35* 



Bird - Lore 



A flock of 75 Broad-winged Hawks, seen 

 on September 14 at Dyke, Va., by F. C. 

 Lincoln, represents practically all of the 

 migration of raptorial birds reported from 

 Washington so far this fall, although, of 

 course, other flights may easily have escaped 

 notice, as here the birds passing over fly 

 ordinarily at a considerable altitude. 



Dr. A. K. Fisher noted many migrating 

 Upland Plovers on August 16, which is 

 apparent evidence of a continued and 

 welcome increase in the numbers of this 

 species in the eastern states. Until a com- 

 paratively few years ago an Upland Plover 

 was a great rarity about Washington, but 

 now it occurs in migration regularly, al- 

 though, of course, limitedly, every year. 



The conversion into parks of the flats 

 and marshes along the Potomac and 

 Anacostia rivers, which is now in progress, 

 is gradually eliminating most of the best 

 ground for water-birds close to the 

 city of Washington. This is particularly 

 noticeable in the number of Herons seen 

 during the summer and early autumn. 

 Formerly the Little Blue Heron and the 

 American Egret used to appear at these 

 seasons in considerable numbers, especially 

 along the Anacostia River, but this year 

 they seem to be inclined to avoid it, al- 

 though the Little Blue Heron has visited 

 it sparingly up to at least the middle of 

 September. An American Egret was seen 

 by L. D. Miner at Alexandria, Va., as late 

 as August 20. 



The Purple Martins that in June re- 

 turned to their roost in the city of Wash- 

 ington have not been quite so numerous as 

 in recent years. Furthermore, they have 

 been very restless this summer, leaving the 

 vicinity of the Red Cross Building for 

 more aristocratic quarters in the White 

 House grounds, where they remained until 

 about August 6. After that they roosted 

 in other places nearer the Potomac River 

 and the outskirts of the city. — Harry C. 

 Ohkrholser, Biological Survey, Washing- 

 Ion, D. C. 



Minnesota Region. Itasca State 

 Park. — Towards evening, on August 15, 

 the first flock of migrating Night-hawks 



passed southward through the Park — a 

 large, straggling company circling over 

 the forest and feeding as they went along. 

 Other flocks followed on subsequent 

 dates, notably on the 25th, when the air 

 seemed filled for several hours with the 

 darting birds. Night-hawks are rarely 

 seen in the Park during the nesting season 

 as the country is not suited to their needs. 

 The last of the Black Terns left between 

 August 22 and 25. Several adults were 

 seen on the 15th, still in the full black 

 dress. 



The three eggs in a Black-billed Cuckoo's 

 nest that had been under observation 

 for several days all hatched on August 1 1 

 and 12 and the young, by the 15th, were 

 all nearly of the same size. In the experi- 

 ence of the writer this nearly simultaneous 

 hatching of the eggs of our Cuckoos is the 

 rule instead of a several-day interval 

 between each egg, as described by some 

 ornithological writers. Audubon's graphic 

 description of a continuous process extend- 

 ing over several weeks has not applied 

 to any one of a number of nests examined 

 by the writer in Minnesota. The manner 

 in which the uncanny, hissing, reptile- 

 like young of the Cuckoo are fed is a 

 singular and interesting performance. 

 The youngster, rising with rapidly vibrat- 

 ing wings, seizes firmly the bill of the 

 old bird to which it clings tightly, while, 

 if my observations are correct, it sucks 

 the food from the mouth of the parent. 

 The birds are thus attached for a quarter 

 of a minute or more. Several large, white, 

 flat-topped papillae or tubercles on the 

 roof of the mouth of the young bird 

 apparently assist it in maintaining its 

 hold on the smooth bill of the old bird. 

 A small finger-tip inserted well down in 

 the open, upstretched mouth of a nestling 

 is seized securely and a suction action is 

 distinctly perceptible. All the various 

 movements described have been secured 

 the past summer in motion pictures. 



Minneapolis Vicinity. — On October 

 and 7 a visit was made to the preserve 

 of the Long Meadow Gun Club, ten miles 

 south of Minneapolis, and the sloughs were 



