Part 2

11. =Polioptila cærulea=, _Sclat._ BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.—Common in the heavy wooded bottom lands on the Brazos, Spring Creek, and San Jacinto, and especially abundant on Buffalo Bayou when the magnificent _Magnolia grandiflora_ is in bloom. Almost with the agility and grace of a Hummingbird, it flies around the showy flowers in pursuit of insects. Nest-building commences early in May. This beautiful little domicile is built very high, in small branches of elms, swamp oaks (_Quercus palustris_) and other densely leaved forest trees.

12. =Lophophanes bicolor=, _Bon._ TUFTED TITMOUSE.—A very common bird and resident throughout the year, even in the city gardens, where it is exceedingly tame and confiding. Breeds as early as the beginning of March. Nests in deserted Woodpeckers’ holes, in old stumps, in cedar-posts, in hollow branches, etc.

13. =Parus carolinensis=, _Aud._ SOUTHERN CHICKADEE.—Very common and familiar. Resident throughout the year. April 15 I discovered a nest of this diminutive bird in an old fence-post; it contained six nearly fledged young. The cavity was filled up about nine inches with soft mosses, cow’s hair, and the fur of smaller animals. Usually the nest is built in the hollow of a branch.

14. =Thryothorus ludovicianus=, _Bon._ CAROLINA WREN.—Very common in all low wooded localities with dense underbrush. Thickets of smilax, blackberry bushes, snowball (_Viburnum molle_ and _V. dentatum_), _Rhamnus carolinianus_, _Bumelia lanuginosa_, intermixed with a few larger trees (oaks or elms), which are commonly overgrown by the mustang-grape and the grotesque forms of the supple jack (_Berchemia volubilis_), are its favorite resorts. In a few instances I have known a pair to build their nest in a bird-box near a dwelling.

15. =Thryothorus bewicki=, _Bonap._ LONG-TAILED HOUSE WREN.—Abundant in all suitable localities and very familiar, breeding in bird-boxes, stables, corn-cribs, and even in houses over doors, etc. One pair built their nest in the pocket of an old coat, hanging out doors.

16. =Troglodytes aëdon=, _Vieill._ HOUSE WREN.—Only a winter visitant, occurring in considerable numbers in secluded localities.

17. =Cistothorus palustris=, _Baird_. LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN.—Rare during the migrations.

18. =Cistothorus stellaris=, _Cab._ SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN.—Observed so late as May 2 in the marshy prairie districts in the northern part of Harris County, and in September in the sugar-cane fields on the Brazos in Ford Bend County. Probably breeds.

19. =Anthus ludovicianus=, _Licht._ AMERICAN PIPIT; TITLARK.—Very common during winter, from the middle of November to the second week in April. Comes fearlessly in the streets of the city and in the door-yards.

20. =Neocorys spraguei=, _Sclat._ MISSOURI SKYLARK.—Observed small flocks early in November on the prairies near Houston. They were often associated with _Passerculus savanna_, and in habits resembled very closely the Titlark. All disappeared soon.

21. =Mniotilta varia=, _Vieill._ BLACK-AND-WHITE CREEPER.—Not uncommon during the migrations. Noted first March 22. At the 15th of April the majority depart for the north, only few remaining to breed.

22. =Parula americana=, _Bon._ BLUE YELLOW-BACKED WARBLER.—This beautiful little Warbler is rather common during the migrations in all wooded portions, especially in the river bottoms, where almost every tree is covered with the long gray Spanish moss (_Tillandsia usneoides_). Some remain to breed, as I have seen the parents feeding the young in July and August.

23. =Protonotaria citrea=, _Bd._ PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.—A not uncommon summer resident in marshy localities on Spring Creek and in Ford Bend County in the Brazos bottom, where so-called lakes are abundant. It breeds in hollows of trees, deserted Woodpeckers’ holes, and in stumps standing in the water. I usually met with this bird in localities where the Little Blue Heron (_Florida cærulea_) and the Snowy Heron (_Garzetta candidissima_) were common. I can add nothing to the unsurpassable life history of this bird given by Mr. William Brewster in this Bulletin, Vol. III, pp. 153–162.

24. =Helmintherus vermivorus=, _Bon._ WORM-EATING SWAMP WARBLER.—A few seen April 6, 1881, in a flowering plum tree in a city-garden.

25. =Helminthophaga chrysoptera=, _Cab._ GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.—Common during the migrations, in October and April.

26. =Helminthophaga peregrina=, _Cab._ TENNESSEE WARBLER.—Not uncommon during migrations.

27. =Helminthophaga celata=, _Bd._ ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.—Seen only during migrations and very rare.

28. =Dendrœca æstiva=, _Bd._ SUMMER YELLOW BIRD.—Very abundant during migrations. Not a very common summer sojourner, but quite regularly distributed.

29. =Dendrœca coronata=, _Gray._ YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.—The most common of all the Warblers from November to April. Winters abundantly in this region and numbers visit the gardens, even those in the interior of the city.

30. =Dendrœca maculosa=, _Bd._ BLACK-AND-YELLOW WARBLER, and

31. =Dendrœca blackburniæ=, _Bd._ BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, are both, so far as I observed, exceedingly rare during migrations.

32. =Dendrœca pennsylvanica=, _Bd._ CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.—Somewhat common in the latter part of April and early in May.

33. =Dendrœca castanea=, _Bd._ BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.—This elegant Warbler is one of the most common of its family during the spring migration. I observed small flocks of from eight to ten so late as May 5.

34. =Dendrœca striata=, _Bd._ BLACK-POLL WARBLER.—Transient; arrives from winter quarters late in April, when the host of Warblers pass northward. Tolerably common.

35. =Dendrœca virens=, _Bd._ BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.—Abundant during migrations. Moves in flocks of from four to ten.

36. =Dendrœca dominica albilora=, _Ridg._ YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER.—A very rare summer resident and very difficult to observe in the high moss-grown forest trees of the river bottoms. The song resembles that of _Dendrœca æstiva_, but is louder and more varied. I think it is almost impossible to discover a nest of this bird in the high trees, so densely covered with _Tillandsia._

37. =Dendrœca pinus=, _Bd._ PINE WARBLER.—Winters in small companies in the woods in the northern part of Harris County, near Spring Creek.

I did not find so many Warblers as I expected, although I kept a diligent lookout. I did not observe _D. palmarum_, _D. canadensis_, _D. discolor_, or _D. cærulea._

38. =Siurus auricapillus=, _Sw._ GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH.—Transient and not common.

39. =Siurus nævius=, _Coues_. WATER THRUSH.—Not uncommon in suitable localities during migrations.

40. =Oporornis formosa=, _Bd._ KENTUCKY WARBLER.—A common summer resident; exceeding in numbers even the Maryland Yellow-throat, with which it occupies the same localities. Common in wet fields with patches of low bushes, and in the dense undergrowth near water. Visits frequently the country gardens. Very abundant on Spring Creek, in the northern part of Harris County, and in Montgomery County. Arrives about April 21. Commences nest-building early in May. Nest very difficult to find.

41. =Geothlypis trichas=, _Cab._ MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT.—Arrives about April 15, from its winter quarters. A common summer sojourner. Like the preceding species, most common in grassy localities with thickets interspersed. On a farm near Houston is a wet piece of land containing about two acres, where I found three pairs breeding. Through this runs a ditch and the whole ground is covered with high broom-grass (_Andropogon macrurus_) with briar patches, thickets of water oak. _Viburnum dentatum_, black haw (_V. pruneifolium_), etc. The field is surrounded by an almost impenetrable hedge of Cherokee roses (_Rosa lævigata_). Here the Yellow-throats occur with Kentucky Warblers, White-eyed Vireos, Yellow-throated Vireos, Painted Finches, and Blue Grosbeaks, all living in harmony. Two broods are raised yearly in this latitude. In almost every nest of this bird, and also of the Kentucky Warbler, eggs of the Cow Bird are to be found.

42. =Geothlypis philadelphia=, _Bd._ MOURNING WARBLER.—Transient and rather rare.

43. =Icteria virens=, _Bd._ YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.—A common summer resident, arriving from its winter quarters about April 15. Many winter in sheltered places. Its most favorable resorts are brier-patches in fields, thickets on the edge of woods, myrtle-holly thickets overgrown with tangled Smilax laurifolia, and similar localities. Nest in the interior of thickets near the ground; it has some resemblance to the Catbird’s, and is built of nearly the same material.

44. =Myiodioctes mitratus=, _Aud._ HOODED WARBLER.—This beautiful species is common during migrations. Arrives from the South in the last part of April, when the host of Warblers migrate northward. I never observed the bird during the summer months and do not think that any remain to breed.

45. =Myiodioctes canadensis=, _Aud._ CANADIAN FLYCATCHING WARBLER.—Not very common during the spring migration.

46. =Myiodioctes pusillus=, _Bon._ BLACK-CAPPED WARBLER.—I consider this the most common species of the genus during migrations.

47. =Setophaga ruticilla=, _Sw._ AMERICAN REDSTART.—Moves northward late in April and early in May, when the throng of Warblers migrate to their summer quarters in high northern latitudes.

48. =Vireosylvia olivacea=, _Bon._ RED-EYED VIREO.—A common summer resident in all the deciduous woods.

49. =Vireosylvia gilva=, _Cass._ WARBLING VIREO.—Evidently a rare species, even during the migrations.

50. =Lanivireo flavifrons=, _Bd._ YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.—Abundant and breeding. The first nest, beautifully constructed, I discovered April 28 in a high blackberry-bush about four feet above the ground, near Houston. It contained four fresh eggs and one of the Dwarf Cowbird (_Molothrus ater obscurus_). Nest and eggs in my collection. Many more nests were discovered during the months of May and June, and many contained one and two eggs of the Cowbird.

51. =Lanivireo solitarius=, _Bd._ SOLITARY VIREO.—Rare during migrations.

52. =Vireo noveboracensis=, _Bon._ WHITE-EYED VIREO. A common summer resident in localities where _Viburnum dentatum_, _V. molle_, _V. pruneifolium_, _Rhamnus carolinensis_, _Cornus florida_, laurel-oaks (_Quercus imbricaria_), and elms are growing, especially on the borders of woods, in open thickets, peach gardens, etc.

53. =Vireo belli=, _Aud._ BELL’S VIREO.—A common summer sojourner. A not quite finished nest was discovered April 15 on a horizontal branch of a _Viburnum dentatum_ on the edge of a thicket, about five feet above the ground. It contained three fresh eggs. The nests of this Vireo are more purse-shaped and deeper than any other Vireo nests I am acquainted with.

54. =Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides=, _Coues_. WHITE-RUMPED SHRIKE.—A generally dispersed summer resident, but not abundant. Prefers to build in the hedges of the osage orange.

55. =Ampelis cedrorum=, _Vieill._ CEDAR BIRD.—Abundant migrant. Observed flocks of from thirty to fifty as late as May 6. None remain to breed.

56. =Progne subis=, _Bd._ PURPLE MARTIN.—Abundant summer resident. Arrives March 1 from the South. Breeds in large numbers under the wooden awnings of sidewalks, even in the business part of Houston and Galveston. Abundant also in the country where bird-boxes are put out for its convenience. Two broods are commonly raised in this latitude.

57. =Petrochelidon lunifrons=, _Lawr._ CLIFF SWALLOW.—Seen in great numbers during September, but does not breed in this region.

58. =Hirundo erythrogastra=, _Bodd._ BARN SWALLOW.—Large numbers seen in the latter part of August, but not found breeding.

59. =Tachycineta bicolor=, _Cab._ WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.—Common during migrations. A few observed in summer on the borders of woods.

60. =Cotyle riparia=, _Boie_. BANK SWALLOW.—A few pairs remain to breed in such localities as the banks of Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay.

61. =Stelgidopteryx serripennis=, _Bd._ ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.—A very abundant summer resident. Often nests under the roofs of sidewalks and on old buildings in Houston, but is more a companion to the preceding on the high banks on Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay.

62. =Pyranga rubra=, _Vieill._ SCARLET TANAGER.—A moderately common bird during the migrations. Arrives from the South about April 15 and passes without lingering to its more northern breeding range.

63. =Pyranga æstiva=, _Vieill._ SUMMER REDBIRD.—A common summer resident, particularly in oak woods. It is an elegant species, as are all the members of this family, but is more retired in its habits and quicker and more restless in its motions than the preceding. The song is more varied, louder, and wilder. The nest is usually built on the horizontal branch of an oak, from seven to twenty feet above the ground. It is a very open-worked inartificial structure, and the eggs cannot with certainty be distinguished from those of the Scarlet Tanager.

64. =Astragalinus tristis=, _Cab._ GOLDFINCH.—A very abundant winter sojourner. Feeds almost entirely on the seeds of the sycamore or button-wood (_Platanus occidentalis_).

65. =Chrysomitris pinus=, _Bon._ PINE FINCH.—A somewhat rare winter sojourner.

66. =Passerculus savanna=, _Bon._ SAVANNA SPARROW.—Common resident throughout the year. Breeds on the low grassy prairies, but the nest is difficult to find.

67. =Poœcetes gramineus=, _Bd._ GRASS FINCH.—Only to be found during migrations. None remain, so far as I know, to winter or to breed.

68. =Coturniculus passerinus=, _Bon._ YELLOW-WINGED BUNTING.—Seen occasionally during the winter months.

69. =Ammodromus caudacutus=, _Sw._ SHARP-TAILED FINCH.—Observed near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay. Doubtless breeds.

70. =Chondestes grammicus=, _Bon._ LARK FINCH.—This interesting, lively bird is the most common of its family in all suitable localities, that is, on the prairies, near woods. Departs for the South late in September and early in October; arrives from his winter quarters again in April. Breeds in May, June, and July, and two or even three broods are raised yearly. Nests in gardens on mulberry-trees, in the corners of rail-fences, in cotton fields on the ground, but most commonly on a low horizontal branch of an oak densely covered with _Tillandsia_, on the borders of woods, where they are exceedingly difficult to discover. After breeding-time the birds assemble in large flocks.

71. =Zonotrichia albicollis=, _Bon._ WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.—Rare and occurs only in winter.

72. =Zonotrichia leucophrys=, _Sw._ WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.—Abundant in winter.

73. =Zonotrichia gambelli intermedia=, _Ridg._ GAMBEL’S FINCH.—Not uncommon in winter.

74. =Spizella socialis=, _Bon._ CHIPPING BIRD.—Abundant in October and November, and again in March.

75. =Spizella pallida=, _Bon._ CLAY-COLORED BUNTING.—Abundant in winter near thickets and in fields with brier-patches.

76. =Spizella pusilla=, _Bon._ FIELD SPARROW.—Not uncommon during winter.

77. =Junco hiemalis=, _Sclat._ COMMON SNOWBIRD.—Abundant winter visitor.

78. =Melospiza fasciata=, _Scott._ SONG SPARROW.—Common during the winter months.

79. =Melospiza lincolni=, _Bd._ LINCOLN’S SPARROW.—Common in winter in the thick undergrowth on the borders of woods.

80. =Peucæa cassini=, _Bd._ CASSIN’S FINCH.—A common summer resident on the open grassy prairies. It runs like a mouse through the grass, and is very shy and difficult to observe. A nest I never discovered.

81. =Pipilo erythrophthalmus=, _Vieill._ GROUND ROBIN.—A rare summer resident. A few pairs breed in the woods on Spring Creek.

82. =Calamospiza bicolor=, _Bon._ LARK BUNTING.—Abundant in winter on the prairies.

83. =Euspiza americana=, _Bon._ BLACK-THROATED BUNTING.—A common summer resident. Breeds abundantly in all the prairie districts.

84. =Cardinalis virginianus=, _Bon._ CARDINAL GROSBEAK.—This well-known bird is the most abundant of the family and resident throughout the year.

85. =Guiraca cærulea=, _Sw._ BLUE GROSBEAK.—Regularly distributed summer resident, but nowhere abundant. Nests discovered always in brier-patches in fields, on roadsides, and on the border of woods.

86. =Cyanospiza ciris=, _Bd._ PAINTED FINCH.—Inhabits with the preceding similar localities. Very common from April to October. Nest usually in blackberry-bushes, but always well hidden and not easy to find. These birds are very shy and exceedingly quick in all their motions.

87. =Cyanospiza cyanea=, _Bd._ INDIGO BIRD.—Observed only during the migrations. None I think remain to breed.

(_To be concluded._)

ON THE SESAMOID AT THE FRONT OF THE CARPUS IN BIRDS.

BY J. AMORY JEFFRIES.

In the Bulletin for October, 1881, is a paper by Dr. Shufeldt entitled “On the Ossicle of the Antibrachium as found in some of the North American Falconidæ,” in which the author describes the sesamoid ossicle at the distal end of the radius in the Marsh Hawk (_Circus hudsonius_) as a new bone. Dr. Shufeldt says: “It does not seem possible that a bone the size of one which I am now about to describe could have been entirely overlooked by ornithologists, yet after a careful perusal of such parts of the works of the most prominent writers, as refer to the skeletology of the upper extremity I fail to discover the barest mention as to the existence of any such an one.” Now this bone was figured, as it occurs in _Aquila fucsa_, by Milne-Edwards in his famous work on the Fossil Birds of France, the publication of which began in 1866, so that the bone as it occurs in the _Falconidæ_ can scarcely be considered unknown to anatomists. The “os prominens” as it occurs in the _Falconidæ_ is a modification of the sesamoid ossicle which very often occurs in the tendon of the tensor petagii longus where it passes over the carpus;[4] its function here being that of a simple sesamoid over the carpus. In many of the _Falconidæ_[5] this sesamoid becomes bound to the distal end of the radius, and lengthened out at right angles to the long axis of that bone, as figured by Dr. Shufeldt. By this means the function of the ossicle becomes very much altered. It no longer slides over the carpus, but serves, since the tendon of the extensor petagii longus includes only its free end, to keep that tendon off the carpus, thus avoiding friction at the joint. Again, since the ossicle attains considerable length,—6 centimeters (millimeters?) according to Dr. Shufeldt in _Circus_,—it materially alters the action of the extensor petagii longus so that it tends much more to extend the hand and draw the thumb away from the index. In this way the extensor petagii longus seems to antagonize the slip of the flexor longus digitorum sublimis, and since its tendon is elastic, owing to the amount of yellow fibrous tissue in it, the action must be to a considerable degree automatic.

My views of the functions of this ossicle are, it will be seen, very different from those of Dr. Shufeldt, who considers it to protect the carpus and greatly increase the area of the wing. This bone, standing up as it does on the anterior edge of the wing, would seem to be particularly liable to injury, sufficient, we should think, to offset the amount it may protect the compact carpals below. The extra area covered by the wing on account of the ossicle is easily measured. It is simply the area of a triangle, which has for its base the difference in altitude between the process of the metacarpus and the sesamoid ossicle, 3 millimeters say, and for its altitude the distance between the carpus and the origin of the extensor petagii longus, say 2.5 decimetres. Absolute measurements cannot be given since no Hawks are to be got in Boston at present. So the entire increase of area would be 3.75 square centimetres, and this increase is at the base of the wing, where it would least increase the resistance of the wing. This difference becomes quite small in the ratio (√2 _a_)/(∛weight) where _a_, the area of one wing, represents hundreds of square centimeters. Yet the ratio is that of the supporting power of the wing to the weight of the body, other things being equal. In the above calculation it is assumed that Dr. Shufeldt meant millimeters not centimeters,[6] when giving the dimensions of the “os prominens.”

To sum up, the bone serves: (1) To keep the friction of the extensor petagii longus muscle off the carpus. (2) To increase the power of that muscle to abduct the thumb. (3) To slightly increase the supporting power of the wing. (4) To protect the carpus (?).

Here it may not be improper to state that during the winter of 1880–81, the writer _showed a specimen_ of the carpus of _Accipiter fuscus_, and explained his views as here stated of the function of the “os prominens,” at a meeting of the Nuttall Ornithological Club.

NOTES ON SOME OF THE BIRDS OBSERVED NEAR WHEATLAND, KNOX CO., INDIANA, IN THE SPRING OF 1881.

BY ROBERT RIDGWAY.

Monteur’s Pond, situated about ten miles east of Vincennes and two miles west of the village of Wheatland, on the O. & M. R. R., is of considerable extent, being about nine miles long by a mile in average width. It is rather a swamp, however, than a pond, probably less than half its area being open water, the remainder filled with trees, chiefly willows (_Salix nigra_) averaging 50–60 feet high, mixed in places with a larger growth, chiefly ashes (_Fraxinus americana_, _F. sambucifolia_ and _F. pubescens_), red maple, and swamp cottonwood (_Populus heterophylla_), the latter chiefly around the margin of the pond, where grow also swamp, white, and water oaks, sweet-gums, and an occasional catalpa (_C. speciosa_). The surrounding country, where not cleared, consists chiefly of original forest of various oaks and hickories, “poplar” (_Liriodendron_), beech, elm, and other trees in great variety, coniferous species being wholly absent.

The pond is never very deep, probably nowhere or at anytime exceeding four feet, and in seasons of drouth becomes absolutely dry, then forming an excellent pasturage for the stock of the neighboring farmers. Even when filled with water, the latter is, in the season of vegetable growth, entirely hidden by a luxuriant growth of aquatic plants, rendering the passage of a boat, of any description, impossible, while numerous muskrat holes and the intricate submerged stems render wading difficult and fatiguing in the extreme. For these reasons the pond was but slightly explored, while it was wholly neglected after the use of a boat became out of the question. I am therefore quite ignorant as to what species may have been breeding in the recesses of the pond, my investigations having been wholly confined to the surrounding fields and woodland, the northern portion of the pond and its immediate vicinity having been the scene of my ornithological investigations from April 15 to May 27.

Notwithstanding the very unusual lateness of the season I found on my arrival (April 15) that many of the migratory birds had preceded me, but subsequent arrivals were carefully noted up to May 6, and are presented herewith.

April 15. Prairie Warbler (_Dendrœca discolor_).

April 17. Yellow-throated Warbler (_Dendrœca dominica albilora_), Yellow-throated Vireo (_Lanivireo flavifrons_), Least Flycatcher (_Empidonax minimus_).

April 18. Prothonotary Warbler (_Protonotaria citrea_), Canada Flycatching Warbler (_Myiodioctes canadensis_), Blue Yellow-backed Warbler (_Parula americana_), Scarlet Tanager (_Pyranga rubra_), Summer Redbird (_P. æstiva_), Lark Finch (_Chondestes grammica_), Summer Yellowbird (_Dendrœca æstiva_), Maryland Yellow-throat (_Geothlypis trichas_), White-eyed Vireo (_V. noveboracensis_), Wood Thrush (_Hylocichla mustelina_), Black-throated Green Warbler (_Dendrœca virens_), Indigo Bird (_Passerina cyanea_).

April 19. Great-crested Flycatcher (_Myiarchus crinitus_), Kingbird (_Tyrannus carolinensis_), Catbird (_Galeoscoptes carolinensis_), Pine-creeping Warbler (_Dendrœca pinus_).

April 20. Golden-crowned Thrush (_Siurus auricapillus_), Kentucky Warbler (_Oporornis formosa_).

April 21. Red-eye Vireo (_Vireosylvia olivacea_), Tawny Thrush (_Hylocichla fuscescens_).

April 22. Yellow-breasted Chat (_Icteria virens_).

April 23. Blue-winged Yellow Warbler (_Helminthophaga pinus_).

April 24. Warbling Vireo (_Vireosylvia gilva_), Ruby-throated Humming Bird (_Trochilus colubris_), Baltimore Oriole (_Icterus galbula_), Chestnut-sided Warbler (_Dendrœca pennsylvanica_), Worm-eating Warbler (_Helminthotherus vermivorus_), Nighthawk (_Chordeiles popetue_).

April 25. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (_Zamelodia ludoviciana_[7]), Blue Warbler (_Dendrœca cærulea_[7]), Hooded Warbler (_Myiodioctes mitratus_), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (_Coccyzus americanus_).

April 26. Black-throated Bunting (_Spiza americana_), Yellow-winged Sparrow (_Coturniculus passerinus_), Wood Pewee (_Contopus virens_), Oak-woods Sparrow (_Peucæa æstivalis illinoensis_).

April 30. Bay-breasted Warbler (_Dendrœca costanea_), Long-billed Marsh Wren (_Telmatodytes palustris_).

May 2. Black-throated Blue Warbler (_Dendrœca cærulescens_), Black-and-yellow Warbler (_D. maculosa_), Chestnut-sided Warbler (_D. pennsylvanica_), Red-poll Warbler (_D. palmarum_).

May 3. Blackburnian Warbler (_D. blackburniæ_).

May 6. Nashville Warbler (_Helminthophaga ruficapilla_), Cape May Warbler (_Perissoglossa tigrina_), Mourning Warbler (_Geothlypis philadelphia_).

May 7. Tennessee Warbler (_Helminthophaga peregrina_).

Among the migratory species which had already arrived by the 15th were the Large-billed Water Thrush (_Siurus motacilla_), numbers of which were heard singing in the swamp, the Black-and-white Creeper (_Mniotilta varia borealis_), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (_Polioptila cærulea_), and a few others.

The nesting season began much later than usual, as the following list, of the earliest date on which the eggs of any species were obtained, will show.[8]

April 27. Yellow-crowned Night Heron (_Nyctherodius violaceus_).

April 30. Hairy Woodpecker (_Picus villosus_), two sets; Grass Finch (_Poœcetes gramineus_).

May 2. Field Sparrow (_Spizella pusilla_), Chewink (_Pipilo erythrophthalmus_).

May 9. Redbird (_Cardinalis virginianus_).

May 18. Red-eyed Vireo (_Vireosylvia olivacea_).

May 19. Prothonotary Warbler (_Protonotaria citrea_), Wood Thrush (_Hylocichla mustelina_).

May 20. Acadian Flycatcher (_Empidonax acadicus_).

May 22. Yellow-breasted Chat (_Icteria virens_), Maryland Yellow-throat (_Geothlypis trichas_), Indigo Bird (_Passerina cyanea_), Black-billed Cuckoo (_Coccyzus erythrophthalmus_).

May 24. Green Heron (_Butorides virescens_).