JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



cies exteudeds its wanderings to south- 

 western Maine, appearing atWestbrook, 

 January 1, 1889, and remaining until 

 Marcli 11, 1890. During this time they 

 fed largely on the seeds of the hemlock, 

 in lack of their favorite spruce. Since 

 that time they have foiled my most care- 

 ful search, though they have visited 

 portions of Knox Co. where the spruce 

 abounds. 



Acanthis linaria: Lesser Redpoll. 



I found a good sized flock of Redpolls 

 at Fort Kent and a few scattered birds 

 were occasionally seen at the same place. 

 A shot at them resulted in the capture of 

 a single specimen of this form. None 

 have been observed at Westbrook this 

 winter as yet. 



Those birds observed were feeding on 

 yellow and gray birches, which were 

 bearing quantities of seeds. This species 

 is also partial to the alder, and various 

 weeds. 



They are particularly erratic in their 

 peregrinations, often appearing in south- 

 ern Maine in late autumn and after a few 

 weeks disappearing to reappear late in 

 March, or they may fail of appearance 

 in autumn, probably lingering as they 

 now are, in more northern localities 

 where food is abundant, surviving with- 

 out inconvenience the severest cold of 

 the region. 



But with the failure of the food sup- 

 ply they must move farther southward, or 

 to a favored region in mid-winter. This 

 was the case in the winter of 1896, during 

 which birds of this genus, though present 

 through the fall, were scarce until Janu- 

 ary 26, 1896, when tlie gray birch groves 

 were invaded by both this form and its 

 larger relative, Acanthis linaria rostrata, 

 in large numbers, they remaining to strip 

 the trees of their seed, and pass away, 



presumably farther south, to return again 

 in late February or early March, and 

 spend much of their time feeding on the 

 ground, made bare of snow by the in- 

 creased energy of the sun's rays. 



Passerina nivalis: Snow-flake. 



A large flock of these Finches was seen 

 in the road as we passed through Walla- 

 grass Plantation, on the return trip to 

 Ashland, on Dec. 19. 



Sitta canadensis : Red-breasted Nut- 

 hatch. 



This is a species, irregulary abundant 

 'as a winter resident in southern Maine. 

 The present winter they are so rare as to 

 be worthy only of the rank of stragglers 

 at Westbrook. I was therefore a little 

 surprised to find them at Fort Kent in 

 considerable numbers, associating as 

 usual with the Chickadees and Kinglets. 



Parus atricajnllus : Chickadee. 



Common at Fort Kent and seen else- 

 where on the stage route. It was much 

 more conspicuous and probably more 

 numerous than the next. 



Partis hudsonicus : Hudsonian Chick- 

 adee. 



Apparently not, uncommon at Fort 

 Kent associating with the last two species 

 and the next. It seemed to me much 

 more retiring than the last, but rather 

 more inquisitive and less nervous. At 

 an unusual disturbance they came forth 

 from the brush, and perching at a con- 

 venient place, lent their peculiarly 

 wheezy voices to the general protestation 

 without displaying the uneasiness of 

 atricapillus. 



Regulus satrapa: Golden-crowned 



Kinglet. 



This little bird was found to be quite 

 common at Fort Kent. 



