THE OOLUGIST. 



95 



empties into Ragged Lake. Throughout 

 the winter Crossbills were numerous 

 about the camp and very tame. 



"As the salt-pork barrels were emp- 

 tied they were placed outside in front 

 of the camp. The salt on Ihn barrel 

 heads seemed very attractive to ihe 

 Crossbills and nearly every sunny day 

 they were about the barrels in consitl- 

 erable numbers. Some of us younger 

 fellows used to amuse ourselves on Sun- 

 days when we were not working, trying 

 who could catch the most binis We 

 would crouch beside the bairels until 

 the birds were busily at work picking 

 up the salt,* then by cautiously moving 

 our hand to the top of the barrel, by a 

 quick grab could catch a bird about 

 every trial. Both males and females 

 were present. 



"The 11th of February, 1886 was one 

 of the coldest days of the winter. With 

 two companions I was at work about 

 three miles from camp and had felled a 

 large pine. The snow was very deep 

 that winter and we had the pine skid- 

 ded up quite high. 1 was topping off 

 the pine when I noticed in a small 

 spruce just in front of me a nest with 

 three eggs, I took one of the eggs from 

 the nest and held it up to the others to 

 see. On crushing it I found it perfect- 

 ly fresh and not frozen though the day 

 was extremely cold; our whiskers were 

 full of ice. ^ 



"A pair of Crossbills were Hying 

 about, uttering cries of distress. Their 



* After this note was written my attention 

 was called to the fact that salt will kill chick- 

 ens. If fatal to chickens, why not to Crossbills 

 as welly Thinking perhaps Mr. Dunn was mis- 

 taken I made inquiry concerning the salt eat- 

 ing and calling attention to the supposed fatal 

 effect, and received the following positive re- 

 ply: "There is no mistake about the Cross- 

 bills eating salt. They were constantly about 

 the barrels and we had every opportunity of 

 observing them. We often had twelve or fif- 

 teen birds in the camp at once which we had 

 caught in our hands. Every lumberman in the 

 Northern Maine woods knows the Crossbills 

 will eat salt. It it kills the bird their places 

 must be filled by others for there never seemed 

 to be any decrease in their number." It would 

 be interesting to know if any other observer 

 has noted birds eating salt, and if so, what ef- 

 fect such diet produced. 



cries soon attracted other Crossbills 

 and in a short time fully two dozen 

 birds were Hying about our heads and 

 calling. The nest was placed in the 

 thick bushy top of a small spruce and 

 could be easily seen into from the top 

 of the fallen pine. In summer it might 

 be ten feet from the ground. The three 

 eggs were pale greenish, with dark 

 markings, like freckles. The nest and 

 two remaining eggs we did not disturb." 



Mr. Dunn was unable to give a dis- 

 cription of the nest. To readers who 

 are unaware of the remarkable famil- 

 iarity of birds about the logging camps 

 in the Maine woods the remarks about 

 catching the birds may seem improb- 

 able. Such familiarity is not very un- 

 usual, however. The nest found was 

 probably that of our common species,, 

 Loxia curvirostra minor. 



Here in Pittstield, Crossbills are of 

 rather rare occurence and I have seen 

 none for several years. They seem 

 rather local and erratic in their distri- 

 bution, appearing iu considerable num- 

 bers some winters, leaving not to again 

 appear for sever.il years. It is probable 

 they are constant residents and regular 

 breeders in the coniferous forests of 

 Northern Maine. 



C. H. Morrill. 



Grasshopper Sparrow in Illinois, 



Among causual observers the little 

 Grasshopper Sparrow is probably the 

 least known of our common prairie- 

 state birds. 



Not gifted with either fine voice or 

 beautiful feathers, it naturally attracts 

 but little attention. The absence of at- 

 ti'active features, however, does not 

 seem to aft'ect his happy little nature, 

 or detract from his spirits and from 

 early May until late in June, his cur- 

 ious love-squeaks and twitters (for you 

 cannot call it a song), may be heard in 

 any of our upland meadows. 



If you should wish a closer acquain- 



