THE OOLOQIST 



293 



eggs. Perhaps they were all infertile. 

 This is unlikely as the birds raised 

 a first brood to my definite knowledge 

 earlier in the year. The eggs are all 

 very small, measuring .60 x .45. They 

 are pinkish white, well covered with 

 tiny specks of pinkish brown. 



September 14th, while tramping 

 cross country, found a nest of the 

 Least Flycatcher, (Empidonax mini- 

 mus) placed in the crotch of a maple 

 sapling close to a road and about ten 

 feet from the ground. The nest con- 

 tained three, half grown young. 

 There were probably fresh eggs in 

 this nest about the last of August 

 which would be the latest date in my 

 records of this bird's breeding. 



What time do the birds begin to sing 



in the morning? The following notes 



upon this subject were recorded on 



the mornings of June 14, 15, 16 and 



17th, 1907, and although the birds 



would sometimes vary a minute or so 



from the times given below, the order 



of the singers was found to be the 



same on each successive morning, 



starting with the Robin and ending 



with the Yellow warbler. 



BIRD 14th. 15th. 16th. 17th 



American Robin 3:26 3:26 3:26 3:27 



Black-billed cuckoo.. 3:27 3:27 3:28 3:28 

 Chipping Sparrow. ...3:30 3:30 3:30 3:30 



Wood Thrush 3:45 3:46 3:47 3:48 



Cat Bird 3:51 3:51 3:51 3:51 



Chimney Swifts Left chimney each 



morning at 3.52 



House Wren 4:06 4:07 4:07 4:08 



Yellow Warbler 4:30 4:30 4:30 4:30 



After 4:30 a. m. it was impossible to 

 distinguish between the various voices 

 in the great chorus of birds. Obser- 

 vations of this nature must be taken 

 near the middle of June when there 

 is little or no change in the time of 

 the dawn on each day that the notes 

 are taken. Paul G. Howes. 



Fall Migration Notes 



At Bloomfield, N. J. 



August 23, 1911. A Migrant Shrike 



appeared here today for the first time 



on record. The bird was an adult male 



in full plumage and was perched upon 

 a telephone wire over an open field 

 near southern end of town. The bird 

 displayed but little fear of man as 1 

 approached within twenty feet of him 

 before he arose into the air and flew 

 off about three yards onto the same 

 wire. 



August 27, 1911. An adult male 

 Blackburnian Warbler appeared here 

 in a thicket at the southern end of 

 Bloomfield in company with several 

 Redstarts and a Black and White 

 Warbler. This is an unusual bird lo- 

 cally. 



August 30, 1911. A male Migrant 

 Shrike was found today in Branch 

 Brook Park in the southern section 

 along west shore of lake. Cliff Swal- 

 lows were very common here today 

 over this lake. 



September 2, 1911. An Osprey ap- 

 peared locally for the first time. Bird 

 was an adult and was perched upon 

 a low stump near stream flowing from 

 Davey's Pond, a small pond in north- 

 ern end of town. 



September 10, 1911. A male Caro- 

 lina Wren, a rather uncommon bird 

 here, appeared today in thicket near 

 East Orange line. First of this spe- 

 cies seen locally since August 7, 1910. 



September 11, 1911. A female 

 Blackburnian Warbler found in this 

 same thicket today. 



September 24, 1911. Two male Pied- 

 bill Grebes found at Pompton Lakes, 

 in Passaic Co. Both birds were adults 

 in lull plumage. 



October 8, 1911. Pine Warblers, 

 Pipits and Wood Thrushes very com- 

 mon at Pompton Lakes today. Another 

 male Pied-bill Grebe found on Pomp- 

 ton Lake. 



October 25, 1911. Another male 

 Carolina Wren appeared in same place 

 as one found on September 10th. This 

 bird sang continually from noon until 

 nightfall when it disappeared. 



