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Bird - Lore 



"That the V^ireo is imitating the Fly- 

 catcher seems doubtful to me, for I can- 

 not recall hearing the Red-eye utter the 

 note of any other bird. Then, too, the 

 Great-crest is a very uncommon bird 

 with us." 



It would be interesting to learn if 

 others have heard this peculiar song of the 

 Red-eye, and to hear their views upon the 

 subject. — E. A. Doolittle, Painesville, 

 Ohio. 



The Evening Grosbeak a Summer 

 Resident in Northern Minnesota 



About a year ago, I sent a brief article 

 on an Evening Grosbeak which I saw in 

 the month of July, 1917, near the Inter- 

 national Boundary, north of Lake Super- 

 ior on Gunflint Lake. The actions of the 

 bird and the information I gained about 

 the species from settlers, lead me to think 

 that the birds were nesting in that region, 

 although I did not find a nest. 



On August I, 19 19, I again saw Evening 

 Grosbeaks in Itasca County, Minn., about 

 a hundred miles farther west and fifty 

 miles farther soutli. 



Two birds, both of which seemed to be 

 males in full plumage, I saw on a little 

 patch of sand near the post office of Pine- 

 top in central western Itasca County. 

 They were apparently picking up fine 

 gravel and when they left, flew into a 

 small tamarack swamp close by. These 

 birds were seen within a few rods of a 

 farm. The postmaster of Pinetop and his 

 boys told me that they were there every 

 summer, but he did not find the nest. 



August 8, the same year, I saw two 

 Evening Grosbeaks in a tree in front of the 

 post office of Popple, Itasca County, 

 twenty miles northeast of Deer River. 

 The postmaster told me that these birds 

 were there every summer and that they 

 had been in the habit of picking up sand 

 and gravel in front of his door, and that 

 about a week ago his cat had caught one 

 of them. These birds also flew to some 

 low wooded land on the Popple River 

 which passes the door of the post office. 



I did not find a nest in this region and 

 saw each pair of birds only once, but these 

 observations lead me to think that the 

 Evening Grosbeak should be listed as a 

 summer resident over a considerable part 

 of northern Minnesota, and I shall try 

 this summer to discover a nest. Campers 

 and bird students who happen to see this 

 notice would do well to look for nests and 

 young as early in the season as possible. — 

 D. Lange, Saint Paul, Minn. 



The Yellow Rail Near Chicago 



A Yellow Rail was found dead on the 

 streets of Hinsdale during the spring of 



1919. It was mounted and preserved by 

 the Science Department of the school. 

 One of my boys found one alive in a 

 snowdrift during the Easter blizzard of 



1920. It appeared very much exhausted, 

 often tucking its head under its wing 

 before a whole room full of observers. 



I am inclined to believe these Rails 

 pass through this area in migration more 

 commonly than we had supposed. — 

 Esther A. Craigmile, River Forest, Ills. 



