Mrie AULD UBIO NB ULE E TIN Si! 
Chicago. Flycatchers, vireos, sparrows of all sorts, various warblers come 
in swarms, because of the abundant insect life always infesting the haw- 
thorns, wild crabs, etc. Among the rarer birds seen here are the osprey, 
Carolina wren, rusty blackbird, prothonotary and bay-breasted warblers. 
Terns and Bonaparte gulls are common in May. Ducks come in here and 
an occasional double-crested cormorant. The rails, the green heron and the 
night heron find refuge here. Recently much of the area south of the Santa 
Fe Railroad, which was watersoaked until late spring, and was covered 
with rank vegetation, has been drained by the mosquito abatement en- 
thusiasts. 
Notes from Athens, Illinois 
By Watson HAtyi 
A record-breaking cold wave struck here at 1:15 p. m., October 17th. 
That morning a chimney swift was seen traveling South, apparently in 
company with several robins. Also in the morning I saw one of the largest 
flocks of grackles that I have ever recorded. This flock, as well as others, 
contained quite a few starlings. he latter are increasing rapidly, but so 
far have been seen only during the late fall and winter. In the afternoon 
a flock of thirty geese was seen and for the following ten days ducks and 
geese were seen at intervals. Press reports from Quincy, Beardstown and 
Havana stated that the waterfowl slaughtering was the best in years. 
An interesting goose migration occurred on the 23rd. ‘The evening 
before a flock of 30 Canada geese was seen and the next morning flocks 
of 17, 100 and 9. About 1:00 p.m. a flock of 19 blue geese and 16 snow 
geese went over, headed Southwest, and followed by flocks of 125, 125, 
135, 150, 180 and 80. These flocks contained from 10 to 20 per cent blue 
geese and the rest were snows. ‘They were a beautiful sight as they cut 
across the clear October sky. Other goose reports for that day were flocks 
of 25 (probably snow geese), 400 “low enough to see the gray and black 
markings,” 52 ‘white and gray geese,’ which stopped at a small pond, and 
from which three were killed and a flock of “brant” which lit in a field 
and from which one was killed and a flock “very high, at dusk.” 
During this ten-day period perhaps 10,000 migrating crows were seen 
and many hawks, the abundance of the latter arousing some comment. This 
abundance of raptores continued throughout the fall. On December 23rd 
15 hawks and five owls were seen. A goshawk, shot on December 6th, was 
carrying the carcass of a quail. — 
Perhaps 20 turkey vultures have been seen here this year, the first on 
June 12th, and the last on October 31st. Several residents said they were 
the first they had seen in years. 
More upland plover than usual were seen during the fall migration. 
Some hunters found bobwhite very scarce, but in this immediate vicinity 
they were fully as numerous as usual. 
