30 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 6-No. 4. 



Cross-Bred Duck. — I received from Se- 

 neca River, a very striking cross between a 

 Black Duck and a Mallard. The bird in 

 question was a male, about equally marked 

 between the two. The neck had the green 

 gloss of the Mallard, there was the Mallard's 

 bill, the Mallard's under tail covert, the 

 Mallard's wings and the chocolate color 

 on the breast. The feathers about the 

 head were that of the Black Duck. The 

 chocolate of the breast was thickly spotted 

 with round black spots which extended 

 down the belly and sides to the vent. 

 There was an entire lack of the white ring 

 around the neck and the curling feathers 

 on the rump. The toes partly red, partly 

 black. Such is the appearance of a rather 

 odd looking duck that now graces my col- 

 lection. Frank S. Wright, Auburn, N. Y. 



Canada Jay. — G. A. McCallum, of Dimn- 

 ville Ontario, writes that the Canada Jay 

 is not a resident of that place. Mr. Cham- 

 berlain, of St. John, N. B., is by good an- 

 thority, informed that this Jay breeds with 

 them in June as well as in Janxiary. We 

 shall be glad to hear from any of our read- 

 ers, that live in sections inhabited by this 

 bird, and who have studied its habits. 



DouBLE-YoLKED Egg. — HalHe Gray, Al- 

 bion, N. Y., reports that on May 17, 1881, 

 a Robin's nest was found containing a 

 double-yolked egg and three of the' ordi- 

 nary size. He also reports finding a Chip- 

 ping Sparrow's nest on the groiuid, in the 

 middle of a clump of catnip, which con- 

 tained three eggs. 



Notes from Norwich, Conn. 



Robins and Blue birds in considerable 

 numbers remained here all the winter of 

 1879 and 1880, which was a very mild sea- 

 son. I observed them nearly every day- 

 and others who are curious in such mat- 

 ters make a like report. The presence of 

 these birds in such large numbers during 

 the entire winter is unusual, but I account- 

 ed for it from the fact that there wa;^ 

 hardly a cold day from October to April. 

 But how shall we explain, what is undoubt- 



edly true, that these birds (especially the 

 Blue birds,) have dwelt with us through 

 this present very severe winter, (1880 and 

 1881,) in greater numbers than in the pre- 

 vious mild one. Mr. Brand of Norwich 

 told me that some half a dozen Blue birds 

 came into his yard at night, for some time 

 this winter and entered some bird boxes, 

 and apparently remained in them over 

 night as he saw them come out early in 

 the morning. This would look as if they 

 were staying here and not on their way 

 from North to South. 



I see by my Journal, January 9th, 1880, 

 that a hunter brought a male Wood Duck 

 into market on that <lay. I purchased it 

 and it proved to be a very line specimen. 

 The man said he shot it a mile or two 

 down the river. Another hunter told me 

 that he flushed one a number of times in a 

 secluded bend of the river near Yantic Cem 

 etery. 



Three or four ''Flickers" ( Colaptes au- 

 ratus), haunted the hemlock grove on the 

 top of a hill East of my house, through 

 the winter. 



Among our more common winter birds I 

 observed that the Purple Finches and Les- 

 ser Red-polls abounded in Norwich last win- 

 ter, but this winter, 1880 and 1881, I have 

 scarcely seen a half dozen of either kind, 

 at the same time we consider the Purple 

 Finch a constant resident. Cedar birds in 

 immense flocks stayed with us through 

 the winter. This is a resident but not gen- 

 erally in so large numbers. 



I have never seen the snow bunting, 

 { Plectrophanes 7iivalis,) in Norwich, Mr. 

 Rawson tells me he saw a flock of them 

 in the adjoining town of Preston some 

 years since. I have seen specimens which 

 were procured in Hebron, Conn. 



February 20th, 1880, the Song Spar- 

 rows commenced to sing. They had been 

 common through the winter, but they ut- 

 tered no song until that day. In a day or 

 two after yoi; might have heard the notes of 

 this tuneful little sparrow from every bush 

 and wall. 



