23g 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Thousands of Blackbirds. 



In this portion ot the state of Kansas 

 llu've are thousands of Hlat-kbinls. 

 They build in orc-hards, and aiv so 

 jiumerons as to kill and break down 

 trees, causing a liortieulturalist so nuicli 

 trouble that he hires boys to tear down 

 their nests. In one orehard a count 

 was kept of the eggs. Some 1000 were 

 guthered, fhe nests being 1)uilt in the 

 usual waj", some tive or six to a tree. 



After the yonng ean lly they congre- 

 gate in flocks and Hy from and to their 

 roosting places and feeding grounds. 

 They feed in tlie low lands bordering 

 the river, and ' at night-fall fly to 

 tlieir roosting i)laces on the Idgher 

 ground. 



^Vheii tlie time comes for going south, 

 they mass in one inunense Hock. A 

 flock went over liiis town recently', and 

 us far as tlie eye could see there were 

 Blackbirds, Avhich continued for nearly 

 two hours, their direction being soutli 

 by stnith-west. 



The Robins are l)eginning to HU up 

 the woods. They stay in the woods 

 here all winter, tiiougli you never see 

 one in town till s]n'ing, making the 

 people think tliat theyjust arrived fr(»m 

 the soutli. 



JoHX jMvKKANTZ, 



Paola, Kans. 

 The Yellow-headed Blackbird. 



This i-; not a x'cry conunon species 

 ni my locality, althougli I collected a 

 Jiumber of sets during the .season of 

 1889. 



The only place in thi~; locality where 

 I found it breeding was a small grassy 

 lake, called Lake Ningra or Dead Lake. 

 Oa the eastern portion of this lake 

 there is a great patch of cat-tails and 

 rushes out quite a way from the shore. 

 This is a great breeding place of the 

 Yellow-headed Blackbird, also of the 

 Least Bittern. 



Yhe nest of the Yellow-headed Black- 

 i)ird is a light bulky affair nuide of flags 

 and grasses woven together, aiul is 

 often twice as deep outside as in, with 

 a very wide margin. The number of 

 eggs in a set of this species ranges from 

 four to six, but fdur is tlie usual iiuni 

 ber, rarely live. 



A set of four eggs of this species, 

 wliich I collected at Dead Lake, I\Iay 

 31, ISSy, shows the following measure- 

 ments: 1.04x71, 1.01x71, 1.03x71,1.04- 

 x71. The eggs in the abo\-e set are of a 

 dull grayish white, thickly spotted 

 witli drab and umber. 



I will close now ]ioi)ing to hear more 

 about this beautiful bird tiu'ongh the 

 columns of Tin; OoLotasT. 



F. S. X. 

 ]\Iadisoii, Wis. 



Northern Phalarope. 



Octulx'r e.'illi 1 had a Northern Phala- 

 rope brought to me alive and apiiurent- 

 ly in good hc'altli but for a gash on tlu- 

 left side of its head which had entirely 

 deprived that orb of sight. T was in- 

 formed that several inure had been 

 found ilead at the foot of one of the 

 I'lectric light towers, where it had prob- 

 al)ly been attracted by the brilliant 

 light and flown against the wooden 

 I railing that surrounds the lights. Tiie 

 ( towers are 110 feet high and consists of 

 : li\ (' electnc lights erected on an iron 

 frame. 



No doubt throughout the country 

 there are many birds killed by these 

 electric lights. 



The Phalaro])e is a verjrare specimen 

 around here. i 



C. C. T., Utica', N. Y. 



The Oven Bird's Song. — A Corrected 

 Statement. 



I beg to dift'er Avith B. H. S., who in 

 the October Oologist said that the 

 (iolden Crowned Thrush had no song. 



