234 



THE OOLOGiST. 



Manj^ correspondents write lis that 

 the Shrike is frequently called the 

 "Mouse Hawk" in tlieir localit}'. 



In regards to the various Shrikes, w(! 

 would say that tlie common spec-ies of 

 the South Atlantic; States is the Logger- 

 liead; of tlie Central United States, the 

 White-rum ped and of the California 

 coast, the Cala. In many localities it 

 requires an expert to say positively to 

 which species a set of eggs ma}^ belong. 

 e. j , I have found nests oi' l)(>th the 

 White-rumped and Loggerhead in Or- 

 leans Co., N. Y.,,the former however 

 l)eing much the more common. 



Neil F. Poss-on, Medina, N. Y. writes: 

 On the afternoon of July 29th, while 

 in the vicinity of Sandusky, Cattai'au- 

 gus' coimt}', I saw a single Slate-colored 

 Junco. There Avas no mistake in the 

 identity. Isn't it scmiething rare to sec 

 Juncos in New York at tliis season of 

 the yearV 



From an interesting article from Mr. 

 (;. F. Minis, of Edgeiield, S. C., we 

 quote as follows, inregards to the m-st- 

 ing of English Sparrows: 



"One would think ;it lii'st siglit of an 

 oak tree in t(jwn, th;it the contents of a 

 l)arn had been emptied intu it, so num- 

 erous are the nests." 



In speaking of the Kingbii'd (possibly 

 (Iray Kingbird) he says: 



"The nest of this l.)ird is generally 

 placed in " no-gittum " id;ices, being on 

 long slender limits at an altitude that 

 no one cares to trust his neck; therefore 

 their eggs are very scarce in the Soutli. 

 I never got to but one of tliese nests in 

 my life. Yon could not cxac-tly call me 

 getting to that one, for I h;id to ])rocnre 

 an egg by means of a spoon attached to 

 a long stick." 



Marsh Hawk. 



Tills well-known and inteirsting 

 bird is a common resident of Michigan, 



and in the southern counties I lielievc 

 it remains tlu'oughout the j'car, as I 

 ha\'e seen them in swamps in at least 

 two of the winter mcniths. During the 

 spring and summer this birtl maj^ be 

 seen sailing across the fields from six to 

 lifteen feet above the ground in search 

 of its prey, which consists of mice, 

 small aminals and those small birds 

 which it so often finds nesting in its 

 path. For this reason I am undecided 

 whether its presence or alisence v/ould be 

 the greater IjcncHt To the farmer. 

 However, 1 wish that ornithologists and 

 oologists would more carefully note its 

 food Inibits. In the tirst half of April 

 in this section the male goes through 

 those motions so peculiar to this species 

 before Die nesting place is seh-'cted. It 

 will rise one hundred and hity or two 

 hundred feet in the air, and then seem 

 to fall and turn a somersault in so 

 diting, while at the same time it makes 

 a cackling noise ^vllich is hard to de 

 scribe. When it has drop]:)ed al)out 

 twelve or tiftcen feet, it again uses its 

 wings and rises to its tYn-nu'r Ica'cI, then 

 drops and keeps this up (sometimes I 

 have noticed) till out of sight, but more 

 frequently perhajis keeps up his zigzag 

 coni-se, slightly descending each fall 

 till it arri'ics to the ])lace where its 

 mate sits. 



During the latter half of April oi- 

 tirst half of May, it is liusiiy engaged in 

 making its nest. The nesting site 

 seems to be very different in different 

 localities. A friend of mine found a 

 nest in his wheat Held while engaged in 

 cutting his grain. By the lirst week in 

 May the eggs are generally laid in this 

 section, acc-oi'ding to my observation. 

 On tiie 24th of May, '81), 1 took a set of 

 eggs of this bird which was the second 

 it .had laid this season. The- nesting 

 place of the birds had ])een the- same for 

 a number of years. It, was over a 

 tract of land containing perhajis two 

 aci-es on one side of a tauuirack marsh. 



The ground was covered by the 



