Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



45 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Greenville Notes. 



As late as May 25th last, a large flock 

 of Pine Siskins were feeding on the dande- 

 lion seeds close to my house. I think this 

 late for this species, so far south. 



On August 16th I shot one of a pair of 

 Black-bellied Plovers at Churchill Lake 

 near here. This makes three of these 

 birds that I have secured at the same place 

 during the past five years. 



On October 9th I secured a fine speci- 

 men of the Snow Bunting in southern 

 winter plumage. This is far the earliest 

 date in the fall that I have noticed this 

 bird. It was all the more unusual, as the 

 weather was anything but wintry. 



What has struck me particularly this 

 season, has been the scarcity of the Night 

 Hawk. I may claim to be fairly observ- 

 ant in matters ornithological, and 1 can 

 safely say, that whereas during the pre- 

 vious four years-, these birds have been 

 very abundant .in the proper season, flying 

 in numbers over the city and neighbor- 

 hood, this year I could have counted them 

 on the fingers of my one hand. And by 

 this, I do not mean in flocks day by day 

 of this number, but as representing the 

 number of birds seen during the whole 

 season. It would be interesting to know 

 if any other observers have noticed this 

 scarcity, which I shall bear in mind next 

 summer. Percy Selous. 



[Perhaps not as common as usual, but 

 occurring in some numbers at Grand 

 Kapids. W. E. M.] 



Towhee Wintering in Muskegon 

 County, Mich. 



During the winter of '96-7, a Towhee 

 remained all winter. The weather was 

 rather mild. A. W. Van Pelt. 



Muskegon, Mich. 



Usefulness of the Cedar Waxwing. 



During the locust plague of this spring, 

 our larger insectivorus birds ay ere having 

 a feast. Catbirds, Robins, Bluebirds, 

 Wood Pewees, yea, even Flickers were en- 

 joying the masses of locusts. But for out- 

 numbering them was the Cedar Waxwing. 

 Flock of 15-20-30, catching and devouring 

 locusts, were a common thing. Anyone 



who knows the tremendous voracity of this 

 bird, will not be astonished to hear that a 

 flock of about twenty were able to free a 

 big elm tree of locusts in one day. It was 

 strange, too, to see so many as fifteen or 

 twenty of these birds together at so late a 

 period as the 28th of May, and the 9th of 

 June. 



Have any of the other members of the 

 club made similar observations this spring \ 



W. F. Henninger. 



Waverly, Ohio. 



Acadian Owl in Michigan. 



Mr. Harris of this city shot an Acadian 

 Owl 9 in May. She had probably nested. 



Norman A. Wood, 

 Ann Arbor. 



[Dr. Robt. H. Wolcott told me of 

 several nests of this species being taken in 

 or around Ann Arbor, in past years. 



W. E. M.] 



Notes from Wayne County, Mich. 



Mr. Cadman, of this city, informs me 

 that he wtnessed the feeding of a young 

 English Sparrow by a female Red-eyed 

 Vireo. It seems the young Sparrow had 

 lighted on a branch below the Vireo's nest 

 and was so noisy that the brooding bird was 

 annoyed, so she left her nest and in a short 

 time returned with food for the juvenile 

 offender, which, on being fed, flew away. 



On May 26th, 1897, I noted a pair of 

 Cerulean Warblers nesting. The nest con- 

 tained four eggs on June, 6th. It was 

 built on a horizontal branch of a beech 

 tree, thirty -five feet from the ground and 

 six feet out on the limb in a clump of 

 sprouts. 



April 18, 1897. Noted the only Turkey 

 Vulture of the season. Last year I saw 

 seven on the wing at one time. Mr. Wm. 

 M. Randall, of Bellville, tells me that they 

 nest in that vicinity. 



W. A. Davidson. 



Detroit, Mich. 



The electric tower lights (150 feet high) 

 at Grand Rapids are the slayers of many 

 birds. The following species are some 

 that have been found under them: Myrtle 

 Warbler, Golden Plover, Sora, Chipping 

 Sparrow, Olive-backed Thrush, Vesper 

 Sparrow, Robin, Tennessee Warbler, Oven 

 Bird and Blue-grav Gnatcatcher. 



