8o JOURNAIv OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Portland Bird Notes. — Northern Shrikes are more plenti- 

 ful this fall around Portland than for a number of years. On the 

 19th of November I saw a flock of six or seven at Cumberland. 



I have not been able this fall to see a single Virginia Rail, 

 though I have frequented the places where they are usually found. 

 Inquiry of several well-known gunners brings the information that 

 not a single bird of this species has been shot by them in this vicin- 

 ity this fall, but one man says that he has heard Rails of this species. 

 On the other hand, the little Yellow Rail, usually so rare, has been 

 here in unusual numbers. Several have been shot at the Dike 

 marsh and one or two at Pine Point. 



Short-eared Owls have been in this vicinity abundantly this fall. 

 Several have been shot and at least two have been captured alive. 

 A Great Horned Owl was shot and stunned in the town of Windham, 

 being picked up alive and brought to Portland, where he was on 

 public view in a store window for several days. 



A young Broad-winged Hawk was captured alive at Freeport 

 early in September. It was kept for some days in the rooms of the 

 Portland Society of Natural History, where it became so unea.sy 

 that it beat itself painfully and continually against its temporary 

 cage. Its wings were not strong enough to enable the bird to fly, 

 so there was nothing left to do but to end its life and prepare it for 

 the museum. 



The Grassbirds (Pectoral Sandpipers) usually abundant on the 

 Scarboro marshes were noticeably scarce during the autumn. The 

 gunners got not more than occasionally one or two at a time. 



Snow Buntings were seen at Pine Point on the 8th of October, 

 only two individuals. 



While the fall migration was in progress a great number of 

 birds were killed within the city limits, probabl}^ by striking over- 

 head wires. Sapsuckers were picked up most frequently, five or 

 six being taken to the local taxidermists for mounting. Half a 

 dozen other species lost their lives in the same manner, among them 

 being Song vSparrows, Myrtle Warblers, Yellow Palm Warl)lers, 

 Juncos, Flickers and others. 



Snowy Owls are plentiful in this vicinity this fall, a number 

 having been shot at Richmond's island. Many specimens for 

 mounting have been received by the taxidermists. 



W. H. Bkownson. 



