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Red Crossbills in Seattle 



Seattle has had an unusual visitation of 

 the erratic Red Crossbills this year. Flocks 

 of these birds have been in and about the 

 city for the entire months of May and June 

 and are still to be found this first week in 

 July. They are often seen in gardens on 

 the shade and orchard trees, and have been 

 heard many times flying overhead, their 

 metallic link link being unmistakable. 



Their presence here seems to be another 

 proof that the birds come when we need 

 them most. The aphis have been swarm- 

 ing over all forms of vegetation this year, 

 and in every case where the Crossbills 

 have been found feeding, they were eating 

 aphis. In the elm trees and the fruit trees 

 the aphis injure the leaves, causing them 

 to curl up. As I stood under an elm tree, 

 where the Crossbills were feeding, these 

 leaves kept dropping at my feet, and in 

 every case they had been cleaned of the 

 aphis by the birds. In holding them to 

 get a better grip they had torn the leaves 

 off. 



The birds are in various colored dress, 

 but many are in the mature plumage, and 

 one wonders when and where they will 

 nest this year, if at all. No single pairs 

 have been noted, the birds always being in 

 flocks of from ten to twenty. — M. I. Comp- 

 TON, Seattle, Wash. 



Maine Notes 



This has been a fme year for birds in 

 Maine. All the usual species are abundant, 

 while several rarer ones have been seen. 

 On my premises there are three trees; each 

 was occupied this season, one by a pair of 

 Bluebirds, the second by Robins, and the 

 third by Cedar Waxwings. I have en- 

 joyed watching these birds for hours, and 

 all have safely raised one brood, and the 

 Waxwings and Robins are feeding their 

 second (August 8). 



Probably the place that is resorted to 



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most by bird-lovers of this section is 

 Riverside Cemetery, along the banks of 

 the Androscoggin River. It is a beautiful 

 spot and ideal for bird-study. On one of 

 my walks there I identified forty-one 

 species. On this walk I saw and identified 

 the Golden-winged Warbler, which is a 

 very rare bird for Maine. 



I am glad to be able to report that Bob- 

 white are on the increase in this section 

 of the state. While I was camping at 

 Takoma, Me., I saw and heard a great 

 many of them, while last year they were 

 quite rare. — -Haydn S. Pearson, Lewis- 

 Iflii, Me. 



Golden-eye Duck Carrying Young 



The following observations upon the 

 method by which tree-nesting Ducks bring 

 their young down to water may be of in- 

 terest. I have a summer cottage on Hop- 

 kin's Point, on the St. Lawrence River, in 

 the township of Dundee, province of Que- 

 bec. Early in June a pair of wild Ducks 

 were observed nesting in a tree some 30 

 feet from the front door of my cottage. 

 The nest was in a hole in the tree about 

 18 feet from the ground, the opening being 

 barely large enough to admit the parent 

 bird. The Ducks were easily identified as 

 the common Golden-eye, called also Whis- 

 tler, from the sound of their wings in flight. 

 The drake had a black head and back, 

 with the neck, lower parts, and a patch on 

 the cheek of white. The Duck had a red- 

 dish brown head and the upper portion of 

 the body mottled gray instead of black. 

 Both had white patches on their wings and 

 bright yellow eyes. I think it is impossible 

 that there was any error in regard to 

 the species. This Duck not infrequently 

 breeds in this section, though not a com- 

 mon summer resident. 



I had every opportunity, together with 

 other members of my family, to observe 

 the Ducks closely, but we did not make 

 the matter public lest the birds might be 



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