THE OOLOGIST 



335 



Notes. 



Charles R. Keyes, the widely known 

 Iowa ornithologist, has just left for 

 an extended trip in Europe. 



On July ISth, 1912, while walking 

 through a field near my home I found 

 a nest of Song Sparrows placed on the 

 ground in a tussock of grass which 

 contained four eggs of Song Sparrow 

 and two eggs of Cowbird. Is this not 

 late for the Cowbird to be depositing 

 eggs, as all eggs were fresh? — G. R. 

 Barlow, S. Killingly, Ct. 



The "Outer's Book" is now running 

 a serial article by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt 

 entitled "American Ducks and How to 

 Distinguish Them." This is one of 

 the best papers on this subject that 

 we have seen. The fact that Dr. Shu- 

 feldfs name stands sponsor for it, 

 places it in the rank of authority. 



A few days ago a friend told me of 

 having heard a Quail near his farm. 

 This reminds me that last summer on 

 June 28th while fishing up the Cone- 

 wango, about six miles north of here, 

 I came upon a flock of young Quail. 

 I was walking along a fence and came 

 to a corner where grew considerable 

 brush, when the birds began getting 

 u]) all around me. They were hardly 

 half grown and could fly but a few 

 feet. This is the only positive record 

 of Quail breeding here that I know of. 

 We are a little too far north, and our 

 winters are too severe. The birds at 

 intervals stray here in the summer, 

 but this covey is the first I have seen 

 of this bird here for several years. — 

 R. B. Simpson, Warren, Pa. 



A recent business trip took us over 

 a good part of the states of Kansas 

 and Nebraska. While at Wichita, 

 July 23d (thermometer only 106 in 

 the shade) we met Dr. W. I. Mitchell, 

 one of the very best known of the 

 Kansas bird men. He is as enthusias- 

 tic an ornithologist as we have seen 

 for lo, these many days. — Editor. 



Bluebirds Scarce in the Delaware 

 Valley. 



What has become of our little har- 

 binger of Spring, the Bluebird? Since 

 late last February have not observed 

 one of these rovers, and reports from 

 points all along the Delaware indicate 

 that there has been a great Bluebird 

 blight this year. Even the farmers 

 are complaining loudly of the inroads 

 of cutworms, of which the Bluebirds 

 eat great quantities. 



The only reason that can be assign- 

 ed to the small numbers of these birds 

 having been observed this season is, 

 that while enroute north during the 

 early Spring migration, they doubtless 

 encountered the tail end of our past 

 severe winter and vast numbers of 

 them perished. 



Let us hope that Dame Nature will 

 in her good time restore these little 

 denizens of our fields and gardens and 

 that next year its ever welcome song 

 of Spring will be heard in greater num- 

 bers. William M. Palmer. 

 Trenton, N. J. 



Verification Wanted. 



In the July issue of The Oologist I 

 find an article entitled "The Herons of 

 South Central Wisconsin," in which 

 the author, speaking of the Little Blue 

 Heron, says: "Occasionally came as 

 far north as this locality, where I have 

 seen a few of them in the latter part of 

 the season." While the address of the 

 author, as appended to the article 

 mentioned, is Zion City, 111., I pre- 

 sume he has reference to Columbus, 

 Wis., his former home. 



So far as I am aware we have but 

 two actual records of this bird for 

 Wisconsin, one of these being August 

 28, 1848, and the other was made in 

 the early fifties. And while I do not 

 know the exact age of the author, I 

 very much question whether he saw 

 anv of these birds anywhere in Wis- 



