36 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 12-Ko. 3 



tliey remained in the vicinity, climbing about 

 the branches and limbs of the pines in search 

 of its food. Saw one running down the trunk 

 of a pine, suddenly stop and go up backwards 

 to where it, in in its haste, had passed some 

 dainty morsel. They strike at a dead limb like 

 a woodpecker and make as much noise as some 

 of that species. A specimen I shot was winged 

 and came lightly to the ground and I had quite 

 a chase before I finally secured it; then it would 

 cling to my fingers and strike at my hand quite 

 fiercely, in fact in a manner not quite in keep- 

 ing with such a timid looking bird. These birds 

 were found in a group of pines in company with 

 the Pygmy Nuthatch, but while they were at 

 the time with the Crossbills, they did not stay 

 long but left the latter in possession. 



From a number of specimens taken I find the 

 average dimensions to be, length G. ; extent 9.95 ; 

 wing 3.95; tail 2. ; bill .65; tarsus .95 ; bill ex- 

 actl}^ .15 at base in all specimens, but I think 

 this is not the only fact to identify it from the 

 White-bellied {Sitta cardlincnsiii). Head black- 

 ish-ash, nape glossy black, back ashy-blue, ex- 

 tending to tail; three outer tail feathers with 

 much white, under paits, sides of head white, 

 running up to the neck until it nearly meets its 

 fellow where the black of nape and blackish- 

 ash of the head meet, under tail coverts white 

 and bright crimson, the latter predominating, 

 bill black, under mandible and feet horn color, 

 wings black, ashy-blue and white with no no- 

 ticable markings, except slight white tips of 

 primaries. 



. Harris's Woodpecker {Picus viUosus harrini) . 

 An abundant bird in winter throughout the 

 pine growth. They frequent entirely the tops 

 of the highest trees and are hard to bring down 

 with a small collecting gun ; they go in flocks of 

 from five to twenty at this time of year. Crown 

 black, scarlet nuchal band, wanting in female; 

 white stripe over the eye. Joining the scarlet; 

 in the male white stripe from nasal feathers to 

 sides of neck, there spreading; under parts a 

 solid silvery white, being imaculate only on 

 erissum, back black with large lengthwise 

 white stripe, wings black with white spits, 

 averaging four on primaries and three on 

 secondaries, with none on four inner feathers 

 and none on coverts ; tail with four middle 

 feathers black, next two pair black and white, 

 outer pair pure white; length 9.66; extent 

 13.85 ; wing 5.35 ; bill 1.20 ; tail 3.75 ; tarsus .90 : 

 whole foot 1.73. Examples of true villosus 

 taken at Fojt Kandall, Dakota, by Dr. Cones, 

 average as follows : Length 9i-95 ; extent 16- 

 17 ; wing 4|-5. These dimensions are given to 



compare with mine, showing a gain in length 

 of wing against a loss in total extent of harrisi. 

 January 31st. Since writing the above notes 

 I am happj' to say that yesterday I secured a 

 set of four eggs of the Mexican Crossbill. Nest 

 in a large pine, thirty feet from the ground. 

 More particulars hereafter, as I expect to find 

 others. 



Winter Notes from Raleigh, N. C. 



BY C. S. BRIM LEY. 



The winter has been on the whole, the most 

 severe we have had since 1880-81; the cold 

 weather having been interrupted by fewer 

 spells of warm weather than usual. Notwith- 

 standing the unusual rigor of the winter, there 

 has been no decrease in the numbers of our usu- 

 al winter birds, except pei'haps in one or two 

 cases; but on the other hand, several species 

 which one would expect the cold weather to 

 banish altogether have been more plentiful than 

 usual. 



The winter commenced here in earnest the 

 first week in December and by the 7th there was 

 six or eight inches of snow on the ground, the 

 day, however, being fine and pleasant (barring 

 the snow) we sallied forth to see what we could 

 get in the way of birds. I didn't get anything, 

 howexer, and was returning home tired and 

 somewhat disheartened, when in a field close by 

 I heard some Tit Larks (as I thought) and 

 wanting a few specimens, I started in pursuit. 

 After following them for a few minutes the}' 

 settled on a ditch bank and I turned loose into 

 them. On arriving at the scene of slaughter, 

 I picked up and coned one Grass Finch and four 

 Shore Larks, the latter being a species I had 

 never seen alive before. Eejoicing at my luck, 

 I once more got on their track and succeeded in 

 getting two more, after which I left them to 

 their own reflections and came home again. 



On reaching home I found my brother had al- 

 so done well, his bag containing among others, 

 a Cooper's Hawk, the first of the species we had 

 ever taken here. In the afternoon a friend com- 

 pleted the list of captures for the day bj'^ bring- 

 ing us a Bittern he had shot in the morning, 

 making three species we had not taken before, 

 though we have seen a Bittern on two occasions 

 in the spring. 



From that time till the end of January, the 

 Shore Larks were quite common, but since Jan- 

 uarj^ 31st have been quite scarce. While here, 

 they fed chiefly on the bare ground, in fields 



