22 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
[Vol. 6-No. 3. 
The Scarlet Tanager, Pyranga rubra, 
arrives here the first week in May, and 
rears but one brood, and leaves at the 
close of Summer. His nest is consequent¬ 
ly adapted only for summer weather. It 
is composed of small sticks and dried 
grass, so thinly woven that the eggs may 
be seen through it. In every case I have 
found it on the horizontal limb of a hickory. 
The eggs, three or four in number, are of a 
dull blue, with lines and blotches of brown 
and purple, thickly clustered about the 
large end. 
The Indigo Bird, ( Cyanospisa Cyanea,) 
seems to be a special favorite with them, 
but in one instance within my notice the 
little “bunting” had outwitted his oppress¬ 
or. The cow-bird had apparently deposi¬ 
ted an egg in their nest before it was quite 
finished, whereupon the owner built a new 
bottom so as to leave the obtruded egg 
enclosed between the two and proceeded 
to lay its own eggs on top. 
The Sparrow Hawk of whose nesting in¬ 
quiry is made. I have met with their 
nests quite frequently, in all insta’^ces in a 
hollow tree in the deserted hole of the 
wood-pecker. The eggs 5 in number of a 
beautiful fawn color spotted with brown. 
We are much indebted to this, the most 
beautiful of all the American Hawks, for 
the destruction of field mice, which would 
otherwise prove a great nuisance to the 
fanners. W. T. Allen, Gaylord, Va. 
Notes from Michigan. 
Tufted Titmouse, (Pophophanes bicolor.) 
A specimen of the above was taken at 
Locke, Michigan, April 12th, 1881. I saw 
a pair of these birds on April 30th, 1871, 
but failed to secure them, being as usual 
in such cases, without my gun, but near 
enough to distinguish their peculiar mark¬ 
ings to a certainty. 
Canada Jay, {Perisoreus cunadermis.) 
A. B. Covert of Ann Arbor, in this state, 
found a nest of the Canada Jay containing 
five eggs May 27th, 1872. It was fifteen 
miles northeast of that city. It is tlie only 
ease recorded as far as I know in southern 
Michigan. In the Northern Peninsula it is 
a common resident. I have seen but one 
specimen of this bird in our woods and that 
was on May 17th, 1876. It came quite near 
me, so there was no difficulty in identifying 
it; unfortimately I did not have my gun. 
Baltimore Oriole, {Icterus galbula.) In 
our State this bird frequents the tops of 
elm and maple trees, have never known it 
to nest in an orchard or near a house. 
H. A. Atkins, M. D., Locke, Michigan. 
[In this State the Baltimore Oriole nests 
on elms, and mostly near dwellings, occa 
sionally in orchards, but very rarely in the 
fields or woods. We never found but one 
in the woods and that was never finished. 
Their nests seem to be made entirely of 
materials furnished by civilization. Will 
our correspondent furnish us a nest the 
the coming season that has been built in 
the forests of Michigan ?— Ed.] 
“Catching a Tartar." Noticing in the 
April number of the Ornithologist and 
OoLOGisT an article by Fred. T. Jencks, Esq. 
of Providence, R. I., entitled “Catching a 
Tartar,” I was reminded of a Tartar of tlie 
same genus caught by a Florida Gallinule 
on Seneca River N. Y., in the year 1875. 
My uncle while enjoying a day’s sport de¬ 
coying ducks, observed, a short distance 
from where he was shitioned, a strange act¬ 
ing bird swimming about in a pool of water 
surrounded by flags. Noticing an enor¬ 
mous bill for the size of the bird and think¬ 
ing it might be a “rara avis,” he shot it and 
presented it to me for preservation. It 
proved to be an adult female Florida Gal¬ 
linule—an abundant species in tliis locality. 
Like the duck spoken of by Mr. Jencks, it 
had caught a mussel and had been caught 
by it, and in a manner quite as aggravating. 
The mussel had closed about midway over 
the lower mandible, and by its vise-like 
grip was surely cutting it off. When I re¬ 
ceived it, this useful member was nearly 
severed. No food was found in the stom¬ 
ach on dissection, and the bird was very 
much emaciated. 
Frank S. Wright, .4.ubum, N. Y. 
