ii6 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



"marsh quail" is hardly possible. 

 His short white tail betrays him at 

 once in flight, as does his manner 

 of dropping his wings when sailing 

 as he does at frequent iutervals. 

 And to make sure that you know 

 him, he almost always utters a pe- 

 culiar chattering "che-che--chee--" 

 as he flies away. 



He and his mate, who is only a 

 little duller in color than he, 

 have their home in the middle of a 

 large field, where the grass is rather 



tall. Sometimes the top is arched 

 over. They are careful to keep the 

 location a secret, and always alight 

 at some distance from it and ap- 

 proach by a circuitous route. The 

 same tactics are used when leaving. 

 Now is the time when the male is 

 most jolly, and he will perch on a 

 fence post or tree top and sing, or 

 rather whistle, to his mate for hours 

 at a time. His note is chiefly two 

 consecutive, long drawn whistles 

 with a falling inflection. 



A Red-headed Woodpecker ap- 

 peared in town this- Spring and was 

 an object of great interest, as he is 

 claimed to be the first one seen here 

 in twenty years. He is alone and 

 his favorite perch is at the top of a 

 dead tree by the roadside. 



Arthur C. Ogden, 

 Newton Highlands, Mass. 



1 wish to report the finding and 

 probably breeding of the Burrowing 

 Owl in Williamette Valley. They 

 remaining here the whole year near 

 Lebanon on Peterson's Butte. Al- 

 so received a fine male specimen from 

 within a mile of Scio, last January. 



A. G. Prill, 

 Scio, Oregon. 



How Sa-ba-ttis Got His Christma-s Dinner. 



Dr. Geo. McAleer. 



[Continued from last issue.] 



Meanwhile the air was violently assailed by the most hideous noises, — 

 snarling, growling and fighting among the wolves over some piece of bone 

 or shred of meat which had escaped their fury. 



With a heart less buoyant than at any time since he left home he cross- 

 ed the river to the opposite side from which the straggling wolves had tak- 

 en their departure and hastened with all speed until he journeyed several 

 miles away knowing that it was useless to look for any game nearer to 

 the scene of the uproar and conflict of the previous afternoon and night. 



With advancing day he became more wary and cautious. His stealthy 

 step fell noiseless upon the fleecy snow, his keen eyes sought out and in- 

 vestigated every likely spot and possible lurking place where the quarry 

 he sought might be concealed. All the knowledge and skill of the wily hi- 

 dian were working at their best. 



