600 General Notes. [©$! 



the region, but I saw and heard a male at Crellin, June 29, and one at 

 Accident, July 8, 1920. 



Melospiga georgiana. Swamp Sparrow. — In a large bog between 

 Negro and Meadow Mountains, near Accident, I found a breeding colony 

 of Swamp Sparrows and heard their song from a small swamp near Oak- 

 land, on June 28 of this year. This extends the breeding range some- 

 what from that given in the 'Check-List,' where western Maryland is 

 not included. — G. Eifrig, River Forest (Oak Park P. 0.), 111. 



Rare and Unusual Birds in the Chicago Area During the Spring 

 of 1920. — The spring of 1920 has been unusual to say the least. Many 

 common birds were unaccountably rare, and many very rare ones were 

 observed. The severe winter and heavy snowfall in Canada drove many 

 birds such as the American Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra minor), Bohemian 

 Waxwing {Bombycilla garrula), Redpoll (Acanthis linaria), etc., down 

 from the north. These have been recorded by Mr. Coale and myself. 

 Early in March we had some fine weather, and, as a consequence, a large 

 migration of about sixty varieties of birds literally poured in from the 

 twentieth to the thirtieth of March. Now, however, the weather took 

 a sudden turn and we had snow-storms every few days. This of course 

 retarded the migration dreadfully. Since the twentieth of April, how- 

 ever, the weather has been nice, and the migration more or less regular. 

 A list of the rare and unusual birds which I have observed this spring 

 follows : 



Aristonetta valisineria. Canvasback. — On April 10, I saw one male 

 of this species on Wolf Lake, about twenty miles south of Chicago. On 

 April 24, I saw a flock of six birds of both sexes at the same place, and 

 was informed by a farmer that he had seen the same flock there for two 

 weeks. This formerly common bird is rapidly becoming rarer in our 

 area. 



Grus canadensis. Sandhill Crane. — On April 22, while looking 

 for birds on the Wooded Island, Jackson Park, Chicago, I saw a large 

 bird about fifty feet above my head, attempting to fly west against a 

 very strong wind. I immediately looked at the bird through my glasses 

 and was able to study it for the space of twenty minutes. It continued 

 to struggle against the wind, but to no avail, and at last was blown out of 

 sight to the south. The bird came within thirty feet of me at one time, 

 and of course its identity was unmistakable. It flew with legs and neck 

 outstretched, I was even able to discern the red on the head, and the 

 brownish on the wings. This bird is an exceedingly rare and irregular 

 migrant. Some weeks after seeing the bird, I met a gentleman who had 

 observed and identified the bird on the same day. 



Macroramphus griseus scolopaceus. Long-billed Dowitcher. — 

 On May 14 I observed several birds of this species flying with a large flock 

 of Yellowlegs (Totanus flavipes), at Hyde Lake. I shot into the flock and 

 secured a fine adult female Dowitcher, which proved to belong to the 



