THE OOLOGIST 



53 



son was yet early and no nests were 

 found. They are abundant residents 

 in all parts of California, breeding in 

 suitable localities. 



As we approached this region from 

 the southwest end, tlie pretty plover 

 announced its name in plantive cries 

 "Kildee, Kildee." It is abundant every 

 where and is known to every country 

 boy. Its nest is on the bare ground in 

 the edge of an upland meadow or 

 marsh, but the eggs are so protective- 

 ly colored that you might pass it with- 

 out notice. A large flock of Killdeer 

 were feeding at the edge of the slough 

 and upon our intrusion into the marsh, 

 rose high over our heads crying "Kil- 

 dee, Kildee." 



Professor Welch spied a canoe hid 

 among the tules and with it we were 

 able to row in and out among the 

 tules and visit the many nests of the 

 San Diego Red-winged Black Birds 

 that were nesting so abundantly all 

 about us among the reeds. They 

 usually breed in large colonies, though 

 single families, consisting of a male 

 with several wives, quite Morman like, 

 may be found sometimes in a small 

 slough, where each of the females 

 Imilds her nest and rears her own lit- 

 tle brood, while her liege lord displays 

 his brilliant colors and ])roudly struts 

 in the sunshine. 



As we were returning home from our 

 recent visit we noticed several White- 

 crowned Sparrows, chasing each other 

 round and round, as if at play, while 

 the sweet voiced Mocking Bird sang 

 his evening song from a telephone pole 

 but a short distance away, and as one 

 of our sweet voiced poets sings: 

 The birds around us hopped and played ; 

 Their thoughts we could not measure: 

 But the least motion which they made. 

 It seemed a thrill of i)leasure! 



An Unusual Find. 

 On November Sth, 191:',, while walk- 



ing through the woods near the Wake- 

 Meld and Stoneham town line I found 

 live small birds lying dead on the top 

 of a stone wall. Presumably these 

 birds were shot nearby by boys and 

 were afterward thrown away as use- 

 less. Three were Golden crowned 

 Kinglets, one was a Slate-colored Jun- 

 co, and the remaining bird was an Aca- 

 dian Chickadee (Penthestes hudsoni- 

 cus littoralis), the first one I ever saw 

 here, although I have been over that 

 same territory hundreds of times. I 

 understand that these Acadian Chick- 

 adees have been observed in several 

 places in southern New England this 

 winter. H. O. Green. 



Stoneham, Mass. 



A Flight of Pine Grosbeaks. 



Although the present winter (1913- 

 1914) is severe, with heavy snows and 

 much cold weather, very few northern 

 visitors have appeared and with the 

 excei)tion of a few American Mergan- 

 sers and Golden-eyes and an occasion- 

 al Herring Gull about the open water 

 on the river, and a few common land 

 birds the fields are nearly deserted. 



The cold and snow however, brings 

 to mind other winters when northern 

 birds were common, especially the 

 winter of 1906-07, when the only real 

 flight of Pine Grosbeaks appeared that 

 we have had in twenty-five years. 



During the winter of 1903-04 a few 

 were about but during 1906-07 they 

 were quite common, together with 

 large flocks of American and White- 

 winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins. 



The first of the 1906-07 flight was 

 seen on Thanksgiving Day when, while 

 hunting hares back in the mountains 

 I first heard and then saw two birds. 

 From then on until December 21st on 

 about every trip I saw or heard Gros- 

 beaks. On the 21st I found a flock of 

 twenty-five feeding in an ash. The 

 dav was dark and the tree was tall. I 



