70 MousLEY, Birds of Hatley, Que. [j"^ 



to June 2. Decidedly the most common of all the woodpeckers nesting 

 year after year in the same tree (generally a birch or maple) but not always 

 occupying the previous year's hole, which as a rule does not exceed fifteen 

 feet above the ground. The average dimensions of five nests examined 

 are as follows, viz.: entrance hole 2f inches in diameter, extreme depth 

 17^ inches, and width 5| inches. The number of eggs in a set varies a 

 good deal, six about here appearing to be the most usual, although on one 

 occasion I found as many as eleven. 



39. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin). Nighthawk. — 

 Rare transient; Sept. 1 to 2. I have only seen eight examples of this bird, 

 four on the evening of Sept. 2 of last year, and the same number curiously 

 enough on the evening of Sept. 1 of the present year, 1915. On both oc- 

 casions the evenings were very sultry and the birds were hawking over the 

 marsh, at intervals emitting then- loud nasal " peents." 



40. Chsetura pelagica (Linnaeus). Chimney Swift. — Common sum- 

 mer visitant; May 13 to Sept. 7. Average date of arrival (for four years) 

 May 15; of departure (for two years) Sept. 1. Eggs: June 15. A pair of 

 Chimney Swifts have nested for several years in the chimney stack of my 

 landlord, which during the summer months is not used. I have also found 

 their nest attached to the inside of the perpendicular l)oards at the gable 

 end of a hay barn. 



41. Archilochus colubris (Linnteus). Ruby-throated Humming- 

 bird. — Fairly common summer visitant; May 23 to Sept. 21. Average 

 date of an-ival (for four years) May 26; of departure (for four years) Sept. 14. 

 At the flowers of a row of scarlet runners or the trunk of a certain birch tree 

 (well pierced with sapsucker holes) I am always sure of finding one if not a 

 pair of hummingbirds. It is a curious medley that gathers at the latter 

 place, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Hum- 

 mingbirds are all to be found at this one particular tree regaling themselves 

 on the sap that has gathered in the little holes. I have often watched the 

 birds on hovering wings extracting the nectar or flies from the scarlet 

 flowers of the beans, and then perch on some adjacent runner, where resting 

 they would insert their l^ills into the nearest flowers and go on feeding. 

 This is another of the few summer visitants whose nest I have so far failed 

 to discover notwithstanding persistent searching. 



42. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linnaeus). Kingbird. — Common summer 

 visitant; May 3 to Aug. 25. Average date of arrival (for five years) May 8; 

 of departure (for three years) Aug. 22. Eggs: June 3 to July 15. Probably 

 every orchard has its Kingbirds, a pair having nested in one near my house 

 for four consecutive years if not longer, repairing the nest each yeai;. In 

 1912 they were robbed of two sets of eggs and in desperation forsook the 

 apple tree and took possession of an old Baltimore Oriole's nest in the top 

 of a maple tree in front of my house, in which strange home they laid a 

 third set of eggs and brought up a brood. The following year they repaired 

 the old nest in the apple tree again, thus showing what a strong attachment 

 these birds have for a nesting site once selected. The pair of birds that so 



