l8 THE CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



within our area. The Wilson's Phalarope (Steganopus tricolor), 

 the most interesting and curious of our Limicolae, have been 

 shot and practically driven from our area through the persecution 

 of Chicago sportsmen and egg-hunters. The same condition ex- 

 ists with the Woodcock (Philohela minor), the birds being driven 

 into several small areas and the nests robbed. In 1890, I hunted 

 in vain for the Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) which I 

 expected to find nesting on the borders of the lakes of our area, 

 and finally I was surprised, while roving along the shore of a 

 small creek which flows into the Desplaines River, to find a 

 large colony of these grebes nesting in a small, reedy patch of 

 meadow. This was a very unusual occurrence in the nesting hab- 

 its of these birds within our area, but was easily explained, for 

 they had been driven from all other suitable localities. I counted 

 seven nests within a space fifty feet square. I found the same 

 condition of affairs existing in the habits of the Florida Galli- 

 nules and the King Rails. I mention these facts hoping that 

 these conditions will influence every student of bird life to use 

 his efforts to stop all unnecessary destruction of our native 

 birds. On August I, 1897, I found two pairs of Belted Piping 

 Plover (JEgialitis meloda circumcincta) nesting on the lake 

 shore. One family of five was destroyed by collectors, as this 

 species had not been reported for years and was supposed to 

 have been of accidental occurrence until the young of this pair 

 were found. By asking the assistance of the fishermen on the 

 beach in an attempt to protect the balance of the birds, the re- 

 maining pair successfully raised their young. At the present 

 date, there are probably twenty pairs or so nesting, during the 

 breeding season, within our area, but as their eggs command a 

 high price and the majority of the collectors are indifferent, we 

 may soon expect to have this fine bird disappear from our region. 

 Our bird fauna has differed surprisingly little during the 

 past. twenty years. The most marked variation, perhaps, has 

 been among the Arctic species of gulls and ducks. In 1876 the 

 Eider Ducks, the Scoters, the Glaucous Gulls, the Franklin's 

 Gulls and other birds of a similar nature, were of common occur- 

 rence. They are, however, much less common at the present 

 time. I can only account for this condition by the fact of the 

 largely increased number of hunters. Many of the sportsmen of 

 our city, who seemingly cannot wait for the regular hunting 

 season, shoot great numbers of the Old Squaw Ducks, Scoters, 



