48 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



An Albino American Goldfinch 

 AT East Hebron, Maine. 



Mr. Everett E. Johnson of East He- 

 bron reports having taken an albino 

 American goldfinch — spiims /risth 

 (Linn) in that town Oct. 5, 1903, a rare 

 and interesting find. He describes 

 the plumage as "pure white except- 

 ing a small spot of yellow on the back 

 of the head, and the place where the 

 ring bars should be has a pinkish 

 tinge." 



Richardson Owl. 



In response to the Journal's in- 

 quiries for recent records of Richard- 

 son's Owl, A'yclala ten,^inalmi rich- 

 ardson we have received but the 

 f ollowing,both from the same locality : 



Nov. 30, 1902, William F. Burbank 

 of Lewiston took a specimen at East 

 Hebron. It was in a bush, about five 

 feet up when shot. 



Mr. Everett E. Johnson of East 

 Hebron repoi'ts the latest record, 

 having taken one in that town March 

 14, 1904. This owl, he writes, was in 

 the top of a large open barn. 



Rough Legged Hawk in Maine. 



The occurrence of this bird in our 

 state is a matter of considerable in- 

 terest and we would like any infor- 

 mation that our readers can supply 

 regard hig it during this or previous 

 winters. In the opinion of several of 

 our close observers it must have been 

 quite numerous during the past win- 

 ter and the bird appears to come in 

 flights much like that of the snowy 

 owl. 



Two specimens were taken at Bai- 

 ley's Island in Casco Bay in Jan'y. 

 and Mr. John A. Lord of Portland re- 

 ports having seen one flying early in 

 the winter. Its occurrence is decid- 

 edly irregular, and we would like to 

 hear from our readers along the 

 coast. Give us the benefit of your 

 records, gentlemen. 



A Brief Note from Seguin. 



Pres. Spinney of Seguin Light in a 

 recent letter to the Journal says the 

 winter just passed has been the worst 

 he has ever experienced on the is- 

 land. Extreme cold weather with a 

 constant gale of wind and very high 

 surf has made life at this light station 

 anything but pleasant. 



Continuing he says, I have never 

 seen birds so scarce. Nothing visited 

 the island for nearly two months up 



to Feb'y. 2d, but a few snowflakes 

 and a single crow. On Feb'y, 2d, 

 three shore larks were seen feeding 

 under the lee of the keeper's house. 

 These few visitors were the only land 

 birds seen up to the date of writing, 

 Feb'y. 12. On the water which was 

 beaten into a constant foam by the 

 wintry blasts, the only signs of life 

 was an occasional Black Guillemot 

 and a lone cormorant. 



An Albino Eave Swallow at 



LuBEC, Maine. 

 Mr. Clarence H. Clark of Lubec 

 writes that he obtained a pure albino 



cliff swallow, Pclrochcliilon lunifro)is 



(Say) on the 24th of July, 1903 in that 

 town and sends us the interesting in- 

 formation that "there were a pair of 

 them among a large colony of the 

 common ones who seemed greatly 

 annoyed at the albino's i)resence and 

 fought with them until they finally 

 killed the one I have or rather injur- 

 ed it so badly that it died soon after 

 capture." 



It is in Mr. Clark's collection and 

 was noted in the Lubec Herald of July 

 28, 1903, where it stated that "every 

 part of the bird even its bill, feet and 

 legs are pure white." 



Records in detail of albinism found 

 among our Maine birds is a subject of 

 more than local interest and their 

 occurrence should always be given 

 the Journal for publication, coupled 

 with any details as to habits or treat- 

 ment by their fellows that may have 

 been observed. Don't forget the de- 

 tails, please. — Ed. 



Occurrence op a Meadow Lark 

 in January. 



On the 16th of January, 1904, I saw 

 a Meadow Lark, Slumella magna, at 

 Westbrook, Me. 



The bird lighted upon the grading 

 of a house in the edge of the city, one 

 of its very few places left bare of 

 snow. I was unusually near it, as it 

 was loth to leave the security of the 

 "Brown earth" for a conspicuous po- 

 sition on the snow. I was therefore 

 able to observe its characteristics 

 very carefully. It remained a few 

 minutes here, gathering a scanty sup- 

 ply of eatable matter, and then flew, 

 (after once alighting for a moment 

 on the snow) to an ash pile across the 

 street, where weeds projects above 

 the snow. That night the ground be- 



