oittred.ountn'iicrorD 
ISSUED EVERY FRIDAY 
— Y.Y— 
E. F. BIGELOW, Editor and Publisher 
PORTLAND, CONN. 
FRIDAY EVENING, MAR. 16, 1888. 
ORNITHOLOGICAL, 
A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF PORTLAND, 
CONN., AND VICINITY. 
Written by ITIr. Charles Nell', with 
Jottings from His Journal. 
IV. 
Great Horned Owl—resident through¬ 
out the year—but seldom seen, they 
breed in the wild rocky section in the 
eastern part of the town. E^^s are 
laid as early as the 22nd of February. 
Mottled Owl—common species—resi¬ 
dent throughout the year, a nocturnal 
species—I have found parts of flying 
squirrels, robins, bluejays and other 
species of birds in their nests which are 
in holes of trees. Mournful notes of 
this species of oavIs are sometimes 
heard evenings in fall. 
Long Eared Owl—sometimes seen 
here during the fall and winter months. 
Short Eared Owl—sometimes seen 
here on the approach of cold weather. 
Barred Owl—few specimens of this 
species are taken here nearly every 
fall. Appear to be much more com 
mon some years than others. 
Snowy or Arctic White Owl—this 
species is an irregular winter visitor 
here. One was shot at the Cromwell 
quarries a few years ago. I have a fine 
specimen taken here in the meadows, 
November, 20, 1885, it was in fine plu¬ 
mage and measured four and a half feet 
across the wings. Their flight is simi¬ 
lar to that of hawks. 
Arcadian Owl—few specimens of 
this owl have been taken here during j 
the fall and winter months. Are the ! 
smallest species of owl found here. 
Wood Pewee—summer resident— 
build a handsome nest, covering the , 
outside with lichens so as much to re¬ 
semble the limb it is built upon. Nest 
resembles a humming bird’s, but is of 
larger size. Eggs are also very pretty. 
Whipporwill—summer resident—noc¬ 
turnal species—eggs are laid on the j 
leaves on high dry situations in the | 
woous. nesb is maue. i once saw 
a whipporwill so tame as to allow her¬ 
self to be lifted from her eggs with n 
walking stick. They can be approached 
easily in the daytime and fly but a 
short distance on being disturbed. 
Night Hawk—summer resident. 1 
have seen them several times sitting on 
trees and fences. Always sit length¬ 
wise of the limb or rail. Eggs are laid 
on the ground near or on rocks in 
barren rocky pastures. No nest Is 
made. They prefer a lot where there 
are no cattle, their eggs are handsome¬ 
ly marked. Night hawks are sorne- 
, times seen in large flocks during fall 
migrations. 
Chimney Swallow—common summer 
resident, nesting in chimneys. In the 
fall, 1886, hundreds of them could be 
seen going into a chimney at the Rus¬ 
sell place. For several nights they 
swarmed about the chimney like a 
swarm of bees before going in. 
o o 
Ruby-Throated Humming Bird—‘ 
well known—only species of hummer 
found here—build a beautiful mossy 
nest which can scarcely be distinguish¬ 
ed from a knot on the limb, two eggs 
are their complem ent. 
Belted Kingfisher—found during 
summer about the river or along brooks 
! —eggs are laid in holes dug in the 
sandy banks. I have seen this species 
here in fall after the river has frozen 
over. 
Black-billed Cuckoo—summer resi¬ 
dent—builds a loose nest of sticks 
scarcely enough to hold the eggs. 
T ellow-billed Cuckoo—summer resi¬ 
dent, nests similar to the yellow bill, 
usually arrive late in spring. 
Hairy W oodpecke r—resident 
throughout the year, but not common, 
breed in holes in trees. Holes they dig 
in the side of the tree are as round and 
true as an augur would bore. 
Downy Woodpecker—common resi¬ 
dent throughout the year. 
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker—rare. 1 
once took a good specimen on Fir 
Neck, Little river. 
Red-beaded W o o d p e c k e r—t h i s 
species is said to have been common 
here about forty years ago, but they 
disappeared and but an occasional one 
has been seen for many years until the 
fall of 1881 when there was a flight of 
them. They appeared here in consid¬ 
erable numbers and could be seen and 
