June, 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



05 



ncsl with a youiif? Eagle nearly tteilgcil ; egg was 

 aikllecl, size 3.84x3 84. I should like very imich 

 to know if any one has a set of Oolileu Eagle's 

 eggs tliat are similar to those deseribctl. — Siiomlun 

 Ilowlitiid, JVi'iDport, R. I. 



Cai'Tukk ok a Red-nhoki;i) (iui:m;, (I'iiilirejn< 

 /mll/iiUi.,) IN Wi-.STKKN Ontaku).— On the 11th of 

 Eehruary, \HHrt, on bank of river Thames, two 

 miles north of I'lover Mills, county of Middlesex, 

 Ontario, an individual of the above species was 

 cai)lured under the following circumstances. Mr. 

 Ilartwick, a farmer, noticcnl near his house the 

 bird in (luestion, sitting on a snow bank, and com- 

 pletely enveloped in ice. Although alive, its 

 wings were so firmly fastened by the frost that it 

 was compelldTl to submit it) be taken by hand. 

 Carried to the house, it was placed in water, 

 when it at once revived, dipping, diving and 

 preening its feathers in the liveliest manner. It 

 refused, however, to eat any of the food placed 

 before it, with the exception of some Hr leaves 

 (ii/iics) of which it partook sparingly. Plat'ed out- 

 side the house and allowed full liberty, it refused 

 to leave, walking deliberately, nonchalenlly and 

 in the characteristically erect positi(m back to the 

 place which had proved such a pleasant retreat 

 Iroui the wintry storm. At the end of its third 

 day in captivity the poor Grebe died, after which 

 event it came into the i)OBsession of my friend, 

 Mr, S. K. Reynolds, who has had it mounted and 

 lilaced in his collection. It should be stated that 

 on the day jirevious a flock, estimated to comprise 

 ten or a dozen birds of presumably the same 

 species, was observed Hying low in the vicinity. 

 They appeai'ed much confused, dispersing and 

 gathering together alternately, and uttering cries 

 of distress. The weather was extremely cold. — 

 Robt. Kllwt. 



Hiuns Confused by City Lioiits. — I have 

 ol'ien read of birds becoming ccmfused by the 

 lights of a city on a dark night, but never had the 

 U<)od fortune to witness it before May 7tli, 1885. 

 The night was very dark, with a drizzle occa.sion- 

 ally, but no'winil ; at 11. 1.") I heard a bird, when 

 on going out to listen, I found birds were calling 

 on all sides of me, apparently dazed by the glare 

 of the gas. In greatest nmnbers were the 

 Thrushes, Tawny and Wood ; there were also 

 I'urple Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, Sparrows, 

 Warblers, Spotted Sandpipers and ducks. Two 

 Thrushes became bewildered around the steeple 

 of a church opposite me, and only left when two 

 of us went over to see them. 



The Sandpipers were most vociferous, though 

 from the number of notes heard I could not be 

 certain that there was more than one bird,' which 



might have been describing irregular circles with 

 a centre near where I was standing, and repeat- 

 edly giving its note, both full and partial. 



The Ducks were heard quite often, and finm 

 the amount of noise maile by their wings, couiih'd 

 with a knowledge of what Ducks were around 

 London at the time, I should say they w-cre Little 

 Hlue-bills. It was impossible to identify the Spar- 

 rows and Warblers, but I tho\ight I could recog- 

 nize the sharp cheep of the White-throated Spar- 

 row, and as they were in the country around us 

 at that lime, it is not impossible that this ctnijec- 

 lure is correct. 1 stayed outside till 13 p. m., 

 when the confusion was undiminished, and lying 

 with the window open, the last sound I heard be- 

 fore going to slee)) was the nocturne of the 

 Spotted Sandpiper. (l.JW a. m. next day found 

 n\e out looking for remains of llie iiighrs enter- 

 tainment, but the only trace to be seen was a 

 solitary Wood Thrush in llie garden. Several 

 jiorsons spoke to me afterwards of the presence of 

 the birds above all the city that night, and it 

 would be interesting to know if any one near 

 Ontario observed the same occurrenctc. — W. K. 

 Hanndevs, London, Ont. 



Notes khom Calais, Mainio. — Snowy Owl. — 

 A tine specimen of the Snowy Owl was killed at 

 the mouth of the St Croix Hivei' last winter, but 

 but as the possessor attached no value to the bird, 

 it was destroyed. 



Pine Linnet, (C/iri/.ttiinitri.t jiiimii). During the 

 early Spring months of last year this liltle bird 

 was very plentiful with us, every tree seemed full 

 of them, an(]l they rivaled our most alumdanl 

 birds, such as the sprightly little Snowbird, in 

 numbers. This year they are 'consiiicuous by 

 their absence.' 



The raptorial birds are exceedingly well repre- 

 sented here this season both in species and indi- 

 viduals. The Hawks are very bold and numer- 

 ous, fearlessly coming into the outskirts of the 

 city in search of their prey. In the last of the 

 Winter quite a number of Saw-whet Owls were 

 found dead, in most cases within or near some 

 barn or other building, where they evidently 

 killed themselves by flying against the walls, as in 

 one instance the Owl was seen in the act of strik- 

 ing. In other cases the Owls were found in some 

 open field, or where there was but few trees. All 

 the birds I examined fairly swarmed with para- 

 sites. Is it not possible that these parasites, com- 

 bined with the scarcity of food during the jwst 

 severe Winter, so enfeebled the birds that a very 

 slight blow while flying about would kill Ihem or 

 that in some cases they literally starved to death V 

 A few Richardson's Owls were taken.— /.(/»« M. 

 Todd. 



