of the United States is occupied as a winter home and what
is crossed in migration. It might be added that the charts are
not designed to show anything with reference to the breeding
range of any of these species; so that the statement, for instance,
that Protonotaria citrea occurs in migration in the southeastern
United States is not to be taken as indicating that it does not
breed in that same 'district.

The tables are condensed from the Bulletin on the ' Distribu-
tion and Migration of North American Warblers ' recently issued
by the Biological Survey.

Vol. XXII"
'9°5

Cooke, Winter Ranges of Warblers.

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^OO Thayer, Purchase of Great Auk. P^

THE PURCHASE OE A GREAT AUK FOR THE
THAYER MUSEUM AT LANCASTER, MASS.

BY JOHN E. THAYER.

{Plates XIII and XIV. )

Through Mr. Rowland Ward of London I have had the good
fortune to purchase a Great Auk (Plantus impennis) and three
eggs. The following is an account of the bird and eggs.

Mounted Bird.

This specimen was bought for Viscount Hill's Hawkstone col-
lection in 1838 from Gould, the Naturalist, and was first men-
tioned by the late Mr. R. Champley of Scarborough in the
'Annals and Magazines of Natural History,' 1864, Vol. XIV,
page 235. The Hawkstone collection was sold to Mr. Beville
Stanier, who has a collection of birds of his District. A Great
Auk not consistently belonging to a local collection, he decided to
sell it and it was purchased through Rowland Ward of London
for the Thayer Museum.

The following is taken from the Hawkstone catalogue, — " This
Bird was re-set up by H. Shaw in 1867, and is supposed to be the
best specimen in existence." *

The Three Eggs.

These eggs came from the collection of Mr. Robert Champley
of Scarborough, England. He had nine Great Auk eggs, which
were acquired by him in 1864 and a few years preceding that
date.

Three of these came from the Royal College of Surgeons.
London. Two of these eggs, No. 7 and 8, are the ones I bought.
My other egg, Mr. Champley bought in Paris.

1 It would be better to say "one of the best " instead of " best," although
it really is a magnificent specimen.

Vol.XXIIl Thayer, Purchase of Great Auk. 3OI

In Symington Grieve's book, ' The Great Auk or Garefowl. Its
History, Archaeology and Remains,' there appears the following :
"On the nth of July, 1865, there was sold at Steven's Sale
Rooms, London, four Great Auk eggs, that were part of the splen-
did set of ten eggs discovered in the Museum of the Royal
College of Surgeons. The prices they fetched were 33^, 31 £—
38 s, and two 29^ each." As it may be interesting for our
readers to have some further information about these eggs, we
may state, that in a footnote on page 483 of 'The Garefowl and
its Historians' (Nat. Hist. Review, 1865), Professor A. Newton
mentions that a few years prior to that time there was found in
the Royal College of Surgeons, London, by the late Curator, Mr.
Stewart, a box with the words, " Penquin Eggs — Dr. Dick." Of
when or how they came into possession of the establishment there
was no record.

The box contained ten matchless Great Auk eggs, which were
recognized by Professor A. Newton, and from the name Penquin
being on the box he supposed them to be of American origin.

The collection appears to have been unique and unrivalled, and
to all interested in such remains invaluable for comparison. The
authorities of the Royal Museum were evidently unappreciative of
them, for it is stated that they disposed of some without even tak-
ing casts or photographs. From a letter which Mr. J. C. Stevens,
the Auctioneer, wrote to Mr. Champley, dated 14th of July, 1865,
we get the following information : Lot 140 sold for 2g£, Lot 141
for 33£- Lot :42 for 31^-10 s. Lot 143 for 29^.

In addition to the above four eggs of which we have given the
sale prices, three others from the same collection were sold pri-
vately to Mr. Champley.

Egg No. 6 (Plate XIV, lower figure) was bought from Mr. Ward
of London, who got it from Mr. Fairmaire, a dealer in Zoological
wares in Paris. Mr. Ward sold it to Mr. Champley. Size 4J
inches long, 3 inches broad. It has a ground color of dirty white,
beautifully marked all over with black and brown spots. In
Grieve's list of Great Auk's eggs this is No. 61 (see Grieve,
page 33, appendix).

Egg No. 7 (not figured) was bought through the agency of
Professor Flower from the Royal College of Surgeons by Mr.

■202 Bowdish, Ornithology of a Churchyard. Etuly

Champley. Size 4 J inches long and 3^ broad. Dark yellow mark-
ings, all at the thick end (Grieve, No. 63, page ^^, appendix).

Egg No. 8 (Plate XIV, upper figure) was bought from the same.
Size 4§ inches long and 2§ broad. Ground color dark yellow,
marked all over (Grieve, 65, page 34, appendix).

These eggs are all in good condition, but of course end blown
and the holes seem large in comparison to the way eggs are blown
to-day.

ORNITHOLOGY OF A CHURCHYARD.

BY B. S. BOWDISH.

Even under unpromising conditions, and in unexpected places,
there is often something for the bird-student to investigate. This
is illustrated by some surprising records from city parks, and even
from the smaller green spots, oases in the great desert of brick
and mortar.

As such a record I here submit for whatever it may be worth,
the results of observations in Saint Paul's Churchyard, New York
City, made mostly during intervals of a few moments at noon, and
occasionally in the morning, and covering the migration periods of
spring and fall of 1903, and spring of 1904.

Saint Paul's Church property is situated nearly midway between
the East and North Rivers, fronting east on Broadway, Church
Street at the rear, Vesey Street on the north side and Fulton
Street on the south, and it is thus in one of the busiest and noisi-
est sections of the city.

At the rear of the property, along Church Street, there is the
constant rumble and roar of the elevated railroad. This church
property is about 332 feet long by 177 feet wide, of which area
the church occupies a space about 78 by 120 feet at the Broadway
end, while at the Church Street end the Church School takes off
another slice about 30 feet wide. The space remaining consists
of the main yard at the rear of the church, between it and the

Vol. XX
' 1905

n~| Bowdish, Ornithology of a Churchyard. 3^3

school, and a wing on either side of the church, each about 120
feet long by 48 feet wide. A narrow walk completes the circuit
of the churchyard, about twenty feet from its outer edge. The
grounds contain three large, ten medium, and forty smaller trees,
not counting several that were being removed at the time of my
count, and a number of shrubs and flowers, grass-plots and grass-
grown graves. Even the most nerve-hardened native bird would
hardly select such a spot for a summer home, nor attempt to take
up winter quarters there.

Throughout the greater part of the summer and winter the noisy
flock of English Sparrows domiciled here holds undisputed sway.
It seems probable that the native birds that occur in the church-
yard during migrations are such as are attracted to the green spot
while passing in their flights directly over it, and that they are in
no case stragglers from the temporary residents of the near-by
country or parks. I have visited the churchyard many times in
summer and winter, and during these periods between regular
migratory seasons, I have yet to see or hear of the occurrence of
a native bird. I have no spring record later than May, and no
fall record after November, save the one of the Tree Sparrow,
December 8, in which case it could not be fairly said that the
season of migration was past.

From my data I am inclined to believe, too, that the bird move-
ment of this very restricted area reflects, in a small way, that of
the outside country. When the greatest number of birds was
seen in the churchyard, it generally transpired that a bird-wave
was on in the country just outside the city, which was also re-
flected in Central Park.

Misfortune is said to make strange bed-fellows, and certainly
migration produces unexpected incongruities between birds and
environment. Species whose sociability about the homes of man
in the country would lead one to expect them to be among the
first and most common to occur in the city parks and green spots,
seem in many cases to be strangely wanting in the records for such
places, while others of notably retiring habits, surprise one by
their unexpected appearance in the crowded marts of civilization.
The Woodcock has been recorded on the lawn of the American
Museum of Natural History and in Trinity Churchyard, while

70A. Bowdish, Ornithology of a Churchyard. LluW

my Saint Paul's records of Song and Chipping Sparrows, Robin,
Yellow Warbler, and some other of our more familiar birds are
surprisingly few. According to the indications of the three
seasons covered by my observations, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
appears to be a regular visitor, which seems rather surprising.

Observations covering the period from the first to the last record
were : for 1903, spring, 5 days, no birds ; 19 days, 18 species, 59
individuals: total, 24 days; fall, 25 days, no birds; 47 days, 26
species, 187 individuals: total 72 days. For 1904, spring, 7 days,
no birds ; 24 days, 22 species, 87 individuals : total 31 days. Total
for three seasons of observation : 37 days, no birds; 90 days, 40
species, 328 individuals, 117 days observation. This gives an
average of one bird in 2.25 days, and of 3.64 individuals per day
of observation.

The list of birds noted is as follows :

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 5 records, — 1903, April 29,1; Sept. 25, I;
Oct. 12, 2 ; Oct. 22, 1 ; 1904, April 6, 1 ; total, 6.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 record, — Oct. 1, 1903, 1.

Pbcebe, 3 records, — 1903, Sept. 12, 1 ; Sept. 25, 1 ; Oct. 15, 1 ; total, 3.

Least Flycatcher, 5 records, — 1903, May 19, 3 ; May 22, 1 ; Sept. 24, 1 ;
Sept. 25, 1 ; 1904, May 13, 1 ; total, 7.

White-crowned Sparrow, 2 records, — 1904, April 25,2; April 26,2;
total, 4 (probably only two birds).

White-throated Sparrow, 16 records, — 1903, May 1,1; May 16, 1 ; May
18, 1 ; May 20, 1 ; May 26, 1 ; May 28, 1 ; Sept. 24, 1 ; Sept. 26, 1 ; Sept.
30, 1 ; Oct. 19, 2 ; Oct. 23, 1 ; Oct. 24, 1 ; 1904, April 25, 2 ; April 26, 3 ;
May 10, 1 ; May II, I i total, 19.

Tree Sparrow, 1 record, — Dec. 8, 1903, 1.

Chipping Sparrow, 6 records, — 1903, May 1 1, 1 ; 1904, April 18, 2 ;
May 3, 1 ; May 9, 1 ; May 11, 1 ; May 12, 1 ; total, 7.

Field Sparrow, 5 records, — 1903, Oct. 8, 1 ; 1904, April 18, 1 ; April

28, 1 ; April 29, 1 ; May 2, 1 ; total, 5.

Slate-colored Junco, 24 records, — 1903, April 29, 1 ; Sept. 26, 1 ; Sept.
29,2 ; Sept. 30, 3 ; Oct. 2, 1 ; Oct. 3, 1 ; Oct. 12, 1 ; Oct. 13, 1 ; Oct. 14, 1 ;
Oct. 22, 3 ; Oct. 23, 1 ; Oct. 24, 1 ; Oct. 26, 3 ; Oct. 27, 2 ; Oct. 28, 2 ; Oct.

29, 6 ; Oct. 30, 1 ; Oct. 31, 5 ; Nov. 2, 1 ; Nov. 5, 1 ; Nov. 6, 1 ; Nov. 10,
1 ; Nov. 16, 1 ; 1904, April 30, 1 ; total, 45.

Song Sparrow, 1 record, — April 30, 1904, 1.

Towhee, 7 records, — 1903, May 1, male ; May 6, male ; May 7, female;
Oct. 3, female; 1904, May 5, female; May 10, 2 females; May 13, male;
May 16, female ; total, 9.

Indigo Bunting, 1 record, — May 12, 1904, bright male.

Volj*XIIl Bowdish, Ornithology of a Churchyard. 3^5

Scarlet Tanager, i record, — May 14, 1904, male.
Red-eyed Vireo, 2 records, — 1904, May 12, 1 ; May 13, 1 ; total, 2.
Blue-winged Warbler, 2 records, — 1903, Sept. 8, 1 ; Sept. 25, 1 ; total, 2.
Parula Warbler, 1 record, — May 5, 1904, 1.

Yellow Warbler, 3 records, — 1903, May 19, 1; May 22, 1 ; Sept. 4, 1;
total, 3.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, 1 record, — Oct. 22, 1903, I.

Myrtle Warbler, 1 record, — Oct. 13, 1904, 1.

Magnolia Warbler, 1 record, — May 20, 1903, 1.

Palm Warbler, 1 record, — Oct. 13, 1903, 1,

Ovenbird, 11 records, — 1903, May 15, 1; May 16, 2; May 18,2; May

19, 2; Sept. 1,1; 1904, Apr. 25, 1 ; Apr. 26, 1 ; May 5, 1 ; May 16, 1 ;
May 17, 1 ; May 18, 1 ; total, 14.

Water Thrush, 1 record, — May 19, 1903, 1.

Northern Yellow-throat, 7 records, — 1903, May 14, 1 ; May 22, 1 ; Oct.
12, 1 ; 1904, May II, 1; May 20, 2 ; May 21, 1 ; May 24, 2 ; total, 9.

Canadian Warbler, 1 record, — May 21, 1903, 1.

American Redstart, 5 records, — 1903, May 19, 1 ; Sept. 1, 2 ; Sept. 3,
1 ; Sept. 4, 1 ; 1904, May 20, 1 ; total, 6.

Catbird, 10 records, — 1903, May 9, 1; May 15, 1 ; May 18, 1; May 20,

1 ; Sept. 29, 1 ; 1904, May 5, 1 ; May 7, 2 ; May 12, 1 ; May 13, 1 ; May

20, 1 ; total, 11.

Brown Thrasher, 14 records, — 1903, May 4, 1 ; May 15, 1 ; Maj' 16, 1 ;
May 18, 1 ; May 20, 3; May 22, 2 ; May 23, 1 ; May 26, 1 ; May 27, 2 ;
Sept. 30, 1 ; Oct. 3, 1 ; 1904, May 5, 2 ; May 16, 1 ; May 24, 1 ; total, 19.

Winter Wren, 1 record, — Oct. 28, 1904, 1.

Brown Creeper, 1 record, — Oct. 12, 1903, 1.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3 records, — 1903, Sept. 1, 1 ; Sept. 8, 1 ; Sept.
24, 1 ; total, 3.

Chickadee, 14 records, — 1903, Sept. 15, 3; Sept. 21, 3; Sept. 25, 7;
Sept. 29, 2 ; Sept. 30, 2 ; Oct. 1, 4 ; Oct. 6, 2 ; Oct. 7, 2 ; Oct. 10, 1 ; Oct.
12, 2 ; Oct. 16, 3 ; Oct. 19, 1 ; Oct. 30, 1 ; total, 33.

Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3 records, — 1903, Oct. 21, 1 ; Oct. 29, 1 ; Oct.
31, 1 ; total, 3.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 5 records, — 1903, Oct. 13, 2 ; Oct. 14, 3 ; Oct.

21, 2 ; Oct. 23, 1 ; Oct. 24, 1 ; total, 9.

Wood Thrush, 2 records, — 1903, Oct. 14, 1 ; 1904, May 17, 1 ; total, 2.

Wilson's Thrush, 5 records, — 1903, May 19, 1 ; 1904, May 12, 2 ; May
17, i ; May 20, 1 ; May 24, 2 ; total, 7.

Olive-backed Thrush, 13 records, — 1903, May 22, 2 ; May 27, 1 ; Sept.
8, 2; Sept. 9, 1 ; Sept. 29, 2 ; Sept. 30, 1 ; Oct. 1, 1 ; Oct. 14, 1 ; 1904, May
11, 1 ; May 12, 1 ; May 13, 1 ; May 18, 1 ; May 20, 1 ; total, 16.

Hermit Thrush. 32 records, — 1903, April 29, 6 ; May 4,1; Sept. 30, 2 ;
Oct. 6, 1 ; Oct. 12, 2 ; Oct. 13, 2 ; Oct. 14, 8; Oct. 15, 4 ; Oct. 16, 1 ; Oct.
21. 1 ; Oct. 23, 3 ; Oct. 24, 2 ; Oct. 26, 2 ; Oct. 27, 4; Oct. 28, 2 ; Oct. 29,

2 ; Oct. 30, 2 ; Oct. 31,4; Nov. 2, 1 ; Nov. 4, 3 ; Nov. 5, 1 ; Nov. 9, 1 ;

306 Bowdish, Ornithology of a Clnirchyard. Xjm

Nov. 10, 1 ; Nov. 11, 1 ; Nov. 16, 1 ; Nov. 23, 2 ; Nov. 24, 2 ; 1904, April
25, S ; April 26, 2 ; April 30, 2 ; total, 79.

American Robin, 2 records, — 1903, Oct. 21, 1 ; Oct. 22. 1 ; total, 2.

Bluebird, 1 record, — Nov. 6, 1903, 2.

In the record above given, where a species occurred on con-
secutive dates, doubtless in some cases the same individual
remained two or more days. In one instance, at least, this was
certainly the case. A Hermit Thrush, one of four noted October
15, 1903, had a bar of light yellowish on the left wing. This
bird was again noted on the 16th, the only one seen on the latter
date. In the majority of cases, however, such records probably
represent different individuals, and as far asl am able to judge,
the birds make but a brief stop in the churchyard. In some cases
the birds noted in the morning were gone by noon, and others not
noted in the morning had appeared.

Truly Saint Paul's Churchyard seems to be for many migrant
birds an oasis in a desert of brick and mortar, a spot where tired
and hungry individuals may drop down to rest and feed, and
incidentally to gladden the eye and quicken the pulse of the city-
confined nature lover.

A Robin (young of the year) noted August 30, will perhaps
necessitate the modification of the statement regarding absence
of birds during summer, though it is quite possible that this indi-
vidual had begun a migratory movement.

With the exception of the Robin above referred to, the first
migrant (a Water-Thrush) was not noted until Sept. 13, and the
indications of the churchyard evidence were that the fall migration
was either begun late, or that the earlier migration was hurriedly
performed, with few stops.

Vol. XXI
•9°5

'] Bangs, The Cuba?i Crab Hawk. 307

THE CUBAN CRAB HAWK, URUBITINGA GUND-
L AC HI J (CABANIS).

BY OUTRAM BANGS.

The Crab Hawk or Black Hawk of Cuba was described by
Cabanis in 1854 and named Hypomorphnus gundlachii} Since
then authors have sometimes given it by that name, but have
more often referred it to the continental Urubitinga anthracina
(Licht.), it appearing thus in ' Catalogue of Birds in British
Museum,' Vol. I, and in Sharpe's ' Hand-List of Birds.'

Gundlach was of course familiar with the bird, but probably
never had an opportunity of comparing it with U. anthracina, and
in his ' Ornitologid Cubana ' (Habana, 1893) gives the following
account of the Cuban species, pages 18 and 19.

"Genus Urubitinga (Lesson).

"6. Urubitinga anthracina (Falco anthracina Licht). Batista
and in the Isle of Pines it is called Copete.

"This species has on p. 40 of my Contributions the name of
Hypomorphnus Gundtachi, Cabanis, but as this name is later than
that of Lichtenstein I place it in the synonymy. It is also found
in the Isle of Pines, in Jamaica, in Guadaloupe, and in Grenada,
and probably in other of the Lesser Antilles, besides Central
America and Mexico.

Apparently it is' found only in mangrove swamps and on the
banks of large rivers. Its note resembles its common name ba-
tis-ta. I have killed a few, both adults and young.

"Dimensions are adult male, length 4S8-520, extent 1226-
1232. Of the female, length 566-6 to, extent 1367-1418 mm.

" I found in the stomach remains of crustaceans. Other natur-
alists have found in the stomachs frogs, snakes, and fishes, but no
one has found remains of birds. It is then a species which is
neither useful nor harmful.

1J. f. O., 1854, extra page, Ixxx.

308 Bangs, The Cuban Crab Hawk. [£"*

"In the Isle of Pines I found a nest in a Jucaro (Avicennia) ,
constructed of twigs like nests of other hawks. The egg was
dirty white with a greenish tinge. At the larger end there were
some very pale lilac spots. The dimensions were 58 x 45 mm.

" Its flight is rapid, rather in a straight line and not in circles." 1

Specimens of U. gundlachii are singularly rare in collections,
so much so, that it is very doubtful if any American ornithologist
has ever seen one. Cory speaks of the bird as though he had
never seen a skin, and I know Ridgway never saw it. I was
therefore delighted when my friend, John E. Thayer, Esq., pre-
sented me with a fine adult male, shot at its nest, together with
the female, in Cayo Romano, Puerto Principe, Cuba, April 15,
I9°5» by Harry A. Cash.

I at once saw Mr. Cash and got him to tell me all he knew of
the species, with which he had become very familiar during a
short collecting trip, made in an open boat among the Cays of
the north coast of Puerto Principe, in April and March last.
Mr. Cash says that the ' Batista ' is a common bird in this region,
but that it appears to be entirely confined to the vicinity of the
coast — the mangrove swamps and shores of the salt lagoons and
rivers — and that he did not see it far inland.

At that time of year the birds were in pairs, and each pair
seemed to hold undisputed possession of three of four miles of
coast in the neighborhood of its nest. About ten pairs in all
were seen.

My bird, a male, was killed at its nest April 15, and next day
the female was shot and one fresh egg taken from the nest. The
female contained another egg, soft-shelled and without markings,
but nearly full size.

The nest was about twenty feet from the ground in a small
' hobo ' tree, standing at the edge of a salt lagoon two miles from
the sea. It was in appearance much like an Osprey's, evidently
used year after year, the lower twigs showing signs of age and

1 This translation was kindly made for me by Capt. Wirt Robinson,
U. S. A.

I have omitted Gundlach's description because it is long and detailed and
when translated into English not particularly clear.

VoliqoXU] Bangs, The Cuban Crab Hawk. 309

decay. The twigs used in the construction of the nest were very
large, and there was no lining of soft material or feathers, and no
feathers were found on the bushes in the vicinity of the nest.

The egg which Mr. Cash has kindly given me is rounded ovate
in shape. The ground color is dirty bluish white, and it is irreg-
ularly covered with small blotches and dots of pale, dilute chest-
nut, a few little dots here and there being strong chestnut; these*
markings rather more numerous at the larger end. It measures,

56 by 45-5 mm-

Mr. Cash shot, in all, three adult birds but unfortunately two
of them spoiled; he informs me they were all practically alike.

The Cuban Crab Hawk is a very distinct species, and of course
should be known as Urubitinga gundlachii (Cabanis). It differs
from all other members of the genus in the body color, in the
fully adult plumage, being rich chocolate brown, not black, the
tail and primaries only being blackish. It differs also in many
details from U. anthracina with which it has been confused, but
to which, I should say, it bears only a distant relationship. The
more marked of these are, that the lining of the wing is much
purer and more extensively white ; the two lower white bands on
the tail (usually indicated by a few white spots in U. anthracina)
are broader and more pronounced and the dusky band separating
the broad central white band from the next lower one is very nar-
row. It is of about the size of, or a trifle larger than, U. anthra-
cina, with a decidedly heavier, broader bill.1 My skin, no. 15242,
adult (£, measures: wing, 365; tail, 206; tarsus, 92; culmen,
38.5 mm.

The Cuban species differs much from the Crab Hawk of St.
Vincent, lately described by Austin H. Clark as Urubitinga
anthracina cancrivora,2 not only in color and other characters, but
in habits. The St. Vincent Urubitinga is a bird of the high
mountain forest, while U. gundlachii appears to be wholly con-
fined to the mangrove fringed sea coasts and cays.

1 Most of these characters were dwelt upon at length by Cabanis in his
original description of the species.

2 Preliminary Descriptions of Three New Birds from St. Vincent, West
Indies. Proc. Biol. Soc. of Washington, Vol. XVIII, p. 63, Feb. 21, 1905.

3 IO General Notes. [^

GENERAL NOTES.

The Dovekie on the Coast of North Carolina. — I wish to record the
capture of a male Dovekie (Alle alle) January 20, 1905, on the beach of
the Currituck Shooting Club, N. C, half a mile south of the Life Saving
Station. The bird was picked up alive. It only lived a day. It was sent
to me in the flesh by a member of the Club and is now in my collection.
— John E. Thayer, Lancaster, ATass.

The Golden Eagle {Aquila chrysactos) near Ottawa. — A bird of the
vear of this species was given to me, which had been caught in a trap set
for otter or muskrats near High Falls, Wright Co., Quebec, forty miles
northeast of Ottawa. It measured 77 inches from tip to tip. This spe-
cies has not been reported from this vicinity for years. The Bald Eagle
is a little more frequent. — C. W. G. Eikrig, Ottawa, Ont.

The Genus Conurus in the West Indies. — The distribution of the
genus Conurus in the West Indies is worthy of notice. In the Greater
Antilles it is found on Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Porto Rico, and St. Thomas.
It was formerly found (C. euops) on the Isle of Pines, but there are no
records of its occurrence on islands other than those mentioned, although
Amazona is found on Grand Cayman and in the Bahamas. All the spe-
cies to which we have reference in literature have survived to the present
day. One extra-limital species of parrakeet, Brotogerys tut, has been
credited to these islands, the mistake apparently having been first made
in the Planches Enlumindes (No. 456, fig. 1, " La Petite Perruche de I'lsle
St. Thomas "= B. tui). In the Lesser Antilles parrakeets are now every-
where extinct, but we have good evidence that they formerly existed on
Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and Barbados. Here, as in the
Greater Antilles, their distribution was apparently erratic ; Barbados,
with no other genus of Psittacidre, corresponds to St. Thomas, while St.
Lucia and St. Vincent, each with an Amazona, resemble Grand Cayman
and the Bahamas. It is difficult to understand why some of the other
islands, such as St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, St. Vincent, and Grenada, but
more especially Tobago and Trinidad, have never, so far as known, had
as a resident any species of Conurus.

The parrakeet, unfortunately, appears to have been too small to attract
the attention of the earlier writers, and we therefore find the references
brief and unsatisfactory. Dutertre (Hist. gen. des Isles des Christophie,
de la Guadeloupe, etc., p. 299, 1654; Hist. gen. des Antilles habitees par
les Francois, II, p. 251, 1667), de Rochefort (Hist, nat et morale des Isles
Antilles, p. 157, 1658 ; p. 175, 1665), and Labat (Nouv. voyage aux Isles
de l'Amerique, II, p. 218, 1742) all mention them and give good accounts
of their habits and characteristics, but in no case give enough description
to enable us to identify the species to which the birds belonged. The

Volxx,Il General Notes. i\\

1905 J O L x

parrakeet of Guadeloupe is said to have been the smallest of the Antillean
species, and to have been green throughout except for some small red
feathers in the head, with a white beak, and about the size of a thrush
(Labat).

Brisson (Orn., IV, p. 330, 1760) under "La Perruche de la Guadeloupe"
says : "Size of a half grown chicken, green throughout; naked skin
about eye, white ; iris red ; cere white ; beak, feet, and claws, white.
Found in Brazil and Guadeloupe." This description was probably
founded on that of Labat, and is unfortunately applicable to more than
one species, although, perhaps, it may best be referred to Co/turns euops.
It cannot have been taken from a Cuban bird, however, as Labat was for
many years a resident in these islands, and was well aware that the avi-
fauna of any one differs markedly from that of any of the others.

Under the name of "La Perruche de la Martinique," Brisson (/. <-., p.
356) gives a description of a bird which covers perfectly the well-known
Co nit r 11$ ceruginosus of the mainland, referring to Edwards (Birds IV, pi.
177, p- 177, 1751) for a figure of the species. It is on this plate and
description that Linnaeus's [Psittacus~] ceruginosus (Syst. Nat., I, p. 142,
No. 17, 1766) is founded. Brisson says that this bird is found In Mar-
tinique, and also in various places on the mainland, while Edwards gives
for it the rather vague habitat of "West Indies." Very likely this is a
case of a continental species wrongly credited to the Antilles (compara-
ble to that of Brotogerys tut) ; but we have no evidence to show that this
is the case, and it is not at all improbable that the Conurus of Martinique
was a brown-throated species, similar to C. ceruginosus.

There appears to be no description extant of the species which formerly
inhabited Dominica; but it seems to have been exterminated at an earlj''
date. Ober's remarks (quoted by Lawrence, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., I, p.
64, 1878) doubtless had reference to Amazona bouqtteti, and not to any
species of Conurus.

Hughes, in his 'Natural History of Barbados ' (1750) under "The Para-
kite" (p. 73) says: "This is of the frugivorous kind, and about the big-
ness of a thrush, having a longer and more crooked bill. It feeds on all
manner of berries, popaws, and ripe plantains, residing chiefly in inac-
cessible gullies. The bird borrows its name from its resemblance in
make, but not in plumage, to the small green parakite." Sir Robert
Schomburgk (Hist. Barbados, p. 681, 1848) includes " Psittactts passer i-
nusn in his list of the birds of the island, but no parrakeet is mentioned
by Ligon.

In summing up the above it will be seen that, while there appears to be
ample evidence for admitting the genus Conurus into the avifauna of the
Lesser Antilles as formerly resident on Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique,
and Barbados, all that we can say respecting the species is that the one on
Guadeloupe was the smallest (of those on the French islands), and resem-
bled C. euops of Cuba. Whether the Lesser Antillean birds were colonies
of continental species (comparable to the case of Ceryle torquata [stictt-

3 J 2 General Notes. \P\^t

pennis], Antrostomus rufus, or Urubitinga anthracina [cancrivora]),
whether they were seasonal visitants (as C. aruginosus appears to be on
Margarita Island, and Muscivora tyrannus is on Trinidad, Tobago,
Grenada, and the southern Grenadines), or whether they were distinct
endemic species we cannot determine, nor can we judge from the other
genera of Psittacidae, Ara and Amazona, inhabiting these islands; for
Conurus is more restless in its habits, and more apt to cross wide
stretches of water than the species belonging to these genera, and we
have one West Indian species (C. pertinax) which has a peculiarly inter-
rupted range (St. Thomas and Curacao), a circumstance not known to
occur in any species of Ara or Amazona. — Austin H. Clark, Boston,
Mass.

Nesting of the Raven (Corvus corax principalis) at Cumberland, Md. —
In mv list of birds of western Maryland (Auk, XXI, 1904, p. 234) I men-
tioned, besides a large permanent colony six miles from the city, a very
noisv pair that I had seen on Will's Mountain, right at the city limits.
When on a visit to this my former home last summer, I was informed by
my former assistants that a pair of Ravens had nested that spring in the
' Narrows.' This is a highly romantic and picturesque canon in Will's
Mountain which otherwise runs on unbroken for many miles, and forms
the only outlet from Cumberland to the north, so that several railroads
and street car lines pass through at the bottom. I found the boy, a very
intelligent lad of fifteen, who had discovered and investigated the nest and-
taken the young ones along. He stated this to me, corroborated by others :
The nest was in a well nigh inaccessible place on the side of the cliff over-
looking the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was built of large sticks,
some horsehair, rags, and in the middle much of the shredded rag put by
railroaders in the axle-boxes of railway cars. He went to the nest March
28 for the first time and found three nearly full grown young ; he thinks
they must have been a month old. He took two along, with the intention
of raising them. The old ones were very vicious, flew close to him, as
though wanting to strike at him, and made a great uproar. April 4 he
got the remaining one, which also showed fight, even for a while in cap-
tivity. The first two died after several weeks, being exhibited in show
windows, etc., but the third one was still alive August 2, when I saw it.
It seemed to be then somewhat attached to its master and upon his word
would come out of the woodshed, if no strangers were about. The old
ravens remained at the Narrows; I saw and heard them July 20, but they
made no further attempts that year at raising a brood. They evidently
must have lost a good deal of their fear of man, for the upper edge of
these cliffs is almost daily visited by sightseers. — C. W. G. Eifrig,
Ottawa, Out.

A One-legged Crow (Corr>us brackyrhynchos). — On May 6 of last year,
while out in the woods with a friend, he shot a crow out of a tall, slender

VoL XXII j General Notes. 3 1 3

spruce tree. When we picked it up, we were astonished to find one foot
entirely missing, and it certainly was not a mutilation that had lately
occurred, for the end of the stump of the tarsus was completely healed
and well worn, as though it had always been in this condition. About an
inch of the tarsus was there. It was a male bird, in good plumage and
condition ; the stomach was filled with food, mostly earth worms. We
were afterwards told by a person living near by, that he had observed a
crow the previous summer that had a very queer way of hopping about
on the fields while feeding. — C. W. G. Eifrig, Ottawa, Out.

An Unusual Abundance of the Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) in
and near Ottawa, Ont. — Whereas the winter from 1903 to 1904 was nota-
ble for the abundance of the Pine Grosbeak (Pinico/or enucleator) in the
streets of Ottawa, their early arrival and long staying, this last winter
was notable for the abundance of the Canada Jay. Mr. E. White, a very
reliable ornithologist, tells me he has never before seen them in or very
near the city, but this year they were about all winter. I saw the first
ones September 28 in the next county, but by October 7 th> y were near
Ottawa; on October 13 I saw three on the driveway in the heart of the
city. Some were taken and brought or reported to me on October 15,
20, 22, 28, November 8 and 12. November 19 to 23, while on a trip of
forty miles north into Quebec, I saw them frequently, especially where
farmers had butchered or skinned hares, at the kitchen refuse, etc. One
was taken February 2 at the city limits, and I saw one March 1 in the
neighborhood. The reaso-n for their unusual abundance is not clear.
Their usual food supply, which I think is not great in any winter, was
surely there last winter, the lumber camps, about which they congregate,
not having diminished in number. — C. W. G. Eifrig, Ottawa, Ont.

Hoary Redpoll in Montana. — I am able to record another occurrence
of the Hoary Redpoll (Acantn/s hornemannii exilipes) in Montana. On
March 9, a Hoary Redpoll alighted with two common Redpolls (Acanthi's
linaria), on some rails close to where my wife and I were standing. I
had my binoculars with me but they were not required, as the bird was
only eight paces distant and could be easily examined. While exactly
the same size as its two companions it was much handsomer; the crim-
son crown contrasted with the light-colored back, which, but for some
black streaks, would have looked white. There were no signs of pink, on
the breast, and I took it to be an unusually pale female of this species.
As I never before met with a specimen among the many hundreds of
Redpolls observed since 1S89, I regard the Hoary Redpoll as a very rare
bird here. — E. S. Cameron, Terry, Mont.

A curious Anomaly in the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotric/iia
a Ibicollis).— On Sept. 28, 1904, I took at Germanicus, Renfrew Co.,

314 General Notes. [Jul'ly

Ontario, a male bird of this species, that showed a strange freak in the
tail. While all the other feathers are of normal length and development
(2.50 in. long), one shows a length of 3.75 in. It is of the same color as
the other tail feathers, but the vanes are narrower. Near theends of the
other rectrices it is much attenuated, as though it had wanted to stop
growing at that point. It is the only instance of this kind that has come
under my observation. — C. W. G. Eifrig, Ottawa, Ont.

The Migrant Shrike {Lanius ludovicianus migrans) at Ottawa, Ont. —
This shrike is a common breeder here. In 1904 I saw the first ones,
a pair, on April 5, and this year on March 30. They frequent wet
meadows, old fields, etc. By the middle of April they are common.
The last one in 1904 I saw August 23, when I was attracted to a hedge
by the low but pretty singing of a bird, which proved to be the shrike.
The song was much like the subdued song of the Catbird, with much of
its sweetness. Although those that I took had beetles only in their
stomachs, yet on April 26, 1904, I saw a pair that had a Song Sparrow
impaled on a thorn and had eaten off the head. May 10 I found the first
nest in the usual thorn-thicket in a moist meadow, containing two eggs.
May 21, I found another nest at Casselman, thirty miles east of Ottawa;
this was eight feet up in a little wild plum tree and contained five young
about a day old and one infertile egg. The female, in both cases, would
only fly away when the person was within a few feet of the nest, and
would sit near by and utter queer rasping or gurgling notes of protest. —
C. W. G. Eifrig, Ottatva, Ont.

Capture of the Kirtland Warbler near Richmond, Ind. — On May 13.
1905, a female Kirtland Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandi) was shot about
six miles east of here by Mr. Loren C. Petry. It was silent, perfectly
fearless, and showed the 'teetering' habit after the manner of a Palm
Warbler or Titlark. It was in a clump of low bushes. — D. W. Dennis,
Richmond, Ind.

The Kentucky Warbler at Winneconne, Wisconsin. — On May 7, 1905,
I had the pleasure of finding a Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis fortnosa) in
a damp corner of the woods near Lake Winneconne. I observed it for
ten or fifteen minutes from a distance of only a few feet, and am thus
positive of the identification.

The Kumlien-Hollister List of Wisconsin Birds (1903) says of this spe-
cies : "Dr. Hoy took one specimen at Racine (May 10, 1S51) and we have
but six other records for the State for 60 years, all about Lake Koshkon-
ong, in spring." — Henry P. Severson, Winneconne, Wise.

Wintering of the Brown Thrasher in a Park in New York City. — A
Brown Thrasher {Toxostoma rufum) passed the winter of 1904-05 in
Morningside Park, New York City. I first saw him on Oct. 24, 1904,

V0l;9oSXI1] General Notes. 315

and subsequently on twenty-three different occasions. He would appar-
ently disappear from the park for short intervals, once for a period of two
weeks, as I was on the watch for him and visited the park almost daily
without seeing him. On December 19 he came to me for the first time
for peanuts, and after that always came to my hand freely and without
fear. On May 10, 1905, I saw a female of the same species with him,
and also several other Brown Thrashers. As this was the last time I saw
him, he probably accompanied the other Brown Thrashers when they
left the park. — Lillian W. Lewis, New York City.

An addition to the Avifauna of Cuba. — On October 16, 1903, at the
Morro Castle, Santiago, Cuba, I took a specimen of Sax/cola ceuai/t/ie
leucorhoa (Gmel.). It was a female in good condition. It was feeding
in the scanty grass in company with a large straggling flock of Palm
Warblers.— Wirt Robinson, dipt. U. S. A., Ft. Totten, N. Y.

Note on Lagopus leucurus and Leucosticte australis. — In Volume V,
Zoology of the Wheeler Survey, published in 1S75, mention is made of
two specimens of Leucosticte australis collected by C. E. Aiken on Mount
Blanco, New Mexico, Sept. 3, 1S74, with the remark that "this is perhaps
near the limit of its southward range."

On page 439 ot the same volume are recorded six specimens of Lago-
pus leucurus collected by Aiken on Mount Blaine, Colorado, Sept. 3, 1874.
As the two localities are several hundred miles apart, and as the speci-
mens of the two species are recorded as having been collected on the
same day by the same collector (who, moreover, never visited Mount
Blanco), it is evident that the records involve a mistake. Inquiry discloses
the fact that they involve two mistakes.

A letter recently at hand from Mr. Aiken states that the specimens of
both Leucosticte and Lagopus were secured by him on the mountain in
southern Colorado known upon present maps as "Summit Peak." At
the time of his visit, however, no name for the peak was known to Mr.
Aiken, but he was informed that it was to receive the name of Mount
Blaine. Hence the name of the latter in the record of the ptarmigan and
on the labels of the specimens. The name Mount Blaine was not be-
stowed by the Wheeler Survey upon the "Summit Peak," but subse-
quently was given to a high mountain in Ouray County which appears
on the Hayden and other maps as Mount Sneffels. How the specimens
of L. australis came to be wrongly labeled Mount Blanco, New Mexico,
and so recorded in the volume above mentioned, will probably never be
known; nor does it much matter.

It is important that Summit Peak be recorded as the true locality of
Aiken's specimens of Leucosticte australis and Lagopus leucurus, since
the latter have been taken as the types of L^agopus leucurus altipetens
(Auk, XVIII, p. 180, 1901) and credited to Mount Blaine ; while there is

3i6

General Notes. [^

no record to show that Leucosticte australis has ever been taken in New
Mexico, Summit Peak, southern Colorado being at present its southern
recorded limit. — H. W. Henshaw, Washington, D. C.

Notes from Northern New Mexico. — The present status of Lagopus I.
altipetens in the southern Rocky Mountains has been one of the interest-
ing questions of our Biological Survey bird work in New Mexico. In the
summer of 1903 we obtained old records of a few Ptarmigan seen in Mora
Pass and on the peaks above the Upper Pecos, and in the winter of 1904
a specimen was collected in the Taos Mountains above Twining, about
thirty miles south of the Colorado line, this being the first skin to sub-
stantiate the New Mexico records.1 On July 19, 1904, we entered the
mountains at Twining and proceeded to work the highest parts of the
range between Taos and the Colorado line. The crest of the range be-
tween Taos and Twining runs far above timberline, by our aneroid read-
ings averaging about 13,000 feet, with Taos as a. base station at 7,000 feet.
The highest point, known locally as Wheeler Peak, averaged with five
readings 13,700 feet, which would make it the highest peak in New Mex-
ico. In this group of mountains, although most of the snow melts in
summer, Ptarmigan evidently were common before the advent of miners
and sheep men. Our Indian camp man told us that twenty years before
he had seen ' whole-lot-ta,' and now the birds are still common enough to
be familiarly known by the Indians who see a few every year. At the
time of our visit, however, large bands of sheep were running over the
crest of the range, and although our party made six different trips to
the peaks, only four Ptarmigan were seen. Two of these were secured
by Sun-Elk, our Indian, who found them among the peaks above 13,000
feet, where he had seen them in previous years. Three primaries that he
discovered on the trail followed by the sheep men suggested the proba-
bility that the sheep scared up the birds and the herders killed them with
stones. Large bands of sheep were running over the crest of Costilla
Peak just south of the Colorado line when we reached there on August
20. On the peak at 13,200 and 13,300 feet by the barometer, Mr. Bailey
found evidence of Ptarmigan in piles of winter sign, considerable accu-
mulations being found in some places. Two Mexicans he met on the
mountain reported killing four of the birds that day, and a hunter from
the neighborhood spoke of them familiarly. He generally found them
in small flocks, he said, but sometimes saw as many as fifty together. He
called them snowbirds, saying that they were usually found sitting around
on the little benches near a large snowbank on the northeast side of the
peak at about 13,200 feet. He added that the birds were very tame and
that the males called in the mornings like a hawk. While only three

l Additional Notes on the Birds of the Upper Pecos. The Auk, 1904, pp.
35T« 352-

VOlIwH] General Notes. 317

specimens of altipetens have actually been collected from the New Mexico
Rockies, such evidence gathered from hunters, Indians, and cattle men,
shows conclusively not only that the birds were once common in the
northern mountains of the territory, but that, although their numbers
have been greatly depleted, Ptarmigan are still to be found by careful
search on the highest peaks of New Mexico.

Ptarmigan and Leucosticte australis were the two birds we were mo6t
anxious to find in the high Rockies, and on July 20, the first day that we
climbed Wheeler Peak we were following up the crest of the ridge at about
13,500 feet by the barometer, when a bird flew overhead whose call, undu-
lating flight, and emarginate tail proclaimed it a Leucosticte, but hunt as
we would we could get no other sight of it or its companions. A week
later, however, on July 28, while Mr. Bailey was crossing an adjoining
peak, he again heard the chirping of Leucosticte, this time in a cloud
below him. When he answered the call a flock of about half a dozen
came flying out of the cloud and lit on the stones four or five rods from
him. An adult male that lit in sight was sec