10 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 2 



Indigo Bunting, {Passerina cyanea,) also 

 numerous here, and nests can be found 

 throughout the hazel thickets. 



Mocking Birds, {3Iimi(s polyglottits,) 

 have built herefor several years, and, though 

 scarce, are increasing eveiy season. 



Cardinal Gtrosbeak, {Cardinalis virghii- 

 anus.) I have never heard of any ever found 

 here until I found a nest with four eggs in 

 a thoni tree, about eighteen feet high, and, 

 later, one with young fifteen miles south of 

 the former. 



RosE-BREASTED Grosbeak, Zamelodla lu- 

 doviciana.) Several nests found here last 

 season never seen here before, though the 

 timber was well explored. 



Red-eyed and White-eyed Vireo, ( Vireo- 

 sylvia olivacea and Vireo novehoracensis,) 

 were scarce here last season compared with 

 the previous year. 



Wood PE^^^E ( Contopns virens,) also plen- 

 tiful in not too dense timber of medium 

 sized trees, especially oaks. I seldom find 

 one nest without more near by. 



Scarlet Tanager, {Pyranga rubra.) Al- 

 though we see this bird here every Spring, 

 few remain during the Summer, and only 

 two nests were found in 1881, but with the 

 most diligent searching by several others 

 for me, and seeing a pair of these birds 

 often in the woods, they could not be traced 

 to their nests. 



Cedar Bird, {Ampelis cedror^im,) A 

 lady sent me a Wax-wing, found dead on 

 the sidewalk after a fierce storm. It was 

 uninjured, made a fine specimen, and on 

 being dissected had a full-formed speckled 

 Gg^ inside. The shell was almost hard. 

 On Aug. 12th, E. S. found a nest with 

 four fresh eggs in an osage hedge row. 

 We see flocks of these birds here every 

 Spring for a little while, but have never 

 found the nest before this year. 



American Goldfinch, {Astragaliims tris- 

 tis,) almost too numerous to mention but 

 for a few facts. They love to build very 

 near human habitations, and in the past 

 five years I have not found over one or 



two instances throughout the season that 

 they did not build a short distance from a 

 building of some kind ; also, I found eggs 

 very seldom before the middle of July, but 

 more often after the middle of August, 

 and I have seen the young birds follow 

 their parents during quite cold weather, 

 late in October, but there is only one 

 brood here. The call of the young to 

 their parents, even when flying, can never 

 be mistaken by an experienced ear. Ac- 

 cording to some other writere they raise 

 two broods, and much earlier than they do 

 here (?) I have raised tliese birds former- 

 ly for cage birds, with veiy little trouble, 

 becoming very tame, and on one occasion 

 worthy of mention, I I'eared a nest of five, 

 two of which had a bright j^ellow crown 

 on their heads, size and shape of the black 

 top of the male in its Summer livery. 

 The rest were of the usiial type, and I 

 regret to say, that just as they were about 

 to leave the nest, some one fed them their 

 last dose ; and I regret also that I did not 

 know enough of taxidermy then. 



In reference to the notes of birds ex- 

 pressed in print, I corroborate exactly 

 with Mr. Chamberlain in December num- 

 ber of O. and O. 



I never could get any satisfaction in 

 comparing the true notes of birds with 

 syllables in jDrint. 



I will give more notes of other birds, 

 etc., in some future number of O. and O. 

 — A. II. JIutidt, P'airbury, III. 



Cardinal Grosbeak. 



A common resident and one much more 

 noticeable in Winter than at other times. 

 Most of them appear to remain mated 

 tlu'oughout the year, for I have very sel- 

 dom seen an old male without a female 

 near by, and never two males together un- 

 less they were fighting. Parties of three 

 or four young are often found together in 

 Fall and Winter. In the breeding season 

 they have a decided preference for low, 

 damp thickets, and, of a dozen nests, all 



