Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



15 



ruled for migration notes, others for notes 

 on contents of stomach, etc. In it may be 

 incorporated all your knowledge of a bird 

 and also all the references and notes gained 

 by reading. Take a winter evening, for 

 instance, run over your journal, read any 

 authorities you may have at hand, think of 

 what you read, get your knowledge of a 

 bird into shape in your mind, then write it 

 down. You will get more in permanent 

 knowledge from this book than any other 

 means of study you may adopt. 



You must keep a field-book. If you ever 

 intend to continue an ornithologist, you 

 must keep a journal. A ledger requires 

 work and time, but it pays. 



Note-books are made with loose sheets, 

 perforated to allow of temporary or perma- 

 nent binding. The adoption of such a 

 form for a ledger, will allow of insertion of 

 material at any time, and is very convenient. 

 But my time is short and I am compelled 

 to close this very incomplete and sketchy 

 "paper." I submit it only in the hope that 

 in it some of the members may find a 

 hint of help to them. 



Sept. 3, 1895. 



Van Buren Gountu Notes. 



F. S. SHUVER. 



The Raven. 



The Raven appears to liave been quite 

 common in Van Buren County, as in other 

 parts of southern Michigan, about thirty- 

 five years ago. It then retired to the north 

 as the Crow encroached upon it^i territory, 

 and was but rarely seen southward. The 

 Crows, on the other hand, have steadily 

 increased each year, until they are finally 

 becoming a serious nuisance. 



I have been told by older men, long 

 resident in the county, that the Raven once 

 bred in some localities almost as commonly 

 as the Crow does now. The Raven's de- 

 parture from here is given as from thirty to 

 forty years ago, varying, perhaps, as to the 

 locality, and also as to the observer's mem- 

 ory. The only Ravens coming under my 

 notice were seen in 1888 and 1892, in 

 January of each year. In each instance 

 only a single bird was seen, a solitary 

 wanderer winging its way southward. The 



one seen in January, 1888, passed over on 

 an extremely cold day, after a week of 

 almost steady storm from the north. The 

 bird flew past at an elevation of about one 

 hundred and fifty feet. It did not, how- 

 ever, alight while in sight but continued 

 its flight southward, only giving two or 

 three hoarse calls. The one seen in Jan., 

 1892, passed south on a cold, stormy day 

 in the most severe storm of the winter, and 

 flew very high, uttering at least a dozen 

 calls before passing out of hearing, thus 

 giving a sure means of identification to 

 anyone acquainted with these birds. I do 

 not know of any other Ravens being seen 

 about here for many years. 



The Cardinal. 



The only record I know of for this 

 vicinity for the Cardinal, or Cardinal Gros- 

 beak, is for the one seen by me near 

 Bangor, Aug. 16, 1895. I was driving 

 west from the village at sunrise and 

 noticed the bird, a fine male, fly from the 

 woods, cross the road and alight on the 

 roadside fence. Having at diff'erent times 

 seen some very fine mounted specimens, I 

 at once recognized the bird. He did not 

 seem afraid and sat upon the fence within 

 forty feet of me, and would have been an 

 easy mark for a collector. I do not think 

 that the Cardinal breeds in this particular 

 locality, as I cannot learn of anyone having 

 seen them here during the season of 1895, 

 or in subsequent seasons. I have also been 

 through these woods myself, in the nesting 

 season, but without finding the Cardinal 

 present. The woods referred to, lying on 

 Maple Creek and Black River, adjoining 

 the village corporation, are used for picnics 

 and on public occasions, and are much fre- 

 quented by persons who would recognize 

 the Cardinal if found, so I have little 

 doubt the single specimen seen by me had 

 wandered from its usual haunts. 



The Wild Turkey. 



The days of the Wild Turkey in Michi- 

 gan seem, indeed, to be numbered. This 

 bird was quite common in Van Buren Co. 

 until 1880, but the gradual clearing of the 

 farms, removing of large tracts of timber 

 by the sawmills and charcoal kilns of the 



