July, 1917 Ml 



FROM FIELD AND STUDY 



The Bohemian Waxwing in Colorado. — The Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla gar- 

 rula), though erratic in its movements, visits Colorado in numbers every winter; but not 

 within the memory of the oldest settler has it heretofore appeared along the eastern foot- 

 hills and the western edge of the great plains in such large flocks as in 1917. It has 

 attracted the attention of thousands of people who never noticed the species before, and 

 who supposed that it was something unknown. 



The first word I had of the arrival of these birds in the state was from Mr. O. De 

 Motte, who reported a flock of a thousand at Wall Street, in the mountains of Boulder 

 County, about January 10, and smaller flocks from time to time until March 5. Tele- 

 phone communications reported large flocks at Longmont on February 25, in the or- 

 chards. On March 2, during a heavy snowstorm, and for several days thereafter, my 

 office and house telephones were kept busy by numerous reports from excited men, 

 women and children in various parts of Boulder, telling of the thousands of queer birds 

 gathered in the orchards, and asking what they were, whence and why they came, where 

 and when they were going. I was especially pleased with the interest shown by the 

 teachers in seeking accurate information concerning the birds and their habits, for the 

 benefit of their pupils. 



The birds fed upon the frozen apples, a feast prepared for them by an unexpected 

 freeze early last autumn. I counted five hundred waxwings in one tree and estimated 

 that there were at least 10,000 or 15,000 within a radius of half a mile from the county 

 court house. The large flocks began to break up about March 12, perhaps because the 

 larger food supplies were giving out; but individuals and smaller flocks were seen daily 

 until March 28. No Cedar Waxwings were seen. Reports of waxwings in equal abund- 

 ance in Denver began to appear in the Denver newspapers a few days after their ap- 

 pearance in Boulder. A similar visitation was reported in Grand River Valley, on the 

 western slope, several years ago, and then, as on this occasion at Boulder and Long- 

 mont, frozen apples provided them with a banquet. — Junius Henderson, Boulder, Colo- 

 rado. April 11, 1911. 



Another Instance of Lead Poisoning in Ducks. — During the winter of 1907-08, the 

 writer learns from Mr. J. H. Bowles, of Tacoma, that Mallards {Anas platyrhynchos) suf- 

 fered in considerable numbers from the effects of lead poisoning. So far as known this 

 occurred only at the Nisqually Plats, located between Tacoma and Olympia, where the 

 Nisqually River empties into Puget Sound. These flats have been shot over by duck 

 hunters for the past forty years and have doubtless become fairly well charged with lead. 

 So far as known only the Mallards were affected, but in this species as many as twenty- 

 seven pellets were taken from a single stomach. No recurrence of this trouble has been 

 reported until the present season of 1917, when on March 3, the writer collected an adult 

 female of the Scaup Duck (Marila marila) . This bird was found in the same vicinity as 

 the others, and was unable to fly because of its greatly weakened condition. While skin- 

 ning it no wounds were found, but an examination of the contents of the stomach re- 

 vealed twelve duck shot and nothing else. In this instance, as in all the others, the walls 

 of the stomach were eaten away, to a considerable extent, and the larger intestine had 

 become slaty blue in color. The ducks evidently mistake the shot for sand, or gravel, and 

 eat them with their food. It is interesting to note that this is the only local record of the 

 kind since 1907-08, although the ground has been thoroughly worked over by careful ob- 

 servers. — Stanton Warburton, Jr., Tacoma, Washington, March 8, 1911. 



Fork-tailed Petrel and Baird Sandpiper in Southern California. — The following 

 good records of birds rare in southern California have resulted from the systematic 

 beach work being carried on by the Museum of History, Science and Art. 



Fork-tailed Petrel (Oceanodroma f areata). A total of nine birds found dead on the 

 beach in the vicinity of the village of Sunset Beach, Orange County, in 1916, as follows: 

 One each on May 15 and 22, three on May 25, and four on June 1. Two of these were 

 fresh enough to save as skins, while skeletons were made of several others. All were 

 found in a distance of less than a mile, six within forty feet, and four in a space hardly 

 eight feet square. In the last case the proximity of the birds suggests that they died on 

 the beach. 



