Notes from Field and Study 



449 



although it had a variety to choose from, 

 and those seen south of the village were 

 often on the ground or on weed-tops, eat- 

 ing seeds. The Black-capped Chickadees 

 showed a decided preference for sunflower 

 seeds. 



On one or two occasions, a second Aca- 

 dian Chickadee was seen at Mrs. Goodell's 

 feeding-shelf, but it seemed to be shyer 

 and soon disappeared. It may be inter- 

 esting to note here that the following 

 visited this food-station: Hairy Wood- 

 pecker, 4 or 5; Downy Woodpecker, 6 or 7; 

 Blue Jay, 6; Crow, i; House Sparrow, 

 many; Redpoll, 4 or 5; Tree Sparrow, 6; 

 Junco, 6 to 8; Brown Creeper, 3; White- 

 breasted Nuthatch, 4 or 5; Chickadee, 

 about 20; Acadian Chickadee, 2. Starlings 

 and Golden-crowned Kinglets were about, 

 but were not seen to visit the food that 

 had been scattered. 



Meanwhile I learned from Professor 

 E. M. Freeman, of Vassar College, 

 Poughkeepsie, that there were two or 

 three Acadian Chickadees at her feeding- 

 shelf and in the evergreens on the college 

 campus quite regularly from January 22 

 to March 28, and these were again seen 

 on April 13 and 21. From November 

 20, 1912, till March 29, 1913, she often 

 saw three that were with a flock of Black- 

 caps. 



Mr. Allen Frost of Poughkeepsie like- 

 wise told me that on February 11, 1906, 

 he saw three Acadian Chickadees with a 

 flock of Black-caps and Red-breasted 

 Nuthatches at New Paltz, Ulster County. 



The above data give the Acadian Chick- 

 adee a more southern limit in New York 

 State than does the Christmas Census, 

 and also indicates that, although in the 

 season of 1913-14 their migration was 

 unusually widespread and pronounced, 

 they ftevertheless come down thus far 

 more often than published records show. — 

 Maunsell S. Crosby, Rhineheck, N. Y. 



Loss of the Vesper Sparrow, at 

 Orient, L. I. 



The failure of the Vesper Sparrows to 

 return to their usual haunts, at Orient, 



L. I., summer of 1914, caused keen regret. 

 The reason of their absence is somewhat 

 of a question. 



This Sparrow has always been a regular 

 and not uncommon summer resident. It 

 lingers late in autumn and early winter; 

 midwinter records are plentiful, and the 

 birds frequently brave the entire winter, 

 evidently being influenced in their stay by 

 the temperature. 



The preceding winter was warm and 

 open, and found these birds tarrying 

 late, as usual, or induced them to advance 

 only slightly southward. Then the sud- 

 den burst of winter, with clinging snow 

 and sleet, hurled itself into the bird- 

 world, taking the Sparrows unawares, 

 and I believe that it wiped out absolutely 

 the long-established Vesper Sparrows of 

 Orient. 



Though it is the popular opinion that 

 the summer residents observed at the 

 North in winter are individuals of the 

 species from farther north taking the 

 places of those that nested in the vicinity, 

 my study of the Vesper Sparrow leads me 

 to believe that these Sparrows observed 

 in winter are the identical ones that bred 

 here. 



This is my reason for thinking that the 

 exceptional winter of last year is the 

 principal factor in the absolute disappear- 

 ance of the Vesper Sparrows from Orient 

 this summer. 



There has previously been no variation 

 in their numbers for a score of years. 



The various pairs were scattered, 

 returning each season to breed in their 

 long-chosen localities. So attached do 

 they become to certain fields or tracts 

 that, covering a period of fourteen years, 

 they have clung to them adapting them- 

 selves to the various changes from pas- 

 tures to potato-fields, strawberry-beds, 

 etc. — Roy Latham, Orient, L. I. 



Notes from Hartford, Conn. 



It would be quite interesting to know 

 if other bird students in this state have 

 noticed an unusually large number of 

 Red-headed Woodpeckers this fall. Only 



