THE OOLOGIST. 



139 



around" yet, if it hadn't been for my 

 reading in the June 'number on Page 

 122, something about a nest of the Che- 

 wink being found about two miles 

 south-west of Albion by K. B. Mathes. 



Now I believe it is the custom always, 

 that whenevea anyone reports thh "first 

 recorded set" of any species, that some- 

 one else just "happens around" and 

 claims a previotcs record. I think that 

 that has come to be the universal cus- 

 tom. Now, I am not going to do that, 

 but I would just like to call the atten- 

 tion of all interested to a short note on 

 page 163 of the August, 1890 Oologist 

 which relates the taking of a nest of the 

 Che wink near Medina. 



The note referred to was in the edi- 

 torial column of that number; and I 

 quote it here, — "Just as we are going 

 to press, a 'small boy' comes into the 

 office of 'ye Associate Editor' and dis- 

 plaj r s an egg which he found and gives 

 a description of the bird and nest, and 

 we are convinced, that it is the Che- 

 wink. This is valuable in that this is 

 rather a northerly breeding-place for 

 this bird and this is the first instance of 

 its breeding here, etc., etc." 



Now I don't know as that set found 

 in '90 was properly "recorded ',," it being 

 found by no-one more significant than 

 a "small boy" and neither parent birds 

 taken. However, I would like to add 

 in regard to that set of eggs, that it was 

 a set of four; that the egg brought me 

 by the boy, was an egg of the Chewink; 

 and that his careful and accurate des- 

 cription of nest and parent-bird were 

 as good and perfect identity as the 

 most cautious could desire, even if the 

 egg had not spoken unmistakeablly for 

 itself. And so I hardly think that the 

 nest found near Albion by Mr. Mathes, 

 can be called the "first recorded nest" 

 found in our County, since the August, 

 1890 Oologist, spoke of the above 

 found nest near Medina. No, I think 

 it is true in this (as in most other things) 

 that Medina has the start of Albion. 



Please do not understand me as 

 claiming the honor of this achievement. 

 I did not find the nest, nor is it any- 

 thing to me, further than that I think 

 that out of justice to science, May 24, 

 1891 ought not to be considered as the 

 earliest record of Pipilo's breeding in 

 our county. 



I regret that I am unable to give the 

 date of the taking of the Medina* nest, 

 but it was quite late in the season of '90. 

 And now, as to just what the status 

 of Pipilo erythrophthalmus in our county 

 is, I think that it just reaches the limit 

 of its northern migration here, and 

 that Orleans County is situated just in 

 the northern suburbs of its habitat, we 

 being visited only by a few of the most 

 northerly migrating pairs. 



. Mr. J. L. Davison, of Loekport, in 

 his Annotated List of the Birds of Niag- 

 ara County (September, 1889) speaks 

 of this "bird in the following words, viz: 

 "A rare summer resident. On May 1 

 and 10, 1886, I saw and secured the first 

 I had seen of this species,- both females. 

 On June 14, 1887, I saw a male and fe- 

 male; did not succeed in finding a nest, 

 but concluded that they breed here." 

 (Niagara County I might add, adjoins 

 Orleans County directly on the west, 

 and as regards latitude and other con- 

 ditions relative to the migration of the 

 Chewink, it is just the same in all par- 

 ticulars. 



In the List of the : Birds of Buffalo 

 and Vicinity by W. H. Bergtold, M. D., 

 we find in regard to the Chewink: "Tol- 

 erable common. Breeds." But when 

 we consider that this list of the Birds of 

 Buffalo and Vicinity includes notes 

 from a very large vicinity, and that 

 even such southern counties as Cattar- 

 augus and Chatauqua are included in 

 ! the word "vicinity," Ave are not sur- 

 1 prised to find Pipilo rated as a trifle 

 more common in that list. 

 i I am of the opinion that we would 

 not have to go far south of our county 



