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JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



bird was, another heavy wave came 

 tumbling on the rock, causing the 

 bird again to rise in air, and clearing 

 the crest of its relentless foe, dropped 

 exhausted on the near by shore. I 

 was feeling much relieved that its 

 life was saved, when another wave 

 came tumbling on what had seemed 

 a safe retreat. Once more it strug- 

 gled on its wings, but another foam- 

 ing outburst of the sea claimed the 

 victim it had seemed so loth to spare. 



Many such instances no doubt oc- 

 cur that help to swell the mortality 

 of bird migration every year. The 

 birds that I have noticed under such 

 conditions, have invariably been 

 warblers or sparrows. Not only do 

 they have the wind and waves to 

 contend with, but a flight of hawks 

 always follow on behind. After a 

 day of flight as last described, scores 

 of birds fly up before you as you walk 

 along, while among the scattering 

 trees, hundreds of warblers welcome 

 you with their happy notes. The last 

 of May the flight is well along, and 

 by the middle of June only a few pass 

 on to remind us of the hoard that's 

 gone. 



The ground again is carpeted with 

 green, while from every spot of soil 

 the waving of new flora may be seen. 

 The spotted sandpiper again twitters 

 around its nest, the Savanna sparrow 

 sings its struggling song, while the 

 swallow glides in ever changing evo- 

 lutions overhead. The few deciduous 

 trees have spread their leaves, and 

 plants put forth adornment for the 

 summer. Birds' vespers of the morn- 

 ing have been exchanged for the 

 duties entailed by incubation, and 

 foraging for their young, and summer 

 passes on and fall has come. The 

 birds again return on flight, and the 

 same vicissitudes of bird life may be 

 observed as during spring. 



JBfrO motes. 



BIRDS OF MAINE. 

 After careful deliberation it was 

 deemed advisable to suggest the 

 preparation of a work on the birds of 

 this State which should be in effect a 

 Manual of the Birds of Maine, giving 

 their geographical distribution, range 

 in Maine, descriptions of the birds 

 themselves and their habits, nests 

 and eggs. This matter was brought 



before the Society by me at the re- 

 cent meeting and such action as I de- 

 sired was taken. This work will be 

 not exceeding 350 pages of printed 

 matter and will be as exhaustive and 

 complete as it is possible within this 

 limit of space, scientifically accurate, 

 and at the same time as interesting 

 as possible. With this book in hand 

 it is hoped that a person of average 

 ability will be able to identify any 

 bird they may find in Maine, and as- 

 certain where its home is; how it 

 builds its nest and what its eggs are 

 like; what it eats, etc. 



The preparation of this work will 

 require some time and the financing 

 of its publication is also a matter of 

 some difficulty. We can only say 

 that the book will be published as 

 soon as possible and at a cost which 

 will be within the reach of all. 



Mr. A. H. Norton of Westbrook will 

 act jointly with the undersigned in 

 the preparation of this work and also 

 a third party who has not yet been 

 selected. 



Very respectfully, 



O. W. Knight. 



THE HOODED WARBLER IN 

 MAINE. 

 Through Mr. W. H. Brownson of 

 Portland we have the announced rec- 

 ord of a Hooded Warbler, iVilsnuia 

 mitrata^ having at last been taken 

 within the borders of Maine. He 

 writes the Journal as follows: "On 

 Saturday, Sept. 10, 1904, Mr. Samuel T. 

 Dana of Portland informed me that he 

 had seen a Hooded Warbler at Fal- 

 mouth. I was of course somewhat 

 doubtful of the accuracy of bis obser- 

 vation and recommended that he 

 make an effort to secure the bird if 

 he should again see it. Mr. Dana had 

 it in his possession the next day and 

 the specimen has been carefully pre- 

 served and will be cheerfully shown 

 at any time." If the bird is as de- 

 scribed it is the first authentic in- 

 stance of its capture within our state 

 and the report will be of great inter- 

 est to all our Maine Ornithologists. — 

 Ed. 



A MARBLED GODWIT. 

 John A. Lord of Portland i-eports 

 having taken a Great Marbled God- 

 wit, Limosa fedoa (Linn.), at Scarboro, 

 Maine, Aug. 16, 1904, a decidedly rare 

 take. 



