108 



THE OOLOGIST. 



this locality. Two eggs are usually laid, 

 but I have known them to lay three. 



Departing for more southern regions in 

 the latter part of September, the Fish Hawk 

 reappears in great abundance at the early 

 approach of Spring, and returning to the 

 same nests occupied in the former season. 

 They begin laying about the last week of 

 April; the nests are generally placed on pine 

 trees in the vicinity of water, ranging from 

 ten to seventy -five feet from the ground, 

 and sometimes on the ground. There may 

 be seen, sometimes, along our coast, dozens 

 of nests within a few square acres. 



Among the Owls, the Great Horned and 

 Screach Owls are most common. The 

 Long-eared and Saw-whet are rare. 



Crows are abundant at all seasons. In 

 Winter evenings about sunset, they can be 

 seen flying in large flocks to the southern 

 portion of the county to roost, and returning 

 early in the morning. 



Of the Woodpeckers, the Flicker, the 

 Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are very 

 common. The Pileated and Red-bellied 

 are rare. The Eed-headed Woodpecker, 

 which was once so common here, has be- 

 come almost extinct. His predatorj' habits 

 in the orchards and cornfields; his excessive 

 fondness for fruit, esijecially the cherry, 

 and his peculiar habit of approaching dwell- 

 ing and farm houses, and rapping on the 

 shingles, are some of his marked peculiari- 

 ties. His absence here may, perhaps, be 

 attributed to the scarcity of timbered lands 

 the most of which have been cut, as such 

 places are his favorite retreats, especially in 

 time of nidification. 



The following, named in order uf their 

 abundance, are quite mimerous: Night 

 Hawk, Whip-poor-will and Chuck-wills- 

 widow, also the Chimney Swift and Euby- 

 throated Hummingbird are very numerous. 

 These occur only as Summer residents. 



Kingfishers are abundant along the river 

 shores throughov.t the summer season. 



Yellow-billed Cuckoos are abiandaut as 

 Summer residents. The Black-billed is very 

 rare. 



We have many representatives of the 

 Tvranuida^ familv. the chief of which are 



the Kingbird, Crested Flycatcher, Acadian 

 Flycatcher, Traill's Flycatcher, Wood Pe- 

 wee and Phcebe, These we have only as 

 summer residents. 



The Orchard Oriole, Meadow Lark, Cow- 

 bird, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Grackle 

 and Boat-tailed Grackle are very abundant. 

 Baltimore Orioles and Bobolinks very 

 rarely occur. 



We have among the Turdidae family, 

 American Robin, Bluebird as common resi- 

 dents. The Wilson's Thrush and Hermit 

 Thrush appear only as migrants. 



We have as common residents the follow- 

 ing: Cardinal, Water Thrush, Mockingbird, 

 Carolina Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, 

 American Quail, Mourning Dove, Song 

 Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Field Si^arrow 

 and Goldfinch. 



As Winter residents we have the following : 

 White-throated Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, 

 Swamp Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Snowbird, 

 Golden-Crowned Kinglet and Yellow- 

 rumped Warbler. 



The following are Summer residents: 

 Seaside Sparrow, Catbird, Blue Grosbeak, 

 Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, Summer 

 Redbird, Purple Martin, Bam Swallow, 

 White-bellied Swallow, Bank Swallow, Red- 

 ej'ed Vireo, Warbling Yireo, Blue-headed 

 Vireo, White-eved Vireo, Yellow Warbler, 

 Yellow- breasted Chat, Golden-crowned 

 Thrush, Brown Thrasher, House Y/reu and 

 Blue-grey Gnatcatcher. 



The following occur as migrants; Purple 

 Finch, Pine Grosbeak, Savanna Sparrow, 

 White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted 

 Grosbeak and Cedar Waxwing. 



M. C. White. 



Changes in the Nesting of Birds. 



Among the many changes which have 

 taken i^lace in the habits of birds since the 

 settlement of America, those which concern 

 their nesting habits are of much interest. 



The Bluebird early left his hole in some 

 forest-tree for a hollow limb in the orchard 

 or apartments in the bird-house, and the 

 House Wren, who lived in the same sitna- 



