Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



17 



fall, as every year I find several nests. 

 On Sept. Itt, 1897, I found a Black-billed 

 Cuckoo sitting on four fresh eggs. I 

 stepped up and examined the nest, and the 

 bird, true to its habit, at once abandoned 

 the nest. On Sept. 3d, 1894, I found a 

 nest ol this Cuckoo in a large spice bush, 

 and as the heav}- frosts had taken the leaves 

 from the buslies, I watched them from a 

 distance without disturbing them. On 

 Sept. 12, I found four young birds and an 

 addled eg^ in the nest. The birds cared for 

 the young until the 18th, when, a very cold 

 autumn rain began ; they then deserted 

 their brood and w^ere not seen again. 

 Bangor, Mich. 



An Ideal Spot. 



N. A. EDDY. 



Hardly a season passes but what we 

 succeed in adding a few new names to our 

 list of birds in this vicinity. It is the con- 

 stant expectation that you may find some- 

 thirjg new that gives zest and pleasure to a 

 short trip a-field, particularly during the 

 spring migrations. We were especially 

 fortunate a few years ago, as the birds were 

 on their northern journey, in finding a spot 

 near our bay shore that must be admitted 

 is nearly an ideal ground for the collector. 

 A small extent of country possessing many 

 of the features of the deep forest, with the 

 broad waters of the Saginaw Bay stretching 

 for over thirty miles to the east on one side, 

 while to the west lie low lands and swamps. 

 Here grow the white and Norway pines, 

 mingled with which are the oak, beech, 

 birch and other varieties of our less com- 

 mon trees. Can you imagine a more per- 

 fect spot in which to meet our feathered 

 friends as they come hurrying up from the 

 South in perfect swarms in early spring? 

 And you must also bear in mind that this 

 is right along the bay shore, with a vast 

 expanse of water on one side and a country 

 destitute, to a great extent, of trees on the 

 other, forming, as it were, a perfect sluice- 

 way through which all the forest inhabitants 

 must pass on their journey north. To the 

 east, on the broad waters of the bay and 

 along the sandy shores, come the Ducks, 

 Geese, Gulls, Sandpipers and Plovers, 



while to the west, among the low lands 

 and swamps, will be found those varieties 

 common to such environments. 



It is from this particularly favorable 

 locality that during the past few seasons 

 we have added many new species to our 

 collection, such as the Wood Pewee, Phila- 

 delphia Yireo, Blackburnian Warbler, Or- 

 chard Oriole, Crested Flycatcher, Ping- 

 neck. Shoveller, Canvas-back and Surf 

 Ducks aud White-winged Scoter; while 

 such rare and uncommon varieties as the 

 Magnolia, Palm and Black-throated Blue 

 Warblers, Semipalmated Plover and Baird's 

 Sandpiper, will be met with here if at all. 

 It was here that we noted last season, for 

 the first time for this locality, the American 

 Osprey, although the species had been 

 formerly, some years ago, observed at 

 Heisterman's Island, on the east shore of 

 Saginaw Ba3\ Not far from this locality, 

 in the spring of 1897, Mr. Edward Arnold 

 took a set of eggs of the Bald Eagle. 



This is our favorite collecting ground, 

 and we trust that the season now upon us 

 will find us a frequent visitor to this, "An 

 Ideal Spot." 



Bay City, Mich., March 21, 1898. 



Bird-Dlumes. 



PERCY SELOUS. 



THE estimable crusade against the 

 wholesale slaughter, and, in too 

 many instances, torture of birds 

 for millinery purposes, of which Miss Mar- 

 garet Fox and others are such admirable 

 exponents, recalls to my mind the windows 

 of some of the shops in Pio de Janerio. 

 The first feeling on seeing the wonderful 

 featherwork here exhibited, can onl}^ be 

 that of admiration, but when you come to 

 think of the immense number of tiny 

 plumes needed to produce only one of these 

 screens, the other side of the case advances 

 itself, and it is, or should be. something 

 more than the almost prohibitive price 

 which will make you less anxious to own 

 one of them. Nor is this all. You have 

 only to go up into the mountains, where 

 the Hummingbirds and others are secured, 

 and witness the barbaritv of the collectors, 

 as I did, to make you, if you have any 



