JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



41 



were common on both shores, especial- 

 ly so in Parrsboro harbor, where, 

 when the tide was out, they had a good 

 feeding ground. 



At Joggins, on the 7th of December, 

 a belated flock of Canada Geese was 

 seen, and a Loon, swimming close in 

 shore among the reefs. About the 

 coal mines House Sparrows were plen- 

 ty and apparently contented, as they 

 are everywhere. 



The Ruffed Grouse was quite abund- 

 ant. I saw it frequently, but the Can- 

 ada Grouse I did not see, though it 

 was considered common. 



Golden-crowned Knights were com- 

 mon everywhere, in small flocks, 

 throughout the winter, and in March I 

 heard the summer nesting song quite 

 frequently, somewhat to my surprise, 

 for we never hear it here so early. The 

 spruce groves which clothe the hills 

 must be ideal nesting places for this 

 species and doubtless it is a very com- 

 mon summer resident. 



At Shulee I soon found the common 

 Chickadee, and even more commonly 

 its brown-headed relative, the Hudson- 

 ian. Both were numerous, usually to- 

 gether, and as at home were frequent- 

 ly accompanied by Golden-crowned 

 Kinglets and Canada Nut-hatches, the 

 latter being frequently seen. The 

 Hudsonian Chickadees were as lively 

 as their Black-headed relatives and as 

 communicative, but their voices were 

 harsher and they were instantly dis- 

 tinguishable by that alone. At Shulee 

 during December, Pine Grosbeaks were 

 very numerous and a flock could be 

 seen at almost any time. None, how- 

 ever, were in adult male plumage and 

 birds showing much red were rarely 

 seen. They disappeared early in Jan- 

 uary. None were seen at Parrsboro 

 and but a single pair at Shulee when I 

 returned in March. 



Ravens were rare, though the rocky 

 shores would seem favorable abiding 



places. At Shulee a pair was occa- 

 sionally seen' about the cliffs and an- 

 other pair at Partridge Island near 

 Parrsboro. On the wing they did not 

 seem much larger than the crows but 

 their voices were very different. Can- 

 ada Jays were common at Shulee, com- 

 ing close to the houses for scraps. In 

 March I saw them with grass in their 

 bills and presumed they had com- 

 menced nesting. Mile after mile of 

 close spruce thickets, so thick one can- 

 not see but a little way ahead, made 

 the probability of finding nests very 

 slight and after a few attempts I gave 

 up searching for them. Throughout 

 this winter an occasional Downy 

 Woodpecker was seen, but the Hairy 

 seemed less common and was noted 

 but twice. Three American Three- 

 toed Woodpeckers were seen in com- 

 pany on one occasion. They were 

 fearless — almost stupid it seemed — and 

 I was able to approach almost within 

 reach of each of them without their 

 showing alarm. 



The day before Christmas was clear 

 and cold, yet a pair of Robins were 

 feeding on the berries of a Logwood 

 tree near the house that morning, and 

 the next morning one was there again. 

 I was told that Robins had wintered 

 there before. A few days later a pair 

 of Purple Finches were seen. 



Early in January I went to Parrs- 

 boro. Unlike Shulee, which is in the 

 midst of woods, Parrsboro has consid- 

 erable cleared land, and not as many 

 birds were seen. In the harbor were 

 many Gulls and numbers of Ducks. 

 The Gulls, aside from the common 

 Herring Gull, could not be identified, 

 though I judged several species were 

 represented. The Ducks seemed to be 

 mostly Black Ducks and Old Squaws. 



During January and February the 

 coldest weather and most storms oc- 

 curred. Not many birds were to be 

 seen, and the travelling was not such 



