C OCC CK, CCE LCL CLC CCK Cf Seek << en CE Se GEESE age CECE EER Ce CCE Pan< Ge COE ec oo prccea OEE CELE « CEC © EC EE C CRE es SOEEE 8 CMC EEE. ; es: ata = EEE EEE ES EE nq igi a : | ja rT & . a are = < cc. reece < bc KG CC (eae c BECK ©. OEE SSE OE RAC CCCCE +s Soe CG CERRO Ce secs Come S > \ C MC ME <4 Ss aa oe ME Ce a ae SS & Se Sic CO aici GUaae < CC x ees, CCE ef KE a CC a EC Cae CCK aaa CORA MRR CeCe CLA E CCQEC Mie ie SSAC ES AA — "THE OOLO IST. VOGROXEX DVat5 NO. 12: ALBION, N. Y. Dec., 1907. WHOLE No. 245 THE OOLOGIST, A Monthly Publication Devoted to OOLOGY, ORNITHOLOGY AND TAX!1- - DERMY. FRANK H. LATTIN, Publisher, ALBION, HN. Y. ERNEST H. SHORT, Editor and Manager. Correspondence and items of interest to the student of Birds, their Nests and Eggs, solicited from all. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: Single subscription 50c per annum NMMPIENCOPICR Es: cis) su nlc) s sue es OC each The above rates include payment of postage. Bach subscriber is given a card good for a Want, Exchange or For Sale Notice. (This card is redeemable at any time within one year from date thereon.) Subscriptions can begin with ary number. Back numbers of the OOLOGIST can be fur- mished at reasonable rates. Send stamp for de- seriptions and prices. Remember that the publisher must be noti- ted by letter when a subscriber wishes his pa- per stopped, and all arrearages must be paid. ADVERTISING RATHS: 5 cents per nonpareil line each insertion. 12 lines in every inch. Seven inches in a col- umn, and two columns to the page. Nothing inserted for less than 25 cents. No ‘‘special rates,’’ 5 cents per line is ‘‘net,’’ ‘‘rock bottom,”’’ ‘‘inside,’’ ‘‘spot cash’’ rate from which there is no deviation and no commission to agents. If you wish to use 5 lines or less space it will cost you 25 cents; 100 lines, $5.00; 1000 lines, $50. ‘‘Trade’’ (other than cash) adver- tisements will be accepted by special arrange- ment only and at rates from double to five times cash rates. Due Bills and Cards payable in ad- vertising will be honored only at regular rates in force at the date of issuance of said bill or card. Remittances should be made by Draft, Ex- press or Postoffice Money Order, Registered Letter or Postal Note. Unused U. S. Postage Stamps of any denomination will be accepted for sums under one dollar. Make Money Or- ders and Drafts payable and address all sub- scriptions and communications to HRNEST H. SHORT, Editor and Manager, ili, Monroe Co.. N. Y. Some 1906 Notes. On May 5th, while up near May- field, northeast of Gloversville, I fougd a nest of ‘the Migrant Shrike, alhins ludovicianus migrans (Was . excubitorides?—Ed.) in a fo tree, 10 feet up. The nest contained six fine eggs, which imme- diately attracted my attention be- cause of their great size. Unfortun- ately the eggs were very far incubat- ed and I only took two of them. These are typical of the Migrant Shrike, except for size, measuring 1.03 x .72 and 1:01 x .71 in. respec- tively. - They are in the collection of the State Museum at Albany. On June 2, I found a nest of the Nashville Warbler, Helminthopila ru- bricapilla. The nest was in a piece of low woodland on the ground and partially roofed over like an Oven- bird’s. It was composed of pine needles, etc., lined with finer ones. The eggs were four in number, two of which were accidentally broken. On all sides of the nest except the front was a semi-circular row of small maple shoots. The old birds were very shy and it took an hour’s patient waiting to identify the species. The eggs were white in color, marked del- icately at the larger end with red- dish brown. They measured .60x.46 and .56x.44 in. respectively. On June 3, I found a nest of the Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus ery- throphtalmus and noticed that it eon- tained two eggs. While over there the next day, I happened to look in- to the nest and was amazed to find four eggs. I am certain as to the above statements and have come to the conclusion that two birds must have had but one nest, although the eggs were indistinguishable from one another. — CHAS. P. ALEXANDER. Gloversville, N. Y. 182 THE OOLOGIS1. HK. H. Short: — Dear Sir:—On Oct. 7th of this year I found a nest of three young Gold- finches nearly ready to fly. The nest was in a cypress about six feet up: Is not this an unusual date? AVAN ROSSEM. Ans.—It would be in the Hast. Let us hear from other Western collec- tors. Editor Oologist:— Dear Sir:—I was interested to note the comparative measurements’ of eges of the Great Blue Heron from different sections of the country, by Mr. Thompson in the September Oolo- gist. It seems to me that if those who possess eges of any of the wide- ly distributed species would submit the measurements to the Oologist for publication, whenever those measure- ments are unusual, that there might thus be brought to light much inter- esting and instructive data. I note in the measurements refer- red to above, that the eggs from Maine are much more elongated than any others. I have a set of two eggs of the Bald Hagle taken in Maine, which are very unusual in the same way, measuring: 3.20 x 2.27 and 3.04 x 2.21 in. If it is a general tendency for eggs of a species to more elongate in one section than in another, it would be of interest to know the fact and to search for the reason. B. G@. WILLARD, Millis, Mass. > —___ A Morning’s Egg Hunt. Sunday morning, June 16th, this past spring was just about the right time to look up the warblers and smaller breeders, as they were all a couple of weeks later than usual. I was up at dayight and was soon hust- ling up the river road for the mouth “ we of a large mountain stream. | Birds were Singing everywhere along the mountain side and among others I heard several mourning warblers, but. did not stop, and the only nests noted were several catbirds and robins. Ar- riving at the turning in point, I was. soon walking on an old log road and then I slowed up and began to look for nests. The valley of this stream and surrounding mountains is wild land and uninhabited. In the valley for about 5 miles is a heavy and al- most continuous growth of rhododen- dron or buck laurel. For several miles the timber is heavy and is made up in a great part of hemlock and some pine. ‘Many big boulders lie scat- tered about and the ground is car- peted with deep moss and beautiful ferns. In this region and similar places hereabouts when the condi- tions are so canadian, many of the more northern breeders find a sum- mer home and such northern mam- mals as the varyin&é ‘hare or white rabbit, porcupine, woodland jumping mouse still flourish. It was a beautiful day, clear and cool, and birds were singing every- where. I started in and went slow, and after the trip was ended I con- cluded it was one of the best trips. I ever had. Going but a short dis tance a pair of juncos became great-. ly excited. The cause I soon found was a nestful of five eggs under the edge of the bank along the road. Very soon I spotted a Magnolia warbler’s nest in the top of a little bunch of hemlock about five feet up. It held three eggs, which I left for a full set. Stopping to drink from a clear, cold. spring, I noticed another Magnolia’s nest situated about the same and con- taining one egg. Farther up where the timber was heavy and the ground damp and shady I noticed way out on. the edge of a long drooping" ~ limb and directly oveg THE OOLOGIST 183 vireo sitting on her nest. It was about 20 feet from the ground ‘so I shinned up a birch that grew _ just within about 10 feet of the nest and as soon as I got a little above the nest I found as I expected a solitary vireo at home. Descending, I cut a pole, fastened a fork stick on the end for a hook, and again ascending, I pulled the limb over and safely land- ed the nest. In a laurel Swamp where the timber was open I heard a yel- low-bellied flycatcher, but it was a nasty place, so I wasted no time. The yellow-belly is very rare in summer, but probably breeds. For a mile fur- ther I tramped up an old tramway finding another Magnolia nest with an incomplete set, and then I arrived at a slashing well studded with scat- tering hemlocks and thuge dead stubs. Here on the 10th I had heard the loud call of an olive-sided flycatcher. I heard both birds this time, and soon found them perched on big stubs. I watched for over an hour but they showed no signs of nest building, so I concluded the nest must already be finished, and that I might as well wait a week until the old bird. com- menced to set. In June, 1904, I locat- ed a pair and after lots of watching I found and secured the nest and 3 eggs, which as near as I can find is the only record for Western Pennsyl- vania. The bird is rare, but I have probobly seen more of this bird and more specimens in Pennsylvania than any collector in the state. While watching the flycatchers, I saw plen- ty of birds. I noticed two birds ma- king regular trips to a small beech among the hemlocks. Going over, I found a nest of solitary vireos build- ing. For some reason this nest was never finished. Saw a yellow-bellied woodpecker feeding its young high up in an old stub and quite low in another was a also full of young. i Mourning and chestnut-sided warb- lers also yellow-throats were very much in evidence, but after thrash- ing about for a short time amongst the briars and brush I quit them. Also noticed red-tail and red-shouldered hawks, besides many commoner ‘birds. Starting to cross the stream I saw a good big trout, possibly a foot long, and while sizing him up I noticed a winter wren’s nest under the end of a rottem moss-covered log that stuck out over the ‘bank. It was, of course, too late for this, as the young had al- ready left. Starting up the mountain, I found a Magnolia’s nest just finished. In a heavy patch of mountain laurel I found a beautiful nest of the black- throated ‘blue warbler, containing 38 egs, which I left. Coming out on a point on the opposite side of the mountain I found a Magnolia at home on four fresh eggs. There was quite a bed of low thick laurel on this point and I ‘hunted it over thoroughly with the result that I found two hand- some sets of four each of b.-t. blues, also four or five old nests showing this to be a favorite place. A couple of male Blackburnians were singing at this place but I could find no nest. However, on my trip the following Sunday I did find a nest from which a couple of days later I secured a heavily marked set of four. I visited the nest from which on May 26th I got the handsome set of sharp- shin hawks. As there was no signs of the old birds about I took ithe nest along to go with the eggs. Besides the warblers mentioned I saw several water thrusheg and black and whites, a few redstarts, quite a number of Canadians and black-throated green and a few hooded; Oven-birds, and parulas were common. {HE OOLOGIST. 184 ‘JSISIOAO UB AQ ONSST ISB WOAJ P9zJTUIO SBA TOIYA ,.SUTFUN]] Jo[QIv AA UUUNYNY,, JO UOLZBNUTZWOD B ST 9B} SIGL JAVJapsy UBOLIOULy: WU poysvoiq-MOT[IA JBOIYY-MOTJTOX UY J1O N parquaagd IOTQIVM PepIs-jnuyseq yO IaTGivA UvETNAID IOTQIVAA MOT[OA IaTqIv A, paduLM-Ueploy sjUepIsey JeuruoNng Io[qivA\ UBIpvUuBy IoTQIV AA JHOTO9UMOD Yysniy ], 1098 A IO[QIVA Weg TdT GIB AV. Uday poyvoIyy-YOVvl LI[GIVAA UVIUINGAOVl IapqivA\ [Tod-yorltg TdT qre A, poysvorq-Avq IOTGIV A BILOUSBIA, IOTQIBAA O[JAATA Id[GIVAA ANT poyvosyy-yovypg_ Iayqiv A Avy advo IOTGIVAA BINABT UlI}89 AA LdTGIBAA VESSouaT, I9[GIV AA O[[IAYSBN * 9,06 T ll Tx 6x T Tx lt I Ik Wyte ToT QIv A 9FIY MM pus xovl| Ves 9g JSnsny Zael T Bx gydag Bx Py. gydag Ge ii Tx L°~O Tx} GT» gz “dag i. ACranGe| ie. Py| 93 ysnsny Tx Px QL g ‘ydog Tx| T | Px! Sx Glx Gy, eT ‘ydag (y ie Ly eT “3deg (Se Tice Gly. L°?O lf i GT 0G%|06 |SLx Ble STx 6 °VO Tx Plx|8lx|Sl Gx Cle 0g “ydag Cle Gx Tx! Te! Tx GLix 6 “dag Gx| Sx} Gx Gx | Lx Lx Tx Z| supumay |SiSiPiSiSiSiSiSi Fi SiS Se Pe Flee ; Nested peers [ Sara | ssotat [ex Sates [eee arctan |e ea a Hel Miser e ke) st oS gq | 0g | 99 a @ a SON ro] po} no] no] eH] | co] NT] * Tae Nee ey | ee ee @ | oo] co] }] oOo] & W] BO |e] O] or) ow Oy |) Dae) ama eS bo —_ mW (oF) Ve) ~J | | ’ e a Ln gen J 2 THE OOLOGIST. 185 THE QUAIL TRAP. From Connecticut. The Quail Trap, Oct. 23, 1907—No, we were not awheel during ithe spring migration, or in the early summer, nor is the tonneau of a motor car at any season an ideal place to observe the movements of birds. And night flyers rarely flew into the forward glare of our acetylene. ‘Moving lights so slose to bushless unturfed road- way do not appear to attract jour- neying birds like the tall mariner’s lanterns along the coast in direct lines of migration. But as ithe cars run more at night and go further afield, now and then a deer may be fascinated or charmed by the head- lights. But this novel firelighting is not likely to become a fad at present. Several times we have seen rabbits and skunks run under the car on moonlight nights. In running at half speed from York Beach, Maine, along most of the beaches in New Hampshire, Massa- ‘ chusetts, Rhode Island and Connecti- cut and all along the south shore of Long Island, we saw about the usual number of small beach-birds, gulls, surf ducks and common waders. Black-crowned nights and great blues were commonly noted, but no white herons. But this season six snowies stayed over night in the brackish pools on Groton Long Point in our own county. Two eagleS were seen fishing for flotsam and jetsam at Hampton Beach. TFHarlier in the sea- son, motoring to the war office, we narrowly missed surprising a fine whitebeak in the Boothbay ‘barn lot —once the Dr. Sweet place—on Le- banon Green. Eagles of both species are so rare on Connecticut farms that they figure largely in the village chronicles. Their visits are too of- ten welcomed with a charge of squir- rel shot. No sparrowhawks were seen during the last week’s run and goshawks have not yet come down. But both goshawks and snowy owls will be seen by the sharp-eyed motorists along shore next month. Passing through Narragansett Pier twice, we were lucky enough to see part of the stray flight of hawks, all highfliers and not easily determined. The three buteos and one accipiter were among the few we saw on trees by the roadside.. The southbound worb- lers did not seem to be partial to the asphalt and macadam, and we de- termined but six species from the machine. We saw the famous Ipswich spar- row near Swampscott—or felt sure we did. In a fisherman’s doorway was a large maple stump with twen- ty big and little holes drilled in it. Two of the flickers’ holes could be reached from the ground, and in some of the upper holes I presume resident downies wer in winter quar- ters. I would have given a tidy sum if I could transport that stump in sec- tions to a place of honor in my cab- inet. In Hast Woodstock I had per- mission to remove just such an apart- ment house of the carpenters (as the Cubans ‘call them), but a high wind blew down and splintered my prize. Nowhere on the south shore of Long Island did we see one of the great assemblies of swallows such as I have repeatedly seen on the north side be- yond Orient. While the Road Run- ner was rapidly skimming through Larchmont and New Rochelle, we saw two birds near at hand and a bunch a little way from the car which by the law of exclusion must have been startlings. These intro- duced birds are increasings along the Bay shore, not uncommon in New Haven, and have now appeared in Mystic and New London in our own 186 THE OOLOGIST. county. (See Bird Lore for Septem- ber.) The licensed gunners of the state would now form a grand army corps of 12,000 men. This may be a good school in case of war with Japan, but it means present death to bobwhite, this year’s chicken hatch, and many an old “Biddy.” Suppose all the Nor- wich noble 500 should “go” at once. But just suppose two-thirds, or only one-half of this home guard of woods. Imagine the noisy scene! It would belittle the War in Flanders or the confusion attending the famous Bat- tle of the Frogs at Windham. The law does not prescribe or limit the battery to be taken afield by the licensees. So presumably anything can be carried from a toy pistol and duck gun up to a Gatling cannon. And some gunners are coming near to a Gatling in the auto or pump gun, which, when turned loose on a big bunch of ‘birds rising singly, does murderous work. As I write, eight reports in quick succession tell us that the auto-gun is at work in our woods, and I fear it means slaughter of the innocents. There is a family of grey squirrels feeding daily on the nuts of the famous hickory in the Boothby yard on Lebanon green, and the raiders are welcomed by the fam- fly. But who of the big Norwich con- tingent will be the first to shoot at the greys now living in the Little Plain on Broadway? We freed a pair there kindly given us by Mrs. .Thurs- ton Lillibridge. As I foretold, the country news-budgets weekly record the shooting of great horned and bar- red Owls by the licensed shooters. This is a pity, when these owls keep down the vermin and red squirrels. Several great blue herons have also been killed, and in only one instance has this illegal act been punished. A Woodcock came into the garden of B. P. Bishop on Broadway in Aug- ( ust. I can recall the time when the late S. T. C. Merwin—the crack local of his day—used to get two or three woodcock every season near Apple- ton Meech’s spring, now on the con- vent ground at the foot of Otis street. On Oct. 2 a Florida gaillinule was: killed by the wires on the Baltic road and brought in to me by Selectman Lillibridge. I have met this gallinule once on Fisher’s Island, twice at Say- brook and sparingly om Long Island. The waterbirds of this county are not well written up and a chapter in their life histories could be added by Nor- wich observers. It would ‘surprise many to know that last June both rail and marsh wrens were breeding within 10 minutes’ walk of Franklin Square. Mr. ’Renno Blackstone found a full set of incubated eges of Grebe right here at home. My own horned owls are faring finely in their roomy home near the Quail Trap. They rel- ish their eight ounces of raw ‘beef nightly and are lively and in full plumage. The heavy winter furring on their feet is like that of the Arc- tic owls whose advance guard is com- ing to us soon. Of destroyers of bird life other than the self-styled sportsmen, there has been no lack at the Quail Trap this summer. I surprised two black snakes fighting over a nest of -young redwings and Cyril Paine killed a five-foot racer with a female robin in its mouth. In our meadow full of redwings, few nests escaped rifling. Huge snapping turtles have been abundant this year and they get some birds. One foggy morning in August from the first car for Worcester out of Southbridge, I saw the motorman get several huge tortoises from the tracks, and he made an honest penny by selling the turtles to restaurants. Since my warning about the Italian aliens these gentry have not only been shooting on So y, 7.0 eae died mt! ae ‘brown, mottled with white.” THE OOLOGIST. 187 without license and bagging ‘small birds, but in Mystic Lyme, and other towns ‘have been trying to kill the game wardens sent in the woods to arrest them. C. L. RAWSON. 23. A eee The Great Grey Owl in Eastern New York. The Great Grey Owl, Scotiaptex cinerea, is a rare and somewhat irregular visitor in Hastern New York. E. H. Short does not include the species in his “Birds of Western New York,’ nor does R. Hoffman make mention of it in “Birds of New England and Hastern New York.” There are two specimens on exhibi- tion in the State Museum at Albany. I have two records of the occur- renec of this bird in Fulton county, New York. The first specimen was probably ‘brought into the county by the heavy winds and severe snow-fall of Noy. 11, 1906. The bird was found dead along the car track near Broad- albin, on Nov. 15, ’06, and was sup- posed to have been killed ‘by contact with the train. I examined the bird the next day and made the following observations: “LL. 29.25 in.; extent, 59 in.; tail, 12.65 in.; bill, upper mandible, bright soap-yellow, except along tomia where it is ashy-white; lower mandible, greyish. Facial disc, light grey, with concentric, rather indistinct marks of blackish-brown, or black; a large dark mark at lower edge of disc on each side of bill. Under parts white heavily striped and streaked with dark blackish-brown; upper part of breast unmarked, whitish; above, Sex, male; stomach empty. A second specimen was brought in- to Hotaling’s Taxidermist office on Dec. 16, 1906. This specimen was cla* ~ 3en secured in the northern part of Fulton county, (pos- sibly over the line in Hamilton coun- ty), and is a female ‘bird, slightly larger than the other with shorter alar extent (30.12 in. and 56 in.) re- spectively. C. P. ALEXANDER. 1s)» Please Note. If your subscription has expired or expires with this number you will re- ceive no more copies of The Oologist until we receive your renewal. If you renew a month before your subscription runs out you will avoid the necessity of sending for back is- sues to keep your files complete. We are sending bills this month to all who are in arrears. If your sub- scription expires with this issue you will find your wrapper so stamped. BUS. MGR. ————* <> —________—_ In Review. “American Birds,’ by Wm. L. Fin- ley. Studies from life with the aid of the camera. 247 pages, 127 half- tones from photos, cloth. Chas. Scrib- ners’ Sons. This work seems typographically perfect and the contents are interest- ing from cover to cover. Mr. Finley mentions his indebtedness tto Mr. Bohlman in the introduction and from the copyright marks on many plates, we judge that this was quite considerable. Mr. Finley states in his introduc- tion that “to the ordinary bird lover a robin, flicker, chickadee, ete. is the same,” irrespective of whether east- ern or western species. While almost all the contents of the book treat of western (Pacific coast) observations, he writes for the whole country on the above assumption. Assuming this statement to be true, it is apparently another case where “the ordinary bird lover’ has something to learn. 188 We read the first study in the book through carefully (Hummingbird Studies). The editor of the Oologist has no field acquaintance with West- ern Hummers, but he has had several opportunities to make pleasant and- profitable visits to Mrs. Rubythroat of the Eastern U. S., while she was home-building and housekeeping, and in some respects his observations did not point to the same conclusions as Mr. Finley arrived at. We have not found the Eastern bird selecting nesting sites with ref- erence to protection from storms, as a rule, In other respects their hab- its appear to differ. Again, on page 46, he speaks of it being a very rare occurrence for a bird to sing on the nest, and quotes Mr. Burroughs in support. Did either Mr. Finley or Mr. Burroughs ever make a close study of a pair of nest- ing warbling vireos? As far as our observations go, every sitting bird of this species sings: from its nest in early morn, to its mate, al- Ways in the near vicinity. On page 11 he advances a theory in explanation of the apparent exile of the father Hummer during the rearing of the annual family that may be correct. I might say much more. It is full of interest. Read it. HRNEST H. SHORT. <= _.— To the Editor Oologist, Dear Sir:— Will you kindly tell me if possi what kind of bird makes a nest grasses wrapped nicely with leaves with a very little hair inside, very deep about 5 or 6 inches, and very rough on the top, no pretention what- ever to forming an edge as mostbirds do. The grasses stand straight up not formed around. Nest situated near stream in the ground. The eggs are pure white and about about size of Phoebe’s and spotted with reddish brown near the larger end. I found the nest but could not see the bird at all waited a long time. I Yo > THE OOLOGIST. think it must be some kind of a warb- ler. Can you tell from my rather vague description. Hoping you can assist me and thanking you in advance for any in- formation I remain, Yours sincerely, lege: Je Mass. Would have to see the eggs. [Ed.] Toledo, O., Oct. 14. SSS SS Mr. Ernest H. Short, Dear Sir:— I wish to record the capture of a Willet (symphemia semipalmata) py Mr. A. K. Secor and Mr. Wm. A. Ketcham, both well known business as welll as sportsmen, at Cedar Point, Oct. 10, 1907. This is an extremely rare bird here; there is no record that I can find since 1880, although this is the third specimen that these gentlemen have taken; the others have not been preserved. Your truly, A. C. Read. Hd. Oologist:— Oct. 27, 1907, while out hunting, I. saw an albino crow, which was feed- ing in a corn field in company with a common black fellow. 'The plum- mage was entirely white, with the exception of the tail feathers, which were marked with black. It was very shy and could sot be approach- ed. W. W. ZJr., Oct, 1 407: Kalamazoo, Mich. as ~—~