VoI 'iS XV ] Mousley, Birds of Hatley, Quebec. 301 



be partly accounted for, seeing that I am a home bird and very rarely go 

 out at flight, still it cannot be plentiful or surely I should have flushed a 

 bird or two in the daytime, during my constant field work for the past 

 seven years. In the summer of 1917 two notices appeared in the local 

 papers to the effect that the bird had been heard not far from Hatley on 

 the Waterville road, and also at the head of Lake Massawippi near 

 Ayers Cliff, and this unfortunately is the sum total of my data regarding 

 the status of this most interesting and useful bird in the neighborhood 

 of Hatley. Mr. Greer tells me he has never had one of them brought 

 to him to mount, during his nineteen years residence in these parts, 

 which is some indication that the birds are rarely obtained. 



151. Empidonax flaviventris (Baird). Yellow-bellied Fly- 

 catcher. — Rare transient; June 5, 11; September 1. My first acquaint- 

 ance with this interesting little Flycatcher was on the above date in Sep- 

 tember, 1916, when I obtained an example which was the only one seen 

 that year. On June 5 of the following year I secured another and this 

 with the one already mentioned were sent in the flesh at the time and 

 given to the Victoria Memorial Museum at Ottawa. It is probable that 

 this species may breed here on rare occasions for on the latter date given 

 in June I came across two more, which gave me the impression that they 

 were a pair and might be nesting in the locality, which was of a moist 

 nature with mossy hummocks about and entirely suited to their require- 

 ments. However, I was unable to find the nest at the time nor did I see 

 the birds again at subsequent visits, or any in the fall. 



152. Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm). American Crossbill. — 

 Irregular winter visitant, sometimes common. I have not yet had the 

 pleasure of coming across this interesting bird so far myself, but Mr. Greer 

 tells me that he had two mounted ones (a pair) in his collection before it 

 was destroyed by fire, and has seen them in large flocks on several occasions, 

 more especially during one winter when they and Pine Grosbeaks were 

 unusually numerous. 



153. Loxia leucoptera (Gmelin). White-winged Crossbill. — 

 Rare and irregular winter visitant; August 31, October 27. On August 31, 

 1916, which is an early date for this species, I saw two strange buds feeding 

 on the seeds of a tall hemlock tree in an open space of a somewhat large 

 wood. Of these I secured one which turned out to be a female of the above 

 species, and was sent in the flesh and given to the Victoria " Memorial 

 Museum at Ottawa. None were seen again until October 27, when out of a 

 flock of fifteen I secured a young male. In describing the status of the 

 Crossbills in Maine the late Mr. Ora W. Knight in his ' Birds of Maine ' 

 1908, p. 376, uses the following words: Eccentric; Erratic; Irregularly 

 Sporadic ; and what better could be found to sum up the wandering nature 

 of these curious birds. Mr. W. E. Greer of Hatley Centre informs me that 

 he has only met with this species on one occasion in the nineteen years he 

 has resided in the district. 



154. Progne subis subis (Linnseus). Purple Martin. — Rare tran- 



