Vol. XXII-1 General Notes. A.2T. 



1905 J TO 



Some Wayne County, Michigan, Notes, 1905. — May 7. — Secured a 

 Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) afflicted with a tumerous 

 growth, about the size and shape of a marble and completely surrounding 

 the tarsus. It is many years since I observed a similar morbid growth on 

 a bird. The other example was a Chipping Sparrow (Spizella socialis). 

 This was also a globular enlargement of the tarsus about the size of a 

 walnut, and so heavy that the bird could no longer rise from the ground. 

 There was no distinctive difference in the two above cases, except the size, 

 and I would not term the malady a malignant development, as it appears 

 as an independent growth in no way directly affecting the vital forces. 

 Indirectly, however, it probably causes death by assuming a size and 

 weight that retards the bird from obtaining necessary nourishment. 



May .2/. — Secured an adult female American Redstart {Setophaga 

 ruticilla) with abnormal development of mandible, which was bent 

 upward along the side of the maxilla so that the tip projected slightly 

 above the culmen ridge. There were no notches where the mandible and 

 maxilla crossed, as seems to be the case when similar malformation oc- 

 curs with hard-billed birds. This bird was in perfect physical condition 

 and was conveying nest material when secured, thus showing that the 

 abnormality was not an impediment to securing food or a mate. 



Juneb. — Made the acquaintance of a Catbird (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) 

 that deserves a pension. When first noted she was attacking a large 

 female moth, Attacus, cecropia. When struck the moth would flutter its 

 wings, which caused the catbird to jump back as if expecting a counter 

 blow. She gradually became bolder, however, and finally conveyed the 

 prize to her nest of young in a neighboring spruce. Shortly after she 

 was dancing about a Sp/u'/ix tilice, but this I took away from her to adorn 

 my 'den' ! Finally I was near the nest when she brought a male A. 

 prometheus. 



June 11. — Caught a Green-crested Flycatcher [Empidonax virescetis) 

 on her nest containing three eggs. As a rule one does not even see this 

 flycatcher on the nest. She almost invariably observes you first and 

 quietly leaves. This nest was near the end of a horizontal elm branch 

 and about two feet higher than I could reach. I pulled the branch down 

 until I could get hold of her tail. She did not show much interest until 

 I gave this appendage a gentle jerk. She then moved her head quickly 

 from side to side and finally stretched out her neck and peered down at 

 me, but did not leave until I repeated the operation several times. The 

 eggs were infertile and entirely unspotted and everything suggested some 

 form of physical debility. I did not really catch her but held her tail very 

 gently so as not to deprive her of it as she started away, but from what I 

 saw of her at close range, and her actions later, I think she was a very 

 old bird, nesting a season beyond her time. 



July q. — Collected an adult male Golden-winged Warbler {Helmint/io- 

 phila chrysoptera) in slightly abnormal plumage. The uniform slate- 

 gray of the upper parts, together with yellow of forehead and crown, were 



