Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



9 



Is the English Sparrow Becoming 

 Less Common? 



How are the English Sparrows faring 

 in your locality 4 Are they as abundant 

 as in former years \ They have certainly 

 diminished more than one-half in numbers 

 at Plymouth, compared to what they have 

 been in former years. I think it is not 

 owing to the state bounty law, for no 

 bounty has ever been paid in Wayne 

 County, because of the failure of the Board 

 of Supervisors to make appropriations for 

 a payment of the same. Perhaps they 

 have increased in other localities, but they 

 are certainly less common here. 



1 hope that all members of our Club 

 will make careful observations in the 

 various localities and report in the near 

 future, for I think that this is a point of 

 much interest to its members. 



James B. Purdy. 



Plymouth, Mich. 



Let all members of the Club kindly 

 ansAver this question in the next issue. — Ed. 



Notes from the South. 



This country is very different from my 

 home in Michigan. A man told me yester- 

 day that twenty miles south of here, out 

 on the prairie, there are now geese, cranes 

 and ducks bv the thousands; so much rain 

 that every hole is full of water. I hope to 

 get out there soon. I have seen so many 

 of them here, that I take no more notice 

 of the Turkey Buzzards than I did English 

 Sparrows at home. They are in this city 

 by the thousand, and often stand about in 

 the streets and sit upon the housetops. 

 There is a place in the west part of the 

 city know as "Buzzard's Roost,'' and I 

 went down there one afternoon about half 

 past four, to see the birds come in. The 

 trees are very high and when all have 

 arrived from the surrounding country, 

 they are fairly black with them. There 

 is a $5.00 fine for shooting them and they 

 are very tame. These birds roost here at 

 all times except when they are nesting, 

 when they stay in the pine woods about 

 four miles from the city. - They nest in 

 April and May. But this is perhaps of 

 more interest to me than to you, so far 

 away. Chas. V. Hay. 



Houston, Texas, Jan. 30th, 1897. 



Nesting of the Lark Sparrow at 

 Macon, Lenawee Co. 



This bird is a rare summer resident of 

 Lenawee County. Several years ago I 

 took some sets and nests, one that I call 

 to mind placed beside a lump of dirt in a 

 freshly plowed field, and another under a 

 mullein plant, completely covered by a 

 large leaf. This was in the spring of 

 1885. Then for a long time the birds 

 seemed to be absent as summer residents, 

 until May of 1892, when a pair were 

 located, and no doubt nested, in an oat 

 field near my house. Then another blank 

 until April 20, 1896, when I took a 

 beautiful set of five eggs and nest. The 

 nest was placed on ground beside a large 

 bunch of red -root. The nests are much 

 like the nests of Vesper Sparrow only 

 larger, and less grass used in the lining. 

 This last one was lined exclusively with 

 horse hair. They are a large and beautiful 

 species, and I regret that they are not 

 more abundant in Michigan. 



Mark B. Mills. 



9/ 



Adrian, Mich., Jan. 



i\ 1897. 



Greenville, Mich., Feb. 9, 1897. 

 L. W. W Atkins, Esq., 



Manchester, Mich. 

 Dear Sir: — Do you wish me to fill out 

 another schedule form with spring migra- 

 tion notes this season? I saw the first 

 Robin (as a migrant) last Friday, and seven 

 on Sunday; also on that day a Crow. While 

 up North hunting on the Upper Peninsular, 

 I got a couple of Hawk Owls, a Raven and 

 several Arctic Three-toed Woodpeckers. 

 The birds are beginning to know it is 

 approaching nesting time. The Nuthatches 

 this morning are particularly vociferous 

 and combative. 



Very faithfully yours, 



Percy Selous. 



I make public answer to the first 

 question in this interesting note, for the 

 benefit of all concerned. Start at once 

 taking migration notes. Blanks will be 

 mailed to all members of the Club, to all 

 who aided in the work last season and to 

 all who may request, on or before March 

 1st, '97. My duties as Editor-in-chief of 

 this Bulletin, as well as Chairman of the 

 Migration Committee, necessitate the 

 delay. L. W. W. 



