238 



Bird - Lore 



and, one morning, a visit for about an 

 hour from a flock of 10 Evening Gros- 

 beaks. Tiic woods all around the camp was 

 alive with Crossbills, flock after flock, not 

 less than 500 in all, the White-winged 

 variety predominating, about two to one, 

 and the males singing most beautifully. 



This fall the Doctor and I have been 

 particularly fortunate in checking the 

 unusual for this locality, latitude 46 

 degrees 30 minutes north. 



September 15. .\ Red-headed Wood- 

 pecker. The only one either of us ever saw 

 in this part of Michigan. A Yellow- 

 throated Vireo and two Olive-sided Fly- 

 catchers. 



September 22. — A Philadelphia Vireo, 



2 Wood Pewees, 2 Least Flycatchers and, 

 in a swamp on an island in St. Mary's 

 River, 3 miles from town, 2 Long-billed 

 Marsh Wrens, 2 Swamp Sparrows, and a 

 male and female Maryland Yellow-throat. 



September 29. — A Blue-headed Vireo. 



October 6. — A Lapland Longspur, 2 

 Fox Sparrows, 2 Palm, and 2 Black- 

 throated Green Warblers. 



October 13. — Two Chipping Sparrows, 



3 Hermit Thrushes, 4 Lincoln's Sparrows 

 (extremely rare here), 2 Northern Water- 

 Thrushes (rare here, a very late date, and, 



1 believe, a record for Michigan, the latest 

 previous date I can find being October 8, 

 1889, near Detroit, 270 miles south of us), 



2 Harris's Sparrows (unusual and rare; 

 up to 191 2 but three records from the 

 state; however, one of these was from here, 

 and the specimen is now in our High 

 School Museum). 



The above date, October 13, was our 

 'red letter day' for this season. The 

 Lincoln's and Harris's Sparrows and 

 Northern Water-Thrush we picked up 

 along a half-mile of wire fence dividing a 

 stretch of wood and a low-lying, rather 

 wet meadow along the river-bank. The 

 fence was mostly out of sight in the under- 

 brush. 



October 16. — .\ Myrtle Warbler and a 

 (ireat Blue Heron. 



November 13. — A Bohemian Wax wing, 

 the first seen since April 23, 1916, arrived 

 this morning and was feeding in my boxes 



with the Evening Grosbeaks. — M. J. 



M.AGF.E, Saiilt Sic. Marie, Midi. 



Unusual Occurrences in the San Fran- 

 cisco Bay Region 



That birds fluctuate in numbers from 

 year to year is so well known that record 

 of unusual local occurrence would be 

 hardly worth while were it not for his- 

 toric significance. The matter which 

 appears trivial at first sight may become 

 important later when statistics are being 

 compiled. 



As a general rule there are few note- 

 worthy variations in abundance among the 

 visiting birds in the San Francisco Bay 

 region. Of course, the Western Robin does 

 not appear in equal numbers from winter 

 to winter and sometimes the Red-breasted 

 Nuthatch appears in such small numbers 

 that it is rarely seen. But seldom are 

 unusual increases or decreases conspicuous 

 to the amateur bird student. The past 

 winter, 1918-19, however, two winter 

 visitant birds which are usually uncom- 

 mon in the Bay region have appeared in 

 such numbers as to become conspicuous, 

 and one winter visitant, usually fairly 

 common, has been so rare as to be un- 

 observed up to February 10, 1919. The 

 Golden-crowned Kinglet and the Western 

 Bluebird are the two belonging to the 

 first category and the Varied Thrush is 

 the one belonging to the second category. 

 Another notable occurrence remains in 

 our memory — the numerous Western 

 Wood Pewees found on the University 

 Campus, Berkeley, in the summer of 191 2 

 and the dearth of these birds in the same 

 locality since that time. The above occur- 

 rences have been so conspicuous as to be 

 noticeable by both professional and 

 amateur bird students. — Harold C. 

 Bryant, Berkeley, Calif. 



My Neighbor's Back Yard 



In view from the south window of my 

 living-room is a half-acre of neglected 

 ground, covered with low shrubbery and a 

 half-dozen plum and apple trees that year 



