162 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 100 



June and up until the present time (July 11) I have had a singing 

 male under observation, but have not been able to locate any nest 

 as yet. He is in full adult plumage. 



Rusty BLACK-mRo. — The unusually cold wet spring that kept the 

 Warblers here into June and gave me late May records for such 

 birds as Kinglets, Brown Creeper and Junco also was the probable 

 cause of a May 25th record for a singing male Rusty Blackbird 

 weeks after they had apparently all moved on. An unusual alarm 

 note aroused my curiosity, and I looked around to see the Rusty, 

 who finally came flying towards me to alight near by in a willow 

 and sing his "gor-whillier" notes several times as though they also 

 were needed to satisfy me. The bird was not wounded in any 

 manner that I could see. 



Record for Stilt Sandpiper. — Visiting a flood pond along the 

 beach on July 29, 1917, I found its shores to contain some fifty 

 odd shore birds of various species, among which was one that im- 

 mediately drew my attention by its peculiar actions. Before I could 

 get a good view, however, the whole bunch flushed, the smaller 

 Sandpipers going in one direction and the Killdeer and the un- 

 named one in another. An hour later I again found the Killdeer 

 and this bird at the head of the pond and had ample opportunity 

 to observe it and identify my first Stilt Sandpiper. It may be 

 worthy of note that it staid with the Killdeer, while all the others 

 kept in a separate flock which contained twenty-two Sanderling, 

 several Spotted Sandpiper, three Semipalmated Sandpiper and two 

 Semipalmated Plover. The peculiar actions mentioned were its 

 manner of feeding. While all the rest were standing or moving 

 leisurely about the muddy edges of the pond, the Stilt kept run- 

 ning rapidly about in most erratic circles and twistlngs and cap- 

 turing just as they left the ground the insects that he flushed; 

 each capture being attended by a dip of the body and a sinuous 

 scoop of the neck, which made the whole performance very strik- 

 ing. And every few moments Tie would suddenly stop dead still 

 and stretch up his neck to the limit to see if all was well. This 

 action made the bird appear a very long-necked Sandpiper rather 

 than a very long-legged one. I do not mean to say, however, that 

 this is the usual manner of feeding with the Stilt Sandpiper, but 

 it answered the purpose in this instance and was kept up all the 

 time the bird was under observation. Probably an immature bird, 

 as the legs Avere yellow, the underparts very light, and the tail 

 white in flight. The slenderness of the rather long bill made a 

 noticeable field mark. 



Record for Western Willet. — Visiting the same pond on Au- 

 gust 12 I found it occupied by several Killdeer, one Least Sandpiper, 

 two Lesser Yellow-legs, one Black-bellied Plover and a big stranger; 



