236 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Thousands of Blackbirds. 



In thi.s portion of llie state of Kansas 

 thci-c an' thousands of Blackliirds. 

 I'liey build in orclnu-ds, and are so 

 uumevtms as to kill and ])realv d(n\' n 

 trees, causing a liortieu.lturalistso mueh 

 trouble that he hires boys to tear down 

 their nests. In one orcliard a count 

 was kept of the eggs. Some 1000 were 

 gatluM-ed, the nests hciiig l)uilt in the 

 usual Avay, some live o;- six to a tree. 



After the young can tly they congre- 

 gate in flocks and fly from and to their 

 roosting ]daces and feeding grounds. 

 They feed in the hnv lands bordering 

 the rivi'r, and at night-fall ily to 

 their roosting places on tlie higher 

 ground. 



Wlu'ii tlie tiuu- comes for going soutli, 

 they mass in one innnense flock. A 

 (loc1: ^^('ntover dds to'ivn I'ecently, :iud 

 as far as the eye could sc" tiiere were 

 Blackbirds, vrhich contiiiucd for nearly 

 two hou)-s, their direcrioii iieiiig soutli 

 by souiii-wcst. 



The Ilobins are hiegiiiiiing to (iii up 

 the Yi-oods. Tliey st;iy in iln' wen;!.-, 

 here all wintei', thongii you ucci-sr;' 

 one in town lib spring, m;iking il;v' 

 people tliink that liieyjust arri\ed from 

 the soutli. 



John Mykuantz, . 

 Taola, Kans. 



Th8 Yellow-headed Blackbird. 



This is not a, \"ery common species 

 in my locality, alth<!ngh I colici'ted a 

 numljci- of si'ls during the s(-:;s;)n of 

 1889. 



The onl3' place in this locality where 

 I f(nind it breeding was a small gras.sy 

 lake, called Lake Ningra or Dead Lake. 

 On the eastern portion of this lake 

 there is a great patch of cat-tails and 

 rushes out quite a way from the shore. 

 This is a great breeding place of the 

 Yellow-headed Blackidrd, also of the 

 Least Bittern. 



The nest of the Yellow-headed Black- 

 bird is a light l)ulky afl'air made of flngs 

 and grasses wo"\en together, and is 

 often twice as deej) outside as in, with 

 a verj" wide margin. The number of 

 eggs in a set of this species ranges from 

 four to six, but four is the usual num 

 her, I'arely live. 



A set of four eggs of tliis species, 

 which I collected at De;ul Lake, May 

 yi, 188U, shows the following mcasure- 

 n.ienrs:; 1.04x71, 1.01x71, 1.03x71,1.04- 

 \71. The eggs in th(> abov(^ set are of a 

 dull grayish white, tliickly spotted 

 with dr-ab and umber. 



I will close now ])o])ing to hear more 

 ahout this hcautifu! bird through tlie 

 columns of Thk ()<>L<><.iiST. 



F. ,S. N. 

 Madison, A\'is. 



Northern Phalarope. 



j . October 2r)th 1 liad a .Northci-n Phala- 

 j I'ojic brou.gI)t to mc ali\-e a,nd ap'parent- 

 I l,y iii good heabh- Init for a gasji on tlie 

 left side of its lu'ad v.'hich Inui entirely 

 (l''pri\'ed tliat orb of sigiit. I was in- 

 lorsned ih;it se\crai more jiad been 

 found di'.-id at tlic foot of one ul the 

 electric light towrrs, \vh.ere it h;i(l]n'ob- 

 al)ly been attracted l)y the brilliant 

 light and flown against the vs'ooden 

 railing that surrouiuds the lights. Tlie 

 towers are 110 feet liigli and consists of 

 live electric lights erected on an iron 

 frame. 



N(_) dou!)t tlu'onghont th<' country 

 there are nuiny birds killed l;}' these 

 electric liglits. 



The Phalarope isavci'yrare si)ecimen 

 around here. 



0. C. T., Utica, N. Y. 



The Oven Bird's Song. — A Corrected 

 Statement. 



I beg to dift'er with B. H. S., who in 

 the October Oologist said that the 

 (lolden Crowned Tlirush had no song. 



