4 TEM ONG ATU DY UsBtOENR SB SUF ie ler 
Green-tailed Towhee in Illinois 
By RALPH, EISEMAN and NELDA MCQUATE 
ON JUNE 1, 1954 we observed a Green-tailed Towhee, Chlorura chlorura, 
near the beach house at Montrose-Wilson Beach, Lincoln Park, Chicago, 
Illinois. It was first seen at about 8:45 a.m. and was kept under observa- 
tion by us for about 45 minutes. The bird was not shy, and good views 
were obtained of it at close range through seven and eight- power binocu- 
lars. Most of the time the bird was foraging on the ground under shrub- 
bery. Then it flew to perch on a nearby snow fence, where it sang several 
times. On visits to this area on subsequent days by various bird students, 
the bird was not found. 
The following field notes were taken: about the size of a Red-eyed Tow- 
hee; crown, rufous; nape, gray; back, gray; wings, green, yellow at bend; 
no wing bars; tail, dark, sometimes appearing greenish; lores, appearing 
white when the bird was facing us; auricular patch, gray; throat, white 
with black whisker mark; breast, grayish; upper part of belly, white and 
lower part, gray;. longitudinal light gray streaks on belly; under-tail 
coverts, gray; legs, light-colored. 
The bird was identified in the field with the aid of Richard H. Pough’s 
Audubon Bird Guide and Roger Tory Peterson’s A Field Guide to the Birds, 
and comparison of notes with specimens in the Chicago Natural History 
Museum confirmed our identification. The only important discrepancy was 
the gray streaking on the belly, which the specimens in the museum lacked. 
Inquiries at the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo disclosed that 
they had not lost a bird of this species. As far as we can determine, this 
is the second Illinois and the first Chicago record for this species. The first 
Illinois record was an individual seen north of Murphysboro, Jackson Co., 
Illinois, on April 17, 1953 (1953, No. 4, Audubon Field Notes, 7:276). 
Ralph M. Eiseman, 7928 S. Colfax, Chicago 17, Illinois, and 
Nelda J. McQuate, Univ. of Ill., Chicago Undergraduate Div., Chicago 11 
‘al ft ft 
Strangers Within Our Gates 
By Mrs. Amy G. BALDWIN 
(Ed. Note: The following article was received rather late for a previous 
issue of the BULLETIN, and was further delayed in transcription. It is printed 
now in the hope that it will indicate a number of birds to watch for in 
the Chicago area during the coming season.) | 
THE YEAR 1953 brought many surprises for the bird-watchers of the Chi- 
cago area. Some of these appear once or more a year but are never com- 
mon: the Kittiwake, Little Gull, Purple Sandpiper, and the Burrowing Owl 
(seen here only twice before}. One of the owls, unfortunately, was shot by 
a boy; we hope the other two returned west safely. 
