1879.] 26 7 [Brewer. 
was so meagre that I wrote to a much valued correspondent! in Ban- 
gor, requesting him to supply me with the desired data. Happily 
the parent bird of this nest was in existence, and was at once kindly 
forwarded to me. It proved to be, not C. borealis; but, unexpect- 
edly, C. ludovicianus, and my correspondent informed me that while 
the Loggerhead was far from being uncommon, C. borealis was neither 
known to breed nor to be present during the summer, in that neigh- 
borhood. This was « most unexpected revelation, and it at once 
prompted me to ascertain with certainty, if possible, what species of 
shrike it was that had been nesting in and about Castleton and Rut- 
land, Vermont. The result was as I anticipated. Mr. Richardson, 
who had acted in good faith, sent me his parent bird, and this, too, 
proved to be C. ludovicianus, and such undoubtedly have been all the 
shrike’s nests found in that neighborhood, as well as all those near 
Bangor. 
In regard to the nests of the supposed Northern Shrikes, found 
in the vicinity of Utica and Oswego, I have, as yet, been able to pro- 
cure ample evidence in only a single instance; this has been in regard 
to a nest with eges found at Oswego, New York, and in this the parent 
bird was actually borealis. This is the second recorded instance, as 
far as I now know, where there is positive evidence of C. borealis 
breeding within the limits of the United States.? 
As tlie occurrence of what has hitherto been taken for granted to 
be an extreme southern species, in so many instances, and, moreover, 
breeding so freely in Northern New England, is a matter of more 
than common interest, I will give in this connection the data kindly 
furnished me by Mr. Richardson of Rutland, and Mr. Harry Merrill 
of Bangor. 
Mr. Richardson has supplied me with some very interesting notes 
in regard to four nests of C. ludovicianus taken in his neighborhood. 
One of these nests found in 1876, was near the town of Castleton, 
1 Mr. Harry Merrill. 
2 Since the above was in type Mr. D. D. Stone of Oswego, my informant, writes 
me that no example of borealis has been observed in that neighborhood in the 
season of 1879. The parent of a nest secured by him and which he has sent me, is 
pronounced by Mr. Ridgway to be atypical ludovicianus. It is perhaps too soon 
to decide in regard to the presence or absence of borealis in the breeding season 
within the United States, but the more the subject is examined the more conclusive 
appears to be the evidence that there are no data in support of certain opinions so 
positively pronounced, on the affirmative side. 
