16 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 2 



V 



Savannah Spakeow breeds commonly 

 throughout Western New York. I saw 

 many sets in Ward's Mnsenni at Rochester, 

 N. Y., taken m Monroe County, and I take 

 a few sets here each year, thoug-h the nests 

 are hard to find. They arrive the latter 

 part of April (25th, 1881, 20th, 1882,) and 

 depart about the middle of September, 

 (Sept. 19, 1882.) In abundance they rank 

 sixth among the Sparrows here, viz. : 

 Grass Finch, Hair, Song, House, Swamp, 

 and Savannah Sparrows.- — John M. Howey, 

 Canandaigua, iV. Y. 



Long-billed Marsk Wrens. — Snowdon 

 Howlan^l, Newport, E. I., and Will. K. Ide, 

 Evanston, 111., both report seven eggs. 



Snowdon Howland sends replies on 

 " Wanted to Know." He says he has whis- 

 tled in all the subscribers he can, and he 

 has done well. Tliinks the Orchard Oriole 

 uses green material because it is easier to 

 work. It is not because it is easier to 

 work but because it can be worked without 

 breaking. The nest could not be built 

 from dry material. Straw braiders under- 

 stand this fully and keep wetting the straw 

 as they work. 



Song Sparrow. — July 2d. 1881, I secured 

 a bulky nest of the Song Sjtiarrow from a 

 White Pine tree near our house with a set 

 of five eggs. The nest was placed near 

 the end oU a limb ten feet eleven inches 

 from the ground. July 6th I found the 

 same pair had constructed another nest in 

 the same tree, six inches higher than the 

 first, and nearly as good, which contained 

 one egg. On examining the nest again 

 July 10th I found they had finished their 

 second set of five eggs, which I did not 

 disturb, thinking that they might build 

 again the next year, but I looked in vain 

 for them. — S. T. Kimball, Ellington, Ct. 



Great Northern Shrike. — Dec. 2d, I 

 shot and mounted a (Great Northern) 

 Shrike or Butcher Bird. This is the sec- 

 ond specimen I ever heard of being seen 

 or shot in this vicinity. — S. T. Kimball, 

 Klli'ngton, Conn. 



Rare Books. — In a recent letter from 

 W. W. Sabin, 43 Wellington- street. Strand, 

 London, he quotes a copy of Nuttall's Land 

 and Water Birds, 2 vols, ^ sheep, one vol- 

 ume stained, price ±*4, 4s.; the same in 

 green crushed levant morocco, super extra 

 gilt edges, £8, 8s, 6d. 



White-winged Crossbills. — Thanksgiv- 

 ing Day there was a flock of about 100 

 White-winged Crossbills feeding on seeds 

 of weeds in the fields that had been plant- 

 ed last year, and were so fearless that I 

 could get quite near them. I took a few 

 specimens of both sexes. — E. E. Rogers, Y 

 Rockport, 3Iass. 



Snow Buntings have been here more 

 than a month and I have seen large num- 

 bers of Shore Larks. Several female Pine 

 Grosbeaks have been seen, and one or two 

 taken, but no males. — E. E. Rogers, Rock- 

 port, JIass. 



Bald Eagle. — On the third of Novem- 

 ber on coming to an oj^ening in the woods 

 not far from a mill pond, I saw a Bald- 

 headed Eagle on the ground in a half lying 

 position. My first imj^ulse was to shoot, 

 but as it did not move I lowered my gun 

 and Avalked up to it and found it was half 

 star\^ed. I took it home and gave it good 

 care but it died in a few days. He is in 

 mature plumage, nicely mounted, and 

 adorns my cabinet. — Chas. E. .Bellows, 

 Bridgton, N. J. 



Snowy Owl. — -On Thursday, October 26, 

 I took a very fine specimen of the Snowy 

 Owl. I shot him on Jones Island, Cum- 

 berland County. This is the first speci- 

 men taken here in eight years, and I feel 

 proud of it. — Chas. E. Bellows. 



Rare Birds. — It will interest you to 

 know that I have taken a pure white Rail, 

 and still better a fine specimen of the Com- 

 mon Cormorant {Phalacrocorax carbo). 

 These are rare specimens here. I also have 

 a Bald Headed Eagle I took from the nest 

 some nine months ago, of which I will tell 

 you all about in due time as I am observing 

 his habits carefully. — Chas. E. Bellows. 



