NATUEAL SCIENCE NEWS. 



Natural Science News. 



BIRDS OF WESTERN NEW YORK. 



ERNEST H. SHORT. 



376. Snowy Owl. Nyctea nyctea. Occasional winter visitor. 



377a. American Hawk Owl. Surnia ulula caparoch. Occasional 

 winter visitant. L. V. Case reports two from Naples, Ontario Co. 

 Also mexitioned by G. F. Guelf of Brockport. 



Order COCCYGES. Cuckoos, etc. 



Family CUCULID^E. -Cuckoos. 



A Weekly Journal Devoted to 

 Natural History. 



FRANK H. LATTIN, Editor and Publisher, 

 ALBION, N. Y. 



Correspondence and Items of interest to the 

 student of any of the various branches of the 

 Natural Sciences solicited from all. 



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Entered at Albion P. O. as 2nd class mall matter 



The Early Discovery of Coal. 



Bituminous coal, or sea coal, 

 was known upwards of a thousand 

 years ago, in the year 853, but did 

 not come into general use until the 

 1 6th century, and was not used in 

 the manufacture of iron until the 

 17th century. Anthracite coal 

 came gradually into use so late as 

 the 19th century, and was not used 

 as fuel fn the manufacture of iron 

 until about 36 years ago. 



So early as 1790 anthracite coal 

 was known to abound in the coun- 

 ty of Schuylkill, in the State of 

 Pennsylvania; but it being of a 

 different quality from that known 

 as sea coal or bituminous coal, and 

 being hard of ignition, it was deem- 

 ed useless until the year 1795 

 when a Pennsylvania blacksmith, 

 named Whetstone, brought it into 

 notice. His success in burning it 

 induced persons to dig for it: but 

 when found, every person connect- 

 ed with the enterprise had to ex- 

 periment on its combustion, and 

 vain were the attempts to burn it 

 by the majority of them, and all 

 came to the conclusion that it 

 would not come into general use. 



About the year 1800, Mr. Mor- 

 ris, who had a large tract of land 

 in Schuylkill county, Pennsyl- 

 vania, procured a quantity of coal 

 therefrom, and took it to Philadel- 

 phia city, but he was unable with 

 all his heroic exertions to bring it 

 into notice, and abandoned all his 

 plans. From that time until 1806 

 it was talked about as a humbug; 

 when accidently a bed of coal was 

 found in digging a tail race for a 

 water wheel for a forge, which in- 

 duced another blacksmith, David 

 Berlin, to make a trial of it. His 

 success was generally made known, 

 which induced others to try to burn 

 Pensylvania coal. - -Scientific Amer- 

 ican. 



387. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 

 dent and breeds. 



Coccyzus americanus. Summer resi- 



388. Black-billed Cuckoo. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Common 

 summer resident and breeds. 



Family ALCEDINID^.— Kingfishers. 



390. Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon. Common summer resi- 

 dent and breeds. 



Order PICI. Woodpeckers. 



Family PICIDjE. —Woodpeckers. 



393. Haiky Woodpecker.. Dryobates _ villsosus. Resident and 

 breeds. Not as common as next. 



394. Downv Woodpecker. Dryobates pubeseens. Common resident 

 and breeds. 



402. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus varii/s. Regular 

 migrant though not common. A rare breeder. A nest containing four 

 young found in Medina by Harry A. Chase. 



405. Pileated Woodpecker. Ccpphlaus pileatus. Rare resident and 

 breeder. Seems to be confined to the wildest parts of the southern 

 tier of counties. 



406. Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes ery throe ephalus. Com- 

 mon summer resident and breeder. 



409. Red-bellied Woodpecker. Melanerpes carolinus. Regular 

 visitor in small numbers. Most common in December. 



412. Flicker. Colapies auratus. Common summer resident and 

 breeds. Occasional winter resident. 



Order MACROC HIRES. Goatsuckers, Swifts and Hummers. 



Family CAPRIMULGID/E. - Goatsuckers. 



417. Whip-poor-will. Antrostomus vociferus. Rare summer resi- 

 dent and breeds. 



420. Nighthawk. Chordeiles virginianits. Summer resident and 

 breeder. 



Family MICROPODIDiE.- Swifts. 



423. Chimney Swift. Chcetura pelagica. Common summer resi- 

 dent and breeder. 



Family TROCHILIDiE.— Hummingbirds. 



428. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Trochilus colubris. Common 

 summer resident and breeder, 



