Birds of Indiana. 851 



Chester, May 33, May 37; Waterloo, May 19, May 34; Sandusky, 0., 

 May 15; Chicago, 111., May 33, May 38. In 1896, the first reached 

 Laporte April 38, common May 10. The earliest and latest date of 

 first arrival in 16 years at Brookville is, respeetiTcly, April 36, 1886, 

 and May 17, 1885. The corresponding records at Petersburg, Mich., 

 for 9 years are May 1, 1886, and May 31, 1891. Sometimes I have 

 seen them gracefully winging their way north during the brightest 

 May days, high in the air and uttering their call, which reminds me 

 of the "scape" call of Wilson's snipe. It may be interpreted "Sheep." 

 In fact, it is not a night bird, but rather one that is active cloudy 

 afternoons and in the twilight, and rests when night falls. It is not 

 a bird of the woods, but prefers to nest in open ground. Its graceful 

 flight, interesting evolutions and strange noise at mating time interest 

 all bird lovers. Ascending high in air, the male, with stiffened 

 wings and tail, descends almost as rapidly as a flash of light; the noise 

 produced by the air against the wings is a peculiar booming sound 

 which has been compared to that made by blowing into the bunghole 

 of an empty barrel. It would seem the bird would dash itself to 

 pieces on the ground, but suddenly the wings change position and 

 gracefully it curves outward and upward, then circles again into the 

 higher air. They nest in fields, upon the ground. Two eggs are laid 

 on alternate days. Incubation begins when the first one is laid. In 

 Cincinnati, Detroit and Chicago it has been found to breed upon the 

 flat roofs of buildings. It does not breed in the Whitewater Valley so 

 far as reported. Its eggs are to be found in northern Indiana from 

 May 37 to last of June, and sometimes into July. 



Prof. F. H. King, from dissection, found that five had eaten 19 

 beetles, 33 heteroptera, 9 grasshoppers and 4 neuroptera. The ma- 

 terial taken from the stomach of one specimen weighed 9 grammes 

 (Geol. of Wis., I., p. 564). They are very destructive to flying insects. 



In August and September they pass south in great numbers. About 

 four o'clock in the afternoon they begin to appear along our streams, 

 and by sundown a continuous stream may be seen passing down the 

 river. In 1896 they were first noted August 31. That is the earliest 

 record I have from Brookville, though Mr. V. H. Bamett saw them in 

 Brown County August 13, 1895. The last fall record I have from 

 Chicago is September 38, 1895; from northern Indiana, La- 

 fayette, September 35, 1895; southern Indiana, Bicknell, October 4, 

 1895; usually all have left before October 1. Marksmen use these 

 birds as targets for practice. Undoubtedly many are thus killed. 



