118 



OKNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-No. 8 



to staiiip his own trade mark on his adaptations 

 and besides he quite as often indulges in Iiis 

 own genuine song whieh certainly is no imita- 

 tion of any other bird. 



In his breeding habits lie is quite exemplary ; 

 he begins to raise one family in May and in 

 July his second or third are introduced to tlie 

 world. lie l)iuids a bulky nest of small twigs 

 with most anything else tlirown in to help out, 

 strings, rags, wire, grass, etc., generally choos- 

 ing a small tiee or busli to place his domicile in. 



While his family are being raised, he and his 

 wife are very jealous of any interference and 

 speedily put to flight any hawk, cat, dog or 

 otlier suspicious elsaracter found in the neigli- 

 borhood, not only making the welkin ring with 

 their loud remonstrances but enforcing said re- 

 monstrances witli sundry vicious pecks whidi 

 cause nniuy an unsuspecting dog to flee iiowl- 

 ing from the vicinity of their nest. 



Wlien Xoveniber comes most of the Mockers 

 leave us, a few, liowever, remaining tluougli 

 the winter, chiefly in thickets, but they seem 

 pretty lonesome and forlorn and do not sing 

 much unless an unusually fine day is sent ua by 

 the weather bureau. 



One word about the Mocker's imitations: 

 some of them seem mere adaptations, others 

 again are exact reproductions of tlie bird's 

 notes; lie can fool the unsuspecting on Kill- 

 deer, and imitate the Brown-headed Nuthatch 

 so well that if lie only stayed in the right local- 

 ity he would get away with me every time, and 

 so with a good many others, but he usually 

 gives himself away by keeping straight ahead 

 witli liis song and blending some lialf a dozen 

 other bird's notes with it. 



One habit of the Mocker wliicli is pleasing or 

 not, according to circumstances, is his way of 

 singing all night (and all day too) when the 

 weather gets hot. His song is very pleasant if 

 you don't want to sleep, but a Mocker just out- 

 side an open window makes more racket than is 

 desirable at night. 



Phainopeplas and Humming Birds at 

 Riverside, Cal. 



BY TIIEO. 1). IIURl). 



dwellings and streets. This year it has been 

 just the reverse. I have seen but four or five 

 I'haiuopcplas in the valley and Hummers have 

 been nearly as rare, although both were rather 

 common in the river bottoms during the migra- 

 tion. 



fan anyone suggest a reason for tliis'r' If in 

 other localities the same has been noticed, we 

 should like to liear from them. 



In 1887 Phainopcpla nitens and Humming 

 birds, mainly G. annas and C. costiv^ arrived 

 and bred in great numbers in the vicinity of 

 Riverside, Cal. Never before had they been so 

 common, and their nests were found nearly 

 everywhere, but mostly in pepper trees about 



Albino Robin at Grand Rapids. 



BY tJKO. C. HOLLISTEIl. 



On the 1st of September my father was at- 

 tracted by a bird that looked like a Kobin, ex- 

 cejit it bad a white head. The next day I saw 

 the same bird feeding on tlie ground with other 

 liobiiKs. After I sliot him I found that it evi- 

 dently was a young bird, as the feathers on the 

 upper parts of the neck were not fully devel- 

 oped. 



The following is the description : t'l'own pure 

 white, hind head and nape wliite with a few 

 black feathers scattered about, the greater num- 

 ber being over the right eye, edge of eyelids 

 yellow surrounded with white, a very indistinct 

 black superciliary streak, throat and sides of 

 bead with a few black feathers, the shoulders 

 also have a few white feathers and there are 

 two more in the back, the first secondary of the 

 wing is white, though the corresponding feath- 

 ers of the wing are dark. Othei-wise it is tlie 

 same as anv other Kobin. 



Eagle vs. Fish Hawk. 



BY J. F. w. 



It is a well-known fact among Naturalists 

 that in localities where both birds arecomnion- 

 ly found, the Eagle robs the Fish Hawk of 

 many a savory meal, relying on its superior 

 prowess and power of wing to force from the 

 Hawk its hard-earned but lawful prey. 



1 had often read of this fact but never had a 

 iiractical illustration of it until the spring of 

 "SO wliilo camping on the Matanzas river in 

 Florida. One hot day in May I was sitting on 

 the bank of the river lazily smoking my favor- 

 ite pipe and watching the graceful motions of 

 the Least Terns that were continually flying up 

 and down the river. Suddenly a Fish Hawk 

 appeared on the scene and my whole attention 

 was at once centered ou his repeated unsuccess- 



