10 



OKNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 1 



alive. When .alighted on the ice. as they fre- 

 quently are, it appears very diffieult for them 

 to rise, probably owing to the position of their 

 feet, anil at snoh times may be caught with lit- 

 tle (liflii-ulty. A number were caught by a 

 hunter and in time became so tame that they 

 would not leave, but when warm weather came 

 they all died. The bird is not common as a 

 rule, but during severe seasons usiuilly visits 

 us. 



Iceland Gull, Larus leucopterus. Very rare. 

 The)' are sometimes taken along the lake shore. 



American Herring Gull, Lams argentatns 

 .imitlisoniaiisis. Common all winter. More 

 numerous than any other water bird. Flocks 

 of hundreds are often seen svvinuning aliout in 

 the lake. 



Ring-billed (Jull. Lnnis dflawarensit:. Kare. 

 They are occasionally taken in the harbor. 



Bonapai'te's Gull, Larus phlladcljiliia. More 

 common as a migi'ant than as a winter resident. 

 Young birds are sometimes taken in November 

 and I have seen them a mouth later. 



Mallard, Anas bnscus. A female was shot in 

 December 1887 by \V. B. Hull but they are 

 quite uncommon until (^arly spring. 



Black Duck. Anas nbscura. Less common 

 than the preceding and often confounded with 

 thf female Mallard. 



American (Jolden-e.ye, (ilaitcctjiirtid clomriiht. 

 Common along the lake shore all winter. The 

 snow and lite often become piled up on the 

 shore and hunters take advantage of it for con- 

 cealment. 'I'hey anchor their decoys in the 

 open water Just beyond, and tying a white 

 cloth over the head are very inconspicuous 

 crouched beliintl the irregular mass of snow. 

 Large bags of Golden-eye and Butter-ball are 

 fre(iuently made in this way. 



HufHe-head, Chnritiiiietta alhi-ohi. Counnon 

 Ihroughout the winter, the male being more 

 numerous than the female. Thev are only 

 found in the lake until Ajiril when Ihey take to 

 the river. 



Old Squaw, ('lamjnhi, liyemalis. (^uite erratic 

 in their visits. During severe seasons they are 

 quite common. During the winter of 1884-'85, 

 tlie maikets were flooded with theui, anil as 

 they are very poor eating they sold very cheap- 

 ly. They appeared to be starved as they were 

 very lean and thin. 



White-winged Scoter. Oidcmia dnjlandi . 

 Large flocks are sometimes seen in the bay 

 when the ice has drifted out. 



Wilson's Snipe, Giillinui/o didicatn. This is 

 not properly a winter bird with us but has been 

 recorded in exceptional cases. Last winter 



(1886 and 7) they were taken by W. B. Hull as 

 late as the ndddle of Decendjcr. A warm arte- 

 sion well flows into the Menomine Eiver keep- 

 ing it free fi<nn ice for a distance of several 

 hundred feet. .About this open spot the Snipe 

 would always congregate and were quite com- 

 mon until a little before Christmas. This 

 would seem to indicate that it is not so much 

 the cold which drives them south as the freez- 

 ing over of their feeding grounds. 



Bob White, CiiUiius i-irfiiniauus. The "tjuail" 

 has been nearlj' exterminated in this region, 

 though a few years ago they were not uncom- 

 mon. Those we now have are generally mere 

 stragglers. Last winter a female was caught 

 in the centre of the city. It had one leg broken 

 and its plunnige was very poor. After living 

 nearly a month in seeming contentment it es- 

 caped from its cage and was killed in flying 

 about the room. 



Ruffled (irouse, Bmiasa iimhellus. The "Part- 

 ridge"" is still quite common with us. probably 

 owing to the dense thickets in which it is found 

 and the ditHculty in hunting it, One day last 

 winter I started uj) six in a small patch of sec- 

 ond growth <iuite near the cltj'. 



Short-eared Owl, Asio accipitrinits. A mod- 

 erately counnon winter bird, always found in 

 the vicinity of farm houses. They seldom do 

 any harm, a large |iortion of their food consist- 

 ing of mice. They are, however mercilessly 

 shot liy the f.iroHT whenever the (i|ipiirtunity 

 presents. 



Barred t)vvl, Sijriuuin nebiilosuni. (^uite rare. 

 Move common to the north and west of us. 

 Two years ago (winter of 188.5 and "6) one flew 

 into a freight car near here and was caught. 

 It never became reconciled to its captivity but 

 died in less than a montli. 



Screech Owl. Mcijnsrops asin. N'ery commou. 

 It frequently comes into the city during cold 

 weather, where it finds shelter among the ever- 

 green trees. 



Great-horned Owl, Bubo cirtjiiiiant(s. Rare. 

 I think the few individuals which have been 

 shot in this neighboihood were merely acciden- 

 tal. Ill less settli'il districts it becomes more 

 abundant. 



Snowy Owl. Nijrtca loiclai. Varialilc. Its 

 abundance depends wholly upon the severity 

 of the winter, and some seasons it is entirely 

 wanting. Three were shot near lierc last 

 winter. 



Downy Woodpecker. Dryiibates pubescens. 

 This bird is one of our old residents and every 

 winter brings forth a troop of them. Thej- are 

 common both in the city and in the woods and 



