THE OOLOGIST. 



59 



fence post, then they shot it with a rifle 

 (the shotgun being at camp.) The same 

 day I saw another flying through the 

 air about fifty feet high. While we were 

 there we saw several more. I knew the 

 bird at sight for I have found them 

 breeding in Northwestern Missouri. I 

 have a set in my collection which I col- 

 lected in Atchinson Co. Mo., June 37, 

 1898. In Warren's "Birds of Pennsyl- 

 vania;" he says: "The Least Bittern I 

 have found in this State only as a rather 

 rare visitor during the spring and fall 

 migrations. This species ia sometimes, 

 though rarely, observed in Pennsylvan- 

 ia during the breeding season." It is 

 said to breed occassionally in Crawford 

 and Erie counties. It is my opinion 

 that they breed here. I intend to visit 

 this locality the coming season and will 

 try and find out if it breeds here. 

 E. R. Forrest, 

 Washington, Pa. 



An Early Sora. 



We have had in Buffalo and vicinity 

 a very heavy snow fall, during last week 

 and Mar3h 5th, a very heavy wind blew 

 from southerly direction. A young man 

 living in one of our residence streets, 

 going into the yard, saw a queer look- 

 ing bird struggling in the snow bank. 

 He experienced no trouble in catching 

 it and bringing it into the house. The 

 next day he brought it to me for identi- 

 fication. To my surprise it proved to 

 be a Sora or Carolina Rail, which usual- 

 ly make their appearance from the south 

 in this vicinity in the middle of April. 

 As these swamp birds travel very slow 

 during their migration and never fly 

 very high, the birds must have been 

 thrown out of their course by the pre- 

 vailing gale. It died the same evening 

 and by disecting it I found it to be a 

 mere akeleton, with no food of any kind 

 in the body. 



Ed. Reinecke, 



Buffalo, N. Y. 



Our Audubon Class. 



Our "Bird Class" called the "Alpha," 

 began its existence in the spring of 1899 

 and with a membership of about a 

 score. At the present date we have 

 twice that number while the member- 

 ship is still growing. It is composed of 

 about an equal number of boys and girls 

 and it must be said that the girls are 

 the most enthusiastic workers both in 

 the field and at the meetings. The boys 

 are equally anxious to get in the woods 

 on a trip but they seem to lack in a 

 large part the love for actual study, 

 and prefer ball and boating to actual 

 observation. Perhaps you may wish to 

 hear of our society from my point of 

 view and of the work that we are doing 

 and expect to accomplish the coming 

 season. 



Our chief patrons are Mr. and Mrs. 

 C. G. Kleinstuck who livQ at about a 

 mile and a half from the city, and 

 whose residence we reach by the elec- 

 tric cars running by their commodious 

 house and grounds. This kind couple 

 takes special delight in advancing the 

 cause of the birds and gives time and 

 influence in the furtherance of this 

 worthy project which is to promote the 

 welfare of the bird world, as well as to 

 cause a love for the study among the 

 members of the town and country. 



One of the chief attractions in the 

 grounds at "Saxonia" is a large log 

 cabin, built in the Adirondac style, and 

 of huge size. There is au immense 

 fire-place at one end which is capable of 

 taking in great logs and adds one of 

 ihe many charms to the pleasing interi- 

 or. The walls are decorated with 

 ancient arms, and the discarded 

 blunderbuss and pepperbox as well as 

 the modern mauser and Cuban machete 

 are arranged with other curiosities up- 

 on the well matched logs or capacious 

 mantle. Many fur rugsare on the pol- 

 ished floor, giving an incongruous but 

 not unpleasant appearance to the cabin 



