THE OSPRYE. 



61 



number for their "stomach's sakes". I found 

 their stomachs contained approximately. 

 5 per cent, insect remains. 



11 per cent, weed seeds. 



75 per cent, grain corn and cane. 

 9 per cent, sand and dirt. 



The insect remains were 1 to 2 per cent, ants, 

 neither to be regarded as beneficial nor injuri- 

 ous, and 3 to 4 of beetles, which are to be re- 

 garded as injurious. The weed seeds were those 

 of our common field weeds. The grain was 

 about '/i corn and -j cane. 



At first thought the large per cent, of grain 

 looked rather black for the Blackbird, but lets 

 see. 



The Crow Blackbird has a good appetite and 

 will eat about '4. pint per day. The flock of 

 ■ twelve thousand in the month's time they were 

 in this vicinity' would eat 1,500 bushels of food. 

 Of this 45-60 bushels are injurious insects, 180 

 bushels noxious weeds, and about 1,100 bushels 

 of grain, or about five bushels of grain to every 

 one of insects and weeds. When we think of 

 the damage that bushels of insects could inflict, 

 and of the labor the farmer would have to des- 

 troy' the same number of weeds, we see that the 

 Blackbird is not as black as he seems. 



J. H. HUNTEK. 



The Cerui,ean Wakbi^ER not an Unusual 



Visitor to Western and Central New 



York. 



Editors of the Osprey: 



Medina, N. Y., Ocf. 31. 18')9. 



The writer read with interest the article by 

 Mr. Puertes in the October OsprEV upon the 

 occurrence of two rare Warblers at Ithaca, N. Y. 



May I not be permitted to comment briefly 

 upon it, as touching the occurrence of the Ceru- 

 lean Warbler in Western and Central New 

 York? I cannot believe that /). car)-uh'a is of 

 so rare occurrence in the territory mentioned as 

 Mr. Fuertes" article would make us to believe, 

 and I am surprised that he has seen no more 

 eastern record for this bird than Lockport, N. Y. 

 Permit me to mention one or two. As long ago 

 as 1889, a list of the birds of Orleans County, 

 N. Y., published by the writer, mentioned this 

 species as not uncommon here, and as breeding. 

 This is somewhat east of Lockport; but to go 

 still further east, and still further back in point 

 of time, we find in Rathbun's '"/Jxf of Jlirds of 

 Central Nciv )'ork", published in 1879, that the 

 Cerulean Warbler is spoken of as a not uncom- 

 mon summer resident, arriving in May and de- 

 parting in September, and particular mention is 

 made of a specimen taken at Auburn, which 

 city is even further east than Ithaca, or at least 

 as easterly. But to go still further east, and to 

 the further extremity of the state, we find that 



Mr. Frank M. Chapman, in his "Birds found 

 within fifty )niles of Aeiv )'or/:,'' makes mention 

 of the species. 



And so I am surprised that Mr. Fuertes has 

 seen no more eastern record than Lockport, 

 N. Y., and I cannot but believe that unless 

 Tompkins County presents conditif)ns which 

 are adverse to the occurrence of this Warbler, 

 that it will be found to be, as it is elsewhere 

 throughout Western and Central New York, a 

 not uncommon summer resident. 



CoRXEi.irs F. P(jssoN. 



Bird Arrivals at Dawson. 



Editor of the Osprev: 



Little has been recorded respecting the birds 

 of the Klondyke and the following notes on the 

 arrivals of those observed from April to July 

 last may be useful. 



April 26. First ducks seen fl^'ing north on the 

 frozen Yukon. 



May 1. A male Barrow's Golden-e^'e duck 

 killed in some open water in Klondyke River. 



May 17. A single Short-tailed Gull hovered over 

 the river opposite Dawson just as the ice broke 

 at 4:15 in the afternoon, and passed down the 

 river with the floating cakes. 



May 18. Another Gull seen, also a Peale's Fal- 

 con Ducks are common, mostU' in pairs; Mal- 

 lards, Widgeons, Butterballs, Green-wing Teal, 

 Shovelers and Pintails were observed. 



Maj' 19. Pectoral Sandpipers. 



May 20. Song Sparrow and Juncos. 



May 20. Violet-green S w a 1 1 o w s. Horned 

 Grebes, Black-throated Plover. 



May 22. Yellow-shafted Flicker (no red shafted 

 seen in the country). Kingfisher. 



May 23. Sandwich Spari'ow. 



May 24. American Robin, Bohemian Wax- 

 wing^ Russet Black Thrush, Spotted Sandpiper. 

 Red-backed Sandpiper. New ducks to appear 

 are Old Squaw and Harlequin. 



May 25. Oregon Robin, White-crested Spar- 

 row, Sand Swallow. 



May 30. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 



Fresh eggs of White-crested Sparrow and 

 Juncos were found in the Dawson marsh the 

 forepart of June, and a large colony of Violet- 

 green Swallows are nesting in the clifts at the 

 mouth of the Klondyke. Young Alaskan Jays 

 large enough to fly were observed the forepart 

 of June. 



June 5. Boheman Waxwings are paired off in 

 many localities and will evidently nest here. 



Birds as a rule are very scarce— no Bluebirds 

 of any kind, very few Geese, no Cranes, nor 

 Waders of anv species except Sandpipers. 

 Geo. G. Cantwell, 



Dawson, Y. T. 



