ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 9-No. 6 



most of the nests were found two eggs, 

 while in one or two cases only one egg was 

 found. This single egg was partially incu- 

 bated however, showing that no more were 

 to be laid. The nests are more frequently 

 built in the hollows of trees, and the Elm, 

 Oak, Beech and Maple are those usually 

 selected. However, nests are frequently 

 found in large forks of trees, and as these 

 same nests are known frequently to have 

 been occupied by Eed-tailed or Eed-shoul 

 dered Hawks previous years, it is fair to 

 suppose that when Owls do not build in 

 hollow trees, they select old Hawk's nests. 

 One nest containing eggs was found as late 

 as April but generally by the 15th of that 

 month the young may be observed flying 

 about. One season Mr. Syke make his col- 

 lection walking over three feet of snow on 

 snow-shoes, carrying his climbers in his 

 hand until a favorable tree was reached. 

 In a day's tramp over miles of snow bound 

 country, with a chilly wind blowing, the en- 

 thusiasm of a collector is thoroughly tested. 



One nest that I visited was in the hollow 

 of a dead maple. In attempting to scale 

 the shaky hulk Mr. Syke lost his hold in the 

 rotten wood and fell some distance, but 

 fortunately caught in a live Beech. 



Mr. Syke is a most intrepid climber and 

 the boast made by many that he can climb 

 any tree in the country is undoubtedly not 

 at all vain. I have repeatedly seen him 

 climb trees nine feet in circumference, and 

 he makes a small matter of walking up the 

 smooth barked sycamores to the Great- 

 blue Heron's nests. — Morris Glbbs, Kala- 

 mazoo, Mich. 



Migration and Breeding Notes. 



Will the difference in food in part ac- 

 count for the arrival of the House Phoebe 

 a full month before any other Flycatcher ? 

 And, relatively, does the food supply also 

 explain why the Bobin and Phoebe are 

 silent, save short notes of alarm, when 

 they first arrive, while the Oriole and the 

 Vireos are as jocund and jolly on the day 



of their arrival as after they have been 

 here a month ? The Phoebe came this 

 year in March, close on the heels of the 

 Three Blackbirds, and except the Swift and 

 Swallows there wasn't an arrival of note 

 till May. But, (Mayday) Chebecs, Chew- 

 inks, Catbirds, Thrashers, Wrens and Yel- 

 low Warblers came, and were all abundant 

 on the 4th. On the 4th, Kingbirds, Balti- 

 more and Orchard Orioles appeared spar- 

 ingly, and were commonly seen as usual 

 on the 6th and 7th. Not over a dozen 

 pairs of Orchard Orioles nest in this 

 neighborhood, and the bird is little known 

 here, popularly speaking. Male Tanagers 

 and Hummers were on hand May 8th, and 

 the very first Bobolink. This dusty miller 

 gets to Northampton, Mass., May 15th. 

 May 9th, Warbling Vireos and Wood 

 Thrushes began their music, and scores of 

 Blue Yellow-backs were singing in their 

 breeding haunts, where I have taken their 

 eggs some seasons May 20th. Look for 

 Orioles when cherry blossoms are open- 

 ing, for Hummers when your Missouri 

 currant begins to flower, and for Tanagers 

 when an emerald film can be seen against 

 the sky in the chestnut woods. Sunday, 

 May 11th, Bob White and the Whip-poor- 

 will began to indulge in their vocal per- 

 sonalities, From Plain Hill, Norwich, 

 seventeen miles inland, April 17th, were 

 seen twenty-one strings of Geese, jour- 

 neying due north. 



At this same early date, I found four 

 Crows' nests with full complements of 

 eggs. May 13th, I pounded on the trunks 

 of fourteen trees and fourteen Crows flew 

 from their clutches. Often sitting Crows 

 are betrayed by their tails, but many 

 times the birds are wholly hidden in the 

 hollow of the nests. May 15th, found 

 numbers of Jays with full and incomplete 

 clutches, all of which argues plenty of 

 Corvine society this season. 



That a sitting game bird throws out lit 

 tie or no effluvium is generally believed, 

 but last spring my dog stood on a Wood- 



