218 



rilED OOLOGIST 



sloughs on the State line between Illi- 

 nois and Wisconsin. He describes Wil- 

 son's Phalarope as out-numbering all 

 other shore birds, the Spotted Sand- 

 piper not excluded. This delicate lit- 

 tle variety still inhabits our local 

 marshes but in very limited numbers. 

 An unusual wet spring will possibly 

 detain, a small colony of half a dozen 

 pair and they are soon divided into 

 two groups. The more conspicuous 

 flock consists wholly of the brightly 

 streaked female and they divide their 

 time between the shallow lake sides 

 and the muddy flats. The males are 

 strictly at home and were one to judge 

 them from- their behavior and plum- 

 age he would by all means consider 

 them not only figuratively but literal- 

 ly the mother birds. 



A few years ago I found four nests 

 in one little area and the little birds 

 would vacate the eggs before I was in 

 sight of the nests. Their manner of 

 flight at the time was suggestive of 

 the Black Tern but their note of warn- 

 ing was a feeble attempt at offering" 

 any protest. The birds are long wing- 

 ed and fly with remarkable ease, stop- 

 ping momentarily to hover over the 

 nest whenever they pass near it. 



It is to be regretted that these dain- 

 ty little creatures have diminished so 

 in numbers. They are almost dove- 

 like in their actions and one can hard- 

 ly think of them as being a game bird 

 so unsuspicious are they when either 

 breeding or migrating. 



In early September some years ago I 

 took a male Northern Phalarope in 

 our Calumet. region which appears to 

 be the only record of northern Illi- 

 nois. 



Bobolinks are abundant in our 

 prairie sloughs and adjoining hill 

 sides. They are far more numerous 

 than any other ground nesting bird, 

 but their distribution is, of course, 

 eratic and in many localities through 



Illinois they are practically unknown 

 as summer residents. 



Two springs ago I found a Bobo- 

 link's nest which was three inches 

 abcve the ground in the crotch of a 

 weed stalk. This seemed extremely 

 peculiar and after removing the eggs 

 and carefully examining the plant I 

 came to the conclusion that the nest 

 when constructed was placed upon the 

 ground but the rapid growth of this 

 particular stalk had carried the nest 

 in to a most unusual situation. Most 

 Bobolink nests are securely hidden 

 and they are hard to find considering 

 the abundance of the bird. 



With us we have the Horned Lark 

 twelve months in the year. (I refer to 

 the sub-species, Prairie Horned Lark.) 

 The first nest is sometimes completed 

 as early as February 25th and golf 

 players on our public courses in the 

 city limits have on several occasions 

 come upon nests early in March con- 

 taining eggs which were in the course 

 of incubation. One nest in particular 

 was built adjacent to a new drift and 

 approximately fifty people passed with- 

 in five feet of the abode every day. 

 Gerard Alan Abbott. 

 Chicago, Ills. 



Died. 



Sidney Dickinson, an enthusiastic 

 bird student and supporter of THE 

 OOLOGIST, died at his home in 

 Thompson, Iowa, September 1st, leav- 

 ing a large circle of friends and ac- 

 quaintances to mourn his untimely 

 decease. 



We are * just advised of the death of 

 Dr. M. A. Steele of Portsmouth, Rhode 

 Island, a subscriber to THE OOLO- 

 GIST and an earnest bird student. 



Very Unusual. 

 Guy W. Lay of Sidney, Illinois, re- 

 ports finding a Brown Thrasher's nest 

 with four eggs in the cavity of a wil- 



