RANE yi x ay va aye i - it Ate. Ny iy Si ne iat MN 1 Nona eet 1% es BANG Aliss \ HANG . Hs) i ray . CHU TANT HEN i Ro Sony ih = rs. a Sepa See Poses ncae RI eect ene eee SS SS Se aes ns = nee Eee ~ Mee onze. oat anaes b i) r AOR * SAND ee oN SN oe AG Eth rhs ‘ RN - Se Na hoe Rata ms! e Thee te Paneer srt SESE ee SASS: a Sine CORRESPONDENCE. I. J. Hyper, St. Louis.—If you will refer to No. 7 of Vol. I, page 55, you will find the desired information in regard to the Foolish Guillemot. SUBSCRIBERS—will find on our advertising page what back issues can be had. The num- ber is limited ; those who are desirous of ob- taining these should i improve the opportunity. 5<@Supplements to Nos. 9-10 and 11, print- ed on fine paper in pamphlet form, may be obtained of us at 10 cents each. —_—__.-_<9>—_-—___—_ A Fisu Hawx has been kept in confine- ment in Germany for eighty years. THE OOLOGIST. Advertisements. 7 cents per brevier line; 50 cents a square. The Ornithological Directory. A few copies left. Price, 40 cents per copy, post-paid. Send for prospectus. S. L. WILLARD, & Co., Utica, N. Y. New and Rare Eggs from the South. List sent on application. Address The Office of THE OOLOGIST. Hovest N Sfrram ROD and GUN. oo 50 The American Sportsman’s Journal. A WEEKLY PAPER DEVOTED TO FIELD SPORTS, PRACTICAL NATURAL HIS- TORY, FISH CULTURE, PROTECTION OF GAME, PRESERVATION OF FORESTS, YACHTING AND BOATING, RIFLE PRACTICE, AND ALL Out-door [ecreations and Study. This is the only journal in the country that fully supplies the wants and necessities of the GENTLEMAN SPORTSMAN. Terms, #4 a year. Send for a specimen copy. FOREST & STREAM PUBLISHING CO., 111 FULTON St. (Old No. 103.) Post Office Box 2382. NEW YORK. The publishers of FOREST AND STREAM AND ROD AND GUN aim to merit and secure the pat- ronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose refined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that is beautiful iu Nature. It will pander to no depraved tastes, nor pervert the legitimate sports of land and water to those base uses which always tend to make them unpopular with the virtuous and good, and nothing will be admitted to any depart ment of the paper that may not be read with pro- priety inthe home cirele. Itis the aim of this journal to become the medium of useful and re- liable information between gentlemen sportsmen from one end of the country to the other, and to that end it solicits correspondence on any topic Within the scope of the paper. AS an advertising medium there is none better. Oological Supplies of all descriptions ; also Labels, Lists, Cat- alogues, &¢c., at reasonable prices. The Amateur Oologists’ Emporium. |S. L. WILLARD & Co., Oneida st., Utica, N.Y. ‘Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornitho- logical Club: A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. TERMS — $1.00 A YEAR (including postage), | Strictly in advance. SINGLE NUMBERS, 30 cents. Back numbers can be supplied. '$@= Circulars, containing the list of contents | of Volume I, will be sent on application. Remittances by mail will be at the risk of the sender, unless sent in a postal order or draft on Boston or New York. Address all remittances to 3il RUTHVEN DEANE, Cambridge, Mass. froR EXCHANGE—Taken this season. Fine set of eleven 465; set of five 130 and set of five 415. Ten sets, showing vari- ation of 421 and three sets showing variation |of 3387. Ten sets 23, 25 and full sets 15, 38, 44, 3805, 387, 493, 495, 543, 689, 690, 692. JENNIE MAY WHIPPLE, Norwich, Conn. Box 1148, BACK NUMBERS of THE OOLOGIST. We can supply the following issues of this paper at 5 cents each, post-paid. Vol. I, Nos. 5, 6, 11 and 12; Vol. II, Nos. 3 to |12, inclusive. = Those wishing to com- plete their files with these numbers should apply early. Address Tue Ooxroeist, Oneida St., Utica, N. Y. <~RARE EGGS, => such as Nos. 18, 15, 17, 18, 25, 27, 51, 386, 394, 407, 626, 627, &c. for sale very cheap. Com- mon eggs almost given away. If you wish to purchase, send your address on a postal card and a list will be sent you. Will send 100 collectors’ blanks with every or- der of $2.50, or will send 25 cents’ worth of eggs bonus. I will be happy to exchange with any gen- tleman who may have anything in my line that I want. If you wish to exchange send your list when you write. Address SANFORD F. SHERMAN, New Hartford, Oneida County, N. Y. ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. Vouume III, APRIL, 1877. NUMBER 2. SS. ie DP THE COMMON SAND GROUSE. [See page 14.] 10 THE OOLOGIST. ‘Birds’ Egos and Nests. Black-throated Green Warbler. This bird is quite common in the pine and cedar groves of New York, where it nests not uncommonly. The only nest found in this portion of the state of which IT am cognizant, was found about four miles from Utica, in June, 1874. It was situ- ated in a large, thick, elevated wood, most- ly of young trees, and was placed in the crotch of a small moss-covered elm, not more than ten or twelve feet from the ground. Its build was loose and not at all as handsome and elegant as some other Warblers’ nests Ihave found. It was made | of fine twigs of the hemlock, fibrous roots, and _. afew dried weed-stems, interwoven with bits of birch bark and slender grasses. The lining was of hair and very fine twigs. The depth was not more than 3 of an inch, di-| ameter about 24 inches. There was scarce- ly any attachment to the limbs on which it was placed, and I wondered it could with- stand the weather. nest, I endeavored to obtain a glimpse of the bird, but she was shy and flew off through the trees, returning however with feigned helplessness, when I shot her. The eggs, which were three in number, (the nest also contained an ege of the Cow Bird) before being blown exhibited a faint pink- ish color. J’wo of them were rather thick- ly spotted and dotted with umber and lilac, confluent about the large end. entire shell. oval, and measured .68 by .50 inch. cubation had not begun, and had the nest not been disturbed probably another egg would have been added to the set. A nest of this bird found in Massachu- setts by Mr. Welch is described as being composed of ‘‘ fine twigs in small bits, then of various soft, pliant, fibrous sub- stances, composing the bulk of the nest, and lined with fine grasses and rootlets. The substance contains also a few feathers Before climbing to the | The third | was very finely spotted with lilac over the | In shape they were regularly | In- | and some downy material.” The eggs of this nest measured .72 by . 54 of an inch. Mr. Samuels says that the nest is usually constructed of fine grasses, fibrous roots, fine strips of cedar bark and pine leaves, and further says they are. ‘‘ entwined to- gether strongly and neatly,” which it will be seen, does not exactly correspond with the nest first described. Nuttall’s descrip- tion agrees with that given above, but the nest was placed lower down and in a juniper bush. This bird seems to prefer thick, upland forests, particularly of hemlock and pine, where it obtains a subsistence of insects such as it particularly favors. In the Mid- dle States it arrives the first part of May, commences building between the first and tenth of June, and by the middle or latter part of that month has full sets of eggs. They use various devices to attract atten- tion from the nest, such as flying helplessly from twig to twig, fluttering along the ground, and sometimes uttering distressing cries. The female is not easily identified a short distance away, as she is constantly flitting about, and being similar to the fe- males of some other Warblers, is ordinari- ly difficult to distinguish. AVIS. NESTING OF THE BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER IN New York.—While descend- ing the West Canada Creek in Herkimer County, along the bluff which forms the east bank, we struck a knoll elevated con- siderably above the adjacent hill, and which was thickly covered with small bushes and studded with a few oak trees. Naturally our attention was drawn to these bushes aud to the moss and fine vegetation cover- ing the ground. While examining a brier- entwined shrub, we were attracted by the passing of a small object. Hastening to the spot whence it apparently came, we in- spected the bushes and small vegetation for nearly half an hour, but without success, and were about giving it up when a bird flew with a moth in its bill, into a stunted scrubby oak near the edge of the bluff. THE OOLOGIST. 11 We then had no difficulty in finding the nest, which contained four young birds. It was not more than two feet above the ground, and was composed of first straws and grasses, then fine pieces of twigs, a few dried leaves, some small pieces of weed- stalks, and lastly of hairs and a small quan- tity of the soft, silky substance found in the seed-pods of some kinds of weed. The nest was placed against one of the two main forks of the shrub, to which it was rather well fastened ; it was not deep nor very large. The young birds appeared to have been about five days out of the shell. Not- withstanding the female was very timid, much more so than one would suppose un- der the circumstances, we obtained without the necessitiy of shooting, a fair sight of the male, which soon appeared on the complaint made by his mate. It has often been supposed that the high hills and knolls which cross Herkimer Coun- ty in every direction, especially those bor- dering the West Canada Creek, form the breeding haunts of many birds whose oc- currence there is generally doubted, and in- vestigation will probably show this War- bler to be a regular summer resident there. ~ Nest and Eggs of Townsend’s Fly- catcher. [N July, 1876, while rambling with my brother over the mountains of Summit County, Colorado, it was my good fortune to find, at an altitude of about ten thousand feet, the nest of Townsend’s. Flycatcher (Mytadestes townsendi), and as no de- scription of its eggs has as yet appeared, perhaps the following may not be uninter- esting: The nest was very loosely, and, ex- ternally, shabbily built of long dry grasses, straggling two feet or more below it. It was placed in the upper bank of a miner’s ditch (running from Bear River, above Brekenridge, to the Gold Run and Buffalo Flat diggings), and was partly concealed by overhanging roots ; yet it was rendered so conspicuous by the loose swaying mater- » ial of which it was composed, as well as by that which had become attached to the over- hanging roots during its construction, as to attract the eye of an experienced collector when yet some rods away. On nearing the nest the bird immediately took flight, and alighted on the topmost branch of the near- est pine. Resting uneasily here for half a minute, it then, in short, uncertain flights, worked its way down the mountain side and out of sight. Withdrawing to a convenient cover, we had only to wait a few moments for the bird to return, perch herself on a branch a few feet from the nest, peer anx- iously into it, and then quickly resume her task of incubation. Moving cautiously a- long the bank above the ditch, we tried to capture the bird by placing a hat over the nest, but, miscalculating its location by a few inches, the bird eluded the stroke and made good her escape, as she did also on our second attempt to capture her. Again retreating to cover, we waited for half an hour for the bird to return, when suddenly we espied it flying from branch to branch, displaying by its restless motions more anx- iety and suspicion than before, yet constant- ly working nearer its home, which it soon reached and settled quietly again to business. After the last unsuccessful attempt to catch the bird, a stick was placed on the bank di- rectly over the nest, to mark its exact lo- eality, and this time, moving with less haste and more caution, we gained the desired position, lay down on the bank, and taking a hat in each hand quickly covered the opening and secured the unfortunate bird, and also the opportunity of giving to or- nithologists an authentic account of the number, size, and coloration of the eggs. The nest contained four eggs, very closely resembling those of the Shrikes. The ground-color is dull white or bluish, thick- ly blotched or freckled with reddish-brown. The measurements of the three specimens preserved are 1.01 by .66, .94 by .68, and .88 by .66. “Incubation had been going | on for about ten days, and unfortunately one egg was destroyed in cleahing.—WIL- BUR F. Lamp, in Nuttall Bulletin. THE OOLOGIST. Devoted to Birds and Birds’ Eggs THIRD PUBLICATION YEAR. 5S. L. WILLARD, EDITOR, Assisted by able Associate Editors. TERMS: Forty cents a Year in advance, postage paid. Items on Ornithology and Oslogy solicited. §@=Those wishing to dispose of birds’ eggs or skins will find THE OOLOGIST the best means of communicating the fact to a large class of collectors of any paper published. Specimen copy for stamp. Address all communications to THE OOLOGIST, ONEIDA STREET, UEnI@AR UNE RYe APRIL, 1877. THREE PAPERS ON THE BREED- ING HABITS OF BIRDS. LE NLD TEC AONE OT less interesting than the study of odlogy, is the study of the nests of birds and of the builders themselves during the time of nidulation. Let one take up the subject of nest-building, inquire into the multifarious designs, positions, and mater- ials of the nests he finds, and make the architects themselves a prominent portion of his study, noting the circumstances and | | stages of building, and he will be surprised 3? at the amount of interest furnished by a sub- ject so much slighted by odlogists. All birds build nests, but some do not construct such elaborate and ingenius ones as others. It is often said of a bird that it makes no nest, but this term is more figura- tive than Riswl for, as we understand it, a nest is not only a receptacle and shelter for the eggs and young, but is an established home during the entire breeding season, and resorted to during a greater part of the year by the parent birds of many species, as a means of protection from the weather. Some birds, therefore, choose places and situations for ‘their nests that are already adapted for occupation ; others do not ap- pear to desire any construction whatever, and still others make beautiful structures. | But those which eall our attention most are the odd and fantastic nests we meet with in some species. Birds of temperate cli- mates are not in the habit of building as singular and odd nests as those of tropical climates, nor do they, perhaps, expend as much labor upon them, and the farther north one proceeds the plainer the nests of all spe- cies. This is noticeable to a great extent at the extreme northern breeding limits. Birds nidificate in trees, bushes, on high rocks and on the ground. Birds of prey generally build in high trees ; some howev- er, as the Marsh Hawk, Turkey Buzzard, etc., nest on the ground, others on precip- itous rocks. Swimmers and runners build mostly on or near the ground; waders in trees mainly. Some small birds nest on trees, bushes, or the ground ; others im nat- ural or artificial cavities or on the sides of buildings. Concealment of the nest is the great object with the majority of small birds, but, although Dr. Jasper says, that when nests are built in open places they are constructed so as not to be observed, this cannot be applied to all nests built in expos- ed places, as the passage would infer, for many small birds, such as the Woodpeck- ers, Swallows, Blackbirds, Cuckoos, etc., certainly do not conceal their nests, allow- ing however, that such is their intention. THE OOLOGIST. a W3 Concealment of the nest is effected mostly | by constructing it of substances of the hue of the surrounding vegetation, and in this we find the greatest ingenuity, if it may so be termed. Collectors are aware of the difficulty in finding a Humming Bird’s nest, though diligent and untiring search be made, so similar is it to the moss or lichen-cov- ered bough on which it is placed. In car- rying materials for the nest, the approach to the place is made only after careful scru- tiny of the surrounding objects, and then sometimes by an indirect and circuitous way. In most cases, the failure to find the nest is due to this cause, and one is oftener misled thus than by the actual concealment of the nest. Nowhere in the Middle States does any terrestrial nesting bird breed more commonly than the Bobolink or Reed Bird, yet it is surprising how few nests of this species are found, evidently because the bird, instead of alighting upon the nest, approach- es it through the grass, and when disturbed runs a short distance before taking wing. Most of our Warblers are extremely appre- hensive of evil, and, though their nest be concealed almost beyond possibility of dis- covery, they at all times are cautious in their approach. Were it not for this, the, doubt as to the breeding of certain species, especially some of the Warblers in portions of the country, might be more satisfactori- | ly dispelled. The stages of nest-building are those of which we desire to know the most; in oth- er words, we are already aware of the gen- eral composition of most birds’ nests, and where and about at what season of the year’ they are built, but we wish to ascertain the | details of construction : how the process of building is performed ; how long it takes to build a nest ; whether nidification is accom- plished by one or both sexes; and finally, the more minute particulars concerning the methods of combining the materials, how | the substances attach to each other, and whether concern or negligence is evinced in their construction, and these are the most difficult portions of our study. With the nests of most of the larger species, such as | | the Hawks, Herons, Crows, etc., and a- mong the smaller builders, of the Cuckoos, Jays, and others making rude structures or nidificating on the ground, we are supposed to be acquainted, inasmuch as rarely any deviation occurs in their appearance. But even though a coarse and plain affair, op- portunities for ascertaining the length of time required to complete the structure, and whether one or both sexes nidulate should not be slighted. Those which, how- ever, employ the finest and greatest variety of vegetable substances, are the ones which demand our attention as regards the labor | and patience involved in building. With most species, the male bird performs the office of supplier, while the female arranges _and puts together the materials ; with other species both sexes aid in building, but po- lygamous birds take no part in nidification. There are at least two distinct portions to the nests of birds which nidulate in trees and bushes, the foundation and the nest proper. ‘The basis however, is not neces- sarily its bottom : some of our Flycatchers, Thrushes and Warblers first establish a firm support or skeleton nest of straws, pellets of mud, leaves, or twigs, over and united with which are the finer materials which compose the nest proper. That of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is an example of this form of architecture,* wherein the lichens which apparently form the greater part of its bulk, are in reality only an outer cover- ing. Most of the Thrushes, the Pewee, Cliff and Barn Swallows and other species intermix the leaves, stems, straws etc. with pellets of mud, thus insuring a solidity not found in nests of double formation. In the place of mud, many birds aid in strengthen- ing the adherence of the materials with sa- liva. As soon as the nest is completed and be- fore being occupied, those in which glutin- ous substances are employed are allowed from one to five days to become hardened. It is also said that the Yellow Bird and some of the Warblers leave the nest to the weath- er, that it may become thoroughly firm. *See “Bird Architecture,” Vol. II, p. 41. 14 THE OOLOGIST. THE SAND GROUSE. ( Pterocles.) BY FRED. J. DAVIS. HE family of Sand Grouse consists of five species, differing so from the.oth- er Grouse as almost to merit the for- mation of a different tribe of birds. They inhabit the sandy plains and desert wastes of nerthern Africa, southern Europe and Asia. ‘Their range in Europe is not so extensive as in Africa and Asia, and con- sequently they are more rare. The characterfstics of the Péerocles are : short body ; breast much arched ; and neck of medium length. Tarsi and toes small, the latter sometimes connected as far as the first joint with skin ; at the end in some species, the two centre feathers forming a ‘‘pin-tail ;” short, rounded, and have a smooth appear- ance, of nearly the same color as the earth or sand in the regions they inhabit. The most common of the Indian species is the Common Sand Grouse or INDIAN | The | principal color of this bird is a beautiful Rock Picron (Prerocles exustus). reddish cream, shading into yellow on the face, cheeks, cn wing- “coverts, and a bright green gloss on the hae a narrow Blacks line passing across the breast from each side | of the throat separates the darker colors of the lower breast and belly, from the lighter shades of the upper part; the tarsi feathers and lower tail-coverts are cream color ; primaries black, all except the three outer- most having the tip and inner web white ; wing-coverts tipped with a line of reddish- brown ; central tail-feathers of a yellowish shade, and long and pointed, the outer 0: es are dark brown striped with a lighter shade ; the eye is brown, and the bare spot which surrounds it lemon yellow. This Grouse is thirteen inches long and twenty-three in extent ; the wing seven and a half inches, and the tail from five to six inches long. In the female the markings are darker than in the wing bones are | short, but quills long; tail of fourteen to | eighteen feathers, rounded or wedge-shaped | feathers are | | the male; head and throat grayish; the band across the breast lighter; the belly striped black-brown ; the central tail-feath - ers of the female are only a little longer than the rest. This bird is common in all parts of India exceptthe wooded districts never occurring in Lower Bengal and Malabar. It is com- mon in central and western Asia and north- ern Africa, sometimes occurring in Europe. The principal habitation of this Grouse is bare, open plains and ploughed or fallow lands. They feed in the morning and drink regularly between eight and nine in the morning, often being collected in thousands on the bank of some river or tank. In hot weather they drink again at four o’clock P: mM. When flying they utter a loud call, which may be heard at a great distance. They are a wary bird and difficult to ap- proach at all times, especially so when in large flocks. They breed in southern India from December to May,.and in northern India later. They make no nest, but lay their eggs upou the bare ground. 7 he eggs | are Aree or four in number, nearly round, and of a greenish color spotted thickly with brown and lilac. It feeds on seeds and grains and although somewhat tough when first shot is excellent eating if kept long enough, as it has a good game 2 flavor. The Ganea or Lance Sanp Grouse (Pierocles arenarius), is described as fol- lows: Head reddish—gray, deeper on the nape ; the mantle spotted light or dark yel- low and gray, with a round yellow spot on the tip*of each feather ; throat yellow, bor- dered with a black band on the lower part ; breast reddish—-gray with a clearly marked streak of black or brownish-black on its surface ; abdomen same color as the streak ; primaries gray or grayish-blue, tip- ped with brownish-black ; secondaries white ‘at the base; some of the upper wing- coverts unspotted ochre yellow ; lower cov- erts white ; the two central feathers of tail reddish-brown striped with black, the oth- ers deep gray tipped with white ; tarsi feath- ers brwonish-yellow. This bird i is thirteen and a half inches long, and twenty-six or THE OOLOGIST. 15 twenty-seven inches in extent. The fe- male is of a dirty yellow, the back and mantle-feathers striped with brownish- black ; under parts paler than in the male. This bird inhabits northern Africa and - the southern countries of Europe, appearing in great numbers in the cold season from September to March. It drinks regularly twice a day like the preceding species, fly- ing in vast flecks from the extensive sandy plains. It feeds soon after drinking, seek- ing its food on the grassy lands and stubble fields. From the shy disposition of this bird, and the open character of the country which it inhabits, it is very difficult to hunt with any success. It is much pursued, however, as well for its excellence as a game bird for the table, as for the sport of its capture. It is often shot from a pit dug in the ground with success. The flesh is described as being somewhat hard and tough, old birds probably requiring to be skinned, yet it is a very fine bird for the table. According to Adams, this species excavates a hole in the ground and raises a circle of dried grass around it, in which they lay three and sometimes four eggs. The flight of the Ganga is very strong and rapid, often being prolonged to a great dis- tance. The sexes flock separately. The best known and probably most im- portant of this family is the Laren Prv- TAILED GROUSE or Kuata (/%erocles al- chata), which is slightly smaller than the Ganga and more finely colored. ‘The plu- mage is principally of a sandy yellow ; the brows and sides of the cheeks reddish- brown ; throat and a delicate line passing from the eye to back of the head, black ; nape and back grayish-green, spotted with yellow ; lesser wing-coverts grayish-crim- son, their upper feathers striped with red- dish-brown, yellow and deep brown ; great- er coverts grayish-yellow, edged with deep brown ; lower throat reddish-brown ; up- per breast brownish-crimson, surrounded with a black line ; belly white ; Quills gray- ish with black shafts. Outer tail-feathers striped yellow and gray on the outer webs, | whitish on the inner webs; the two inner feathers grayish, faintly mottled.’ The fe- male resembles the male but is easily dis- ‘tinguished by the double line on the throat, and by the whiter hue of its upper portion. The male measures twelve and three-quar- ‘ters inches in length, and twenty-two and ‘a half in extent. This interesting bird inhabits northern Africa, western Asia, and Spain, Cicily, and Turkey. According to Jerdon, it is quite rare in India, only a few finding their way across the Sutlej. It is said that this bird swarms in countless numbers in Pales- | tine, and one author (Mr. Blyth I believe) asserts, with considerable justice, that this, and not the Common or European Quail ( Coturnix communis), was the Quail which the Israelites gathered. Colonel Chesney states that it is a kind of Quail about the size of a Pigeon, which at times ‘darkens the air with its numbers. It is common in the central and southern parts of the Sahara. The flesh is black and hard, and is eaten only by the Turks and a few other natives. We are told that the num- ber of Khatas in the stony region beyond the Jordan is above description. ‘+ Some- _times the whole plain seems to rise and fly in masses, that appear like large moving clouds,” and in the mountains of Edom, they are so plenty that they are often killed by the Arabs with sticks. The Khata breeds among the rocks of western Asia, northern Africa, and south- ern Europe, laying four or five reddish-gray eges, marked with brown spots. They are about the size of a Pigeon’s eee and are eaten by the Arabs. The Stripep Sanp Grouse (Prerocles Lichtensteinii) inhabits Arabia and some- times occurs in India. It resembles the preceding species in habits. Patias’s Sand Grouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus) represents a different group of this interesting family. The first quill of the wing terminates in a long bristle-like point. The toes are short and very broad, connected by a fold of skin which when seen from beneath, appears like the sole of a foot without toes. [Contin. in Supplement] 16 THE OOLOGIST. S/Lavertisements. 7 cents per brevier line; 50 cents a square. The Ornithological Directory. A few copies left. Price, 40 cents per copy, post-paid. Send for prospectus. S. L. WILLARD & Co., Utica, N. Y. Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornitho-'| logical Club: A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. TERMS — $1.00 A YEAR (including postage), strictly in advance. SINGLE NUMBERS, 30 cents. Back numbers can be supplied. S@~Circulars, containing the list of contents of Volume I, will be sent on application. Remittances by mail will be at the risk of, the sender, unless sent in a postal order or draft on Boston or New York. Address all remittances to 3i2 RUTHVEN DEANE, Cambridge, Mass. Brewster & Knowlton, No. 18 Arch Street, Boston, Mass. -Naturalists and Taxidermists.e DEALERS IN BIRD SKINS, EYES, AND TAXIDERMISTS’ MATERIAL. BACK NUMBERS of THE OOLOGIST.. We can supply the following issues of this | paper at 5 cents each, post-paid. Vol. I, Nos: 5 and 6; Vol. II, Nos. 3 to 12, in-| clusive. [2 Those wishing to complete | their files with these numbers should ap-| ply early. Tur Ooxroerst, Utica, N.Y. Lae Gaur Laws OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. We are prepared to furnish sportsmen and oth- | ers with the complete GAME LAWS of New York, | with all the amendments made thereto up to the | close of the last session of the Legislature. These Laws are compiled by competent hands, and will be found to be absolutely correct. A copious index accompanies the pamphlet. Price, 25 CENTS A COPY. A liberal discount to sportsmen’s clubs and trade. S. L. Witzarp & Co., Utica, N. Y. | Fovest \ Sfream ROD and GUY. The American Sportsman’s Journal. A WEEKLY PAPER DEVOTED TO FIELD SPORTS, PRACTICAL NATURAL HIS- TORY, FISH CULTURE, PROTECTION OF GAME, PRESERVATION OF FORESTS, YACHTING AND BOATING, RIFLE PRACTICE, AND ALL Out-door Recreutions and Study. This is the only journal in the country that _ fully supplies the wants and necessities of the GENTLEMAN SPORTSMAN. | Terms, $4 a year. Send for a specimen copy. FOREST & STREAM PUBLISHING CO., 111 FULTON St. (Old No. 103.) Post Office Box 2382. NEW YORK. The publishers of FOREST AND STREAM AND ROD AND GUN aim to merit and secure the pat- ronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose refined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that is | beautifulin Nature. It will pander tono depraved tastes, nor pervert the legitimate sports of land and water to those base uses which always tend to make them unpopular with the virtuous and good, and nothing will be admitted to any depart- ment of the paper that may not be read with pro- priety in the home circle. It is the aim of this journal to become the medium of useful and re- liable information between gentlemen sportsmen from oneend of the country to the other, and to | that end it solicits correspondence on any topic | within the scope of the paper. As an advertising medium there are none better. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLECTORS. | THOSE wishing to add to their cabinets single specimens or sets of the Eggs of the Turkey Buzzard, can obtain specimens of us at SO Cents each. S. L. Wirtarp & Co., Utica, N. Y. Oneida Street. SUPPLEMENT TO THE OOLOGIST. 17 The Sand Grouse. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1d. This bird is fifteen inches long, excluding the long tail-feathers ; twenty-three inches in extent, exclusive of the bristle-point of the wing; wing seven inches, and tail sev- en inches in length. The top of the head and a line passing over the side of throat from the eye, dark gray ; breast yellowish- ash, separated from the region of the head by a streak of delicate black and white lines ; belly brownish-black ; middle tail- coverts light gray ; throat, brows, band over the eyes, “and back ashy- yellow, the back marked witha deeper shade ; shoulder feath- ers brownish-gray, with yellow edgings and tipped with white. Quills dark ashy-gray. It is only until recently that we have been able to gain any reliable information re- garding the habits of this curious bird. They inhabit southern Europe, Asia, and Africa, frequenting dry, sand deserts, plains and bushy or woody low hills. Except on the desert plains where they collect to drink, they are found singly or in pairs. They feed on seeds, bulbs, and insects. No nest is made, but the eggs are deposited on the bare ground, to the number of two. These are elliptical in shape, about 12 inches long by 1 inch broad, and are greenish-yellow, marked with brown, sometimes in a wreath or streak about the large end. When dis- turbed this bird rises and flies a short dis- tance, and alights; if followed it is with difficulty they again take wing. Some- times however, they ascend to a considera- ble height, descending with a circular sweep upon their feeding crounds. These comprise all the species of the Sand Grouse, of which not much is known. It is a very interesting group of game birds, and if studied on their native grounds by a thorough naturalist, very much could be added to what is already written. 3 2 A Note on the nest and eges of the Al- askan Wren (Zroglodytes parvulus var. alascensis) appears in Nuttall Bulletin. Two Warblers. N our last issue appeared a beautiful illustration of two of our interesting Warblers, Dendreca Audubonit and D. cwrulescens, drawn from nature, the precedence claimed by other articles necessitating the postponement of the ac- companying text. Audubon’s Warbler, a western species, greatly resembles J). coronata of the east, so much so that some authors are inclined to regard it as variety coronata. It is found in a great portion of western United States, and may be defined to inhabit the country encompassed by the middle of Ne- braska on the east, Central America on the south, north probably to the middle of Brit- ish America. It is a very active bird, flit- ting about here and there in the bushes and trees in search of its insect food. In re- gard to the habits of this bird, ‘Townsend says, that ‘‘the Chinook Indians know it by the name of ‘ Fout-sah,’ and that it is very numerous about the Columbia river, arriving there in the middle of March, and remaining to breed, but disappearing in the end of June. In the beginning of October it is again seen, with its plumage renewed. Its voice so nearly resembles that of the Chestnut-sided Warbler as to render it dif- ficult to distinguish them. It keeps in the most impervious thickets, and is always si- lent when engaged in seeking its food.” Dr. Coues describes a nest found on Van- couver’s Island, as being constructed ex- teriorly of rather coarse, fibrous strips of bark and weeds, variously intertwined. Mainly it was built of fine grasses, mosses and some feathers and twine, and lined with horse-hair. ‘This nest was placed in the crotch of a small tree, and was ‘‘ ob- liquely conical in shape.” The general color of Audubon’s Warbler above is gray-blue with black edeings ; be- low black, toward the belly lighter ; a small spot under the wings, the crown of the head, rump aud chin, yellow ; tail and quill feath- ers blackish ; eyelids yellowish. In breed- ing season the breast and belly are paler. 18 SUPPLEMENT TO THE OOLOGIST. The Black-throated Blue Warbler inhabits | a wider range of country than the preceding species, it being found plentifully in all the states east of the Missouri, the headwaters of that river, according to Audubon, being its north-western limit. It is a very com- mon species, chiefly migratory, and is found in company with others of the same family. In the fall it frequents groves of small and stunted trees and bushes, generally prefer- ring slopes and hill-sides. Mr. Gentry states that its habits of feeding ‘‘ are soli- tary, mostly arboreal, and mainly restricted to dense forests, sais among the smaller trees and bushes it gleans a scanty subsis- tence. When driven by necessity to the taller trees, unlike its near congener whose history we have just detailed (D. virens), it never visits the topmost boughs, but re- stricts itself exclusively to the lower branch- es.” With the first portion of this state- ment we do not coincide, for, in our exper- ience, it has been found to be sociable, feeding in company with other species with ereat confidence, and searching among the trees, and occasionally the leaves and moss, on the ground. Mr. chestnuts, ‘‘ actively moving about through the foliage, snapping at flies and Bue in- sects.” The flight of this Warbler is oe un-. dulating ain not protracted. Often whale on wing, like the Yellow Bird, it will sud- denly wheel sharply from its course and alight with a fich wpon a sapling, from | which, after a preliminary quirk of the tail and a glance around, it will continue its occupation. tirely to insects : cherry trees begin to blossom, they fre- quent these trees and devour the tender in- ner portions of the blossom in apparent preference to insects. The breeding range of this Warbler is not yet clearly defined, but it doubtless nests in suitable localities in the United States at least as far south as the forty-second paral- lel. Its choice of breeding situations seems to be wild and mountainous districts, pre- Samuels says that those oneerrall by him were in tall oaks and | Its food is not confined en- | when the wild apple and. ferably near a stream of water. Birds have been shot in nearly all the New England States and in New York during the nesting season, and in the latter state have been ob- served repeatedly at that time. Audubon describes a nest he found in Nova Scotia as being composed of slips of bark, mosses and fibrous roots, and lined with fine grass. overlaid with feathers. It was placed on the horizontal branch of a fir tree, at a height of seven or eight feet from the eround. The same author says of the eges: ‘* The eggs, four or five in number, are of a rosy tint, and, like those of most other Sylvie, scantily sprinkled with reddish-brown at the larger end.” The male Black-throated Blue Warbler is readily distinguished from any other. Warbler. Its upper parts are uniformly grayish-blue lighter at the edges of the wing coverts ; the sides of head and neck: from ‘the eye, the chin, throat and a narrow frontal band, black, this color extending nearly to the tail; tail and wings pale. black, all except the innermost feathers of the former having a spot of white on their inner webs; under parts whitish. The fe- male i is oe olive above, yellowish beneath. Toe Germantown Telegraph says : ‘¢'The Mocking Bird, hitherto almost ex- clusively confined in its habitat to the Southern States, gives some indications of becoming migratory and visiting the north insummer. A pair have recently been dis-_ covered in Rochester, N. Y., where they have nestled and are raising a brood of young. This may be, however, only an exceptional case.” ery WE have noticed that the King Bird is a great fruit eater. The cherry tree is one of its favorite haunts, where, after driv- ing away the Robins and Orioles, it will remain through the fruit season, and though eating few cherries, it picks and drops large quantities. ' ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. Votume III, MAY, 1877. NUMBER 3. Nesting Habits of the Worm-eat- ing Warbler (Helmitherus vermivorus). BY C. J. MAYNARD. LTHOUGH this species is quite com- mon during our breeding season 6X throughout the Southern and Middle States, yet the nest is comparatively rare. Indeed, up to the summer of 1871, the eggs were scientifically unknown; then a nest was taken in New Jersey by Mr. J. H. Batty. When I made record of this fact in 1873, in the second part of my Birds of Florida (page 47), this was the only spec- imen in existence. I was at that time un- acquainted with the breeding habits of the bird, but have since had a good opportuni- ty of observing the Worm-eating Warbler in its summer home. During the middle of June, 1876, I vis- ited that portion of the Alleghany Mount- ains known as the White Deer Range. I was then in search of the nests of the A- eadian Flycatcher (Himpidonax acadi- cus), which abound in that section. The valleys of these mountains are quite pecul- iar, being in fact, deep, secluded glades. Most of my collecting was done in White Deer Valley, a most enchanting spot with a murmuring stream winding through it, shaded by pine and spruce trees, which grow in the narrow valley bottom. Even at noon time the shade here was very deep, but when the sun fell behind the tops of the mountains, which rose abruptly on either hand, the shade was darkened almost into twilight. To one unaccustomed to wandering in the deep woods, this spot would appear gloomy in the extreme, but to me the dark green ferns waving in shadow, the gray, moss-covered trunks of the huge old trees, the glimmer of stray rays of light upon the flowing water, together with the other sur- roundings formed a picture upon which I could gaze without ever growing weary. But the principal charm about it all was the universal quiet which was almost un- broken. The gentle murmur of the stream was ever present, yet that was a continu- ous dreamy sound, resting rather than en- livening. On the 15th of June of last year I enter- ed this lovely valley and sauntered slowly up it, following the course of the stream, while I searched for the nests of the Fly- catchers. I-had gone two or three miles without hearing a bird’s song excepting the low notes of the Himpidonax acadicus, when I was almost startled by the sharp chirp of a small bird which I knew at a glance to be a Warbler. I instantly went nearer and saw by the stripes on the head 20 THE OOLOGIST. that it was a Worm-eating Warbler. I was confidant that it had a nest near, as it exhibited great solicitude. I therefore as- cended the hill a few steps, sat down and waited. .In a short time the female flew to the ground within a few yards of me and disappeared among the leaves. I at once went to the spot and found a nest contain- ing five young which I judged were about a week old. When I came near the nest the female ran from it, feigning lameness, and acting almost as a Golden-crowned Thrush would under similar circumstances. The next day I found another on the side | of the mountain within a few yards of the valley bottom. The following extract from notes made on the spot may prove interest- ing: ‘*] am sitting within two feet of the nest of a Worm-eating Warbler. ‘The fe- male is exhibiting great solicitude, frequent- ly alighting within two or three feet of me while she keeps up a continuous chirping. The male does not venture so near, but al- so appears uneasy. A moment ago I placed my hand in the nest, when the female a- lighted within ten inches of it. She did not raise the feathers of her head, nor show other signs of fear or anger, but only ap- peared solicitous for the safety of the young, of which there was but a single one, evi- dently about one third grown.” Both of these nests were clumsily con- structed affairs, built of leaves and lined with pine needles. ‘They were placed on the ground, among the fallen leaves of the previous autumn, without the slightest at- tempt at concealment ; which was in per- fect keeping with the unsuspicious habits of the birds as recorded above. ‘The nests were almost as large as those of the Gol- den-crowned Thrush. I afterward saw sey- eral pairs which behaved in much the same manner, and although I was certain that I could find many nests I did not take the trouble as I knew they all contained young. The proper time to look for eggs is dur- ing the first week in June, when I have but little doubt that quantities may be taken along the valleys of central Pennsylvania. The following is a description of the eggs* copied from Birds of Florida. ‘‘ Eggs: Rather elliptical in form, spotted and dot- ted with reddish-brown, but more thickly on the larger end. Dimensions of a single egg in the collection of Mr. Ruthven Deane of Cambridge, .73 by .56.” This is one of the eggs found by Mr. Batty. Birds’ Eoos and Nests, Black-and-white Creeper. (Mniotilta varia.) This is a rather common summer inhab- itant of all New England, but more com- mon in the migrations than in the breeding season. It arrives here (near Boston) about the last week of April, when it is seen running up the trunks and larger limbs of trees, seeking its food, which consists of insects and their eggs. They commence building by the last week in May. The nest is built in the woods, generally at the base of a rock, or fallen tree (rarely, in the hole of a tree). A nest I found this year, on the the 22d of June, was placed at the base of a large rock, and was built of leaves, grasses, and strips of grape vine, and was lined with horse hair. The eggs were five in number, their color white with a creamy tinge, and were covered with spots and blotches of reddish brown, thickest at the larger end. ‘The eggs average about .65 by .55 of an inch. About the 10th of September they start for the south, and by the 20th of that month none are to be seen. Wm. L. GREEN. Longwood, July, 1877. The above account of the nest of this bird confirms the statement of Nuttall, who says a nest found by him, was ‘‘nitched in the shelving of a rock, on the surface of the ground.” Dr. Brewer also says that in his experience, it has always been found to nest on the ground, which is evidently al- most unexceptionably the case. *See cut of egg in outline, Vol. I, No. 5.-EDs. THE OOLOGIST. 21 Nest or THE Burrowinc Ow1.—So many have been the inquiries concerning the nesting of this bird and its peculiar hab- its, that we present below a few interesting notes by those who have seen and examined the nesting places. The following we quote from Dr. Coues : ‘¢ T never undertook to unearth the nest of a Burrowing Owl, but others have been more zealous in the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties. Dr. Cooper says that he once dug two fresh eggs out of a burrow, which he followed down for three feet, and then traced five feet horizontally, at the end of which he found an enlarged chamber, where the eggs were deposited on a few feathers. In his interesting note in the American Naturalist, Dr. C. S. Canfield gives a more explicit account of the nesting : ‘I once took pains to dig out a nest of the Athene cunicularia. I found that the burrow was about four feet long, and the nest was only about two feet from the sur- face of the ground. The nest was made in a cavity of the ground, of about a foot in| diameter, well filled with dry, soft horse- | dung, bits of an old blanket, and fur of a coyote that I had killed a few days before. . One of the parent birds was on the nest, and I captured it. It had no intention of leaving the nest, even when entirely uncov- ered with the shovel and exposed to the open air. It fought bravely with beak and claws. I found seven young ones, perhaps eight or ten days old, well covered with down, but without any feathers. * * * The material on which the young birds rested was at least three inches deep. * * There are very few birds that carry more rubbish into the nest than the Athene, and even the Vultures are not much more filthy. I am satisfied that the A. cunicularia lays a larger number of eggs than is attributed to it in Dr. Brewer’s book (four). I have frequently seen, late in the season, six, sev- en, or eight young birds standing around the mouth of a burrow, isolated from others in such a manner that I could not suppose that they belonged to two or more families.’ ‘¢'The same writer has some further re- marks, so strongly corroborative of what has preceded, that I will quote his words again. Speaking of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of the birds he had seen in Cal- ifornia, he continues: ‘ Where I have seen them, they always live in the deserted or unoccupied burrows of the ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi). I came to the conclusion that they were able to drive out the Spermophiles from their habitations, but I am not certain of this. It is true that there were, in that region, a large num- ber of unoccupied burrows wherever there was a colony of Spermophiles; so that there was no lack of unoccupied habitations for the Owls to take possession of. * * 7” The above would go to establish the point that the Burrowing Owl never excavates its own burrow, but occupies those made by the prairie dog and ground squirrel. This is the point so often asked concerning the nesting of this curious bird. Whether it has been satisfactorily ascertained we are unable to state. We are promised a very interesting ar- ticle on this bird, which, with an illustra- tion drawn by one of our best artists of bird-life, we shall soon publish. ——_—___—_-—~e>—-—_____ Two instances of the breeding of the Red Bird (Cardinalis virginianus) in Cen- tral New York, have come under our no- tice this year. ‘Though there is nothing of. particular importance in this fact, it might be worth while to know whether the birds in these instances were native or escaped cage birds. The reason for the latter sup- position is, because quite a number of these birds have been taken in the past two years most of whom bore marks of once having been caged. $$ —__ Ir might be a very advisable idea for collectors to be more moderate in gathering Terns’ eggs. Collections are overrun with those of the Common and Arctic Terns. Eggs of the Black Tern would be desirable. 22 THE OOLOGIST. S-PAYOAR Devoted to Birds and Birds’ Eggs THIRD PUBLICATION YEAR. S$. L. WILLARD, EDITOR, Assisted by able Associate Editors. TERMS: Forty cents a Year in advance, postage paid. Items on Ornithology and Odlogy solicited. §@>'Those wishing to dispose of birds’ eggs ~or skins will find TH OoLoGisT the best means of communicating the fact to a large class of collectors of any paper published. Specimen copy for stamp. Address all communications to THE OOLOGIST, - ONEIDA STREET, UTica, N. Y. MAY, 1877. THREK PAPERS ON THE BREED- ING HABITS OF BIRDS. IT, OVIPOSITION. EFORE the eggs are laid, the nest is unoccupied for a short time after being finished ; those requiring the most labor and the use of materials which it is necessary | should be left to the atmosphere to toughen, are often allowed to remain unoccupied for from one to four or five days. With the majority of birds, the deposi- the nest. At this stage the temperature of the body of the female increases, and does not attain its maximum heat until incuba- tion is commenced. ‘The period of deposi- tion of the eggs varies with the species, though with most birds they are laid at the rate of one each day until the completion . of the set ; other species deposit one egg on each alternate day. Some observers main- tain that with many species considerable reliance may be placed in the weather, as to the frequency of deposition; in other words, if the weather be dry or moist, warm or cold, the eggs are laid either daily or duo-daily in accordance with the advantage to be derived from certain phases of the weather. However true this may be of some species, it is not applicable to all, as a regularity of deposition occurs with many that nothing less than severe disturbance would affect. A point of some interest is, that, with birds which always lay the same number of eggs in a clutch, the length of | time occurring between each deposition is the same, allowing of course room for a few exceptions. For instance, under fa- vorable circumstances the Wood Thrush always lays four eggs ; oviposition with this bird takes place regularly, one egg being laid a day. With many, especially some of the water birds, great irregularity im the number of eggs in a set is observa- ble, yet as far as can be ascertained, they deposit them with no degree of uniformity as regards frequency. When more than one brood is reared in a season by birds which commonly incubate but once, the number of eggs in a clutch generally diminishes with the number of sets laid. _Thus, a Wood Thrush will de- posit four eggs at first, while a second lit- ter* may comprise but three, and often a *INn his ‘‘Birds of Eastern Penn.” Mr. Gent- ry states that but a single brood is reared by this bird in a season, and mentions a nest tak- /en on the loth of July, as the “labor of birds whose early efforts had been frustrated.’ Cer- tainly the Wood Thrush very frequently rears i two broods in a season, as the circumstance | of finding sets of very slightly incubated eggs tion begins on the day of the completion of ‘in nests which gave abundant evidence of THE OOLOGIST. B) vo 2 third* of perhaps no more than two.. Some species, if deprived of all or a part of their eggs, will continue to deposit new sets or to replace the missing eggs under the most discouraging circumstances. A moderate illustration of the size of a possible litter of eges when they have repeatedly been taken, is the instance of depriving a Downy Wood- pecker of twelve eggs, the aggregate of two sets. This habit, however, of continuing to deposit eggs after the set has been bro- ken is not common with all birds; indeed, the greater number when thus deprived de- sert both nest and locality. Among this number may be mentioned the Grouse fam- ily, the Woodcock, and most of the Sco/o- pacide. Birds that always rear the same number of young, if not robbed of all their eges, usually continue to sit on the remain- ing ones. .A large number of species, not- ably some of the Hawks, Sparrows, Owls and sea birds, scarcely ever abandon the locality of the nest, even though continual- ly dispossessed of their eges, but will con- struct the nest within a short distance of the | first. ‘The most striking example of this kind is the taking of seven sets of eggs of the Broad-winged Hawk, from the same local- ity, in five successive seasons, but this year the nest has remained unmolested, three young having been reared. From time to time, we’ have published accounts of unusually large sets of eggs,} which, in some instances impress us as be- ing remarkable, especially as no precedent can be found to establish such an occur- rence as other than what might, with pro- priety, be termed a deformity, not only in their exceptional size, but from the fact former occupation, and yet were new, would go to prove. _ The general impression of col- lectors when discovering fresh eggs late in the season, is that the birds evidently were late in building, and ornithologists generally confine many birds to one litter, when in reality they deposit from one to even three sets in a season, not including, of course, re- paired sets that eggs had previously been taken from. — * Figuratively. + See item on page 43 of Vol. I. that in such sets are frequently found curi- ously marked and misshapen eggs. As often in forced deposits, these malformed eggs are usually infertile. This may ex- plain to many collectors, who have found such eges long after the young have been hatched, the reason of their occurrence un- der such circumstances. Not only in un- usually large sets or forced repeated depo- sitions, do we find deformed eges, howev- er, for they are met with more or less fre- quently in many other connections. In a litter of seven eggs of the Yellow-shafted Woodpecker, was one that, though perfect jn other respects, was but half-shelled, the remaining portion being enclosed in a thin membraneous skin, apparently a continua- tion of the shell. We still have in our cab- inet an egg of the Yellow Bird of very sin- gular form; it measures about .75 of an inch long by scarcely more than .18 inch in width. The usual malformation in eggs is deficiency in size, and which in most cases is attended with clouded markings ; the shell is rough and very frequently brit- tle and thin. As a rule, eggs laid in hollows and dark places are white or light-colored, notwith- standing the little credence that has been given the assertion, and those which, from the character of the nest are exposed, are for the most part spotted, marked or of a dark shade. A careful reflection will show this to be applicable under all circum- stances. Did space permit a more exten- sive account of the details of oviposition, much might be said in regard to occasional deviation in color and markings; the ac- tions of different species when deprived of their eggs; and considerable could be ad- ded to the already lengthy dissertations on the habit of the Cow Bird. WE would request correspondents to en- close items intended for publication in an envelope instead of pasting them on a pos- tal card. It would save both trouble and ‘| the waste-basket. 24 THE OOLOGIST. The Black-throated Bunting. (Huspiza americana.) 3f(. DITOR Ooxroerst :— Last season I § sent you a few notes on the breeding € habits of this bird as observed by my- self in this vicinity, and as you were kind enough to consider them worthy a place in your paper, I wish to add a few words on the same subject this year. The birds first make their appearance about the 10th of May, and the observer is made aware of their presence by hearing the song of the male as he perches on some fence post or hedge. After once having be- gun to return from their winter home, they rapidly increase in numbers until they are the most prominent of our birds in this vi- cinity. Nearly every bush in a hedge has its Bunting, and their incessant muttering (more like the complaining note of the I can compare it with) fills the air in all directions. They begin building about the middle of May and soon have the complement of eggs laid. The first nest collected this year was taken on May 30 and contained four eges. The first part of the season they approached more nearly the style of building attributed to them by Dr. Coues, viz: on the ground and in clumps of grass a few inches up. All the nests found at first were in hedges close to the ground, and completely hidden in the long dead grass. Last year, of ten or twelve nests found, all, with one excep- tion were built in hedges in plain sight, from three to five feet up. ‘This year, on the contrary, I found no nests in such situations until the latter part of June, when the hedges were leaved out, and it was extreme- ly hard to see the nests. I collected fourteen nests this year, all but seven being found in osage hedges from one to five feet up; of the seven exceptions one was found in a clump of grass, another in a small cedar tree in a nursery, three others in small fir trees near the rail-road, one in a raspberry bush close to the track, and one in the grass close to the road. The nests contained from three to five eggs, the average number apparently being four. One nest contained four eggs larger than usual, and spotted with light lilac spots.’ I have seen eggs of this bird marked with well de- fined spots of black, but this is the. first set I ever found which were spotted. The materials used in the construction of the nests are dried grass with occasion- ally corn-husks and bits of paper, and dried weeds; the nest is sometimes lined with black horse-hair, but is often without any special attempt at lining. : I think the bird must lay two sets of eggs in a season, as I found eggs nearly ready to hatch on June 4, and fresh eggs on July 10 and 11. I also found nests with young birds about the middle of June, and a nest with young just hatched on July 9. ‘The bird is about as large as a Song : ao the) Sparrow. Back, brown with a few streaks Meadow Lark in miniature than anything | of black near the neck ; a yellow stripe ex- tends from the bill over the eye, and a | white stripe begins at the eye and runs to back of head; throat white, with black spot ; breast yellowish ; belly white, streak- ed with black at sides. Female same as the male, except the black throat spot. Hoping that the above may be of some interest to your.readers, I will close. Peotone, Ills. . *¢ Kuspiza.” New Brrps.—The following birds new to our fauna are described in the Nuttall Bulletin; Allen’s Humming Bird (Sel- asphorus alleni), by H. W. Henshaw ; White-fronted Pigeon (Leptoptila albi- trons), by George B. Sennett ; and a hyb- rid Grouse called by William Brewster Cupidonia cupidini-columbiana. Dr. Covss has entered into the task of publishing a work on North American mammals. We expect this will be a work of great worth. It certainly will form a book that has long been needed. THE AMERICAN NATURALIST; A POPULAR ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY AND TRAVEL. ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 1877. Tus journal of popular Natural Science will continue to be published by Messrs. H. O. Houexton & Co, Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., under the editorial management of Dr. A. S. PACKARD, Jr., with the assistance of eminent men of science. The typographical dress and illustrations which have heretofore given character to this magazine, have been improved, and it is of a thoroughly popular nature, so as to interest the general reader as well as the young naturalist, It will continue to be a journal of science-education and for the use of scien ce-teachers. Each number of the NATURALIST contains carefully written articles on various scientific subjects, and, in addition, departments of Recent Literature, Botany, Zoology, Anthrogology, Geology and Paleontology, Geography and Exploration, und Microscopy. The department of Botany is edited by Prof. GEORGE L. GooDaLE, of Harvard University, and that of Microscopy by Dr. R. H. WARD, of 'l'roy, New York. Arrangements have been made to report the Pro- ceedings of Scientific Societies with great promptness. A digest of the Contents of Foreign Sei- entific Journals and Transactions will also be given each month, together with the Latest Home and Foreign Scientific News. The attention of publishers and teachers is called to critical notices of scientific books, to which especial attention will be given. Among those who have promised to contribute to the NATURALIST during 1877 are Profes- sors Asa Gray, J. D. Whitney, N.S. Shaler, W. G. Farlow, G. L. Goodale, of Harvard Univer- sity; Professors O. C. Marsh, A. K. Verrill, of Yale College; Mr. A. Agassiz, Hon. Lewis H. Morgan, Col. Theodore Lyman, Mr. L. F. Pourtales, Mr. S H. Scudder, Professors E. D. Cope, F. V. Hayden, A. Hyatt; Drs. Elliott Coues, W. H. Dall, C. C. Abbot, Rev. 8. Lockwood, J. A. Allen, H. Gillman, C,C. Parry, R. E. C. Stearns, O. T. Mason, and other leading naturalists. Notes from abroad will occasionally be contributed by Mr. Alfred W. Bennett, the distinguished English botanist. The following table of contents of the January number will give an idea of the character of this valuable magazine to those not already familiar with it : — LEADING ARTICLES.—Is Protective Mimicry due to Natural Selection?—Alfred W. Bennett. Educated Fleas.— W. H. Dall. The Giant Birds of New Zealand.—I. C. Russell. The Migrations of the Destructive Locust of the West.—A. 8. Packard, Jr. Notes on the Aboriginal Money of California.— Lorenzo G. Yates. The Philosopher’s Stone.—William HK. Hagen. RECENT LITERATURE.— Gurney’s Rambles of a Naturalist. Boucard’s Catalogue of Birds. The Wild Flowers of America. Recent Books and Pamphlets. GENERAL NOTES.— Botany: Homogone and Heterogone Flowers. A Madrona swallows an Oak. The Sexual Reproduction of Fungi. Botanical Club at Providence, R. I. Botanical Papers in Recent Periodicals.—Zoology: Notes on some Oregon Birds. Habits of the Whistler.—Anthropology: Cordate Ornament. Anthropological News. —Geology and Paleontology: The Geological Survey. The Geology of Ithaca, New York, and the Vicinity.—Geog- raphy and Exploration: Explorations of the Polaris Expedition to the North Pole.—Microscopy: Illumination in Connection with Polarization. Pollen Tubes tor the Microscope. San Francisco Microscopical Society. SCIENTIFIC NEWS. PROCEEDINGs OF SOCIETIES. SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. TeRMs: 85 cents a number; $4.00 a year; with portrait of Agassiz, $5.00. Notre.—The ten volumes which have been published form an elegantly printed and illustrated Library of Ameri- can Natural History, invaluable for school, college and public libraries. They contain standard articles by Agassiz, Dana, Wyman, Gray. Whitney, Leidy. Cope, Hunt, Dawson, Newberry, Marsh, Verrill, Morse, Gill, Coues, Scudder, Hagen, Dall, Shaler, Brewer, Ridgway, Parry, Caton, Abbot, Farlow, Lockwood, Grote. Waid, aud many other sci- entists. Bound volumes, $5.00; vols. I.-X , $40.00; unbound, $30.00. Back numbers supplied. Remittances by mail should be sent by a money-order, draft on New York or Boston, or registered letter, to H. O. HovuGuton & Co., Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass. H. 0. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY, corner Beacon and Somerset Streets, Boston. HURD AND HOUGHTON, 13 Astor Place, New York. Ghe Hiverside Dress, Ganrbridge. aan 26 THE OOLOGIST. Sldvertisements. 7 cents per brevier line; 50 cents a square. Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornitho- logical Club: A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. TERMS — $1.00 A YEAR (including postage), strictly in advance. SINGLE NUMBERS, 30 cents. Back numbers can be supplied. $@-Circulars, containing the list of contents of Volume I, will be sent on application. Remittances by mail will be at the risk of the sender, unless sent in a postal order or draft on Boston or New_York. Address all remittances to 313 RUTHVEN DEANE, Cambridge, Mass. Brewster & Knowlton, No. 18 Arch Street, Boston, Mass. | --Naturalists and Taxidermists.<¢ | DEALERS IN | Biro SKINS, EYES, | AND TAXIDERMISTS’ MATERIAL. 0. J. Maynard & Co. A NEW PRICE LIST OF EGGS, NESTS, AND SKINS. We are selling lower than any one else in the country. Send a stamp for our catalogue, and state | whether you have one dated May 11, 1876. No notice taken of postal cards. Address at Newtonville, Mass. LABELS FOR BIRDS. We have just completed a new series of LABELS FOR BIRDS AND BIRD-SKINS, which we offer to collectors as being neat and handy. They are bound 50, 100 and 200 in a book. Sample and prices mailed on receipt of stamp. | S. L. WILLARD & Co., Utica, N. Y. | NGRAVINGS of Birds, Eggs etc., suit- | sale at this office. M-und able for catalogues and price lists, for | Prices very low. | within the scope of the paper. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLECTORS, THOSE wishing to add to their cabinets single specimens or sets of the Eggs of the Turkey Buzzard, can obtain specimens of us at SO cents each. S. L. Wittarp & Co., Utica, N. Y. Oneida Street, Fovest { Stream ROD and GUN. The American Sportsman's Journal. A WEEKLY PAPER DEVOTED TO FIELD SPORTS, PRACTICAL NATURAL HIS- TORY, FISH CULTURE, PROTECTION OF GAME, PRESERVATION OF FORESTS, YACHTING AND BOATING, RIFLE PRACTICE, AND ALL Out-door Recreations and Study. This is the only journal in the country that fully supplies the wants and necessities of the ‘GENTLEMAN SPORTSMAN. Terms, $4 a year. Send for a specimen copy. FOREST & STREAM PUBLISHING CO., 111 FULTON Sr. (Old No. 103.) Post Office Box 2382. NEW YORK. The publishersof FOREST AND STREAM AND ROD AND GUN aim to merit and secure the pat- ronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose refined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that is beautiful in Nature. It will pandertono depraved tastes, nor pervert the legitimate sports of land | and water to those base uses which always tend | to make them unpopular with the virtuous and ood, and nothing will be admitted to any depart- rent of the paper that may not be read with pro- priety in the home circle. It is the aim of this journal to become the medium of useful and re- liable information between gentlemen sportsmen from one end of the country tg the other, te : d it solicits correspondence on any t0] ee As an advertising medium there are none better. ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. Vo.tume III, JUNE, 1877. NuMBER 4. Fossil Eggs and Nests. UITE an interest attaches to the geo- logical remains of birds’ eggs and nests, and these are by no means un- | common in North America, especially in the region of the north-western part of the United States. The coasts of California and Washington Territory afford excellent opportunities for obtaining these specimens, which, though not properly belonging to an oological collection, will often prove worthy of attentive study in this connection. In some places in California many eggs have been found bedded in groups, evident- ly once sets, completely fossilized and im- bedded in the earth, in connection with pet- rified rubbish. When unearthed, many of these are inseparably attached to each oth- er and the surrounding mineral substance, and some, instead of being perfect in form, are bent and dented into many shapes, though generally perfectly sound in the shell. The circumstance of finding these eggs with the shells of invertebrates and fossilized wood, induce many to suppose that they formed a part of the great geolog- | ical shifts of many ages ago. hough of) unknown age, some of the shells are in, such a perfect state of preservation that the chalky shell of the Pelican and Cormorant, | or kindred species can be distinguished from | the smoother and thinner shells of the Gulls and Terns. In many cases, pieces of rock had made their way through the softer earth and, gradually pressing against the shell, had bent it nearly flat or into other odd shapes, without fracturing it. The size of these fossil eg¢s varies from that of a Pigeon or smaller upward. Those wishing to dispose of birds’ eggs or skins will find TPE OOLOGIST the best means of communicating the fact to a large) class of collectors of any paper published. Specimen copy for stamp. Address all communications to THE OOLOGIST, ONEIDA STREET, Utica, N. Y.| JUNE, 1877 THREE PAPERS ON THE BREED- ING HABITS OF BIRDS. iil. INCUBATION. NCUBATION is commenced on the day of the last deposition, and at this stage the body of the sitting bird is at a temper- ature of 96° Fahrenheit, the greatest | warmth required. he female, and also the male to some extent, now begin to lose their feathers, which accounts for the large number of poorly plumaged birds found during the breeding season. ‘The male ae does not in all cases lose its ee at ane time, as, with many species incubation is performed by the female alone, it being this process that loosens them. When both sex- es incubate, they observe a systematic mode of relief, the female usually sitting from the afternoon of one day till the forenoon of the next, when the male relieves her while she is absent in search of food. When incubation is performed by the female alone she remains in the nest until the young are hatched, the male in the meantime feeding her. According to Dr. Jasper, the eggs, from the beginning of incubation are turned near- ly every day. If this be so, the Sandpi- pers and other birds which universally lay their eggs in the same position, * must nec- essarily exercise considerable instinct and care in their removal in order that they as- sume their original position. Observation would convince us that in the case of some | Species, this does not apply, for, on several occasions, when on repeated visits to nests containing less than the anticipated num- ber of eggs, their position was carefully noted, and in a large number of instances, when observable, the prominent blotch that appeared uppermost at first, was observed in the same place until the last, though in- cubation had continued several days. Many species utilize the heat of the sun _and of vegetable fermentation for incibating their eggs ; some species, the Apteryx for faeeanee. sit wnder instead of over their eggs; others like the Cow Bird and Euro- pean Cuckoo, do not attempt to facilitate the hatching process, but lay their eggs in the nests of other and usually smaller spe- cies. The length of time required for in- cubation varies generally with the size of the bird and the thickness and toughness of the shell. Humming-birds’ eggs require about ten days, those “of most Warblers e- leven or twelve, of Sparrows twelve, of Blackbirds about fifteen, of most Hawks and Owls three weeks, and of the Eagle *'The Sandpipers always deposit their eggs with their small ends in the center. ‘This is also noticeable with a few other Limicole. ~ THE OOLOGIST. ol four weeks. Unless a very uniform de- eree of heat is applied, it requires eggs in- cubated artificially somewhat longer. It is needless here to enter into a minute explanation of the progress of development of the embryo, as that has already been fully detailed and illustrated by several au- thors ; but an outline of the stages of incu- bation, however, may to the interested, be of advantage: In the center of the yolk, enclosed in a little sac called by scientists the membrana vitelli, is the germ or fu- ture chick. The warmth imparted to the egg calls the germ into activity, and though | gradual, the progress of its development is zery rapid. Until about two days after in- cubation is commenced, all that appears to the naked eye are numerous small blood- vessels and a globular mass of yellowish substance, which eventually forms the em- bryo. This soon takes shape, and on the third and fourth days the embryo is pos- farthest advanced. gins to assume a neutral position, and on the fifth and sixth days the forming bones of the chick obtain strength. being always permeable by air, during the process of incubation admits a certain quan- tity to the space at the larger end of the) Consisting largely of oxygen, the air | egg. of this space rapidly expands and supplies the embryo in its confinement. The de- distinguishable long before the feet and wings are formed. From the sixth to the tenth day, the muscles and quill feathers begin to form, and from this time the feath- ers, bill, and claws rapidly gain strength, until at the exit of the chick their shape is almost entirely developed. The chick is not assisted in freeing itself from the shell by its parents, but effects its own libera- tion. How the release from the shell is accomplished* has been copiously discussed in a previous issue of this journal, and re- * Vide pages 51, 59 and 63 of Vol. II. to produce the full number of young, ‘The shell | quires no supplementary details.. Birds who deposit their eggs with regularity rarely fail Ie Gos to hatch every egg. The young generally remain in the nest until able to fly; but some species, the Sandpipers, Ducks, etc., leave the nest as soon as hatched, and are immediately possessed with the power of running or swimming. Asarule, the young are not clothed in full plumage until the fol- lowing year. The nest is not always occupied a second time ; indeed, the greater number of birds build a new nest every year, and a large number of those which raise two broods in a.season construct two different nests. Most birds of prey simply repair and add to the | structure of the preceding year, but all spe- cies if not disturbed, will with their young ‘nest in the same locality year after year, -aud one will often find within an area of _two or three rods perhaps a dozen Vireos’ sessed of recognizable form but is still im- perfect, the head and eyes apparently being | ~The albumen now be- | nests. -—~<4O p> ~. How our Journal is Appreciated. It gives us pleasure to note the interest taken in THE OoLocistT, and we cannot re- 'frain from presenting some of the compli- Wim. mentary notices we have received. Brewster, Esq., of Cambridge, says: “‘T am very much pleased with your publi- cation and heartily wish it the success that it _so fully merits.” velopment of the head is most rapid, the brain, nerves, and vascular portions being Mr. D. S. Bryant of San Francisco, an enthusiastic naturalist, writes : “Ttis just what our young naturalists want. You will get new subscribers from Oakland.” C. J. Maynard, of Newtonville, Mass., writes us: “‘T have with great pleasure observed the steady improvement in your little journal. You have now arrived at a point where it is truly deserving of praise.” Were it not for space, we should pubs lish others, all of which are reflected in the above few testimonials. ——-- <0. Subscriptions can commence at any time. 32 THE OOLOGIST. Peculiar Habit of the Bower Bird of New Guinea. HE various habits practiced by birds in their daily life, and their often pe- culiar economy, render our feathered friends, to the observant naturalist, the most interesting of beings. Each family has its own customs ; often a genus is known by some especial habit, and not infrequent- ly a species can be recognized by some cu- rious manner it may have of carrying itself among its fellows, or a particular finish it may give to its nest. As I have noticed | that among your contributors there are many keen observers of bird life, it has ov- curred to me that perhaps it may not prove’ uninteresting if I give an account that has but lately reached Europe of the strange habits of a certain bird in New Guinea, which will read perhaps more like fiction than sober truth, but of its perfect accura- cy, there is no reason whatever to harbor adoubt. It has been for a long time known to ornithologists that a certain genus of birds | (chlamyodira) existed in Australia which were accustomed to erect structures in the shape of tunnels. ‘These were built of reeds and twigs, and were sometimes a couple of | feet, perhaps more, in length. TJhat these | could not answer in any way for incubation was evident at a glance, and it was a puz- | zle for a long time what use they could be | put to by a bird. The ground in front of) the so-called **bowers” was usually covered with shells of different kinds, bones, and | frequently feathers of various colors, gen- erally very bright ones. After patient | watching, it was ascertained that the only reason the birds erected these ‘‘bowers” was to use them as play-houses, and the little creatures were seen amusing themselves by | chasing each other in and through them in a sort of feathered game of ‘‘ tag,” and the | shells and feathers were only so much or- | namentation to their play-grounds. That. they were not nests, was sufficiently proved | by finding a proper structure with the req- | uisite eggs, placed by the birds in a tree. | to} Some three years ago, when engaged upon my work on the Birds of Paradise (to which family these ‘‘ bower-builders” belong), I received from the Director of the Royal Museum in Leyden, Holland, a dull-color- ed curious-looking bird, which had lately been obtained in New Guinea, and which I at once saw belonged to a genus hitherto unknown. It was evidently a relative of the ‘* bower bird,” differing essentially, however, by characteristics not necessary to describe here, and I made up my mind it would also build a ‘‘ bower,” though of course what kind of a structure it might be I could not even conjecture, and besides . mentioning my belief I was obliged to pub- lish my book without further details. With- in the past three years, however, some very © adventurous Italian explorers have been in- vestigating New Guinea, mainly in search. of natural history specimens, and one of them, Signor Beccari, found this little brown bird, which I had called Amblyorius inor- nata, and also discovered its ‘‘ bower.” This is a most extraordinary affair, and consists of a perfectly circular cabin, built principally of the dry twigs of an epiphtous orchid (Dendrobium), measuring a little. over three feet in diameter, and supported by asingle central pillur. Before the en- trance is a beautiful garden, of rather lar- ger dimensions than the cabin, made of the greenest moss, and ornamented from time to time with brilliantly colored flowers and fruits, such as flowers of a lovely species of Vaccinium. This wonderful habit of the bird is so well known to the Malay hunters that it is called Zakanhabou or Gardener by them. No more interesting fact has been learned in field ornithology for many years, and it is wonderful to know that a bird, for its own amusement, has the instinct and ability to build a house with a central support for the roof, and then the taste to beautify its surroundings with gaily colored flowers. In respect to this particular spe- cies it proves two things, that skill is inde- pendent of strength, and that one need not be handsome to appreciate beauty, for the bird does not possess a single gay-colored feather in its body. D. G. Extior. In Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun. THE AMERICAN NATURALIST; A POPULAR ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY AND TRAVEL. ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 1877. THIs journal of popular Natural Science will continue to be published by Messrs. H. O. Houexton & Co, Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., under the editorial management of Dr. A. 8. PACKARD, Jr., with the assistance of eminent men of gcience. The typographical dress and illustrations which have heretofore given character to this magazine, have been improved, and it is of a thoroughly popular nature, so as to interest the general reader as well as the young naturalist, It will continue to be a journal of science-education and for the use of scien ce-teachers. Each number of the NATURALIST contains carefully written articles on various scientific subjects, and, in addition, departments of Recent Literature, Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Geology and Paleontology, Geography and Exploration, and Microscopy. The department of Rotany is edited by Prof. GEORGE L. GOODALE, of Harvard University, and that of Microscopy by Dr. R. H. Warp, of Troy, New York. Arrangements have been made to report the Pro- ceedings of Scientific Societies with great promptness. A digest of the Contents of Foreign Set- entific Journals and Transactions will also be given each month, together with the Latest Home and Foreign Scientific News. The attention of publishers and teachers is called to critical notices of scientific books, to which especial attention will be given. Among those who have promised to contribute to the NATURALIST during 1877 are Profes- sors Asa Gray, J. D. Whitney, N.S. Shaler, W. G. Farlow, G. L. Goodale, of Harvard Univer- sity; Professors O. C. Marsh, A. K. Verrill, of Yale College; Mr. A. Agassiz, Hon. Lewis H. Morgan, Col. Theodore Lyman, Mr. L. F. Pourtales, Mr. S H. Scudder, Professors E. D. Cope, F. V. Hayden, A. Hyatt; Drs. Elliott Coues, W. H. Dall, C. ©. Abbot, Rev. 8. Lockwood, J. A. Allen, H. Gillman, C,C. Parry, R. EK. C. Stearns, O. T. Mason, and other leading naturalists. Notes from abroad will occasionally be contributed by Mr. Alfred W. Bennett, the distinguished English botanist. The following table of contents of the January number will give an idea of the character of this valuable magazine to those not already familiar with it : — LEADING ARTICLES.— Is Protective Mimicry due to Natural Selection?—Alfred W. Bennett. Educated Fleas.— W. H. Dall. The Giant Birds of New Zealand.—I. C. Russell. The Migrations of the Destructive Locust of the West.—A. 8S. Packard, Jr. Notes on the Aboriginal Money of Calitornia.— Lorenzo G. Yates. The Philosopher’s Stone.—William E. Hagen. RECENT LITERATURE.— Gurney’s Rambles of a Naturalist. Boucard’s Catalogue of Birds. The Wild Flowers of America. Recent Books and Pamphlets. GENERAL NOTES.— Botany: Homogone and Heterogone Flowers. A Madrona swallows an Oak. The Sexual Reproduction of Fungi. Botanical Club at Providence, R. I. Botanical Papers in Recent Periodicals.—Zoology: Notes on some Oyegon Birds. Habits of the Whistler.—Anthropology: Cordate Ornament. Anthropological News. —Geology and Paleontology: The Geological Survey. The Geology of Ithaca, New York, and the Vicinity.—Geog- raphy and Exploration: Explorations of the Polaris Expedition to the North Pole.—Microscopy: Illumination in Connection with Polarization. Pollen Tubes tor the Microscope. San Francisco Microscopical Society. SCIENTIFIC NEWS. PROCEEDINGs OF SOCIETIES. SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. TeRMs: 3) cents a number; $4.00 a year; with portrait of Agassiz, $5.00. Notre.—The ten volumes which have been published form an elegantly printed and illustrated Library of Ameri- can Natural History, invaluable for school, college and public libraries. They contain standard articles by Agassiz, Dana, Wyman, Gray, Whitney, Leidy. Cope, Hunt, Dawson, Newberry, Marsh, Verrill, Morse, Gill, Coues, Scudder, Hagen, Dall, Shaler, Brewer, Ridgway, Parry, Caton, Abbot, Farlow, Lockwood, Grote. Waid, aud many other sci- entists. Bound volumes, $5.00; vols. I.-X, $40.00; unbound, $30.00. Back numbers supplied. Remittances by mail should be sent by a money-order, draft on New York or Boston, or registered letter, to H. O. Hovueuton & Co., Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass. H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY, corner Beacon and Somerset Streets, Boston. HURD AND HOUGHTON, 13 Astor Place, New York. Ghe Miverside Lreas, Cambridge. Ny 34 THE OOLOGIST. Scientific. A SPECIMEN of the coati mondi was re- ceutly taken in Texas by Dr. J. C. Merrill of Fort Brown. It is a species new to our mamualia. Tue four new genera of mammals from the Eocene period, recently discovered and elaborately described by Prof. O.C. Marsh, have contributed much valuable additional material to the extended theories on evolu- tion. Prof. Marsh is now pursuing his in- vestigations in the north-west. ‘THe summer schools of natural science of Harvard and Cornell Universities prom- ise to afford excellent facilities for the study of zoology. The latter institution will make the tour of the Great Lakes, obtain- ing collections of such as the route pro- duces. It is expected that the geological investigations will be especially interesting. Advertisements. 7 cents per brevier line; 50 cents a square. LABELS FOR BIRDS. We have just completed a new series of LABELS FOR BIRDS AND BIRD-SKINS, which we offer to collectors as being neat and handy. They are bound 50, 100 and 200 in a book. Sample and prices mailed on receipt of stamp. S. L. WILLARD & Co., Utica, N. Y. Brewster & Knowlton, No. 18 Arch Street, Boston, Mass. Naturalists and Taxidermists.< DEALERS IN Bi#D SKINS, LYES, AND TAXIDERMISTS’ MATERIAL. EW. and Rare eves from the South. List sent on application. Address S. L. WILLARD & Co., Utica, N. Y. Povest N Sfrvam ROD and GUN. The American Sportsman’s Journal. A WEEKLY PAPER DEVOTED TO FIELD SPORTS, PRACTICAL TORY, FISH CULTURE, PROTECTION OF GAME, PRESERVATION OF FORESTS, YACHTING AND BOATING, RIFLE PRACTICE, AND ALL Out-door Recreations and Study. NATURAL HIS- This is the only journal in the country that fully supplies the wants and necessities of the GENTLEMAN SPORTSMAN. Terms, $4 a year. Send for a specimen copy. FOREST & STREAM PUBLISHING CO., 111 FULTON St. (Old No. 103.) Post Office Box 2382. NEW YORK. The publishers of FOREST AND STREAM AND ROD AND GUN aim to merit and secure the pat- ronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose refined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that is beautifulin Nature. It will pander tono depraved tastes, nor pervert the legitimate sports of land and water to those base uses which always tend to make them unpopular with the virtuous and good, and nothing will be admitted to any depart- ment of the paper that may not be read with pro- priety in the home circle. It is the aim of this journal to become the medium of useful and re- liable information between gentlemen sportsmen from one end of the country to the other, and to that end it solicits correspondence on any topic within the scope of the paren. As an advertising medium there are none better. C. J. Maynard & Co. A NEW PRICE LIST OF EGGS, NESTS, AND SKINS. We are selling lower than any one else in the country. Send a stump for our catalogue, and state whether you have one dated May 11, 1876. No notice taken of postal cards. Address at Newtonville, Mass. M-und ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. JULY, 1877. NUMBER 5. A Collecting Tour in Florida. ARLY in the spring of 18—, my friend Thomas Stearns and myself started on our long looked for and long expected oological tour to the forests of the ** Everglade State.” After experi- encing innumerable difficulties, perplexities and annoyances, we at last reached Fort Dulaney, from which it was our intention to proceed up the Caloosahachee River to Lake Obichobee. Having secured the ex- perienced services of two trustworthy, re- liable and respectable negro boatmen, who went by the euphonious appellations of *¢Old Dan” and ** Grizzly Bert,” we start- ed. Our boat was of the best construction, our well-stocked supply of provisions was superior, both in quality and quantity, and our expectations were aroused to the high- est pitch of excitement. The morning was all that heart could desire, when we ten- dered our adieus to the kind and consider- | ate friend who had so generously extended to us his unbounded hospitality during our short sojourn at Fort D., and rowed slow- ly up the river to the lively and inspiriting songs of our dusky guides, who pulled eare- lessly along with the utmost tranquility and “sung froid.” Although in this expedition we secured many and valuable specimens of the small- jer birds and eggs, from a want of space, we shall confine ourselves to enumerating only the larger and more interesting varie- ties. Our first day was comparatively un- -eventful and we encamped at evening on | the beautiful and verdant banks of the gent- |ly-flowing Caloosahachee and prepared for a day’s work on the morrow. The first | beams of the morning sun aroused us from /our fragrant couches of fresh hemlock | boughs. A walk of about two hours under the guidance of ‘* Grizzly Bert” brought | us to an almost impenetrable swamp, where ‘our wildest expectations were destined to ibe realized. As the flapping of innumera- ble wings awoke the solitude, and clouds of | Herons rose and darkened the air, Thom- as, nearly wild with excitement, fairly shrieked ** come on Muldoon,” and with shouts of exultation and expectancy werush- ed forward and all three of us were soon en- | gaged climbing trees in quick succession, and descending each and every time laden with the pea-green beauties. The eggs were those of the Snowy and Yellow-crown- ed Herons, and we secured a great super- fluity of the eggs of these two species. By this time, the day being well nigh spent, , we returned to camp and rcsted our weary _limbs preparatory to the morrow’s advance. All day long we toiled slowly up the river, _ stopping from time to time as the nest of a ‘Snake Bird or Brown Pelican on the bank THE POU Loi panen he A piercing g Hlonasy & our rutin. Our progress was seriously impeded | by fal- len trees and the rich luxuriance of tropical | vegetation. An occasional alligator, bold- , er than his companions, would now and then | bar our way and only retreat after a fierce onslaught. The night we passed as the pr eceding, and in the: mc ‘ning, after a br ief | survey of the surrounding country we re- sumed our onward course toward Lake O- bichobee, the goal of our expectations. One ‘more night we encainped upon the banks of the stream, and in the morning we were fortunate enough to secure the nest and eggs of the Mississippi Kite. female bird, ‘* Grizzly Bert ” ascended the tree, which 7 as an enormous live oak, with | ‘great difficulty, and on his descent with the eggs we resumed our journey, reaching . Lake Obichobee at about sunset. Jhe en- suing days saw us busily employed from sun- rise to sunset in securing and identifying birds and eges of many species, among which were the White, Blue, Snowy and | Louisiana Herons, the Crying Bird, Snake Bird, Brown Pelican and F lamingo, togeth-_ er with the Common and Purple Gallinules. In speaking of the two species of Gallinule, there was a swamp at the northern end of the lake where both bred in immense num- bers. Having secured as many of the spe- cies abounding in these parts as we required | for our private collections, we wended our | way homeward well satisfied with the re-_ Though since then | J have made many trips to different sections | sult of our expedition. of country, I can confidently affirm that, for collecting purposes, both in regard to the number and var iety of odlogical speci- mens, Florida stands unsurpassed, and if any of our young friends meditate a trip to. the Everglades of Florida, we advise them. to seek out at Fort Dulaney ‘‘Old Dan” and ‘Grizzly Bert,” whom we are confi- dent are the persons most competent to aid them in their researches. G. H. —_____+~q@p—. MvLpoon. Valuable engravings of eg gs in Sept. No. Having shot the Tue Towien neon wana ery- throphthalmus. — This pretty and well known species, although quite common in Massachusetts and the other southern New | ‘England States, is rare in the northern ones. i arrives here (near Boston) about the first week in May, sometimes earlier. It Vis first seen in the low, swampy thickets, or in the ‘‘scrub,” very often that growing on hillsides (the ‘‘scrub” is a low bushy growth. of trees, chiefly of oaks, which grows usually on dry and hilly lands), and here the Chewinks busy themselves, gener- cally near the ground, where they search under the leaves and dec: ayed vegetation for their food of seeds and insects. They commence building by the last week in May. The nest is placed on the ground, generally near a bush, or I have found it /sometimes in a little hollow in a bank near the road-side. It is built of grasses, straws and fine roots. ‘The eggs are four in num- ber. Their ground color is a grayish white, and the whole surface is covered with dots and points of reddish-brown. The average dimensions of several specimens in my col- lection, are about .94 by.76 of an inch. Their most common note is fowhee, tow- hee. About the first week in October the old birds and their young leave on their southern migration. Wo. L. Green. Longwood, Mass. QuiIrE a number of collectors complain that their cabinets are infested with an in- >| sect of destructive nature. The cause of their appearance is in most cases inexplic- able, and it seems difficult to get rid of them. We would recommend the free use of cam- _phor; it is an enemy to the larvae, and no ‘Insect will stay long where it is kept. ———— <4 {= SUBSCRIBERS wishing to obtain back numbers to increase their files, can be fur- nished the following issues: from No. 4, Vol. I, to date. Many of these contain beautiful illustrations of birds and eggs. THE OOLOGIST. 37 More About the Great Northern Shrike. HE following letter trom Mexico, N. Y. we take the liberty of publishing en- tire :—- In the February number of THe Oo.o- Gist I noticed an article on the ‘‘ nesting of the Great Northern Shrike in this State” at the close of which you requested collect- ors to furnish any information on the sub- ject which came into their possession. Since that time, facts have come under my ob- servation, which, I think, fully substantiate the statement made, viz: that the North- ern Shrike breeds in this State, and partic- ularly in the northern counties. In the month of June, on the 7th inst., I had brought to me a young male of the Great. Northern Shrike ( Collurio borealis). It was shot about three miles from this vil- lage, and uot far from Lake Ontario. I was told by the person who procured the specimen, that a pair of Shrikes, or Butch- er Birds as he called them, had nested, and | raised a brood of young rear his house, and that the bird he had shot was one of the young. the parent birds and another of the young. The young were hatched about the first of) May, and when brought to me, were com-_ pletely feathered, the tail, of course not having attained its full length. he per- son furnishing this information is in every way reliable, and I think the case is au- thentic. I have observed the Northern Shrike here in January, and have noticed that it generally became more abundant from that time to April, and although I have never discovered a nest, I do not doubt ‘that several will yet be found in this and other sections. I hope the facts given a- bove, may throw some light upon the sub- ject, and that more may be learned of its breeding place or places. Joun A. SEVERANCE. ee tebe SEVERAL excellent articles on odlogy are forthcoming. He afterward brought me one of Tue NEsTING or THE Woop PEWEE. Almost every person who lives in wooded districts is acquainted with the Wood Pe- wee ; but to find its nest is a pretty difficult matter, and unless seen when building, or while the parent birds are taking care of the young they are not often found. A question on which many ornithologists dif- fer, is whether th’ bird raises two broods of young the same year; if so are they raised in the same nest ? A young collector near Brookville, Ind- iana, during the past summer closely ob- served a pair of Wood Pewees that had a nest near his house, and he says they raised two broods of young, one about the first of tow) June and the last about the latter part of July. ‘hey were both raised in the same nest. He says, taking this fact in connec- tion with other observations, he believes the Wood Pewee regularly raises two broods of young each year. Now let us hear the result of the obser- vations of other collectors on this point. OoLoGIsT. —-—t8 > IDENTIFICATION OF Ea@os.—Tvo many of our young collectors ignore the import- ance of thorough authentication of birds’ eggs. The fact is, most of the rarer kinds cannot be named unless the parent bird has been seen or taken, and while in the field _ the excitement involved in hunting for birds’ nests tends to diminish one’s care on this point. In this relation too much cannot be written, nor too much care taken. Dr. Coues says: ‘* As the science of odlogy has not progressed to the point of determining from the nests and eggs, to what bird they belong, in even a majority of cases, the ut- most care in the authentication is indispen- sable. To be worth anything, not to be worse than worthless in fact, an egg must be identified beyond question ; must be not only unsuspected, but above suspicion.” Finding a Song Sparrow’s egg somewhat differently marked and proportioned from the typical egg, might lead an amateur col- lector to believe it to be that of a very diff- erent species unless the bird be seen. THE O OLOGIST. S-PRYOR Devoted to Birds and Birds’ Liggs THIRD PUBLICATION YEAR. S. L. WILLARD, EDITOR, Assisced by able Associate Editors. TERMS: Forty cents a Year in advance, postage paid. Items on Ornithology and Odlogy solicited. §@= Those wishing to dispose of birds’ eggs or skins will find 'HE OOLOGIST the best means of communicating the fact to a large class of collectors of any paper published. Specimen copy for stamp. Address all communications to THE OOLOGIST, ONEIDA STREET, Urica, N. Y. SUDO EG Asi ire THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF BIRDS’ EGGS. HE true way of determining the real val- ue of a bird’s egg is according to its ge- ograpical scarcity or abundance. While some varieties are of little worth because of the great quantities that nay be collect- ed in some localities, others are valuable on account of their comparative scarcity in| all localities, notwithstanding that the ac- | cepted current value often set upon them is mmequable and disproportionable. For example, the current worth of the eggs of many inland birds, called common, which are distributed over the range of the coun- try, and do not breed in any one locality | /more abundantly, relatively speaking, than In another, and in no one place in multi- tudes, is merely trivial in comparison to that of the eggs of many sea birds, of which some, even of the rarer species, are much more common than many of our abundant inland birds. The intrinsic worth of the egg of the Florida Heron is not more than half that of the egg of the Hairy Wood- pecker ; there are, strictly speaking, from , perhaps fifty to a hundred or more of the former to every one of the latter, and their | nesting places usually cover acres of ground. | Relatively, the egg of the Turkey Buzzard is worth about one-third that of the Yel- _low-bellied Flycatcher ; and were the val- ‘ues of the eggs of the Swan and Fox-col- ~ ored Sparrow compared, those of the latter | /would be found worth the more. It will _be seen that these comparisons are made entirely independent of the accepted nomi- nal value; they do not refer us to the dif- ficulty experienced in obtaining them, nor ‘to their representation in cabinets, but to their worth as to actual abundance ort sear- city. In some cases it would be imprac- ticable, as in the instance of many other /similar articles, to determine the market value of an egg in exact, or even approxi- /mate correspondence with its real value as 'a specimen. It has been customary when it is found that a number of rare eggs may be obtained under favorable circumstances, to offer them much below their intrinsic worth in order that cabinets may be sup- plied, and that those who require them for study can procure them at a reasonable price ; nevertheless their actual value has not diminished in the least, and they are equally as desirable as if offered at their real value. The same may be said in re- gard to bird-skins, though allowance, of course, is to be made for the fact of the less difficulty in obtaining most of them : many birds whose eges are almost unknown to science, are among the commonest in _ collections. THE OOLOGIST. 39 It is sometimes ascertained that certain species whose apparent rarity had been al- most proverbial, really occur in remote portions of the country in. sufficient num- bers to be called common, and whose breed- ing grounds, previously totally unknown, are found to afford ample means for secur- ing a large number of specimens. eggs of such species must certainly be val- uable and very desirable, but nominally, they in some cases, are worth less than rare, species. Many of our birds with whose habits and characteristics we are more or less familiar, but of whose nests and eges nothing is definitely known, nidi- ficate continually in close proximity to us. Such are some of the Warblers, Sparrows, Sandpipers, etc. ; and probably the eggs of no other birds are as desirable or valuable as of these. ues of such specimens cannot be confused, nor, indeed are they as easily confused in certain localities and positions in numbers year after year. Se Some of our subscribers seem to have the idea that our journal is not large nor elaborate enough. To such may we be al- lowed to say that there is no journal pub- lished on this or any other kindred scien- tific subject, that gives as large an amount of subject-matter for the subscription price. It is impossible for us to furnish a larger magazine at the terms we now offer, unless we have a sufficiently large subscription list to warrant it. If our readers will aid us in extending our circulation, we shall endeavor to enlarge and elaborate our jour- nal in accordance with the patronage re- | ceived. We have in process of publication a pre- mium list and table of attractive inducements as issued to those who wish them. ——___-—~-—.__— AN enormous fossil bird called Lithornis cmuinus, supposed to be from the Eocene period, was recently discovered in England near Shepey. THE OOLOGIST. 41 Ornithological Notes. Game birds of every species are plentiful | this year. Ruffed Grouse are probably | more abundant in the Middle States than they have been in the past five years. AN albino Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo bo- realis) was taken at Brighton, Livingston. Jounty, in Mich., a short time since. Ex- | cepting the primaries and tail and some) few dark feathers on the back, the bird was | entirely white. Tue following item in the Forest and Stream may be of some interest to the cu-. rious: ‘‘A bantam hen belonging to John | Logan, uear Mount Holly, some time ago, | discovered a sitting Partridge m a field, and driving its hen from her nest, took posses- | sion of the eggs herself. She now proudly cares for fifteen young Partridges.” Mr. W. H. Ballou sends us the follow- | ing items: On the southern coast of Lake Krie, west of Sandusky Bay, Turkey Buz-. zards and Ravens are often seen, but sel- dom east of that. The former are found in flocks of twenty or thirty in the woods behind the great marshes, and the latter oc- | casionally in pairs along the beach. These marshes are also the breeding grounds of immense numbers and varieties of water Mottled’ Owls (Scops asio) are exceedingly sought after and killed by the fishermen of Maumee Bay, Ohio. They are picked and used as bait in catching cat- fish during the summer. ‘The fishermen state that during this season of the year they are very tender and flavored sufficient- ly to meet a cat-fish’s idea of a square meal. The fish, however, are just as eagerly sought after by the good people of ‘Toledo, and the Owls tio doubt take sweet vengeance in clawing over the offal of the fish left by the fishermen, during balmy summer evenings. [We should judge by the foregoing that | these Owls were in great excess in the a-| Were it not so, | bove mentioned locality. Tue Extinction or Brrps.— A recent ‘number of Harper’s Weekly contains an ‘item relative to the extinction of certain birds: ‘‘ The fact of the extinction of many formerly well- known animals by human agencies is well established, and according to Pelzeln, this fate is now pedis upon | quite a arriba of species, at least of birds. | Referring to the fact of the disappearance _of the Great Auk, or Northern Penguin, of the Apyornis of Madagascar, of the Dene ‘nis of New Zealand, a the Dodo, etc., he _adduces sundry panitional instances as less known. Among these-are the Votornis al- _ba, or White Rail, of Norfolk Island, a spe- cies of Gallinule, ‘and the Porphyrio stan- leyi of Lord Howe Island. Of a second species of Motornis from New Zealand Mr. Walter Mantell obtained two living speci- mens, the last, it is believed, of the race, with quite a number of their fossil bones. ‘¢Of the Nestor Parrot (estor produc- tus) of Gould, from Phillips Island, no liv- ing specimens are now supposed to exist. The last one known was a cage bird in Lon- don in 1851. Quite a number of specimens, however, are in public museums. **According to later advices, the Sickle- bill bird of the Sandwich Islands (Drepa- nis pacifica), the feathers of which were used for the production of the royal robes, ‘is no longer to be found living. ‘The Star- ling of the island of Reunion (/regilupus varius) has not been seen alive within re- cent years, although several specimen~ ‘vere obtained by Professor Savi in 1844. ‘¢ The Labrador Duck ( Caumptolemus lubraudorius) of America is ranked among ‘nearly extinct species, and is said to be more poorly represented in museums than even the Great Auk. There is, however, © good reason to believe that this bird is still abundant in the arctic seas, and that it may _yet be brought in in considerable quantities. ‘¢ The Dodo Pigeon of the Samoan Is- lands (Didunculus), the Apteryx and the Stringops of New Zealand, and the Forest a law against this practice might contribute! Rail (Ocydromus sylvestris) of Lord considerable toward the protection of Ohio’s | Howe Island, are also believed to be very birds. | ‘nearly extinct.’ CoTuRNIX COMMUNIS IN AMERICA.—The experiment of introducing the European Quail into the United States, promises from > present appearances to be a great success. Several pairs have been turved out in Ver- mont and Massachusetts by well known) On being let: loose, sporting gentlemen. they immediately paired, aud thus far sev- eral nests and young have been found, which | points favorably to the probable acclimati- | The European Quail | zation of the species. is somewhat smaller than our common Vir- ginia Partridge ( Ortya virginiunus), and | is considered of high quality as a game bird. of the trial depends. Advertisements. No. I8 Arch Street, Boston, Mass. Naturalists and Taxidermists.¢ DEALERS IN Bigo SKINS, EYES, AND TAXIDERMISTS’ MATERIAL. LABELS FOR BIRDS. We have just completed a new series of LABELS FOR BIRDS AND BIRD-SKINS, which we offer to collectors as being neat. and handy. ‘They are bound 50, 100 and 200 in a book. Samples and prices sent on application. S. L. WILLARD & Co., Utica, N. Y. {-= Anyone having Vols. I. and II. of the’ Oo.oetst in good order, complete, wishing | to dispose of them, can find a purchaser by | addressing Puitip NELL, 253 8. 12th St., | Philadelphia, Pa. THE OOLOGIST. Unlike its American congener, it is | a migratory species, and whether it will obey its natural instinct of passage, is a_ question upon which much of the success. - GENTLEMAN at & Sfeeam Fore D