On June 11th, 1901. while walking through a dense clumj) of swamp elms 

 on the Olentangy levee, I spied a nest of this bird at a height of al)out ten feet. 

 It was in a delicate situation, but by resting what seemed about one-half of my 

 avoirdupois on an elm sapling, and entrusting the other half to the air, I man- 

 aged to secure a glimpse into the nest. I saw that it was good. The nest itself 

 was somewhat awry. It had doubtless been planned right in the first place, 

 but the last wind, or the rapid growth of engaging twigs had lifted one side 

 higher than the other. It contained four eggs, three normal and fresh ; the 

 other off in every way. except as to size and shape. The egg in question was 

 absolutely unmarked, and bore every evidence of having been exposed to the 

 weather for a great length of time. It was porous wnth age and the contents 

 perfectly hard. How it might have come into a nest of recent construction along- 

 with three fresh eggs I am quite unprepared to sa}'. 



Traill's Flycatcher is found only in localities conforming to rather exact 

 requirements. The bird loves brushy swamps and lowland thickets. In a suit- 

 able swamp of a few acres it may abound, so that one writer has stated, rather 

 extravagantly, that it nests in colonies. On the other hand it may be entirely 

 wanting for miles around. Altho nests of this species have been frequently 

 found of late, comparatively little systematic work has been done upon its life 

 history. The bird reaches Ohio about the second week in ^Nlay f Columbus, ^lay 

 5th, is an early record, possibly of E. t. ahionon ), raises one brood and disap- 

 pears early in September. Authorities differ, as usual, in the interpretation of» 

 the notes: 'IVhit-fe-ar;' and later in the season "Hoyf-tc-ar" were what Dr. 

 W'heaton heard. An energetic szi^ee-chee or szccc-cJiu suits most. An early mi- 

 grant at Columbus once startled me with a most emphatic enunciation, .zu'ee-bcn* 

 and once again zzvec-beiv, zn'cct. This bird was evidently not E. Jiamvwudi. but 

 he had acquired the precise accent of the western species. 



FOOD HABITS OF BIRDS 



By Frank Chapman 



To the members of this family are attributed numerous misdeeds, and al- 

 though much attention has been given to their food habits, their injurious habits 

 are said to be so nearly balanced by beneficial ones that it is difficult to deter- 

 mine which outweighs the other. 



Crow {CorvHs amcricaniis \ . — '"That he ( the Crow ) does pull up sprouting- 

 corn, destroy chickens, and rob the nests of- small birds has been repeatedlv 

 proved. Xor are these all of his sins. He is known to eat frogs, toads, salaman- 

 ders, and some small snakes, all harmless creatures that do some good eating- 

 insects. With so many charges against him, it may be well to show whv he 

 should not be utterly condemned. 



"The examination of a large number of stomachs, while confirming all 



