122 



THE OSPREY. 



General Notes. 



CHIMNEY SWIFTS BREAKING OFF TWIGS 

 WITH THEIR FEET. 



As seen in March iVi:hTlogist, in answer to Dr. 

 Coues' query, I was the only one that said Chimney 

 Swifts break off twigs for their nests with their feet. 



For the last few years a pair of Swifts have built 

 in an unused chimney in our house, oathering the 

 twigs for the nest from a couple of dead trees in the 

 neighborhood ; and it was a favorite occupation of 

 myself and a friend to watch them do so and they 

 always seemed to take them with their feet. I re- 

 member at one time remarking that I thought they 

 must sometimes get their feet twisted with them, but 

 although they often came within a few feet of us, we 

 may have been mistaken while observing them in full 

 flight. Two years ago their nest was built several 

 feet below the stove-pipe hole in the chimney so that 

 they had to pass the hole to reach the nest, and I 

 could see while they passed the hole, which brought 

 them within eight inches of my face, that they had 

 the twigs in their feet, but I could not see them nest- 

 building, for whenever I tried to look they would 

 drop the twig and flutter around ; but as soon as any 

 eggs were laid they would remain quiet on the nest. 

 It is on the above observations that I principally 

 based my statement.— S. S. Wilson, St. Joseph, Mo. 



WILSON'S SNIPE BREEDING AT BRANCH- 

 PORT, N. Y. 

 On May 20, 1896, I found a nest of Ga/liiiago deli- 

 cata containing four eggs. Two were highly incu- 

 bated and would have hatched in three or four days, 

 while the other two eggs were addled. So far as I 

 can learn the Wilson's Snipe is a rare breeder in 

 Western New York, and their breeding in this latitude 

 — a little less 42 degrees — is of unusual interest. — C. 

 F. Stone, Branchport, N. Y. 



AN UNUSUAL NESTING SITE. 

 An unusual nesting site for Gambel's Quail is the 

 finding of six eggs deposited in a hollow of a Mesquite 

 tree, several feet from the ground, and probably 

 eighteen inches from opening of cavity. The cavity 

 is much the same as would be cho.sen by one of the 

 larger Owls. — G. F. Breninger. Flucxtii, Ariz. 



MIGRATION AT BEAVER DAM, WIS ■ 

 Migration here is fully ten days ahead of last year, 

 thus far. Following are arrivals up to date of March 

 20 : March 4, Geo. Morrison, of Fox Lake, (seven 

 miles north), reports having seen two Red-tailed 

 Hawks recently. March 10, one Robin seen at Hori- 

 con, (ten miles east.) March 12, one Robin seen 

 here. March 16, Killdeers heard at 1 1 p. m. March 

 17, Red-winged Blackbirds, several, all males. 

 March 17, a single American Herring Gull arrived 

 at Beaver Dam Lake to-day. March 17, first flock 

 of Ducks seen. March 17, a flock of Canada Geese 

 on Trenton Prairie. — W. E. Snyder,/?^??/*';-/?^?;;/, Wis. 



ten seen April 24. Barn Swallow, five seen April 24. 

 House Wren, two seen April 24. — Station 248, U. S. 

 Biological Survey, A'eiv Kochelle, N. Y. 



EARLY MIGRANTS. 

 Least Flycatcher, one seen March 23, 1897. Chip- 

 ping Sparrows, one seen March 8. Belted King- 

 fisher, one seen April 7. Pine Warbler, twenty-five 

 seen April 8. Yellow Palm Warbler, twenty-five seen 

 April 8. Myrtle Warbler, twenty-five seen April 8. 

 Hermit Thrush, fifteen seen April 14. Orchard 

 Oriole, three seen April 14 Louisana Water Thrush, 

 four seen April 16. Tree Swallow, ten seen April 17. 

 Purple Martin, five seen April 17. Chimney Swift, 



THE OLD DOVE-COTE. 



BY CHARLES SLOAN REID, WALHALLA, S. C. 



The great, white flakes of crystal snow 



Fall softly to the ground. 

 The breeze is still that late did blow, 



And silence reigns all 'round. 

 But objects still their places mark 



Where crystal showers float — 

 There stands the well-house grim and dark. 



And there the old dove-cote. 



The old-dove cote where long ago 



The bright doves used to pla}- 

 About its walls in pretty show. 



Is tenantless toda)'. 

 'Tis many years since pigeon feet 



Traversed its little floors. 

 And fledgelings, confident and sweet. 



First passed beyond its doors 



The rotting roof no longer keeps 



The snow from drifting in, 

 For through the apertures it creeps 



And grows in heaps within. 

 The storms of many years it bore , 



With strength, but now, alas. 

 The old dove cote will be no more 



Ere manyseasons pass. 



WILSON'S SNIPE IN;THE BERKSHIRE HILLS 

 IN WINTER. 

 Tuesday, February 2, 1897, I was at Hancock, 

 Mass., a little village at the foot of Potter Mountain 

 in Berkshire County, and while in the store of Mr. 

 O. B. Butterfield was asked to identify a bird which 

 had been shot that morning by a local hunter — Mr. 

 Fred Grant — along a small creek close to the village. 

 I was surprised when a fine specimen of Wilson's 

 Snipe [Gai/iiiogo di'lira/a) was shown me. Through 

 Mr. Butterfield's kindness I became the owner of the 

 bird, which I found to be very fat ; no signs of old 

 wounds could be found. A quantity of bits of green 

 vegetation was found in the stomach, and among the 

 bits of fine gravel therein, a small fruit-stone about 

 .26x. 15 inches in size. Was this fruit-stone swallowed 

 for the same purpose as the gravel or for the food 

 furnished by the sprouting kernel it contained? — 

 Benjamin Hoag, SttpJientowu, Neio York. 



RED HEADED WOODPECKER WINTERING 

 IN WISCONSIN. 



In rambling through the deciduous woods north 

 of Milwaukee on Feb. 14, '97, I was attracted by the 

 familiar chattering or chattering sound common to 

 our Red-headed Woodpecker. On investigation 1 

 was surprised to see the author of the sounds nimbly 

 hunting over the limbs of a large Oak tree. Although 

 the bird would not allow a near approach, identifica- 

 tion was positive, as I was enabled to study him very 

 closely through a strong glass. 



I have never read of this species wintering in Wis- 

 consin. The bird seemed to be in excellent spirits 

 and in good physical condition, considering the fact 

 that a short time before we had a protracted cold 

 spell with temperature going as low as -20 degrees. 



During this same cold spell, on Jan. 24, a pair of 

 English Sparrows began the construction of a nest 

 under the eaves of my house, with the mercury hover- 

 ing around 20°. — Jno. A. Brandon, Milwuakee, Wis. 



