104 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 7 



THE 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND — 



oOlogist. 



.1 moxthly magazixe of 

 NATURAL HISTORY, 



ESPECIALLY I>EVOTED TO THE STUDY OF 



BIRDS, 



THEIR SESTS A.XD EGOS. 



DESIGNED AS A MEANS FOR THE INTERCHANOE OF NOTES 

 AND OESERyATIONS ON BIRD LIFE. 



FBANK B. WEBSTER, Publisher, 



PAWTUCKET, R. I. 



Editor's Notes. 



Our readers will miss this month our 

 usnal contributions from Prof. W. W. 

 Cooke and Dr. Morris Gibbs. We hope to 

 insert a continuation of their notes in our 

 August number. 



•'Last Summer," aaj the London Graph- 

 ic, "a Swallow made its nest in a house at 

 Ronneburg in the duchy of Saxe Altenburg, 

 and became very friendly with the family. 

 Just before the Autumn migration the 

 owner of the house tied a waterproof label 

 under the Swallow's wing, writing in Ger 

 man on the paper that he would like to 

 know where the bird wintered. This Sum- 

 mer the bird has returned to its German 

 nest, bringing back a similar label inscribed 

 in German, 'In Florence, at C — 's house, 

 and I l>ear many salutations." ' 



In our January number we asked our 

 readers in the different States to send us 

 information as to the "eoiu-se to beadoj)ted 

 to obtain a permit to collect eggs and skins 

 of birds " In response we have received 

 from various States printed copies of the 

 regulations regarding Game Piotection, 

 but otir information upon the special point 

 of interest to manj- of our readers remains 

 about as meagre as before. The point 



upon which information is desired is how 

 exemption from these regulations may be 

 obtained by Jtona f,de ornithologists. 



The season of 1885 seems to have been 

 an unusually favorable one for the breed- 

 ing of the English Sparrow — judging from 

 our own observations as well as accounts 

 from various sources We have been in- 

 clined to take the side of the bird against 

 his enemies and traducers, but find our- 

 selves coming to look upon him as a nuis- 

 ance. ^Vllile unwilling to lose sight of his 

 usefulness as an insect destroj-er, we would 

 much like to have him a little "less nu- 

 merous." 



Notes on the Water Birds of Em 

 poria, Kansas. 



BY V. I,. KEI.LOGO. 



The larger part of our water birds is, of course, 

 only liere during the migration in the Spring ard 

 Fall, but we have a few Summer residents. In 

 this paper I will speak of the Ducks, only, from 

 among our water birds. Col. Goss in his cata- 

 logue of the Birds of Kansas mentions twenty-one 

 species that arc found in the State, of which 

 twenty have been seen here. The one not j'ct 

 noted is the Red-breasted Merganser, (Mergus ner- 

 /•lUoi;) catalogued by Col. Goss as migratory, rare. 



The Wood Duck, (Ai.r sponsa,) is the only 

 Duck commonly breeding here through this year. 

 I have taken several sets of eggs of the Blue- 

 winged Teal, (Qiierqueduld clincors.) During mi- 

 gration in the Spring this Duck is here in greater 

 numbers than any other. Other common mi- 

 grants are the Mallard, {Aiuis bosats,) (may breed 

 here, having been seen quite late in the sea.son ;) 

 Giidwall. {rhanUhi.smnx ^tirperns): Pintail, (D,ifihi 

 nciiUi); Widgeon, (Murecu iiiiiciiciina); Shoviller, 

 {Spatula clypeata); Green-winged Teal, (Netlion 

 cm-olineims); Lesser Scaup, (Fulix affiiiii); Ruddy, 

 (Krlsmatura rubida); Butliehead, (Clangula al- 

 beohi); anU Redhead, {JEtltyia americanci). 



The Canvas-back, (.IHthyia vidlisneria,) and 

 Ring-bill (Fnlir cullarU,) may be classified as not 

 uncommon, while the Greater Scaup, (Fidir 

 minila.) \mericanGoklen-eye, (Clanf/nla glauciiim 

 (iinerkdnii,) Dusky Duck, (Anns obscura,) and 

 Cinnamon Teal, (Qiierquedula cyntinptera,) liave 

 all been found here, but are rare. Especially is 

 this so of the Chinamon Teal, there having been, 

 as far as I know, Ijut Ihi'ee reports of its having 



