20 



THE OOLOGIST 





coast during migration, but there are 

 very few instances of its having been 

 found in western New York, and its 

 occurrence, with that of the Willet, 

 are very rare bird records for Monroe 

 county. The Knot breeds far in the 

 Arctic regions, both in America and 

 in the Old World. In America it mi- 

 grates south in winter to the extreme 

 southern part of South America. Its 

 scientific name "canutus" pertains to 

 Canute, King of Denmark, with whom 

 this bird was a favorite. 



A Blue Goose, one of the rarest of 

 the larger waterfowl to visit this lo- 

 cality, was recorded here April fifth. 

 There are but six records of its having 

 ever been observed before in this 

 State, four of which are from Long 

 Island and two from the eastern part 

 of the State, which leaves this as the 

 only record of the occurrence of this 

 species in western New York. 



Another interesting record, prob- 

 ably more so to bird lovers than to 

 sportsmen, is the occurrence in Mon- 

 roe county of the Short-billed Marsh 

 Wren. Four pairs of this species of 

 Wren have nested in one of the 

 marshes at the lake this summer. It 

 is hardly distinguishable, except at 

 close range, from the common Long- 

 billed Marsh Wren. Its nest, how- 

 ever, is considerably different, being 

 built of much finer material, averag- 

 ing smaller, and is placed along the 

 border of the marsh among the reeds 

 and marsh grass; whereas the Long- 

 bill's nest is usually placed deeper in 

 the marsh among the flags, and is 

 composed mostly of coarse dead flag 

 leaves. The nest of these species, 

 like that of the Long-biled variety, is 

 a globular affair, with a small entrance 

 in one side. It is attached to the 

 stout upright marsh grass stalks, the 

 leaves of which are closely woven 

 into the nest. For an inner lining 

 they use the soft down from the dead 

 cat-tails. One pair of birds, or rather 



the male will build several nests, 

 only one of which is used. While the 

 female is engaged with her household 

 affairs the male occupies his time in 

 nest building. These four families 

 had a total of seventeen nests, and 

 as late as August thirty-first one bird 

 was still busily engaged in building 

 another. 



Gallinules, or "Mud Hens," are 

 more plentiful this season than for a 

 number of years, and numerous broods 

 of young are to be found in nearly 

 all the marshes along the lake. There 

 was unusually high water in the lake 

 this year, and as a result the marshes 

 and flats have been flooded, making 

 ideal conditions for marsh or shore 

 birds. 



Black Duck have been quite com- 

 mon throughout the season, and no 

 doubt some have nested here. Some 

 good-sized flocks of ducks are now 

 coming in, and there will no doubt be 

 some good shooting when the season 

 opens. The early ducks are more 

 plentiful now than they have been for 

 some time past. 



The nesting season being over, the 

 Gulls have returned, the first fight of 

 account occurring on August tenth. 

 Marsh Hawks are returning, together 

 with an occasional Sharp-shinned 

 Hawk. A few young Bobolinks are 

 still to be seen, although the main 

 flight has passed. Several species 

 of Warblers are now migrating, also 

 a number of other species of our small 

 land birds. Swallows of nearly all 

 varieties have been very plentiful 

 during the migration this year. The 

 orioles have migrated, and with them 

 many of the songsters that have glad- 

 dened our woods and fields during the 

 bright June days. 



While some species of birds are now 

 migrating, and with some the main 

 flight has already passed, a great 

 many have not yet left the vicinity 

 of their summer homes. With the 

 passing of one species another arrives 

 to take its place, and so on until late 

 in the fall when the storms and chil- 

 ling winds bring down from the north 

 those hardy birds which spend the 

 winter with us. 



Bird life in general has been very 

 plentiful along the lake this season, 

 and the prospects for an early in- 

 crease in the ranks of our feathered 

 friends are very bright. 



