340 STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE BULLETINS. 



localities and so is not so often 8een;y'jTraverse City" (Dr. M. L. Leach); "com- 

 mon and shy at Mackinac Island" (S. E. White); "arrived at Palmer. Marquette 

 Co.. the last day of March, 1893. very common at St. Joseph, where it is shot 

 extensively by orchardists who consider it a pest, at Albion an albino female 

 occupied the same nest four successive years" (O. B. Warren); "Keweenaw Point" 

 (Kneeland); occasionally albinos; I knew an albino female, presumably the same 

 bird, to nest two successive summers in the same nest; breeds; often two brooded; 

 R. H. Wolcott found a nest at New Baltimore with young in it on July 23, 1893; 

 "always double brooded if undisturbed" (Dr. M. Gibbs); nests on fences, in trees, 

 on ledges under eaves, in old nests, rarely of other birds, " in buildings " (O. and 

 O.. Vol. XIV, 1889, p. 43) etc.; eggs three to five, greenish blue, " rarely sprinkled 

 with brown "' (A. W. Butler); eats myriads of insects, mostly noxious species, angle- 

 worms and fruit, cherries, berries and grapes; 40 per cent of the food of birds 

 examined by Prof. Forbes (Report Michigan Horticultural Society, 1881, j). 204) was 

 found to be canker worms. 



Genus SIALIA Swains. 



Blue Bird, nataral size. 



336-766 (27). Sialia sialis (Linn.). *Blue Bird. 



Common; throughout the entire state; less common than formerly; driven away 

 by English Sparrows; February or March to November; " one of our earliest birds 

 to arrive in the spring; " Grand Rapids, February 26, 1891 " (E. B. Boies); " breeds 

 abundantly at Bay City, but less common than previously" (N. A. Eddy); "'Grand 

 Traverse Co." (M. L. Leach); " occurs at Mackinac Island as a rare summer resi- 

 dent but abundant migrant" (S.E.White); "formerly very abundant at St. Joseph 

 but now rare because of the aggressive English Sparrows, I have taken seven sets 

 of albino eggs, rather rare at Palmer where I saw them come from the north in 

 large flocks September 11. 1893" (O. B. Warren); "Keweenaw Point" (Kneeland); 

 "very common at Iron Mountain" (E. E. Brewster); breeds; "double or triple 

 brooded " (Prof. J. W. Simmons); nests in hollow trees, " either in holes which 

 they excavate in rotten trees, or which other birds have excavated" (J. E. 

 Nichols), in boxes, etc.; eggs four to six. light blue, rarely pure white; a very 

 beautiful and valuable bird. 



A. J. COOK. 



Agricultural College, ) Zoologist. 



April. 1893. ) 



