418 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 92 



On the 29th of March, when it was cold enough the night before 

 to freeze over a bay in the Fox River, I saw a Coot stalliing among 

 the alders at the river's edge. On April 17th we flushed five Prairie 

 Chicliens in one of the brushy tcoods which cover some of the hills 

 of glacial drift along the Fox River near Gary, 111. On April 26th 

 the martial music of the first Bobolinks was heard, four days earlier 

 than is customary here. 



On the first of May I rediscovered in the Addison woods, the 

 scene of many former rambles, the colony of Night Herons, which 

 1 had given up as lost. They had now located a short distance 

 north of their old home, in a growth of small oaks, the twenty odd 

 nests being no higher up than 15 to 20 feet. There were no eggs 

 in the nests yet, and isome more nests seemed to be building. If 

 proof were necessary for the statement that Chimney Swifts mi- 

 grate in day-time, that day brought it conclusively to me. When I 

 left the house in the morning, and even at noon, there were no 

 Swifts about; when we returned at five o'clock there were three 

 to four sailing around overhead. The Lapland Longspurs were in 

 the fields in their usual abundance. Their apparent predilection 

 for Addison is difiicult of explanation. 



Since early in April there was a fiock of about 25 Cowbirds on 

 the campus of the school and on the lawns. Forming a rather for- 

 midible flock with English Sparrows they would rise from and set- 

 tle down on the ground together, no doubt doing much good in eat- 

 ing weed seeds and such insects as were to be foimd. But the dep- 

 redations of the Cowbirds showed up with the first nest found 

 This was one of a Meadowlark on the 5th of May, which held three 

 eggs of the rightful owner and two of the parasite. Another egg 

 of the Meadowlark was found just outside of the nest, another a 

 foot away, in the bird's way of approach. Query : Did the Meadow- 

 lark feel her complement of eggs to be complete, or did the Cow- 

 bird maneuver the eggs out, or did she cajole Sturnella by other 

 means into laying outside of the nest? I think the first solution is 

 probably the correct one. 



The principal find of the season for us, that of Bachman's Spar- 

 row, on May 9th, I have recorded more in detail elsewhere. On 

 the 15th of the month I saw a pair of Lark Sparrows at Cary ; this 

 species must be classed as rare in this territory. It may be added 

 that the Dickcissel is notable this year only by its absence. I have 

 not seen a single specimen in places where they were last year. He 

 is apparently striving to keep up his reputation for eccentricity. 

 On the other hand the Goldfinch, Flicker and Redhead seem to be 

 increasing in numbers from year to year. The Robin has been 

 more plentiful than I have seen it during the six years of my rest- 



