23 



Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



The present winter is proving a notable one for Staten Island as regards 

 the occurrence of birds from the north. Early in the fall it became evident that 

 we were to have what is known as a siskin year from the flocks of these birds 

 — the pine siskin or pine finch — which were observed, particularly in woods where 

 the sweet gum is common. This tree bears seed balls from which the siskin se- 

 cures a favorite and dependable food supply. The pine siskin, though not rare 

 here, is irregular in its occurrence, there being winters when it is conspicuous by 

 its non-appearance. 



As to importance, however, the presence of the siskins must take a rank 

 well below that of the other birds which have come to us at one time or another 

 in the past several weeks. For example, the writer, in his entire field experi- 

 ence prior to the 24th of December, 1916, had seen only a solitary individual 

 of the ledpoll or redpoll linnet — a true bird of the Boreal zone, being confined 

 chiefly to the "northern parts of the NorthernHemisphere." On the above date Staten 

 Island seemed almost literally invaded and overrun by redpolls — one flock of 60 

 individuals being found in an open field near the Princes Bay lighthouse. They were 

 relatively fearless, continuing feeding on weed seeds while the observer advanced 

 slowly to a point within twelve or fifteen feet of the nearest bird. Occasionally 

 the whole band flew simultaneously into the air— each member giving a quick, 

 double chink-chink note— but usually returned to the area just abandoned, where 

 rations seemed temptingly plentiful. 



On December 2nd Mr. Harold K. Decker marked the presence in the 

 Moravian cemetery at New Dorp of several strange chickadees, in company with a 

 band of the common black-capped chickadee. The new birds, from all appear- 

 ances, seemed to be Acadian chickadees (a sub-race of the more northern Hud- 

 sonian chickadee); but it is now learned that they are representatives of still 

 another form of the Hudsonian bird recently descnbed from Labrador by Dr. 

 Charles W. Townsend. The technical name given this bird is Penthestes hudson- 

 icus nigricans, and he might be popularly designated as the Labrador brown- 

 cap chickadee. 



Staten Island has come to be recognized by ornithologists in and about 

 New York City as a fruitful field for observation and is now frequently visited by 

 them. On December 30th, 1916, Dr. William H. Wiegmann, of Manhattan, 

 observed a single pine grosbeak at New Dorp, and Mr. William P. Heineken re- 

 ported a female of the same species seen at his residence on Todt Hill Road, 

 Dongan Hills, at nearly the same time. The pine grosbeak is nearly as rare on 

 Staten Island as its more highly-colored relative, the evening grosbeak, which came 

 to the island a year ago. The writer has never met the pine grosbeak in nature. 



Another bird which seems to avoid Staten Island for many years at a time 

 is the red or American crossbill. On December I 7 three of these curious and 

 noticeably specialized creatures were discovered in the tops of white pines in the 

 back grounds of the Moravian cemetery ; and two additional individuals were seen 

 to alight in an Austrian pine at Annadale, December 20th. 



In addition to the birds above referred to, another rarity from the north has 

 appeared here recently (December 3 1 st last) in the form of a goshawk which the 

 undersigned watched through 8-power binoculars for some moments at Princes Bay. 



Lastly, mention should be made of the presence of several flocks of horned 

 larks or shore larks, about three dozen having been noted at both Great Kills and 

 Princes Bay on the day before Christmas. The horned lark may be found regu- 

 larly on the New England and Long Island coasts and at some places on the in- 

 terior during the most rigorous winters. The occurrence of the species on Staten 

 Island, however, is sufficiently irregular to render the present visit worthy of mention. 



H. H. C. 



