Ecological Notes on Birds. 57 



ECOLOGICAL NOTES ON BIRDS 



By Chas. Dury 



Bachman's Sparrow 



Peuc.ea ^stivalis bachmani, And. 



During the spring and summer of 1907 and 1908 this species 

 has become increasingly common in certain localities at Cin- 

 cinnati. Ihave observed it at Avondale, Hyde Park, Madison- 

 ville, Home City, etc. The first one identified here was by 

 Miss Laura Gano, April 27, 1897. From 1865 to 1890 I de- 

 voted much time to the study and collection of local birds, and 

 secured specimens of all the species obtainable here, and P. 

 bachmani was not among them. Nor was it identified by Dr. 

 Langdon, who has omitted it from his list of Cincinnati birds 

 published in the Journal, January, 1879. October 14, 1809, 

 one of this species came within a few feet of my window and 

 was picking the seeds from a head of coarse grass. It was 

 quickly spied by a bunch of "sparrows" (Passer domesticus) 

 who attacked it and drove it away. 



Note on the Duck Hawk 



Falco peregrin us 



The Custodian of the City Hall in Cincinnati had a flock 

 of domestic pigeons that lived in the tower of the Hall. He 

 observed a hawk take a pigeon and fly with it over Eighth 

 Street to the cross on top of the high spire of the cathedral 

 opposite, where it alighted, tore the bird to pieces and devoured 

 it. Each day at about the same time the hawk came for his 

 meal. It was finally shot by one of the police and proved to 

 be a duck hawk, a rare bird in southwestern Ohio. I have only 

 three specimens, all from Mercer County, Ohio, taken many 

 years ago. And there is one in the Cuvier Club's collection, 

 taken near Alilford, in Hamilton County, Ohio. 



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