64 JOURNAL OF MAINK ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



the Society, in the midst of these disasters, he ever took an active 

 part, and the Society is under many obligations to him for the 

 laljors he has performed in their behalf. He was also elected to the 

 office of Vice-President in 1875, and retained it till 1879-80. These 

 active labors continued down to the time of our taking possession of 

 this building, and for a short time after, when his failing health 

 warned him in some measure to desist." 



FIRST PAPER. 



Portland Daily Advertiser, Feb. 26, 1S52. 



Dr. Wood was followed by Mr. Beckett, who introduced the 

 accessions that had been made to the bird department since the last 

 meeting. He stated that we have been visited by several species of 

 birds during the present winter that have rarely before come to this 

 section. Among them are the Pine Grosbeak {Corythiis eniccleator)^ 

 the Lesser Redpoll Linnet {Linaria minor) , and the Great American 

 Shrike or Butcher Bird {Lanius borealis) . 



The Pine Grosbeak had been seen in quite large flocks in our 

 \ncinity, and specimens have been procured for the Society within 

 the limits of the city. 



The Lesser Redpoll he had never seen alive till the present 

 winter, and the first that came under his observation was a single 

 bird, seen during the bitter snow storm some three weeks since. 

 For several days thereafter he noticed them in quite large flocks on 

 the hill, and he procured several specimens, two of which had been 

 mounted by Mr. Ogden, taxidermist of the Boston Society, which he 

 brought to the notice of the meeting. He described the species as 

 being a little smaller than the Bay-winged Sparrow, being only five 

 inches long from extremity to extremity, bill yellow, crown of the 

 head in the male of a rich crimson, the breast a rich carmine, the 

 remainder of the plumage being of a brownish gray. The female 

 differs in plumage in having no carmine color on the breast. Those 

 that he saw uttered a note similar to the call note of the common 

 Yellowbird. They seemed to be of an affectionate disposition, and 

 while picking up the hay seed on a bare spot near his dwelling, he 



