THE BIOLOGICAL REVIEW. 29 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



GENERAL NOTES FOR 1891. 

 By C. W. Nash. 



Turdus mustelinus. — On the 7th September I took a female 

 of this species in North Toronto, and during the summer saw 

 five or six others. 



Cistothorus palustris. — This species is exceedingly abundant 

 in all the marshy inlets of Lake Ontario. I saw and heard the 

 first on April 28th ; it was singing vigourously. The bulk did 

 not arrive until May 14th, when they swarmed in their usual 

 haunts. 



On May 27th, I found the first nest ; this was not quite 

 complete, but nearly so. On June 5th I found another nest 

 containing four eggs, which is about the average number they 

 lay in this locality. 



During the season I examined the stomachs of a good many, 

 and found them always filled with the remains of small beetles. 



Towards sunset these birds have a curious habit of shooting 

 straight up in the air, and then gently descending, at the same 

 time uttering a very pretty warbling song. 



Troglodytes hiemalis. — These birds are generally said to 

 spend the summer to the north of us, but this season I found 

 two pairs nesting within a few miles of the city ; in both 

 instances they selected a dark, cool and damp ravine for their 

 home, and in each case successfully brought out their young. 



Anthus pensilvanicus. — As usual these birds appeared in 

 large numbers this fall ; the first arrived October 9th, when I 

 saw one flock flying over. From that date I saw them daily 

 until October 30th, when the flight ceased. 



Helminthophila ruficapilla. — This species was very abundant 

 in the neighborhood of the city, in the spring migration ; the 



