82 



THE OSPREY. 



visited the same every day since up to 

 date, Dec. 12. These birds are very tame, 

 allowing- a person to approach within a 

 few feet of them, and returning- again in 

 a few minutes after being- frightened 

 away. December 9 I shot three speci- 

 mens, and found upon dissection that 

 they had been feeding- entirely upon the 

 seed of rag-weed, their stomachs being 

 compactly filled with these seeds divested 

 of the outer covering, and nothing else. 



H. J. GiDDINGS. 



Sabula, Iowa. 



[Pine Siskins are reported in unusual num- 

 bers-in many localities. this year. — Ed.] 



THE OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER IN VAN 

 BUKEN COUNTY, IOWA. 



In Meiy, 1895,1 was informed of a strange 

 bird in the bottom lands of a small stream. 

 I hunted for several days and found noth- 

 ing new, but on May 15 I had the great 

 pleasure to find the strang-e bird, which 

 I shot, and it proved to be the Olive-sided 

 Flycatcher. I did not observe any 

 during- the fall of 1895, but in the spring 

 of 1896 I was informed by reliable per- 

 sons of three or four in the same location. 

 This fall, 1896, I observed quite a num- 

 ber of them from Aug-ust 24 to September 

 1- . Walter G. Savage. 



Hillsboro, Iowa. 



Mythological, 



BY J . K. BONWel.L. 



This is the month when the birdies all, 

 Give in the woods their annual ball; 

 And each bird chooses himself a mate, 

 Or else he'll find himself too late. 

 The wise old owl. the solemn scribe. 

 Sends jsrreeting- now to the feathered tribe; 

 And asks each one, both larg-e and small. 

 To follow custom and come to the ball. 



Each one comes and looks his best, 



Trying- hard to outshine the rest: 



Into the dance they wildly rush. 



To the music sung-' by the'jolly Thrush. 



Now quickly to the prompter's call. 



The Owl and Osprey open the ball; 



And each one feels a pleasant thrill 



As they whirl around in the bird quadrille. 



The jet black Crow, with plumag-e fine, 



Ask [Vliss Jay for her valentine; 



But she playfully led the Crow away. 



And took for her mate another Jay." 



For each one did as he had a mind". 



And took to himself one of his kind; 



All were mated at the end of the day. 



So the ball broke up and the birds flew away. 



DOUBLE-CREvSTED CORMORANT. 



The 31st of last October I was called 

 into a store to identif}^ a bird shot on the 

 lake here that afternoon. It was a 

 Double-crested Cormorant, the second one 

 captured in the county, though I have 

 seen six flying over within eight years. I 

 saw a Meadowlark here the 5th of Janu- 

 ary. W. E. Snyder. 



Beaver Dam, Wis. 



SOME NOTES. 



In the month of May and early June of 

 last year, I devoted some time in — to me 

 — the pleasing labor of seeking for the 

 nests of our rarer Warblers and other 

 species that make their summer homes in 

 this vicinity, and among other "finds" 

 were two nests of the Canadian Warbler; 

 each with four eg-gs and a Cow-bird's, 

 one nest of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, 

 with four eggs and a Cow-bird's, and one 

 nest and two eggs of the Black-throated 

 Blue Warbler. This latter nest was 

 placed on some rootlets — like a Phoebe's 

 — in a kind of cave or hut formed by the 

 turned up root of a fallen hemlock tree. 

 It contained the two eggs when I discov- 

 ered it, but two days after when I revis- 

 ited it no more had been deposited, and 

 no bird was about the nest. It was evi- 

 dently forsaken. The eggs were fresh. 

 It may be that the bird forsook it on 

 account of my handling one of the eggs, 

 as I could not otherwise see into the nest. 

 The fact that this species nests in other 

 positions than low bushes, was, until 

 three years ago, new to me, and I would 

 infer, new to science: but in the early 

 part of June, 1895, I found a nest of this 

 species placed among the outer rootlets 

 of a large turned up root in the deep wood, 

 and about five feet from the earth. This 

 contained four young- nearly fledged, and 

 was not far from the nest taken this sea- 

 son. I have also seen a nest of this bird 

 in a pile of hemlock brush. I also col- 

 lected last season for the first time, a set 

 of the eggs of the Chewink. Humming- 

 birds were rare this year; have only seen 

 a few specimens the past season. Blue- 

 birds were more numerous than in 1895. 

 Saw one nest with eggs and a number of 

 young, and later noted the birds several 

 days in succession. I have in my collec- 

 tion two sets of four each, which I believe 

 to be those of the Connecticut Warbler. 



Listowel, Can. William L. Kells. 



