M o n t h I y B u I I e t i n 7 



observer of birds for twenty -five years; that he had with him on this date, 

 October 1, Mr. C. 0. Wilson and Mr. William Sanders, of Amsterdam, 

 both bird students, and that they were together for a bird study trip through 

 the country in the vicinity of West Galway and Charlton, N. Y. 



56 Glen Ave., Amsterdam, N. Y., 

 Dr. John M. Clarke, October 5th, 1918. 



Director State Museum, Albany, N. Y. 

 Dear Sir: — 



Answering your letter of yesterday: Yes, I am absolutely sure that 

 the birds were Passenger Pigeons and not the Mourning Dove. I could not 

 have made this positive observation by seeing the flock, because we did 

 not get close enough to make sure, but some were in a buckwheat field on 

 the opposite side of the road from the field where we raised the flock, and 

 because we knew, by seeing the flock and by the whistling sound of their 

 wings, that we had seen wild pigeons we took precaution to get as close 

 to them as possible. Two of us were fortunate enough to have a bird 

 light on a low limb of a tree only a few feet in front of us, as we were 

 standing still under cover in the edge of the woodlot, while my dog was 

 raising the birds in the field. We were so close that we could see the 

 orange-red skin about the eyes, and the bluish color of the back and the 

 head with no black spot near the ear region; also the large size of the 

 bird convinced us that we had a Passenger Pigeon before us, and that we 

 had seen a small flock of them a few minutes before. 



The Mourning Dove is not so rare a bird to me. I have seen small 

 flocks of them from time to time during the 25 years I have lived in 

 this state. 



I never but once before saw Wild Passenger Pigeons and that was 

 near Ithaca, about twenty years ago. Very truly yours, 



(Signed) M. Rasmussen. 



PROTHONOTARY WARBLER AT SHARON 



On May 28th I saw a bird on our own grounds, which I identified 

 as a prothonotary warbler. The head was of a flaming orange, softening 

 into a warm yellow on breast and underpart; as it flew it showed the 

 white in the wings. I had ample time to observe as it remained on the 

 wire for ten minutes or more and obligingly turned around several times. 

 Is it not unusual for this warbler to be found in Massachusetts? Prairie 

 warblers are abundant this season, also wren and cuckoos. I have ob- 

 served redstarts, chestnut-sided warblers, Maryland yellow-throats, all 

 eating gypsy moth caterpillars; also grosbeak and scarlet tanager. 



Sincerely, 



Harriet A. Goode. 



The prothonotary warbler is a very rare straggler to Massachusetts, 

 and any observer who sees one here is to be congratulated. The white 

 which Mrs. Goode observed as the bird flew was probably in the tail 

 rather than in the wings. — Editor. 



