^°\^^^] Harlow, Breeding Birds of Center County, Pa. 465 



THE BREEDING BIRDS OF SOUTHERN CENTER 

 COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. 



BY RICHARD C. HARLOW. 



The object of the present paper is to set forth in a systematic 

 way, the results achieved by the author during four years of 

 systematic ornithological investigation in southern Center County, 

 Pennsylvania. The period covered by the observations is from 

 September 1, 1908, to May 20, 1912, with the exception of the 

 summers of 1909 and 1910, when field work stopped about June 10. 

 Observations were made in eastern Ferguson township; Patton 

 township, southeast of Buffalo Run; College township, and the 

 western and southern parts of Harris township. A few records 

 are included in this paper which are based on data collected in 

 parts of Jackson and Brown townships, Hundington County, near 

 the Center County line, which seems legitimate since th^ physi- 

 ography of the adjoining parts of the two counties is essentially 

 the same and moreover, all the species nesting in this part of 

 Huntington County, with one exception, have been found in the 

 adjacent regions of Center County. 



So far as identification of species and authenticity of the records 

 are concerned it has been the policy of the author to include no 

 record of which there is the slightest doubt, as misleading state- 

 ments and erroneous identification are all too common at the 

 present time. A hypothetical list is given where are placed various 

 species whose status is not beyond question and other species, 

 not found as yet, but whose occurrence as breeders is to be hoped 

 for in this locality. The data gathered represent the work of a 

 vast number of field trips during the last four breeding seasons. 

 Certain regions, especially Stone Valley, Hundington County; 

 Tussey Valley, Center County; and all of College township, 

 Nittany Valley have been studied quite extensively and the list 

 for these localities is probably nearly complete. 



Up to the present time there has been very little published on 

 the birds of this section, and that little has undoubtedly been mis- 

 leading to a certain extent. A previous paper on this subject 



