136 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 12-:N'o. 8 



common, .and I can say from observation that 

 tlieir food seems to be, principally, English 

 sparrows. I have a specimen of the shrike 

 mounted in the position in which he was when 

 shot. I had followed him for some distance 

 from our farm barn, where I had seen him kill 

 a sparrow, and he had difficult work in flyino- 

 away with the si)arrow. 1 came up with him 

 after a short time and found him sitting on a 

 branch a short distance from a forked lind) in 

 which was the sparrow, hung by the neck. I 

 have always, until this time, seen the shrikes 

 hang their prey in a fork and fly away, but this 

 one did not ofter to do so. It w^as very cold 

 weather and I thought i)robably hunger had 

 something to do witli it. I have seen as many 

 as flfteen or twenty sparrows killed in our 

 farm barn yard, in course of a winter. 



1 think the shrikes should be pi'otected on 

 this account, if on no other. As spring ap- 

 proaches, the shrikes take to killing the field 

 mice, and again are useful. Taking all together 

 they deserve a much dilfcrent treatment than 

 they get. 



I would like to hear the experience of brother 

 oi)servers on this subjecit. 



A Hummingbird's Shower-bath. 



BY II. R. TAYLOR, ALAIMEDA, CAL 



On July "ilst I saw a female Anna Ilunnning- 

 bird taking a shower bath on my neighbor's 

 lawn. It settled on the gi-ass, where the water 

 from the sprinkler si)lashed over it like heavily 

 falling rain, but the little thing spread its tiny 

 wings and seemed to enjoy it immensely, until, 

 not fancying such close observation, it uttered 

 an odd little angry sputtering noise and flew 

 away to the low fence, alighting on a picket, 

 another peculiar action, for a hunnner, I 

 thought. 



A Monument to Audobon. 



A proposition has been made, and is in a fair 

 way to take shape the coming fall, to ei-ect a 

 monument to the great American naturalist, 

 .John James Audobon, in Trinity Church Ceme- 

 tery, New York. We are slow to erect monu- 

 ments to tliose who have benefitted the human 

 race by a life devoted to science. But to the 

 general who destroys human life in the most 

 reckless manner, we are pi'ompt to build a 

 monument in material that will endure for- 

 ever. 



Jos. M. Wade. 



Correction. 



The syllables used in July O. and O. to in- 

 dicate the note of the Clay-colored Sparrow 

 should have read. Pect^ Pact, not "feet, feet,"" 

 as printed. 



Furtlier investigation shows the species to 

 build more frequentlj' in bushes than I had 

 supposed. 



J. W. Preston. 



Recent Pubhcations. 



Ornitiiolooical Observations in Sax 

 DiEOO County. Extract from Bulletin of Cal- 

 ifornia Academy of Sciences. This is a list of 

 species observed by Mr. W. O. Emerson of 

 Hayward's, Cal., during the first three months 

 of 1884, which time he spent in the Volcano 

 Mountains and in the Poway valley. The au- 

 thor gives a list of forty-six species seen or 

 taken in the mountains, and sixty-three in the 

 valley. The brief remarks appended to each 

 species are in the author's usual stjie, which 

 shows a keen observation. 



Reports of ttte Microsoopicae Society 

 OF West Chester, Penn. Di-. B. II. War- 

 ren, the State Orinthologist of the Board of 

 Agriculture, to whom we are indebted for a 

 copy of the above, has done good work in his 

 accurate and exhaustive data, given in regard 

 to the food of our rapacious birds, in the report 

 of the Microscopical Society. Numerous tes- 

 timonies are given from prominent ornitholo- 

 gists, all verifying Dr. Warren's statements 

 and endorsing the idea of giving protection to 

 hawks and owls. 



Bulletin op the American Museum of 

 Natural History, Vol. II., No. 1, contains 

 two articles by Mr. J. A. Allen, on The West 

 Indian Level, and Notes on iSqnaladont Remains 

 from Charleston^ 8. C, illustrated by six pI..L,es. 



Forest and Stream, July 7-21. 



Ottawa Naturalist, July. 



Scientific American, June 18 — July IT). 



The Auk, July. 



West American Scientist. 



\Vestern Naturalist. 



The new edition of Coues' Key, which has 

 been advertised by its publishers, Messrs. Estes 

 & Lauriat, as ready, is still unobtainable. 

 When it is really ready, due notice will be 

 given in these columns. 



