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Brief Newsy Notes. 



Hawk Incubation. — A Reil-Klioiildeicil 

 Hawk finished her nest and hiid the firKt 

 egg May 2, 1881. IMay 5th, there were 

 three eggs: May 20th, no change was to 

 be seen : visited the nest again May 30th, 

 and found two liawks al>ont a day old. 

 Cooper's Hawk occupied twenty-seven 

 days in incubation. My experience woidd 

 indicate that hawks occupy froni~ twenty- 

 six to twenty-eight (hiys for incul)ation. 

 — F. H. Cdrpi-nter. liihobatli, Mass. 



Notes from Shelter Island. — The Lit- 

 tle Blue Herons must have been unusu 

 ally numerous along our coast last 

 Summer. A gunner brought one to me on 

 Aug. 16th. and said he saw two. May 

 they not have been stragglers from the 

 same flock mentioned by Mr. J. N. Clark, 

 in the September number of O. and O. ? 

 My specimen corresjionds exactly with his 

 description. 



k very prolific English sparrow inhab 

 ited one of my bird boxes last Spring. 

 Her first set was six eggs, the last one 

 laid being rather light colored. I took 

 these, and she immediately Ijegun and 

 laid another set of six, the last &gg being 

 very pale. I took these, and she laid one 

 almost pure white egg and gave up the 

 contest. 



May 23, 1881. I went to a well-known 

 lireeding place after a few sets of Bank 

 Swallow's eggs. As I neared the jdace in 

 a small sailboat. I thought it very curious 

 that I saw no swallows flying about the 

 blufl's as they usually do : but on landing 

 and beginning to dig, I soon saw the 

 reason. The previous two weeks of con- 

 tinual rainy weather had totally extermina 

 ted the entire colonj". Most of the 

 burrows contained from three to eight. 

 and from one burrow I removed ten dead 

 swallows and two eggs, one of which is a 

 trifle larger than usual, while the other is 

 smaller than a Ruby-thioated Humming 

 Bird's.— ir. W. W<,rthii,,,t,,„. 



TuKKKY Buzzard. — Olivei- G. Brown, of 

 North Stonington, Conn., shot a Turkey 

 Buzzard. April 20th. that measured six 

 feet from tip to tip of its wings. It was 

 shot on the ground while feeding on the 

 dead body of a hen. There were no 

 other Buzzards about. It was mounted 

 l)y A. M. Taft, of Westerly, R. I., and is 

 now in the possession of George D. 

 Brown, of Stonington. Conn. 



Golden-winged 'Wakbler. — We have just 

 handled a beautiful Golden-winged War 

 bier {IL'hiihitluipltafiu c/in/sojyffrii). shot 

 this morning at Higganum, Conn,, by Mr. 

 Harry W. Flint oi Deep River. This is 

 one of the rarer Warblers. We have seen 

 but five here (Portland), during the last 

 eight years. May 19, 1875. vihen watch- 

 ing some other Warblers in a small p)iece 

 of woods, one of this species, with out- 

 spread wings, suddenly dropped beside 

 our feet. It was very much excited and 

 must have been chased by a Hawk. — J. 

 II. Sar,^. I'ln-tland, C<yim.. May 17, 1882. 



"Wood Sparrow." — In your April num- 

 ber a correspondent asks for information 

 concerning a little bird he has termed the 

 "Wood SpaiTow." I would suggest, from 

 the color of the under mandibles, that it is. 

 doubtless, the "Tree Span-ow," (Spizella 

 montaiKi.) This species is quite abundant 

 in the Spring and Fall, and a few individ- 

 uals may possibly breed ii» the Adiron- 

 dacks of New York, or the moimtainous 

 parts of the New Enf>land States. The 

 male has a pretty little song, in which it 

 indulges cjuite freely during its Spring so- 

 journ with us. If well cared for they 

 thrive in confinement, and the wiiter has 

 kn<nvn them to become quite tame and 

 familiar. — V L. Willanl ChU-iuj,,. III. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. — Mr. A. H. 

 Helme's note on this bird calls to mind an 

 instance of the fly-catching habit of the 

 Hairy Woodpecker. In .lune. 1S81, while 

 spending a few days in the wilds of the 

 Adiroiidacks, I found a nest of this bird 

 ill front of my camp, in the decayed limb 



