244 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. 
\ 
uncommon summer resident, apparently more common.in the 
western portions of the county than in the eastern and central. 
It arrives about May 10, and probably begins to nest in late 
June. Departure takes place in middle September. Mr. 
Brown supplies me with two unusual records: April 7, 1921, 
seen at Charles City by a Mrs. Page; November 3, 1918, 
Charles City, by Howard Clarke Brown. 
162. Spiza americana (Gmel.) Dickcissel. An abundant 
summer resident, arriving as early as March 17, but ordi- 
narily not before March 25. These dates, it will be noted, 
are at least a month earlier than those given by Anderson 
(Bds. of Ia., 330), but are substantiated by a considerable 
number of observers. Nests are usually in low, bushy trees, 
and eggs are laid in late June. The species departs in the 
latter part of September. 
163. Piranga erythromelas (Vieillot.) Scarlet Tanager. 
The Scarlet Tanager is a rather unevely distributed and un- 
common summer resident. It arrives in the middle of Sep 
tember. Nests are built in open woods, most of the nesting 
birds having been seen near the Cedar River, between Floyd 
and Charles City. 
164. Progne subis subis (Linn.) Purple Martin. This 
species is a common summer resident in Floyd County. It 
arrives from the last of March to the 10th of April. In 1918 
the Martins arrived late, my first record being for April 29. 
Departure begins about September 12, and continues irregu- 
larly for ten or fifteen days. In 1914 the Purple Martins 
were very abundant in Charles City in early to middle May. 
They built nests in eaves, above awnings on store fronts, and 
at many other unlikely places. In a walk of three blocks 
along Main Street, May 13, I counted 18 nests torn from 
above awning rolls. Since that year the species has never 
been so abundant about Charles City, but on Sepetember 8, 
1920, I observed a flock of at least 1500 individuals at 
Rockford. | 
165. Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say.) Cliff Swal- 
low. The Cliff Swallow is common as a migrant and tolerably 
common as a summer resident in Floyd and Cerro Gordo 
counties; probably also in Mitchell. It arrives May 14 to 20, 
