156 



THE OOLOGIST. 



north of the 43d parallel. In Michigan 

 this Woodpecker is not rarely found as 

 far south as the 43d parallel and I know 

 it to be a regular resident at 43 degrees, 

 30 minutes north latitude. I do not 

 think this Woodpecker wanders much 

 and it can generally be relied upon as a 

 resident where found. I have seen this 

 species in Kent and Montcalm counties, 

 Michigan, which are approximately lat- 

 itudinal with Orleans county, where 

 Mr. Posson's specimens were taken. 

 The Arctic, which is abundant in Mich- 

 igan north of the 44th parallel is much 

 more generally distributed than its near 

 relative, the American Three-toed, 

 which is exceedingly rare in this state; 

 and I have never met with the latter. 

 H.Nehrling is credited, Cook's "Birds of 

 Michigan", with saying that the Ameri- 

 can Three-toed is not rare in the Upper 

 Peninsula. 



The Arctic is a very retiring species 

 and must be hunted for in the deep 

 woods, and is more frequently found in 

 the pineries. There is no doubt that 

 the nest could be found if the observers 

 of Michigan would make a search in the 

 proper locality in the state. 



Morris Gibbs, 

 Kalamazoo. 



The Belted Piping Plover. 



{^gialitis meloda circumcincta.] 



This interesting little Plover arrives 

 here to breed about the first of May, 

 but does not commence housekeeping 

 until the middle part of the same 

 month. 



I have found a set of two eggs the 

 13th of May which I presume is about 

 as early as they commence laying in 

 this locality. 



Their favorite nesting site seems to 

 be the barren sandbars in the rivers, al- 

 though I have found a nest of this spec- 

 ies on a sandbar which had quite a 

 growth of young willows. 



They scratch several shallow holes in 

 the sand and seem to take possession 

 of the dryest one. 



In a dry season they very seldom line 

 their nest but in a wet season they will 

 occasionally line it with pebbles and 

 bits of dried twigs. 



I have found them to lay two and 

 three sets in a season, but seldom three 

 except when their nests have been rob- 

 bed. I have never found the birds set- 

 ting on their nests, but which I pre- 

 sume they do during the night. 



Geo. p. Anderson, 

 Dannebrug, Neb. 



Queer Nesting. 



On June 4th, last I found a nest of 

 Mountain Quail containing 11 eggs of 

 this bird and 9 eggs of the Ring Phea- 

 sant. This is the first time that such an 

 occurrence has came under my observa- 

 tion. The Quail was settting on all 

 the eggs and incubation was about one- 

 fourth advanced. The Ring Pheasant 

 was not about and has not been seen 

 since setting has begun. How the lit- 

 tle quail kept possession of her nest is a 

 mystery as the Pheasants are fighters, 

 aud generally drive off the other birds. 

 A. G. Prill, 

 Scio, Oregon. 



Notes. 



If you will observe the Blackbirds 

 when they are giving their call notes 

 you will find that they first ruffle up 

 the feathers or slightly elevate the wings 

 preparatory to issuing the notes. This 

 motion of the wings tends to lighten 

 the weight and the bird rises slightly if 

 upon a slender branch; then a call is 

 given and the bird settles back, drop- 

 ping to its first position. It is very in- 

 teresting to observe the flight when the 

 notes of a bird are given on the wing. 

 Notice the flight of the Woodpeckers 

 and the Goldfinch as they utter their 

 notes when on the wing. You will find 

 that the habit rarely varies in any one 

 species of bird. G. 



