24 The Ornithology of Chester County 
a large number of unusual and several manifestly 
impossible breeding records, including the American 
Bittern, Great Blue Hercn, Red-shouldered Hawk, 
Barred Owl, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Least Fly- 
catcher, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 
Tree Swallow, Golden-winged, Nashville, Parula, 
Blackburnian, Pine and Hooded Warblers, Water- 
thrush, Redstart, Chickadee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 
and Wilson’s Thrush; according to competent crit- 
ics, a most questionable list, especially so many rari- 
ties to have fallen to the Ist of a novice. Some years 
later, I published some of the manuscript notes fur- 
nished me by Wm. D. Doan, including disagree- 
ments in dates and localities or disavowal in toto of 
many of the more important records given in Res- 
sel’s list; also my final decision to reject all of this 
unsatisfactory matter, especially as the Doan collec- 
tion is no longer extant. It is refreshing to turn to 
the work of Dr. Thos. H. Montgomery,** Profes- 
sor of Zoology in the University of Pennsylvania; 
issued in 1897. It is one of our best local lists, 
avoiding the larger and rather misleading title so 
often given to personal and neighborhood lists. “The 
periods of observation were from 1885 until 1891, 
and again renewed in 1895. ‘The greater part of the 
collecting was limited to a five mile radius of West 
Chester, i. e. the higher ground of West White- 
land, East and West Goshen townships, and along 
the Brandywine in East Bradford township. All 
the species listed were shot and identified by the 
author, with the exception of a few taken by col- 
lecting friends, and no species included unless the 
