Vol. XX 

 1903 



I Trotter, A'rt/w'i Ornithological Obs.e7-vatioii$. 2^5^ 



The remarks of Kalin concerning the abundance of the Red- 

 headed Woodpecker i^Melancrpes erythrocephalus) in early winter as 

 predicting a mild season brings to mind an observation made 

 some years ago by Chris Wood, the collector. He predicted a 

 winter of great sickness from the fact that Red-headed Wood- 

 peckers were unusually numerous, and added that he had never 

 known this prognostic to fail. This is an interesting piece of folk- 

 lore and is probably akin to the old saying that " a green Christ- 

 mas makes a fat churchyard." 



The species enumerated, other than those above mentioned, are 

 Sphyrapicus varius, Dryobaies viHosus, D. pubescens, and Me- 

 ianeTpes carolinus. 



Crow. — At Philadelphia, under date of September 26, 1748, is 

 the following observation concerning crows. "The Crows in this 

 country are little different from our common crows in Sweden. 

 Their size is the same with that of our crows, and they are as 

 black as jet in every part of their body. T saw them flying to-day 

 in great numbers together. Their voice is not quite like that of 

 our crows, but has more of the cry of the rook, or Linnaus^s Corvus 

 frugilegHsP (Eng. Trans., I, p. 121.) 



Under date of February 10, 1749, Kalm alludes to the premiums 

 set upon crows' heads in the following passage. '' They belong to 

 the noxious birds in this part of the world, for they chiefly live 

 upon corn. After the maize is planted or sown, they scratch the 

 grains out of the ground and eat them. When the maize begins 

 to ripen, they peck a hole into the involucruni which surrounds 

 the ear, by which means the maize is spoiled, as the rain passes 

 through the hole w'hich they have made, and occasions the putri- 

 faction of the corn. Besides eating corn, they likewise steal 

 chickens. They are very fond of dead carcasses. Some years 

 ago the government of Pennsylvaiiia had given three-pence, and 

 that of Ne%i} Jersey four-pence premium for every head of a crow, 

 but this law has now been repealed, as the expenses are too great." 



Blackbirds. — In remarking upon the decrease of wild fowl 

 (already cited) Kalm goes on to say : " But though the eatable 

 birds have been diminished greatly, yet there are others, which 

 have rather increased than decreased in number, since the arrival 

 of the Europeans : this can most properly be said of a species of 



