Field Notes 35 



mounted the stones of a breakwater at the lake and looked down 

 on the other side, I was surprised beyond measure to see an im- 

 mature of the species seated on one of the lower stones just be- 

 low me. After a sufficient study of the bird I had a difficult time 

 in driving it far enough out into the lake to have it escape the 

 shot of the first hunter that happened along, as its perch was not 

 twenty feet from shore. Looking back afterwards I saw it swim 

 back and fly up to its original rock. Later on some fishermen 

 succeeded in driving it far out on the water, and as it could not 

 be located the next morning, I trust it escaped the fate usually 

 meted out to any large or strange bird. 



On August 10, 1920, while watching the Bronzed Grackles 

 winging leisurely along to their roost in long extended flocks of 

 hundreds, and the Cowbirds in swifter, undulating bunches like 

 bands of galloping outlaws, a bunch of twenty "black birds" 

 passed by whose short tails, swift flight and perfect unison of 

 movement of the members of the flock made me at once suspect 

 them to be Starlings. Visiting the roost itself an evening or so 

 later a few were seen and readily identified, but I find it difficult 

 to approach the more easily frightened Starlings among the thou- 

 sands of Grackles and Cowbirds. Early in October I tried the 

 expedient of climbing a tree in the roost and looking down upon 

 the thorn trees as the birds settled in for the night. This was 

 highly successful and I got excellent views of many of the birds, 

 now in winter plumage. Towards dusk, when patterns were more 

 obvious than colors, the Starlings had a striking resemblance to 

 undersized Flickers. This was also remarked upon later by a 

 friend who also visited the place. It was impossible to obtain 

 any exact count of their numbers, but there were surely between 

 fifty and one hundred; which seems to say that the day is not 

 far distant when the Starling will be a common Ohio bird. 



B. A. DOOLITTLE. 



Painesville, Ohio. 



Fall Migration in Northwestern Nebraska in 1920. 



With a view to continuing the observations on the fall bird 

 migration begun in September, 1919, in northwestern Nebraska, 

 Mr. C. E. Mickel and the writer returned to the Monroe Canyon 

 region of Sioux county, Nebraska, on September 26, 1920, and re- 

 mained until October 9. During this period sixty-one species were 

 recorded. Since only sixty-eight species were recorded the preced- 

 ing year during the more favorable season, September 6-20, we 

 considered the list rather good. Some of the more interesting ob- 

 servations follow: 



Mountain Plover: On September 27, while crossing a strip 



