ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND- 



OOLOGIST. 



.$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



PUBLISHED BY THE FRAXK BLAKE WEBSTER COMPANY. 



Established, March, 1875. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XVII. 



HYDE PARK, MASS., FEBRUARY, 1892. 



No. 



Notes from Michigan. 



No brancli of natural history is more inter- 

 esting- than ornithology and oologj'. The 

 note-book and field-glass are the only articles 

 necessary to study the habits of our birds. 

 True, to secure specimens for scientific pur- 

 poses, the gun is required, but here the trouble 

 arises, — tliey carry it too far. I was examin- 

 ing the cabinet of a friend the other day and 

 counted twenty-five skins of the Song Sparrow, 

 thirty of the Robin, and a large number of 

 other common species. Is it any wonder our 

 birds are becoming scarcer every year? As 

 a writer has said, "The system of thoughtless 

 butchery is similar in its results to that of 

 killing tlie goose that laid the golden egg." I 

 refer more particularly to the beginners, tiiough 

 many of the more advanced students are 

 always ready to shoot every rare bird they 

 meet (made so by their own recklessness, as 

 is often the case), although they may have a 

 dozen or more of the same; but it is not my 

 intention liere to defend our feathered friends, 

 but to give a few extracts from my note-book, 

 taken in this vicinity. 



Local matter has but little interest to many 

 except ill the district represented; but there 

 are some who do take pleasure in perusing 

 such manuscript for the knowledge it 

 affords of the range and abundance of many 

 species; to these tlie following is respectfully 

 submitted. 



I have lately seen a mounted Gyrfalcon, 

 which was shot in Mackinaw County; and have 

 just returned (January l(]th) from a week's 

 stay on Horsen's Island, St. Clair County. The 

 last month has been extremely mild. A snake 

 was observed on Christmas day (the party who 

 saw it is a prohibitionist). Found the follow- 

 ing birds most common during my stay on 

 the island: Tree Sparrow, Snowtlake, Siskins, 

 Chickadee. Downy Woodpecker. AYhite-breasted 

 Nuthatch, Blue Jay, Marsh Hawk and Kitti- 



wake Gulls. The Marsh Hawks could be seen 

 at all times flying silently over their hunting 

 grounds. I believe they utter their not very 

 agreeable cry in the mating season only, at 

 least that is the only time I ever heard it. 

 The males can be ea.sily identified while on the 

 wing by the white patch on the rump, and the 

 females by their light-colored plumage. SaAV 

 a flock of twelve Meadow Larks singing mer- 

 rily in a field (all forgetful of what is yet to 

 come), and a Song Sparrow in the bushes on 

 the bank of North Channel. He was very 

 tame, and I approached quite close to him, so 

 there can be no mistake in identity. The 

 Meadow Lark is found in the marshes here 

 throughout the winter. Caught a green frog 

 and saw a few Red- shouldered Hawks and 

 Northern Shrikes; also a dead Red-headed 

 Woodpecker. Noticed several flocks of the 

 Scaup Duck on the waters of South Channel. 

 Red squirrels and rabbits were abundant. 

 Caught a White-footed Deer Mouse. 



I have often, while rambling through the 

 woods in spring, been disapjjointed after a 

 tedious climb to a Hawk's or OwUs nest to find 

 it the home of tliis mouse. Flushed a Short- 

 eared Owl from a musk-rat hou.se in the marsh. 

 He is very common in fall and winter, but has 

 never, to my knowledge, been observed in 

 summer. He is diurnal in his habits to some 

 extent; have seen several hawking for mice at 

 mid-day. Found a dead one last October 

 hanging from a joist in a barn. 



The Short-ear on his arrival in October is 

 rather unsuspicious, but persecution makes 

 him wild and wary and he soon defies the 

 most skilful efforts of the collector to approach 

 nearer than rifle range. 



Jan. 2.5. Went out along the river in Ecorce 

 township. The fiist bird seen was a Rusty 

 Blackbird, that arose from the reeds, flew a 

 short distance and lit again. It flew with dif- 

 ficulty and was doubtless a wounded specimen 

 that had been unable to make the migration 



Copyright, 18D2, by Frank Blake Webster Company. 



