^'°^5i4^^] General Notes. 537 



Columbia. It was nearly sundown, and the place was gathering on the 

 evening shadows, when, within a few feet of where we stood resting for 

 some moments, there suddenly appeared a male hummingbird {A. colubris) 

 in hot pursuit of a Carolina Wren {Thryolhorus I. ludovicianus) , the latter 

 leading it a pretty chase through the trees and dense vegetation. Both 

 were giving vent to their peculiar notes indicating their excitement, while 

 the hummer seemed bent on doing the wren any bodily harm it could effect 

 with its bill. Once or twice it ht close to us, and the scolding notes of the 

 wren brought two other birds of the same species to the scene. These were 

 likewise immediately charged by the valiant little hummer with great vehe- 

 mence, which uttered as it did so its httle, shrill, squeaky pipings. All 

 three of the wrens kept dodging these attacks, and it was remarkable to see 

 the skill with which the hummer shot about after each in turn through the 

 vines and small branches of the trees and shrubs. 



In a few moments, several warblers put in an appearance, among them a 

 Maryland Yellow-throat (Geothlypis t. trichas), a couple of Parulas {Comp- 

 sothlypis a. arnericana), a Magnolia ( Dendroica magnolia), and others which 

 I could not with certainty identify, on account of the increasing darkness. 

 Their arrival seemed to still further excite the hummingbird, which shot 

 first after one, then after another according to their accessibility. In no 

 instance, however, did I actually see it come in contact with the bird at- 

 tacked, and always on account of the skill of the latter dodging a direct 

 charge; for beyond such linear flights, the hummer could onlj^ buzz for a 

 few seconds about the bird he was particularly after in any attack. Neither 

 the wrens nor the warblers made any counter charges, while the entire 

 affair did not last over a minute or two, when both assailant and the assailed 

 flew off in different directions. 



Never before in my life have I witnessed such a scene; and I can not 

 conceive what could have occasioned a hummingbird to behave in such a 

 manner. — R. W. Shufeldt, Washington, D. C. 



Breeding of the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus phoeni- 

 ceus) in Nova Scotia. — On June 21, 1914, after repeated searching, I 

 found the nest of the Red-winged Blackbird {Agelaius phaniceus phoeniceus) 

 in a swamp near Antigonish, Nova Scotia. It was attached to cattail 

 stems and rank grass, and was placed six or eight inches above the surface 

 of water in which I stood knee-deep. It contained four eggs, corresponding 

 exactly in appearance with the description of the eggs of this species given 

 in F. M. Chapman's ' Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America,' 

 1912 edition. Unfortunately, I did not actually see the female at the nest, 

 but she and a male fluttered over my head, or perched in the nearby bushes 

 while I was examining the nest. They uttered manj^ cries of distress and 

 anger, and I consider that their actions, together with the situation and 

 appearance of the nest and its contents, indubitably determine its identity. 

 I did not collect it, as I did not wish to disturb the birds in any way. A 

 second pair of the same species was present in this swamp and presumably 



