THE OOLOGIST 



251 



eat the kernel and drop the shell on 

 the snow, so that when yon find 

 shells of box elder seeds yon may 

 be sure there have been Grosbeaks 

 around. They nest far north and 

 not over two or three nests have 

 ever been found." 



A news dispatch from Hancock, 

 .Mich., says that Canadian Grosbeaks 

 driven south by the intense cold, 

 have swarmed into the copper coun- 

 try for the second time in thirty 

 years. It was stated that the birds 

 resemble robins and were thought 

 by many to be robins until they 

 were identified by hunters. — Minne- 

 apolis Journal July 10, 1912. 



The Whistling Swan. 



We have just read an interesting ar- 

 ticle by our old friend, Ottomar 

 Reinecke, published in the Buffalo Ex- 

 press relative to this bird, and in 

 which is published certain information 

 which should be in the possession of 

 ornithologists generally. 



It is well known that one of the 

 main northern migration routes of this 

 bird wintering on the Atlantic coast, 

 is up the coast into Chesapeake Bay, 

 then overland to the great lakes, then 

 to Hudson Bay, and so on to the Arc- 

 tics where it breeds. 



A very large proportion of these 

 birds pass over the Niagara River, the 

 broad expanse of which just above 

 the Falls offers an alluring, though ex- 

 ceedingly dangerous resting place for 

 the tired and hungry birds after their 

 long flight from the Chesapeake Bay 

 over the Allegheny Mountains; and 

 which, to their damage, is much used 

 by them. 



Mr. Reinecke published a schedule 

 of the birds known to have been killed 

 or injured by going over these falls, 

 together with the dates thereof for a 

 number of years past. This is inter- 

 esting- and valuable and is as follows: 



"Our notes are but recent. About 

 March 16, 1906, sixteen of these swan 

 went over the Horseshoe Falls and 

 were so maimed that they were easily 

 captured. March 20, 1907 about thirty 

 specimens met the same fate. March 

 15, 1908, a great many went over the 

 Falls; about 120 were taken. I saw 

 42 of these birds lie in three rows. 

 Bought five fine specimens. The taxi- 

 dermist mounted them and they are 

 now in the Buffalo Society of Natural 

 Sciences, the finest group in existence. 



In November on their migration to 

 the South, four specimens were taken. 

 In December several went over the 

 Falls. 



March 28, 1909, ten swan went over 

 the Falls; nine were killed, and one 

 was taken alive. March 20, 1910, J. 

 Savage took a picture of 28 swan 

 above the Falls, have no record of 

 any being killed. 



March 23, 1911, from the best rec- 

 ords obtained at the Falls, about 22 

 swan went over the Falls and were 

 finally secured. Some of them were 

 shipped to Mr. Saunders of London, 

 Ontario, for scientific purposes. On 

 April 11th, a large flock was seen on 

 its migration to its Northern breed- 

 ing grounds." Editor. 



The Wild Goose in Spring Near Phila- 

 delphia, Pennsylvania. 



The Wild Goose is not infrequently 

 observed in the vicinity of Philadel- 

 phia, in late spring, occurring here 

 however, generally during or just after 

 severe storms, but these birds are in- 

 variably seen on the wing and mostly 

 flying in a northerly direction. It is 

 rarely, indeed, that any of these wary 

 birds are seen resting here, but two 

 such occurrences have taken place to 

 my knowledge. 



On April 16, 1903, at Sandiford, 

 Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 

 my brother George observed a flock 



