THE OOLOGIST '^H(k>)y \^ w 



103 



Purple Finch 



Mr. H. W. Flint asks what has be- 

 come of the Purple Finch. If he were 

 here in Oregon he would tltink they 

 were rather numerous, but ours is the 

 California Purple Finch. I was out 

 yesterday and saw more than one hun- 

 dred, the first seen this winter. Every 

 year this bird seems to be more com- 

 mon. When cherries are in bloom the 

 great flight comes. I have seen the 

 blossoms fall like a miniature snow 

 storm from a cherry tree. If they 

 would cut the blossoms from every 

 tree, they would do much damage, but 

 the damage is slight. 



As Mr. Flint says they are a beauti- 

 ful bird and I for one am glad to have 

 them here. They breed in my fir 

 trees near the house and I see them 

 carrying nesting material, but I have 

 found only one nest and that con- 

 tained young. Not more than one in 

 twenty is in the red plumage, but the 

 young males sing just as fine as if 

 they were in the red plumage. 



I have taken Cassin's Purple Finch 

 at Grants Pass but I do not think they 

 come much north of there. 



George D. Peck, 



Salem, Ore. 



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The Prairie Warbler 



The Prairie Warbler in the vicinitj^ 

 of Bardstown, Nelson County, Ken- 

 tucky, is a fairly common summer 

 resident. It arrives in the spring 

 about April 22nd and is easily located 

 by its song which is entirely different: 

 from any other warbler found in this 

 locality. It is not a bird of the woods, 

 but sometimes frequents the edge of 

 large pieces of woodland. Its favorite 

 haunts are bush-grown cleared lands 

 with scattered trees and in bushes and 

 briars at the edge of thickets. 



Mr. C. W. Beckham in his "Birds of 

 Nelson County," published in 1885, 

 states in regard to the Prairie War- 



bler, as follows: "Common in the 

 spring. So far as my observations 

 have extended, this warbler is tran- 

 sient here, but for reasons two lengthy 

 to mention now, I feel quite sure that 

 a few of them breed." 



On the morning of May 28th, 191((), 

 I found my first Prairie Warbler's 

 nest. It was about sixteen inches 

 from the ground in a bush just at the 

 edge of a cedar thicket. Five eggs 

 were in the nest when it was found 

 and several days later on visiting the 

 nest none had been added to the set. 

 A male bird was heard singing on each 

 visit to the nest but he never put in 

 an appearance. 



The Prairie Warblers are here 

 again this season and I hope to find 

 and learn more of the eggs and nest 

 of this interesting Mniotiltidae. 



Ben J. Blincoe, 

 Bardstown, Ky. 



At Last 



The many friends of A. C. Bent of 

 Taunton, Mass., who has been select- 

 ed by the Government to complete the 

 publication on Life Histories of North 

 American birds commenced by Cap- 

 tain Bendire, will be glad to learn 

 that he has forsaken the ranks of the 

 bachelors. While this news is more 

 than a year old, it is very new to us 

 and what is still more interesting we 

 learn that our ornithological friend 

 has been blessed by the arrival of a 

 baby at his home. May it grow up and 

 show as much interest in ornithology 

 as Mr. Bent. While it may be late, 

 we extend double congratulations. 



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The Nesting of the Louisiana Water 

 Thrush in 'Harrison County, Texas 



Although I have read much and 

 seen many pictures of the beautiful 

 nests of the Louisiana Water Thrush, 

 I have never seen one of their nests 

 or even one of the birds until April 



