86 THE CONDOR Vol. XXI 
ust, though reports were received, leaving little doubt as to its presence in the vicinity. 
Five specimens taken, July 5 and 6. 
Geological Survey, Ottawa, Canada, April 5, 1918. 
FROM FIELD AND STUDY 
An Early or Late Nesting of Green-backed Goldfinch?—On November 4, 1918, a 
neighbor called me over to inspect the nest of a Green-backed Goldfinch (Astragalinus 
psaltria hesperophilus) that he had found in his yard. The nest was in an apricot tree 
about eight feet up, and from which all the leaves had fallen. It contained two partially 
feathered young. The fact that autumn had bared the trees of their foliage made it look 
especially odd.—N. K. CarPenTER, Escondido, California, November 14, 1918. 
Grackles Nesting in Herons’ Nests.—On June 8, 1918, at Little Fish Lake, Moose 
Mountain District, Saskatchewan, on a wooded island, I found a colony of Great Blue 
Herons breeding. Under and in the sides of their large nests, which were about 25 feet 
from the ground, five or six pairs of the Bronzed Grackle (Quwiscalus quiscula aeneus) 
had built their nests, these latter containing young.—H. H. MITCHELL, Provincial Museum, 
Regina, Saskatchewan, October 25, 1918. 
Notes on the Black-bellied Plover and the Golden Plover.—It seems to me highly 
probable that the Golden Plover (Charadrius dominicus dominicus) may be more num- 
erous along the Pacific Coast than is generally supposed, and possibly the same may be 
said of the Atlantic Coast also. Without wishing to cast any slurs upon ornithologists 
in general, it is nevertheless a fact that even the experienced bird man must be strictly 
on the alert in order to detect a Golden among a flock of Black-bellies (Squatarola squat- 
arola). The average hunter undoubtedly consigns them all to the pot as the same thing, 
when, if he were only told the difference, he would be likely to hand the rare one over to 
a bird student. 
The somewhat smaller size of the Golden Plover, with its three front toes and no 
hind toe, instead of the three front toes plus a well defined hind toe in the Black-belly, 
are evident enough when the bird is in hand. However, these recognition marks are ob- 
viously useless when the birds are flying or running along the beach. I know of but one 
wholly satisfactory clew to the birds in life, which is the tail and the upper tail-coverts. 
The Black-bellied Plover shows an exceedingly prominent amount of white on these 
parts, while the Golden Plover shows none at all, with the exception of a few bars on 
the tail. 
Another means of field identification are the jet black axillars, in all plumages, 
of the Black-belly in contrast with the pale feathers of the Golden. These can be seen, 
however, only when the birds have their wings raised and are broadside to the observer; 
but any bird that shows black on the under side of its wings is not a Golden Plover. 
For the benefit of those who do not know, it may be of interest to say that both 
of these birds are without much doubt to be found along the Pacific Coast, to at least 
as far north as the state of Washingon, at any time between August 15 and May 15. 
The Black-bellied Plover is a winter resident, beyond question, and the same would 
probably hold good with the Golden Plover (see Connor, xvi, 1916, 31). Records of the 
Golden Plover along the Pacific Coast are so few that the estimate given above as to 
their probable time of occurrence must be taken as purely theoretical. However, my 
twenvy-five years acquaintance with our North American shorebirds makes me fairly 
certain that the estimate is not greatly at variance with the actual facts, if these could 
be ascertained. 
We have all undoubtedly posted our sportsmen friends to be on the lookout for a 
“Widgeon with a red head”, which he must turn over to us without a feather missing. 
Having thus put a lookout for a male European Widgeon, let us also impress upon these 
same long-suffering friends the necessity of saving for us any Black-bellied Plover, also 
called “Beetle-head’”’, that shows no white’ on its lower back and no black under the wing. 
It may not benefit you often, but it does sometimes.—J, Hooper Bow tes, Tacoma, Wash- 
ington, October 15, 1918, 
