THE OOLOGIST. 



57 



Ornithological Notes. 



by w. ii. ballou. 



Eastern Limit of the Pigeon Hawk. 

 — While surveying the southern shore of 

 Canada, from the mouth of Detroit river, 

 eastward, Falco columharms was found 

 in early September, '77, ranging along the 

 shore in flocks of seven and eight, and mak- 

 ing prey of the many bats, frogs, birds, fish 

 and small mud-turtles which were cast up- 

 on the beach in a weakened condition by 

 storms. They disturbed no dead objects, 

 but used such for bait in securing live game, 

 such as rats and mice which fed on the car- 

 rion along the shore. It was amusing to 

 see their endeavors to catch the unwary of 

 the numerous small flocks of waders. In 

 one instance the Hawks suddenly darted 

 from the underbrush upori a flock of Sand- 

 pipers. The birds simultaneously dove in- 

 to the lake and upon the disappearance of 

 tlie disappointed hunters, appeared upon 

 the surface some distance from the shore. 

 I have counted ten flocks of these Hawks 

 within a mile, each with a separate hunt- 

 ing ground. 



Passing along through Colchester, Kings- 

 ville, &c., we at last arrive at the termi- 

 nation of a point of land extending some 

 fifteen miles out into the Lake, called Point 

 aux Pelee. Here is the eastern termina- 

 tion of the habitat of the Pigeon Plawk in 

 any numbers. They are, of course, found 

 east of this place, but I doubt if there are 

 as many in the Middle States in a week, as 

 may be seen here in an hour. That tlieir 

 numbers are a legion here is evident. This 

 point extends within a few miles of an is- 

 land of the same name, which runs many 

 miles in a southern direction ; in a few 

 miles again is Middle Island, tlience Kelly's 

 Island, and finally the State of Ohio on the 

 south, so that there is a chain of land ex- 

 tending almost entirely across the Lake, with 

 the exception of a few narrow channels. At 

 this Point, then, migratory birds are sure 

 to collect preparatory to their passage across 

 the Lake. It is a vast roadway over which 

 birds of passage are sure to travel. Con- 



gregated at this Point, our little Hawk and 

 his partner the Sharp-shinned, are found 

 simply in a swarm, attacking the migra- 

 tory birds as they stop to rest, and secur- 

 ing an easy and an abundant prey. I can 

 not recall a single instance of noticing a 

 specimen on the whole range of Lake coast 

 on the southern shore, from Toledo to Og- 

 densburg, or on the Canada shore east of 

 Point aux Pelee. 



Birds and Wild Eice. — The crops of 

 wild rice in different places are immeuse. 

 In the memory of man no sucli crop ever 

 grew. The marshes hundreds of miles in 

 area, extending from Sandusky Bay, Ohio, 

 up the Detroit river and again at Point 

 Pelee are flowing with this choice morsel 

 of food for graminivorous birds. A good- 

 ly poi'tion of the Black-bird tribe, in enor- 

 mous flocks, are occupying these areas dur- 

 ing the present fall. 1 have noticed in the 

 marshes of northern New York when there 

 was something of a crop of rice, that the 

 Red-wing tribe staid quite into January, 

 until tlie crop was consumed. On the 

 strengtli of this I predict that many of them 

 will remain north during the entire present 

 winter. 



An Albino. — The museum of tlie North- 

 western University, at Evanston, Ills., con- 

 tains a white Bhick Bird. It is evidently 

 a female Red-wing. It is pure white, with 

 the exception of a faint coloring of buff' on 

 a portion of the bai;k. I am of tlie opinion 

 that the union of its parent was with the 

 Snow Bunting {Pkctrophaues /tiv(flh). 

 It was shot from a flock of migrating Black 

 Birds in which there were said to be others. 



[If any of our readers have an opportu- 

 nity, it would pay them to inquire into tlie 

 cause of albinosis. Several theories have 

 been advanced, but we believe no entirely 

 satisfactory explanation of the phenomenon 

 has yet been given. — Ed.] 



I-^^We are promised an interesting ar- 

 ticle on one of our rarer rapacious birds, to 

 appear soon, with a large illustration. 



