236 Eifkig, Sot '■: Birds of the Chicago Area. [April 



NOTES ON SOME OF THE RARER BIRDS OF THE 

 PRAIRIE PART OF THE CHICAGO AREA. 



BY G. EIFRIG. 



DURING the three years of my resilience in the small prairie town 

 of Addison. b>u Page County, Illinois. 1 have observed a number 

 of birds that are rare nearly anywhere, or at least rare in this part 

 of the state, some being first records for the county or even the so- 

 called ' Chicago Area.' 1 had intended to send these observations 

 as 'General Notes' to 'The Auk' from time to time, but lack of 

 time prevented me, until now it seems best to put them together 

 into one article. 



Addison is situated about -0 miles west of Chicago, in undulating 

 prairie, the highest point oi which is about 350 feet above sea-level. 

 The land is highly cultivated, except where imperfect drainage 

 leaves spots too wet in spring. Here small remnants of the 

 original prairie, with its interesting flora of shooting star, hawk- 

 weed, wild onion etc.. may bo seen. There is a large piece oi 

 woodland, containing about two square miles, but otherwise there 

 are no trees here, if we except the usually large cotton-woods 

 found around most farm yards. Beside the above mentioned wet 

 spots between tields. there are some sloughs, large ami small, but 

 usually not large enough to entice ducks or Black Terns to breed, 

 while on the other hand the King Kail. Least Bittern. Long- and 

 Short-billed Marsh Wrens and the inevitable Redwing find even 

 the smallest of them to their liking. Salt Creek, which Hows into 

 the Desplaines River, is the only stream oi the neighborhood, but. 

 though rich in small fish, it harbors almost no Kingfishers along 

 its course, at least here. In fact, the absence or rarity of certain 

 species, which should be common, as the Chipping Sparrow. Y\ hip- 

 poorwill, Cedarbird, Least Flycatcher, Sparrow Hawk. Mourning 

 Dove and others, is very puzzling. — Now to the ootes proper. 



While gulls are a very usual sight along the lake anil river in 

 Chicago, they are rare here in Pu Page County. However, two 

 Ring-billed. Gulls (Larus delatcarensis) alighted near the out- 

 buildings in my garden on February 26, 1910. It had been 





