34: 



ORNTTHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 3 



made bj' him in Carroll County in 1885, he no- 

 tices tlin occurrence of a male at Camden aud 

 says: " The only one I have ever seen except 

 in Maple swamp in the soutti part of the Coun- 

 ty." This is presumably the locality referred 

 to in his list. 



For several years, since making the acquain- 

 tance of this attractive bird, Mr. Coale has vis- 

 ited the Kankakee swamps in Starke County. 

 Each j'ear the warblers appear to be as com- 

 mon and as ready to be studied as when he lirst 

 saw them. The northward range of this species, 

 however, is not stopped Iiere. Mr. Coale, in 

 his persistent searchings, has traced it to the 

 shores of Lake Michigan, along which he has 

 occasionally taken it both in Indiana ;ind in 

 Illinois. Such is a sketch of its present known 

 distribution in Indiana. Its range both in that 

 State and Ohio is peculiar. It has never been 

 reported from tlie southeastern half of Indiana 

 nor from any part of Ohio, except that in the 

 vicinity of St. Mary"s I-!eservoir, which is in the 

 northwestern part of that State. 



The Prothonotary Warbler is pre-eminently 

 a bird of the moist and swampy river lowlands, 

 and along the river valleys lie its paths of mi- 

 gration. The borders of the Mississippi River 

 are its great highway, whence a large number 

 of individuals turn to the right at the Ohio's 

 moutli, passing up that stream until they find, 

 entering it from the North, the Wabash, the 

 sloughs and bayous, marslies and lagoons of 

 which, bordered by rank vegetation, make this 

 a spot of unusual attractiveness to them. Here 

 they turn, the greater number to find summer 

 homes along the lower course of that interest- 

 ing stream. Perhaps in no place are these birds 

 so abundant in summer as in the lower Wabash 

 valley. The peculiar attractions there are so 

 great compared with what the Ohio has to of- 

 fer, that few, if any, pass farther up that 

 stream. If we may conclude that the Protho- 

 notary's course of migration is along the small- 

 er streams as along the Mississippi, it seems 

 probable we may account for its peculiar dis- 

 tribution. It could extend up the Wabash 

 Eiver to Carroll County, and farther along its 

 course into Ohio, to St. Mary's Eeservoii-, near 

 which the stream heads. Whether these birds 

 pass the narrow and almost imperceptible di- 

 vision between the drainage of the Wabash 

 and the Kankakee, or also extend their serai- 

 annual pilgrimages along the latter stream re- 

 mains to be determined. It seems certain, how- 

 ever, that they must pass over the indistinguish- 

 able water shed between Kankakee Valley and 

 the Jvake Basin, the waters of which, at certain 



seasons of the year, find common feeders in 

 many swamps and lakes in northwestern In- 

 diana. Xo barriers of any consequence being 

 present, it seems probable that the Wabash 

 Valley is the route by which this species is dis- 

 tributed over the region considered. 



A Series of Eggs of Accipiter fuscus. 



m .1. I'. N. 



The eggs of the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Arripi- 

 ter fuscus. or, according to the A. O. U nomen- 

 clature A. vdox,) are among the most beauti- 

 ful of any of the Haptores. They are subject to 

 great variation in markings, and yet, as a rule, 

 they can be identified at a glance. With tlie 

 exception of the eggs of the Sparrow Hawk 

 {Tiiiniinciilns sparverius) they are the smallest 

 laid by any of the Hawks found in North 

 Anieri(ta. 



In the following series it will be noticed that 

 many of the finest sets were collected by the 

 vvell-kuowu "J. M. W." (Mr. C. L. Kawson), 

 of Norwich, Connecticut, to whom I am under 

 great obligations for all of his fine clutches of 

 this species, as well as for tlie permission to 

 use his valuable field notes. 



Set I. May 13, 1883. Blue Mountains, North- 

 ampton County, Penn. Four eggs, very light 

 bluish white ground color; almost gloliular. 

 No. 1. Unmarked, except with a very few small 

 spots ot burnt umber, which are so .scattered 

 and far apart that the general effect is that of 

 an vmspotted egg: 1.36x1.37. No. 2. Spotted 

 and blotched at the larger end only with dark 

 chestnut: 1.34x1.19. No. 3. Faintly clouded 

 and spotted with fawn color. One or two spots 

 are burnt umber: 1.32x1.14. No. 4. Lightly 

 and sparingly spotted at the smaller end with 

 burnt umber: 1.34x1.16. 



Setll. May 30, 1879. Blue Mountains, North- 

 ampton County, Penn. Four eggs, ground 

 color faint bluish white. No. 1. Quite point- 

 ed; marbled, clouded and spotted with light 

 fawn color. The markings form an indistinct 

 band around the centre of the egg: 1.53x1.19. 

 No. 2. Marbled, (douded and spotted with 

 light fawn color: 1.54x1.19. No. 3. Marbled, 

 clouded and spotted with light fawn color. 

 The markings are prin<'ipally grouped around 

 the smaller end : 1..52xl.l8. No. 4. Marbled 

 and spotted with light fawn color and a few 

 spots of burnt umber; 1.51x1.16. The colors 

 on this set are very unusual for this species. 



Set III. May 3, 1885. EastTempleton, Mass. 



