460 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 93 



Bachman's Sparrow, of which a pair or two were here and 

 no doubt bred, having been seen by the writer repeatedly 

 from May 9th to July 2d. 



Professor W. W. Cooke, of Washington, writes me that 

 the number of nesting birds for "Waller's Park" is higher 

 than the average for this vicinity. This shows again what 

 protection does for birds, unintentional even as it was and 

 is in this case. I may add that the method used in getting 

 the above result was the one advocated by the Biological Sur- 

 vey of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, viz. 

 several observers went through the tract, beginning at 6 

 o'clock in the morning until finished, walking in parallel lines, 

 the supposition being that at that time of the year and in that 

 part of the day the birds seen will be males — as was borne 

 out by this census in the case of those species in which the 

 sexes can readily be told — and each male representing a 

 breeding pair. 



River Forest, Illinois. 



FIVE HOURS ON BUTLER'S LAKE, 

 LAKE COUNTY, ILL. 



BY WALTER A. GOELIT'Z. 



This lake covers from thirty to forty acres and is surround- 

 ed by a few wood-lots, pastures, house yards, and a public 

 road. The margin is shallow and swampy, with cat-tails and 

 reeds extending in from twenty to two hundred feet from 

 the hilly ground surrounding the lake. The birds of Butler's 

 Lake are protected the year around and for that reason many 

 can be found there that are scarce or wholly wanting in simi- 

 lar regions in Lake County. 



I spent only two hours there on my first trip on July 2, 

 1915, but had the good luck to find twelve nests. The first 

 of these nests was that of a Yellow-headed Blackbird and 

 contained three eg'gs. This was a find of some note to me, 

 for not only was it the first of its kind I have ever found, but 

 also because Butler's Lake is the only place in Lake County 

 where these blackbirds breed. In the extensive Skokie Alarsh, 



