204 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69. 



ney of some large building is commonly used, usually one of the 

 college buildings or one of the churches in Oberlin. Of course 

 there are no nesting places on the sand spit, so that birds seen there 

 are those flying about feeding. On the larger islands they nest in 

 the chimneys of dwellings mostly. 



121 — Archilochus coliibiis. — Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 



Hardly common except occasionally in particularly favorable lo- 

 calities and under particularly favoratble conditions. In fact, rec- 

 ords of common fall in late summer and early fall when trumpet 

 vines and jewel weed are prime for them. The median date of ar- 

 rival is May 11, the earliest being May 3, 189G. The latest fall 

 record is September 29, 1907. A nest nearly completed was found 

 May 11, 19C4. when the first record was May 6. There was a nest 

 with eggs June 7, 1S9S. the first record for that year being May 14. 

 Most of the nests found in this region have been in beech trees, an 

 occasional one in apple. Baird (1901), and Rice (190G), mention 

 it as not common in those years. The comment of Griggs (1900), 

 is, "In small fiocks about the frequent clumps of trumpet creep- 

 <^rs." In 1907 I did not find it at all until August 1st, near the 

 Lake Laboratory, and only an occasional individual in 1908, until 

 the last week in July, when it became common about the trumpet 

 creei)ers. I am not certain that this rather sudden increase was not 

 due to the favorable food supply for the birds reared in the region 

 rather than a distinct southward migration. The migrations which 

 I have observed have occurred late in August. I am struck with 

 the correspondence of action of these birds as seen on Pelee Island 

 in late August as so fully and pleasingly described by Taverner and 

 Swales for the birds on Point I'elee. More Hummers were noted 

 heading for Middle Bass Island than for Middle Island and the 

 Ohio shore in the last week of August, 19C5, when I spent a week 

 at the southern extremity of Pelee Island. On our sail from Mid- 

 dle Bass to Pelee Island we saw a number of Hummers steering a 

 straight course from Pelee to Middle Bass, and all were keping 

 just above the water, dipping down between the waves. None fle\V 

 directly with the wind, and none directly into it, but all quartered. 



