^fo^'^] Geiieral Notes. 307 



On the morning of March 26 I heard the birds in the tree, and on 

 looking out saw the male enter the box and three females were flying 

 around the outside. He stood in the doorway' and acted as if he was 

 afraid they wanted to enter, and when one flew near the door he would 

 rush in, turn around and chatter, as these birds do when fighting. Soon 

 one of the females left, when the male came out and courted one of the 

 other two. The ofher protested but soon flew away. On March 27 I saw 

 them copulating, and also on March 28, and again on April 2 and 3. 

 Then I shot the female when the male was not around. This was at 

 noon. All the afternoon he did nothing but chirp. On dissecting the 

 female I found the ovaries were well developed, she being nearly ready to 

 lay ; the bird was apparently' a young of the previous year. 



On April 4 he had another mate, but she seemed afraid to go into the 

 box. She would enter half way and then back out. The next day she 

 went into the box. April 10 and 11 I saw them copulate, and again on 

 April 17, when 1 shot the female, at the entrance to the box while the 

 male was on the top looking over at her. The male was very much 

 frightened and flew away. On dissecting the female I found the ovaries 

 very small. On April 22, the male was chirping near the box, coaxing 

 the females to come near and then driving them away. April 23 he was 

 courting a female near the box. On the morning of April 24 he had five 

 females near the box. The supply of female sparrows seemed to be much 

 greater than the demand. April 29 he was again mated. May 6 I saw 

 them copulating. May 19 I shot this female and a cat got it. I now had 

 to leave home for a few daj's, but on May 27 I found he not only had a 

 new mate but I took from the nest five eggs, four slightly incubated and 

 one addled. I did not shoot this bird, and on Maj' 30 and 31 I saw them 

 copulate. I have no further notes, as I was away the rest of the summer. 



This bird had five mates up to the first of June, and he did not seem to 

 mind, only for a few minutes, the loss of any of them, and always got a 

 new mate sooner when he saw his mate killed (in one case in ten minutes) 

 than when she was killed when he was away. 



Apparently there must be many birds that go unmated throughout the 

 year, for late in April this male had five females after him, all at one time. 

 It would be interesting if some one who has the opportunity would experi- 

 ment by shooting the male and see if the female would get another mate, 

 and also carry the observation to a later period in the year. We often see 

 several male birds fighting in the street for one female, but in this case the 

 male had more females than he wanted. — J. H. Clark, Pafersoti, N. J. 



The Louisiana Water-Thrush in Minnesota. — On May 23, 1903, my 

 father and I, while collecting small birds on the right bank of the Miss- 

 issippi River near the mouth of Minnehaha Creek, shot an adult male 

 Louisiana Water-Thrush [Seiurtis motacilla). Though the female was 

 not seen she was probably nesting near bv as the male was in full song. 

 Although Ridgway gives it (Birds of North and Middle America, Part II, 



