Bulletin of the Michigan Ornithological Club. 



37 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Recent Occurrence of the Wild Pigeon {Ectopistes 



migratorius) and Cardinal (Cardinalis 



cardinalis) at Ann Arbor. 



October 1st, j898, word was brought me of the occur- 

 rence of a large flock ot Wild Pigeons feeding about 

 twelve miles from this place. The morning of October 

 3rd found Brown Peter in the buggy shafts, carrying the 

 writer and his wife at a good clip over good country 

 roads for the Township of Salem, Washtenaw County. 

 An hour's ride found me on the ground. The pigeons 

 were feeding on new land that had raised a crop of 

 buckwheat still standing in the shock. 



On my approach the flock took wing, but I was soon 

 snugly hidden in a natural blind and in an hour's time, 

 I should judge, the flock had all returned. I remained in 

 my hiding place until the farm bell warned me it was 

 the dinner hour, so after gathering a basket of mush- 

 rooms I returned to the house. 



After dinner, as I again approached the field, the 

 birds took wing but soon returned. Near my hiding 

 place stood a dead walnut tree, and at many times 

 during the day from three to twenty birds would be 

 perched thereon, while on the ground was a constant 

 movement of wings as the birds in the rear seemed to be 

 jumping over those ahead. I should judge there were 

 about two hundred birds in this flock, and had I so 

 desired, many times during the day I could have 

 slaughtered from a dozen to twenty birds by using 

 both barrels of my gun, but at four o'clock I left them in 

 peace; not a gun had been fired or a pigeon molested — 

 a day well spent with Nature and Nature's God. 



I afterward learned that a few days following my visit 

 four things in the disguise of men sneaked on to these 

 birds and at one discharge slaughtered about fifty of 

 them, causing the remainder of the flock to take its 

 departure. 



Sunday, December 18th, a small boy brought me 

 a "Red Blue Jay," stating that it was killed Thursday, 

 Dec. 15, inside the city limits on West Huron St. A 

 few days after this a resident of that street who takes 

 more than ordinary interest in our birds, asked me 

 if I thought it possible for the Cardinal Grosbeak to 

 winter with us. I was as immediately alert as "a bird 

 dog on a hot scent of quail" for his reasons for 

 asking, when he informed me that the latter part of last 

 March or the first part of April a pair of Cardinals 

 had made their appearance at his place, remaining 

 all summer; but that he had missed them during the 

 autumn; about Dec. 1st they had again made their 

 appearance, and his wife had seen them quite frequently 

 since. I then told him of the combination of the small 

 boy, shot gun, and "Red Blue Jay," and I'm afraid the 

 next shot gun, accompanied by a small boy, found in 

 that region will find it unhealthy. 



A few days since I called on the lady above mention- 

 ed, and she told me she last saw a Cardinal Jan. 

 4th, and that it was a dull colored one. Further 

 questioning of the residents ot that neighborhood 

 revealed the fact that quite a few had seen the birds 

 the past summer. One old gentlemen in particular told 

 me of its loud whistling song, and said that it came every 

 morning to a certain apple tree. He had cautioned 

 the above mentioned small boy that he must not kill the 

 bird, and he became very indignant when he learned 

 of its death. 



It will be remembered that on Dec. 3, 1897, 

 Mr. C. S. Burnham took a fine male, " near Cedar 

 Bend, along the Huron river, this city, and that on Jan. 



1, 1898, Mr. Norman A. Wood took a female ten 

 miles south of here. Are the Cardinals to become 

 residents of lower Michigan? A. B. Covert. 



Ann Arbor, Mich. 



Greenville Notes. 



On April the 10th (1898) a Rough legged Hawk, 

 which had been wounded by a boy, flew across the 

 swamp and settled in my garden and I could identify 

 the species with ease. As I went for my gun it flew 

 back across the swamp and was again shot at by the 

 boy, but the bird escaped. This is the first time I have 

 seen one during my residence here of six and a half 

 years. 



The cold wave which passed over this section on June 

 25th played sad havoc with the Ruby throated Hum- 

 mingbirds, many of which were picked up under the 

 flowers, aud I myself found one dead in my own garden. 



On July 27th there were three Greater Snow Geese on 

 the river above the bayou. I am sorry to say that 

 one was shot and another wounded, but I was unable 

 to trace the actual offender. 



The telephone wires and electric lights are responsible 

 for the deaths of many birds. Last week I picked up a 

 Carolina Rail uuder the wires and a few days previously 

 a hoary or silver- tipped bat [Lasitirus cinereiis), 

 both of which had broken their wings against the 

 network of wire. Putting on one side the Sparrows, 

 the Purple Martins breed much in the roofs of the lights 

 and nest, eggs and young are ruthlessly cast on to 

 the ground to perish. The law is no respector of 

 persons, but the electric light seems to claim exemption 

 apparently. 



Last year I alluded to the scarcity of Nighthawks 

 in and over Greejiville, compared to former years 

 when they were plentiful. This year I have been 

 very careful to note and have up to the present seen two, 

 one on May 17th and one on August 28th. 



Jan. 16, 1899. There is a large flock of Cherry 

 Birds feeding on the maples in this city and in company 

 with them are some dozen or so of Bohemian Wax- 

 wings, easily distinguishable by their larger size and 

 darker color. This is the first time I have seen this bird 

 in this county during my residence here of nearly 

 seven years. 



Percy Selous. 



Montcalm County, Mich. 



A Remarkable Plumage of Our Common Quail 



{Coliniis z'irginianiis.) 



A few days since I had the pleasure of spending 

 an afternoon with Mr. L. J. Cole. In looking over 

 his collection I came across the skin in question, 

 which Mr. Cole kindly presented to me. The following 

 is a very fair description: Forehead and superciliary 

 line, white; throat black with a broad white patch 

 on either side, this \\hite patch being bordered all 

 around with black which forms a broadly defined 

 streak from the bill underneath the eye well down 

 the side of the neck: the black also invades the 

 lower neck, forming a broad band across lower 

 throat; upper parts of breast brownish red, each 

 feather being crossed with two black bars; rest of under 

 parts white, each feather being narrowly skirted 

 with black, producing a similar shelly or scaly appear- 

 ance to that of the Scaled Partridge {Callipepla 



* An account of this capture was recorded in the April, ('98) 

 number of the Bulletix, page Itt, but the date was, by mistake, 

 iriven as Kovember. 



