24 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



same proportion occurs. This state of aflCairs is easily accounted for, 

 when we consider the superior facilities possessed b}' birds for moving 

 about from place to place, and their frequent exposure to storms and 

 other adverse influences while migrating. 



Eighty-three species (marked *) have been known to breed here, 

 and eighteen others (marked f) are inferred to have done so. Owing 

 to the lack of extended swamps or marshes in this vicinity, many of 

 the water birds which, breed in the central and northern portions of the 

 State, occur here as migrants only ; among these may be mentioned, 

 Ardea herodias, Botaurus minor, Ardetta exilis, Rallus virginianus, 

 Porzana Carolina, Gallinula galeata, Fulica amerioana. Anas boschas, 

 Graculus dilophus var. floridanus, Hydrochelidon lariformus, and 

 Podilymhus podiceps. Other species, which have been known to 

 breed in Ohio, but not in this vicinity, are, Cistothorus stellaris, Cisto- 

 thorus pal'ustris, Protonotaria citrcea, Parula americana.^ Junco hye- 

 malis (breeds "abundantly" in "Western Reserve" — vide Kirtland, 

 1838), Dolichonyx oryzivorus, Empidonax pusillus nox. trailli {Go\\i\a- 

 bus, Wheaton ), and Haliaetus levcocephalus. 



The " families" represented in our list number forty-six. Of these 

 the most prominent in point of numbers is the Sylvioolidce. or 

 Warblers, the great insectivorous group, represented by thirty five 

 species, ten of which are of rare or occasional occurrence onlj'. Eleven 

 members of this family spend the summer with us, the remainder pass- 

 ing on to higher latitudes to breed and returning in the fall on the 

 way to their winter homes in the south. Next in numerical import- 

 ance is the FringillidcB, comprising the various species of Finches, 

 Sparrows, etc., of which we have twenty-eight species. Seven of these 

 are of fortuitous occurrence, five are constant residents, seven summer 

 residents and seven regular migrants; the other two are regular winter 

 visitants. 



The relative proportions of these two families in this locality, con- 

 flict with a general rule laid down by Dr. Cones, who says (p. 126 of 

 "Key") : " Any one United States locality of average attractiveness to 

 birds,- has a bird fauna of over two hundred species; and if it be away 

 from the sea-coast, and consequently uninhabited by marine birds, about 

 one fourth of its species are SylvicoUdoB and Fringillida together--<Ae 

 latter somewhat in excess of the former.'^' By reference to our figures 

 above given it will be seen that here the contrary is the case, the 8yl- 

 vicolidm exceeding the FringillidcB in a ratio of five to four (35 to 28). 

 The same is partially true of the State at large, according to Dr. Whea- 

 ton's List,^ which enumerates two hundred and ninety four species. 



1 "Food of Birds as related to Agriculture," with a List of the Birds of Ohio, by J. M. 

 Wheaton, M.D.— Wiio Agrimltural Report, 1874. 



