32 



Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club 



and dive as soon as they are hatched, and 

 there is no prettier sight than a number of 

 these little downy fellows with their parent 

 upon the bosom of the clear blue water. 

 The Grebe has one characteristic of the 

 rail — that of being rattled. I well remem- 

 ber an April day that while "hawking" be- 

 yond the city I found a lone Grebe upon a 

 small pond. Together with my compan- 

 ion, I went in swimming, and we kept 

 his Grebeship diving so constantly that he 

 lost his head, and we nearly caught him. 

 It never thought of its wings. 



The Great Blue Heron is not often seen 

 now among these islands, although still a 

 common summer resident at the Flats. I 

 like to see them soar over on their great 

 napping wings, and drop into the marsh 

 where they remain so motionless. 

 In the recesses of the Flats I have 

 often watched them at midnight from the 

 deck of our sloop alight near the boat, and 

 heard their hoarse gutteral bark-like notes. 

 They probably breed to the north of the 

 Flats, but I never found their nests. 



Horned Grebes are occasionally seen here 

 but they do not breed to my knowledge, 

 although Mr. Mcll wraith reports their 

 doing so on the Canadian side of the Flats. 



Among the other species found breeding 

 here are Tree Swallows, Maryland Yellow- 

 throats, Red-winged Black Birds, a few 

 Swamp and Song Sparrows, Bank Swal- 

 lows, and King Rails. The latter bird is 

 more abundant at the Flats, and in inland 

 swamps. One may often see them there 

 creep out stealthily from the weedy banks 

 of the channel, and listen to their odd cries. 

 A nest I found June 9, '96, contained nine 

 eggs of the owner, 1 of the Sora Rail, and 

 eight of the rarer Virginia Rail — all the 

 representative rails in one nest. I flushed 

 a King Rail from the nest, and the presence 

 of the other eggs made it a problem I 

 could not solve. All three Rails bred in 

 the swamp, but how did they happen to 

 set up a flat, so to speak ? 



Among the rarer birds observed may 

 be noted Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows 

 which Mr. J. C. Wood observed and shot 

 in the fall of '93. 



After the collecting was over for the 

 day what a luxury it was to lie on deck 

 and smoke as we sailed homeward in the 

 rapidly increasing breeze! I hope to en- 

 gage in more productive and interesting 

 excursions, but none will ever be able to 



give me more genuine pleasure than my 

 days at Grassy Island among the water 

 birds. 



Detroit, Mich. 



W. F. Henuinger has moved to Waverly, Ohio. 



Dr. Harry C. Watkins of Ann Arbor, is the newly 

 appointed assistant to Dr. Geo. Doch, iu the depart- 

 ment of internal medicine, University of Michigan. 



We are delighted to announce that D. W. J. 

 Oakley of Detroit, who has for some months been in 

 failing health, is now fast recovering. 



State Game and Fish Warden Chase S. Osborn, 

 has sent State Deputy L. Whitney Watkins north 

 to the deer country to oversee hunting operations in 

 the Upper Peninsula, until about Dec 5th. 



Our veteran taxidermist, Adolph B. Covert, 

 presented the editor-in-chief with skins of $ and 9 

 Carolina Paroquet, on October 17th. 



Messrs. Hankinson and Cole called upon Mr. Geo. 

 H. Walker of Bel videre, 111., in August, and spent a 

 very pleasant evening discussing birds. 



Mr. Friant Stuart of Chicago, III., formerly of 

 Grand Rapids, spent sent several days in the hitter 

 city this summer. 



Mr. F. Henry Yorke of Fooseland, 111. is the 

 author of a work entitled "Our Ducks," which he 

 expects to publish soon. 



Messrs. Geo. J. Friederich of Brooklyn, and L. 

 Whitney Watkins of Manchester, will attend all of 

 the Jackson Co. Farmers' Institutes this fall and 

 winter, alternately speaking upon and opening the 

 discussion of "Birds and animals of use or harm to 

 the farmers' iutersts.'" 



Mr. Chas. Cass, of Hillsdale, spent his summer at 

 Cross Village. Emmet County. Michigan, where he 

 did some work with birds. He reports finding a 

 nest of the Red-breasted Merganser, and collecting a 

 few eggs of the American Herring Gull, Caspian and 

 Common Terns. 



Dr. Robt. H. Wolcott, Instructor of Zoology at 

 Nebraska University, spent June, July, and August 

 with his parents at Grand Rapids. We were pleased 

 to find out that Mrs. Wolcott was very much inter- 

 ested in science, especially in botany and ornithology. 



Mr. T. L. Hankinson visited Mr. Cole, at Grand 

 Rapids, in September. Several trips were taken by 

 members of the club during Mr. Hankinson's stay, 

 and they were given valuable hints on hunting shore 

 birds by this able collector of the Limicola. 



Mr. Percy Selous of Greenville, is interested in 

 snakes as well as birds, and keeps several large 

 Rattle Snakes as pets. These snakes are very fond 

 of sleeping iu folds of a carpet provided for them. 

 One evening recently, Mr. Selous, while exhibiting 

 his pets, thrust his hand into the folds of this carpet 

 in search of a big fellow that he was in the habit of 

 handling. As he had not spoken the snake failed 

 to recognize him and struck. Although the wound 

 was freely bled and sucked, Mr. Selous suffered 

 severely for several days. We hear that the snake 

 is still a cherished member of Mr. Selous' family. 



