154 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol 7-No. 20 



the circumstances was what troubled me : 

 shooting would not do after dark, .so I 

 hunted for a loug jjole and finally found 

 one with which I could reach the Imd. 

 who seemed stupid and disinclined to move, 

 having probably just made a heavy meal 

 on some unfortunate mouse. I got a lick 

 at it and tumliled it down without injnr^ 

 ing the plumage in the least. It made a 

 magnificent skin and is altogether the best 

 specimen of this species that I have had 

 so far. It was very fat." 



Dec. U. 18S1, he writes that he had al- 

 ready taken over thirty Owls during this 

 Winter, but just then liirds were hard to 

 get, it lieing fearfully nniddy, as the frost 

 was all out of the ground. He had heard 

 of some Albino Sharp-tailed Grouse about, 

 but as yet had not seen any. 



He writes Dec. 18, 1881. tliat about 

 Walla Walla he is spoiling the Owl crop, 

 having already killed and skinned thirteen 

 a. virgiiiianus Saturatns, besides a num 

 ber of Long, Shori^eared and Kennicotts. 

 and was likely to get more. The Winter 

 is very mild and open, farmers are busy 

 ploughing and the air feels more like April 

 than December. Birds are scarce just now 

 and the number of species limited. 



Jan. 8, 1882. in speaking of a collection 

 of one hundred and seventy skins of dif- 

 ferent birds made from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 

 1881, one hundred being males and sev- 

 enty females, he says the sexes predomi- 

 nate greatly in some species, sometimes 

 one and then again tlie other. 



Jan. 15, 1882, two specimens of the 

 Cedar Bird (AmpeliK cedrorum) were se- 

 cured. He has never noticed any so far 

 nortli in midwinter, and in fact, they are 

 anything but common in Summer. Among 

 the less connnon Winter visitors or resi- 

 dents he has taken several Pipi/on and 

 one Long-1 tilled Marsh Wren, western form. 



March K;, 1882, he took a nest of the 

 Long-eared Owl (Axio ainericanus,) six 

 ^ggs, all pretty large specimens. This is 

 his earliest reconl for this sj^ecies, al- 



though the eggs had been set on at least 

 a week. 



March 2G, 1882, a set of five fresh eggs 

 of Seops asio KcnnlcoUi was secured. 

 He made fifteen skins of this Owl from 

 October to March. 



Florida Gallinule. 



This handsome bird is abundant all 

 along the Seneca river marshes in this State. 

 With us it is known as " The Water Hen," 

 They arrive early in May, and are soon ob- 

 served in large numbers struttmg, like 

 roosters, about the "Wash." (a local name 

 liere given to an overflowed marsh when 

 but the tops of the old flagg appear above 

 the surface of the water.) This is the time 

 of the yenr for the collector who wish- 

 es to procure specimens for the cabinet, 

 as they are in perfect plumage and quite 

 easilj' procured. A boat can readily be 

 pro])elled through tliis " mash," a too near 

 approach of which causes some i.>f the 

 birds to take wing, others to dive. They 

 remain beneath the surface long enough 

 for tlie boat to apjjroach within easy 

 shooting r.mge. Then all the collector 

 lias to do is to " keep his eye peeled" and 

 drop them one by one as they break 

 water. They seem to be in full flight the 

 instant they reappear. Often are they 

 observed to rush out of the water, as it 

 were, within a foot of the boat. Although 

 rarely exhibited in oiir markets for sale, 

 the gunners along the river prefer them 

 to duck for the table. They are an ex- 

 ceedingly social species ; more or less 

 noisy at all times. They make the marshes 

 lively during the breeding season, at 

 wliich time they extend their jollification 

 far into the night accompanied, at inter, 

 vals, by the somewhat ludicrous notes of 

 the Carolina Grebe and the rattle of the 

 Maisli Wren. They connut^nce to build 

 about the last week in May, although nests 

 are found at this date with eggs. The 

 second week in June is the liarvest time 

 for the oologist. From notes taken June 



