24 



Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



Accipiter atricapillxis, in January of this 

 year. It had boldly attacked a fowl in his 

 farm-yard and was easily secured. The 

 bird was mounted by E. G. Kief of Man- 

 chester, and has lately been delivered to 

 the lucky owner. 



This species is a very rare straggler 

 with us and is always a good find. 



L. Whitney Watkins. 



Manchester, Mich. 



The Birds in Cold Weather, 



Bluebirds and Robins stayed here all 

 winter. Even during the most severe 

 cold spell. So they did in the winter of 

 1894-95. Not a day passed but that I saw 

 one or two Bluebirds. On the coldest day 

 of this year, Jan. 26th, while coming back 

 from a funeral, some 24 miles from here, 

 I saw at 4 P. M., in a cold of 15° below 

 zero, a Mourning Dove (Zenaidura mac- 

 ro lira) on a large elm, apparently in very 

 good humor. 



Is the English Sparrow Becoming 

 Less Common? 



The English Sparrow is decidedly de- 

 creasing in numbers in this vicinity. 

 People around here have declared Avar 

 against them. I, alone, killed 117 nest- 

 lings, 12 ? ad., 26 $ ad., and destined 

 47 eggs during the year 1896. This may 

 have helped a little. The consequences 

 can be seen this pear, viz., there are more 

 Bluebirds, Wrens, and Chipping Sparrows 

 around the dwellings than ever. 



W. F. Henninger. 



South Webster, O. 



Large Sets of Red-Shouldered Hawk. 



While records of five eggs to a clutch 

 are unusual in Buteo lineatus, I have 

 another record of five, taken Apr. 25, by 

 E. Schrage, while he and I were collecting 

 at Birmingham. He informed me that he 

 had taken one set previous to this. 



I have made careful research and have 

 concluded that the ZTria recorded in Vol. 

 I, No. 1. of M. O. C. Bulletin is U. 

 /omnia. The curvature in the lower 

 mandible shows this conclusively. 



W. A. Davidson. 



Detroit, Mich. 



[R. R. Newton took a set of five of the 

 Red-shouldered Hawk at Grand Rapids, 

 April 14, this spring.] 



Nesting of Turkey Vulture. 



Several years ago two "strange 1 ' young 

 birds were found beside a log in a piece of 

 timber near the Village of Britton, 

 Lenawee Co. They were brought into 

 town and taken to the Exelby Hotel and 

 cared for. One of them did not thrive 

 under the treatment, and soon after died. 

 But the other one took kindly to the food 

 furnished and developed into a large male 

 Turkey Vulture. He was a resident of 

 the village for about two years, and I 

 think was killed by a dog. This bird is 

 not a common breeder in Michigan or I 

 would not have brought this to mention. 



M. B. Mills. 



Adrian, Mich. 



A Belated Meadow Lark. 



November 15th, 1896, I saw the last 

 Sturnella magna in an open grove in the 

 Fair Grounds. It was a plump, healthy 

 individual, and rather tame. 



January 21th, 1897, while going through 

 the woods in the same locality, a Meadow 

 Lark flew out from under the snow and 

 attempted to alight in a small oak near at 

 hand. Evidently unable to use its feet, 

 it fluttered through the twigs to the 

 ground. On my starting towards it, it 

 again flew up and made the same attempt, 

 finally disappearing among the trees. It 

 was very weak and its feet were helpless, 

 probably being frozen. The thermometer 

 was fifteen degrees below zero, and it had 

 crept into the snow in order to escape the 

 biting cold. The wind was blowing a gale 

 from the west and had drifted the snow 

 badly. 



Could this have been the bird 1 noticed 

 in November ? 



Don't the Meadow Lark ever winter in 

 this vicinity from choice ? It is the first 

 occurrence I have ever noticed. 



Geo. H. Walker. 

 Belvidere, 111. 



[A Meadow Lark was seen during Janu- 

 ary and February, 1893, and probably 

 wintered here. The last one for 1896 was 

 observed on December 16th. 



These records are for Nor veil, Jackson 

 Co., Mich.— Ed.] 



