The Season 



51 



Spreckles' lake on the nth, and a second 

 Scoter was in such nondescript plumage that 

 I could not be sure of its identity. Grebes 

 are not yet abundant on lakes I have visited. 



Among the unusual land-birds are the 

 Black-and-White Warbler and White- 

 throated Sparrow, both reported from the 

 campus of the University of California. Blue 

 Jays are somewhat less abundant than in 

 October, but Sharp-shinned Hawks are 

 many and very bold. 



The only signs of mating noticed so far 

 are the decided pendulum antics of the 

 Anna Hummingbirds. On November i and 

 again on December 11 the male, in excellent 



[:)lumage, was found performing, and the ex- 

 plosive whistle produced at the conclusion of 

 the 'nose dive' was heard from six to nine 

 times in close succession. 



In spite of the remarkable abundance of 

 Toyon berries in the park at Lake Merritt, 

 no Thrushes, Robins or Waxwings could be 

 found on December 12. There was a dearth 

 of Robins in Golden Gate Park on the nth, 

 only two being seen in a walk extending from 

 First to Forty-third Avenue. Perhaps, how- 

 ever, this was due simply to bad luck, for 

 they have been quite conspicuous in Berkeley 

 throughovit the period. — Amelia Sanborn 

 Allen, Berkeley, Calif. 



SEASONAL NOTES 



The Department of Notes from Field and 

 Study has been omitted from this number 

 to make room for the Christmas Census, but 

 in view of the reports in 'The Season' of an 

 exceptional eastward movement of Magpies, 

 it is desirable to publish the following records 

 of the occurrence of that bird in this issue. 



Magpie at Fargo, N. D. 



On October 23, 1921, when Arthur 

 Brenckle and the writer were in the woods 

 along the river near Fargo, we heard in the 

 distance a bird which both of us suggested 

 sounded like a Magpie. Later, hearing it 

 again, we were almost sure of it and walked 

 that way. We did not succeed in approaching 

 very closely but saw the bird move in the 

 trees and then fly away showing the charac- 

 teristic flight, long tail, and white wing- 

 patches. They are common in the western 

 part of the state, especially along the Mis- 

 souri River, but rarely seen east of it. Two 

 or three years ago reports of them came in 

 the winter from several places in the south- 

 eastern part of the state. — O. A. Stevens, 

 Fargo, N. D. 



Magpies in Iowa 



In early October, 192 1, flocks of American 

 Magpies suddenly appeared in northwest 

 Iowa, as many as fifty often being seen at a 

 time. 



Their voices 3,re loud and harsh and they 

 are very noisy, always keeping up a chat- 

 tering among themselves. They are capable 



of imitating well the calls of other birds. 



They have never been in this locality 

 before and I have never heard of their being, 

 seen any further east than the vicinity of the 

 Black Hills of South Dakota. 



They seem to prefer animal food, as they 

 have been observed making a meal from dead 

 animals. Some claim that their migrating 

 here is due to so many cattle dying on the 

 western ranges, in the recent severe winters. 

 Others claim it is a sign of the approach of an 

 uncommonly severe winter. 



They act very much at home here and 

 seem to intend to stay. Just now (early No- 

 vember) they are still here in large numbers. 

 Everyone is discussing their presence as the 

 occurrence is so vmusual. They do not get 

 along well with the Crows. — Lena Brady, 

 Sutherland, Iowa. 



The Magpie in Wisconsin 

 I have been requested by numerous other 

 bird-lovers to write you concerning a Magpie 

 which I saw five miles north of this city on 

 November 25, 1921. It was apparently quite 

 at home among a small group of Crows. I 

 recognized it from its resemblance to the 

 European Magpie, not having seen the wes- 

 tern Magpie of America. However, its large 

 size and prominent markings would serve to 

 identify it, even if one had only a picture to 

 compare it with. River Falls is in latitude 

 44° 50' north and longitude 92° 40 west. 

 — C. G. Stratton, River Falls, Wis. 



