150 



THE OOLOGIST 



culture for 1910. A very readable ex- 

 cerpt of twelve pages In which the mi- 

 gration of birds is discussed by the 

 recognized authority on this subject, 

 Wells W. Cooke. 



Tasmanian Field Naturalist. Among 

 the more interesting of the many ex- 

 changes that come to The Oologist is 

 this publication. The last number of 

 which is entitled "Easter Camp-out, 

 1911," containing a list of the sixty 

 members of the Field Naturalist Club, 

 nine full page, three half page and 

 one double page half tones, giving 

 bits of Tasmanian scenery and a very 

 good group picture of the entire club 

 on this Easter excursion. 



This club annually holds what is 

 called an "Easter Camp-out." Being 

 in the Southern hemisphere, of course 

 the seasons are reversed. They go to 

 different places different years, and 

 the different sections of the club then 

 devote themselves to the study of 

 their specialty. One page is devoted 

 to the birds observed on this last out- 

 ing by Robert Hall, C. M. Z. S., and is 

 interesting for the names of North 

 American birds it contains as well as 

 for the names of those which are un- 

 known to us on this continent. 



Among those noted are the follow- 

 ing: ^ 



The Golden Plover and Richardson 

 Skua, among the former, and 



Silver Gull, 



Mutton Bird — A Petrel 



Pitpit (Anthus aristralis) 



Scrub Tit (Sericorinis humilis) 



The Crescent Honey-eater. 



Sworded "Wood Swallow — which Mr. 

 Hall says is badly mis-named, and 

 which is known because of a peculiar- 

 ity in its plumage. "It has what are 

 known to naturalists as 'powder 

 downs' i. e., groups of disintegrating 

 feathers, hidden beneath the contour 

 feathers," 



Yellow Vented Parrot 

 Grey Thrush 



Butcher bird fC. cinereres) 

 Dusky Fantail (R dimenensis) 

 Dusky Robin (Petroeca vittata) 

 White-breasted Cormorant 

 Scarlet Breasted Robin 

 Sea Eagle fH. leucogaster) 



The English Starling. 



There are a good many English 

 starlings around Tarrytown, N. Y., 

 and I have been spending part of my 

 time watching them. Some years ago 

 the f rst startlings, less than one hun- 

 dred in number were imported from 

 England to New York City and set 

 free there. That is how there are 

 some in Tarrytown. 



The starling is a very noisy bird. 

 Black and about the size of a robin. 

 The tips of the breast feathers are a 

 pale buff and its bill is a yellowish. 



The starling is a very awkward bird 

 when it walks (for it is a walking 

 bird") but it flies very well. It feeds 

 on insects and such things as it can 

 find on the ground. It has rather a 

 musical whistle something like a per- 

 son's. It likes to roost on places such 

 as tall trees and church spires. It 

 builds its nests under eaves and be- 

 hind blinds and such places. 



Max Irwin Carruth. 



Connecticut News Items. 



Black squirrel reported from Long 

 Ridge, Conn., July 22, 1911. 



Hungarian nartridges reported seen 

 at Long Ridge with young broods, 

 during the early part of Julv. The 

 writer tramped over a large part of 

 tlieir territory during June, but no 

 nests were found. 



Snowy heron reported by Dr. Robert 

 T. Morris. The birds were seen by 

 him in the neighborhood of a large 

 dam which he is building on his es- 



