146 



Bird - Lore 



15 species having been reported to date, 

 the most notable of which are a Greater 

 Scaup (De Laubenfels), seen in Jackson 

 Park, and the King-necked Ducks which 

 are very numerous. Also many Canada 

 Geese and one Snow (ioose (De Lauben- 

 fels) seen at Hinsdale. The Ducks seem 

 to know that they arc protected as they 

 are quite tame and allow a close approach. 

 I watched a Scaup on a small pond for five 

 minutes, while standing within 20 feet of 

 it. Although I waved my arms and made 

 various noises it did not take alarm and 

 only flew when a stone was dropped near it. 

 fMed-billed and Horned (irebcs and (ircat 

 Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons 

 are beginning to arrive; a Pectoral Sand- 

 piper and Double-crested Cormorant (De 

 Laubenfels) were seen at Willow Springs 

 .April 2. The Killdeers and both Yellow- 

 legs are here and the Jack Snipe rise from 

 the marsh every few feet while the Red- 

 wings continue their noisy mating and the 

 Marsh Hawks keep a sharp watch over 

 the entire swamp. 



Lapland and Smith's Longspurs are 

 here in large flocks near Argo; numerous 

 Tufted Titmice have been reported from 

 different localities. This bird seems, like 

 the Cardinal, to be extending its range to 

 the north, as they are seen more commonly 

 every year. Besides the common Hawks, 

 a few Rough-legged Hawks have been seen 

 in the sand-dunes. Most of the Sparrows 

 are here in full song and many Kinglets, 

 Brown Creepers and Sapsuckers are to be 

 found roaming through the woods. The 

 first Myrtle Warbler (De Laubenfels and 

 Ford) was seen March 20 in the sand-dunes 

 and is now common everywhere. 



Mr. W. A. Lyons, of Waukcgan, is 

 doing some very interesting trapping and 

 handing work and among other birds 

 reports a Northern Shrike (March 20), 

 caught when it entered a trap after a 

 Junco, which it killed. 



Three Horned Owl nests were found l)y 

 Mr. Richardson in the sand-dunes, and 

 Mr. I'ord has located a number of early 

 Woodcock nests. The Society now has a 

 list of 96 species and expects to add many 

 more during the next two months. — Colin 



Campbkll Sanborn. Chairmun oj the 

 Report Committee, Chicago Ornithological 

 Society. 



Kansas City Rkc.ion. — .\\\ records for 

 warm open winters in this region have been 

 broken during the past season. Trees 

 began to bud in mid-February, and by the 

 end of the second week in March only very 

 late fruit had not yet blossomed. Records 

 of early arrivals of birds were being broken, 

 and most unusual nesting dates were being 

 recorded, when everything was brought to 

 a sudden standstill by two hard freezes 

 during the week of March 27. Fruit was 

 killed generally throughout the region, and 

 some damage to eggs and nestlings was 

 noted. In the nest of even so hardy a 

 species as the Prairie Horned Lark two 

 eggs containing dead embryos were found 

 alongside a fully-fledged nestling. 



Mr. B. F. Bush, whose meteorological 

 and botanical notes extend back over a 

 long sequence of years, states that once 

 before (in 1882-1883) a spring-like winter 

 had beguiled vegetation into a too-early 

 awakening only to blast everything by a 

 late killing frost. 



Is it worthy of record that reports from 

 scattered correspondents indicate that 

 Bronzed Crackles were present in large 

 flocks over the entire region throughout 

 the winter. This is unprecedented, as 

 winter records for this species are few and 

 far between. 



Meadowlarks suddenly appeared on their 

 breeding-stands in full song on February 27 

 and Red-headed Woodpeckers moved in on 

 the same date in numbers, both species 

 l)cing far in a<!vance of their normal times 

 of arriving in force. From the middle of 

 February to IMarch i a great procession 

 of Ducks and Geese was observed on the 

 Missouri River by William Andrews and 

 others. The abundance of water-fowl dur- 

 ing this period doubtless accounts for the 

 presence on February 25 of the first Duck 

 Hawk seen in this vicinity in many years. 

 On February 15 the first large flocks of 

 migrating Robins were seen, and on the 

 i6th and 17th numerous flocks of Canada 

 and Blue Geese passed through. Between 



