Birds of Allegany Park 275 



The Bobolink belongs to the open meadows where it occurs rather 

 locally in the Park. I found it in fields near the lower end of 

 Quaker Run, west of Limestone, and along the river a few miles 

 west of Salamanca, but it is by no means as common or widely 

 distributed as the Meadowlark or the Vesper and Savannah Spar- 

 rows. These birds live in the tall grass, or perch on fence posts, 

 wires or trees. 



The male sings either from a perch or in flight. The song is a 

 beautiful one, long, loud and greatly varied. The notes are short 

 and quick, with hardly ever two together on the same pitch. The 

 - song begins with notes that are low in pitch and somewhat slow, 

 and becomes higher and faster as it proceeds. Certain groups of 

 three or four notes are often repeated once or twice. There are no 

 pauses, the bird not once stopping for breath as other flight singers 

 are likely to do. To me there are no parts of the song that sound 

 like " bobolink " or even " spink spank spink." The flight song is 

 as a rule longer than that sung from a perch. 



The nest is well hidden in the tall grass, and since the sitting bird 

 has a habit of running some distance through the grass before flying, 

 when one approaches, it is difficult to find. 



Nighthawk. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmel.) 



This bird is about the length of the Robin, but when flying 

 seems much larger because of the long, pointed wings. It may be 

 best identified by the conspicuous white spot in each wing, and the 

 peculiar swift, swooping flight. The plumage is mainly gray, and 

 the male is marked by a white throat, and white marks in the tail. 



This species is fairly common in the Park and still commoner in 

 Salamanca. It may be seen toward evening, flying about in the 

 open in search of insects. In the middle of the day it is seldom seen 

 unless one finds it by accident, on a rock or bit of stony ground in 

 an open field. 



The Nighthawk has a single loud note, " peent," which identifies 

 it easily, once it is known. In early summer it often swoops down- 

 ward through the air, producing a loud booming or roaring noise 

 with the wings. 



It constructs no nest, but lays its two mottled eggs on a bare rock 

 or on bare stony ground of an open hillside or ridge. In cities it 

 finds favorable nesting sites on the flat, pebbled roofs of tall build- 

 ings. This habit is probably the cause of its greater abundance in 

 Salamanca than in the Park itself. 



Marsh Hawk. Circus hudsonius (Linn.) 



The Marsh Hawk may be easily distinguished from all other 

 Hawks by the white patch on the lower back, which is present in all 

 plumages. Males are a beautiful light gray above, and white be- 

 low. Females and young are brown above and streaked heavily 

 with brown beneath. The narrow wings, long tail and peculiar 

 flight will separate this Hawk from other large Hawks, almost as 

 readily as the white of its lower back. 



