80 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 8-No. 10 



Winter Birds. Owls were unusually 

 abundant last winter, and I mounted three 

 Screech Owls, (two red and one gray), two 

 Barred Owls, one Great-homed Owl and 

 one Snowy Owl. I shot a Hermit Thrush 

 the middle of January, and a Peabody 

 Sparrow. There were numbers of this 

 latter bird, and I also seciu-ed on the 16th 

 of January a Dove, {Zenaldura carolmen- 

 sis,) all these I consider imusual winter 

 residents. I have seen the C. Dove taken 

 here in winter once before. Other uncom- 

 mon movements of birds have been a very 

 large number of Pine Finches in October, 

 and recently large flocks of Red Polls. I had 

 brought to me about a month ago the first 

 Rough legged Hawk I ever knew shot here. 

 They are our rarest Hawk. — JToh^i JV. 

 Clark, Sayhrook, Conn. 



White Herons. AVhere do all the White 

 Herons, {Herodias egretta,) come from this 

 season ? At least seven were shot in this 

 locaHty between July 23d and 27th, and 

 about as many more seen, along the creeks. 

 They were all in immature plumage. This 

 is the first time they have been noticed 

 here for several years. — W. T. Warrick, 

 Washington, Pa. 



Chaffinches and Horse Chestnut Branch. 

 We have also entered for exhibition the 

 above picture by Wm. MacGillivray which 

 has been described in these columns as one 

 of the most natural, if not the most nat- 

 ural, drawing ever made in ornithology 

 and botany combined. 



American Duck Haayk. We have just 

 had the original drawing, by Alex. Wilson, 

 of the above bird framed to exhibit at the 

 institute fair in this city. The figure is 10 

 inches long, the complete drawing being 

 8x14 inches. This drawing was made 

 about 1810 by Wilson, a self-taught artist, 

 and is a wonderful production. It is one 

 of those rare things that has been contin- 

 ually pirated and as often mangled by 

 being cheaply reduced in size. 



Pigeon Hawks. Your letter of the 18th 

 in St. received. There is no doubt of the 



identity of the Pigeon Hawks mentioned in 

 my letter, as several others beside myself 

 had been observing the pair for some 

 weeks before the eggs were found. The 

 female almost flew in my face when I found 

 the nest. After the eggs were taken, the 

 parents lingered in the vicinity for several 

 days, and I shot the male, after which the 

 female disappeared. I think that is pretty 

 positive identification. In the Maryland 

 and Delaware peninsula the Pigeon Hawk 

 is resident, so I have no doubt that quite a 

 number breed in different parts of the 

 peninsula, though I never found more than 

 one nest. I know their eggs are rather 

 rare, but did not think them so much so 

 as your letter seems to imply. During 

 the southern migration of the Bobolinks, 

 the Pigeon Hawks are present in large 

 numbers — almost in flocks — as well as 

 other large species. — Charles D. G-ihsoiiy 

 Menovo, Pa. 



[Desiring to make sure of the Pigeon 

 Hawk's identity, we addressed a note to Mr. 



Gibson, and the above is his reply. — Ed.] 



^ 



THE WHIP-POOR-WILIi. 



On a low bough, above the window sill, 



Sang yester eve a lonely whip-poor-will ; 



An allegretto strain until the close, 



Repeated o'er and o'er without repose. 



And did he weary of the woods, and long 



To pipe in haunts of mon a little song 



And wed it to the moonlight pale and still? 



Whip-poor-will ! whip-poor-will ! whip-poor-will ! 



Ah ! who was Will that he should come to woe ? 



Perchance, a Quaker bird — 'twas long ago — 



The changing years their promises fulfill 



To every May is sent the whip-poor-will. 



In tender shades of green the earth is drest, 



The sun sifts gold around the simpleest nest ; 



And all the birds are joyous ; why must he 



Mid cheery blossoms pipe a threnody ? 



Ah ! who can tell — not all in night time sing, 



Not all are larks with sunward soaring wing ; 



In nature's concert each his part must fill, 



And the great Master taught the Whip-poor-will. 



— Boston Journal, June, '83. 



Plain English. Long life and prosper- 

 ity to the " O. and O." and its " Plain Eng- 

 lish" method. Montague Chamberlain is my 

 favorite among your contributors. Wish 

 we had a few of his kind in the soutli. — 

 J. T. P. 



