24 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Among the long-lej^ged waders the 

 Great BIuh Heron is the only represen- 

 tative, and an immature was killed with- 

 in gun shot of our fence, and which had 

 perched in our tall oak just previously. 

 A Carolina Rail was found dead in the 

 yard, as an evidence of the danger of 

 migrating in the dark. 



A Barred Owl rested in a tree in the 

 yard. Marsh, Red-tailed, Red-shoulder- 

 ed and Sparrow Hawks have been seen 

 flying over; a Cooper's Hawk was ob- 

 served plying his trade among the exe- 

 crated sparrows about four o'clock in 

 the morning,anda Sharp-shinned Hawk 

 was engaged in the same glorious work 

 in brortd daylight. 



We have five species of "borers," 

 which visit us each year; the Downy 

 Woodpecker is hardiest of them all and 

 is frequently seen in mid-winter. Next 

 is the Hairy. Of the last three, the 

 Golden-wing and Red-head are liable 

 to visit the o»ks of our yard at any date in 

 the spring, summer and fall, while the 

 Yellow-bellied is our visitor in spring 

 and fall migrations, when it bores its 

 numerous little holes for the exuding 

 sap, especially in two weeks of the 

 spring migration, when it is possibly a 

 damage to the trees. 



Nighthawks often fly over, as also the 

 rattle-noted Kingfisher. The Black- 

 billed Cuckoo is not rare, and the Yel- 

 low-billed species is one of the few birds 

 that have been added within the last 

 few years, as it is more abundant in 

 this region than formerly. The gor- 

 geous little Ruby-throated Humming- 

 bird enlivens the garden and the vicin- 

 ity of the potted plants. Swifts whirl 

 in rapid flight above the house, and oc- 

 casionally form their nests in our chim- 

 neys. 



The plain little Phoebe is heard each 

 season, while the dear melodious Wood 

 Pewee quavers its sweet notes during 

 the summer, occasionally nesting in the 

 oaks. The clamorous Kingbird always 

 appears, more often in summer, and af- 



ter the nesting duties are completed. 

 One Least Flycatcher has wandered in- 

 to our yard, and I have observed one 

 Olive-sided Flycatcher, which is very 

 rare in Michigan, but there was no mis- 

 taking the peculiar notes, which heard 

 once are never forgotten. 



Bobolinks fly over, gushing forth in 

 rollicking song, but n§ver deign to 

 alight. The stealthy Cowbird sneaks 

 about, but I could never find that she 

 ever made any of her unsolicited depos- 

 its in the nests of our yard. The Red- 

 wing and Rusty Blackbirds fly over in 

 straggling flocks, and the Meadowlark 

 is observed above and sometimes rests 

 in the oak tops. The Bronzed Grackle 

 nested regularly in the evergreens be- 

 fore they were cut down, and still troop 

 about in annually increasing flocks as 

 the advantages of a city life are made 

 known to them. Those beautiful and 

 vivacious, as well as useful birds, the 

 Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, both 

 nested with us previous to the removal 

 of the apple trees and sugar maples, 

 and are still with us seasonally as sing- 

 ers. Straggling flocks of Crows fly over 

 at all seasons, there being one hundred 

 now where there was one a quarter of a 

 century ago. Surely, civilization assists 

 some species, even if it does produce 

 extinction in some useful birds and 

 mammals. Our Blue Jay is as abund- 

 ant as formerly, and one of our oltt 

 stand-bys, and his defiant scream is 

 heard at all seasons of the year. 



Among the large number of the spar- 

 rows the Purple Finch i.s one of the first 

 musical species to appear from the south 

 and he sometimes lends his presence on 

 his way north. The Tree Sparrow is a 

 rare visitor as he prefers the wilder sec- 

 tions. The Chewink has been observed 

 but once in our yard. The White- 

 crowned Sparrow is also a rare caller, 

 though common outside the village. 

 "Pea-bod-dy"' is an annual loiterer, and 

 offers his sweetest strains a little after 

 his near relative, the White-crowned, 



