432 



Bird- Lore 



sites in the Missouri Valley, in northwest- 

 ern Missouri and eastern Kansas, where 

 they may rear their j'oung with some de- 

 gree of security. It is reported from several 

 points in this up river country that Blue- 

 winged Teal and Wood Ducks have nested 

 in numbers this season, and a few favor- 

 able reports have been received as to Mal- 

 lards, Pintails, and Shovellers. It is re- 

 gretted that no apparent increase in the 

 Geese can be noted. R. P. Holland, of 

 Atchison, reports that a pair of Canada 

 Geese remained to breed near the Iowa 

 line this summer, and that while the male 

 was killed by some unknown farmer, there 

 was evidence that the female brought off 

 her brood of young. All this is very en- 

 couraging to the very few well-wishers of 

 this law in this region. 



The flocks of migrating Pelicans usually 

 looked for on the Missouri River from 

 September 13 to 25 did not appear until 

 October 4, when the first of these majestic 

 birds was seen making their way south, 

 high overhead, like a string of glistening 

 war-planes. 



Several small, scattered flocks of Lin- 

 coln's Sparrows were seen on September 29, 

 an unusually early date for these birds in 

 this region, as they usually arrive near the 

 middle of October. — Harry Harris, 

 Kansas City, Mo. 



Denver Region. — The writer's - ^w 

 duties in the service do not take him en 

 tirely out of the Denver Region, but thej' 

 hav^e curtailed considerably his chances of 

 noting bird-life since August 15. 



The early impressions of the \'ear, that 

 some birds were not up to the normal in 

 number, and also queer in distribution, has 

 been confirmed during the past weeks. 

 Thus, only one large flock of Bronzed 

 Grackles was seen, to wit, on August 27, 

 and, again, the writer was surprised to see 

 a Hairy Woodpecker in his yard on Aug- 

 ust 24, a very rare o'_currence for that 



date in this place. This period has shown 

 in an interesting manner the difference in 

 the visiting habits of two different species 

 of Warblers, both of which breed not more 

 than 20 miles away from Denver, in the 

 higher foothills; thus, the Virginia Warbler 

 appeared about my yard on August 26, and 

 was last seen in the neighborhood on 

 October 15, while the Macgillivray's 

 Warbler was detected only on August 

 28 and 30. 



On August 22 a brood of young Robins 

 was noted, all barely able to fly, and 

 plainly Just out of the nest; this is a very 

 late date for this species to finish the 

 season's nesting work. Late in August, 

 and early in September, several Gold- 

 finches were seen, all having been what 

 were called Mexican Goldfinches years ago, 

 while at the same time the writer saw none 

 of the Arkansas species, though they were 

 common breeders earlier in the season. 

 This observation is but one of a similar 

 nature made in the past, and lends support 

 to the suggestion made by E. R. Warren 

 that this form is not with us early in the 

 season, and probably is really a distinct 

 species, not a form of the Arkansas Gold- 

 finch. I do not see the previously called 

 Mexican Goldfinch here until late in the 

 summer or early in the fall, and I, too, 

 feel dubious as to its being a form of the 

 Arkansas Goldfinch. 



On September 9, many large flocks of 

 Robins were seen flying southward; this 

 could not have been due to severe 

 weather driving them south, for the sea- 

 son here has been mild and exceedingly 

 pleasant. 



The writer has seen, this fall, more Barn 

 Swallows, often in considerable flocks, 

 than in several years past. 



Our winter birds have begun to arrive, 

 the Grey-headed Junco getting here on 

 September 13, and today (October 15) 

 some Tree Sparrows were seen in the 

 suburbs. — -W. H. Bergtold, Denver, Col. 



