April, 1882.] 



AND ()()L()(iLST. 



1U7 



AlthoTisli T obtained but the two eggs 

 luentioiied during the season of 'Tti, I con- 

 soled myself with the thought that now I 

 knew where to look for the nests of 

 Clarke's Crow, I would have no difficulty 

 in finding all the eggs I wanted during 

 the coming season, and fondly coimted on 

 adding a tine series of at least a dozen sets 

 to my collection in the near future. In 

 this I was mistaken, however, and I am 

 still waiting for the chance to do it. 



[CoucludeJ Next Mouth ] 



^ 



Notes from Centre Lisle, N. Y. 



I presume you remember my inquii'y last 

 Winter about the Wood i^parrow and your 

 reply. I don't know its scientific name and 

 the only mention of this bird in print that 

 I have seen is in Studer's Birds of N. 

 A., page 84. I have found but one man. a 

 taxidermist, who pretended to know this 

 sparrow. He showed me a stuffed speci- 

 men but did not know its scientific name. 

 I have seen the one he pointed out for two 

 or three weeks in Spring time for several 

 years. Its song is certainly very sweet. 

 The 1.5th of last April I shot a singer of 

 this "Wood Sparrow, and took down the 

 following description : Length .5^ inches, 

 extent of wings 9 inches. Color, top of head 

 and upper breast, chestnut, l)ack and wings 

 brown, two white bauds across latter un- 

 der parts, light neck, throit. and over eyes 

 ashy blue, upper beak l)lack, under beak 

 yellow. Will any of this help you to rec- 

 ognize the species "? 



Notes from Florence Springs, M. T. 



May '20. — Saw the eggs of the Sickle 

 Billed Curlew at a stage station near Ft. 

 Benton. May 2.5. — Found a Western Field 

 Lark's nest in process of construction. 

 June 6. — Found the nest of a Brewer's 

 Blackbird with four eggs. June 21. — Brew- 

 er's Blackliird with four eggs and two eggs 

 of the Cow Bird. Jmie 21.— Found Field 

 Plover's nest with young just breaking 

 through. June 29. — The eggs in the Brew- 



er's Blackbird's nest found June 12, just 

 hatched. July 16. — Found nest of Field 

 Lark with four eggs, and with the shells 

 just cracked. I have found three nests of 

 the Brewer's Blackbird, two that were on 

 the ground, and the one found June 21st, 

 was about eight inches above the ground 

 in a small shrub on the bank of a small 

 stream. All of these nests were foimd in a 

 small valley near the head of the Dearborn 



River. Montana Territory. — Jas. M. Croft. 



^ . 



Redheaded 'Woodpeckers. 



This bird is a rare visitor in this 

 vicinity, seldom more than one or two 

 being seen during the season, and then 

 only while migrating, usually in the Fall, 

 but very rarely in the Spiing. The first 

 one observed this season was on the 10th -^ 

 of September. On the 12th I saw three, - 

 and on the 20th I saw one. Early on the ^ 

 morning of the 24th of September they 

 began to pass over in large numbers, and 

 continued to pass until about ten o'clock, . 

 after wliich very few were seen, except 

 straggling groups of three or four, and oc- 

 casionally a single one was seen to pass 

 over during the day. The flight must have 

 consisted of several hundred, principally 

 young birds. They came from the east / 

 and were flying west. Many of them in 

 their flight would alight for a few mmutes 

 in the orchards and corn fields to feed on 

 the half-ripened com, or search among the 

 apple trees for the larva or eggs of insects 

 but would Boon continue on their journey, 

 and their places would be supphed by 

 others. I noticed one or two to dart out 

 and seize an insect in the manner of a fly- 

 catcher. The following day but two or 

 three were seen. A few stragglers, how- 

 ever, were occasionally met with iip to the 

 10th of October, and one was seen as late / 

 as the 23d of November. I secured seve- ^' 

 ral specimens. Upon dissecting them I ^ 

 ffjund their stomaclis filled with remnants 

 of acorns and insects. — A. H. Helme, 

 MUhrx I'lace. L I. 



