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Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



Lanids borealts [Viell]. — Great Northern Shrike. — While at Lyons 

 Falls, Lewis countj', N. Y., on August 28, 1883, at about 12:30 p. m., 

 on my return from a collecting excursion, near a large barn on the 

 Lyon estate, I noticed a large flock of birds near the ground, and, on 

 my nearer approach, a Shrike (from its large size probably the Great 

 Northern Shrike), suddenly arose from the ground, and perched upon a 

 fence about thirty five yards distant from where I was. He was beset by 

 this flock of birds, consisting of about a dozen bobolinks, and as many 

 sparrows. The action of these birds indicated bitter hostility to the 

 Shrike. They circled around him savagely, chirping and darting 

 down at him. He squatted low on the top of the fence, and attempted 

 to parry their attacks. Twice he came near tumbling off the fence in 

 his endeavors to defend himself, quick flits of his tail serving to aid 

 him in recovering his lost balance. After a few moments he appeared 

 to give up the contest, and darted quickly away over the marshy 

 meadow, with the attacking birds in full pursuit. I soon lost sight of 

 all the participants in this, to me, strange chase. 



Bubo virginianus [Gm.], Bp. — Great Horned Owl. — In Dr. F. W 

 Langdon's Miscellany, Vol. v., No. 2., of the Journal of the Cincin- 

 nati Society of Natural History, page 94, mention occurs of the 

 taking of two young birds of this species in the nest, near Brookville, 

 Indiana, on April 16, '82, and that one of these birds was larger than 

 the other. The skins of these birds have recently come into my pos 

 session, and observing quite a marked difference in the size, I wrote to 

 Edgar R. Quick, the collector of them, asking him his opinion as to 

 the cause of such difference. Under date of December 2, '83. he re- 

 plies: " The nest was situated about two miles southwest of Brook- 

 ville, in the hollow of a large white oak, about thirty feet from the 

 ground. I shot the old one, and climbed to the nest, where I found 

 the young which you speak of, then in the downy stage of plumage. 

 The difference in size was then very marked. My theory to account 

 for this fact was formed from my experience in feeding the birds, 

 which I kept for some time afterward. In the first plac , the eggs 

 were laid in cold weather, and the female must necessarily have to 

 sit on the first egg as soon as it was laid; then, owing to the tardy 

 action of nature's forces at that time of year — probably the latter 

 part of February — the second egg was probably laid some days after. 

 Thus the birds would hatch at different times, and the older. of the 

 two would be the stronger, and in the struggle for life, would get the 

 most food. It was my experience that if food was given to them in- 



