178 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 10-No. 12 



of our iiKjst familiar birds both around civiliza- 

 tion and in the woods. Lilie ihu Crow, they are 

 fond of pecans, and I tliiuk tbcy Bometiiues store 

 up food in crevices in the bark of old tries. I 

 liave also seen tlicm picking open acorns. St. 

 Louis, Mo. Resident. Generally found iu troops 

 of from five to seven. On "April 37tli, twenty 

 were seen iu a tloclt on wing, and again on May 

 1st. Mauliattan, Ivan.s. Very common resident. 

 Jacliscmville, 111. Commencing to l)uild March 

 3d, and taking the sticks from a last year's nest. 

 Coralville, la. May 4lh, a uesl with one egg. 

 Mitchell, la. No Blue Jays wintered here, that 

 I know ol. They commenced to return about 

 April 27th, and large flocks passed over. Elk 

 River, Minn. Resident. Thirty-three were seen 

 February 15th, in an eight miles walk. Oil May 

 COtli, a nest with eggs of a dull cream color with 

 laini sp(/ts not so thick as common. 



G itEAT-CUESTED FlYC.\TCIIEI1 , (Ml/idtcJl llti flill- 



itUK). Anna, 111. First was heard on April 17th. 

 Were numerous and noi>y April £Oth. St. Louis, 

 Mo. First saw two on April 17th; Ihey were 

 silent. On April20ih the bulk of the species came. 

 Manhattan, Kans. Fir.-I, May ad. Liter, 111. 

 First, May 3d. Des Moiues, la. Firt, May 5lh. 

 Polo, 111. First, May 20th. Jefferson, Wis. 

 First saw one on May 12lh, and tm the 19th one 

 nidie. ( )iily about a dozen seen during the whole 

 Summer. 



Wood Pewee. (Cuntopus virens). Si. Louis, 

 Mo. On May 5tli, first saw several; calling. 

 Manhattan, Kans. First, May £Oth. Racine, 

 Wis. First, May Kith. Jefferson, Wis. On 

 May 2Glh, was the first I saw, though I think it 

 cime long ago. Waukon,I.i. First, April 17th. (y) 



Ni(iiiT II.\WK, {C/iurilc'iU's pupctue). St. Louis, 

 Mo. First, .seen on May 1.5lli, and also on the 

 Kith and 18lh, when tli< re were a great many go- 

 ing north; numerous along the border of the 

 woods. Manhattan, ICans. First, April 14th. 

 Griggsville, III. First, (?) M.-iy 3ulh. Coralville, 

 la. First, May 7th. Polo, 111. Fu'st, May lllli. 

 Jefferson, Wis. Firtt, .saw one on May 21st, and 

 on tlie 81st found fresh eggs. Argusville, Dak. 

 First, May 29th. 



Gueat Blue IIehon, (Ardon /itivdids). Fay- 

 clteville. Ark. A scarce Winter resident along 

 streams. Anna, 111. Remain only in mild Win- 

 ters. Manhattan, Kans. First, April 38th. 

 Liter. 111. First, April 3d. Polo, 111. First, 

 April 20lh. Jefferson, Wis. First, April 11th. 

 Mitchell. la. One male seen on March 2.')lh. 

 Elk River, Minn. Four seen April 7th, were the 

 first. [A pretty irregular record.] 



American Bitteun, (Botaurus kittiyiiuisua). 



Fayetteville, Ark. First, March 31st. Anna, III. 

 Resident, according to Ridgway, in mild Winters. 

 Manhattan, Kans. First, (?) May 13th. Kansas 

 City, Mo. First, March 28th. Liter, III. First, 

 April 3d. Elk River, Minn. First, April 19th. 

 Argusville, Dak. Finst, April 23d. 



The Social Life of Arctic Birds. 



nv THE late dk. alfuku e. bkeiim. 

 (Popular Science Monthly.) 



" When the great architect of tlie universe had 

 finished his favorite star, the earth, Satau aspired 

 to destroy it. From the seventh heaven he slung 

 down a great stone toward the blooming earth ; 

 but an archangel, witnessing the wicked act, fiew 

 down faster than the falling rock, and turned 

 it aside. The stone fell away up in tiie Northern 

 Sea, and was liroken up. The fragments scatter- 

 ed on every side and formed cliffs, some of which 

 sunli in the deep, while others rose black out of 

 the waters. God in his infinite mercy pitied the 

 bare devil's rock and made it fruitful." Thus 

 runs an ancient Lap legend. The rock is Scandi- 

 navia; the fragments are the innumerable islands 

 that surround it ; and the fiords are the clefts be- 

 tween the larger stone and the fragments. One 

 should have .seen the country, rowed through the 

 fiords, and gone down the icy mountains to the 

 lakes and bays, to appreciate the appropriateness 

 of the Saga. 



Scandinavia is an Alpine country, and h;is, like 

 Switzerland and the Tyrol, majestic glaciers, 

 musical, dancing mountain brooks, and strong 

 rivers rushing over the blue slopes which arc re- 

 Hected in the transparent dark lakes. High up 

 among these lie the prettily poised dwellings of 

 the men, like Eagles' nests stucli to the rocks. 

 To make the similarity with the Swiss Alps com- 

 plete, the green meadows are also not wanting in 

 Scandinavia ; and, while the northern mountains 

 do not resound with the exultant jodel, joyous, 

 fresh, melodious songs may be beard in the 

 vall'.'ys and on the heights. The difference be- 

 tween Switzerland and Scandinavia is neverthe- 

 less great, even if we only consider how the deep 

 sea cuts into the land and forms large bays which 

 receive, from the shadows thrown upon them by 

 the dark surrounding rocks, a mysterious yet not 

 fearful aspect. 



The fiords of Norway are reiiiarkal)le, but they 

 are not the most peculiar feature of the country ; 

 this is found in the innumerable islands which 

 rise more than a thousand metres above the sea, 

 or, planting their roots in the boundless deep, are 

 visible only at low water. These islands are 



