106 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



comparatively large bodies of water in the count}', one, the 

 Lebanon Reservoir, originally built as a feeder to the Lebanon 

 and Middletovvn Canal, situated just north of the town of Leb- 

 anon ; the other, what was know'n as Shaker Pond, located 

 about five miles due west of Lebanon. But about eight years 

 ago, during a rainy Summer, both the reservoir and the pond 

 burst their banks. The former was repaired, but broke down 

 its walls again the same year, since which time the county has 

 been without anything in the way of large bodies of water. 

 For a number of years previous to their destruction both were 

 used as the supplies of mill races, and in dry seasons the water, 

 becoming very low, would leave exposed large banks of black 

 alluvium, which attracted great numbers of wading birds. 

 Then again, each Spring and Fall, both the reservoir and pond 

 were the regular stopping places of many varieties of water- 

 fowl. So the destruction of the two little artificial lakes has 

 resulted in the changing of many birds (mainly, however, of 

 those included in the orders Pygopodes, Longipennes, Anseres, 

 Paludicokc and Limicoke) as far as this county is concerned, 

 from regular and common Spring and Fall migrants to rare 

 migrants, and even rare and irregular visitants ; and some birds, 

 formerly not uncommon, have since been observed very sel- 

 dom or not at all. 



The following list is very largely the result of personal 

 ob.servation. An important factor, however, has been a hand- 

 some collection of mounted birds, prepared by Mr. J. F. 

 Gould, then of this place, now of Cincinnati, in 1879 and the 

 Spring of 1880, all of which were taken in the immediate 

 vicinity of Lebanon. Facts concerning the few birds now 

 extinct in the county, have been furnished by the older res- 

 idents. P>ut the large portion of the list has been worked out 

 single-handed, and represents the results of odd hours and 

 holidays of .several otherwise busy }ears, and about four 

 months ot steady observation and collecting in the Winter 

 and vSpring of 1890. It is by no means perfect or complete, 

 as the large list of " Birds of Probable Occurrence " shows for 

 itself; and the above-mentioned rather limited opportunities 

 must serve as an excuse for the omission from the list proper 

 of a number of species which careful observation will cer- 

 tainlv demonstrate to occur in the countv. 



