Notes from Field and Study 



263 



Mexico, August 28, after ten days of, 

 for us, hard rains and somewhat cooler 

 weather. 



Fort Stanton, an old army post, is now- 

 used as a sanitarium lor tuheri ulous sailors 

 of the United States Merchant Marine. 

 It has an elevation of 6,032 feet and is 

 situated on the eastern side of the White 

 mountains, an isolated peak which rises 

 to a height of 10,000 feet. 



In order to reach the well-wooded 

 mountain sides birds coming from the 

 north or northwest are compelled to cross 

 a sandy desert of quite seventy-five miles 

 in extent. 



After reaching this point, the small 

 birds appear to follow the water-courses 

 in a southeasterly direction; perhaps pre- 

 ferring to trust themselves to the shelter 

 of the trees along the banks rather than 

 to risk another dusty flight across the 

 barren plains. Then too, they reach a 

 warmer climate sooner by dropping into 

 the Pecos valley than they would were they 

 to keep due south at this elevation. 



The first Warbler seen was on the after- 

 noon of August 28, This was a " Pileolated 

 Warbler." On the 29th they were more 

 numerous and on the 30th all the cotton 

 woods around the fort and on the Bonito 

 were filled with them. On September i, 

 only a very few were to be seen, but strag- 

 glers continued to drop in until the 22d. 



On August 30, three Macgillivray 

 Warblers were seen in the underbrush along 

 the river, or brook, as the Bonito would be 

 called back East. They were extremely shy, 

 differing greatly in this respect from their 

 cousins, and it was much easier to hear 

 their shrill peel peel of alarm than to see 

 the bird. They were more abundant dur- 

 ing the first week of September but were 

 never numerous and were always more 

 or less shy. 



During the spring migration they were 

 quite numerous and easily watched either 

 on the ground or in the bushes. 



On .\ugust 30, and again on September 

 I, one Western Water-Thrush was found. 

 — L. D. Tricks, Post Adjutant Surgeon, 

 United States Public Health and Marine- 

 Hospital Service. 



Central Park Notes 



A Grackle Incident 



On thi' morning of May 9, while walk- 

 ing through the lower end of Central Park, 

 Miss Crolius, of this city, and I saw a 

 Grackle flying heavily over a field with a 

 bird, which was uttering cries of distress, 

 in its claws. The Grackle evidently did 

 not know enough to obtain a firm grip, for 

 its captive was able to struggle violently. 

 The interesting fact was that the bird was 

 evidently not a nestling, but an adult. It 

 is well known that Grackles often eat 

 young birds, but I have never heard of 

 their capturing and carrying off fully 

 grown ones. 



Tennessee Warbler 



I identified a fully adult female of this 

 species on the morning of August 20. It 

 was very nervous and restless, and, as it 

 fed, it uttered a sharp tsit. This same bird 

 was seen again that afternoon by Mr. 

 George E. Hix and myself. I also saw it 

 the next morning. An interesting fact was 

 that it was found in exactly the same place 

 all three times. This Warbler has always 

 been very rare here. 



Cape May Warbler 



This generally rare Warbler has turned 

 up several times in the Park this autumn. 

 Below I give the dates of occurrence: 



September 22, one young male; Septem- 

 ber 24, one male; October i, one young 

 female. 



All three birds were seen in company 

 with Blackpoll W'arblers which have been 

 exceedingly abundant this autumn. 



Mournine Warbler 



Miss Crolius and I watched a female of 

 this rare Warbler for over an hour on 

 August 6. It was very shy and spent its 

 time in thick clumps of rhododendrons, 

 occasionally walking on the ground and 

 stretching up to pick insects off the lower 

 leaves. While feeding, it gave a whispered 

 sip, as if it were talking to itself. When 

 alarmed, it uttered a sharp chuck, very 

 much like the call-note of the Water- 



