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ESTABLISHED 1878. 


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Para THOLOGIST 


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VOL. VI 1881 See 


ome oneal 


BIRDS: TMEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


PUBLISHED BY 
JOS EEE M.. WADE, 


NORWICH, CONN. 


. 


‘i 


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ISTSSS oH 


Perc ATES, TO THE MEMORY 


IMMORTAL WILSON, 


THE ILLUSTRIOUS AUDUBON, 


AND THE 


DEVOTED NUTTALL. 


ORNITEZOLOGIST AND OCOLOGIST. 


CONTENTS OF VI.-1881. 


A febieas, RRC i ease tsecce ccs. eeeetomatecsl\«>90<0) daemons 20 
PATE OS pies coo ss coed es oie vnc Smee 7, 38, 43, 61, 76 | | Eggs, WilniteuBluecbirds: ...cdmeneeccess <--<0eeeeeniee 28 
J: Nit 72 KS ha a Oe Eee ee ie 69 | Eggs, Large Clutches of... 40, 48, 53, 61 
PANTS oP CRE pc. steven :cacicues dtteaaiociccsh deelieazensieees 29 | Eggs, Sparrow Hawk’s..........00-cesssssessesseeeeees 43 
Additions to the R. I. Fauna.......... a ne cepeacee Gave Maole, Babdi feocc.2<:.cus--20ttearedes sears? aoe 60, 79 - 
Be MC CGed  WOLK: \.2.53::.0+5-baemeasesss ccoussetnnsereace Aa PE VCOUNCEERMATA.cocx) Sass «+ sodaeeeecs eeseos sce 61 
BRCLMENIBINE ceancay cave. n00= + duper eswausanle sede ese. sanse 52 Eagle, Golden.. We is ca Bte nt ed ee ee 
Almost a Suffocation........00 .-cesee-scooereecee seers 77 | Eggs, Spotted Phobe’s Soci MARS ha. took sets oo ammeter Uh 
B Bges, Spotted Robin’s:....:-decs 1. cis s-2s.0-eneeess 79 
SCEIUCHONOTCTAG eoaaes on. cos faemeeneee Eas eiite heise deeopoee 4 | F 
Bittern beast... sceascs soos peepeerosn oeetwooees 6, 8 | Females Preponderating .........cc:ccsceeseeseeeeeees 93 
Binds: “A. New Way to SKkinices.c.nn< <sscetsnte<n<: 8 | Flycatcher, Small Green-crested ..........ss0+..0 29 
ES TIMUPOS ST OW. <2. eetes. cs cede cease seeceleen ences acventss 8 | Pight, AsSavareycs iin ieee os hee 52 
UGS DIRGS sec eceess vcdice ss Sadadeeeene witia naa socucAceeteeas's 15 | Flicker, Yellow or Red-shafted, Rien 2 ) See 82 
Birds; Importing Game. is tensc.csss0:cc0+csaneeseee-2 23 | Flycatcher, Fork-tailed—should be Scissor- 
Birds of the Hudson Highlands..... ... ..-+-+.++++ 44 taihed es a1. . e 83, 92, 93 
Bindsshkemarkable Hlicht:Ofs.:.. 2. -c2--------2 --52- 53 Flycatcher, Fork-tailed (Illustration) BPA Be et nfo: 
Black-bird, Yellow-headed. ....... s+sceeeseeee+ 67 | Biyeatcher Canadas 2_..h.s 86 2200. 02..0 sds 91 
Boxes, Simple Sample........ 0. ceeceeereee eres Or Elly catchersicae.nc2.c.sh4 tien ses... 50 
STREET IN AUNNELICAN #25: 0:2: demeetnce eu sost eee ences TH | G 
Birds, Native in Confinement............:0+0. +++ ue Grannet, ANmothen!.: ois: ccs kee oe «+. s008 cee 96 
Bird Surgery Sided zis sas sadaeshteamnns sonisdnsgaan Mente - MetrosbeukteRosemenstod:: a laee n r 5, 7, 68, 84 
Bird, Indigo...........-sssseecsseeseceeseseeseee sees gs af LGroshealeebinejes..ca. 0. culet: suede vse-0. 8, 51 
Bird, Summer Red........--seeeeeeeeeceeeseeeseeees ai | (GrallinalemphWonrdaeescese ose tetas ces cc cence ee 22, 40 
Brants Baeloe woe Detective sctes ets are oonaapisteme ween pe “@rasbeak wBlacktheatied. "=. oe 45 
SINGS MATEY. .cseee se chse bos 0-[eeeetecra cece aeons: 64, 76 | Gull, Hering meen. oe ae 51 
Cc ia wk BNE RIGA ss soce.ccllecneecess cs cosets ee 87, 88 
COURECELOU Gs. cect cox. oes. Naneebeececion es 4, 58, 55, 61 pT aa EE = ; 
a eine . fblawik: | Spamnoweaeersscecee ssc bane 6, 21, 22 
Chaparral Cock=.2..c2cs-.4--- +06 Pee et sore: 7, 66, 85, 86 | ’ 
3 vq | Hawk, Sharp-shinned.....................6, 89, 90, 91 
Cow-birds ........ es EN io E Ste nN 8, 79 | E ‘ : 
Herons inmvinter. Ni oht,./Aeeeec 2.20: ..o career cere 
Collecting on the Pacific Coast al85 19 ae 
Hawk, Redetaileditstcsa-:.. seme cseecnissso.a0te cee 7, 39 
Contributors’ Ours: 260... ssseeree ease 20, 93 | 
; Hla wik; Weis ies. tar e4 eae. Aiiseaes | lose: codon aoe 14 
Cross-bill, White-winged...............00. Fcteaters 23 | ; : 
; ~ | Humming Bird,’ Ruby-throated... .:.: ....ceswacs. 29 
Greener, Dblackiaad W hite Vii. ccctsceend-c eee 25 : <a 
Hawk , (COODEL'Stssccstetess: 1 teecanrcesecnct<s eee 37, 73 
MEOMESPOUGENCE cs ceacicess: ousnctussetas ds cece coeee ses 36 : 
Herons, ‘Wnttle Blue. 2.2... ...soeeese.s soeeecs - 
WOMECIOLS c5 ves sheet hes cs sos Adee eeee coin neato: 21. 48 
‘ Hawk,’ Diteltirress-s<cesas ).- eee ee sre donee 60 
Checklist: WNewWreretc.: :cdete ee eee 61. 
: | Hawk andeBlover, Sparrow... .gs.cgk.2..-«aeeeeee 64 
Ohewanik seers. cco Lsnaeneanaten otieeie: 61 
\_ Hawk, Redeshouldered:... ssamece ees... eee 39 
@nCkOOS DNOSeScaete ces. < Meena ee ae 84 Hawk. Fish 40 
Wollector Goime South 255.) ee or cores ceseee heat Soa. ie, ae. ae 4 oe 
Guokoos, Our Pwosec..... pesaeeiee eee ee 88 | : ; i a 
Check-list, Phe Coues.<... (een ee 84, 92, 93 Indigo Bird. Rip/aeMix(s)ai=\ai8).vieinlo(n se a¥isiaitaleimmnss auc qa © mainte 13, as 
Catching a Tartar......-...cc¢ cscs scsseeseseesse:22, 14 In Prospective Batisaishis aaihaio's «Sa eemters tees ss -steeepens 76 
COTAUNENSS POTUR,.2°..,...5. Waeewesatecetecss<:tceee: AQ MQUITY sseeee cette tet eteteee eet ete este cee ecneees 15 
D J 
Doves s@ommon.<. =<... eee ee ReAGE Journal, AMING Wi o..s:) 04+ .cecemte esos esses once oceeeeeeme 5 
Duekeslhittle Black-head.:)eeet eo eee 14 | ed ayer Canad fee. .ctec:...) zscs. eteteee ce Samae As oR 22, 30 
DucksCross-bred".:......... 2 ee. bee 30) day, A. Tae Wald Blue... ee... essa scccoseeeeen 36 
Dick ser bn-tail..672.,..:..;. Rees cone 63 John) Kridersmyyorks<c..2 see eteecs Cate eee 60 
E | K 
EBS; MEREPATING.<... 0.420055. seeeeate ae ee etaae 12 | Kinglet, Golden-crowned...............ccsscesee sense 58 
Eggs, ROW Bisa 203 siesseiass. +s See EREDERn ion CAE NeattEe 14 | King-bird and King-fisher... . 64 
Bros, Double velked ..:..ssaessmerccnee emenees 15, 30 L 
ies. Coloring Matter of...2yi.cscsssseeweseotesss x ot PD) Mbiark, Mena wiccce. cc. ies. cgeeteess. nsvseaacceek Sera) 
Egg, An Egg Within an.......... 16, 39, 40, 53, Gio inek, Hone castescekc.. Cee Casco ee 10, 11 


PO, he! te AS oe ee elo kee), BEROBtARE, AINCTICAN «ore es nasacidecviversscivsee 43 
ee, ., COMM Memes tai nsass csccexdtames > veOl, |p RUHLG! WW OLKS..,..0.cscesssccsntuvcessconsticaavconeccossesce 45 
TIGWIS, UICC OF GOW... 6 scsce.sese a wcsncsnendes roose OST AnS: | ES ee oe 44 
M ROMER VALU no oreo. -. .fptgeateehcacsac<vass es -earicsacOO 
URED ION i505 .taegtplsasoawanas 0060. .ccegutes nine PARE DISA TOMISITGS ccotk coves: Reo sek en ecs 64, 76 
MacGillivray, William.........000..ccsseseseeteeeeeees FD RMD DENIES seo avy vnn 05 «e's» ggaME nt daA ve hado Saag Berean 66 
Magpie, Black-headed.......0 22.000. .s.seesccoenees 46 | Fobins and Black’ Siakeg,..cc0...-c0ses weassnceomsane 80 
N [ROUGE ARUDITIGE.. 40+ ude dipantts <asethosinan 7, 69, 85, 86 
PRE POMC EUONTIN Sicag pes: giels-nde0-c0ocss scoop conte 24 | Ss 
Nest With Water.......2 .-s-0sssse0 6 sesseees Seg ss Ce ee =, tae a a REED 
Nomenclature of N. A Birds.............+00+ + | eictemen! Advocate....::: Meares cecdskemaeasacelicsut 5 
Notes from Norwich, Conn......-.....+++- 80, 81, 82 | Shrike, Loggerhead........:02.sssees sescscseeseeseeee: 8 
Notes from Saratoga, N. Y......00. ++++++-89, 40, 91 Swallows, Bank.....ccccssessessssesseseesssessesseseeees 14 
Notes from Shelter TS TER C eece thee scictes a2 ie 40, 82 | Sparrow; Sonps.........ssssseesscoeceve senees 15, 79 
POS LOO VAT OLS. hantinen tye cicemeitencanacnase 21, 40 | Sparrow, Henslow’s.... 0. .escscsssseseecesessens 17, 18 
Notes from Moosehead Lake, Me...................50 Sandpiper, Solitary..........sssscssesessseseeceeees 93, 24 
Notes from Bangor, Me.........ss00. s-+-+ sereeseeee 51 | Season of ’81.. .... 0: IE ee ee 37, 38 
Nesting, Late... Renee ous BeRe ee ace scindiiatoiins <kaabeeee 53 | Sandpiper and Mussel, Spotted.......:+. sssssesesees 45 
Notes From Maine... eeererereeceeeee cereeDB, TL | Sheldrake cc.cescesce csscsecseese ceececeeeeeeeeseeceeseeees 51 
Notes from Maryland...........+.++ seeesstnanae 66, 79 | Season, Close Of the. ............:sss0 sessssceseeee ened 
Notes from Denver, Colorado... ......e-seeree seers Beers binde sc c2s-.-. Sm 
Hotes from Syracuse, N. Vesseecteeesteerseeeeeeees 67 | Shooting Birds with Water..........:cscce cesses 63 
Nest, Brown Thrasher's........++++.. reese cesses TT | Qyarrow, Chipping......scescecceceecscesseeeeeeeeeeeees 67 
Ruthatch, POY Pt Die) LLG zs ss 00 cxcgeic ccs -acenie oa 79 | Swallows, Rough winged.........scsssssssseneeereeee 78 
Nesting, PRION citi. < cao tet bax nue onde omen o0wn empeaasip 7 | Sparrow in Maine, House........ cs. seers 86 
PUGIEOS: = GONG 2 cos0e2. ceabtccespuneetecss <n, s-«cnanceeeer 39 | Sparrow Hawk and Plover... cesses 64 
2 ae a a ieee 4 | Sparrow, Field... a Pniesemeryy ee Sd 91 
ie ee ee | Thrush, Sickle-billed!.2.....-25..d-3ebcscncassscen seeee 7 
Senn, AGEGUG IRIOEWECU, .—- sicsciny nx asienwens 7, 16. 26. 39 ee paced ee anes vetoes os are 
RE oo aa 7 81 | imaose, Least: .:..tapeneweceece -anctemeetarman ete 19 
: Oy Einmiouse. Tite... 2, Pescara vo eee 22, 66 
play TIRE eno ion... cum) 02a ee... ees ee os ; 
Rgels FEIRMRCIGONS .s- 225 sdh cnc sisocapac incon: +0 pheon 14, 15 | pene: lem tabeny cp res 
Owl, Northwestern Screech............ ......... 21, 45 [ee shee ues lke <b naan ee on 
Owl, Pigmy (Illustrated).......... 33, 34, 35, 47, 48 Thrush, Small-billed Water............00.-.cscecseses 66 
Owl in Confinement, Screech................0.0ss0s 35 - 
OY 1, PRI enacts = «likes anlten Sakis ai one Donnan 37 | en G. eee < a 
? Folumes Our; Presen tessesnestoss. « caceeeeeeteeceeret 
Owl, Burrowing a, dal on | Verdin, or Yellow hended Titmouse on non 20 
EL. SMC ass trvs 5s son AMOR Reel ccevensecseswacabied 66, 75 Ww 
RSE GV CRMIINIDS Ares. . 00 6250 ba 503 savos--«inamemeaee gg | Woodcock, That......:-rc.-.+.-----ncstomeer 8, 10, 21 
Owl, Probably INOW Meo eae ..<.:. eee " Warblers, 15 Rovore to Beat SOR CRMPPER cick coord Aa 9, 72 
Owl, Monkey-headed... tee 66 iWaren.) CACKUS, 22.0: .c-c.ckxsocsco-ne> lsemeeeeebes anieeniet a Un 
Oological, Incubation Experiments. a aq'|, Wren, Short-billed Marsh. -.....csacssseeecaeemeree 15 
Owl, Whitney... : Nae * oan 95, gg Wren, Whaintercs:...scceacees sesseeee conse enanennenerses 24 
Ornithologist ad Odtagist. OE pee eee: 2: ae 4 | eee Bova i Seis 25, 39, ys 
P LIP -POOL-WIILL..-..s sere eceeeeeceeeneene nee sercsacerreenes oO 
Publications, Recent...8, 16, 20, 24, 32, 80, 84, 96 Warblers, PYairie.....-ccaeencekane si em 
A oe, ee ree 13, 40 Warblers, Kentucky.....-..ss1+-seesesersee sees 49, 64 
Pewee, Say’s............ ee a 63 Warblers, Black-throated Blue, ........-1++:00+ 49 
Piven cual Sparrow Hiek ye Ra eM 64 Warblers, Prothonotary.....-...-20:seeeereees 58, 65 
Qa | Warblers, Blue-winged Yellow..................00- 57 
Sita: CMMfOrtiA........ cscieapived seaiwo.-: cenit 74 | Warblers, Blue Yellow-backed . .........+0- -++++0++ 62 
R Warblers, Black-capped Yellow.................2005 62 
Bee LS NIRETIES. .. . Medsuies id sokinenos cue, duninasene 21 | Woodpeckers, Red-headed..................-72, 78, 79 
PEATE ET ITO G OAR <6. «suse Radi ends Vacs sss cece svetecdaneval 97 | Warblers, Worm-eating ...........cccccseceenseesseees 78 
Removall........:sec000.-coscecenseceen cesses -seeeceeeeeee28 | Woodpecker, Black-backed, Three- ROE. . eseaven 88 
Robins, Grow th of. Sch AM apie sears Sion <a SS 38, 56 William MacGillivray......... ceecceee ceeeeeceeeeeeees 43 
UO REi gL PIII co cim saa dgitiegs hte d acess can-aiiwaaSicks 89 | Woodpeckers... .......sesee 0 sees <a 


INDE TO CONTRIBU TOzkes- 


VOLUME 


VI.—1881. 


J 
A | 
Atkins, Dr. H. A.................0, 18, 22, 29, 45, 88 | Jencks, F. T.6, 14, 48, 49, 53, 57, 64, 65, 66, 72, 78 
Alvere GW ASs VAG). Socccas .c0ceebeeertes tees rose eatcene= 19/40) ) SJones, (Rev Cas. 2.5.5.0 teense ees 18, 49, 50 
PATIO MV V ape ences so <2 oc. acctco Momence saeeses cottons 22 | J. M. W.............37, 38, 54; 55, 78, 74, 89, 90, 91 
Auer Hira ED: cs. :ss0s \aeeeee ees e\pesee ses socheseas 53 L 
B Lattin: gameineeer eso. ae eee rst 
SAVIO Wes Kos cca vils su < - sepeepteeeiece cone = 3, 39, 66, 67 Mf 
SITUS SEL. Co seeecac <2. eee ty ae leehe essa eee 15 : o 
: Merrill Mblartyec- 01-22 ---20- decom ose 3, 58, 71, 86 
a C8Rt Chas. 2, Ti es renee ce a a 15 
i, 42, 28,48, 81, Glee ST, 88,28 99-88 ve camer GA... ieee. a 16, 30 
peter at formar 7 | Mund&.JevH........ 0 Ween ae 29 
eee Wis ee a aan SY as ea Se 94 | Minot; delenmy WD ieeec..- cee sseeeeeeeeee POMPE 8 conde 
ae oF ee" ama ce ee a eee 48 Meriam;°M: D., (C. Hart. 2s... ioc. Se 96 
MSL Voom peu M Ket ete salsa 8 cfs Reeerone omavioeite case: wsineniscees | 
c = 
TOSSES aa CSIR ela AS. bo | PNebrling Hoo cc. -ccccacceccceeees Pesane- =e 83, 93 
IESG ees eos en oie 10, 51.72. ‘80 |@Nichols, Paton (Hi... 20.2; Serre semen =~ cums ae 88 
hamiberlarniey Wes. << sa. ueepeases coves ceeceesces 24, 53 |? P 
4 ppyeell Ms: CO, Meese eee PEERS poi 14, 75 Page, Clmis; No 2...5:).i:. eee ee ‘ade. 7 
-Coe, W . W Reem eee meee eee eee He eee OO eee eee eeaseeee 16 Peckham, B. JJ GD -” . Aa ee a 2a 8 
Dd 
tect, SOM WET cota, a5c «ss Me, ee 39, 75 = 
[DLE WR a. ieee eae =< | 59 Rathburn, 8. Bo... sees eet cette 14, 25, 26 
E | Reed, J. T. T., (Ryhope, England)... ...:3..:..-29 
Everman, Be Wie eae ve 19, 40, 61, 85 Rich, Guy (Cree: “BOCDL OSOCOND cr AIa bad oo nOseOOOURS 40, Te 91 
Bin Newel, sca... See sen. burns 15, 51 Ridgway, ROWER G2. F550 cel cenleleelsiase\.0scemeeenO es 
Biunverson; We Occ occ eocescceccs 43, 61, 62, 63 Reisinger, ROG....seceteseesssacttenctscas seonssveleeeeeeee 94 
SELON) 5 EL Saree cease ssics oR eer oe ae ane ae 63 8s 
F Save: MOM E see etcsss oye ae 5, 6, 14, 38, 48, 50, 51 
WITOS | Vio Moe tose aSsl seh ate ccsecs 24> 630-67 | Small, Melee Aes... comune cn..7 00s Tame eee 
G Stone; DDit-ces.0. cece... eee ea 45, 46, 67 
Griffing, Moses B 2........ccacc0c-ceccsseece-ss 7, 59, 82 Spaeth, GES so sa cdinnive  AMee eto wa uss alae RC eee 61 
eee Hallio meres. 0 30, 51 Slossons,Aummie) rum b Ullee ce ees. ss cenen eens 78 
erm CAS, SW Weeek cs: . Geet: eruckeceeee Ledeen 69 | Sennett, Geo. Bvseeeceeceseieeeesittes cee 86, 93 
oogale; Chas. itr... ......geteerevseccsest.s ae 76 | Tv 
Grabesy “Elarty Sopa. «....czeghesa auereataeve sttsssee 80'| Tappan, Geo... rs... /cape: xc sieeen. «sage 67 
H | Thompsonmm@has. “Avo o.oo eoeeen es ae 8 
UALS, ERENT cc cecee ais a:,. amie d ceo 4a Macati wees 6 | Ww 
iyeemis. iC, Wis ges; Dee te ee eee 8 | Willardgemebt. tee. 8 he ee 1, 2, 3, 32 
PGILETHOAL, Ji, Grasse .a:«.. Game ccnge eect ate 11, 27 | Worthington, W. W...........- 5, 11, 40, 48, 46, 62 
2g a Ene bacines v6 o@ideaeds = See cgiaeinwe] sire te loin 13'\| Warren) ferhert M, ::.....2eenes..cce2. Sac 5 
MAWES, C. AUBCT 0s seeececeesceeeee cose cee teeees mei) Wrightbieambes.. j.:-,. Seems tte: ae 22, 80, 85 
ee ST’... meee taren eee OU) . ce Wood, Dr. Wm.......38, 34, 35, 47, 48, 78, 79, 88 
OS IBS aarti = sec ae y 06") Willey, Mikeo., P........... Qe Uk. a 39 
Hardy: “Manly ;..:.......... gee eee eee 56 | Wharton, Wm. R...........-. eo ee, a 39, 78 
Hatch, Delos CSice se aresne 45:0 pwlaliminein aianle cele bh'a\spaacaace, sae 76 Wilson, Dr. uy [Ue Ji: Sein bee 31g BORER eho ccis scene ee 50 
I VOW illic. "Wise 00A 23). <5: Sete aise ceeee eo 64 
Te mp EGC cbapccens 100 <0 MRE cee conte EET Tal 'W allacew iQue. 2c... teeeees- nee 76, 82 


‘We desire not the prostration of science, but we would strip from it the robe of omnipotence 


improperly assumed, and 


That cold, repulsive skeleton anew would dress, 
Then warm it into life and loveliness.” — Prof. Hosford. 


— 


, - >) oe og ee 


r 


So ere 


oe 


ae 


-¢ PREFACE, + 


The object of this magazine is to collect and dissem- 
inate a knowledge of Bird Life, and cultivate a desire 
for observation in Ornithology and Oology in the rising 
generation. It will advocate and sustain the taking of 
specimens when necessary for identification, also for 
collections when from regions of plenty, but it will sug- 
gest other methods equally practicable to those who 
object to destroying life, and cultivate a love of bird 
life about our homes, and a desire to increase rare 
birds by introduction rather tam kill off) those =taar 
venture among us. It will avoid the technical as much 
as possible, and make itself fully understood by the gen- 
eral reader. 


JOS. ~-Mi:: WADE 


Norwich, Conn, Feb. 18, 1882. 


eh aay li 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


AND 


a) OLO GIST. 


Established March 1875, 
Joseph M. Wade, editor and publisher. 


$1.00 per 
wou, 


WOE VI. 


THE OOLOGIST. 


ITS HISTORY FROM THE COMMENCEMENT. 
[BY THE ASSOCIATE EDITOR. ] 


During the winter of 1874-5, while con- 
ducting an ornithological department in a 
western amateur paper called The Reper- 
tory, the writer with a very indefinite idea 
of his undertaking, but with a certain con- 
viction that the periodical literature of 
America poorly represented the science of 
oology; while the broader subject of ornith- 
ology did not count a solitary popular ser. 
ial devoted entirely to the wants of those 
interested in birds and their eggs, conclud- 
ed to commence the publication of an ama- 
teur paper eminently for the Oologist. 

With no outside help, no money, and a 
limited experience, after having secured 
the promise of an unemployed printer to un- 
dertake the publication of a small monthly, 
called Toe Ooxoartst, to be “issued,” as the 
first number states, “in the interests of col- 
lectors and naturalists,” he set himself to 
the task of supplying the material for the 
first number (the writer was then 16 years 
of age). This was published in March, 
1875, an eight page, small, octavo sheet, 
and consisted of short items and articles 
of a varying character; the bulk, however, 
being on oology. The plan of the paper, 
when started, was of a manifold nature ; 
so much so that its existence was nearly 
erushed out on the publication of the first 
number, by the severe and unrelenting 
criticism uniformly thrust at it by those 
few to whom the salutatory seemed a cr-- 
terion of its immediate future. [The pre- 
sent copy of our little journal is a fair 
specimen of what we intend to produce for 
the next twelve months or more. | 


ROCKVILLE, CONN., 


'This | ber was a complete failure. 


10 cents 
single copy. 


pronounces well merited, and was certainly 
a great influence in re-forming its scope 
and literary aspect. As a sort of initiatory 
there was in the first issue a department 
shortly entitled “Story,” under which a 
senseless item, which was frequently band- 
ied about by the newspapers, was publish- 
ed; certainly, the writer admits, very inap- 
propriate. The next department was “Ool- 
ogy.” Under this caption appeared several 
articles entitled respectively, “Birds’ Nests 
and Eggs,” “Nest and Eggs of the Broad- 
winged Hawk,” “Eggs and Nest of Black- 
throated Green Warbler,” ‘“Oology,” and 
“Our Excursion,” supplemented by several 
small items. The editorial portion of the 
paper occupied, as in the last number, the 
top of the fourth page ; after which, under 
the departmental title, “American Birds,” 
were printed ‘American Game Birds,” “The 
Confined Purple Finch,” and a purported 
humorous piece, entitled “Abowt Robbinz.” 
The remaining portion of the paper was 
devoted to notes and items under the de- 
partments of “Foreign Birds,” “Sugar,” a 
supposed humorous subdivision (conduct- 
ed after the style of many of the amateur 
papers, by an appropriate editor, who pseu- 
donymed himself “Sweet-meat,” and illus- 
trated by one of the editor's own wood- 
cuts, well suited to the department but not 
above eriticism,) “Ornithological Items,” 
“Exchanges,” “Correspondence,” “‘Miscell- 
aneous,” and “Advertisements.” 

No prospectus of the paper having been 
distributed, and no announcement of its 
proposed publication having been made, 
except to a few, personally, the first num- 
The publisher 


criticism the editor frankly and advisedly |xnd proprietor was at a loss to pay the 


2 ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol.6—No. 1. 


printer for it, but arranged to have the sec- 
ond number issued, and made a favorable 
financial adjustment in the meantime. 
Number two was printed in April, and 
showed the good effect of some of the crit- 
icisms on the first number, for all that did 
not come within the meaning of its print- 
ed heading was omitted. A series of pa- 
pers was commenced in this issue. entitled 
“Birds’ Nests and Eggs,” which ran through 
three volumes almost uninterruptedly, de- 
scribing the nests, eggs, and breeding lo- 
calities of many different species of birds, 
Number two contained four wood-cuts; two 
of eggs, an illustration of the articles just 
mentioned, a humorous one, and a_ repre- 
sentation of the Green Heron. 

The first two issues were printed in 
coarse type upon thin paper, with scarcely 
any margin, the heading being all ‘set up” 
in type. Neither came up to the expecta- 
tions of their recipients, and as the means 
for the continuation of the paper were 
more than exhausted, the editor withdrew 
the periodical from the printer's hands, and 
concluded that he could neither find the 
means nor encouragement to continue it. 
The writer possesses a deal of enthusiasm 
on oology, and was exceedingly mortified 
that his journal should be an utter failure; 
for even from association with the two 
numbers already published, he felt that 
nothing else could ever supply its place ; 
it was a hobby of extraordinary tenacious- 
ness. Soon after, however, several enquir- 
ies came for specimen copies, some from 
surprisingly remote localities, and one or 
two notices appeared in the papers. These 
awakened a fresh determination to continue 
Tue Ooxoarst, if it was reasonably possi- 
ble. The writer, therefore, with his limi- 
ted allowance of pocket-money, purchased 
a piece of engraver’s boxwood, and with 
what little experience he had acquired dur- 
ing leisure moments carved out a heading 
for number three of the paper. [When 
this somewhat singular heading was after- 
ward discarded, it was with more reluct- 
ance than one could readily account for; 


but it was associated with an experience of 
which it stood an appropriate and sympath- 
izing symbol.] By dint of some exertion, 
he added a small font of type to a dimin- 
utive printing office he had, sufficient to 
compose one page of the paper, and havy- 
ing done that, writing and setting type as 
he went, he made ready the form, and ne- 
gotiated with a boy friend to print it on _ 
his press, half-a-mile away. This was done 
one page at a time, until, at the expiration 
of about one month, the May number ap- 
peared, embellished with four original 
woodcuts and several engraved minor head- 
ings. Improvement over the April issue 
was very manifest; but with hard work at 
school, many pains which would otherwise 
have been taken were neglected. Five 
numbers were printed in this way during 
spare hours and on Saturdays, until, by his — 
friend's disposal of the press, it became 
necessary to do the printing elsewhere. 
The magazine did not make its way read- 
ily into recognition. It was a losing and 
consequently discouraging struggle for 
favor with amateur collectors. It did not 
begin to defray the expense of its publica- 
tion, which was very small. But at this 
stage of its existence, and with a list of a 
few paid subscribers, it seemed injudicious 
and unreasonable to relinquish it. Besides, 
it had already become of such importance, 
apparently, as to be frequently quoted by 
other papers ; and this actuated a sense of 
pride that influenced the writer to continue _ 
it. To the end of printing the pages, he 
planned and had a neighboring blacksmith 
make him a printing press whose capacity 
(which determined its expense) should be 
just that of one page of type, and on it 
the next four numbers were printed; when, 
deeming it necessary to lessen the labor 
imposed by the rude printing machine, he 
disposed of it and purchased an “amateur” 
press of larger dimensions. Volume II 
and a greater portion of Volume III were 
printed on this press. At this time, how- 
ever, the writer found himself somewhat 
sought for small “jobs” of printing, and 


March, 1881-] 


with the proceeds of this work he obtained 
a still larger and better printing press. 
This has been used in the printing of “THe 
Oo.oaist wp to the publication of the first 
four numbers of Volume V; the last eight 
numbers of this volume have issued at the 
office of a regular printer; Mr. Jos. M. 
Wade, the present editor and publisher, 
having undertaken its continuation on a 
basis which all lovers of the study will ap- 
preciate and acknowledge. 

Tue Ooxoerst 
had much to con- 
tend with in 
gaining its pres- 
ent foothold, on 
not only Ameri- 
can, but foreign 
ornithologists, 
and 
oologists. 


especially .¢: SB 
Its == 

list of subseri- 
bers is necessari- 
ly select. We 
have fre- 
quently remind- 
ed of the rapid 
improvement 


been 


that has gone on in the journal dur- 
ing its career of six years; five volumes 
only being published, one year being lost 
in unavoidable suspensions from lack of 
means and patronage; and withall we take 
pardonable pride in its growth, as evidenc- 
ed by a comparison of number 1 of Vol- 
ume VI with the corresponding number of 
Volume I; and in expressing our desire 
that it be made the best journal of its kind 
in the world, we must call to our aid the 
experience of all working students in our 
fleld, and ask our superiors toaid us all 
they can; for the editors of the journal, as 
one of our fcllow naturalists has said, must 
not be expected to know all about or- 
nithology themselves, but must be able to 
shape the collected information of others 
and distribute it for the benefit of the sci- 
ence. Descriptions of actual experience and 
observation will be fully appreciated. 


AND OOLOGIST. 


“That Woodcock.” 

At last, through the kindness of Mr. 
Frank S. Wright, of Auburn, N. Y., we 
are enabled to give the true history of the 
wounded Woodcock with the stick through 
its breast. Mr. Merrill, of Bangor, Maine, 
the Taxidermist, who mounted the bird, 
writes to his friend as follows :—“On Octo- 
ber 9th, 1880, I received a Woodcock in 
the flesh from a friend who shot the same 
near this city. The breast of the bird was 

pierced by a stick 

about five inches 
long, not from 

“side to side,” as 

stated by some 

of the local pa- 
pers, but from 
the front through 
the breast. out at 
the side, and un- 
der the wing, (as 
our illustration, 
S drawn by Mr. 


Merrill, shows.) 
The flesh of the 
bird was but Lit- 
tle eut and had 
entirely healed, as also had the skin, so 
that the stick was fastened into the wound. 
The growth of the bird had apparently been 
stunted by the presence of the stick which 
was a perfectly straight piece of the stalk 
of Golden Rod or some growth of a like 
nature. This shows that the bird must 
have been pierced by alighting on the 
eround rather than by flyig swiftly 
through the trees and being transfixed by 
a twig as the comments of some of our 
local papers seem to imply.—H. Merrit. 


—_——a 


Scarter V'anacer’s Nest.—June 5th 1880 I 
found a nest of the Scarlet Tanager con- 
taining three eggs that were exactly like 
those of the cow-bird. I should like to know 
if tanager’s eggs ever vary enough to resem- 
ble those of the cow-bird, or is there anoth- 
er instance of a bird's sitting on cow-bird’s 
‘eggs when there were none of her own in 
‘the nest. M. K. Barnum. 


4 ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6-—No. 1. 


ORNIPHOLOGIST and OULOGLST. 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY 
OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


Os: IM: WADE, - = = = Editor 
S. L. WILLARD, is - Ass’t Editor 


With the co-operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


$1.00 per annum. 10 cents single copy. 
Address 
SOS. M. WADE, 
Rockville, Conn. 


Tuer Ooroetst has done its, good work, 
has closed its monthly visits to our read- 
ers, many of whom have learned to look 
anxiously for its appearance. Our associ- 
ate, Mr. Willard, who established the mag- 
azine, has given in another part of this is- 
sue a very concise history of it from the 
commencement to the end of volume five. 
This should bs read by all our readers, but 
more especially the boys, for it will show 
them what can be done by perseverance. 
We are well aware that the Ootoaist is a 
small magazine, but it contains much that 
will be sought for years heuce. It will be 
one of the scarce works among book co'- 
lectors. It has closed its career and we do 
not know of a single volume for sale. We 
stand ready to purchase every volume of- 
fered in fair condition, even to the Jast one, 
and pay original cost. For the first three 
volumes we will pay double the original 
cost. Is there another magazine in the U. 
S. that will do this? 


THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOGIST 18 Now 
before our readers. The editor while pub- 
lishing the last eight numbers of the Ooto- 
ast, has made many congenial acquaint- 
ances and correspondents, and they will no 
doubt desire to hear something of the pro- 
posed future of the little magazine. 
of our readers no doubt look upon it as 
they do other magazines published for 
money, in this case they are mistaken. 
Money does not enter into the considera- 
tion. It is published out of pure love of 
the science of Ornithology and the pleas- 
ure of corresponding with naturalists. We 


Many 


have our hands full of business during the 
daytime, our magazine receiving our atten- 
tion in the evening, often ito the ‘wee 
sma hours” of the night. We desire pat- 
ronage enough at least to pay all expenses, 
and as much more as possible. 
is received will be expended on the maga- 
Those disposed to help in securing 
subscribers can say that if any one at the 
end of the year is not satisfied they can re- 
turn the numbers in good condition and 
have their money returned. 
Se SES 


Correction, 


zine. 


In the January number of the Oologist’ 
you call for a correction in reference to my - 


finding the nest of the Bernicla brenta on 
Saint Clair Flats, Michigan. I have no 
correction to make. I found the nest and 
eges and saw the birds as there described. 
I have had fifteen years experience in col- 
lecting and mounting birds and am not 
easily deceived. I do not know of any 
bird that could be mistaken for the Brant. 
If Mr. Ridgway would like to examine the 
eges found by me, I will send him one for 
that purpose. This is the only evidence I 
ean offer until next season, when I am in 
hopes of repeating this year’s experience. 
I am confident there are some birds breed- 
ing at the Flats that have not previously 
been found in the United States, from ob- 
servation of my own and statements made 
to me by men who have accompanied me 
on my trips. Several have mentioned see- 
ing a pair of strange birds that had the ap- 
pearance of wild geese but were not much 
larger than Mallards. 
W. H. Cours. Detroit, Mich. 

[Since the above was in type Mr. Col- 
lins writes us that he has sent an egg to 
Mr. Robert Ridgway for identification, who 
decides that it is either the Brant, or a small 
variety of Hutchins goose. If the latter, 
it is new to science. In either case it was 
certainly a “good find.” —Ep.] 

Great Gray Owx. — In reply to Mr. 
Ridgway's doubts about the Great Gray 
Owl being found in Virginia Mr. Wm. T. 


Whatever 


March, 1881 | 


AND OOLOGIST. 5 


Allen replies that he would as soon expect 


to find the nest of the Great Auk in Vir- | 


ginia as that of the Gray Owl, and is well 
aware of the latter being a resident of the 
Arctic regions only. Mr. Allen makes fur. 
ther remarks regarding the number of eggs 
laid by the ow] family which will appear at 
a future time. He concludes as follows: 
“T hope Mr. Ridgway will give me credit 
for being better posted on the owl ques- 
tion than to be guilty of such an absurdity 
as making the Great Gray Owl a native of 
Virginia.” 
SS Oe 
A New Journal. 

Tue Canapran SporTsMAN AND NATURALIST, 
a monthly journal devoted to the interests 
of the sportsmen and naturalists of Cana- 
da. It is gotten up in good style and on 
good paper, 8vo., 8 pages and covers, sim1- 
lar to the Ootoeist. It is published at 
Montreal, Canada, Wm. Cowper, editor, 
W. W. Dunlap, assistant editor, Ernest D. 
Wintle, treasurer. The annual subscrip- 
tion is one dollar in advance, specimen cop- 
ies ten cents. Communications should be 
addressed to 806 Craig St., Montreal, Can- 
ada. Itis well worth the attention of all 
sportsmen and those interested in general 
Natural History. 


Science Advocate, is a sixteen page jour. 
nal, 8vo., devoted to general science and is 
edited by Henry A. Green, who is devoted to 
the work. It is published quarterly at 
only twenty-five cents per annum. It is 
ably edited and at the low price it is offer- 
ed it should receive a large share of patron- 
age. Address, H. A. Green, Atco, N. J. 

A __ AOE eee 
Elack-billed Cuckoo. 

On May 25th, 1879, I was shown a nest 
of the Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccygus ery- 
throphthalmus), on which the female was 
sitting, and I identified her by approach- 
ing near enough to see the red eye-ring,be- 


fore she flew off. The nest contained two | 


(2) eggs, which I left in hopes of getting a 
full set. On the 26th another egg had 


been laid, but I still left them wishing to|May 8 1864 


get a set of four, but on the 27th only one 
ege remained in the nest. This I left, as 
the bird was on the nest as I approached. 
On the 28th the nest was empty, and the 
bird no where in sight. On the 29th I was 
passing the place, and noticed the bird on 
the nest. I went up to it, and was very 
much surprised to find 3 eges just as if 
nothing had happened. Have you ever 
heard of anything like the above ?—W. W. 
W., Shelter Island, N. Y. 
+) <--> —__ 

Bird Notes. 

Tue Rosr-preastep Grospeaxk is a plenti- 
ful summer resident in this locality (New- 
ton, Mass.,) especially so in the vicinity of 
the Charles River, where they seem to pre- 
fer to buildin the medium-sized growth of 
the white birch, the nest being usually 
placed near the top of the tree and about 
20 ft. from the ground. Their eggs are 
almost invariably four; I have never seen 
five. I know of no bird which is more 
regular in its number then the Rosebreast. 
—Hersert M. Warren. 


Five eggs tor the Rose-breasted Gros- 
beak seems unusual. Four is the number 
here ; years ago before boys were so nu- 
merous, numbers of them bred on the Is- 
land in the river here, and by consulting 
my notes, I find that on June 21st, 1862, I 
found a nest there containing four young, 
but the boys have made such havoc that 
but few birds comparatively breed on the 
Island now.—Jno. H. Sage. 


Dates of the arrival of the Baltimore 
Oriole (Icterns buttimore) for 25 years in 
the township of Locke, Ingraham county, 
state of Michigan. This species isa com- 
mon summer resident with us, and was first 
noticed Sy me in the summer of 1842. 
May.2 1859 May8 1865 May 8 1873 
May 11 1857 May 8 1866. May 9 1874 
May 5 1858 May5 1867 May 101875 
April 28 1859 May5 1868 May 9 1876 
April 30 1860 May 4 1868 May 5 1877 
May 11861 May 5 1870 May1 1878 
May 101862 May1 1871 May 5 1879 
May 101863 May 7 1872 May 3 1880 
H. A. Arxins, M. D. 


6 ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 1. 


Sparrow Hawk. 

Breepine at Portianp, Conn.—In May 
1879 I secured a set of eges of Malco spar- 
verius found in such a manner as to prove 
that this Hawk does not always, if ever, 
construct a nest of its own. 

A farmer had arranged seven nests for 
-Pigeons inside his barn, with holes through 
the side of the building communicating 
with them, and the nest at the corner was 
appropriated by the Hawks, and contained 
no other material than that used by the 
Pigeons in constructing it. May 4th two 
eges were found, and May 7th four eges, 
at which time they were allremoved. Two 
or three days later another egg was laid 
and then the birds deserted the nest. In 
order to show that peace prevailed, it may 
be stated that the Pigeons occupied three 
of the other nests at the same time the 
Hawks were endeavoring to raise their 
brood. The farmers boy informed me that 
the Hawks had been about the barn all the 
previous winter, and although continually 
disturbed while laying, Ifound them quite 
tame; the fennle not moving until after 
the board (which covered all the nests) had 
been removed, and then only flying t» an 
apple tree near the barn, where she was 
soon joined by her mate, and the two sat 
contente lly arranging their plumage in the 
sunlight as unconcerned as a pair of the 
pigeons with which they were breeding 
would have done under similar circum- 
stances. 

SHaRp-SHINNED Hawx.—I have a specimen 
of the male Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipi- 
ter fuscus) taken in this vicinity Feb. 4th, 
1881. It was in good flesh and cortained 
the remains of Parus atricupillus and 
Chrysomitris tristis. Another specimen 
was seen at the same time but unfortuuately 
was not captured. 

Merriam in his “Review of Conn. Birds” 
in writing of the Sharp-shinned Hawk says, 
“T have no au hentic record of its oceur- 
rence here in winter.” The taking of this 
specimen in winter in this locality is inter- 
esting.—Jno. H. Saae. 


Night Herons in Winter. 


In the Oologist for September your cor- 
respondent, M.B. G. states, that in Feb- 
ruary, 1879 he shot two adult males, one 
adult female, and one young Night Heron, 
during cold weather; ground covered with 
snow and creeks frozen. It has been gen- 
erally supposed this bird was only a sum- 
mer visitor. I can add my testimony 
showing they are not so tender to cold as. 
some suppose. The following’ winter, ’79 
and 80, I had a tame Night Heron which 
I reared the previous summer, but with 
full liberty to go where he pleased. I 
reared two, but one “‘took the wings of the 
night’ and did not return; before winter 
the other took long flights at twihght but 
always returned ; was never absent in the 
morning when he expected his rations. He 
sat in evergreen trees opposite the house, 
or sunned himself on the fence; was very 
affectionate to- the family, not stirring 
when we approached him very closely, and 
would run or fly after those who fed him, 
taking meat from the hand. He would go 
in the detached kitchen, but not in the 
house further than the door, not the least 
afraid of cat or dog; and should they ven- 
ture within the reach of his long sharp- 
pointed bill would have reason to remem- 
ber it. I supposed he would die when 
winter set in, which was a cold one, yet he 
seemed not to mind it, he even seemed in 
better condition than poultry; was hearty 
and sleek. He roosted on the evergreen 
trees at night, taking shelter on the stoop 
in hard weather ; he would eat nothing but 
meat or fish. I will not enlarge on the 
considerable amusement he gave us, but 
simply verify the statements of your cor- 
respondent, that cold did not seem so un- 
congenial.—Hzrnry Hatzs, Ridgewooa,N J. 

ee Oe 

Least Brrrern.—Mr. Fred. T. Jencks of 
Providence, R. I, reports purchasing a 
beautiful specimen of the above bird which 
had been killed by a boy with a bean snap- 
per on Feb. 28, 1881. Where had this del- 
icate bird spent the winter? 


March, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 7 


California Bird Notes. 
CHAPARRAL COCK, (reococcyx californianus.) 

The notes of G. H. Ragsdale in the Jan- 
uary number of the Oologist, regarding 
the Chaparral Cock (Geococcyx californi- 
anus) or Roadrunner, as it is called here, 
call up some of my experiences with that 
very odd and interesting species. Its 
fleetness is indeed very remarkable, but 
can be continued but a short time without 
rest. When pursued, its habit seems to be 
to run with great speed for several rods, 
then suddenly stop for 1 moment ; then on 
it goes again, stops again, and so on. Its 

-habit of throwing up its long tail seems to 
greatly assist it in stopping so suddenly. 
Its inability to continue its rapid running 
without rest is proven by the fact that 
boys frequently run them down by setting 
dogs upon them. While running it can 
usually increase the distance between it 
and its pursuer, but while resting the dog 
more than makes good the gain and soon 
overtakes it. The Roadrunner builds a 
bulky nest usually in a bunch of cactus, a 
foot or so from the ground. One found 
May 16, contained two eggs, the embryo 
being well developed. Another nest, 
found two weeks later, contained two 
young nearly full fledged, and two eggs 
still fresh. From these facts it would 
seem that éwo is the usual clutch of eggs, 
and that a second set are laid before the 
young of the first set leave the nest. 

Rep Tarrep Haws.—Jan. 13 I saw a 

pair of these birds repairing an old nest, 
climbing to which I found it newly lned 
with cottonwood bark and green sage 
twigs. Last year I obtained my first eggs 
of this species March 25. 
_ Axsinos.—Deec. 7, I shot a most beautiful 
Albino California Quail (Lophortyx cali- 
fornicus,) and Jan. 12 an Albino Red- 
shafted Woodpecker (Colaptes mexicana.) 
They both now enrich my collection. Is 
it not an unusual occurrence to find Albin- 
os among the Picide ? 

Earty Nestine.—Last Saturday, Feb. 
12, I found a Horned Owl’s nest in the top 


of a live oak tree, containing two eggs. 
A shot at the Lewis Woodpecker (Asyn- 
desmus torquatus) caused the owl to fly 
from the tree, thus betraying her nest. 
Both eggs were slightly incubated. On 
Monday I found a nest of the Sickle-billed 
Thrush (Harporhynchus redivivus) con- 
taining two eggs, and a nest of the Long- 
eared Owl ( Otus vulgaris var. wilsonianus) 
with one egg. I visited each nest this 
evening, Feb. 15, and found three eggs in 
the first and only one in the second. 
This I think is remarkably early for the 
Thrush. My Buteo borealis of which I 
wrote you before. has not yet begun to lay. 
This is at least a month earlier than any 
birds nested here last year.—B. W. Ever- 
MANN, Santa Paula. 
eg 3 
Bird Notes. 

C. N. P., Muscatine, Iowa, writes that he 
has probably taken fifty sets of Rose- 
breasted Grosbeaks’ eggs, and thinks that 
at least one-fourth had four eggs. He 
states that the nest is built so shallow the 
eggs sometimes blow out, hence the small 
number occasionally found. Jan. Ist, he 
saw a Robin when the ground was covered 
with snow, and the thermometer down 
to zero, Jan. 5, saw another ; thermome- 
ter below zero. Jan. 26, saw two common 
Doves: ground entirely covered with snow, 
and 6° below zero. In mild winter they 
are sometimes seen in January and Febru- 
ary, but this has been an unusually severe 
winter. 

M. B. G., Shelter Island, reports that 
Night Herons do not seem to mind the 
excessively cold weather, as several were 
seen on Jan. 28, coming to feed in a springy 
place along a creek. Snow Buntings and 
Yellow-rumped warblers were quite plenty. 
Song Sparrows were seen almost daily ; 
saw a Robin and a King Fisher on Jan. 20. 

——— $$ Ooo —— 

We should consider it a special favor if 
our readers who are pleased with our mag- 
azine, would show it to their friends and in- 
duce them to subscribe for it. 


8 


has seen two flocks of Pine Grosbeaks dur-! ed his dinner. 


ing the last week in January, and that his 
friend Kimball saw a Meadow Lark several 
times in Ellington, Conn., during the last 
of January. A gentleman driving from 
Somers. Conn., noticed the Lark on the 
road side. — It flew on the fence before him, 
and continued to fly in advance of the team 
for three or four miles until it reached El- 
lington. 

W. H. CG., Detroit, Mich., states that he 
has two female Cow Birds killed near that 
place, Jan. 24, the thermometer standing 
at 12° above zero. 

C. W. H., Statesville, N. C., writes that 
he has discovered a new way to skin birds: 
he first makes a small cut on the head, be- 
tween the skin and the flesh, then inserts a 
blow pipe, tie tightly to prevent escape of 
air, then blow until all the skin is separated 
from the flesh, close up the air hole and let 
the bird remain until cold, then proceed to 
remove the skin. He experimented on a 
Pigeon with perfect success; he hopes 
others will try the experiment and report. 

B. J. P., Willimantic, Conn., in referring 
to Mr. Jencks’ notes on the breeding of the 
Least Bittern in R. L., states that he has 
taken one and sometimes two of their nests 
in each season, until! last year when he was 
compelled by sickness to stay at home. 

Monday, Feb. 7, being a warm day I 
took my gun and went after Snow Bunt- 
ings ( Plectrophanes nivalis). I soon found 
a flock and fired both barrels into it and 
got 11. While waiting for the flock to re- 
turn (as they will and hover over the wound- 
ed ones,) they returned before I had my 
cartridges changed. Whiie I was waiting I 
saw one of the wounded birds fluttering 
along the snow some 75 yards from me. a 
Shrike swooped down upon the wounded 
bird and seized it by the throat. I was 
astonished at the impudence of the Shrike 
and fired a charge of dust shot at it, but it 
took no notice further than to let go and 
fly up and look around. It went,;back to 
the Snow Bunting and again took it by the 


Upon examination it prov- 
ed to be( Collyrio ludovicianus) Loggerhead 
Shrike. This is the first instance of find- 
ing that species here in the dead of win- 
ter. : 

P. §.—I noticed in the February number 
of the Oologist that Dr. Atkins states that he 
had shot a specimen of Song Sparrow (Mel- 
ospiza meodin) Jan. 1st. I think the Bird 
will prove to be Lincoln’s Finch (J. lin- 
colnit) as the Birds are very much alike. 
—W. H. Corus, Detroit, Mich. 

49 Qe 
Recent Publications. 

BeautiruL AND Curious Brirps oF THE 
Wortp, by Chas. P. Cory, F.LS., F.Z.S., 
etc.—Parts I. and II. of this magnificient 
work have been issued, and we feel it our 
duty to dwell somewhat upon it, as it fills 
an important though by no means espec- 
ially valuable position among serial ornith- 
ological publications. 

The first part contains two plates and 
corresponding text. One of these repre- 
sents the Dodo, a famous bird of Australia, - 
now extinct ; natural size. The coloring is 
excellent, although the character of the 
subject is such as to require little real ar- 
tistic nicety. All the picture claims is 
accuracy. The artist has made a_back- 
ground to relieve a figure which would 
otherwise be monotonous. The other 
plate is that of a Bird of Paradise, one of 
the sombrerer species, creeper-like in ap- 
pearance. The foliage is excellently caleu- 
lated to exhibit the native haunts of the 
species. 

Part two contains three plates, illustrat- 
ing respectively, the King Bird of Paradise, 
the Apteryx, and Great Auk, all good sub- 
jects, and selected in accordance with the ti- 
tle of the work. The figures are first printed 
in pale colors, and afterward carefully color- 
ed by hand by competent artists. The work 
is to consist of ten parts, published at inter 
vals of three months, at ten dollars per 
part. The author may be addressed at 
number 8, Arlington Street, Boston, Mass. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 
OOLOGIST. 


$1.00 per Established March 1875, ~ 10 cents 
annum. Joseph M. Wade, editor and publisher. single copy. 
VOL. Vi. NO. 2 


ROCKVILLE, CONN., APRIL 1881. 


Hooded Warblers. 
NESTING IN SOUTHERN CONN. 

It was back a mile from the public roads 
in the deep old woods, chestnuts, beeches 
and birches of seventy-five years standing 
with a short undergrowth of kalmia aver- 
aging some two and a half feet in hight. 
This shrub is abundant here and is fre- 
quently found in patches of considerable 
extent. I was passing quietly along in 
such a place when something flitted across 
my path almost from under my feet. It 
passed so swiftly from sight I could not 
distinguish it, disappearing instantly in 
the adjacent shrubbery, but I knew what 
it was for I had been through the same ex- 
perience before. Scrutinizing every shrub 
ever so carefully, I failed to fix my eyes on 
the nest that I knew was there, for I could 
soon hear the sharp, clear note of the fe- 
male Hooded Warbler a few paces away in 
the thickets, and catch an otcasional 
glimpse of her as she flitted from shrub 
to shrub, and from one thicket to another, 
and I could see the white patches of the 
tail open and shut with every movement. 

Taught by past experience I presently 
abandoned searching and retired a short 
distance, carefully marking the spot, to 
watch the bird and wait developments. 
As I moved away from the spot I could 
perceive that the bird approached it again 
by the continually repeated “telip” nearer 
and nearer at each repetition, till in five 
minutes it was silent or with only an occa- 
sional note, and I knew she was on the 
nest. I listened keenly for every note as 
I again approached the spot, for this bird 
will occasionally repeat her note-when on 
the nest, as I have often proved, and when 


she went fluttering off, I saw the little 
shrub tremble and knew that there was 
the nest closely hidden among the dark 
green kalmia leives, but very easy to see 
now that I knew just where to look. 
Pieces of yellow birch bark, beech and 
chestnut leaves carefully matted and 
bound together and to the triangular 
crotch, formed the base of the structure, 
rounded and neatly finished at the top 
with the inner bark of chestnut and ce- 
dar, with fine grass and scales from beech 
buds and a little fern down mixed in, and 
all secured compactly together with spider 
webs. I speak advisedly having seen the 
bird diligently gather the webs. Inside 
the nest was neatly and smoothly lined 
with mixed horse hair and very fine grass. 
Largest outer diameter three inches and a 
half, inner diameter two inches, and _ depth 
two inches, and built in a little kalmia 
bush about fifteen inches from the ground. 
This description will answer for most of 
the many nests I have found of the spe- 
cies, with varying quantities of birch bark 
and fern down, invariably in a kalmia 
bush. This was the twenty-sixth of May, 
1879, and within this nest was four beauti- 
ful little eggs, pearly and rosy, but dif- 
ferently marked from any I had before 
seen of the species, just about regulation 
pattern for size, averaging 23-32 inch in 
length, and 18-32 inch in greater breadth, 
being marked with very minute dots, a few 
scattered over the surface but mostly in a 
ring around the larger end. Eleven days 
after this event I found another nest and 
set of three eggs in the same spot,iscarcely a 
foot from where I found the other; these 
eggs were quite unlike the former set in 


10 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 2. 


markings though of similar size, the spots 
being larger and more distinct, of a dark 
reddish brown color and chiefly collected 
about the large end though not in a ring. 
I did not look again in 1879, but the 25th 
of May, 1880, I repeated the same experi- 
ence in the same place, securing another 
set of four fresh rosy eggs, prettily and 
neatly marked in the usual manner; and 
again on the 3d of June, only nine days 
later, I found another nest and four more 
eges in the same spot. All these four sets 
were taken from within a radius of four 
feet, and I fancy were all of the same pair 
of birds, though very differently marked, 
for I have observed that Hooded Warblers 
are very unsocial, having never seen two 
pairs of them occupying the same locality 
or nearer than thirty rods of each other. 
If it was the same pair it would imply 
that the robbing of nest and eggs was no 
great loss to them if they can be so 
promptly and completely replaced. A 
few notes from my observations of the bird 
as found here and I will close. The male 
bird is seldom seen near the nest except 
when it is building, or after the young are 
hatched, but he can usually be heard some 
twenty-five rods away, constantly repeat- 
ing his clear musical che-we—e—o. I have 
seen him in the mating season, hovering 
after the manner of the Chats, and warb- 
ling so sweetly and continuously that the 
song seemed more like a chorus than a 
solo; but this performance is rarely seen. 
The female is usually only a little plain 
“Yellow Bird,” with the bright yellow face 
contrasting sharply with the greenish yel- 
low of the back, but I have ovcasionally 
seen females with the black hood distinctly 
developed. I especially remembered one 
that I captured, with its nest and 
eggs, and which I really supposed to be a 
male till I had dissected it, the hood being 
as perfect as in the average male. 

The bird may usually be heard by the 
first week of May (2d my earliest record.) 
in their usual haunts from some dense 
thicket, and the female arrives I think a few 


‘September. 


days later though she is so quiet and in- 
conspicuous that she might be there and yet — 
unobserved. Some of the birds tarry till 
Despite the assertions of sey- 
eral writers of note to the contrary. I 
pronounce the species a very common one 
here, in evidence of which I found in the 
season of 1880, eleven nests, with four 
eggs each in every instance but one, which 
had a Cow Birds and three Hooded Warb- 
lers. I believe that when the bird and its 
habits become better known its breeding 
range will be found to be more extensive in 
Connecticut, than the little town of Say- 
brook, if not it would seem a very remark- 
able circumstance. J. N. Crarg. 
F at OOo a 

Horned Lark. 

NESTING HABITS IN ORLEANS CO., N. Y. 

The Hremophila alpestris is quite com- 
mon in this part of the state and is gener- 
ally seen on some sandy knoll or by the 
roadside dusting themselves. During 
the past few years I have spent considera- 
ble time in trying to’find their nests, but 
with little success until the past season, 
when quite unexpectedly on April 17, 1880, 
when crossing an old pasture lot I acci- 
dentally found a nest, and while approach. 
ing it the old bird quietly left it appearing 
quite unconcerned whether I took the four 
nearly fledged young that it contained, or 
not. The nest was placed in a cup-shaped 
cavity lined with June grass. As the day 
was cold and windy the young did not at- 
tempt to leave the nest, but huddled to- 
gether and tried to hide themselves under 
one another and when I touched them they 
only squatted the closer. The Horned 
Lark must be a very hardy bird for this 
nest had weathered very cold storms in 
safety. About this time I found a crows 
nest with two eggs which were frozen. 
April 19th, visited the Horned Larks nest, 
when the young ones immediately scramb- 
led out of it and made off in a way that 
was comical to behold, they were not old 
enough to fly but by using legs and wings 
they tumbled off in a lively manner. 


April, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


11 


May 28th, while hoeimg a new straw- 
berry patch I found another nest of this 
species and came very near crushing both 
nest and eges as there was nothing near 
to protect it, but simply hollowed out of 
the dry sand and lined with grass like the 
previous nest. The grass was very dry 
and very loosely put together. In this 
case incubation had commenced and the 
bird was unusually tame, she did not leave 
the nest until I got within eight or ten feet 
of it and tien she would move off in a slow 
and quite unconcerned manner. She 
did not seem in the least afraid and 
would pick up bugs and worms quite un- 
concerned. When I had passed the nesi 
about the same distance she would as 
quietly return to it and snuggle around 
like a setting hen before settling down and 
would sit as quiet as though no one was 
near. This nest contained 4 eggs the 
ground color of which was gray, minutely 
and thickly speckled with light brown 
very uniformly. Some of the specks are 
nearly as largé as a pin’s head. The meas- 
urements varied and were as follows,.80x.61 
.80x.62, .82x.63, and .84x.63. About the 15th 
of June, this same pair made another nest 
in a patch of Tobacco near by. I did not 
molest this nest and by the middle of July 
the five young which they had raised were 
able to fly and left the nest, and were fully 
as large as the old birds. It is my opin- 
ion that all three nests were made by one 
pair of birds, and if I had left the eggs in 
nest No. 2 they would no doubt have raised 
three broods in tle season. 

F. H. Larriy, Gaines, N. Y. 
ps SED eee 
Cactus Wren. 
(Campylorhynchus brunneicapilius.) 

Journeying across the bleak and arid 
Colorado desert, this little wren with the 
awe-inspiring hame was one of the most 
numerous of the feathered race that I saw, 
and its nest was to be seen wherever 
cactus or mesquite grew. Its peculiar 
note continued long and monotonously, 
relieved the oppressive silence and sug- 


gested life and checrfulness. The nests, 
very large for the size of the bird, were 
laid on the flat branches of the cactus, or 
occasionally placed in a mesquite or palo 
verds tree, and were very conspicuous. 
They were built of fine grasses, well inter- 
woven, and were shaped something like a 
retort, with a long funnel shaped entrance. 
The body of the nest was often as large as 
a man’s head, completely roofed over and 
with the entrance, also roofed, on one side 
at the top of the nest. This entrance way 
was often 6 to 9 inches in length, and. of 
only sufficient diameter to admit the pas- 
sage of the bird. The interior of the nest 
was always thickly lined with feathers, 
which were gathered with infinite labor 
from many and various birds, and to exam- 
ine one of the nests was a good way to 
find out what birds were in the vicinity. 
The nests were seldom higher than three 
or four feet from the ground, exceptional 
ones in mesquite trees being at a height of 
from ten to fifteen feet. The full comple- 
ment of eggs, in no case noticed by myself, 
exceeded five. They are rather elongated 
and slightly pointed and average specimens 
measure about 1 inch in length by .65 inch- 
es in diameter. The color, when freshly 
blown, is very rich being of a delicate sal- 
mon, marked universally and evenly with 
darker salmon; also forming a slight ring 
around the larger end. The birds are in 
little flocks during the winter months, and 
mate and nest very early. How many 
broods are raised I am unable to say, but 
dates of finding nests with eggs in the 
middle of February and as late as August, 
are before me and well authenticated. In 
this case they must be remarkably prolific. 
I will endeavor to ascertain more concern- 
ing number of broods raised. 

G. Houteruorr, Jr., Los Angelos, Cal. 

me OM ee 

W. W. Worthington, Shelter Island, N. 
Y. reports the following arrivals: Fish 
Hawks and Great Blue Herons March 25, 
Shore Larks and Wild Geese Apr. 1, Grass 
Finches Apr. 2, White-bellied Swallow Apr 8. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6-No. 2 


ORNITHOLOGIST and OCLOGIST. 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY 
OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, - - - . Editor 
“. L. WILLARD, = = - Ass’t Editor 


With the co-operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


$1.00 per annum. 10 cents single copy. 


Address 
JOS. M. WADE, 


Rockville, Conn. 


Preparing Heas—Some time ago some 
one inquired for something to prevent in- 
sects infesting and destroying eggs. Judg 
ing from our own collection at the time we 
could not understand how the smallest in- 
sect could live in a collection of eggs any 
more than they could in a case of new vials, 
but since then we have done some exchang- 
ing with various collectors and have been 
surprised to see the specimens some other- 
wise good oologists will send out. Fresh 
eggs with holes an eighth of an inch in 
diameter and some even larger. Some have 
large holes but well cleaned—others have 
even part of the yolk adhering to the out- 
side of the shell; these are the kind in 
which the insects hold high carnival, and 
even if they were prevented from gaining 
an entrance, the eggs turn black and com- 
mence to decay from the time they are 
placed in the Cabinet. Another class of 
collectors will place on the egg with pen 
and ink the full record of the find; these 
eggs for neat collectors are almost ruined. 
others will place all of a kind in the same 
box, having no regard for sets; in this 
way many valuable sets are lost to Sci- 
ence. Single egg collections are worthless 
except as articles of curiosity. 

When the find is made, if. the collector 
has time at his disposal, he should fully ob- 
serve the habits of the birds, enough cer- 
tainly to identify the species. If this can- 
not be done, a little bird lime properly 
used will very soon place the birds in his 
power for examination ; only as a last re- 
source would we advise the shooting of the 
birds. Before the nest is taken, the inter- 


nal measurements should be made, its ma- 
terial noted as well as the location. We 
never clean eggs in the field, always reservy- 
ing them for evening work, when they are 
carefully drilled with the smallest drill 
possible ; then with the Ellsworth blower, 
described by Dr. William Wood, we _ pro- 
ceed to remove the contents, when each 
specimen is placed in a pan of warin water 
until the set is complete, when they are 
thoroughly washed inside and out, even 
the moisture being blown out. A record 
is then made on a small slip of paper and 
placed in the Cabinet with the eggs. No 
mark being made on the shell, the drill 
hole is also so small, that it is hardly no- 
ticeable. The Smithsonian and collector's 
numbers may be put on the shell with a 
clear soft pencii that can be easily washed 
off should the eggs change hands, or anew 
edition of the check list appear. 
Se I 

Evropran Sxy Larxs.—We have receiv- 
ed an invitation from H. Hales of Ridge- 
wood, N. J. to visit that place and see a 
large lot of Sky Larks previous to their 
being liberated the coming Spring, It 
appears that “with the assistance of Purser 
Kinzey of the steamship City of Rich- 
mond, Mr. Isaac W. England secured 200 
of these birds in England. Twenty-five 
died on the passage. The others arrived 
in New York on the 13th of last Decem- 
ber. About fifty of the birds escaped 
from the cage while they were on their 
way to Mr. England’s farm at Ridgewood, 
N. J. By the 17th of December their 
number had been reduced to 103. On 
that day Mr. Hales took charge of 
them. All were very weak. Over twenty © 
died. The others recovered their strength. 
They are kept in an apartment twelve feet 
square, well lighted, warmed, and venti!- 
ated. The floor is well sanded, and they 
can have a dust bath whenever they want 
it. The floor is partly sodded, and they 
have a new grass plot weekly. 

This subject opens a wide field for the 
lover of rural pursuits. To what more 


April, 1881. ] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


jel 
tS) 


charming use could the well-to-do owners 
of country places put a little money than 
importing and acclimating the song birds 
of the Old World. They would be confer- 
ring a lasting blessing upon the people by 
introducing the skylark, the woodlark, the 
titlark, the blackbird, the thrush, the lin- 
net, the green, gold, bull, and chaffinches, 
the nightingale, and other European warb- 
lers so famed in song and story, and so 
dear to every lover of rural life.” 

We make the above extracts from a long 
article by Mr. Hales, in the V. Y. Sun of 
March 28th, and we regret not. having 
space for the entire article, and fear we 
will not be able to see the birds while in 
confinment. The mere mention of the 
above list of birds bring us back to “Boy- 
hood’s happy days,” when every bird men- 
tioned was as familiar as the common 
“Robin” of the U.. 8. we hope Mr. 
England will be successful in his effort, 
being liberated South of the “North Riv- 
er,” they will no doubt work down to 
West Jersey, and possibly Deleware, as 
winter approaches. Should they ever be- 
come plenty in this Country they are an 
excellent bird for the young sportsman to 
practise on. 

Se 
Scarlet Tanager. 

Dates of the arrival of the Scarlet Tana- 
ger, Pyranga rubra, for 25 years, in 
Locke, Ingham County, Michigan. This spe- 
cies 1S a Common summer resideni, and 
was first observed by me in the summer of 
1842. It was found breeding for the first 
time May 27th, 1878. The nest was built 
on a horizontal limb of a beech tree, 25 
feet from the ground. I*have only found 
two nests since that date. 


Baltimore Oriole. 

Dates of the arrival of the Baltimore 
Oriole, (Zcterus baltimore.) for 25 years in 
the township of Locke, Ingham County, 
State of Michigan. This species is a com- 


May 


May 4, 1856. 
_ May 18, 1857. 
May 8, 1858. 
May 6, 1859. 
May 4, 1860. 
4, 1861. 
May 12, 1862. 
May 4, 1863. 


May 14, 1864. 
June 4, 1865. 
May 10, 1866. 
May 17, 1867. 
May 15, 1868. 
May 14, 1869. 
May 5, 1870. 
May 6, 1871. 
May 2, 1872. 


May 6. 
May 8, 
May 10, 
May 12, 
May 12, 
May 1, 
May 10, 
May 3, 


1873. 
1874. 
1875. 
1876. 
1877. 
1878. 
1879. 
1880. 


mon summer resident, and was first no- 
ticed by me in the summer of 1842. 
May 2,1856 May 8,1865. May 8, 
May 11,1857. May 8, 1866. May 9, 
May 5, 1858. May 5, 1867. May 10, 
Apr. 28, 1859. 5, 1868. May 9, 
Apr. 30, 1860: 4, 1869. May 5, 
May 1, 1861. 5, 1870. May 1, 
May 10,1862. May 1, 1871. May 5, 1879. 
May 10, 1863. May 7,1872. May 3, 1880. 
May 8, 1864. Dr. H. A. ATKINS. 

—_ +9 — i 

Bird Notes. 

A Haws Owt, ( Surutu ulula hudsonica.) 
was killed at Gorham, N. Y. in Nov. 1875. 
The young man who shot it informs me 
that he was on horseback when the bird 
was first seen and rode very near without 
flushing him. Leaving his horse, he re- 
turned with his gun and secured the bird. 
The weather was very mild. I do not think 
that the Hawk Owl has before been record. 
ed as a bird of central New York. 

Kitipeer (Negialitis vociferus) is not a 
very common summer resident though 
very well known, arriving from March Ist 
to the 15th and departing the last of Octc- 
ber. The following notes of its breeding 
may be of interest: 1869 May 4, 1875 June 
1, 1878 June 12, 1879 April 23, 1880 June 
11, 1880 June 18. The eggs were four in 
every instance, and in one case were laid 
in the mellow ground of a corn-field with- 
out any ndicaticn of its usually pebbly nest. 

Inpieco Brrp (Cyanospisa Cyanea.).—I 
have taken the nest of this bird on the fol- 
lowing dates: 1875 June 19, 1875 July 
19, 1878 July 2, July 4 and Aug. 138, 1880 
1880 May 30. The farmers formerly pas- 

tured the woods with sheep and there was 
then no underbrush, but this custom is 
now discontinued and the woods are filled 
with a dense growth of bushes, and this 
bird is now abundant where, previous to 
1874, they were rare or entirely unknown. 
J. M. Howey, Canadaigua, N. Y. 


1873. 
1874. 
1875. 
1876. 
1877. 
1878. 


14 ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 2. 


Marsh Hawk. (Circus hudsonius) A 
Lares Set or Eaas.—I quote from a letter 
from an ornithological friend in Dunnville, 
Ont., he having kindly given me permission 
to do so. 

“T was told of the nest by a farm labor- 
er, who in going across the fields daily to 
his work, discovered it in a swale out ina 
meadow, but near a wood. When first 
found it contained only three eggs, but at 
the end of another week it had six. Some 
days after this, I cannot say now just how 
long, when I visited it there were four 
young birds and three eggs, one of the lat- 
ter chipped, one half incubated and the 
third but slightly so. Of the birds, one 
was a good sized fellow able to stand up 
while the others were not so strong. The 
nest was in an open space in the high 
weeds or rushes near a bush, and was com- 
posed of small sticks and grasses quite 
flattened and tramped down. The man 
told me that he had never seen but the one 
pair of birds about the nest, and he saw 
them every day he went to his work. I 
took them on the 14th of June 1880. This 
is about all I can tell you concerning them.” 

Some time ago I noticed in the Ootocist 
one of its correspondents writing of find- 
ing a set of eggs, one of which was very 
small. I donot think this occurrence is 
at all unusual. At present I have a set of 
three eggs of the common Crow, two of 
which are larger than the average, while 
the third is very small. One can geta 
good idea of their size from these meas- 
urements: 1.98 x 1.19 inches. 1.90 x 1.18 
inches, .91 x .72 inches. I have also no- 
ticed this peculiarity in the Downy Wood- 
peckers, Robins and Black Duck's eggs, 
and I have no doubt that it occurs with 
the eggs of almost every species. 

S. F. Rarugun, Auburn, N. Y. 
a ea 

Catcuine A Tartar.—A gentleman resid- 
ing in Greenville, R. I, about eight miles 
northwest of Providence, on Saturday last 
brought in a male of the Little Black-head 


Duck (Fulix afinis) which he had caught 


in his meadow. He stated that he saw it 
first flying as though very tired and alight- 
ing in the meadow. He gave chase. It 
flew short distances at a time and he final- 
ly captured it. The bird had captured a 
mussel and was at the same time a captive, 
for the mussel was a trifle too large for the 
duck to swallow, and moreover the duck 
was trying to get it down the. hinged end 
first. It had shut itself on the bird’s 
tongue, near the throat, in such a way 
that the latter could not crush it. On dis- 
section no food was found in the duck’s 
stomach, and it had apparently been wan- 
dering about for some time. I had not 
heard of their visiting any fresh ponds, 
being confined to the sea-board. It prob- 
ably , while in such a predicament flew 
hither and thither without regard to diree- 
tion. The party had it mounted with mus- 
sel in its mouth as found. F. T. Jencks. 


[After receiving the above we called at 
the store of Southwick & Jencks and saw 
the duck in question. The mussel was 
firmly fixed in the throat, forcing the bill 
open about one and one quarter inches. Ed. | 


Bank Swatiows Urinizev.—Mr. John H. 
Sage of Portland, Conn.; states that there 
are large quantities of the above birds 
breeding in the banks of the extensive 
Brown stone quarries at that place. The 
birds are protected by the men, they be- 
leving that they destroy large num- 
bers of insects that would annoy them 
while at work were the Swallows not there. 


Ricuarpson’s Owx.—About the middle of 
December 1880, an owl was brought to a 
taxidermist in this city, by a young lady, 
to be stuffed, but the taxidermist seeing 
that it was not a common species, per- 
suaded her to take a Cedar bird instead. 
The owl, on examination proved to be 
Nyctale tengmalmi, var Richardsoni, 
(Bonap) and is the first, I believe that has 
been taken in the state, though Dr. Elliott 
Coues gives an instance of one being shot 
in Connecticut. The bird is now at the 
Brown University. 


EE ————_ o 


15 


April, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


I have noticed that while the owls have 
been quite abundant during the past win- 
ter, the Snow buntings, Plectrophanes ni- 
valis, have been uncommon. It may be 
that they have gone farther south, where 
the deep snow has not covered the seeds 
from which they obtain their food. while 
the Owls having a different diet, find our 
climate better adapted to their wants. It 
would be interesting if some of the south- 
ern readers of the Ootocist would inform 
us if they have seen them very abundant 
in their locality. 

H. C. Bumpus, Providence, R. I. 
+9 ++ — 
Oological Notes. 

Dovsiz-YoLKkep Eees.—In the specimen 
paper you sent me I found a notice of a 
double yolked Blue-bird’s egg. I once 
found a double yolked King-bird’s egg. In 
this specimen the usual markings were to- 
tally absent, being replaced by a few large 
blotches of a little darker tint than the 
shell. Unfortunately I broke it while de- 
scending the tree. There were two other 
eges in the nest marked in the usual man- 
ner. The nest of another one was lined 
entirely with bunches of human hair. It 
was near a barber shop. 

SHort-BILLED Marsh Wren. — The only 
nest of this kind I ever found had two dis- 
tinct compartments, one containing an egg 
and the other nothing. Do they always 
build two compartments? 

Buve Brrps; Tuer Burtpine Hasrrs.—In 
July 1880 I found a nest of the Blue-bird, 
placed upon some splinters, and without 
any protection except that about two feet 
above them was a trunk of a tree from 
which the splinters proceeded. This is 
the only time I have ever found a Blue- 
bird’s nest out of a hole. In our vicinity 
they seem to havea taste for building in 
letter boxes upon fences. Last year I 
found four cases of the kind. 

Inquiry.— Last summer I saw in the top 
of a hickory tree a nest looking lke a 
House sparrow’s. It contained one egg 
of the shape and size of a Swallow’s which 


was pure white except at the large end 
where it looked as if it had been smoked. 
Indeed on first seeing it I thought it had, 
but upon blowing the yolk was clear and 
limpid, and besides the color would not 
wash or scrape off, so it must have been 
natural. The old bird was not near enough 
to distinguish her colors. What sort of 
an egg is it? K. P. McExroy, Toledo, O. 
Sone Sparrow.—On the 24th day of May, 
1879 I took at Fair Haven, Conn., a female 
Song sparrow, Melospisu melodia, together 
with her nest and five eggs. She had 
chosen for the situation of her nest the bed 
of a railroad, where trains were continual- 
ly passing, and had placed it not more 
than ten feet from the track. But the pe- 
culiarity to which I wish especially to call 
attention is that while four of the eggs 
were in size and color precisely alike, be- 
ing a bluish white with spots of reddish 
brown so confluent as to appear almost 
uniformly of that color, the fifth is notably 
ereater in size and very different in color- 
ation, having a more decided ground work 
with its spots much larger and thinly scat- 
tered. Again while the four eggs were 
nearly fresh, this oddity contained a fully 
formed embryo which was with difficulty 
removed. N. A. Eppy, Bangor, Me. 
THe Cotorine Marrer or Birp’s Eaas— 
The brilliant and remarkably permanent 
color of the eggs of many birds has led 
Liebermann to investigate its cause. He 
finds that however widely different these 
colors are from each other, they are due 
essentially to but two coloring matters, 
one a blue or green substance, probably a 
biliary coloring matter, the other character- 
ized by a remarkable absorptive spectrum. 
These coloring matters are contained in 
the first layer of the shell, often in several 
thicknesses. When the shell is treated with 
hydrochloric acid, the coloring separates in 
flakes, and by treatment with alcohol a 
strong solution may be obtained. With 
the eggs of Gulls and Plovers an unsuc- 
cessful attempt was made to obtain the 
coloring matter pure. Screntiric AMERICAN. 


16 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 2 


Great Hornep Owt’s Eaes.—Mr. W. W. 
Coe of Portland, Conn., has again taken a 
pair of eggs from his “Old Owls.” They 
were taken this year on March 8th. This 
is the seventh or eighth successive year 
that this pair of birds have yielded tribute 
to Mr. Coe. Dr. Wm. Wood states that 
he once took five eggs at one time and 
from the same nest. It would be interest- 
ing to know if these eggs were all laid by 
one female. 

An Eee Wrrutin an Eac.—I would like to 
know whether any of your readers have 
met with a case in the formation of eggs 
similar to the following, for as far as my 
experience goes, it is decidedly unique. A 
friend of mine while breakfasting on some 
duck’s eggs, opened an unusually large one 
and found within it a second egg with a 
perfect shell, similar in color and thickness 
to the outer one. He brought it to me 
and itis now in my collection. It is almost 
globular and about an inch in diameter ; 
it contained a yolk with surrounding albu- 
men, but I could not say as to the germ 
for it was boiled hard. 

G. A. McCarium, Ontario. 
69 6+ 
Recent Publications. 

“Tilustrations of Nests and Eggs.” The 
Oologists of North America have now be- 
fore them three works on the Nests and 
Eggs of the birds of North America, all 
claiming their patronage. As there are 
few of our readers that will be enabled to 
examine all three, it might be well for us 
to give a little of our experience, as well as 
our opinion, of the three works in ques- 
tion. We have no interest in any of them, 
have purchased two of them, and seen a 
sample copy of the third. We have before 
us seven numbers of the “Illustrations of 
the Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio,” 
and have examined them thoroughly, have 
read them carefully. There is room for 
slight criticism, but the artist is well aware 
of defects that the ordinary reader could 
not detect and which will be remedied in 
future numbers. It is published at five 


dollars per part. This will seem high to 
many but it is well worth much more. The 
book as a whole is simply superb. The 
plates are so real, and artistically drawn, 
and the text is a simple statement of 
facts in plain English that must win all 
readers, to all who can afford it. we say 
buy this work. It will always be worth 
the subscription price. Dr. Coues endor- 
ses it unreservedly, and to the extent of 
its cost it is one of the finest works ever 
published and devoted to Natural Science. 

Since the above was written we have re- 
ceived number eight of the above work,’ 
which contains the Cardinal Redbirds nest 
and eggs, Warbling and Red eyed Vireo’s 
nests and eggs, also the nest and eggs 
of the Carolina Dove, all of which are 
finely executed. The text as usual is so 
plain that a child can understand it. It 
is a misfortune to the Science that the 
above work is not better known so that a 
larger colored edition would be circulated. 

“The Illinois State Laboratory of Natu- 
ral history; Bulletin, No. 3,” containing 
studies of the Food of Birds, Insects and 
Fishes, made at the Illinois State Labora- 
tory of Natural History at Normal, [linois, 
by S. A. Forbes. Sixty-nine pages of the 
above work are devoted to an exceedingly 
valuable article on “The Food of Birds,” 
which should be read by every ornitholo- 
gist who can fairly claim to be a natural- 
ist. They will there find much food for 
thought. 

We are indebted to a modest friend 
“away down East” for a valuable pamph- 
let entitled, “Report of the Commissioners 
of Fisheries and Game of the State of 
Maine for 1880.” This report contains 
considerable information about the recently 
imported “Messina Quail,” which seems to 
have bred quite freely during the year 
1880. It states that “the eggs of the quail 
are of a greenish color profusely blotched 
with brown,” but are said to fade quickly 
when exposed to the light. For want of 
room we shall forego making the extracts 
we desire until some future time. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 
OOLOGIST. 


Established 


$1.00 per March 1875, | 10 cents 
annum. Joseph M. Wade, editor and publisher. single copy. 
NO. 3 


VOR Vi. 


ROCKVILLE, CONN., MAY, 1881. 


Henslow’s Sparrow. 
NESTING IN NORTHERN CONN. 

Henslow’s Sparrow, Coturniculus hens- 
lowi, has apparently been on the increase 
in this town (Eastford) during the last 
five or six years. I think it was in 1876 
that I first detected it by its note, ina 
swampy meadow. Whenever I passed the 
place during the season the same monoto- 
nous sound could be heard, and the bird 
has made his home there every year since. 
Two years later I heard one in another 
small meadow, not far from the first. On 
the 6th of August 1879, I had the pleasure 
of examining two nests of this species in a 
single field, which a farmer had uncovered 
the day before, while mowing. The land 
was very high, but wet or springy, though 
having nothing like the appearance of the 
swampy places where these birds usually 
make their home. Each nest contained 
three eggs. One set of eggs which I took 
was so far advanced in incubation that I 
found it impossible to blow them. I left 
one nest intending to return the next 
morning with a gun for the purpose of se- 
curing the female, but during the night 
some animal destroyed both nest and eggs. 
The nests were very slight structures, com- 
posed of dry grass and lined, if lined at all, 
with the same material, no finer than the 
bulk of the nest. One of them was on the 
side of a “cradle knoll” the ground all 
around it being quite wet. The nest was 
on level ground in a dry spot and the rim 
was sunk to a level with the surface. The 
bird was on the nest and at my approach 
she slipped off and ran away through the 
short grass very much like a mouse. The 
eges of this species cannot be positively 


distinguished from those of the Yellow- 
winged Sparrow, Coturniculus passerinus. 
In one nest the eggs were considerably 
elongated and quite pointed at the smaller 
end. In the other they were more nearly 
round and not sufficiently pointed to ren- 
der the two ends distinguishable. These 
were undoubtedly the second layings of 
the season, which accounts for there being 
so few eggs. I captured one of the birds, 
which proved to be a male, and his plu- 
mage, owing to the moult, was in a most 
dilapidated condition; minus about half 
the tail and other feathers in proportion. 

In the afternoon of July 17th, 1880, in 
driving from Putnam to Eastford I heard 
five of these birds in as many different 
places; two in Woodstock and three in 
EKastford. A few days afterward I inquir- 
ed of a farmer who had recently mowed a 
meadow in which I heard one of them, if 
he had found any birds nests there, and he 
replied that he did mow over a “little 
ground bird’s” nest having three eggs, 
which he described as white with brown 
spots, but unfortunately the horse rake 
had obliterated all traces of it. 

One morning in May, 1879, I found one 
of these birds and undertook to capture 
him, which proved to be no easy matter. 
When he first rose from the ground I was 
not ready for him and with a short flight 
he dropped into cover. I hastened to the 
spot where he disappeared, but when I got 
where he was he wasn't there. After floun- 
dering around for some time in the water 
and over the “tussocks” I started him once 
more, but in a direction where I was not 
| looking, and with a short flight he plunged 
into’ the grass again. He had a wonder- 


18 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 3. 


ful faculty for worming his way through 
the grass, and at a sharp angle from his 
line of flight, but whether to the right or 
left I could not know until he arose again. 
It was only after several attempts that I 
succeeded in capturing him. 

The musical performance of this bird 
has very little to commend it; though con- 
sidermg the poor success he meets with, 
his performance is certainly praiseworthy. 
When the muse inspires his breast he 
mounts to the top of a weed or some other 
object that raises him just above the grass. 
There he sits demurely until the spirit 
moves, when he suddenly throws up his 
head and with an appearance of much ef- 
fort, jerks out his monosyllabic “isip,” ap- 
parently with great satisfaction. Then, 
having relieved himself he drops his head 
and waits patiently for his little cup to 
fill again. Somehow I cannot watch him 
while thus engaged, without a feeling of 
pity for a creature so constituted that he 
can be satisfied with such a performance, 
and content with his surroundings. 

C. M. Jones, Eastford, Conn. 


+O > — 
Collecting on the Pacific Coast. 


June 26,1880,on my return from a collect- 
ing trip in the Interior, I started for “Punta 
de los Reyos,” Point Reyos; a barren, dis- 
mal, rocky place, such as is seldom visited 
by a collector. Excepting in a few places 
the cliffs are inaccessible, and here amid 
the din and roar of old Ocean, thousands 
of Brants, Cormorants @raculus pencilla- 
tus, and Violet Green Cormorants, Gracu- 
lus violaceus, build their nests and rear 
their young. There was also a few Tufted 
Puffins, Mormon cirrhata, Western Guille- 
mots, Uria columba, with a few pairs of 
Western Gulls, Zaurus occidentalus, and 
two pairs of Wandering Tattlers, Heterosce- 
lus brevipes. The latter had no doubt 
nests, as they would not leave two im- 
mense caverns which were formed in the 
face of the cliff by the action of the water. 
While perched on a rocky point between 
the two caverns shooting the M. cirrhata 


as they circled about my head, the MZ. bre- 
vipes would come flying out with their 
shrill piping cry only to return again, and 
at the next report the same scene would 
be enacted. At the report of the gun the 


air would be filled with birds circling 


about, each giving out their peculiar cry. 
But only those nearest could be heard, 
such was the terrific din and crash made 
by the Pacific ocean against the face of 
the cliff and in the caverns, large and 
small, worn in the solid rock by countless 
ages of the washing of the cruel and re- 
lentless waves that know no rest, day or 
night. I could sit on a few favorable 
points and look into hundreds of nests, 
filled with their treasures, “so near and 
yet so far,” but the steep and perpendicu- 
lar cliffs afforded no foothold whatever. 
One place in particular, a narrow shelf of 
rock about twenty feet above the water 
and on which were eight nests of U. colum- 
ba with the birds on the nests, not one of 
which could be obtained except by being 
lowered from the cliff above for a distance 
of 200 feet byarope. The L. occidentalus 
had already hatched and the downy, half- 
fledged young were easily caught, when 
the old ones came darting and circling 
around me with a continuous screaming 
cry that sounded above the roar of the 
surf and set hundreds of other birds in 
motion so that to watch them whirling 
about one’s head produced a dizziness. I 
was soon glad to release the little things, 
as they kept biting so viciously. So I 
gave each a toss in the air and they went 
whirling down over the cliffs until they 
struck the water when most of them pad- 
dled off to sea, while the old ones dispers- 
ed in search of food. The cliffs range in 
hight from one hundred and fifty to seven 
hundred feet, and are inaccessible except 
in a few places where I made out to get a 
few sets of G. pencillatus. I remained 
here three days and secured more skins 
than eggs. Only a small percentage of 
the birds shot could be secured as they 
drifted into caverns and among the rocks 


May, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


19 


out of the reach of man. Some distance 
from the shore there are a number of islets 
from a few yards to several hundred in ex- 
tent. These islets were literally alive with 
G. pencillatus, the rocks being black with 
them and at a distance of nearly a mile the 
stench from the accumulation of filth was 
almost unbearable. These islets are also 
inaccessible, as their sides are smooth and 
almost perpendicular, even with a boat 
nothing could be done, not even a foot- 
hold gained to reach the coveted eggs so 
temptingly displayed to view. In places I 
could lean over the rocks and look into fif- 
teen or twenty nests at a time, not over 
ten or fifteen feet distant, some with eggs, 
some with young, and some with the old 
birds incubating. Birds were continually 
going out to sea, and returning probably 
in search of food, several of the MW. cirr- 
hata had fish in their beaks eight or ten 
inches long which resembled the smelt. J 
was not able to reach the nests of these 
birds as they were among the rocks on the 
land. The holes were so deep and crooked 
I could not reach them with my hand. 

The pretty red legged U. columba were 
continually in motion. Some came in 
from the sea with weeds and kelp 
with which to build their nests, and out 
they would go in a few minutes with a 
weak whistling cry. Occasionally a flock 
of Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus fuscis, 
would come sailing by, but where they 
bred I could not tell as I never saw their 
nests or eggs on the coast. Next season I 
intend to make another trip to this region 
but can assure the readers of the Ooroaist 
it is anything but a pleasure, as it is a 
lonesome, foggy, out of the way place, and 
a Collector's life is continually in jeopardy 
while he is on the cliffs, a single misstep 
will fetch him into an abyss from which 
there is no escape. This is only one 
of the many dangers a collector is exposed 
to if he is iocated on the borders of civ- 
ilization and soon becomes used to scenes 
which at first he would view with a feeling 
of horror. C. A. AtiEn, Nicasio, Cal. 


Least Titmouse. 
ITS NESTING HABITS IN CALIFORNIA. 

On the 15th of April, 1880, I found a 
nest of the Least Titmouse (Psaltriparus 
minimus) that is of remarkable length. 
The following are its measurements: 
length, 21 inches; diameter near upper 
end, 1? inches; diameter a foot from top 
its greatest size, 3 inches; diameter near 
lower end, 24 inches; distance of entrance 
from top, 53 inches; depth of cavity, 7 
inches ; diameter of entrance, ? inch. 

No other nest found exceeded 9 inches 
in length, and in every one the entrance 
was in the top or nearly so. This nest is 
composed of fine vegetable cotton, great 
quantities of the pappus of compound 
flowers, minute bits of lichens, among 
which are woven long strips of grass-blades, 
fine fibrous roots, and the tough inner 
bark of weeds. Both the upper and lower 
portions of the nest are not so solidly 
made as is the middle portion. The nest 
was hung upon a small limb of a live-oak, 
about eight feet from the ground, and im- 
mediately over an irrigating ditch. There 
were seven eggs in the nest, incubation 
well begun. 

The Least Titmouse is an abundant win- 
ter resident of this county (Ventura) and 
may be seen in flocks of five to thirty flying 
from sage-bush to sage-bush and feeding 
among their branches. In summer I do 
not think they are so abundant, yet many 
remain to breed, choosing as their favorite 
places in which to hang their long, beauti- 
ful pensile nests a bunch of mistletoe or 
the thick foliage of a live-oak. Nests 
have been found in sage and greasewood 
bushes, and one in a bunch of cactus. My 
observations of a number of nests and their 
sets of eggs enables me to verify Dr. Coues' 
remark, viz: “That the nest is usually as 
many inches long as there are eggs in the 
full set.” My twenty-one inch nest being 
the only exception among a dozen observed. 
All others I have are from six to nine inches 
long, and contained from six to nine eggs. 

B. W. Evermann, Santa Paula, Cala. 


20 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 3. 


ORNITHOLOGIST and OOLOGIS?. 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY 
OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, - - . - Editor 
S. L. WILLARD, - - - Ass’t Editor 


With the co-operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


Foreign 


SUBSCRIPTION.—$1.00 per annum. 
Specimen 


subscription $1.25 including postage. 
copies ro cents each. 
JOS. M. WADE, 


Rockville, Conn. 


Entered at the Rockville P. O. as second-class matter. 
EDITORIAL. 


Recent Pusrications.—The study of or- 
nithology has lately developed to such an 
extent that we come naturally to look upon 
its literature with a more critical eye than 
a few years ago, when each new publication, 
of whatever pretension, was hailed—and 
justly—with much interest and cordiality. 
Books were not written for the sake of the 
author's fancied appreciation of seeing him- 
self in print. We encountered little that 
did not bear the evidence of true value; 
because it was a lawful privilege, respected 
by the younger students of the science, of 
the ablest men to form the results of the 
current investigation for public use. In 
these days of rapid growth and increased 
interest in the study of birds, and the grad- 
ual lifting of popular misconceptions and 
old and often taught errors, we look for a 
higher scale in the literature from which 
we must of necessity derive the bulk of our 
information. We are quicker to discover 
an imperfection than formerly. The rapid 
perfection in book making and art in illus- 
tration, have excited our discrimination to 
such an extent that we are apt to discour- 
age that publication which does not teach 
us more than the one which preceded it. 
To be sure we make all allowances for the 
nature of the work. We can not criticise 
books of fiction and books of science in the 
same way; the elements are too unlike. 
But the latter must be read; they must 
consist of facts, and, unlike the former, 


must be exact: we can not tolerate errors. | 

There are several reasons for an increased 
attention to this department of our jour- 
nal. We believe that we are called upon 
to guide, in a measure,-our readers’ selec- 
tion of bird publications. We owe it to 
the coming generation of young ornitholo- 
gists to keep before them a resume of the 
current ornithological literature, the mass 
of which is from the nature of the case, in- 
accessible to all. We shall endeavor to 
make this portion of the ORNITHOLOGIST AND 
Ooxoaist of especial value by pronouncing 
candidly, decisively, and when possible, at 
length, upon all ornithological publications 
that come to our notice. 

cee NN 

Rare Eaes.—We have just received from 
Wilhelm Schluter, Halle on the Saale, Ger- 
many, three sets of eggs which are rare in 
this Country. They came through in per- 
fect order and axe fine specimens. First a set 
of six Snowy Own, Vyctea scandiaca, (406) 
These eggs are dated January 7th, 1880, 
and are from Tornea in Lapland. Second 
a set of four Great Gray Own, Ulula cin- 
erea, (339). This set is dated’ May 20th, 
1880, and are from Kittila, in Finland. 
Third a set of six American Hawk Owt, » 
Surnia funerea, (407.) This set is dated 
May 22d, 1880, and is from Labrador. 
With the above we received an exceedingly 
fine skin of the Eacrte Own, Bubo maxi- 
mus. It isa female and a very large fresh 
skin. Although it is an expensive busincss 
importing eggs, we must say that Wilhelm 
Schluter has our entire confidence. 

ee eee 

Our Conrrisutors, who have favored us 
so liberally with valuable observations, and 
whose articles do not immediately appear, 
will please bear with us for awhile, and we 
hope will still continue to supply us with 
such observations as they may make during - 
the present collecting season. We would ~ 
earnestly request our readers while collect- 
ing and when matters new come before them 
to observe carefully and immediately note 
down the facts for publication. 


May, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. - 


2] 


Cotiectors.—Mr. Robert Ridgway of 
the Smithsonian and Mr. Fred. T. Jencks 
of Providence, R. I., left Washington for 
‘Wheatland, Indiana,(the home of the Ridg- 
way's) April 13th, on a collecting trip which 
is expected to continue for two months. 
Mr. Jencks has already sent us notes of the 
trip and promises to continue them for the 
benefit of our readers. They will appear 
in our next number. 

—_ +++ —_. 
Northwestern Screech Owl. 

The habits of Scops asio Kennicotti,found 
on the northwest coast where it replaces 
S. asio muccalli seem to be essentially 
the same as those of its eastern and south- 
ern relatives, the Scops asio and asto mac- 
calli. Itis scarcely ever seen in the daytime, 
and if not secluded in the hollow of a tree, 
it is only found in the densest and darkest 
of the thickets generally about creek bot- 
toms. It does not appeareto come about 
houses. This form averages considerably 
larger than asio and maccalli, and seems to 
be moderately common in this vicinity, 
while a hundred miles to the eastward about 
Fort Lapwai, Idaho, it appears not to be 
found. At any rate, I failed to notice it 
there during three years collecting. I ob- 
tained four specimens here during the past 
winter, two of each sex. The measurement 
of a female shot November 7th, 1880, is as 
follows, wing 7.50, tail 4.25, tarsus 1.50, 
culmen 0.75, iris yellow, bill and claws pale 
horn color. The second female was larger 
still, the wing being 7.85. The males are 
a trifle smaller. A set of eggs taken to-day 
April 7th, four in number, measure as fol- 
lows, 1.47x1.28, 1.43x1.29, 1.45x1.30 and 
1.46x1.30. These were found in a hole in 
a good sized Cottonwood tree about twen- 
ty-five feet from the ground. The cavity 
was about sixteen inches deep. There was 
no nest, the eggs lying on decayed bits of 
wood and a few dead leaves; no feathers. 
The parent, presumably the female, was on 
the nest and would not leave the hole, 
where I allowed her to remain while re- 
moving the eggs. The first time I exam- 


ined the cavity it contained a single egg 
and a dead mouse. This was March 29th. 
The eggs of course are white and globular 
like most Owl’s eggs. .A pair of 

Sparrow Hawss, Zinnunculus sparver- 
ious, have taken possession of a hole only 
about two feet above the one occupied by 
the owls, and seem to live in harmony with 
the latter. The call notes of Kennicotti’s 
owl appears to me to be the same as that 
of the eastern Screech Owl, and I heard it 
nightly during the month of March. Since 
the first egg has been deposited the birds 
have remained silent.—Cuas. Benprre, Fort 
Walla Walla, Washington Territory. 

at oe 
Bird Notes from Virginia. 

“That Woodcock.” The reading of Mr. 
Merrill's article on “that woodcock” re- 
minded me of asimilar case which hap- 
pened some years ago. While sitting in 
the house my attention was attracted by 
loud eries of distress from a Woodpecker. 
I seized my gun and stepped into the yard 
just in time to witness the last struggle of 
the Woodpecker in the talons of a Cooper 
Hawk, which was soon my prize. When I 
picked the Hawk up I was surprised at his 
emaciated condition, but I soon discovered 
ample cause in a large splinter as thick as 
my finger and six inches long, through the 
fleshy part of the wing near the shoulder. 
The splinter was firmly imbedded and the 
wound healed over. 

Tur Summer Rep Birp, (Pyranga Aesti- 
va) is much more rare here. In all my ex- 
perience I have found but one nest, and 
this also was on the depressed bough of a 
hickory. A beautiful nest carefully and 
artistically woven of fine wiry grass, and 
strips of bark, and well lined with softer 
material. The eggs (3) much resembled 
those of the Pyranga rubra, but of a high- 
er and cleaner tint. It contained one or 
two eggs of the Cow Bird. In short in 
this section there seems to be few small 
birds, whose nests are not occasionally 
utilized by the cow-bird for its parasitic 
brood. 


22 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 62No. 3. 


Tue Scarter Tanager, Pyranga rubra, 
arrives here the first week in May, and 
rears but one brood, and leaves at the 
close of Summer. His nest is consequent- 
ly adapted only for summer weather. It 
is composed of small sticks and dried 
grass, 80 thinly woven that the eggs may 
be seen through it. In every case I have 
found it on the horizontal limb of a hickory. 
The eggs, three or four in number, are of a 
dull blue, with lines and blotches of brown 
and purple, thickly clustered about the 
large end. 

Tue Invieo Birp, (Cyanospisu Cyanea,) 
seems to be a special favorite with them, 
but in one instance within my notice the 
little “bunting” had outwitted his oppress- 
or. The cow-bird had apparently deposi- 
ted an egg in their nest before it was quite 
finished, whereupon the owner built a new 
bottom so as to leave the obtruded egg 
enclosed between the two and proceeded 
to lay its own eggs on top. 

Tue Sparrow Haws of whose nesting in- 
quiry is made. I have met with their 
nests quite frequently, in all instances in a 
hollow tree in the deserted hole of the 
wood-pecker. The eggs 5 in number of a 
beautiful fawn color spotted with brown. 
We are much indebted to this, the most 
beautiful of all the American Hawks, for 
the destruction of field mice, which would 
otherwise prove a great nuisance to the 
farmers. W. T. Auten, Gaylord, Va. 

Notes from Michigan. 

Turrep Trrmovuss, (Lophophanes bicolor.) 
A specimen of the above was taken at 
Locke, Michigan, April 12th, 1881. I saw 
a pair of these birds on April 30th, 1871, 
but failed to secure them, being as usual 
in such cases, without my gun, but near 
enough to distinguish their peculiar mark- 
ings to a certainty. 

Canapa Jay, (Perisoreus canadensis.) 
A. B. Covert of Ann Arbor, in this state, 
found a nest of the Canada Jay containing 
five eggs May 27th, 1872. It was fifteen 
miles northeast of that city. Itis the only 
case recorded as far as I know in southern 


Michigan. In the Northern Peninsula it is 
a common resident. I have seen but one 
specimen of this bird in our woods and that 
was on May 17th, 1876. Itcame quite near 
me, so there was no difficulty in identifying 
it; unfortunately I did not have my gun. 

Bau timore Orrore, (Jcterus galbula.) In 
our State this bird frequents the tops of 
elm and maple trees, have never known it 
to nest in an orchard or near a house. 

H. A. Arxrns, M. D., Locke, Michigan. 

[In this State the Baltimore Oriole nests 
on elms, and mostly near dwellings, occa 
sionally in orchards, but very rarely in the 
fields or woods. We never found but one 
in the woods and that was never finished. 
Their nests seem to be made entirely of 
materials furnished by civilization. Will 
our correspondent furnish us a nest the 
the coming season that has been built in 
the forests of Michigan ?—Ep. | 

“Carcuinc a Tartar.” Noticing in the 
April number of the OrnirHoLoeist AND 
Ooxoaist an article by Fred. T. Jencks, Esq. 
of Providence, R. I., entitled “Catching a 
Tartar,” I was reminded of a Tartar of the 
same genus caught by a Florida Gallinule 
on Seneca River N. Y., in the year 1875. 
My uncle while enjoying a day’s sport de- 
coying ducks, observed, a short distance 
from where he was stationed, a strange act- 
ing bird swimming about in a pool of water 
surrounded by flags. Noticing an enor- 
mous bill for the size of the bird and think- 
ing it might be a “rara avis,” he shot it and 
presented it to me for preservation. It 
proved to be an adult female Florida Gal- 
linule—an abundant species in this locality. 
Like the duck spoken of by Mr. Jencks, it 
had caught a mussel and had been caught 
by it, and in a manner quite as aggravating. 
The mussel had closed about midway over 
the lower mandible, and by its vise-like 
grip was surely cutting it off. When I re- 
ceived it, this useful member “was nearly 
severed. No food was found in the stom- 
ach on dissection, and the bird was very 
much emaciated. 

Frank 8S. Wricut, Auburn, N. Y. 


“May, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


23 


Importine Game Brrps.—The Daily Ore- 
gonian, contains the following extract from 
the Hon. O. N. Denny, U. 8. Consul Gen- 
eral at Shanghai, China, to Mr. A. H. Mor- 
gan, of Portland, Oregon: “I mentioned 
in my last that it was my intention to try 
and stock our state with some of the finest 
varieties of game pheasants found in 
China, and to this end I have been collect: 
ing them for some months past. I am 
sending by the ship Otago, of Port Town- 
send, care of Captain Royal, about sixty 
Mongolian pheasants, to be turned loose in 
various sections of the state. I ,also send 
eleven Mongolian sand grouse. These 
birds have very peculiar shaped feet, re- 
sembiing somewhat those of a mole. I 
also send seven Chefoo partridges. I am 
collecting other varieties which I will send 
in due time, some of them are beautiful 
birds.” 

Frmares Preponperatine.—Capt. Charles 
Bendire, stationed at Fort Walla Walla, 
Washington Territory, writes that he has 
been quite successful in taking skins the 
past winter, and notes that among the 
Raptorgs, the females greatly preponder- 
ate. In seven specimens of the Pramiz Fat- 
con, Hierofalco mexicanus polyagrus. 
There are only two males. In eight speci- 
mens of Buack Meru, salon Colum- 
barious suckleyi, there was but a single 
male. In four specimens of the American 
Rovew Lteecep Haws, Archibuteo lagopus 
sancti Johannis there were no males. The 
owls were more evenly divided as to 


sex. 
ee 


Oological Notes from St. John. 

Wuite Wincep Crosspirt—I am on the 
search for the nest and eggs of the white 
winged Crossbill, I know they breed here. 
I think it was in the third week of Janua- 
ry, 1875, I was out moose hunting and 
started a big buck, and in the chase I 
found him making a circle, and cut through 
a bunch of trees to gain upon him. On 
my way through the thick wood, I stopped 
to adjust a strap on my snowshoes I found 


myself face to face with a white winged 
crossbill on her nest, the high bank of 
snow under me bringing my head about 
level with the nest. As I approached 
closer to exaniine it she flew to a branch 
close by, where I was enabled to carefully 
examine and identify her. The nest was 
placed in the fork of one of the main limbs 
of the tree and was composed externally of 
the long gray moss which grew in large 
patches on most of the trees in this vicini- 
ty, and so much resembled these patches 
of moss as to be difficult of detection. In 
the inside was a lining of softer moss, and 
between the lining and the exterior were 
small twigs interlaced. In the nest were 
three eggs of a bluish-white ground color 
having dashes of red upon the large end. 
But like the exquisite in Richelieu who be- 
ing filled with fate had no time to discuss 
ambition, so I, filled with the excitement 
of the chase and my ears tingling with the 
magnetic chorus of the dogs, had no time 
for bird’s eggs and hurried on, thereby 
losing what now, no moose or dog could 
tempt me from securing. 

So far as I know there is only one of 
our citizens who has any claim to be an 
Oologist; Mr. Jas. W. Banks. He has 
collected and carefully identified some sev- 
enty varieties of eggs, some of them of 
very rare species. As he is a close observ- 
er and enthusiastic, he will no doubt add 
largely to his collection during the coming 
season. 

Sorrrary Sanpprprr.—Mr. Banks found 
a nest of the Solitary Sandpiper on July 
3d, 1880. It was on the shore of a lake on 
the suburbs of the city, about 200 yards 
from the edge of the lake on a dry spot in 
the midst of a rather swampy patch of 
meadow. There was no attempt at nest 
building, the eggs being laid in a mere 
indentation in the ground, apparently 
scratched out by the parents and without 
lining of any kind. There was 3 eggs in 
the nest and in boring one it was found to 
contain a well developed embryo. There 
were no broken shells near the nest, nor 


24 


[ Vol. 6—No. 3. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


evidence of more eggs having been laid. 
the eggs were lying with the small ends 
resting in the center, The center of the 
nest being deep the eggs had the appear- 
ance of standing upon their small end, the 
large ends pointing slightly, toward the 
margin of the nest. Being tender hearted 
(then) he only took one egg and visited the 
nest very often afterward. The birds were 
extremely shy and with the utmost stealth 


he could not approach the vicinity of the}- 


nest without the parent taking flight and 
settling down some distance away. appear- 
ing nervously anxious, piping continuously 
and endeavoring to draw his attention 
from the nest. The eggs differ slightly 
from those described by Dr. Brewer, being 
shorter and the spots partially confluent, a 
few of these decided “blotches.” 

Winter Wren.—Mr. Banks found on 
June 17th, 1879, the nest of a Winter 
Wren with the parent on it. It was par- 
tially concealed by a windfall, being placed 
just where the moss on the tree and the 
grass inet. It was composed entirely of 
dried pine “needles,” loosely laid together 
and resting against the moss and grass. 
There were 4 eggs in the nest, apparently 
but newly laid. 

Rosin’s Nest Prnstre.—On May 15th, 
1880, Mr. Banks discovered a Robin’s nest 
partially pensile. The back of the nest 
leaned against the limb of a tree, and 
pieces of grass were woven into the nest 
and over the lib. 

Rosm’s Nest with water.—Mr. James 
Morrison of this city, found a Robin’s nest 
last spring with a quantity of water in it. 
_ It was mid-day and there had been no rain 
the night previous, nor for several days 
before. When first observed the female 
was inside putting in the mud lining. On 
visiting the nest next day the dry grass 
lining had been put in and the bottom of 
the nest was very wet. 

Sonmitary Sanpprper.—Mr. Harold Gil- 
bert, one of our best informed embryo 
ornithologists, while shooting at Hampton 
last fall flushed a Solitary Sandpiper, which 


flew a short distance and on to the branch 
of adead tree. Never having seen such 
performance before, he called for an encore 
and three successive times this bird went 
through this same unorthodox maneuver. 
May this not have been the Green Sand- 
piper we read about? 
M. Cuamper.atn, Saint John, N. B. 
ee 
Recent Publications. 

“Tllustrations of Nests and Eggs.” The 
next work in order is by Ernest Ingersoll, 
entitled “A History of the Nests and Eggs 
of American Birds,” which is sold at the 
low price of fifty cents per number. Each 
number contains twenty-four pages, and 
two plates, and is printed on good paper. 
It is in Royal 8vo. form, a very convenient 
size for the student. In the circular sent 
out two letters are given, one from Dr. 
Elliott Coues, and one from J. A. Allen. 
Both of these letters should be read with 
care. There are endorsements from the 
‘Philadelphia Sunday Post,’ and ‘‘New York 
Evening Post, also ‘New York Tribune.” What 
the Editors of these papers know about 
nests and eges we are not even prepared 
to hazard a guess. We believe Mr. Inger- 
soll published this. work before he was 
fully prepared, fearing some one else would 
occupy the field) Mr. Ingersoll uses a 
facile pen and is thoroughly able to please 
as a magazine writer where the ability to 
please is of more consequence than scien- 
tific accuracy. The plates in this work are 
entirely worthless for all practical pur- 
poses. We doubt if Mr. Ingersoll could 
identify his own plates, much Jess the eggs 
they pretend to represent. There is.con- 
siderable valuable matter in the work 
which will be found between quotation 
marks and some where the quotation marks 
seem to have been forgotten. As a work 
it had much better never have been pub- 
lished, and its publisher displayed good 
judgment in disposing of it. We hope 
the purchaser will not continue it until he 
can fully realize the magnitude of his un- 
dertaking. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


AND 


OOLOGIST. 


$1.00 per Established Mareh 1875, 10 cents 
Annum, Joseph M. Wade, editor and publisher. single copy. 
VOLE. VI. ROCKVILLE, CONN., JUNE, 1881. NO. 4 


Black and White Creeper. 
ITS NEST AND EGGS. 

Having rambled some distance and not 
having made any stimulating find, and the 
weather being warm, it being the 20th of 
June, it was exceedingly easy and desira- 
ble to get down full length on the green 
turf near to an old stump, on which had 
formerly grown a solitary chestnut tree. 
We had no sooner got fairly down, with 
our face a few feet from the stump, when 
a Black and White Creeper came out from 
a crevice between two roots, and ran up 
the stump and across the field with a zig- 
zag movement over the ground in an ap- 
parently wounded condition, first dropping 
one wing, then the other, until it had got 
to a safe distance when we lost sight of it, 
and returned to the stump, and while ex- 
amining the crevice between the two roots 
a little under the stump and not easily seen 
was a nest, composed in part of leaves and 
inner bark of chestnut and well lined with 
hair, being oneand one half inches deep, and 
the same in diameter, being of the size and 
having the appearance of a well built Chip- 
ping Sparrow’s nest, in which were four 
eggs slightly mcubated. The nest was 
built so near the stump that there was lit- 
tle more than the lining on the side, but 
on the front the nest was thicker and of 
coarser materials, as above described, being 
built so as fill the cavity even. To make 
doubly sure of the bird’s identity we set 
some limed twigs on each side of the nest 
and waited patiently at a proper distance 
for the bird's return, which was in about fif- 
teen minutes. 
dead limb of a tree near by, running up, 


It first appeared on the | 


creeper and as if in search of insects. It 
was never still or perching, but was con- 
tinually moving, flying down to the stumps 
and creeping over them, then returning 
to the tree. It finally flew to the stump 
under which was its nest, creeping down 
it, across and over it in different directions, 
then flying away to return again, repeating 
this interesting performance several times, 
until at last it alighted on the stump, 
creeping downwards to the nest, on reach- 
ing which it appeared to discover its disor- 
dered condition, and started to fly away 
once more, but too late, the limed twigs 
caught its wings placing it at our mercy. 
When we picked it up, examined it care 
fully, fully establishing its identity, we 
cleaned off the bird-limed twigs, and our 
curiosity being fully satistied we gave the 
bird its freedom and removed the nest 
and eggs all of which are now in our cab- 
inet. 
so ae 
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. 
(Sphyrapicus varius.) 

This handsomely marked bird of the 
Woodpecker family is a common migratory 
species in our vicinity. It arrives from 
the South about the 10th to 15th of April, 
and soon becomes quite abundant in the 
woods, where its loud rapping on dead or 
decayed stubs announces its presence. By 
the first or second week in May, all but a 
few of the birds have passed farther on to 
the North where they breed. I have long 
suspected that afew pairs might remain 
with us and nest, and two seasons ago was 
fortunate enough to verify my suspicions. 
Previous to this, I had heard of, and seen 


then down in a manner peculiar to this!stray individuals during June and July, 


26 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 4. 


which certainly gave grounds on which to 
base a supposition of their nesting. June 
7th, 1879, while collecting, I rapped on an 
Ash tree having a:decayed top in which 
were some Woodpecker’s holes, and was 
surprised to see a male Yellow-belly issue 
from one of them. On climbing up I could 
distinctly hear the hissing noise made by 
the young birds in their nest. I left it un- 
disturbed being somewhat disappointed in 
failing to procure a set of eges, biding my 
time, however, in hopes that the pair of 
birds might use it the ensuing spring. On 
May 25th, 1880, I visited the place again 
and on pounding the tree saw a Yellow. 
bellied Woodpecker fly from the old nest- 
ing place, so climbing up and cutting it 
out, I found two eggs perfectly fresh. 
This was undoubtedly not the number of 
eges the female would have laid, had she 
been undisturbed. June 16th, following, 
thought I would examine the tree again, as 
I had some time observed that when a 
Woodpecker has a set of eggs taken from 
its nest that it will simply deepen the hole 
and lay again. This proved to be the case 
in this instance, for the hole had been 
deepened some three inches, and on the 
soft chips at the bottom lay four eggs. 
shghtly incubated. They are immaculate, 
as are all Woodpeckers’ eggs, and average 
about .87 inch by .70 inch. The original 
hole was about 20 feet from the ground, 
and probably 8 inches deep. Entrance 
was so small that the birds on going in or 
coming out would sometimes have to wig- 
ole considerably before passing through. 
The tree was in a swampy place. 

This is the first instance of which I have 
heard of the eggs of this bird being found 
in Central New York. It undoubtedly 
breeds sparingly, but its nest seems to be 
very hard‘to discover, on account of the 


few individuals remaining to breed. 
I would be pleased to know of any other 
occurrence of their nesting in this section. 
S. F. Ratrusurn, Auburn, N. Y. 
0 — 
Ask your friends to subscribe for this 
magazine. and thereby help the cause. 


Bubo Virginianus. 
ITS NESTING HABITS, ETC. 

In an earlier copy of the Oonoarsr, (See 
Vol. 5, No. 7, page 49,) is given an account 
of the nesting of a pair of Great Horned 
Owls. As I have this year, (1881) taken 
eges from the nest of the pair of birds 
above referred to, I will continue the ac- 
count. The nest which I found April 6th, 
1880, then contained two young birds. 
Being even then too late for eggs, I this 
year ascended to the nest on Mareh 11th, 
but found it deserted and badly weath- 
er beaten. There was then about one 
foot of snow on the. ground and snow- 
ing hard. A short distance off in the next 
grove the same pair of birds had built a 
new nest for themselves in the top of a pine 
tree, over sixty feet from the ground, and 
not a limb on the tree beneath fifteen feet 
from the nest. After a very laborious 
chmb (I had not my climbing irons with 
me) I looked over the edge of the nest and 
was very much surprised to see four eggs 
therein. The number laid by this bird is 
two and very rarely three. This mystery 
however was solved after a little study, as 
follows. Two of the eggs were in the 
middle of the nest, and sunk about two 
thirds their depth into the lining, and were 
much discolored from being in contact 
with the wet moss and cedar bark. When 
blowing them they showed about seven 
days incubation, but were badly addled. 
As the bird had flown from the nest while 
I was under the tree, this might seem 
strange. The other two eggs were a trifle 
smaller, but quite free from any stains, 
and were quite fresh. From the position 
of the eggs in the nest, and the condition 
of their contents I came to the following 
conclusion: That the first two eggs were 
laid on one of the last days of February, 
and after about one week's incubation, 
were wet or frozen while the adult birds 
were from the nest, and therefore spoiled 
and were deserted, but rather than give up 
the nest, the birds had made an attempt to 
cover these and had laid another set in 


June, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


7M | 


their place. The first two eggs measure 
2.26x1.79 and 2.24x1.89. The two last laid 
measure 2.17x1.74 and 2.15x1.70. In an 
interesting letter from Mr. Wm. Brewster, 
he speaks of a similar circumstance, where 
he found two eggs of B. Virginiznus, be- 
neath a nest full of eggs of the sheldrake 
in a hollow stub, in the State of Maine. 
I think that there is no doubt but that the 
conclusion arrived at with regard to the 
above described eggs is correct, and that it 
was not a set.of four eggs, but rather, two 
sest of two eggs each. C. A. Hawes, Boston. 
6950 ——— 

Verpin on Yettow Heapvep Trrmovse. 
(Paroides flaviceps (Baird.)—I first met 
with this rare and _ interesting little 
mite of bird life on the Colorado de- 
sert, some 100 miles above Fort Yuma. I 
was made aware of its presence, by finding 
several nests which had been lately deser- 
ted by the young. Later (about May Ist.) 
I found a nest with full fledged young, 
which fluttered away on my disturbing 
them. From this I infer that the first set 
of eggs is laid about the first week in 
April. Despite my careful search, I could 
then find no nest with eggs, although 
abandoned ones were not uncommon. The 
birds, too I seldom saw, but such I believe 
is their customary habit, to keep in retire- 
ment in the low undergrowth. Three 
weeks later, in the vicinity of Tucson, A.T., 
I had the good fortune to find a new nest, 
(suspended in asmall willow sapling) which 
contained four eggs about half advanced in 
incubation. The nest was a wonderful 
structure considering the size of the bird, 
scarcely larger than some of the larger 
humming-birds. It is in shape a perfect 
ball, about half the size of a man’s head, 
and composed of decomposed leaves, cot- 
ton-like fibre from the cactus and various 
soft fibrous vegetable matter, matted to- 
gether like felt cloth. Externally, rough 
and thorny twigs give a protection and 
form the frame work around which the nest 
is built. Internally it is literally one mass 
of feathers, lining completely, bottom, top, 


and sides. The entrance could be hardly 
detected, so small and well concealed was 
it by an overhanging twig and protuber- 
ance of body of the nest. When found, it 
would hardly admit of the passage of a 
finger. The whole structure built so as to 
swing free to the breezes, was hardly cal- 
culated to withstand rough treatment or 
handling, and once detached from its sup- 
port was apt to fall to pieces. The eggs, 
four in number in the only two nests I 
found, were all partly incubated, and were 
at least the full complement of those sets. 
In the first brood they may lay five. They 
are very delicate little eggs, measuring 
about .60 by .45 inches, and considerably 
tapering and pointed at the smaller end. 
The ground color is a pale delicate pea 
ercen, and the egg blotched all over with 
rather large markings of reddish brown, 
forming a ring around the large end. 

The situation varied exceedingly. Those 
nests found on the desert were all close to 
the ground, at the end of mesquite limbs, 
cr in a cactus, while those found near 
Tucson were some in cactus, some in low 
saplings and occasionally in mesquite 
trees, from 15 to 30 feet from the ground. 
The little birds, seldom seen,manifest their 
presence by angry and anxious calls to 
each other from surrounding brush or 
thickets. 

Never having observed the bird around 
Los Angeles or in any part of California, 
until on the desert near Arizona, I am in- 
clined to think they are confined to the ex- 
treme southern limits, extending into Mex- 
ico.—G. Houreruorr, Jr., Los Angeles, Cal. 

eS a 

While riding out over Laurel Hill this 
morning (May 29) we noticed a cat put its 
paw on a young robin, not with the inten- 
tion of injuring it, however, but at the in- 
stant it was done a robin came down with 
the speed of lightning and struck the cat on 
the head. We have been trying to solve 
the problem of which movement was the 
quickest, the coming of the robin or the 
leaving of the cat. 


bo 
CO 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—-No. 4. 


ORNITHOLOGIST and OOLOGIS?. 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY 
OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, - - - - Editor 
S. L. WILLARD, - - - Ass’t Editor 


With the co-operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION.—$1.00 per annum. Foreign 
subscription Sr 25 including postage. Specimen 
copies 10 cents each. 

JOS. M. WADE, 
Norwich, Conn. 


Entered at the Norwich P. O. as second-class matter. 


HDITORIAL. 


Nomenclature of North American 
Birds. 

Since the well known “Catalogue of 
North American Birds,’ by Prof. Baird 
was issued in 1859, no short ornithologi- 
cal work has appeared of so much impor- 
tance as Ridgway’s “Nomenclature of 
North American Birds,” which has recently 
been received. 

This new list contains 226 valid species 
and recognized races which have either 
been first described or added to the North 
American fauna since the year 1859, while 
no less than 62 names of the old catalogue 
have been reduced to the ranks of synony- 
my or removed as extralimital. Over 300 
of the remaining 698 names have been 
more or less changed, so that only 395 of 
the 760 names, as given in the old Cata- 
logue, are retained by Mr. Ridgway. Im- 
portant changes appear in the nomencla- 
ture of many of the groups, but our limit- 
ed space will not admit of any quotations 
illustrative of the changes of the generic 
and specific names. The appendix con- 
tains a condensed analysis of the changes 
which have taken place in North American 
Ornithology since 1859, and is a valuable 
feature of the paper. © 

Oologists whose eggs are marked ac- 
cording to the “Smithsonian List’ will be 
interested in the “Concordance” at the end 
of the work, as the numbers of the old 
Catalogue as well as those of the new are 


here given in conjunction. Mr. Ridgway 
has given a great amount of information 
in the 94 pages of the pamphlet, and _ the 
laborious task undertaken and so_ thor- 
oughly finished by him,will add new laurels 
to his already well known fame as one of 
the first of American Ornithologists. 


Removal. 

Since our last number was sent out we 
have changed our place of business from 
Rockville, Conn., to Versailles, Conn., but 
our journal in the future will be issued 
from Norwich, Conn., where we shall re- 
side, and which will be our post-office ad- 
dress. This will explain to our corres- 
pondents why some of them have been neg- 
lected during the past two or three weeks. 
Our thanks are due to our contributors 
for very copious notes of the arrival of our 
feathered friends in various parts of the 
country which will have to be worked into 
shape when we have more time than at 
present. 


Our Magazine. 

We have received many congratulations 
on the appearance of the first three num- 
bers of our magazine, which are the more 
gratifying as they come from our scientific 
men in different parts of the United States 
and Europe. It is a great satisfaction to 
us but we need a subscription list that will 
at least pay running expenses. Our time 
and labor will be cheerfully given, but if 
each one would try and induce a brother 
naturalist to subscribe it would be a great 
help to the magazine and would place il on 
a@ permanent footing. We get but little 
revenue from our advertising columns, 
therefore it is to the interest of our read. 
ers to lend a helping hand. 


_--s— 


Waitt, Brvesirp’s Eacas.—A few days 
ago, on reaching home, we were very 
agreeably surprised to find laid on our ta- 
ble (not by the Bluebirds, but by a Nor- 
wich friend), a set of four pure white Blue- 
bird’s eggs, perfectly fresh, and with the 
pink hue so characteristic of the Wood- 
pecker’s eggs. The birds were of the us- 
ual plumage. ; 


June, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


29 


Rusy Turoatep Humminesirp.—( 7'rochi- 
lus colubris Linneus.) Late in Septem- 
ber, 1879, near noon, a gentleman brthugo 
me a female of this bird, apparently quite 
dead and limp, and with the tail feathers 
all missing, rendering it imperfect. I re- 
fused to mount it on account of its missing 
appendage. The bird was left lying ina 
large bay window, full of choice house- 
plants,in my place of business, upon a slop- 
ing belt of damp green moss, surrounding 
a fountain basin. The weather being quite 
cool, necessitated a fire in the room. There 
the bird lay and was forgotten for about 
an hour and a half. When I picked it up; 
quite damp from the spray, I was aston- 
ished to see a sort of gasp. I could scarcely 
believe my own eyes, since the bird had 
been found lying upon his back under a 
porch early that morning and was not no- 
ticed until swept off. After a pause this 
was repeated again and again. I placed the 
bird in the sun, where these gasps gradu- 
ually became quicker and softer, until 
within an other hour, these approached 
natural breathing, and soon after it could 
be seen flying about the room uttering its 
low chirp, while sipping nectar from the 
many flowers; now and then it would come 
to a button-hole bouquet in the lapel of my 
coat. The next day being warmer, the 
bird was given its freedom. 

I have had live birds of this species, of 
both sexes, brought me on several occa- 
sions, which would fly about the room and 
feast on the flowering plants, as above, 
never missing a button-hole bouquet or 
flowers held in the hand by any one stand- 
ing near, while quiet. 

The above remarkable incident was _ wit- 
nessed by several prominent business men 
and my fuinily.—A. H. Munpr, Fairbury, Ii. 

Great Auk. 

A few months ago, the interest of orni- 
thologists and oologists in the Great Auk 
was again aroused by the discovery, in a 
collection of eggs which had been sold for 
a small sum by auction at Edinburgh, two 
rather damaged specimens of the eggs of 


the Great Auk. The lucky purchaser sent 
them to Stiven’s Auction Rooms in Lon- 
don, and they were sold, one for one hun- 
dred pounds, and the other for one hun- 
dred and two pounds. 

The late Mr. Proctor of Durham, went 
to Iceland in 1833 and 1837, in search of 
this bird, but was not able to find it, 
though he stayed at Gramsey, a small 
island forty miles north of the mainland. 
There are in this neighborhood two speci- 
mens of the bird, one in Durham and one 
in Newcastle Museum. There are thirty- 
four birds and about fifty eggs in various 
European collections. Several years ago, 
during the cleaning of the museum of the 
Royal College of Surgeons, London, a box 
was discovered, and on examination it was 
found to contain several eges of the Great 
Auk. 

In 1878 some caves were discovered near 
Whitburn, a village on the coast of Dur 
ham, in which were found a large quantity 
of human and animal remains, among them 
were several bones of the Great Auk. This 
is the more interesting as only one authen- 
ticated instance of the bird having occurred 
in the neighborhood had before been re- 
corded.—J. T. T. Reep, Ryhope, Durham 
Co., England. 


Smart GREEN-CRESTED FLycaTcHEr. — 
Dates of the arrival of the Small Green- 
crested Flycatcher (Hmpidonax «acadicus) 
for 25 years in Locke, Ingham Co., Michi- 
gan. This species is a common summer 
resident, but I have never found it breed- 
ing. The first one ever met with here was 
taken May 3d, 1857. 

May 3, 1857 Apr. 28, 1866 May 
Apr. 29, 1858 Apr. 30, 1867 May 
May 2, 1859 Apr. 29, 1868 May 
Apr. 21, 1860 May 2, 1869 May 
Apr. 23, 1861 Apr. 25, 1870 Apr. 
Apr. 26, 1862 Apr. 29, 1871 Apr. 
Apr. 30, 1863 Apr. 25, 1872 Apr. 
May 5, 1864 May 4, 1873 Apr. 
Apr. 26, 1865 


5, 1874 
a RoW) 
festa Neards 
10, 1877 
25, 1878 
30, 1879 
26, 1880 
24, 1881 
Dr. H. A. Arxrs. 


All subscriptions must commence with 
current volume. | 


30) 


(Vol. 6-No. 4. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


Cross-Brep Ducx.—I received from Se- 
neca River, a very striking cross between a 
Black Duck anda Mallard. The bird in 
question was a male, about equally marked 
between the two. The neck had the green 
gloss of the Mallard, there was the Mallard’s 
bill, the Mallard’s under tail covert, the 
Mallard’s wings and the chocolate color 
on the breast. The feathers about the 
head were that of the Black Duck. The 
chocolate of the breast was thickly spotted 
with round black spots which extended 
down the belly and sides to the vent. 
There was an entire lack of the white ring 
around the neck and the curling feathers 
on the rump. The toes partly red, partly 
black. Such is the appearance of a rather 
odd looking duck that now graces my col- 
lection. Frank S. Wricut, Auburn, N. Y. 


Canava Jay.—G. A. McCallum, of Dunn- 
ville. Ontario, writes that the Canada Jay 
is not a resident of that place. Mr. Cham- 
berlain, of St. John, N. B., is by good au- 
thority, informed that this Jay breeds with 
them in June as well asin January. We 
shall be glad to hear from any of our read- 
ers, that live in sections inhabited by this 
bird, and who have studied its habits. 


Dovusie-YoLKED Eeac.—Hallie Gray, Al- 
bion, N. Y., reports that on May 17, 1881, 
a Robin’s nest was found containing a 
double-yolked egg and three of the’ ordi- 
nary size. He also reports finding a Chip- 
ping Sparrow's nest on the ground, in the 
middle of a clump of catnip, which con- 
tained three eggs. 


Notes from Norwich, Conn. 

Robins and Blue birds in considerable 
numbers remained here all the winter of 
1879 and 1880, which was a very mild sea- 
son. I observed them nearly every day: 
and others who are curious in such mat- 
ters make a like report. The presence of 
these birds in such large numbers during 
the entire winter is unusual, but I account- 
ed for it from the fact that there was 
hardly a cold day from October to April. 
But how shall we explain, what is undoubt- 


edly true, that these birds (especially the 
Blue birds,) have dwelt with us through 
this present very severe winter, (1880 and 
1881,) in greater numbers than in the pre- 
vious mild one. Mr. Brand of Norwich 
told me that some half a.dozen Blue birds 
came into his yard at night, for some time 
this winter and entered some bird boxes, 
and apparently remained in them over 
night as he saw them come out early in 
the morning. This would look as if they 
were staying here and not on their way 
from North to South. 

Isee by my Journal, January 9th, 1880, 
that a hunter brought a male Wood Duck 
into market on that day. I purchased it 
and it proved to be a very fine specimen. 
The man said he shot it a mile or two _ 
down the river. Another hunter told me 
that he flushed one a number of times in a 
secluded bend of the river near Yantic Cem 
etery. 

Three or four “Flickers” (Colaptes au- 
ratus), haunted the hemlock grove on the 
top of a hill East of my house, through 
the winter. 

Among our more common winter birds I 
observed that the Purple Finches and Les- 
ser Red-polls abounded in Norwich last win- 
ter, but this winter, 1880 and 1881, I have 
scarcely seen a half dozen of either: kind, 
at the same time we consider the Purple 
Finch a constant resident. Cedar birds in 
immense flocks stayed with us through 
the winter. This is a resident but not gen- 
erally in so large numbers. 

I have never seen the snow bunting, 
(Plectrophanes nivalis,) in Norwich, Mr. 
Rawson tells me he saw a flock of them 
in the adjoining town of Preston some 
years since. I have seen specimens which 
were procured in Hebron, Conn. 

February 20th, 1880, the Song Spar- 
rows commenced to sing. They had been 
common through the winter, but they ut- 
tered no song until that day. In a day or 
two after you might have heard the notes of 
this tuneful little sparrow from every bush 
and wall. 


June, 1881.1] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


1 


ey) 


The Snow Owl is a common winter res- 
ident with us, there are a number of speci- 
mens in town, and some are seen every 
winter. 

March 1st, Crow Blackbirds appeared. 
7th, Fox Sparrows; 8th, Red-winged Black- 
birds; 11th, During the snow storm yes- 
terday the birds all disappeared; but 
where? 21st, I had a near and full view 
of a flock of Fox Sparrows and heard 
them sing. Charming songsters. 28th, a 
Red-tailed Hawk plunged into a_ brush 
heap this morning, (probably in pursuit of 
game) and got entangled and stripped the 
feathers from its wings about half the 
length of the quills. It was drawn out by 
a boy, from whom the Hawk escaped. I 
saw it afterwards flying just over the tops 
of the trees. It had a strange appearance 
in the air, and flew with apparent difficulty. 
How many more feathers could have been 
lost and still the Hawk been able to fly? 

April 2d. . Large numbers of Gulls 
(Aittewakes) were in the river, floating 
along like ducks. Occasionally one would 
rise up and fly a short distance and sink 
down again into the water. This gull ap- 
pears here in the fore part of April and 
departs early in November. I never saw 
them in the water before. 3d, Phcebe 
birds appeared in numbers this morning. 
4th, White-bellied swallows. 9th. Cow 
Birds and Wood Pewees came to-day. A 
few common snow birds still remain. 13th, 
Prof. Hutchinson shot two of Wilson’s 
Snipe, so says Mr. Rawson, who saw them. 
14th, Belted Kingfisher, toward evening. 
18th, Field Sparrows. 22d. the Brown 
Thresher appeared to-day. This is much 
earlier than usual. 25th, Chewinks, black 
and white Creepers and House Wrens 
cheered us with their presence to-day, for 
the first time this spring. 

May Ist. This evening I heard the wel- 
come voice of the Whip-poor-will near the 
house of Mr. Jeremiah Davis. His son 
told me he had heard it for two or three 
evenings previous. 2d. This morning came 
the Cat-bird, White-eyed Vireo and Wood 


Thrush. 3d, Summer Yellow Bird and 
Baltimore Oriole. Mr. John Burroughs 
says that the Baltimore builds on the south 
and west sides of the tree. There are two 
or three within sight of me now, that are 
on the east side. It would seem that some 
members of the Thrush family (Robin, 
Wood Thrush, Cat-bird and Brown Thresh- 
er) sing later in the evening than any 
others of our songsters. They are often 
heard until it is quite dark. The Chipping 
Sparrow will break out at times in the 
night for a moment and then sink back to 
sleep again, but the song of this bird is 
substantially finished before dusk. 

July 25th. <A boy brought me a young 
male Green Heron (Ardea virescens) which 
he says he procured in the adjoining town 
of Preston, where it was probably hatched. 

Sept. 24th. Mr. Young tells me he shot 
a Red-bellied Nut-hatch to-day. I have oc- 
casionally shot one of this species, but it 
is shy and with us a scarce bird. Some 
seasons I do not see a single specimen. 
The White-bellied Nut-hatch is very com- 
mon and a constant resident. 

Noy. 28th. The White-throated Spar- 
rows and Fox Sparrows linger yet. 

Mr. George Case, who is a careful ob- 
server, told me that he saw on the 7th and 
9th of December flocks of 12 or 15 White- 
winged Cross-bills. 

Dee. 28th. Goldfinches are plentiful 
this winter. Mr. Case, who is a botanist, 
says they open the pods of the Evening 
Primrose. and extract the seeds; while 
the Tree Sparrow (Spizella monticola) 
shakes the stalk and in that way detaches 
the seed from the pod. The Chicadee 
finds a grub in a kind of sack on the Gol- 
den rod which food it seems to enjoy huge- 
ly. There are more Shrikes in our town 
than usual this winter, even early in the 
season they were exceedingly abundant. 
Pine Linnets somewhat scarce. Yellow 
Crowned Kinglets (another of our winter 
residents),usually appear in October, about 
the niiddle, but this winter only in small 
numbers, as it appears to me. Song spar- 


9) 
hod 


[Vol. 6-No. 4. 


| Oo 


rows sang nearly up to the 1st of Dec. but 
it was not the song of spring-time. It was 
weak and hoarse.—S. T. Horsroox. 
aa ee 
Recent Publications. 

Parts VII. and VIII. of Mr. Gentry’s 
work* have been published, according to 
the author’s announcement to issue one 
number each month. We are afraid the 
projector entertained a questionable policy 
when he set about giving his readers an 
exhaustive treatise on the eggs and nests 
of the birds of the United States in twenty- 
five parts, with the linit of each part to be 
the treatment and illustration of two spe- 
cies. It seemsalmost as if it were a will- 
fully planned repetition of the lamented in- 
completeness of so many of our good or- 
nithological works. We certainly have 
very little satisfaction in binding up the 
parts when completed, and putting the vol- 
ume on our shelves with the misleading 
title on its back. Thereis, however, anoth- 
er aspect of the work which we notice is, 
under the circumstances, inexcusable. The 
author has selected for his work the most 
common and well known species that we 
are too familar with to desire to have pa- 
raded before us so persistently. There 
are some exceptions, we should gladly 
overlook a few such, and were the work 
complete we should expect them, to be 
treated. But the limits to which the au 
thor confines himself, ought to suggest the 
necessity of describing the nests and eggs 
of interesting and little known species, the 
main reason for the existence of the work. 
Doubtless the work was intended to be 
popular, and perhaps the author meant 
that it should be worth the money to those 
who would appreciate the bright colored 
pictures, and learn something from the 
text, but as a contribution to the orni- 
thological literature of to-day, it will 
scarcely be recognized. 

The work is well gotten up, the typog- 
graphy and paper being excellent. The 

*Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of the 
United States. By Thos. G. Gentry, Phila. 4to. To be 


completed in 25 monthly parts, each to contain two 
plates, and text, at $1.00 per part. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


author often makes use of peculiar state 
ments in the course of his text, and on the 
whole it seems to us is somewhat monoto- 
nous. He tells us that the Scarlet Tanager 
isa species but little known but to natu 
ralists. The fact is, that it is well known 
in a certain way, since it figures very prom- 
inently in the ornamentation of the aver- 
age parlor. Particular stress also seems 
to be placed on the fact that the Barn 
Swallow builds its nest under the eaves of 
out-buildings. This may be true in cer- 
tain localities, but we have seldom found 
the nest on the outside of a building, it 
has nearly always been placed up in the 
apex of the roof, often half way down _to- 
ward the eaves, and occasionally on hori- 
zontal beams. The casual reader would 
easily mistake the bird for the Cliff Swal- 
low, which never builds inside of an out- 
building, unless in very rare instances. The 
representations of the eggs are very good, 
and do credit to the work, but there is 
much room for improvement on the birds 
just above mentioned. 

In part VIII. we note an improvement 
in the plates. The nest and eggs of the 
Valley Quail are better than the average, 
and the plate of Golden-crested Kinglets 
and nests is very creditable. The author 
records our previous knowledge of the lat 
ter species, and makes some interesting 
notes on its breeding habits, but makes 
his drawing of the nest from somewhat 
uncertain date. After describing the nest 
which was “placed about six feet from the 
ground, in a mass of thick growth so pecu 
liar to many of our fir trees,” and “chiefly 
composed of moss on the outside, with a 
few fragments of chips,” and “lined with 
hair and feathers, the latter principally,” 
he states that although the birds that 
built this nest “were not seen by Mr. Mer- 
rill, yet by the pretty sure evidence of ex- 
clusion, they cannot belong to any other 
species than the one under consideration.” 
We are at a loss to determine the meaning 
of “evidence of exclusion,” in a connection 
where we are most interested. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


ees : 
Q Q iy () 1 - 
( i " ) ° 
$1.00 per Established March 1875, 10 cents 
Annum. Joseph M. Wade, editor and publisher. single copy. 
Wok. VI. NORWICH, COMBE, JULY, 1881. NO. 5 


California Pigmy Owl (Glaucidiwm gnoma), Life Size. 


This is one of the smallest and probably | along the whole Pacific slope, and is quite 
the smallest owl except Whitney's Pig-| closely related to the European G. passer- 
my Owl (Micrathene Whitneyi) found] inum though specifically distinct. It was 
in North America. It has been captured | first obtained by Dr. Townsend, near Fort 


D4 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 5. 


Vancouver, on the Columbia River, and 
subsequently Dr. Merideth Gairdner pro- 
cured several specimens from the same 
locality. Mr. John K. Lord met with a 
pair on Vancouver's Island that made the 
hollow of an cak tree their rendezvous. 
Concealing himself in a deserted Indian 
lodge, their habits were closely watched 
by him. “In the first morning twilight 
the owls were up and in motion, hungry 
after a whole night's fasting. Their flight 
was short, quick and jerking, similar to 
that of the sparrow hawk, but wholly un 
like the muffled, noiseless flap of the night 
owls. Their food was found to be entire- 
ly insectivorous. When in pursuit of food 
they perch on a small branch near the 
ground and sit upright in an indolent, 
drowsy manner until their quick eye de- 
tects an insect when they suddenly pounce 
upon it, hold it down with their small but 
powerful claws, and with their sharp beak 
tear it in pieces, eating only the soft ab- 
dominal parts. As soon as their hunger 
is appeased they return to the tree, cud 
dling close together, and doze away the 
greater part of the day. In the evening 
twilight they again come cut of their holes 
and take erratic flights around their abode, 
chasing each other up and down the plain 
and performing all kinds of inexplicable 
manceuvres. Occasionally they settle on 
the ground, but never long ata time. As 
soon as it became dark they retired to 
their nests and there apparently passed the 
night. Early in May they selected a large 
knot-hole in a branch of the tree and laid 
two small eggs, white in color, round and 
very rough on their surface. Nothing of 
any kind was used as a lining, the eges be- 
ing deposited on the bare wood.” 

Dr. Cooper saw a specimen in Washing- 
ton Territory, November 1, 1854, among 
a flock of sparrows that did not seem at 
all disturbed by his presence. Dr. Suck- 
ley obtained two specimens at Puget 
Sound—tolerably abundant there, diurnal 
in their habits, ghding about in shady 
situations in pursuit of prey. Dr. New- 


berry procured specimens on the Cascade 
Mountains of Oregon, and says, “It flies 
about with great freedom and activity by 
day, pursuing small birds upon which it 
subsists, apparently as little incommoded 
by the light as they are.” 

Captain Bendire reports it as found in - 
the neighborhood of Camp Harney, Ore- 
gon. “December 14, 1874. This is the 
first of this species that I have ever seen. 
It is a female. On examination of the 
ovaries with a lens magnifying about. six. 
times, I counted two hundred and _ thirty 
undeveloped eggs, which would justify the | 
conclusjon that these birds live to a good 
old age. Sergt. Smith shot it to-day, while 
he was out bunting on the mountains north 
of the camp. He caught it in the act of 
trying to get away witha large sized wood- 
mouse or gopher. The mouse was on the 
end of a pine log, when the little owl sud- 
denly dropped down on it, out of a pine 
tree standing close to the log, in which it 
had been sitting, about twenty feet from 
the ground, and fastened its claws in its 
back. The mouse ran nearly the length 
of the log, about twenty-five feet, carrying 
the owl on its back, the latter appearing 
perfectly unconscious about where the 
mouse was going with her, keeping her 
head turned in the opposite direction. The 
time occupied in getting to the other end 
of the log was nearly two minutes, when 
he shot them both. That it is not strictly 
nocturnal is shown by the fact that it was 
shot about noon.” 

Dr. Coues in his “Birds of the North- 
west,” says, “I saw the Pigmy Owl several 
times at Fort Whipple, and secured two 
specimens, which were fortunately male 
and female. J take it that this bird is 
common in the wooded regions and moun- 
tainous portions of Arizona. One of my 
specimens was moulting; the other, taken 
in winter, was in perfect plumage. This 
warrants the belief that the species is resi- 
dent about Fort Whipple, and that it 
breeds there.” 


H. W. Henshaw, in his “Report upon 


July, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


35 


the Oraithological Collections made in 
Nevada and Arizona,” says, “It is apparent- 
ly quite common in Arizona and New 
Mexico. Its notes are quite similar to the 
(Western) mottled owl, (Scops maccalii,) 
by imitating which, I succeeded in entic- 
ing one, step by step, till he finally sat on 
the top of a small oak within thirty feet, 
and scanned my person with evident as- 
tonishment, and, I could not help fancying, 
with an air of abused confidence. 

Among the pine woods of the White 
Mountains, Arizona, these owls appeared 
to be particularly numerous toward the 
latter part of October, and I had good rea- 
son for believing that at this season they 
are quite gregarious. During a week’s 
reconnoissance here, scarcely a camp was 
made but that at some period of the day 
the notes of this species could be heard, 
usually coming from some perch, hidden 
away in the tops of the lofty pines. These 
notes were most frequent at about nine in 
the morning, at which time they appeared 
to gather at some rendezvous, and then 
doze away the time till about four in the 
afternoon, when they again became noisy, 
and prepared to sally cut fora fresh sup- 
ply of provisions. When camped one 
morning in a little valley hemmed in on 
all sides by steep banks, clothed with pines, 


I estimated there must have been at least 
Concluded next Month. 


—~—_> 


The Screech Owl in Confinement. 

On May 10, 1880, I procured a Sereech 
Owl, (Scops asio) which had been taken 
from the nest when half grown. It has 
been continuously caged ever since, except 
one week in last December, when it escap- 
ed, and was recaptured seven days after. 
It is probable that it fasted the entire 
week, for the ground was covered with 
snow, and never having foraged for itself, 
its chances for food were small, and it 
was ravenously hungry when found. Sev- 
eral weeks since I bought a mate for it, 
and a day cr two after they both escaped, 


but my pet did not leave, and when I dis- 
covered the cage door open and went to 


close it the owl came flying down on my 
shoulder from a tree near by. After its 
first moult its plumage became and still 
continues a rich rufous ; it had been a mot- 
tled gray and black. In watching this 
owl I have noticed that at all times, but 
especially during the warm weather of 
summer, contrary to the observations of 
several naturalists, it both drank and bath- 
ed freely and with unmistakable delight. 
I have made some queer experiments with 
its food. At one time it killed and swal- 
lowed whole three full-grown mice in 
quick succession; another time it killed 
and ate a common water snake over a foot 
long. Snakes give it a great deal of 
trouble, twisting themselves about its legs 
and refusing to be swallowed, by catching 
on and wrapping their tails about the 
perch. It relishes the cinnamon bat when 
killed ; I have not tried it with a live one. 
It has killed rats nearly full-grown. When 
a rat or mouse is put into the cage it 
pounces upon, it catching it with its claws 
through the neck and small of the back, 
and then brings down its bill and nips it 
along the spine from the head to the 
tail, and then, if not too large, swallows it 
entire. Ten to twelve sphynx moths fur- 
nish but an ordinary meal, although the 
scales and dust sometimes newrly choke it. 
It always tears off the wings and crushes 
the bodies of all insects before swallowing. 
Grasshoppers, May beetles, and “such small 
deer,” are also relished. It will catch and 
eat anything in the day time quite as freely 
as at night. It pounces with unerring 
certainty upon anything put alive into the 
cage, and it quickly determines the ques- 
tion of food, whether good or not. Toads 
it eschews, though it will kill and eat frogs. 
It shows a natural aversion to and fear of 
hawks, buzzards, etc., the passage of which 
over its cage is instantly noticed. It 
has great fear of cats and dogs, making its 
feathers lie as flat as possible, snapping 
its bill and making a rattling noise when- 
ever they come near. 
Epear A. Smarty, Hagarstown, Md. 


36 


OBAITRe 


[Vol 6-No. 5. 


ORNITHOLOGY ‘ai nouodisr 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY 
OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, - - - - iditor 
S. L. WILLARD, - - - Ass’t Editor 


With the co-operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


Foreign 


SUBSCRIPTION.—S1.00 per annum. 
Specimen 


subscription $1.25 including postage. 
copies 10 cents each. 
JOS. M. WADE, 


Norw ich, Conn. 


Entered at the Norwich P. O. as second-class mi: atter. 


HDITORIAL. 


A Tame, Wild Blue Jay. 


(Cyanura cristata.) 

A commercial traveler who regularly vis- 
its most of the woolen mills throughou: 
New England, makes the following state- 
While in the office of W. D. Davis, 


ment : 


at the Uxbridge (Mass.) Woolen Mills, the |. 


conversation turned on birds, when he was 
informed that in the evergreen tree at the 
office door, was the nest of a Blue Jay, 
(Cyanuru cristata.) and that the boys in 
the office could at any time lift her from 
the nest, and she would not even struggle 
to gain her liberty. Not believing the 
statement, a bet of the cigars was made, 
when they stepped to the’ door and the 
bird was lifted from the nest and placed 
in the left hand of our friend who smoothed 
down its feathers with his right hand sey- 
eral times. When he stopped, the bird 
looked at him and flew directly to the nest. 
When it was again removed from the nest, 
and the gentleman smoothed down its 
feathers as he assured our friends he was 
often in the habit of doing, especially when 
visitors came and they wanted to show off 
their pet. The birds had bred in the mill- 
yard for several years,and Mr. Davis would 
not allow them to be molested. There is 
something remarkable about the nesting 
habits of the Blue Jay not well understood 
by our ornithologists. Out of the breed- 
ing season they are decidedly the wildest 
bird in New England, it being difficult to 


get within cea but when ready to 
nest, it is not an uncommon thing for them 
to build close to some habitation. During 
the fore part of 1878 we collected so faith- 
fully that a severe attack of typhoid pneu- 
monia was the result. We had poor luck 
with Blue Jays that season, only finding 
one nest and that in plain sight by the 
roadside, but as soon as we were confined 
to bed, a neighbor came in and informed 
us of a Blue Jay’s nest in a small evergreen 
tree,almost in a public thoroughfare, whcre 
people were passing and repassing contin- 
ually ; being helpless, the bird hatched its 
young in peace. The following season, 
visiting North Manchester occasionally, we 
saw at one time on the Hudson place, right 
in the Door-yard as it were, three Blue 
Jays’ nests, one of them being near the 
ereenhouse door, where one or more men 
were at work. We several times stood 
within a few feet of it and looked directly 
into the nest, when the old bird would re- 
main perfectly indifferent to our presence. 
Once we reached down to find the contents 
of the nest, when she quietly lelt it, but not 
until we touched the side of the nest. 


Correspondence. 

In our private correspondence we re- 
ceive a large number of extremely valua- 
ble gossipy letters, full of valuable matter 
interesting to our readers and which the 
temptation is strong to publish, but being 
private letters the contents are lost to our 
readers. We'now propose to commence 
a department with the above heading and 
shall be glad to receive letters from col- 
lectors, written especially for publication, 
such letters should contain the experience 
and observations of the writers, briefly 
stated, collections made or question asked, 
and answers to the questions of others. If 
such letters are written on separate sheets 
of paper from what is intended for the 
editor personally, much time will be 
saved. Letters from the little known and 
thinly settled portions of our Territories 
will be extremely desirable and will be read 
with interest. 


July, 1881. ] 


AND OOLOGIST. 37 


The Season of 81. 

The notes of Judge Holbrook, in the 
June number show, what birds can be seen, 
and how many hints on migration obtained, 
in simply walking from house to office with- 
out once setting foot off the pavement. 
To follow these birds afield, and observe 
their breeding habits, also other and allied 
species not noted here by the above ob- 
server. is the purpose of the present 
writer. 

I have kept up my average of over fifty 
hawks’ eggs this season without special 
search. Of course more or less traveling 
and sky-gazing was involved, but by “w.th- 
out search” is meant that no new pairs of 
hawks were looked after 
woods traversed. But in the old haunts 
IT harry my Buteos and Accipiters each 
year with as much confidence as the Green- 
lander annually robs the Hider Duck of 
egos and down. 

Mirch 1 “and April 24,” I took sets of 
two eggs each from a Barred Owl’s hole, 
which in four seasons has yielded me twen- 
ty four eggs. These “short sets” were com- 
plete ; to make the matter certain, a hen’s 
egg was substituted for each set, but the 
clutch was not increased. April 30th “took 
two infertile and undersized eggs of this 
species from an outside nest, the first 
found in such a situation for several years. 
I took three Red Shouldered Hawks from 
it late last year, May 4th, so the nest was 
left in good condition. The outside was 
built strongly of sticks by crows, in 1879, 
to which the hawks, after throwing out 
the usual winter litter made by squirrels, 
addéd a fine and bulky lning. This was 
in turn all torn away by the owl, and the 
eggs, laid in the deep bowl on bare sticks 
were visible from the ground through a 
field-glass. A male Barred Owl was shot 
here in the mating season, the second 


and no new 


week in March, and this may account for | 


the condition of the eggs. ‘This ow], after 
covering her sterile products for four 
weeks, had the audacity to hoot and snap 
her bill at me because I prevented her 


from setting all summer to no purpose. 

In the Salt Rock Woods, an old nest in 
which were well grown, young Red-tailed 
Hawks, May 11th, 1880, had two young 
Great Horned Owls, April 10th, 1880. The 
Red-tails this year, finding in their home 
powerful tenants, with nine points of law 
in their favor, built a new nest half a mile 
down the woods, from which I took the 
usual clutch of two eggs on the above 
date. Took set, of Buteos, April 16th, from 
an old nest which six years ago held seven 
crow's eggs. In the interim the nest had 
been patched more then once, and even 
partly feathered, and so had done duty as a 
decoy on several occasions. May 8th, took 
from adjoining swamps two sets of B. 
/ineatus too far gone in incubation to be 
preserved. I have certainly left this sea- 
son three pairs of this species to breed in 
woods reascnabiy secure from the far- 
mers’ muzzle-loaders. This year’s ex- 
perience adds data tothe fact that B. 
borealis loves to breed on dry hillsides, 
where the woods are rather open, and a 
wide range of view can be had of the ap- 
proaches to the west, while 2. lineatus 
breeds commonly in low-lying, wooded in 
tervals and swamps. 

A pair of Cooper's Hawks, which gave 
six eggs in 79 and: four in ’80, again came 
to the front with five eggs the second 
week in May, 81. Last season I took an 
addled egg from a Marsh Hawk's nest and 
a slightly chipped egg which I placed in 
my pocket. The chipped egg however 
soon proved to be a very lively music-box, 
oval design, and “wound up” by the key 
of nature. The nest also held four lusty 
young a week old. The hawk occupied 
two weeks in ovipositing and four weeks 
in incubation. From this pair of Harriers, 
May 25th, this year, I have a set of four 
fine spherical eggs. A Sharp-shinned 
Hawk, which gave me a large set of eggs 
last year, with a “runt” egg at the end of 
the clutch, this season laid the runt egg 
at the beginning of her clutch which was 
not unusual in number. The life-history 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 5 


of this small Accipiter has never been ful- 
ly written, and deserves an entire article 
in this journal, which I will try to prepare 
at an early day, unless some more facile 
pen does justice to the subject. 

In conclusion I would remark that it 
appears astonishing to some people that 
so many Hawks’ eggs can be taken in the 
suburbs of a city of twenty thousand in- 
habitants with an old and well settled 
country-side lying around it. But the 
trained observer cannot fail to observe 
that many of the rodents and various sorts 
of birds congregate near large towns, and 
the ornithologist notes that these and an 
occasional waif from our poultry-yards 
form the proper food of the young 
Raptores. The August number will con- 
tain the conclusion of my notes on birds 
found breeding near Norwich this sea- 
son, with a few remarks there on. J. M. w. 


Growth of Robins. 


We have been watching the growth and 
final departure of a pair of young robins 
from their nest, not twelve feet from one of 
our chamber windows, in the crotch of a 
cherry tree, where the same nest has re- 
mained over several seasons, and seems to 
be the home of the same pair of robins. 
The children have been specially interested 
in the operations of caring for the young 
birds, and for that reascn we devote a part 
of every day to watching the nest. A 
strange, and tous a most unexplainable 
operation. has been exhibited by the male 
bird. Standing on the edge of the nest, 
and intently observant of his brood, he 
suddenly strikes his bill to the cloaca of 
one of the young ones, who, apparently ex- 
pecting the stroke, and evidently desiring 
it, has raised this part by extending his 
legs, and throwing his hinder parts upward 
in anticipation of the paternal act which 
was to follow. A white lump of excrementi- 
tious matter exudes, which the old bird 
seizes and apparently swallows. The same 
operation, immediately succeeded with refer- 
ence to the other young bird. A few days 


previous I went up on a ladder and looked 
into the nest, and handled the young birds, 
then nearly ready to fly. There were no 
indications inside of the nest of any excre- 
mentitious matter, but on the trunk of the 
tree a few inches below, were three white 
spots which I concluded were caused by - 
droppings from the young birds. We have 
repeatedly witnessed this act, and never 
having heard any statement with regard to 
it, very naturally wish to know if this is 
done by all birds, or by any other beings, 
biped or quadruped; for I am sure that 
scores of human bipeds in N—. B——., 
don’t do even one half what that robin did 
for the sake of cleanliness. I could not 
ask or desire them to do the whole. I re- 
member now an old saying, “It’s a sorry 
bird that fouls its own nest,” but I never 
dreamed that any bird couid go to such 
lengths as we saw, or thought we saw ; and 
I still think the material voided was kept 
in his bill, till he had time to deposit it 
where it suited his convenience. The feec- 
ing of first one young bird and then the 
other, was a marked routine, though the 
strongest seemed always to have the best 
portion, say a vigorous angle worm, while 
the weaker and smaller of the two gener- 
ally got only a bug or miller, or a small 
white insect of a kind not known to us. 
Seven or eight years ago, flocks cf the 
Pine Grosbeak were seen here. It was a 
hard winter, though not so hard as some 
we have seen since, though no birds of 
that kind have since been seen here. I 
killed one, a female, and bought of the man 
who stuffed her, a splendid male, which 
he had just killed. They are beautiful 
birds.—Dr. S. W. Harr, N—— B——, Ct. 


Axpino.—In the New York Daily Times’ 
of April 20, 1881, is the following curious 
item : 

“A milk-white, red-breasted robin is ex- 
citing considerable interest among citizens 
of Sewickley, Penn., where she has been 
discovered building a nest, assisted by a 
male robin of normal color, save that he 
has a white head.” Joun H. Saag. 


July, 1881.] 


39 


AND OOLOGIST. : 


General Notes. 

Barn Own.—The following important 
announcement has unfortunately been mis- 
laid during our moving. Oliver Davie, 
of Columbus, Ohio, writes under date of 
May 2d:—I to-day received from one of 
our, not altogether Christian sportsmen, a 
beautiful specimen of the Barn Owl, 
(Strix Flammea), which he killed yester- 
day (Sunday), within six miles of this 
place. This is the second specimen only, 
that is known to have been taken in Frank- 


lin Co., Ohio. 
Great Hornep Ow3s. ano Eaas.—About 


the middle of March two of my friends 
_ went in quest of some Great Horned Owls, 
and after a great deal of tramping through 
the heavy pine woods, with sixteen inches 
of snow on the ground, they at last found 
and shot one. Proceeding a few rods far- 
ther one of the party imitated the Owl’s 
eall, which was answered from a very tall 
old pine. As the answering bird could 
not be seen one of the party, with climbing 
irons securely fastened, went up the tree, 
when another ow] left it, only to fall to the 
ground at the report of my friend’s gun. 
On reaching the nest, which was discover- 
ed in the tree above it, was found to con- 
tain three large fine fresh eggs. 
Wituiam Brancnarp, Tyngsboro, Mass. 
A Tatxina Rozsry.—He is now 10 years 
old, and when about two years old he as- 
tonished me by calling my name, and he 
can now say Theodore as plainly as any 
one, he soon learned to call puss; puss, 
puss, Kittie, Kittie, Kittie, quite plainly. 
About five years ago a pair of Pea Fowls 
were brought on the place where [I live. 
In alittle while he learned to say “Pea- 
cock,” by hearing them talked about. 
Tueo. P. Witty, Weymouth, Mass. 
An Eeca wirnin an Eac.—I noticed in 
your magazine an account of an egg within 
an egg;and the writer wishes to know 
whether any of your readers had met 
with such acase. I have in my collection 
a small chicken’s egg of a light chocolate 
color, and about the size and shape of a 


Barn Swallow's. It was found within an 
ordinary hen’s egg. I have read of several 
other cases. A couple of years ago I 
found in an old crow’s nest the eggs of a 
dove. This appropriation of the nest of 
a crow bya dove seems to me quite un- 
usual. Wo. R. Wuarton, 
Germantown, Penna. 


In the April number of the Ootoetst, I 
notice a note about finding an egg within 
an ege. The writer of it wishes to know 
if there is another instance of such an oc- 
curence. Some time ago a lady friend 
gave me an egg that she had found within 
a hen’s egg. It was about an inch and a 
half long and had a hard shell lke the 
outside one. 

M. K. Barnum, Syracuse, N.Y. 


Notes from Saratoga, N. Y. 

A Cormorant (G. Carbo) was shot last 
fall at Saratoga Lake. 

Captured a young, male, White-Winged 
Crossbill on Noy. 12, 1880. 
flock of about twelve. 

Redpolls, Nov. 27, 1880. Pine Finches, 
Jan. 20, 1881. Shore Larks, March 20, 
1881. Two Gt. Northern Shrikes, April 2, 
1881. 

April 23, 1881, saw a Yellow-Bellied 
Woodpecker capture a fly a /a Flycatcher, 
April 25th, found a young Gt. Horned Owl 
under the nest. At this time it was cover- 
ed with down, but is now almost capable 
of flying, as his wings and tail are most 
like an old bird. He makes a fine pet; not 
being cross at all. Also, saw Red-Bellied 
Nuthatches building. 

April 30th, collected set of four Red- 
Shouldered Hawks. May 2d, set of three 
Red-Shouldered Hawks. May 9th, set of 
two Red-Tailed Hawks. May 7th, set of 
five Crow Blackbirds. May 14th, went to 
a heronry on the Hudson river. Should 
judge that one thousand Night Herons breed 
here. We shot a number of them and got 
about 80 eggs, all fresh. It is a little early 
for them as only a few had complete sets. 
Nests in hard wood trees, about 40 feet 


There was a 


40 


, 


[ Vol. 6—No. 5. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


high. Saw in several nests an attempt at 
lining, having several shreds of bark. 
Guy C. Ricu. 


2S eee 
Notes from Shelter Island. 

The collecting season is now open. I 
send you extracts from my note book up 
to date. 

April 10. A Crow’s nest examined to-day 
was nearly ready for the eggs. It was 
lined with cow’s hair. April 14, Field 
Sparrows arrived. April 15, Rusty Grakles 
arrived. April 21, Chipping Sparrows ar- 
April 22, visited a Mottled Owl’s 
nest, at Arshamomogue, Long Island. 
The male and female owls and 4 eggs 


rived. 


were in the nest. Male in grey and female 
in the red plumage. Eggs fresh. I collec- 
ted two sets of the same variety of eggs 
from this nest last year. The first con- 
tained 5, and the second 3 eggs. April 23, 
Robins building. Savannah sparrows ar- 
rived, 

As I was fishing to-day, in West Neck 
Creek, I noticed a Fish Hawk me, 
slowly sailing around, watching for a fish. 
IT had almost forgotten about the Hawk, 
when suddenly I heard a splashing in the 
water, and on looking I saw the Hawk 
had grappled to a fish but was unable to 
raise it from the water. I quickly had 
the anchor raised ready to go and capture 
the Hawk, when by an_ extraordinary 
effort he sueceeded in raising the fish, 
when I saw it was a Tautog, or Black fish, 
at least a foot in length. After he had 
risen in the air with his prize, it seemed to 
be all he could manage, but with joyful 
screams he flew with it and perched on 
his unfinished nest about a quarter of a 
mile away. 

April 25, a Kildeer Plover passed over, 
bound north. April 26, Barn Swallows 
common and beginning to build. April 
28, Brown Thrushes, and black and white 
Creepers arrived. April 29, King birds 
and Towhee Buntings arrived. May 2, 
Spotted Sandpipers arrived. 

Eggs Collected: April 19, Eastern 


near 


eee a ee 


Bluebird, 4 eges, fresh. April 21, Mottled 
Owl, 3 eggs, fresh. April 26, Mottled Owl, 
® eggs, fresh. April 28, Common Crow, 4 
egos, fresh. 

In reply to G. A. McCillum, Ontario, I 
would say that I once had a small hen’s 
ege, in fact 
it as a curiosity, but in blowing it I notic- 


so small I was going to blow 


ed something hard inside of it. On break- 
ing it I found another perfect ege about 
the size of a small marble, on blowing it 
I found it contained no yolk but simply 
the white albumen. 

W. W. WortTHINGTON. 


Notes from Virginia. 
The Florida Gallinula, (Gallinwa gale- 
ata), was captured on a run in the edge 


of this town, and is »ow enjoying his cap- 
tivity with as much grace as if he were to 
the “manor born.” It is usual for 
this bird this far 
although sometimes found a little farther 
north along the sea-shore swamyis. 

A pair of Carolina Tits, (Parus Caro- 
linensis), have gladdened my home by 
They 
have taken possession of an apple tree and 
I think will build near it. Perhaps I may 
get the first set of eggs. 

Thad a Blue-wing Teal, ( Quesquedidla 
Discoes), and kept him for a week but he 
would not eat, and I put him on the run, 
but I fear to late to revive. Strange they 
won't eat T had a nice 
wire cage, 3x5 feet. I gave him rice in wa- 
ter, and many other things which I thought 
he would eat. [think if I had had amate 
for him it would have been better. 


V. M. Firor. 


oe —— 


not 


to venture north, 


earoling for me every morning. 


in confinement. 


Large Criurcurs or Eaees.—Capt. 
Chas. Bendire, reports two sets of Burrow- 
ing Owls, of eleven eges each. Chas. A. 
Allen of Nicassio, Cal., reports eleven for 
the Least Tit. B. W Everman of Santa 
Paula, reports sets of Barn Owl of ten eggs 
each. Jos. Skinner, Jr., reports seven eggs 
from the nest of the Webster Bluebird. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 
OOLOGIST. 


$1.00 per Established Mareh 1875, 10 Cents 
Annum. Joseph M. Wade, Editor and Publisher. Single Copy. 
VOL. VI. NO. 6 


NORWICH, CONN., AUGUST, 1881. 


Burrowing Owl. 


Speotyto cunicularia hypogea. (Ridgw.) 


CAP. CHAS. BENDIRE, U. S. A. 


This little Owl is an exceedingly abun- 
dant summer resident in the vicinity of 
Walla Walla, W. T., and as there seems to 
be some conflict of opinion regarding its 
life-history and general habits, as handed 
down to us by our earlier ornithological 
observers, I have taken advantage of the 
many excellent opportunities offered me, 
to carefully study its habits in this region. 

It is well known that this species is both 
‘diurnal and nocturnal, but it is particularly 
active in the early portion of the evening; 
and I believe that it then seeks most of its 
food. Numbers can be seen hovering in 
the air in the manner of Sparrow-hawks, on 
the lookcut for the smaller rodents, etc., 
during the early twilight, whenever they 
are at allcommon. During the day-time 
they are generally found close to their 
burrows and when not molested, allow 
themselves to be approached very closely. 
In this vicinity their arrival from their 
winter haunts varies generally from the 1st 
to the 10th of March, and by the middle 
of the month they become very abundant. 
The males appear to precede the females 
about a week in their arrival, as the first 
ten specimens shot by me, invariably 
proved to be males. 

During the pairing season their peculiar 
love note, resembling that of the European 
Cuckoo (C. canorus) can be heard in all 
directions about sund. wn, and is kept up 
for an hour or more. This note is only 


they use another chattering sort of note, 
and when alarmed a short, shrill, tzip. 

As this little Owl inhabits a large extent of 
country on both sides of the Rocky Moun- 
tains,it is quite possible that its habits may 
differ somewhat in widely separated re- 
gions, and what may hold good here, may 
not eastward of the Mountains. 

I believe this species is generally con 
sidered as a peaceful and harmless bird, 
living in perfect harmony with the prairie 
dogs and ground squirrels, whose abandon- 
ed burrows it inhabits. My observations, 
very carefully made, and covering several 
seasons, lead me to take a different view 
as far as its peacefulness is concerned. 
Taking the small size of this Owl into con- 
sideration I must certainly call it an ex- 
tremely plucky and aggressive bird, as full 
of courage as any of our Falcons, as it has 
not the least hesitation to attack rodents 
larger and heavier by far then itself. 

In this vicinity these Owls seem to live 
to a great extent on that pest of the far- 
mer, Townsenp’s GRouND SquirREL, Sper- 
mophilus richardsoni townsendi (Allen,) 
which would be much more destructive if 
not kept down by these Owls. In order to 
satisfy myself that they were actually able 
to kill adult squirrels, I trapped several 
and placed them alive (they had been 
caught in a wire trap and were not at all in- 
jared) in a room witha pair of these Owls. 
As soon as noticed by the latter one of 
them would fasten its talons into the 
squirrel’s back,and with a few well directed 
strokes of its beak, break the vertebree of 
the neck, and eat the head off the squirrel, 


uttered while the bird is at rest sitting in} often before the latter was quite dead, yet, 
front of its burrow; while fying about | the remainder of the body was usually left 


42 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—-No. 6. 


and devoured later; I was surprised to see 
how easily they killed these squirrels, 
which made scarcely any resistance. Aside 
from these, their diet seems to consist of 
different species of mice, pocket gophers 
as well as of crickets, grasshoppers and 
occasionally even of fish. It is astonish- 
ing how much one of these Owls will eat 
in a day, amounting often to consider- 
ably more than their own weight. 

About here they occupy the abandoned 
burrows of badgers and ground-squirrels. 
The latter are enlarged to suit their re- 
quirements. They are easily tamed and 
make interesting but rather filthy pets. 
When enraged at any strange object, these 
birds will puff themselves out by raising 
their feathers, throw themselves backwards 
in the manner of a wounded Hawk or Fal- 
con, and striking out with their talons if 
within reach of the object, usually emitting 
at the same time a hissing, rattling noise, 
which resembles the warning note of our 
rattlesnake so much, that it cannot be told 
apart, and is apt to deceive the closest ob- 
I have had this demonstrated 
more than once, by asking an assistant, 
who was not aware that these Owls could 
make this peculiar noise, to reach into a 
partially opened burrow,which I knew con- 
tained one of these birds and eggs, to get 
the latter for me, and was invariably told 
after he had inserted his hand and _ with- 
drawn it ina hurry, “Captain, there is a 
rattlesnake in that hole,” and nothing 
would convince the man that such was not 
the case, till I exposed the end of the bur- 
row, and at the same time the Owl, to 
his view, but no rattlesnake. This un- 
questionably accounts for the popular be- 
lief amongst frontiers men generally, as 
well as among some naturalists, that 
rattlesnakes, prairie dogs and these Owls 
live in the same domicile. That they 
should be able to kill a full grown prairie 
dog seems scarcely probable, but they un- 
doubtedbly kill and live on the young ones. 
I have examined a great many burrows oc- 
cupied by these Owls and have never found 


server. 


any other living animals in any of them 
(always excepting vermin, such as fleas 
and flies), certainly no snakes or rodents, 
and I believe that they would make equally 
short work of the former as of the latter. 
It is possible that these birds capture a 
small bird now and then, but I have not as 
yet had any evidence whatever that they 
do. In the western agricultural districts 
this owl deserves the fullest protection, 
living as it does on the worst foes the 
farmers have to content against, and in 
favorable localities it will increase very 
rapidly. 

According to my observations this little 
Owl is the most prolific of the whole family 
found in the U. 8. The usual number of 
eggs laid, being nine, although ten and 
eleven in a set are not unfrequent, and I 
have heard from one of my correspondents 
that he took a set containing not less than 
twelve eggs this spring, near Carson, - 
Nevada. They are most devoted parents 
and allow themselves rather to be captured 
than to abandon their treasures. I think 
both parents assist in incubation, which 
lasts about fourteen days. In this vicinity 
they commence laying about April 15th, and 
by the end of May the young Owlets may of- 
ten be seen sitting in front of their bur- 
rows. In the various localities in which I 
have examined the burrows of these owls, 
I have never found any other material in 
the chamber occupied by the nest, than 
finely broken up dry horse or cow dung. 
This is scattered about from one to two 
inches deep at the end of the chamber, 
which: is somewhat enlarged, and on this 
mass the eggs are deposited, and these, if 
a full set, are usually placed in the shape 
of a horse shoe. Iam informed that in 
California these Owls sometimes construct 
their nests out of dry grass, but I have 
never met with any so constructed. 

Their eggs, like those of the balance of 
the family, are white, rather more pointed 
and glossy however than Owls’ eggs gen- 
erally are, and in a large series almost any _ 
shape may be found from globular to pyr- 


August, 1881. ie 


AND es 


43 


iform. These measure 1.35 na 1.09 inches 

for the largest, to 1.17 by .97 inches for 
the smallest. The average size in a series 
of over 250 specimens in my collection is 
1.24 by 1.03 inches. 

The young, when first hatched, are 
covered with light, greyish down, grow 
very rapidly, and the amount of food re- 
quired by a family of ten Owlets, in the 
shape of mice, gophers, etc., must be very 
great, and as this consists, as far as my ob- 
servations go, out of absolutely nothing 
else but noxious animals. I repeat 
again that this bird deserves the fullest 
protection as one of the most beneficial 
species in the grain producing districts of 
the great West. 


William MacGillivray. 


On the fly-leaf of a copy of MacGilli- 
vray’s British Birds, imported from Edin- 
burgh, we find the following list of his 
writings, written by the Scotch owner of 
the book : 

“Prof. MacGillivray was born in old 
Aberdeen, was a scholar of Mr. Ewan 
McLacklan. took the degree of A. M. at 
King’s College, went to Edinburgh about 
1823, was appointed keeper of the Museum 
of the College of Surgeons in 1831, and 
while there, wrote and published the first 
three volumes of his “British Birds,” was 
appointed professor of Natural History 
and lecturer on Botany in Marischal Col- 
lege Aberdeen in 1801, was made L. L. D 
in 1844, by Kings College. He died in 
Aberdeen on the 5th of September, 1852 
aged 56 years. His separate publications 
amounted to about twenty volumes; be- 
sides these, he contributed six Papers to 
the transactions of the Wernerian Society; 
twelve papers to the Edinburgh Philosophi- 
cal Journal, nine papers to the Edinburgh 
Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, three pa- 
pers to the Prize Essays and Transactions 
of the Highland Society, two papers to the 
Edinburgh Journal of Natural and Geogra- 
phical Science. He sent many papers to 
the Edinburgh Literary Gazette and the 


’| eggs. 


Edinburgh Journal of Natural History. 
He left, ready for publication, a history of 
the vertebrated animals inhabiting the 
counties of Forfar, Kincardine, Aberdeen, 
Banff, Elym and Nairn, with the adjoining 
parts of Inverness and Perth, also the Nat- 
ural History of Balmoral, from notes made 
during an excursion in the autumn of 
1850. This last book expanded into the 
Natural History of Deeside, was purchased 
by Prince Albert and printed privately (but 
considerable alterations were made by the 
editor on Prof. MacGillivray’s manuscript). 


2s 


General Notes. 

AMERICAN Repstarr (Setophaga ruti- 
cilla).—W .Otto Emerson, Haywards, Cal., 
writes that on June 20th he shot a Red- 
start in some wild blackberries, on the bor- 
der of a creek running through the or- 
chard. There was no difference in plum- 
age between it and those taken in the East. 
Mr. Enierson was informed by Dr. Cooper 
that it was the first specimen, to his know- 
ledge, taken in California. 

Larce Sets or Eacs.—W. W. Wor- 
thington reports: Bobolink, six eggs; 
Wilson’s Tern, four; Osprey, or Fish 
Hawk, four; Crow Blackbird, six; Night 
Heron, six; Black-capped Chickadee, cone 
Downy Woodpecker, seven. 

Sparrow-HAwK’s Eaes.—On the morn- 
ing of April 2, 1881, while out collecting, 
I discovered the nest of a Yellow-Billed 
Magpie (Pica nuttall/), and on climbing to 


-|it was surprised to find instead of Mag- 


pie’s eges, two freshly laid Sparrow-hawks’ 
There was no doubt about the 
identity, as the old birds circled about my 
head while I-was robbing the nest. 
Axpino’s.—During a recent trip to Bos- 
ton, we visited the Taxidermist Establish- 
ment of Chas. T. Goodale, 93 Sudbury street, 
where we saw a beautiful Albino Duck, but 
of what species was not certain. Charley 
was inclined to think it a Mallard, while 
others were equally sure it was a Black 
Duck. It wasa male and pure white. 
There was also a pure Albino Swallow, be- 


longing to acustomer, who is desirous of 
selling the specimen. 


44 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6-No. 6. 


ORNITHOLOGIST and OULOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY 
OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, - - - = Editor 
S. L. WILLARD, - “ - Ass’t Editor 


With the co-operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION.—*“1.00 per annum. 
subscription S125 including postage 
copies 10 cents each 

JOS. M. WADE, 


Norwich, Conn. 


Foreign 
Specimen 


Entered at the Norwich P. O. as second-class matter. 


EDITORIAL. 


Rare Finds. 


During the present season (1881) quite 
a number of rare sets have been found and 
added to various collections throughout 
the country. Among them area set of four 
of the Saw-whet Owl (Wyctale acadica) 
by Mr. W. Perham, Tyngsboro, Mass., 
(see Nuttall Bulletin, page 143) One set 
of five of the same by Capt. Chas. Bendire, 
at Camp Harney, Oregon. Also, several 
sets of Scops asio which if not Ainnecot- 
ti or Maawellie, may prove a new variety. 
Mr. Fred, T. Jencks was fortunate in se- 
curing several sets of Kentucky, Worm- 
_ eating Prothonotary, and other rare 
Warblers. He also found three nests of 
the Black-crested Titmouse, but they were 
in trees too large for any ordinary climber. 
He not only saw them building their nests, 
but watched them almost daily until the 
young were able to fly. This was in the 
heavy timber of Southern Indiana. Mr. 
James C. Merrill, M. D., stationed at Fort 
Custer, Montana, secured some very rare 
sets although working to great disadvan- 
tage in various ways, preventing his reach- 
ing the desired breeding grounds until late 
in the season. We connot do better than 
make an extract from Mr. Merrill’s letter: 
“T found a superb set of eight fresh Regu- 
lus calendula [Ruby-Crowned Kinglet], 
one set of five Dendroeca auduboni [ Audu- 
bon’s Warbler], one addled egg in a nest- 


full of young of Parus montanus [Moun- 
tain Chickadee], egg pure white, vide Ben- 
dire, Belding and Brewer; Sphyrapi- 
cus nuchalis, one set of five ; Junco, prob- - 
ably annecteus, five eggs; female sent to 
Mr. Ridgway for identification. Also, four 
sets Pipilo arcticus [Northern Towhee] 
and Canace richardsoni [Richardson's 
Grouse]. Eggs of Sphyrapicus and 
Junco are, I think undescribed, though I 
have not yet had time to look this up. 
Found several pairs of Harlequin Ducks 
breeding, but could not find their nests, 
which were doubtless in hollow trees. Al] 
were found almost exactly on the Montana- 
Wyoming boundary line. All the above 
were breeding abundantly, and if next year 
I can have five or six weeks in the same lo- 
eality I know that I can do splendidly, as 
I am now familiar with the ground. I re- 
gret exceedingly my poverty in duplicates, 
as I hoped, and expected to be able, to 
make many exchanges.” 


+ 


Birds of the Hudson Highlands. 


The six parts of Dr. Mearns’s “List of 
the Birds of the Hudson Highlands,” that 
have been published in the “Bulletin of the 
Essex Institute,” at intervals from 1878 to’ 
the present time, carry the subject to the 
Quail (Ortyx virginianus) and will, when 
completed, be one of the best of the many 
local lists that have appeared from time to 
time in different parts of the country. In- 
teresting field notes are given and much 
scientific value is found in the compara- 
tive tables of measurements of more than 
nineteen hundred (1900) specimens that 
the author has collected in the Highlands. 


eee 


Addition to the R. I. Fauna. 


Messrs. Southwick & Jencks of Provi- 
dence, R. I., received July 27, to be mount- 
ed, a fine specimen of Caspian Tern (fe- 
male) which measured twenty-one inches 
in length and fifty inches in alar extent. 
It was shot by Mr. J. B. Dunn at Wester- 
ly, R. I. 


August, 1881.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


45 


North-western Screech Owl. 


In our May number appeared a short 
article, by Capt. Charles Bendire, on Scops 
asio Kennicotti. It appears that with fur- 
ther experience with the birds in question, 
the Captain is not at all certain that his 
first conclusions were correct. In a letter 
dated June 18, 1881, he states: “I am by 
no means certain now that the specimens 
I took here are the true <Aennicotti. I 
took another specimen three weeks ago, 
while in the Willimette Valley, that I now 
think is the true Aennicotti, and I notice 
that the specimens taken at Walla Walla 
are much lighter colored, and it would not 
surprise me if the form found here did 
not constitute another good and valid va- 
riety, unless it should prove to be Maz- 
welle which I have never seen.” As _ the 
series of skins have been sent on to Mr. 
William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass., the 
matter will soon be settled and Mr. B’s 
conclusion will no doubt appear in the 
October number of the Nuttall Bulletin. 


A Needed Work. 

In our position as Editor, we often re- 
ceive letters asking for an “Egg Book” for 
boys, one that would be a guide and as- 
sist in identification. While Europe can 
boast of dozens of such works, we have 
not one. Minot’s is the best we have, but 
it is not just what.is wanted, although it 
is good, and we recommend it until the 
right work is prepared. We are pleased 
to learn that S. E. Cassino, the Bos:on 
publisher of scientific works, also sees the 
necessity of such a work and proposes to 
publish one for the season of 1882, to be 
sold at from two to three dollars. Sucha 
work is much needed, and will no doubt 
have a large sale. 


Rare Works. 

Those of our readers who are in want 
of rare works on Ornithology, should send 
for the “Leisure Hour,” published by Prof. 
A. E. Foote, West Phila., which con- 
tains lists of books, papers, ete., on Orni- 
thology and Natural Science generally, 


not found in any other series of catalogues 
published in this country. We cannot en- 
dorse the Dr.’s opinion of authors and 


books always, but he certainly has the 


faculty of keeping well stocked with the 
rarest works on Natural Science, and at 
moderate prices. 


W hip-poor-will. 

Dates of arrival of the Whip-poor-will 
(Antrostomus vociferus), in Locke, Michi- 
gan, for 26 years. This species is a com- 
mon summer resident, and was first ob- 
served by me in the spring of 1842. When 
this part of the state was an unbroken 
wilderness, this bird was much more abun- 
dant than at this date. Its nest and 
young are not often seen. 

Apr 27, 1856 May 1, 1865 May 9, 1874 


Apr 80, 1857 Apr 22, 1866 May 8, 1875 
Apr 14, 1858 May 1, 1867 May 4, 1876 
May 2, 1859 May 3, 1868 Apr 23, 1877 
Apr 28, 1860 Apr 25, 1869 Apr 14, 1878 
Apr 23, 1861 May 1, 1870 Apr 30, 1879 
Apr 24, 1862 Apr 30, 1871 Apr 27, 1880 
Apr 23, 1863 Apr 24, 1872 Apr 22, 1881 


May 5, 1864 May 5, 1873 
—Dr. H. A. Arxrns. 


Notes from Denver, Colorado. 

BuacK-HEADED GrosBeak —(Zamelodia 
ludoviciana). This bird arrived here 
this year May 16th. They are seen but 
very little in the openings during the few 
days spent before beginning to nest. They 
seem to prefer the dense, leafy thickets 
and surrounding shrubbery, the females — 
especially so. The nests are generally 
placed on a horozontal limb of a small tree, 
or in forks of small saplings, and are ney- 
er, to my knowledge, over ten feet from 
the ground ; the nest is composed of fine 
twigs and stalks of weeds, lined with very 
smuul, hair-like roots. The average meas- 
urement is, inside diameter 3 inches, depth 


14, outside 54 by 24. One set of four, 
taken June 4th, average measurement 
.92 by .75, slightly incubated, ground color 
light green tinged with b:ue, with small 
specks of faded lilac and larger dashes of 
umber. Another set of four, taken at the 
same time, average measurement .88 by .74. 
When the nests were disturbed, the birds 


46 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6=No. 6. 


kept very close to the nest, and making no 
demonstrations except to hop from one 
twig to another, uttering a low, plaintive 
ery. 

Z. carolinensis,{? |—June 11, while cross- 
ing a wheat field about 30 rods across, and 
bounded on two sides by timber, in near- 
ly the centre of the field, I flushed a fe- 
male from its nest, which was flat on the 
ground, and composed of a few small 
sticks thrown together. The nest con- 
tained one fresh egg. 

Buiack BrnteD Magerre (P. rustica hud- 
sonicas).—April 30th, found a nest contain- 
ing three young birds eight or ten days old, 
and five eggs. In four of which the young 
birds had cracked the shells.—D. D. 
STONE. 


a ae 


Notes from Shelter Island. 


We were disappointed in your not com- 
ing to the Island this spring, as myself 
and Griffing have done a good season’s col- 
lecting. We have made trips to Gardiner’s, 
Plum, Gull and Faulkner’s Islands. We 
went. to the latter after Roseate Terns ; got 
about forty sets, and came away pretty well 
satisfied. We had good luck with the Fish 
Hawks on Gardiner’s and Plum Islands. 
Were a little too early for the Night 
Herons, as few of the sets were completed, 
although I gota fine set of six. 


Prairie Warsiers.—I found my first 
nest this year on May 27th, containing one 
egg. The nest was placed in alow huckle- 
berry bush, fifteen inches from the ground, 
in a low growth of woods, on hilly land. 
The next day the nest and ‘egg was de- 
stroyed, probably by some animal. On 
June 5th, I found another nest, placed in 
a birch sapling, nine feet from the ground 
an unusual position. The nest was com™ 
posed of vegetable fibres, one piece of 
string and a few fine grasses, lined with 
horse hairs, and a few feathers of the 
brown thrush, deeply cup-shaped and built 
in a little around the top. I was collect- 
ing a Field Sparrow's nest and four eggs. 
and chirping to draw the birds around me, 


us I often do when in the woods, when. I 
noticed a Prairie Warbler fly towards me, 
and that he (for it was the male) came di- 
rectly from a small bunch of oak and birch: 
saplings. He lingered around me a few 
minutes, and then disappeared. I secured 
the Field Sparrow's eggs, and then on 
chirping again, I saw the Prairie Warbler 
come out of the same bunch of saplings, 
and I at once concluded that his nest 
was there, but after a careful search of 
the whole clump of low bushes among 
the saplings, as these are the places they 
generally build in, I was about to give up 
in despair, when on looking directly up 
over my head, I saw the long sought for 
nest, on which the female was sitting, with. 
her bright round eye upon me. I had to 
shake 'the sapling before she would fly. off, 
and on climbing up, I. was delighted to 
see five pearly, speckled eggs, slightly in 
cubated. On June 12th, I found another 
nest, placed in a maple sapling about six 
feet from the ground. This was composed 
of about the same materials, and con 
tained three fresh eggs, and one of the 
Cow Buntings. The Prairie Warblers ar- 
rive here about the first week in May, and 
I see by my record that I shot one on the 
8th of September, and I think the above 
is about the usual dates of their arrival 
and departure. 

SporreD SANDPIPER AND Mussex.—June 6th. 
As I was going along the shore of West 
Neck Creek this day, I heard a fluttering 
noise, and on looking around saw a female, 
Spotted Sandpiper, that in running along 
the beach, had stepped on a mussel, which 
had closed its shells together on one of ~ 
her toes with the grip of a vice. She was — 
unable to escape, so I went up and gave 
the leg a slight pull to liberate her, but 
the-toe came off above the second joint, 
and I quickly set the captive free, which 
as quickly disappeared around a point of 
land, escaping by the loss of a toe, what 
would undoubtedly have been death, as 
the rising tide must have drowned her. 

W. W. Worturneton. 


August, 1881. ] 


AND OOLOGIST, 


California Pigmy Owl. 
(Glaucidium gnuoma.) 
Concluded from p. 36. 
twenty of these diminutive Owls within a 
radius of a quarter of a mile ; their calls to 
each other were incessant, and from all 
directions at once. I found no difficulty 
in imitating them, and in a few moments 
had one of the little fellows sitting im a 
high pine above my head, answering note 
for note.” 

Dr. Heermann met with it in the moun- 
tainous districts of the mining regions of 
California, where it was by no means rare. 
In 1852, he procured three specimens on 
the borders of the Calaveras river; others 
were taken on the Cosumnes river, and J. 
G. Bell met with it on the American river. 

The specimen from which this engrav- 
ing was taken was shot by Mr. Charles A. 
Allen, Nicassio, Marin Co., California, aud 
purchased by Mr. Jos. M. Wade. I will 
quote Mr. Allen’s account of the capture 
and history of this bird as given in his let- 
ter of January 10, 1878: 

“T have but a single skin of the Pigmy 
Owl, and that I shot under peculiar circum- 
stances. Was out deer hunting, Decem 
ber 31, witha friend from Frisco ; the 
dogs were driving a deer and I was trying 
to get a position fora shot, when I saw 
the Owl fly and alight on a large pine tree 
about one hundred and fifty feet in height. 
As I wanted Mr. Pigmy more than the 
deer, I sat down and got a dead rest over 
my knee and fired away, when the bird 
dropped twenty or thirty feet down and 
lodged in the thick branches of the tree 
where I could not see it, or I. should have 
shot the limb off with my rifle.. But I had 
to climb, and sucn a climb I don’t think 
many collectors ever had. The tree was 
about seven feet in diameter at the base ; 
but I got up and down all safe, and 
send the same bird to you. I can _ give 
you but little information respecting these 
birds as I have seen so few ;*but so far 
as I know, they inhabit the heavy dense 
forests of pine and red-wood, and _ all 


I find are in the tops of trees from seventy- 
five to two hundred feet high. In the 
spring, from the middle of February to the 
middle of March, on a warm sunny morn- 
ing, Just after sunrise up to about nine 
o’clock a. M., any one acquainted with these 
birds will hear a low, soft, musical toot— 
toot—toot, repeated at intervals ; and it is 
done, as near as I can discover, during the 
mating season by the male, and continues 
up to the time the female commences to in- 
cubate ; after this time they again become 
silent and cannot be found unless acciden- 
tally. Of their nest and eggs I know noth- 
ing, having never found one, although I 
have repeatedly searched for them for the 
past three years. Some writers claim that 
they feed on insects, etc., but my experi- 
ence shows they desire more substantial 
food, such as small birds, mice and squir- 
rels. InJune, 1875, I was in a deep canon, 
searching for green black-cap flycatchers 
(Myiodioctes pusillus, var. pileolatus.) 1 
had just seen one of these birds dart into a 
bush and was watching for a chance to 
shoot, when something darted down in 
front of me like a flash and fastened to a 
striped squirrel that had been sitting on a 
log about twenty feet from where I stood, 
and flew with it to a large dead pine tree ; 
and then I saw it was a Pigmy Owl, and on 
the branch were three fully fledged young 
ones, and they all came to the old bird and 
were fed by her. After the squirrel was 
devoured, I shot one of the young and the 
rest took flight into the thick foliage of 
some neighboring red-woods and I lost 
them. On a calm still morning the notes 
of these little Owls can be heard about a 
mile in the light atmosphere of the hills 
and mountains out here.” 

From the testimony of these various col- 
lectors, it is quite evident that the Pigmy 
Owl is not nocturnal in its habits, but seeks 
its food mostly at twilight and early morn, 
and like the Sparrow-hawk, it is insectivor- 
ous where grasshoppers, crickets and _bee- 
tles abound ; and where these are wanting 
it is equally expert in capturing small birds, 


48 


[Vol. 6—No. 6. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


mice, squirrels and other smal] game. 
There is but little known respecting the 
nesting habits of this bird. The only re- 
liable account I can find is given by Mr. 
Lord, as quoted above. So faras I can learn, 
the eves have been found three times, and 
are described as white, spherical and granu- 
lated. 

~ Length, 6.85-7.50 ; alar extent, 14.00- 
15.50 ; bill, cere and feet, greenish yellow ; 
eyes, yellow ; facial disk, imperfect ; no 
ear-tufts ; spot before the eye and extend- 
ing over it, white. Upper parts, browish 
with small circular spots of dull white,more 
numerous on the head; a partially con- 
cealed collar of white on the back of the 
neck, succeeded by another of black ;.throat, 
white ; breast, mottled brown ; under parts, 
white, with irregular longitudinal stripes 
of dark brown ; wings and tail,dark brown, 
with a row of round white spots on each 
feather, largest on inner webs ; tarsi, thick- 
ly feathered ; toes, covered with hair ; claws, 
sharp and much curved. 

Tue Pramy Owx.—We find the following 
interesting note upon this bird by C. A. 
Allen, in the Nuitall Ornithological Bulle- 
tin :— 

August 13, 1877, about dusk, I heard 
near the house a great fuss among a lot of 
Brewer's Blackbirds, which had nested in a 
small clump of red-woods near by. On ap- 
proaching the place a bird flew out to which 
all the blackbirds gave chase. When all 
had settled in a red-wood tree near by, I 
saw a Pigmy Owl sitting on a limb—the 
cause of all the noise. I had my gun 
brought to me and shot the Owl, whicli 
proved to be a female. Again on July 8, 
1878, at nine o'clock, a. m., I heard a dis- 
turbance among the Blackbirds in the same 
clump of trees, and, suspecting the cause, 
took my gun and went to see what was the 
matter. On approaching the place, a lot 
of birds of different species flew out, and 
among them a Pigmy Owl, which after 
much frouble, I shot as it was flying over 
some low bushes; this one was a male. 
There were fighting the Owl one pair of 


Arkansas Flycatchers, one pair of Bullock’s 
Orioles, one pair of Bewick’s Wrens, three 
Ground Tits (Chamceufasciata), one pair of 
Pipilo oregonus, one pair of P. crisalis, 
and about twenty Brewer’s Blackbirds. 
The bravest birds of the troop were Be- 
wick’s Wren and Bullock’s Oriole. who kept 
darting at the Owl’s head as it sat on the 
ground devouring a young Blackbird. I 
have seen a Pigmy Owl dart down and lift a 
chipping squirrel with ease and carry it off. 
Wm. Woop, M. D. 


; Collectors. 
John H. Sage, Portland, Conn., has spent 
a brief season at the Lakes, in the state of 
Maine, and he is now preparing notes for 
a future number of our journal. 


Capt. Chas. Bendire has collected the 
present season about two hundred and 
sixty eges of the Burrowing Owl, and has 
given to them an amount of care and 
thought, seldom devoted to one bird. The 
result is an exhaustive article on the life 
history of this Owl which will be found on 
the first page of our present issue. 

Wn. Fred T. Jencks of Providence, R. L., 
has returnedfrom his three months’ collect- 
ing trip in Indiana, with some rare sets of 
Warblers’ eggs, and over five hundred 
Warblers’ skins. What Mr. J. does is well 
done, and his data can always be relied cn. 

Chas. F. Goodhue of Webster, N. H., has 
spent the season with Delos Hatch of Oak 
Centre, Wis., and their success was some- 
thing remarkable. It was not a question 
of how many they could find, but of how 
many they could prepare, taking in one 
day three hundred and twenty eggs. 

Fred. Corey, Santa Paula, Cal., writes 
that he collected ninety eggs of fifteen 
varieties in about six hours. What a con- 
trast this is to some of our Eastern collec- 
tors who work hard six hours and return 
with one or two sets, or perhaps as is of- 
ten the case none at all? 


Frank E. Bray of Boston, is spending 
the seascn at Turner, Me. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


—AND— 
OOLOGINST. 
Bin per a JosePH M. Wane, Editor and Publisher. 5 : Fe: Single enor 
Annum, Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents. 
VOL. VI. NORWICH, CONN., SEPTEMBER, 1881. NO. 7. 
Kentucky Warbler. arranged for the outside; then dry grass 
ee. Mae stalks and delicate limbs are put together 


more solidly and lined with fine roots and 
Kentucky Warbler, Oforortus formosa. usually a very few hairs. The outside 


peason Of 188) Locality, Wheatland, | jeaves are difficult to remove with the in- 
Knox Co., Ind. The first specimen was ner nest. 


taken April 21st, and a week later they were 
common in all the bottom woods. This 
name applies to the heavy timbered tracts 
that are overflowed by the rising cf rivers. 
The woods in such places are high and 
dense, almost to the exclusion of under- 
growth. ° 

In its babits the Kentucky Warbler re- 
sembles the Golden Crowned ‘Thrush, 
walking deliberately on the ground and 
mounting a log or low limb to sing. The 
song is a ringing whistle, a miniature of the 
Cardinal Grosbeak’s, which it much resem- 
bles. It is by no means shy; on the con- 
trary it quickly resents an intruder, flying 


Some nests are placed between 
the several stems of bushes but are all so 
sunken in the leaves as to have the upper 
rim even with the surface. The hollow in 
the nest is large and deep. Five eggs was 
the largest number taken. In shape and 
color they resemble finely dotted Chats and 
Golden Crowned Thrushes, and are about 
the size of those of the Indigo bird. It is 
only by accident that the nest is found, as 
the sitting bird has to be almost stepped 
upon before leaving it. It sometimes 
feigns injury, fluttering along the ground; 
at others leaves quietly. Once it was al- 
most accidental that I noticed the move- 


ment of the leaves of a small plant caused 
from branch to branch constantly uttering by the bird asit left the nest—. 7. Jencks. 
its mellow chirp. Both birds take part in bP 


these demonstrations and seem as anxious Black Throated Blue Warbler 
before as after they have nests. 

May goth, I flushed a pair and found a asm 
partially made nest, but having to leave for I have succeeded this year (1881) in 
amonth, Mr Ridgway collected and pre- finding another nest of Dendreca cerules- 
pared the set forme, May 18th, then with cevs, being the third nest of this species that 
four fresh eggs. June 7th, I took the last I have found in this town. (See Bull. Nutt. 
nest of the season with four fresh eggs, also Orn. Club, Vol. I, p. 11.) The nest was 
at Wheatland. The time intervening was in alarge tract of woods, as were the others, 
spent at Mt. Carmel, Ill., where seven on a hillside near low, swampy ground 
others were found in various stages of in- through which ‘ran a small brook. It was 
cubation. — placed in a laurel bush, ten inches from the 

A nesting place is usually selected on a ground, resting on two long, slender and 
slightly raised piece of ground for a dry nearly horizontal branches. The eggs, four 

situation, and a large hollow, 7 to ro inches | in number, were far advanced in incuba- 
across, is made among the dead leaves. | tion, although it was on the seventh of June 
This is filled in first with leaves very nicely that I found them, while the eggs that I 


NESTING IN CONNECTICUT. 


50 


ORNIT HOLOGIST. 


[Vol. 6-No. 7. 


took on the eighth of June, 1874, were 
fresh. This nest was about two miles from 
the place where I found those in 1874, and 
I think it is a question if their breeding 
here is to be regarded as merely accidental. 
They might nest in some numbers through- 
out New England without being discov- 
ered, provided they always choose such se- 
cluded homes as they do here. The nest 
is placed near the ground, is well concealed, 
and the bird when disturbed slips away 
through the underbrush so quickly that 
there is very small chance for seeing her. 
In neither instance have I seen or heard 
anything of the males, though in June, 1873, 
I several times heard one singing in the vi- 
cinity of where I found the nests the fol- 
lowing year.—C. M. Jones, Eastford, Conn. 


Yellow-bellied Woodpecker 


NESTING AT AUBURN, N. Y. 


By reference to the Auburn Daily Aa- 
vertiser for September 6th, 1877, Mr. S. F. 
Rathbun will find recorded tne first authen- 
ticated instance of the nesting of Sphyzxa- 
picus varius in this vicinity. The circum- 
stance of the ‘“‘find” is as follows: June 
30th, 1876, while collecting on Howland’s 
Island, in Seneca River, (a locality which, 


were it thoroughly explored, would [ doubt , 


not prove to be the nesting place of many 
stragglers of what are usually termed mi- 
gratory birds, whose breeding places are 
commonly put by naturalists in the misty 
regions known by the names Alaska, Lab- 
rador, Saskatchewan, &c.,) I heard the pe- 
culiar hawk-like cry cf a Yellow bellied 
Woodpecker, and on looking around ina 
short time discovered a male bird on a 
beech stub near a freshly excavated hole. 
I chmbed up to it. While doing so the 
bird darted around me, giving vent to its 
anger and dislike of my proceedings by 
loud cries. When I reached the hole I 
found it was but about three or four inches 
in depth. And tor some reason, probably 
on account of my molestation, it was never 
completed When I visited the place in 


about two weeks again I could neither see 
or hear anything of the Woodpecker. 

May 16th, 1878, my brother and [, while 
collecting in a swamp about five miles west 
of this city, observed a female of this spe- 
cies carrying food to her young. The nest 
was in a black ash, about forty feet from 
the ground. The bird made regular trips 
with food every five minutes. This was 
the same day and place where I took a set 
of four 

BROAD-WINGED Hawk’s EaGs, the on- 
ly set I have been fortunate enough to find. 
This species I consider the rarest of all the 
family Falconidae that breed in this sec- 
tion of the country.—Z. J Wilson, M. D. 


ee 


Notes from Moosehead Lake, Me. 


The following notes on some of the birds 
about Moosehead Isake, Me, were made 
during a fishing trip between the rith and 
21st of June of the present year, and are 
necessarily brief, as but little time could be 
devoted to ornithology. 

TurusHes.—The Olive-backed was the 
most abundant of the Thrushes—its melo- 
dious song being heard everywhere in the 
woods bordering the lake. 


The Water Thrush (Szurus nevius) was 
quite common, and we often listened to 
its peculiar song as it eminated from the 
shy denizen of soine swampy thicket. 

FLYCATCHERS.—Several specimens of the 
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus borealis) 
were noted and all had the habit of either 
perching on the tops of tall dead pine or 
spruce trees or choosing such trees as had 
a few dead branches at the top, from which 
they would dart at frequent intervals after 
their insect prey, returning again to the 
branch and giving forth the peculiar note 
of this interesting species. 

Swirts —But specimens of the 
Chimney Swift were seen and we were told 
by our guide, Capt. Samuel Cole, who’ is 
quite familiar with the birds of this region, 
that a pair had a nest in the camp cabin at 
the mouth of Little Moose Brook last year, 


few 


7 


AND OOLOGIST. 


ol 


September, 1881. | 


the nest being attached to one of the logs | two fresh eggs on one of the islands. 


Our 


inside, and the parent birds coming in and | guide informed us that the young appear 
going out while the camp was occupied | early in July, seem stupid, and are easily 
and showing no fear at the presence of caught by hand —/. HY Sage, Portland, Ct. 


man. 

Woopprckrers —We found the Hairy, 
Downy, Golden-winged and the Yellow- 
bellied Woodpeckers—the latter common 
and breeding. Its alarm note so closely 
resembles that of the Blue Jay that we 
started from our bed of pine boughs early 


one morning expectirg to find the Jay and 
were somewhat surprised to see a beautiful | 


specimen of Sphyrapicus varius. 
SHELDRAKE.—The most common of the 
Anatidae was the Sheldrake (Mergus Mer- 
ganser.) We saw the young in company 
with the famale and found one nest on an 
island, June roth, containing ten eggs near- 
ly fresh. ‘This nest was in a hollow under 
the roots of a standing tree; the roots, 
earth and moss forming a perfect roof, so 
that the nest, after the heavy shower of that 


day, seemed well protected and was quite am . 
ty Prntcola enucleator almost daily, consist- 


dry. The eggs were covered with leaves, 
moss and feathers—mostly feathers. 
old bird was seen to leave the nest. Our 
-guide remarked that the male Sheldrakes 
disappear soon after nidification commences 
and also said that several times he had wit- 
nessed battles between female Sheldrakes 


when each had young—the victor swimming | 


off with all the little ones. 
GuLLs.—Several pairs of the Herring 
Gull (Larus argentatus) were seen, and we 


The | 


_ sitting on the porch. 


found one nest, June 13th, on a rock at one | 


end of an island. It was composed of dry 
grass, twigs and moss, and contained one 
young, perhaps thirty-six hours old, one 
egg just hatched and one addled egg. 
We fed the young nestling on trout, of which 
it partook freely Another nest was found 


ne 16th com - | ; : of 
on June t posed of the same mate _ conclude it to be the “ Little Blue Heron 


rials as the first one. It was placed on a 
rock on a point of land projecting into the 
lake, and contained three eggs—the em- 
bryos being slightly advanced. 


Notes from Bangor, Me. 


I ended my collecting for this season Au- 
gust rath with a nest and four eggs of the 
American Goldfinch. During the season 
my friend Mr. Harry Merrill and myself 
have taken the following eggs in this local- 
ity, which we consider quite good “ finds:” 
Two sets of the Loggerhead Shrike, one 
set Hermit Thrush, one set Yellow-rumped 
Warbler, one set Black-throated Warbler. 

The first part of the summer we made 
two visits to our coast where we obtained 
large numbers of the following eggs: Fish 
Hawk, Herring Gull, Wilson’s Tern, Night 
Heron, Great Blue Heron, and Leach’s 
Petrel.—Wewell A. Eddy, Bangor, Me 


a 
PINE GROESBEAKS.—Since July 4th I 
have seen several flocks of fifteen to twen- 


ing of both old and young birds. I have 
not noticed them here before this season. 
They are very tame, lighting in the cherry 
tree close to the house when I[ have been 
For the last three 
years there has been a pair of birds nesting 
in the town of Albion known as Grey- 
backed Robins. 1 have never had a satis 
factory view of them till this summer when 
my brother shot one which proved to be 
the common Robin partly Albino.— Z. 
Gray, Albion, N.Y. 


LitTLE BLuE HERon.—A flock of a half 
dozen small White Herons visited our 
shores last Friday, August 12th, and with 


_a little effort one of them was at last se- 


Loon.—The Loon (C. ‘torguatus) was | 


seen in all parts of the lake, and we found 


_ green legs and yellow iris. 


cured and I have it mounted, and after 
careful examination with ‘‘ Coues’ Key” 


in immature plumage. ‘The bird is pure 
white with the exception of the tips of the 
primaries which are light blue. It has 
It is the first 
specimen of the kind I have ever known of 
at Saybrook, Conn.— John N Clark. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 7. 


52 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
OULOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, Editor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 


With the co operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION—$1.00 per annum. Foreign sub 
scription $1.25—ineluding postage. Spect- 
men Copies Ten Cents. 


JOS. MUM. WADE, 


Norwich, Conn. 


Entered at Norwich P.O. as Second Class matter, 


EDITORIAL. 


Advertising. 


It has always been a matter of surprise 
to us that people will subscribe for a paper 
devoted to a study that interests them 
above all others and neglect to at least scan 
over the advertising pages of each issue, 
which often not only contains matter ot 
equal interest with the reading pages but 
of profit as well. During the past sixty 
days we have received several letters from 
subscribers asking where the new check list 
could be had, and at what price, when by 
turning to the advertising pages the de- 
sired information would have been found, 
thereby saving not only time but the ex- 
pense of writing. 

In our August number was an advertise- 
ment by Southwick & Jencks, of Provi- 
dence, R. I., offering bird skins, eggs, &c., 
at reduced prices, and we doubt if any 
other firm in this country could make such 
an offering at even fancy prices. The ad- 
vertisement was limited as to time, and we 
are informed that not a single reply was re- 
ceived. ‘This is not as it should be. Such 
chances should not be allowed to pass, and 
our readers will do well to read over the 
advertising pages of each number. 


—— -- 046 


Show this magazine to your ornithologi- 
cal friends and induce them to subscribe. 


Caspian Tern in Rhode Island. 


On referring to the OoLocist for Octo- 
ber, 1879, No. 4, page 32, we find there re- 
corded by Mr. B. J. Peckham the capture 
of a Caspian Tern at Brightman’s Pond, 
the measurement of which is given as fol- 
lows: “Length, 21 inches; extent of wings 
from tip to tip, 50 inches; bill, 2 7-8 inches; 
tail, 6 1-4 inches. Description: Head, 
black; a narrow white line under the eye; 
neck and underneath, pure white; back and 


- wings, dark lavender; outer primaries, dark | 


gray in the inner webs; tail, of a shade be- 
tween a gray and white; bill, very strong 
and of a bright vermillion at the tip; legs 
and feet, black; tail, forked.” So that the 
announcement in our last of an “Addition 
to the Rhode Island Fauna”’ is incorrect. 


ie 


A SavaceE Ficutr.—During the past 
breeding season, a pair of White-bellied 
Swallows selected for a nesting place a bro- 
ken conductor which projected some four 
feet from our factory wall, about fifty feet 
high. Although this was only about four 
inches in diameter, these birds would fly 
directly into this pipe without alighting on 
the edge. We watched them daily with 
much interest, and all went well until the 
young were a few days old when a pair of 
House Sparrows appeared on the scene tu 
take possession of the nesting place when 
a fierce battle ensued. The male Sparrow 
flew onto the entrance of the nest, when 
one of the Swallows, presumably the male, 
flew at him like a dart, and from this mo- 
ment until the Sparrows left the scene the 
struggle was uninterrupted. No matter 


where the Sparrow went the Swallow would | 


follow and strike him, and in this way gave 
him no rest until he was perfectly tired out. 
In the struggle the Sparrow would often 
fall as if dead from pure exhaustion, and 
yet he would not abandon the nesting 
place, but would, when tired, fly into the 
gutter under the eaves, hoping by this ruse 
to get rested; but the Swallow would give 
no rest even there but would grapple with 


Kia ae eae 


ee es en 


ie » 


September, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


(63 


him and struggle like two tame Pigeons, | 
with wings spread, until the Sparrow left | 
perfectly exhausted, when the Swallow 
went for food for its young as though noth- 
ing had happened. The Sparrows never 
returned to the scene of the struggle. 


-—_—— eee —__—_ 


Larce Sers or Ecos.—We have re- | 
ceived from Mr. Fred. T. Jencks, Provi- | 
dence, R. L, one set of Blue Jays, six egzs; 
one set Crow Blackbird, six eggs; a set of 
common Rail, with fourteen eggs. | 

Paul Hoffman, Rockville, Conn., reports | 
a set of Baltimore Oriole, six eggs; a set of | 
Purple Finch, with four eggs, and three | 
Cow birds, making seven in all. He also | 
reports taking a Barn Swallow, with five | 
eggs, when a pair of Pewees built on the 
foundation of same nest and laid two eggs, 
when the Swallows again returned and 
built another nest on that of the Pewees. 


——_—. 040 —__—__ 


PROTHONITARY WARBLER.—We have re- | 
ceived from Mr. Fred. T. Jencks 
and six eggs of this Warbler. ‘The nest is | 
absolutely perfect as it was built in the 
trunk of a decayed tree, showing great 
skill and patience in pulling the trink of 
the tree apart until the nest was extracted 
entire. The eggs were prepared in Mr. 
Jencks’ superior manner. As le will no 
doubt describe this Warbler and its nesting | 
habits in our columns, we will leave the de- 
scription of the nest to him. 


a nest | 


LATE NeEsTING.—Jesse E. Smith, of 
Rockville, Conn., reports finding a nest 
and two fresh eggs of the Humming bird, 
August 4th. / | 


We found at Occum, Conn., August zoth, | 
a nest and four fresh eggs of the Song 
Spatirow. 


a 
| 


CorRECTIONS.—In your last number, un- | 
der editorial—“ Rare Finds,’—you state | 
that I found three nests of the Black | 
Crested ‘Titmouse, which should read 
Tufted Titmouse, (Lophophanes bicolor.)— | 
Fred. T. Jencks, Providence, R. /. 


Remarkable Flight of Birds. 


A remarkable flock of birds appeared at 
Westport, Nova Scotia, on the afternoon of 
April t5th last. It was composed chiefly 
of Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo birds, and 
Green Herons. Specimens of each are 
now in my possession, and I am positive of 
their identity. These species have not 
been seen there before and were driven in 
by a gale. 

Benjamin H. Ruggles, Esq., of Westport, 
writes me: “For several days previous to 
their appearance the winds had prevailed 
from west southwest to northwest. On the 
13th the wind changed to east northeast and 


_was breezy from that quarter through the 


14th, and on the night of that day and ear- 
ly on the 15th had increased to a gale from 
the northeast, moderating before noon. 


During that afternoon the birds were first 


seen They appeared very much exhaust- 


/ed, many of the smaller birds being easily 


destroyed by boys with stones, Numbers 
of them perished in the bushes, their re- 
mains having since been found.” 

The few specimens I axamined were al- 
inost mere skeletons; one Green Heron had 
nothing in its Stomach and but little blood 
in its body.—/. Chamberlain, St. Johns. 


ne 


An Ecc Witsin AN Ecc.—In your 
July number, M. K Barnum asks for fur- 
ther information concerning double egg 
shells, or father an egy shell within an egg 
shell Ihave a hen’s egg laid at Poquon- 
noc, Conn., which measures, endwise, nine 
and three fourths inches in circumference; 


its smaller circumference being seven and 
| three-fourths inches. 


Inside of this shell is another about the 


size of an average hen’s egg The person 
_who first found the egg 


gg opened it at the 
end—thinking to save the shell on account 
of its extreme size—and discovering the 
inner egg punctured it too and carefully 
removed its contents, leaving the smaller 
shell inside the larger as it is to-day.—F. 
H Allen, Norwich, Conn. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 7. — 


Close of the Season. 


The collector of eggs naturally divides 
our short season into two parts—June and 
July for birds, other than Raptores, and 
April and May for hawks and owls. These 
divisions intergrade and are not arbitrary: 
but they are sustained by the old catalogues 
which. gave first position to the birds of 
prey, and by most of our cabinets to day 
in which hawks and owls hold the place of 
honor. 

My Marsh Hawk of May 24th gave me 
a second clutch of four eggs, June 17th, ex- 
act copies of the first set. Near Kinman’s 
Birches, Lisbon, in June, I found a Marsh 
Hawk’s nest with three young and three 
eggs. Now this hawk was two weeks lay- 
ing this extreme clutch, four weeks more 
in incubation, and would have occupied the 
rest of the season rearing her young. In- 
deed it is probable that no hawk or owl 
throughout the New England range of 
breeding ever has two clutches if undis- 
turbed. 

- June 7th, a red squirrel ate a fine set of 
Yellow-throated Vireos which I had marked 
down, but swift retribution overtook him 
the following Sunday when an irate farmer 
shot him in a door-yard with an unfledged 
robin in hisclaws. I have maintained that 
nowhere else do the Buteos and Accipiters 
breed more freely than in New London 
County. Now it could be shown by relia- 
ble data that this is also the banner county 
for several of the Warblers. June 3d, I 
took eight full sets of eggs of Blue Yellow- 
backs; a week later Brand and Wade found 
eleven nests, new and old of this species, 
and later still this season, in half a day 
Brand found eight nests of Chestnut-sided, 
four of Prairie, and some undetermined 
warblers, all with young. 

Following the tardy vegetation, the sea- 
son was ten days late for most of our small 
birds. Extremes of weather do not affect 
owls and some other birds which can be 
named, but cold, wet Junes kill young 
Ruffed Grouse and delay the breeding of 


Warblers and their allies. The average 
difference between this season and the last, 
as shown by my notes, is about ten days for 
the following species: Yellow-breasted 
Chat, Blue Yellow-back, Maryland Yellow- 
throat, Prairie and Chestnut-sided War- 
blers. 

May 14th, I saw a Redstart select a site 
and begin its nest, but nidification was ex- 
tremely slow owing to constant rain, and it 
was not until May 31st that the clutch of 
four eggs wascomplete Sunday, May 23d, 
a hummer began its nest on an apple tree 
under my window where every movement 
could be watched. The few hours of sun- 
shine toward night it made good use of, and 
worked at intervals the next day though it 
rained steadily. “After the flood came the 
deluge,” and Wednesday the hummer ap- 
peared discouraged, and Thursday it was | 
seen for the last time. Now the rain of 
course has an influence on the adaptability 
of the building materials, but it seemed 
plain that the hummer connected the idea 
of locality with this endless downpour, and 
thinking the fault was in the situation of 
the nest dese:ted it for another and drier 
site. 

The collecting season really lasts but 
three months, for the two or three species 
breeding in March are rarely found and the 
eggs taken here in July are inconsiderable. 
Indeed our brief season punctually closes 
on the first of July. Thereatter the heat 
and dense vegetation militate against suc- 
cessful collecting, and the presence of 
squabs and fledgelings in great numbers 
has a depressing effect upon the spirits of 
the egg-enthusiast, It is not unpleasant, it 
is true, at times to hear the shrilling of 
young Downies, and it is amusing to pound 
ona tree in which are young Wacups, for 
they make a noise like a swarm of bees 
when newly hatched, and later like the 
winding of aclock Even when well grown 
their clamor is endurable compared with 
the distressing quavering of Oriole fledge- 
lings heard on every hand early in July. 
I have climbed to hundreds of crows’ nests 


59 


September, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


in the last five years hoping to find Albinos, | 
but without success. On the 20th day of | 
August, however, on Fort Hill, in the town | 
of Groton, I saw a cinnamon-colored crow 
in a company of the normal plumage, and 
whether on the ground or flying, or perch-d 
on a tree, his strange dress made him con- | 
spicuous among his fellows.—/. AZ. IW. 


——— ooo 


Those ‘‘ Brants.’’—Corrections. 


I promised to write you again in case I 
learned anything farther this season in re- 
gard to the Brant eggs found by me last | 
year at St. Clair Flats. I found the same 
eggs this year but failed to see any birds 
that could be mistaken for the Brant. On 
June 29th, while going through the marsh 
of North Ridge of middle channel, I found 
a nest of the same eggs as those of last year, 
and which I supposed to be the Brant 
(Bernicla brenta) from the fact of seeing 
a pair of birds about the size and color of 

the Brant in the vicinity. I have since 
learned that they were not Brant’s eggs. 

June 29th, 1 found four nests containing | 
eight and ten eggs each The nest was | 
built in fine grass growing in water from | 
ten to eighteen inches in depth. | 


The nest | 
was composed of fine grass and raised about 
six inches above the water in a tuft of green 
grass, the tops of the grass being woven 
together over the nest, forming an arch. | 
The nest contained ten eggs, varying in 
shape and size,—the largest being 2 5-8x 
1 14-16 inches, the smallest being 2 7-16x 


| them. 
_and pulled out several feathers. 


t 13-16 inches—color, a greenish white; the | 
shell rough like a goose egg. I marked the 

nest and worked in the vicinity all day, but | 
did not get a glimpse of the bird Several | 
times I saw Ruddy Ducks (Zrismatura 
rubida) near by but paid no attention to 
them, as the eggs were so large and the 
ducks so small that I did not think it likely 
to be the Ruddy’s nest. I was puzzled. 
I approached the nest from time to time, 
each time watching to see the bird leave 


the nest, but was each time disappointed. 
The eggs were warm and the nest appeared | 


to have just been left by the bird. While 
hunting around I found other nests of the 


saine kind and built in the same way. As 


I could not see the bird I began examining 


the nest Among the down in the lining I 
found three feathers, very small, but show- 
ing the color of the feathers on the breast 
of the bird. Now I had something to help 


/me and I took the eggs and returned to 
| Detroit. 


I examined feathers of Brant, Velvet 


| Duck, Surf Duck and all other Ducks I 
. thought likely to lay an egg of that size, and 


was disappointed to find a difference in 
At last I went for a female Ruddy, 
On com- 
paring them under a glass I found them to 
be the same, only the fresh feathers being 


alittle brighter than the ones taken from 
the bird mounted four years ago. 


I made 
this discovery July first, in the morning; in 
the evening I started again for the flats. I 
found a nest of eight and watched it. 
While going to the nest through clear water, 


_(as I was tired of pushing my boat through 


the grass) I saw something: drop out of the 
nest into the water and sink. Ihurried for- 
ward and saw a female Ruddy Duck swim- 
ming under water for a clump of rushes a 
couple of rods away. It was all very plain 
vow. The bird, instead of flying off the 
nest, would simply dive and swim under 
water to a safe distance, The fact of the 
eggs being so large and with a rough shell, 


'led me to look for a large bird and some- 


thing of the Goose order. 

I am well satisfied that it is nothing 
but the Ruddy Duck, and will willingly 
take back any of the eggs sold last year by 
me supposing they were the Brant. From 
not seeing the Brant—or the bird I sup- 
posed was the Brant—this year, I came to 
the conclusion that I was either mistaken, 
or the birds were there accidentally. I now 
am quite certain that I was mistaken in the 
eggs, and that they belonged to a different 
bird from the ones I saw at the time of 
finding the nest last year. _ 1 secured a few 
sets of Red Head Duck, (Aythega amert- 
cana) and Forster’s Tern (Sterna forstert.) 
—W. H. Collins, Detroit. 


o6 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 7. 


Notes from Maine. 


The O and O. has reached me here 
where I have been camping out for seven 
weeks. I promised to write scmething 
about Traill’s Fly catcher, under the im. 
pression that they were as rare elsewhere as 
here, but finding that they are plenty in 
some localities I do not care to write what 
others have probably observed ard written 
- of before, but I will write a few lines con- 
cerning the changes which have occurred 
in birds within my recollection east of the 
Penobscot. 

For ten years at least I have not seen a 
common House Wren, although formerly 
very abundant. 
members having seen one for years.. The 
Blue Jay, once abundant, is now compara- 
tively scarce. Also the Golden-winged 
Woodpecker, which once were so_ plenty 
that I shot twelve in one afternoon. Hawks 
of all kinds are extremely rare I do not 
see a dozen of all kinds in a season near 
Bangor, although I travel a great deal. 
Since 1876 I have spent fourteen weeks 
camping here, and have traveled hundreds 
of miles in this vicinity and have never 
seea but one in that time, though the 
mountains and ponds would seem to be 
suited for favorite resorts for them  With- 
in two years the Red-bellied Nuthatch is 
leaving us. I used to see them every day, 
summer and winter, but have not seen one 
for ayear. The Baltimore Oriole was un- 
known here a few years ago but is now quite 
plenty west of the Penobscot, and crossed 
it to remain some ten years ago, though still 
rarely ever seen three miles east of it. I 
think I travel east of Bangor at least fifty 
to seventy-five days in the spring and sum- 
mer, but while for some ten years I have 
seen them nesting all along: the river with- 
in a quarter of a mile from it, I have yet 
to see the first one a mile from the river. 
The Bob.o-link and Chipping Sparrow are 
both getting scarce. while the Crow Black- 
bird, almost unknown thirty years ago, is 
now very numerous, 
creased, also the Least 


I can find no one who re- 


Flycatcher- and 


The Bluebird has in. 


Wood Pewee, though seldom seen far from 


houses. The Wild Pigeon, once here in 


thousands, is so rare that itis hard work to ~ 


get specimens for collectors. The House 
Sparrow has visited us in winter for the 
last two years, but have never seen any af- 
ter March. ‘They have come and gone at 
about the same dates as the Snow Buntings. 
I saw a new thing cn August 2oth. I wing- 
broke a Palmated Sandpiper when it instant- 
ly took to the water and dove, swimming 
from fifteen to twenty-five feet at a dive, 
rarely taking time to breathe till it got be- 
yond the reach of stones thrown atit. I 
knew they could swim but never knew they 
could swim like a Grebe under water. 
Please excuse this as I write on my knee 
for lack of a desk.— 17. HY. Camden, Me. 


——- 6 


Growth of Robins, &c. 


I was very glad to hear from you in re- 
sponse to my recent note in relation to the 
strange method birds adopt to preserve the 
purity of their nests. A few days after I 
wrote to you, while sitting on my front 


‘porch, I noticed a Sparrow leave a wood- 


bine on the house of Mr. Harper, who lives 
directly opposite my residence, on South 
High Street, having in his bill some white 
object. He flew directly to the center of 
the highway, and dropped in the mud the 
substance he had held in his bill. and im- 
mediately flew away. I went directly to 
the spot and saw a lump of excrementitious 
matter larger than a common pea, smooth- 
ly rounded, white for the most part, though 
one side or end was green. I knew it to 
be the excrement of a bird, and saw it was 
the same process as observed in the Robin 
repeated by the Sparrow. It confirmed, to 
a great extent, the view I had of the man- 
ner by which nests are kept clean from the 
abservations that I made with respect to 
the Robin’s nest near my house. . 

PS. My son, twenty-four years old, and 
witness of the act, believed the old bird 
swallowed it. I saw it seized by the old 
bird but did not suppose or see any act in- 
dicating that it was swallowed.—Dr. S. W. 
Fart to Dr. Wm. Wood. 


ee ee ene eee 


ee Se ee ee ee 


aeniepen <te- 


id 


~—-=+ 


ORNITHOLOGIST 
-OOLOGIST. 


$1.00 per Josuea M. Wabe, Editor and Bubhahor. 


2 | 


nels Copy, 
Annum. Established March. Hey 10 Cents. 
VOL. NORWICH, PONN , OCTOBER, 1881. NO. 8. 


Blue- wingee Yellow parhler: 


ITS NESTING HABITS, &C. 


The pretty Helminthophaga pinus is to | 


be found in nearly all kinds of wooded 
country in southern. Indiana and IIlinnis. 
It seems to prefer open woods with under- 
growth of bushes and briers, and the open 


ings in and about the bottom woods. It is | 


easily found by its notes which can be called 


neither song nor warble, but resembles the | 
inhaling and exhaling ot the breath in a pe- | 


culiar rasping tone, unlike any other bird of 
‘my acquaintance. It made its appearance 
at Wheatland, Indiana, April 25th, and be- 
came plentiful in a day or two. It is not 
suspicious, allowing a near approach, and 
seems to make a thorough search of one 
branch before going to another. While 
thus engaged it adapts its position to the 
place to be examined, often hanging head 
downwards. Whether searching for food, 
or while sitting still, the male at short in- 
tervals lifts his head and gives his wheezy 
notes. It generally inhabits the bushes or 


lower limbs, frequently near the ground but | 


seldom in the tops of tall trees. The fe- 
males arrive soon after the males and they 
are soon mated and begin their household 
preparations. Though I could not catch 
them at their work of building, I. was sev 


eral times aware of the close proximity of | 
an unfinished nest by the anxiety betrayed | 


by the female, who seemed as interested in 
me as I was in her. But owing to the 
bushes it was impossible to keep at a dis- 
tance and watch her. 

As soon as his mate is sitting. the male 
enlarges on his music, giving quite a pretty 
warble, but it was seldom indulged in, and 


I heard it but a few times. While opposite 
| Mount Carmel, Illinois, in Indiana, on May 
tgth, I missed a Hooded Warbler, but soon 
heard it singing a long distance off, and 
just contrary to the course I was pursuing. 
Usually 1 kept on my way and took the 
chances of finding another, but at this par- 
| ticular time I meant to have that bird I 

killed it, and when within a few feet of 
where it lay, a bird started from the ground. 
My instant thought was of the Hooded 
Warbler, but as quickly recognized the 
Blue- winged Yellow Warbler which alighted 
on a bush near by and began to chirp in the 
manner of most of the Warblers. My joy 
may be imagined when, on pushing aside 
the leaves of a bush by my side near the 
ground, I beheld five little rosy-tinted eggs, 
_ perfectly fresh, in a nest situated between 
the three or four stems of the bush. The 
nest was sunken to the level of the ground, 
and about the size of that of a Maryland 
Yellow-throat, only deeper, being three 
inches in depth inside It was composed 
of a quantity of oak leaves sparingly mixed 
with a rather coarse grass, and lined with 
fine grass and one or two horse hairs. The 
ground color of the eggs are white, rather 
sparingly spotted and streaked with light 
purplish brown and a few dark purple 
specks. They are among the lightest col- 
| ored Warblers’ eggs. 

Not desiring the birds I let them live, and 
they chirped about me till I left. I Pageed 
the Hooded Warbler up carefully, thinking 
as I did so that death to him was fortune 
/to me in more than his own value. 

The Blue-winged Yellows were anxious 
birds about the middle of June, the young 
then being just out of their nests. They 
moult in July and become quiet.—fred. T. 
Jencks, Providence, R. 1. 


ad 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 8. 


Golden-crowned Kinglet. 


ITS NEST AND EGGS. 


In the OoLocisr for April, 1881, under 
the head of “Recent Publications,” you 
mention part No. VIII of Gentry’s “Illus 
trations of Nests and Eggs of Birds of the 
United States,” and refer particularly tu the 
nest and eggs of the Regulus satrapa which 
is figured in that work. 

Mr. Gentry says that the birds “ were not 
seen by Mr Merrill, yet by the pretty sure 
evidence of exclusion they cannot belong 
to any other species than the one under 
consideration.” “Weare at a loss to de- 
termine,”’ you say ‘the meaning of ‘evi- 
dence of exclusion’ in a connection where 
we are most interested.”’ 


‘ 


As the matter may be of some general 
interest to your readers, I would state that 
the eggs and nest under consideration were 
identified as Golden-crowned Kinglets by 
the late Dr. Thos. M. Brewer, after careful 
examination and, comparison with the eggs 
of the European species, and with eggs of 
Regulus calendula of this country. 

His grounds for this belief were fully 
given in the Bull. of the Nutt. Orn. Club 
for April, 1870, wherein he says: 

“My reasons for supposing the nest and 
eggs to belong to this species. are that this 
‘bird is a not uncommon summer resident 
in that neighborhood—i. e. Bangor, Me.;— 
that from their size and markings they can- 
not well belong to any other species; and 
because, while the egg so closely resembles 
those of #. cristatus—to which bird R. 
satrapa is also very closely allied—as to be 
hardly distinguishable from them, it is also 
essentially different from the egg of R. cal- 
endula, which more nearly resembles the 
eggs of #. tgnicapillus’’ He then givesa 
careful statement of his comparisons and 
examinations, which are of particular in- 
terest but cannot be quoted here. In a let- 
ter written to me on January 18th, 1879, he 
says: “I think ¢here can be no doubt that 
your eggs are those of &. satrapa;” and in 
other letters received from him he has spok- 


eee ee ee eee eee ae a a a, 


en of them as though unquestionably those 
of the bird mentioned. 

In the Boston Natural History Society’s 
proceedings for May, 1870, he speaks of 
this nest and eggs without a question of 
their correct identification. March 12th, 
1879, he wrote me: “I was in Washington 
a few days since. I staid in Prof. S. F 
Baird’s family. The professor wanted me 
to write to you to see if you would be will- 
ing to part with four eggs of your set of 
the R. satrapa’’ I merely mention this 
fact to show that Prof. Baird, as well as Dr. 
Brewer, was satisfied by the “evidence of 
exclusion ’’ that the eggs were those of the 
R. satrapa, and had perfect confidence in 
the correctness of the identification. - 

here has, perhaps, never been a gentle- 
man in our country whose opinions on 
Oological subjects were of more value than 
Dr. T. M. Brewer’s, and his decisions— 
based upon the evidence of exclusion— 
that this nest and eggs ‘‘cannot well be- 
long to any other species of bird than the 
Golden crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)” 
will be sure to be appreciated as it de- 
serves.—Harry Merrill, Bangor, Me. 

The nest of Golden-crowned Kinglets 
referred to was found in June, 1876, near 
this city—Bangor, Maine. I obtained the 
nest and eggs of the person who found them, 
but the bird was not secured. The nest 
was placed about six feet from the ground 
in amass of the “thick growth” found in 
our fir trees. - It contained zen eggs varying 
in dimensions from .52x.41 inches to .47X.39 
inches The ground color is white with 
shell marks of purplish slate and a few ob- 
scure superficial markings of deep buff, 
giving to the ground the effect of cream 
color. [This description is that given by 
Dr. Brewer, who examined them with a 
powerful magnifier.]| The nest was com- 
posed chiefly of moss, forming a mass 
about four and one-half inches in diameter. 
The opening was at the top, about one and 
one-half inches across and two inches deep. 
It was lined with hair and feathers. 


October, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


59 


Snow-bird 
NESTING IN NEW YORK STATE. 


On the 23d of last April, while out hunt- 
ing, I saw a bird with its mouth filled with 
grass alight on an old brush pile at a short 
distance from where I stood. I noticed it 
was a Junco hyemalis. 
the brush pile for some time, appearing to 
be uneasy about my presence, it dodged in- 
to a small hole on a hillside which was 
nearly concealed by some large leaves over- 
hanging it. 

The bird remained inside fone or five 
minutes when it came out very shyly, and 
flew some eight or ten rods away, where it 
was joined by its mate, when they both flew 
away. In about twenty minutes they ,re- 
turned, one having grass as when I first saw 
it; the other, which carried nothing, 
stopped at some distance from the nest. 
After going through about the same ma- 
noeuvres as before, they again flew away. 

On examination I found this hole to be 
about eight inches deep. At the mouth it 
was about three inches in diameter, but it 
was considerable larger at the back part. 
In this was deposited quite a quantity of 
dead grass. I visited the place again on 
the 25th, and found the nest completed but 
noeggs. From the 25th of April until the 
1st of May I found nothing to indicate 
that the bird had been near the nest since 
its completion, although I visited it daily. 

May ist, it contained one egg, and four 
on May 4th, but no other signs of the bird, 
and the eggs were cold. On May sth the 
eggs were warm, but no bird to be seen. 
On May 6th I found her on the nest, but 
she immediately flew away. On my taking 
the nest from the hole. she with her mate 
made their appearance, but kept at some 
distance away. On shooting the lighter 
colored one—which was the one that made 
the nest—I found it to be the female. The 
nest was composed of dead grass, which 
became of a finer quality from without in- 
ward, and very smoothly lined with hair. 
The nest measured internally one and 


After flitting about | 


three-fourths inches in diameter by one and 
one-half inches in depth. 

The fresh eggs are in ground color of a 
dirty white irregularly spotted over with two 
shades of lavender brown. At the larger 
end these spots become so numerous as to 
form one complete mass or blotch. In two 
examples these spots or blotches formed a 
complete ring about half way between the 
apex and the greater-diameter, while in the 
other two the entire end is covered over 
with these blotches, with here and there an 
irregular streak of dark brown. 

The eggs measured respectively, .75x.50, 
OG, 27 OX5 7," .0OX.20.— /. Aaa ke 
Tully, NV. Y. 


——— @+e ———- 


VIRGINIA RaiL.—Previous to the season 
of 1880 I supposed that the Rallus virgin- 
anus bred in fresh marshes only, such be- 
ing the statement made in every biography 
I had read. On the north end of She'ter 
Island is a small creek and at the head of 
which is a small marsh which is everflowed 
with salt water during easterly storms. 

On June 28th, 1880,'a small boy had oc- 
casion to cross this.marsh, and on going 
through a patch of tall coarse grass (known 
here as thatch grass) he flushed a Rail from 
her nest, which he left undisturbed. while 
he went for a companion with a gun, when 
they secured the female and her nest con- 
taining eight eggs, which were brought to 
me with the bird.’ I at once identified it as 
the Virginia Rail. The nest was merely a 
heap of dead marsh grass and a few leaves, 
all loosely put together. Incubation was 
well advanced in seven of the eggs, while 
one was fresh. 

Another brood must have been raised in 
the same marsh this year, as a young bird 
was caught near there. Would like to 
know if the nesting of this Rail in salt 
water marshes has been observed by others. 
—M. B. Griffing, Shelter Island. 


Subscriptions to the OoLocisT are always 
in order, but can only be taken for the 
current volume. 


[ Vol. 6—No 8. 


60 ORNITHOLOGIST 
ORNITHOLOGIST |e 
OOLOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, Editor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 


With the co operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION—$1.06 per annum. Foreign sub 
scription $1.25—including postage. Spect- 
men Copies Ten Cents. 


JOs. M. WADE, 


Norwich, Conn. 


Entered at Norwich P.O. as Second Class matter. 


EDITORIAL. 


John Krider’s Work. 


As our readers are well aware we have 
> been offering for sale a work by John Kri- 
der entitled, “‘ Forty Years’ Notes of a Field 
Ornithologist, &c.” Many copies of this 
work have gone into the hands of some of 
our best ornithologists, some of whom re- 
port that it contains many errors, but of this 
more hereafter. Our present object is to 
make one or two interesting quotations from 
the work. 

“Duck Hawk.—It is. well-known to all 
the duck-shooters along the flats of the Sus- 
quehanna River, as well also to those who 
frequent the sea-shore, where this bird is 
certain to be found during the ducking sea- 
son. I have found it also on several occa 
sions on the Delaware River, when I was 
rail shooting. | shot one specimen below 
the navy yard, also another on Jersey shore, 
both of which had been feeding on some 
farmer’s chickens I have often noticed 
the manceuvres of this voracious hero of 
the falcon tribe when in pursuit of ducks. 
On one occasion I was seated in a blind 
with my decoys in a pond in front of me, 
waiting for the approach of ducks, when at 
a distance I saw a small lot of ducks mak- 
_ ing for the pond. As they approached I 
discovered that they. were pursued by a 
Hawk, and as soon as they arrived at the 
edge of the pond they immediately dove 
under the water. The Hawk, somewhat 
disappointed, continued on his course tow- 
ard my decoys, making a quick dart and 


where the Ducks breed. 


catching one in his talons, but finding it 
heavier than he supposed soon 
dropped it, and was in a hurry to get off 
when the leaden messengers from my gun 
brought him down. This specimen is now 
in the Academy of Natural Science, of Phil- 
adelphia. I have frequently found this bird: 
along the sea-shore in spring, but never 
found it breeding in that neighborheod 
which has been so reported. Ido not con- 
sider it rare, but difficult to obtain. They 
vary much in size—the male is much small- 
er than the female, and the plumage of the 
adult bird different from that of the young. 
I have met this bird as far east as Maine, 
and as far west as Minnesota, along the 
Mississippi River, and have not been able 
myself to find its nest, but have the eggs in 
my collection which were found in the State 
of Maine. I also have the birds which 
were shot along the Delaware River below 
Philadelphia. 

“BaLD EacLe.—The Bald Eagle is very 
plenty along the coast of ‘Virginia, Dela- 
ware and New Jersey. It feeds on Ducks 
and fish. I have seen this bird sit on the 
meadows and watch the Fish-hawk catch 
a fish, when he would pursue the Hawk and 
make him drop his food, and before the 
fish could reach the water the Eagle would 
catch it and make for some secluded spot 
to feed upon it. I have also seen them 
chase crippled Ducks and make a meal of 
them: they frequent mostly the ducking 
grounds. I have seen them very plenty 
in the western states, and on the lakes 
I have found 
them breeding in New Jersey, near Bees- 
ley’s Point, also on the eastern shores of 
Maryland, and in Iowa and Minnesota, but 
have never found more than two eggs in a 
nest. The young in the fall plumage is 
without the white head and tail, and some- 
times is very dark, almost black, varying 
very much in size. I had one from Bees- 
ley’s Point that measured eight feet six 
inches from tip to tip; then I have had 
them that only measured five feet six inch- 
es. I have seen them in company with the 
Turkey Buzzard feeding on the carcasses 
of dead horses and other dead animals. 
They build their nests on high trees and 
cliffs—eggs four in number.” 


In this last article Mr. Krider states 
that he has “never found more than two 
eggs in anest,” and yet he coffcludes his ar- 
ticle by saying: “ They build their nests on 
high trees and cliffs—eggs four in number.” 


October, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


61 


The New Check List. 


The first edition of the new check list 
is exhausted, and the orders now being re- 
ceived are booked in rotation and will be 
promptly mailed as soon as the new edition, 
now in the hands of the printers, is received 


LARGE Sets oF Eccs.—W. Otto Emer- 
son reports taking sets of California Quails’ 
eggs this season of seventeen, and 
season of twenty-four. 

Belg! 

CHEWINK.—July roth, I found a nest of 
Pipilo erythrophalmus containing three tresh 
eggs, built at least three feet from the 
ground in a spice bush. Such is not com- 
mon I believe.—. W. Everman, Llooming- 
ton, Indiana. 


last 


CorrectTions.-—In the September num- 
ber, page 54, second column, seventeenth 
line from the bottom, punctually should 
read practically. Page 51, second column, 
Pine Grosbeaks should read Pine Goldfinch 
(Chrysomitris pinus.) 

————_ oe 

ALBINO’s.—While in the store of Chas. 
P. Goodale, Boston, we learned that Mr. 
John Morrow, of Newburyport, Mass., shot 
a Carolina Rail, the wings of which were 
pure white. Mr. C. H. Chandler, Cam- 
bridge, Mass., shot a little Blue Heron, 
pure white except the tips of the wings. 
This is the young of the little Blue Heron 
in its first plumage. As it was shot at Pine 
Point, Maine, and had been seen in the 
spring and summer, it would be interesting 
to know where the bird was bred. 


An Ecc WITHIN an Ecc.—We have 
received an egg from Mr. Fred. Cory, San- 
ta Paula, Cal., which contained another 
perfect egg inside about the size of an or- 
dinary hen’s egg. The outer shell was 
very large. Both shells were perfect, but 
unfortunately the contents had not been re- 
moved, and they were broken badly in the 
mails and could not be measured. If they 
had been properly prepared they would 
have been a valuable addition to our col- 
lection. 


Burrowing Owl—Continued. 
Speotyto cuntcularia hypogewa (Ridgwi.) 


I nad entirely forgotten to mention the 
locations of the burrows, how deep they 
were, &c. It was an oversight. The lo- 
cation Of course varied according to the 
nature of the country. At Fort LapwaiI 
generally found them occupying burrows 
on the hillsides with a southerly exposure. 
The burrows usually ran straight into the 
hill for three or four feet, and then curved 
to the right or left, more or less, from one to 
four feet to the chamber that contained the 
eggs. Some burrows were in the shape of 
a horseshoe, and the eggs were laid within 
a foot anda half of the entrance of the 
hole, but I had to dig probably ten feet to 
find this out. The chamber in which the 
eggs were laid is generally a little higher 
than the entrance hole, if in a side hill. 
Here at Walla Walla they generally breed 
in holes in the level ground. These bur- 
rows descend about two feet and then turn 
off in various directions The end of the 
hole being also a little higher than the bur- 
row after its direction is changed horizon- 
tally. I presume they sometimes get del- 
uged during heavy rains, but this does not 
often happen, as we have but little rain and 
seldom very heavy in April or May in this 
country when they are breeding. They are 
not gregarious but I have found two nests 
within one hundred yards of each other.— 
Capt. Chas. E. Bendire, U. S. A, 


An Encounter. 


While my sister was looking out of the 
window, she witnessed quite an encounter 
between a Blue Jay and a snake. The 
snake was about three feet long. The bird 
would pick at the snake’s eyes and then 
flutter away to return again and repeat the 
process—the snake retreating all the while. 
A running fight was kept up until the snake, 
finally, was glad to get away. My sister 
did not know what variety the snake was. 
—Gus. C. Spaeth, Mt. Carmel, Its. 


62 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


| Vol.. 6—No. 8. 


Blue Yellow-backed Warbler 


NESTING ON SHELTER ISLAND. 


I think most of the ornithological writers 
have been mistaken in naming the breed- 
ing range of the Parula americana. 

Minot saysin “-Land and Game Birds of 
N. E.,” page 416, “Very rare in summer 
so far south as Massachusetts. Maynard, 
in ‘“ Birds of Eastern North America,” 
says: “A few remain in southern New 
England to breed, but the majority spend 
the summer in the more northern section.” 
The Blue Yellow-backed Warbler breeds as 
abundantly in this town, if not more so, 
than in any part of Northern New Eng- 
land, as I have collected sixteen sets of 
their eggs, and seen fully as many more, 
within the past three years, and have at- 
tained a pretty accurate knowledge of their 
habits. ‘They arrive about the first of May 
and usually spend two or three weeks in 
mating before they begin to build. The 
nest is invariably built in a bunch of long 
green moss, and lined more or less with the 
same dun colored plant down that the Yel- 
low Warblers use for the same purpose, 
but the Blue Yellow-backs use it more spar- 
ingly. They sometimes weave one or two 
horse hairs and rarely a piece of fine grass 
into the nest; and these are the only mate- 
rials used on this island. 

The first nest that came to my notice was 
neither globular nor pensile, as they usually 
are, but completely open at the top like a 
Yellow Warbler’s, and placed in-a small ce- 
dar bush not three feet from the ground, on 
high land, being a very unusual position. 


The nest is usually placed in a bush or | 


small tree in swamps or swampy places, and 
usually about ten or twelve feet up. I have 
seen two nests. that were attached to the 
side of the trunks of large trees at the same 
height. The number of eggs laid is four 
and sometimes five. I found one nest 
that contained eight eggs, six of which are 
in my collection now, the other two having 
been broken in removing them from the 
nest. The nest is of the usual size, and 


the eggs were piled upon each other in two 
layers. They must have been laid by two 
females as part of them were addled. The 
nest is generally purse-shaped, with the en- 
trance at the side near the top, and differs 
in bulk according to the size of the bunch 
of moss in which it is built, and I believe 
that more moss is brought in some instan- 
ces to finish the nest. The Blue Yellow- 
backs breed commonly on Gardiner’s Isl- 
and, as I saw two nests there nearly ready 
for the eggs on May 17th, 1879, which is 
about two weeks earlier than they lay on 
Shelter Island. If collectors had known 


'the right place to look for the nests, they 
_would have been found long ago in greater 


numbers and further south than most writ- 
ers on the subject have led us to believe.— 
W. W. Worthington. 


Black-capped Yellow Warbler. 


ifS, NESTING. HABDTS; 


The beautiful little ALZyiodioctes pussillus 
arrives here about the twentieth of April 
the males coming about one week before 
the females. ‘They raise two broods each 
season The first nest I found was on May 
16th and the young had come to maturity 
and flown. ‘This nest was placed in a wild 
blackberry vine two and one-half feet from 
the ground, and in the very thickest part of 
the vine ‘The nest was composed of very 
fine dry grass, bits of moss and dead leaves, 
and lined with fine fibrous roots. The fe- 
male alone builds the nest, but the male can 
be seen following her around and singing 
to cheer her in the work: I can discover 
no difference between the song of this War- 
bler and that of the Yellow Warbler (Dez- 
I found another nest on 
June 15th containing a set of four eggs. In- 
cubation had begun. 
fresh, have a pinkish color like most of the 
Warblers. This effect is produced by the 
yelk showing through a transparent shell, 
When blown the ground color is white with 
fine reddish spots around the larger end. 
This nest was in blackberry vines eight feet. 


dreca estiva.) 


The eggs, when. 


- 


October, 1881. } 


AND OOLOGIST. 


63 


from the ground, on the bank cf a creek. 
The female was on the nest and did not 
cffer to leave until I got close to the nest. 
While taking the nest she flew around me 
and called her mate with a sharp note— 
peep, peep. ‘this nest, like the las: taken, 
was made of fine dry grass and bits of dead 
leaves, and lined with fire fibrous roots. 
Size of nest: cutside, three by four inches; 
inside, one and one-half by two inches. 
have taken two other nests, one on June 
21st, and one on June 25th, 180. Iam 
the only one who has found the nests here 


the past two seasons. ‘They are all through 


breeding and leave for the south about the | 


last of August.—W. Otto Em.rson, Cal. 


—9¢+e 


Pintail Duck. 
ITS NEST AND EGGS. 


The following is a description of a nest 
and set of eggs of this duck (Dajila acuta) 


collected in Will, Illinois, May roth, 1877. | 


The female was frightened from the nes; 
by my approach, otherwise I should not 


have found the nest, having passed and re- 


passed it several times on the previous day. 
It was built in a hummock of grass ina 
low wet pasture near a brook and several 
sloughes, was quite near to the road, and 
almost in the path used by children in go- 


| 


ing to and from school, and was first found | 
by one of them who informed me of the | 


fact : 

A hollow in the centre of the hummock 
was lined with dry grass. and weeds, form- 
ing the nest, which was thickly lined with 
down. I succeeded in getting the nest out 
whole and the dimensions below 
taken soon after reaching home: 

Depth, outside, four and one-half inches; 
depth, inside, three inches. Outside diam- 
eter, nine inches; inside diameter, five inch- 
es. The eggs were eleven in number, and 


were 


were nearly hatched,the embryos being with | 


difficulty extracted through a half inch hole, 
three being broken in cleaning. The eggs 
vary but little in size, the largest being 


25 16 x1 9-16 inches, and the smallest 2 3-16- | 


XI 9-16 inches, and 2 1-4x1 1-2. The col- 


or is a di:ty white with a tinge of greenish 
olive—at least that 1s the nearest I can come 
to describing it. 

The down in the nest seems to be placed 
on the sides, there being but little on the 
hottom. ‘The ducks are quite plenty in 
that vicinity during the spring and fall mi- 
grations —D. “4. Eaton, Woburn, Mass 
-e¢e 

SsOo0TING Birds wITH WATER.—Query: 
Ts it safe to shoot birds with water to get 


them without injuring them? Say put a 
small load of powder with cut wad and tal- 
low on it to keep the dampness from the 
powder. Then with water in a flask ready 
to pour in when needed to shoot with. Or 
is there any other fluid or liquid better 
adapted for the purpose. I use the word 
safe with regard to the person shooting — 
V. M. Firor, Charlestown, Va. 


ha See 

Say’s PEWEE (Sayornis say?) is not a 
handsome bird, being in many respects as 
Its drab 
color and loose feathers give it a poverty- 
stricken appearance, though the young ones 
are hands»yme enough. The female lays 
four white eggs, and sometimes hatches out 
two broods in a season. A _ pair of these 
birds have had a nest on the porch of the 
commanding officer’s quarters at Fort D. A. 
Russel, Wyoming, since the year 1875. 
Every season, early in April, a pair of Say’s 


homely as any in the mountains, 


| Pewees make their appearance, and flying 


about for a few days, commence making 
repairs on their nest, which is located on 
the top of one of the pillars. Never hav- 
ing been disturbed in any way, they are 


‘quite tame and attend to their business, 


paying very little attention to the human 
beings that sometimes swarm on the porch. 
The young ones, when they are able to fly 
a little, are the cutest little bunches of drab 
fluff that ever was seen. They have a con- 
fident look about them that is amusing, and 
in a few days learn how to catch their own 
flies and take care of themselves. In gen- 
eral appearance they are very much like the 
Arkansas Flycatcher —Co/ A. G. Brackett 
tn American Field. 


64 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


KINGBIRD AND KINGFISHER.—While I 
was walking along the shore of the Masha- 
paug pond, within the limits of Providence, 
sometime ago, I saw an interesting attack 
upon a Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) by 
a Kingbird ( Zyrannts carolinensis ) 


The Kingfisher had poised himself sever-- 


al times to look for fish, and was just mov 
ing to do so again as the Kingbird ap- 
proached and attacked him. The King- 
fisher is not a quarrelsome bird, and always 
minds his own business. He was entirely 
unprepared, and acted as though he could 
not believe that the other had any evil in- 
tentions, for he tried to poise again. The 
second attack seemed to undeceive him, 
and show him his enemy was in earnest. 
He va ilted and turned, vainly endeavoring 
to rid himself of his persecutor. He soon 
saw he could not save himself by flight and 
tried diving. As soon, however, as he ap- 
peared at the surface he attempted to fly, 
but the Kingbird, keeping up an incessant 
twittering, forced him to dive again. Two 
or three times this was repeated, both birds 
making considerable noise, until the King- 
fisher seemed convinced that escape in that 
direction was impossible, so he sat like a 
duck upon the surface, and as his persecut- 
or would swoop at him he would go under. 
This lasted some little time, until even the 
Kingbird seemed wearied and flew away. 
Then, after waiting a short time, the King- 
fisher flew in the opposite direction.-—Fred, 
T. Jencks, Providence, R. 1, 


KrntTucKy WARBLER.—My experience 
agrees with that of Mr. Jencks, except that 
my nests were found just where the differ 
ent stalks of a blackberry bush came out 
of the ground, and were supported by them, 
but not fastened to them. I noticed that 
the different eggs of a set varied a good 
deal in the color of the markings. In a 
set of three, the first was marked with a 
dark, rich, reddish brown. The third was 
of a neutral tint, while the second was in- 
termediate in color.—Ldgar A. Small, Ha- 
gerstown, Maryland. 


ing directly over the water. 


SPARROW-HAWK AND PLOVER.—While 
fishing with a friend at the foot of lake 
Snipsic, near Rockville, Conn., in the au- 
tumn of 1875, my attention was attracted 
by a number of Plovers feeding on the 
shore. They were taking their breakfast 
together, skittering back and forth at the 
edge of the water, calling “tweet, tweet.” 
I had just called my friend’s attention to 


them when a Sparrow-Hawk ( 7innunculus 


Sparverius) darted from the thick pine 
woods that come to within a few rods of 
the shore. The bird had evidently seen 
the Plovers before leaving the pines, as he 
came direct from the woods to where they 
were feeding. 
The Plovers, seeing their enemy ap- 
proach, flew in different directions, one go- 
The Hawk 
neither hesitated nor turned to the right or 
left, but selecting this one flew after it. 
The birds on the shore sounded their notes 
of alarm, while the pursued gave no cry, 
but seemed to bend all its powers in flight, 
keeping straight abead but dropping grad- 
ually to the water. So swiftly followed the 
Hawk, that at one hundred yards he had 
shortened the two rods to two feet, but at 
the very moment he threw forward his tal- 
ons to seize it the Plover turned and 


dropped under the water like a pebble that. 


had been thrown from above. So close was 
the Hawk that as he swooped away his 
breast almost touched the water. After 
what seemed to be a full minute the Plover 
came to the surface, sat upon the water a 
few minutes, and 
place from where it started. It was quickly 
joined by its companions, and all were soon 
as busily and quietly feeding on the shore 
as if nothing had happened.—Czarles A. 
Willis, Rockvitle, Conn. 

Peele Le 


Rare Birps.—Mr. O. E. Lake, of Tops-. 


field, Mass., shot a Yellow Rail recently.. 


Mr. C. H. Chandler, of Cambridge, shot a 
Curlew Sand piper at Pine Point, Maine, 
during the past summer. Mr. Goodate 
pronounces the above birds very rare in the 
localities where taken. 


[Vol. 6-No. 8. 


then flew back to the. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


- A Na 


OOLOGIST. 


$1.00 per JOSEPH M. WAnE, Editor and Papheher Single Copy, 
Annum. esaplished, To os 10 Cents. 
eas VI. NORWICH, aN: , NOVEMBER, 1881. NO. o. 


‘Prothesecey Warbler. 


Protonotarta cttrea. 


On my arrival at Wheatland, Indiana, 
April 18th, 1881, the Prothonotary Warbler 
_ was already there, but was noted that day 
for the first ime by Mr. Ridgway, who had 
preceded me a few days. It is found in 
swampy woods and about pond holes and 
sloughs in the bottoms. [In such places they 
are abundant if decayed stumps, in which 
they breed, are plentiful. They make their 
presence known by their tsh, tsh, tsh, tsh, 
delivered evenly and rather quickly, much 
like the first two or three notes of the Nash- 
ville Warbler’s song. They sing as much 
while the female is sitting, and when they 
have young, as before. The call note is a 
sharp chip and this is sometimes repeated 
quickly a number of times, in this latter re- 
spect they are like the Golden Crowned 
Thrush; it also has a pretty warble which 
is delivered while flying. 

It is rather deliberate in its motions, but 
likes to roam from place to place, not stay 
ing long anywhere. ‘This is perhaps more 
prominently noticeable on account of being 
unable to approach it quickly, as one has 
usually to wade through water. Some indi- 
viduals appear quite shy and lead the col- 
lector a long chase 

For several days I much doubted whether 
they were ever found away from over water. 
This may not seem strange when I state that 
the fifteenth bird shot was the first obtained 
dry. The locality of the nest is betrayed 
by the song. If there are no old stumps 
standing in water then it will usually be 
found close by 
which is a very appropriate name, has a 


The ‘Stump Yellow Bird,’’ | 


ee ai bill, with which it excavates a 
socket in a stump so rotten as to be about 
as soft as‘punk. The hole is not particu- 
larly ROUND and usually not over four or 
six inches deep. It is filled with a green 
moss to within about two inches of the en- 
trance. The nests varied in height from 
four to twenty feet from the ground, but 
usually six or eight. When a nest is found 
within reach the eggs can easily be touched 
by putting the first and second fingers in 
the hole and a slight pull will leave the 
whole spread to view so rotten is the stump 
selected by them. 

On one occasion not being able to reach 
the nest, I rocked the stump, and sprang 
and grasped the top while falling, and it 
broke midway thus leaving the portion con- 
taining the nest in my arms. There proved 
to be young in this nest, and I leaned the 
stump against a fallen log about fifteen 
yards away. Though the height of the 
nest was reduced from ten feet to two, yet 
on returning several hours later the female 
was feeding the young. The eggs are 
four to six in number. They have the 
gloss of a Woodpecker’s, and are among the 
largest of the warblers, except the Chats 
and watbling Thrushes. They look like 
miniature Meadow Larks, except that they 
are marked about twice as heavy as the 
darkest of that species. 

The Prothonotary is second to none in 
beauty. I usually found the finest colored 
‘specimens, prebably the older birds, around 
small secluded pools, only one pair toa place. 
Two specimens obtained having red feath- 
ers; the first had ared stripe across the 
forehead. The second, probably the finest 
ever taken in this respect, had feathers 


66 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 9. 


about the color of those of the Summer Red | I got a set of white eggs. When fresh they 
Bird, sprinkled sparingly on the cheeks and | had the rosy characteristic of Wood-peck.- 


throat, and extending as far as the middle of 
the breast. These, and two in Mr. Ridg- 
way’s possession, are all I ever saw or heard 
of that were so strongly marked.—Fred. 7. 
Jencks, Providence, R / 


eee - 


Notes from Maryland. 


ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS are quite 
common in this county, building their nests 
in the masonry of bridges and mills over 
water courses. ‘Uheir nests are especially 
common along the Antietam Crvek. ‘They 
generally breed in single pairs or at most 
not more than three or four pairs at one 
bridge or other locality. 

A Snowy Owt was brought tome, Janu- 
ary tst, 1881, alive, but it died from unknown 
causes a few minutes after I got it. It had 
been shot in the wing about three weeks be- 
fore, at a point nine miles west of Hagers- 
town. It was a male and was nearly white. 
Thisis the fourth or fifth specimen killed in 
this county during the past five years. 

VHE TurreD TITMOUSE is a common 
resident in this locality, nesting in natu 
ral cavities in trees, nearly always in an or: 
chard, and generally rather lowdown Last 
spring a pair stayed about a box in the yard 
for a week, and seemed almost decided to 
build, as I hoped they would, but finally 
left for other quarters. 
eggs seem to be six. ‘The nests are loosely 
made of hair, wool, feathers, &c. 

RAVENS are occasionally shot in the wild- 
er portions of this county and they proba- 
bly breed along the Potomac River in the 
slate hills region. 


‘The usual set of 


PILEATED WOOD-PECKERS are not un 
common in the heavy lumber lands. 

BLueE Birps.—Has any one noticed a 
scarcity of Blue Birds the past season? 
They wintered here in larger numbers than 
I ever knew them to do, but began to dis- 
appear in January and February, and I only 
found about four nests this season Could 
the birds have been killed by the severe 
cold of last winter? From one of the nests 


er’s, but on being blown the white assumed 
a slight blueish tint. 

CHAPARRAL Cock.—In the March O, 
and O., Mr. B. W. Everman writes that he 
never found more than two eggs in the nest — 
ot this bird, and that it would seem that two 
eggs is the usual clutch. I have a set of 
four eggs, nearly fresh, from Eagle Pass, 
Texas, and I had sent tome aset of five fresh 
eggs from the same place, but three of them 
were broken in the mails.—Zdgar A. Small, 
Hagerstown, Ma. 


Small-billed Water Thrush. 


May 3oth, «881, while collecting in a 
swamp on the north bank of the Seneca Riv- 
er, Onondago County, N. Y , I found a nest 
of the Small-billed Water Thrush (Szurus 
nevius), Coues, containing one egg and three 
young birds. I was about a hundred yards 
from the edge of the swamp and looking for 
an oid hawk’s nest, when the bird flew out 
from under the roots of a tree near by. Af- 


| ter a careful search I found the nest un- 


der a projecting root and so well concealed 
by overhanging rootlets that it could not be 
seen until the eye was nearly on a level with 
it. Itnearly filled the cavity and was made 
chiefly of moss and leaves lined with fine 
rootlets Inside, the dimensions were about 
two and a half inches across by two deep. 


' The outside measurement could not well be 


taken as it was built of material very similar 
to what surrounded it. I took the egg and 
shot the female so that there might be no 
mistake, but left the nest and young, hoping 
that the male would care forthem. The egg 
was addled but contained no embryo, so I 
succeeded in blowing it and have it now in 
my collection. It measures .75 inch by .56 
inch. ‘The ground color is white, speckled 
sparingly at the smaller end and very thick- 
ly on the larger with shades varying from 
lilac to dark brown. Next spring I shall 
make a careful search for another nest and if 
successful will give you a more complete de- 
scription.— 7, K. Barnum, Syracuse, N. Y. 


a A eT amo a Stowe 
pie a (ois 


November, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


67 


Notes from Denver, Colorado. 


. June issue, number four, of your journal 
came yesterday. I was somewhat amused 
at your criticism on ‘‘Gentry’s Birds, Nests 
and Eges of the United States,” for I had 
just received an epistle from the Hon. J. A. 
Wagensellar telling me how his finer feelings 
were hurt on account of my growling about 
the text of his publication. For my part 
I do not see anything unjust in your criti- 
cism. I noticed an article by J. F. Rath- 
bun, of Auburn, N. Y., concerning the 
Yellow- bellied Wood-pecker (S. varius ) 
In reply to his query I would say that I 
took several sets of eggs of that bird while 
I was in Oswego, N.Y. In 1877 I took 
one set from these birds, and in 1878 it 
nested in the same tree, digging a hole 
higher up in the same limb. It is very 
plenty there during migration, but breeds 
rather sparingly. 

The latter part of last June I visited 
Manitou and its immediate locality. While 
gazing at the gigantic rocks that tower 
toward the skies, in the Garden of the 
Gods, I noticed hundreds of Violet-green 
Swallows (7. ¢halassinZ) and several Rock 
Swifts (P. saxatilis) soaring at a considera- 
ble height above my head. Upon a closer 
eXamination I noticed that nearly every 
crevice in the rocks was occupied by their 
nests, though none were accessible. Judg- 
ing from the litter on the outside of the 
rocks near their nests, and the lateness of 
the season, I concluded that they all con- 
tained young birds.—D. D. Stone. 


Or @- 


Notes from Syracuse, N. Y. 


May 25th, £881, while climbing up a 
sapling to a Wood Thrush’s nest, the fe- 
male darted at me and hit me quite forcibly 
on the head. I afterward found that the 
eggs were not much incubated. 

July 15th, 1881, while out shooting on 
Nant»cket Isiand, I found a fresh Barn 
Swallow’s egg on the bare ground, among 
the long grass of a hay field.—A/. KX. Bar- 
num, Syracuse, NV. Y. 


Chipping Sparrows 
FEEDING ON CABBAGE WORMS. 


The season for ornithological develop- 
ment is passed. I have noticed fewer 
young birds this summer than usual, but 
I have made one valuable discovery. It is 
that the Chipping Sparrow (Spizella socials) 
is a devourer of the cabbage worm. I no- 
ticed a pair which were doubtless feeding 
on a brood in my garden yesterday, and 
previous to that going from cabbage to cab- 
bage in search of the green worm; and I 
had the satisfaction of seeing the worm in 
the beak of the bird, and then to see it fly 
off to where its nest was filled with birds. 
This may not be a new discovery but only 
new tome. But it is a demonstrated fact 
of which I am glad.— V. MZ. Firor. 

READ 


Yellow-headed Blackbird. 


On the twenty-fourth of last August, 
while collecting in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 
I shot a somewhat peculiar specimen of the 
Xanthocephalus icterocephalus, of which the 
following is a description: Length, 10.7 
inches; stretch of wings, 12.50 inches; off 
wing, 4.47 inches; Tail, 4 19 inches; tar- 
sus, 1.59 inches; bill, .81 inch; color of 
eyes, dark; tarsi, black; bill, black. 

From the right side of the head, about 
1-4 inch behind the eye, extends one white 
feather, said feather being tipped with 
black. It extends out from the head .82 
of an inch by actual measurement The 
yellow is of a bright orange shade, except 
on the top of the head, and.on the top and 
sides of the neck where it is very thickly 
intermixed with bkgck, giving one the idea 
that itis a female. But, furthermore, it is 
not of the rusty black, which almost invari- 
ably denotes the female, but it is of a beau- 
tiful clear black. It also has the white on 
the wings, and very conspicuously — too, 
which a female is said never to possess. 
The sexual organs were badly disintegrat- 
ed by the shot, so that I was unable to def- 
initely ascertain the sex, but from what 
parts I could see, | thought it to be a fe- 
male.—Geo. L. Tappan, Chicago. 


68 


ORNIT HOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 9. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 
OOLOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, Editor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 


With the co operation of abie Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION—$1.00 per annum. Forcign sub 
scription $1.25—ineluding postage. Spect- 
men Copies Ten Cents. 


JOS, UM. WADE, 


Norwich, Conn. 


Entered at Norwich P.O. as Second Class matter. 


EDITORIAL. 


Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 


This bird was brought to us with a mate, 
both naked, the last of July, 1878. He was 
named Jack, after a pet Blue Jay that was a 
comical genius, and Jack certainly has not 
been a whit behind his namesake. We often 
wish we had kept a careful record of his pro- 
gress and doings, and we now wish we were 
able to describe Jack’s life for the benefit 
of our readers, but as that is not our forte we 
will simply give a synopsis of Jack’s growth 
and doings. From an error in feeding, the 
younger of the two svon died, when bread 
and milk was substituted, on which Jack did 
well. A young lady was spending a few 
weeks at my house and she devoted almost 
her entire time in raising and caring for 
Jack. He was well fed and often taken out 
on the lawn and allowed to pick and ramble 
in the grass. Several times he got into the 
fountain to bathe, but was helped out and 
saved from drowning. He soon got so that 
he would recognize no one but the lady 
who cared so well for him; and when on the 
floor, and still naked, he would sing a little 
complete song for her at any time when 
asked to do so. This lady remained with 
Jack about five weeks, when she left him 
with much regret. She returned again the 
following January when the bird immediate- 
ly recognized her. Once her visits were a 


year apart but even then he did not forget 
her; and when the lady visited my house 
the present summer, in the city of Norwich, 
Jack bounded across his cage and with de- 
light welcomed her back again. This is 
the more strange as he never made the ac- 
quaintance of but two persons. He cares 
nothing for the writer although he has been 
with him daily from his birth, and fed him 
fruit, &c. It is often wondered how birds 
migrate and return again in the spring, but 
when this bird’s memory is taken into con- 
sideration the wonder is not so great. 

He got his first feathers during the months 
of August and September, 1878. They were 
those of the female except the breast, and the 
first feathers there were rose colored, inter- 
mixed with brown feathers as in the female. 
His first wing and tail feathers were brittle 
and all broke out during the winter. 

He made a complete shedding during 
February and March following 1879, when 
his tail and wing feathers again all broke out 
and he commenced his full song in April, 
and stopped as soon as the breeding season 
was over and was perfectly silent until the 
following spring. He did not moult this 
fall, 1879, until September and his feathers 
remained unbroken. He had no sooner got 
through this moult than his spring moult 
commenced, and by February 5th, 1881, he 
commenced his song. 

When first caged he had an Indigo bird 
for a mate, and he has never forgot his song 
and often sings it distinct from his own. 
He also sings the entire notes of a Canary 
which I used to own. The present summer 
a pair of Wrens took up their quarters for a 
week or two near his cage. He was de- 
lighted with their company and tried to im- 
itate their notes. His first spring notes are 
not full, but as the breeding season arrives 
his notes are full and remarkably sweet. 
He will then sing for hours without an in- 
termission. ‘[hose who have only heard 
this bird in its wild state can form no idea 
of the power of its song when well cared for 
in confinement. No Mocking-bird ever cre- 
ated the amount of interest this bird has 


AND OOLOGIST. 


69 


November, 1881. | 


the past two seasons. The most indifferent 
people would stop and listen to him. 

The school boys:would stop and try hard 
to imitate him, and some with good success. 
One bright little girl said to another, “I 
know what he says” “Why, what is it?” 
“T’ve lost my pencil at school; I’ve lost 
my pencil at school.” “Yes, but there is 
something else,” the other one replied. 
“Oh, yes, I know: ‘ Teacher, I’ve lost my 
pencil at school; teacher, I’ve lost my pen- 
cil at school.’ And that perfectly de- 
scribes his leading note when properly sung. 
He shed his feathers during July and Au- 
gust, 1880, when his song ceased until the 
spring of 1881. He again moulted in No- 
vember and December, 1880, and com- 
menced to sirg on January rst, 1881, gain- 
ing in volume until the arrival of his kin- 
dred in the spring, when his song was in- 
cessant, and had it not been so tull of sweet- 
ness would have been unbearable As it 
was, hardly a person passed the house that 
did not stop, and very many made bold to 
introduce themselves to inquire about that 
wonderfu) bird. And yet it was but a 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a native of our 
New England woods. 

This summer Jack moulted in June and 
July, and continued to sing until the pres- 
ent time, October 2d, but his full, sweet 
notes are only sung during the breeding 
season. At other times he occasionally 
breaks out in full song, but more fre- 
quently imitates the Canary or Indigo birds. 

He will answer at any hour of the night 
if spoken to by the lady who cares for him. 
He will play hide and seek with her as well 
as aschool girl could. When the first fruits 
of the season are given him it is laughable 
to see his rediculous antics. If we were 
capable of describing Jack’s life history, our 
readers would hardly credit it. But then we 
must remember that no baby was ever bet- 
ter cared forthan Jack. He gets a little of 
everything, and no human being could bet- 
ter know when griddle cakes are being pre- 
pared than does Jack, and for three years 
he has never been forgotten. 


Osprey Eagle—Inland. 


During the month of September the Os- 
prey seems,to entirely desert its breeding 
haunts and ascends the various rivers, even 
to their head waters, where the streams 
are both narrow and shallow, and here also 
they seem to pursue a different method of 
securing their prey. Mr. Freeman, agent 
of the Totoket Cotton Mills, at Occum, 
Conn., while looking out of an upper win- 
dow of the mill, observed an Osprey Eagle 
settle down on the shallow water and with 
its claws extended, without diving, secure 
a fish of good size and fly over the meadow. 
The fish struggled so hard that the Osprey 
let it drop, and immediately descended and 
with extended claws picked ‘it up without 
alighting, and again flying to a great height 
let it drop, and once more picked it up in 
the same way. The second time it was 
picked up the fish ceased to struggle, when 
the Osprey sailed off to the woods to make 
a quiet meal off his victim. Mr Freeman 
had a good view of the bird’s movements, 
and is of the opinion that the fish was a 
pickerel, and was let drop on the meadow 
designedly by the Eagle to kill it, as it 
could plainly be seen to struggle both in 


| the talons of the bird, and while on the 


meadow the first time it was dropped. 
This is not an isolated case tor Mr. Free- 
man had once before seen an Osprey take 
a fish in the same way and drop it onthe 
meadow and descend and pick it up in the 
manner described above. 
ee et 

ARRIVALS.—Chas. W. Gunn, Grand Rap- 
ids, Michigan, reports the arrival at that 
place of a flock of Titlarks on October 18th. 
A Snowy Owt was brought to Mr. Gunn 
on the same date by Mr. O. Dennis. Mr. 
Gunn also states that “the earliest previ- 
ous date of arrival for this Owl, for Kent 
County, during a period of eight years, is 
November 5th, 1880.” 

pet 

The ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOGIST is 
waiting to be taken by about twenty five 
more subscribers for 188t. 


70 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


| Vol. 6—No. 9. 


Suicide of Gov. Lewis. 


We are indebted to the immortal WILSON 
for the following touching description of 
the death of Lewis, of the ever memorable 
expedition of Lewis & CrLarK across the 
American continent to the Pacific, during 
which so many new birds were discovered. 
It is extracted from a letter written by Al- 
ex. Wilson, and addressed to Miss Sarah 
Miller, Philadelphia, Pa., and dated at 
Natchez, Miss. Territory, May 18, 1810. 

“Next morning, Sunday, I rode six miles 
to see a man of the name of Grinder, where 
our poor friend Lewis perished.* In the 
same room where he expired I took down, 
from Mrs. Grinder, the particulars of that 
melancholy event, which affected me ex- 
tremely. This house or cabin is seventy-two 
miles from Nashville, and was the last white 
man’s cabin as we entered the Indian 
country. Governor Lewis, she said, came 
hither about sunset alone, and inquired if 
he could stay for the night, and, alighting, 
brought the saddle into the house. He was 
dressed in a loose gown, white, striped with 
blue. On being asked if he came alone, he 
replied that there were two servants behind 
who would soonbe up. He called for some 
spirits, and drank a very little. When the 
servants arrived, one of whom was a negro, 
he inquired for his powder, saying he was 
sure he had some ina canister. The ser- 
vant gave no distinct reply, and Lewis in the 
meanwhile walked backwards and forwards 
before the door, talking to himself. Some- 
times, she’said, he would seem as if he were 
walking up to her, and would suddenly 
wheel round, and walk back as fast as he 
could. Supper being ready he sat down, 
but had eaten only a few mouthfuls when he 
started up, speaking to himself in a violent 
manner. At these times, she says, she ob- 
served his face to flush as if it had come on 
him ina fit. He lighted his pipe, and draw- 
ing a chair to the door sat down, saying to 


Mrs. Grinder, in a kind tone of voice, ‘Mad. 
am, this is a very pleasant evening.’ He 
smoked for some time, but quitted his seat 
and traversed the yard as before. He 
again sat down to his pipe, seemed again 
composed, and casting his eyes wistfully 
towards the west, observed what a sweet eve- 
ning itwas. Mrs. Grinder was preparing a 
bed for him, but he said he would sleep on 
the floor, and desired the servant to bring 
the bear-skins and buffalo robe, which were 
immediately spread out for him; and it be- 
ing now dusk, the woman went off to the 
kitchen, and the two men to the barn, which 
stands about two hundred yards off. The 
kitchen is only a few paces from the room 
where Lewis was, and the woman being con- 
siderably alarmed by the behavior of her 
guest could not sleep, but listened to him 
walking backwards and forwards she thinks 
for several hours, and talking aloud, as she 
said, like a lawyer. She then heard the 
report of a pistol, and something fall heavi- 
ly on the floor, and the words, ‘O Lord!’ 
“Immediately atterwards she heard anoth- 
er pistol shot, and in a few minutes she 
heard him at her door calling out, ‘O mad- 
am ! give me some water, and heal my 
wounds.’ The logs being open, and un- 
plastered, she saw him stagger back and fall 
against a stump that stands between the 
kitchen and room. He crawled for some 
distance, and raised himself by the side of a 
tree, where he sat about a minute. He 
once more got to the room; afterwards he 
came to the kitchen door, but did not speak. 
She then heard him scraping the butket with 
a gourd for water, but it appeared that this 
cooling element was denied the dying man. 
“As soon as day broke and not before—the 
terror of the woman having permitted him 
to remain for two hours in this most deplor-. 
able situation—she sent two of her children 
to the barn, her husband not being at 
home, to bring the servants, and on going 


*It is hardly necessary to state, that this was the brave and enterprising traveller, whose jour” 
ney across the Rocky Mountains, to the Pacific Ocean, has obtained for him well-merited celebrity- 
The trae cause of him committing the rash deed, so feelingly detailed above, is not yet known to 
the public; but his friends will not soon forget the base imputations and crue] neglect, which the 
honourable mind of the gallant soldier knew not how to brook. — Ord. 


November, 1881. | 


“AND OOLOGIST. 


71 


in they found him lying on the bed; he un- 
covered his side, and showed them where 
the bullet had entered; a piece of the fore- 
head was blown off, and had exposed the 
brains, without having bled much. He 
begged they would take his rifle and blow 
out his brains, and he would give them all 
the money he had in his trunk. He often 
said, ‘I am no coward; but I am so strong, 
so hard to die.’ 

“ He begged the servant not to be afraid 
of him for that he would not hurt him. He 
expired in about two hours, just as the sun 
rose above the trees. He lies buried close 
by the common path, with a few loose rails 
thrown over his grave. I gave Grinder mon- 
ey to put a post fence round it to shelter it 
from the hogs and from the wolves; and he 
gave me his written promise he would do it. 

“T left this place in a very melancholy 
mood, which was not much allayed by the 
prospect of the gloomy and savage wilder- 
ness which I was just entering alone.”’ 


Notes from Maine. 


In the ORNITHOLOGIST for September I 
noticed an article by M. H., from Camden, 
entitled, ““Notes from Maine.” From in- 
dications in the article I am led to believe 
that M. H. lives in the very near vicinity 
of Bangor, and hence his observations 
would be largely made in this portion of 
our State. As several statements therein 
made do not accord with the observations 
of myself, or of other field workers in this 
vicinity, I would like to present a few notes 
on points mentioned. 

M.H. says: “For ten years at least I 
have not seen a common House Wren, al- 
though formerly very abundant. Ican find 
no one who remembers havi~ g seen one for 
years.” House Wrens built in a house pro- 
vided for their accommodation in my gar- 
den for a series of years, to, and including 
1879, in which year I took the nest and 
eggs, and removed the house. Had I not 
taken away their abiding place I should ex- 
pect them to still resort to their old home. 
This case was not exceptional, as I knew 


of other pairs breeding in different parts of 
the city at the same time, and my personal 
observations are of course limited. 

The House Sparrow, European, he says, 
“has visited us in winter for the last two 
years, but have never seen any after March. 
They have come and gone at about the 
same dates as the Snow Bunting.”” I would 
mention that this year they did not disap- 
pear in March. I have seen them contin- 
ually through the past summer, and have 
seen them feeding their young on the streets 
of our city—showing they bred here the 
past season. To-day, October 18th, I saw 
a flock of a dozen or more. 

Hawks, in my opinion, are not so un- 
common as might be inferred from M. H.’s ° 
remarks. Undoubtedly they are more nu- 
merous in other localities, and their nests 
are not often met with here—I found but 
one the past season, exclusive of Fish 
Hawks’, of which I took several. This 
may probably be explained by the fact that 
suitable localities for breeding are so nu- 
merous that the chances for finding their 
nests are correspondingly small. 

Nearly every time I am out gunning, par- 
ticularly in the fall, I see one or more, and 
during the past year I have obtained seven 
different species in this immediate vicinity, 
viz: Sparrow, Pigeon, Marsh, Sharp-shinned, 
Red-shouldered, Fish, and Goshawk. 

Sandpipers are frequently seen to dive 
and swim under water as described by M. 
H. Ihave often seen it and have had oth- 
ers speak of being witnesses of their nat- 
atorial abilities. The past summer I saw 
a young Spotted Sandpiper—in the down-— 
on being chased by a dog take to the water 
and keep away from its pursuer by div- 
ing and swimming under water, using its 
wings for propellers. This was kept up for 
fully fifteen minutes, till the little swimmer 
had baffled his pursuer. 

Blue-birds are quite common with us at 
present, having, as M. H. says, increased in 
numbers of late years. Thoreau, in “Maine 
Woods,” mentions it as a remarkable fact 
that while the Blue-bird is common in most 
parts of Maine, it is unknown in the vicini 
ty of Bangor. This, however, is no longer 
true— Harry Merrill, Bangor, Maine. 


72 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6—No. 9. 


Hooded Warbler. 


Myiodioctes mitratus. 


This beautiful warbler is one of the live- 
liest of the family. It does not seem to be 


particularly shy, but extremely restless. | 


Instead of making flights from branch to 
branch in pursuit of its prey, which it catch- 
es on the wing, it goes from tree to tree, and 
is rarely still. While following it by its 
song, it is heard first here, and then there, 
and I have fullowed one hither and thither 
for fifteen or twenty minutes, at least, with- 
out catching a glimpse of it, and then if it 
chanced to stop singing it must be given 
up. They would be very difficult to ob- 
. tain were it not for their warble, which to 
me is among the sweetest of bird-notes. It 
usually consists of two or three notes, some- 
times more and is delivered quickly in very 
clear, sweet tones. They seldom go above 
the lower limbs, and are often in bushes 
and on sticks close to the ground—the mat 

ter of a perch being the same to them as 
to the Flycatchers. 

The localities best liked in this section 
are the densest buttoms, and Mr. Ridgway 
says they prefer sections where there is 
cane. Certain it is that they are plentiful 
opposite Mt. Carmel, in Indiana, where 
cane grows, but they are also common 
where there is none. This bird has to an 
ornithologist more than ordinary charms. 

Its difficulty of capture, song and beauty, 
' the black and yellow of the head showing 
up so beautifully amidst the foliage, gives 
it few rivals. 

The males and females arrived about the 
same time during the last week in April, 
and began to build two or three weeks la- 
ter. ‘the three nests which I found were 
all in bushes, about two and a half feet 
from the ground, composed outwardly of 
leaves and bark, inside of which 
bark and stems, and lined with hair. | 

But one nest had eggs, and this the fe- 
male left so quietly that I did not see her 
and had to sit fora short time and await 
herreturn. On her beginning to chirp, the 


is fine 


mate put in an appearance, anxious, also. _ 
The eggs were four in number and a cow | 
bird’s. They were partly incubated. The 
eggs of this species are subject to great va- 
riation, but several sets in my possession 
more nearly resemble the Maryland Yellow- 
throat, in both size and markings, than 
any other. 


-—_0eo—___—__ 


Red-headed Woodpeckers 
IN SOUTHERN CONN. 


The most noticeable bird movement re- 
cently here is the recurrence of the Red- 
headed Woodpeckers, which are here in old 
oak groves in great numbers, something 
which has not before occurred since 1872, 
when they abounded in the same places.’ 
They came as before in September, and are 
mostly the young of the year without the 
red head. They make the grove resound 
with which resembles the 
Tree-toad’s song, and their rapping on the 
branches, dashing from one tree to another 
and to the ground, and again in the tree- 
top chasing each other with varied manceu- 
vres, making a very pretty sight, with their 
bright tricolor, red, black and white, make 
Flying out among 
the leaves they seize an acorn in their 
beaks and taking it to some suitable place 
they secure it in a crotch or crack in a 
dead branch and hammer it with their 
beaks till they break the shell and secure 
the contents, which they swallow piecemeal. 
I hope they will tarry as they did on the 
former occasion, through the winter, and 
some tarried and nested here in the spring. 
Besides these two occasions I have never 
observed them here except single speci- 
mens on their migration, and then very 
rarely. I know there are places where the 
bird is an abundant summer resident, but 
I always understood not in any part of 
New England, and it is an_ interesting 
question with me, whence these sudden in- 
fluxes came and what vagaries caused them? 
—J. N. Clark, Saybrook, Conn. 


—_——_ 


Southwick & Jencks’ new catalogue is out. 


their chatter 


them very conspicuous. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


— Ae 


OOLOGIST. 


JosEPH M. Wapks, Editor and Publisher. 


Single Copy, 


$1.00 per 
Annum. Established, March, 1875 10 Cents. 
VOL. VI. DECEMBER, 1881. NO; Tro. 


NORWICH, CONN., 


Cooper’s Hawk. 


Before transcribing my notes on the 
breeding habits of the vivacious little Sharp- 
shinned Hawk, we must pay our compli- 
ments to its larger congener. Indeed 
through the season it forces itself upon our 
notice in so many ways, and with such per- 
sistence, that we are obliged to respect its 
prior claims. When we go into the leafless 
woods, during the first week in April, for 
our earliest set of Buteos, the Cooper’s 
Hawks are already paired and apparently 
ready to begin housekeeping. They feign 
alarm at our approach to the old haunts, and 
following us, scold us well as we go from 
nest to nest. But as usual with the sex 
when house-hunting, the females are capri- 
cious and not easily suited. The old home, 
though in good repair, is perhaps in a 
neighborhood where callers are too free, 
and ample time must be taken to choose a 
new tenement. 

Then again, about the twenty-fifth of 
April, when we once more climb to our 
Buteos, hoping for a second clutch, we are 
surprised to find the first egg of a Cooper 
which has taken possession of this ready- 
furnished abode. The second week in May 

‘they are breeding commonly, and by the 
first of June they are so abundant here as 
to outnumber all the other Raptores. They 
will breed in old nests in the same low sit- 
uations in hemlocks and young pines as the 
Sharp-shinned Hawk, but they frequent as 
well the tall deciduous woods, and I have 


taken eggs from dizzy heights on outlying | 


prongs, away above the loftiest forks of the 
Buteos. Very rarely A. Cooperi selects a 
new and unused site, but as a rule old nests 


are used, and often on a pile of rubbish in 
a crotch they will rear a very large super- 
structure. Ifthe forks of the tree go up a 


little way without divergence, the pair will 


work for weeks and raise the nest three or 
four feet until it is bulkier than the home of 
any of our local rapaciae except the Fish- 
hawk. I know to-day where there are three 
such old Cooper’s nests which are piled so 
high with brush that standing on a level 
with the bottom of the nests it is difficult 
for a climber to reach inside. The males 
assist at intervals in bringing sticks, and 


unite with their mates in scolding any wit- 


ness of their house-raising. 

The fecundity of this Hawk, under the 
peculiar persuasion of the oologist, is not so 
great as its small congener’s, yet it will lay 
three clutches each year in as many nests 
if the first and second sets are taken. Five 
eggs is the usual clutch, though I have seen 
four eggs incubated many times, and have 
taken an extreme clutch of six. The first 
egg laid is usually pale blue, the rest of the 
nest complement is lighter, and the eggs as 
a whole fade as incubation progresses. 
Two weeks are occupied in laying, and at 
the end of one week's incubation the eggs 
can be easily blown. Sets with markings 
are not rare; but the pigment 1s used spar- 
ingly, so as a rule a fair series of these eggs 
present few changes and are unattractive. 
I can believe that for one acquainted with 
our New London County woods, and all 
the old Crows’ and Hawks’ nests here, it 
would not be a hard task to secure a half 
bushel of these accipitrine eggs every sea- 
son. (For the benefit of those incredu-, 
lous collectors who do not live where Hawks 
breed freely, and who cannot realize esti- 


74 


ORNIT HOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 10. 


mating eggs by dry measure, I will add that 
at the right time in May, with a good horse 
and two expert climbers, I will agree to get 
a bushel of Crows’ eggs near here in one 
day.) 

From the long appearance of the females 
tail of this species, shown when covering 
their eggs, and when sailing over low patch- 
es of woods. these Hawks are called here 
by the farmers, Long-tailed Hawks and Pri- 
vateers. But the most appropriate country 
name 1s Chicken Hawk. 

Coopers are the most deadly scourge in 
country farmyards. While the Buteos give 
warning of their whereabouts by soaring 


? 


far overhead for hours and sometimes days 
before dropping among the young poultry, 
the dreaded Accipiters, sailing very low, 
will suddenly start over a wall and be off 
with a chicken without notice. The old 
domestic cocks and Guinea fowl will see a 
Buteo when but a speck in the sky, and on 
a too near approach to earth of the com- 
mon enemy sound an alarm which sends all 
the timid ones to cover. But even after 
repeated raids of the Cooper, his advance 
is so unheralded, and his dash so quick, that 
he gets off scot free, even though the farm- 
er stands in his doorway with gun in hand. 
Many atime has a countryman made his 
moan to me about the Privateer carrying off 
all his chickens, when I knew where said 
“Privateer’s’”” nest was and was secretly 
hoping to get a nicely marked set of eggs 
therefrom. But as a reward for keeping 
my guilty secret, the only markings my set 
displayed would be the blood stains from 
the quarry taken from the neighboring 
poultry yard. 

The smallest males are not unlike an old 
female Sharp-shinned, but the old females 
are greatly superior in size and strength to 
any A. fuscus. During the months of Au- 
gust and September, the present season, a 
large Cooper’s Hawk haunted a marsh of a 
few acres on Groton Long Point, known as 
Pear Point Swamp. Just clearing the tops 
of the low trees in his noiseless flight, twice 
a day he would come skimming along over 


this favorite hunting ground. He was seen 
to pick up vermin, finches of several kinds, 
and a few small leteridae. One afternoon 
he made a bold dash at a muskrat, and 
though there was actual contact it was brief, 
and both rat and Accipiter appeared more 
frightened than hurt—/. M. W., WNor- 
wich, Conn. 


California Quail 


BREEDING IN THE GARDEN. 


On the twenty-seventh of May, 1880, I 
placed some brush and rubbish fifteen feet 
from the front steps, in a triangle of the 
driveway. On the third of June I stooped 
down to set fire to the brush and I saw three 
Quail’s eggs. I left them, hoping if it was 
a Quail that had been there she would come 
again. The following morning I found the 
fourth egg. I then piled more brush on so 
that no one could discover my treasure and 
carry them off. 

I called the attention of Dr. Cooper to 
the location of the nest, as carriages and 
persons were passing nearly every hour of 
the day within four feet of the nest, and he 
thought it should be made a note of. 

Henry Chapman, ornithologist, and I. 
Mailliard, oologist, of Nicasio, called and 
both were confident that when she com- 
menced sitting the interruptions she would 
be liable to meet with would frighten her 
from her nest. 

June 7th, I put my hand in the nest and 
the Quail flew out, but made her morning 
callon the eighth. June 14th, I went to the 
nest and found her sitting on fourteen eggs. 
I had my face within eighteen inches of her 
and could see her eyes, but she did not 
seem disturbed or annoyed. 

In the meantime for the week that had 
passed, 1 had been watching the marital 
devotions of the male Quail. He would 
place himself in a tree in the orchard, three 
hundred yards from the house, give his call- 
note—krick kri—three or four times for his 
mate, and he seemed to know how long it 
would take her to get to the roadway, 


December, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


7d 


which runs between the house and orchard, 
where he would meet her and eat the wheat 
that I daily scattered for them, after which 
they would slowly pick their way down 
through the orchard. The male keeps a 
watchful guard over his mate, and on seeing 
danger utters a quick pit, pit, pit, both 
starting on arun, the male keeping in the 
rear to protect and urge on his mate. Af- 
ter gaining a safe distance, the female takes 
her dust-bath, when they go to the creek, 
walking up and down the water’s edge—re- 
turning in a roundabout way to the nest. 
The male seldom went farther than the 
road, and we would not see nor hear from 
him again until the morning’s call, between 
ten and eleven o’clock, when the same 
meeting and greetings would be renewed. 

The hen Quail was frightened from her 

“nest three different times—the last was two 

days before she was goingto hatch. It was 
about eight o’clock in the evening. and I 
was havirga wire screen cage placed over 
the brush, wishing to keep her and her 
chicks. The brush was disturbed in some 
way so that she flew out and away to the 
orchard. As I looked out into the dark 
ness after her I exclaimed, ‘‘ That is the 
last of my Quail hatching.” I decided to 
leave the eggs in the nest over night. In 
the morning I found her, faithful and de- 
termined, on her nest again, proving that 
disturbing a Quail, either before or while 
sitting, will not make her forsake her nest. 
That night I succeeded in getting the cage 
over her. When the morning ten o’clock 
call came she left her nest attempting to 
get out, but seeing the wheat scattered in 
the cage ate of it, and went back to her 
nest and eggs as usual. 

The second day the male, after calling 
and repeating his call many times in vain, 
came up to see why his mate did not put 
in her appearance. He walked around the 
cage uttering his warning call, pit, pit, but 
in a lower tone than when frightened. She 
tried to get out, but not succeeding he left. 
Her uneasiness continuing, I put the eggs 
under a bantam hen and hatched ten of the 


fourteen eggs. Now comes the part of 
bird devotion. 1 put the hen Quail in a 
large box with wire screen front, and placed 
the box where the nest had been the day 
before, setting a figure-four trap a few feet 
from it, wishing to catch the male. Not 
succeeding, I then putin the box another 
male Quail which I had, thinking compan- 
ionship would quiet her attempts to get out, 
which it failed todo. Inthe morning about 
four o’clock I was awakened by repeated 
angry calls of a male Quail. I hurried to 
my window—which was not twenty feet 
from the cage—and saw a male Quail flying 
and scratching at the wire screen and try- 
ing to get in. I went out to move the trap 
in front of the cage, as I saw that would be 
the only way to catch him. AsTI went to 
the cage he flew at me, and madly running 
around the box would not go away, keeping 
just beyond my grasp. I moved the trap 
and when I reached my room I looked from 
the window and saw the trap down with my 
bird sate. I put the hen Quail and her 
mate in the cage by themselves and direct- 
ly we could see the satisfaction of both. 

Five of the young chicks died, and my 
son has them as specimens. Four escaped 
from the cage when three days’ old, scud- 
ding out of sight with the wildness charac- 
teristic of the Quail. 
we kept until nearly grown, answering the 
calls of the wild Quail outside when he es- 
caped. Of one thing my summer’s expe- 
rience convinced me, that our California 
Quail excels in devotion and sociability not- 
withstanding its shyness.—C. AZ. Crowell, 
Haywards, Cal 


‘The remaining one 


Snowy Ow.t.—Oliver Davie, of Colum- 
bus, Ohio, reports,.under date of Novem- 
ber 2d, receiving a Snowy Owl, shot near 
Licking County reservoir the day previous. 
Dr. J. M. Wharton, State ornithologist, 
informs him that this is probably the earliest 
record of this bird being taken in the State 
of Ohio. It is certainly very early for this’ 
bird to start on its southern migration, es- 
pecially in view of the fact that up to that 


‘date there was no indication of winter. 


76 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 10.. 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


——AND— 


OULOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. | 


JOS. UM. WADE, Editor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 


With the co operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBsCRIPTION—$1.06 per annum. Foreign sub- 
scription $1.23—ineluding postage. Speci- 
men Copies Ten Cents. 


JOS. M. WADE, 


Norwich, Conn. 


Entered at Norwich P.O. as Second Class matter. 


HEIPE PROT LA Ls, 


In Prospective. 


-We congratulate our readers on the rich 
literary feast im store for them, which, 
through the libérality of our contributors, 
we shall be enabled to place before them 
in future numbers. Among the forthcom- 
ing articles are: Zhe Long-eared Owl on the 
Pacific slope, by Capt. Chas. E. Bendire. 
The Mexican Goshawk, by the same author. 
Lhe Sharp Shinned Hawk, by J. M. W. 
A collector in Florida, by Chas. W. Gunn. 
Notes from St. John, by M. Chamberlain. 
Lhe ffooded Warbler, by J. N. Clark. 
The American Barn Owl, by B. W. Ever- 
man. A remarkable experience on the 
nesting of our two Cuckoos in the same 
nest, by Dr. H. A. Atkins. The nest and 
eggs of the Road Runner, or Chaparel Cock, 
by B. W. Everman. An explanation of an 
apparent discrepancy in the statement made 
in his two books descriptive of two collect- 
ing excursions made by Geo. B. Sennett 
through the region bordering on the Rio 
Grande during the years 1877 and 1878. 
We are almost glad that such a discrepan- 
cy occurred, for it has enabled us to draw 
out Mr. Sennett, who is so thoroughly en- 
grossed in his large business, and as Mayor 
of the city of Meadville, that he has almost 
forgot that he is an ornithologist. We 
have also several interesting articles from a.| 


contributor in Texas—new to our columns 
—Mr. H. Nehrling, among them the Fork- 
tailed Flycatcher, (illustrated) The Nonpa- 
reil, The Larkfinch, &c., &c. Also a large 
number of shorter notes from our various 
well-known contributors, for all of which 


see index. 
———_0+e—___—_—__- 


SmmpLE SAMPLE Boxes.—We have re- 
ceived for examination a nest of four sam- 
ple boxes made of stiff pasteboard and pa- 
per. Each box will hold a set of eggs, ac- 
cording to size, and are easily and quickly 
packed. They vary in size and price from 
$1.75 to $3.00 per hundred. Address 
Chas. W. Jencks & Brother, Providence, R.I. 


A NEw Owt1, probably.—Mr. John Wal- 
lace received among other specimens from 
the collection of the late Mrs. Maxwell, of | 
Denver, Colorado, a small Owl which he 
says is smaller than the Pigmy, and has 
short ears. In color, it is like the Long- 
eared Owl, but more dense’ in shade, the 
contrast in marking being stronger and 
more distinct. The specimen is now in the 
hands of Mr. Geo. N. Lawrence, who will 
find its proper position in the family of Owls. 


GOLDEN EacLe.—Henry Wedge, River- 
ton, Conn. hasa Golden Eagle in confine- 
ment which was shot near Ragged Moun- 
tain, Barkhamsted. ‘Two shots struck the 
bird. One in the nostril, the other over 
the eye It is a young bird and was caught 
Oct. 29th. If any of our readers live 
near Riverton, we would like them to ex- 
amine the bird and report more fully. It 
will probably prove a young Bald Eagle. 

2. Sees 
* ALBINO.—Mr. Delos Hatch reports 
shooting an Albino Chipping Sparrow 
during the past summer. It was not well 
feathered and but recently from the nest. 


Rare Birp.—C. I. Goodale, Bostoa, 
Mass., reports, under date of October 17th, 
receiving in /// plumage a Red-throated 
Diver, which is very rare in this latitude at 
this season, while young birds and birds out 
of plumage are common. 


December, 1881. ] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


17 


Almost a Suffocation. 


Jehn Wallace, of New York city, who 
resides near Paterson, N. J., has gained an 
enviable reputation as a taxidermist, and is 
also a man of hobbies, and were he nota 
man of strong will, he would find but little 
time to devote to them, but “ where there 
‘is a will there is a way,” and he finds time. 
Among his hobbies are a rare collection of 
“Hummers,” “Birds of Paradise,” and 
last but not least, a fine greenhouse with a 
valuable collection of Orchids, and here is 
where the trouble came from. The boiler 
that warms the greenhouse is in the base- 
ment of the house. The night of the first 
of November being warm, the dampers 
were closed, and too close, as the sequel 
will show. John and his family retired as 
usual, and all went well until near four 
o’clock A. M, when his oldest daughter 
called out to know the time, which was giv- 
en as near four o’clock A. M, when she got 
up to dress, and when partially dressed 
fell to the floor, cutting herself severely. 
The children began to rise one by one, but 
no sooner got to their feet than they fell to 
the floor helpless. This was a fearful posi- 
tion for John and his wife, who, thinking 
the children were poisoned, began adminis- 
tering oil. The son, John’s assistant in the 
city, was called to go for medical aid, when 
he was found to be so near gone as to be 
black in the face. Here was a family of 
seven children all sick and the sickness 
unknown, and up to this time the gas had 
not been noticed ; but the severe headache 
and general depression began to tell, when 
the discovery was made that it was gas 
from the greenhouse stove, when the fam- 
ily was removed to fresh air as rapidly as 
possible and with medical aid they were 
soon pronounced out of danger. John 
and his son suffered severely but started 
for the depot to reach the city, but the de- 
pression and a feeling of being weighed 
down by a heavy load forced them to 
return, but later in the day they both found 
their way to the city and are now appar- 
ently no worse for the severe ordeal they 


*. 


went through. The fortunate waking of 
the eldest daughter, no doubt, saved the 
entire family from suffocation, and we con- 
gratulate them on their narrow escape. 


AMERICAN BitTErRN.—This bird is quite 
rare here, yet one or more nests are found 
each season; two nests are all I have known 
about. Nest one was made near a lake 
and in a swamp. It was made of damp 
reeds matted together, making a flat top on 
which were three eggs nearly hatched. 
Nest two was found July 12th, 1879. Bird 
flushed and shot. After picking up the 
bird the nest could hardly be found. This 
was 1n a swamp some distance from lake or 
stream, and built up out of the shallow 
water with damp reeds, but was dry on the 
top. It contained three eggs partially 
incubated. This nest was made entirely 
of reeds and a few stems, and stalks of 
weeds. These birds do not breed near 
each other here, and do not come back to 
the same locality to breed, as this swamp 
has been looked over thoroughly every sea- 
son since without finding a nest. A bird 
shot in April was in flne plumage, and 
another shot in June was very far from 
handsome. They arrive about April rsth, 
and leave about October roth. Has anyone 
noticed them standing very straight with 
the bill high in the air? While doing this 
they seem absorbed, and I have rowed 
within a few feet of one while thus 
occupied.—Guy C. Rich, Saratoga, N. Y. 


Puese’s Eccs Sportep,—On May tsth 
I found a set of Phoebe’s eggs, two of 
which were slightly spotted with very faint 
light brown spots on the larger end. Is 
this a common octurrence? [Occasion- 
ally spotted sets are found. | 

Brown TuHRASHER’S NEST ON THE 
GRouUND —May 22d, found Brown Thrash- 
er’s nest on the ground, in a grove thinly 
scattered with oaks, but in which there was 
no underbrush. Was not this an unusual 
event °— Will. R. Ide, Evanston, [ll. 

[We have often found them in similar 
positions. Ed.| 


78 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 10. 


Worm-eating Warbler. 


The first Helminthotherus vermivorus ob- 
served this spring was at. Wheatland, In- 
diana, April 24th. It was in company with 
a Blue-winged Yellow, both deliberately 
searching the bushes near the ground. 
Being out for a stroll, without a gun, I 
watched them quite a time. This species 
is not gaudy, yet, like the Cedar-bird, the 
delicacy and the blending of its colors 
rank it high asa beautiful warbler. During 
the week I secured three, and saw no more 
until I visited Mount Carmel, about a 
month later. I not unfrequently heard its 
song while in heavily-wooded, rolling coun- 
try. This issimilar tothat of a Chipping 
Sparrow, but not so continued. They in- 
variably became quiet before I could see 
them, and I was unable to catch them in 
the act. On account of their scarcity I al- 
most despaired of finding a nest, but on 
asking a friend to show me a nest he had 
discovered the day before, said it was at the 
top of a ravine; he didn’t know exactly 
where. I had walked but a few steps after 
reaching the top when from beneath my feet 
went the bird. I recognized it immediately 
and watched it to the bushes, and then 
looked to see what was in store for me. 
The nest was nicely placed in a nook of 
quite a steep bank, and made of old _ black- 
ish, partly rotten leaves, apparently as poor 
as the bird could find, and very sparingly 
lined with grass and a few hairs. Consid- 
ering the material the nest was not bulky, 
though large for the bird inside. The two 
eggs were slightly incubated and in appear- 
ance about like minimum Golden-crowned 
Thrush’s, but marked with a darker shade 
of brown, rather more profuse at the larger 
end.—fred. T. Jencks, Providence, R. I. 

_ ee 

ROUGH-WINGED SWALLow.—In the 
spring of 1879 I found a Rough-winged 
Swallow’s nest not far from here’ which con- 
tained eleven eggs, all of which had evi- 
dently been lately laid. I «have never 
known this bird to lay over six eggs except 
in this one instance.— Wm. R. Wharton. 


Native Birds in Confinement. 


I have during the last few years made 
some experiments with our native birds, and 
have caged and kept in captivity the follow- 
ing; all have done well and some have be 
come very tame and fearless. The snow 
bird (Junco hyemalis) lives and thrives even 
through the long hot summer. My snow 
bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis) sickened 
when the July heat came and soon died, 
but he lived happily with me from Novem- 
ber to July. 

Catbird, Robin, Bobolink, Common 
Redpoll (Aegtothus linaria), Cedar-bird, 
Snow-bird, Snow Bunting, Brown Thrash- 
er, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bird, Purple 
Finch, Crow Blackbird, Cow Blackbird, 
Bluebird, Balt Oriole, Fox Sparrow, Swamp 
Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, 
White-throated Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, 
Field Sparrow, Savanna Sparrow, Goldfinch 
and Shore Lark. 

The last named bird has been in my 
aviary but a few weeks.—Annie Trumbull 
Slosson, Hartford, Conn. 


Red-headed Woodpeckers. 


In the November number of your valua- 
ble journal is a notice from J. N. Clark, of 
Saybrook, respecting the Red-headed 
Woodpecker. (Melanerpes erythrocephalus.) 
Forty years ago they were about as common 
as the Yellow hammer (Colaptes auratus) in 
this part of the State. They entirely dis- 
appeared in 1847, and I did not see another 
specimen until 1860, I was at that time 
visiting a patient in an adjoining town, and 
recognized the peculiar note of this bird. I 
remarked that this was the first time in thir- 
teen years that I had heard the Red-headed 
Woodpecker. My patient informed me 
that this bird had nested in a decayed tree 
in his neighbor’s door-yard for three years. 
On-my returning I discovered the bird and 
the hole in the maple. I called at the house 
and requested permission to secure the - 
eggs, but could not get consent. _ I knew it 
was the habit of the bird to continue occu- 
pying the same nest after a part or all of 


December, 1881. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


iis) 


the eggs were removed, and I could see no 
good reason why those eggs should not be 
mm my collection. Visiting my patient 
again, I found it convenient to go toward 
evening. Taking one of my collectors 
with me I intimated to him that we were to 
pass by the nest of the Red-headed Wood- 
pecker and I hoped he would see the hole 
as we passed, for he might not be able to 
see it when we returned, as it would be dark. 
Although all the eggs were taken (six) 
the old birds continued to eccupy the same 
nest. Since then I have occasionally 
known a pair breeding about here. Last 
year two broods were raised within two 
miles of my office, and I have instructed 
my collectors not to molest them, hoping 
they may yet appear here in numbers.— 
Wm. Wood, East Windsorhill, Conn. 


Notes from Maryland. 


WHITE-BELLIED NUTHATCH.—For sev- 
eral years I mistrusted that this bird bred 
with us, as they are almost as common in 
the spring and summer months as in win- 
ter. But this season the matter was placed 
beyond a doubt by the finding of the nest on 
May 17th. It was in a hole in the decayed 
stub of an apple tree in an orchard The 
hole was about seven feet from the ground, 
and contained four fresh eggs. The bird 
was on the nest when found. It showed 
no signs of anger, running quietly up and 
down the trunk of a tree near by. Is not 
the breeding of this bird as far south as 
this unusual? 

Rosin’s EGG Sportep.—The past sea- 
son I saw an egg, which was taken from a 
robin’s nest, that had a few light red specks. 
They were about the size and color of those 
occasionally found on eggs of Sayornis 
fuscus, and the distribution was about the 
same. It was a little larger than average, 
but of the usual ground color. 

BaLp EaGuie.—April 2oth, 1880, a pair 
of Eagles commenced a nest in a large tree 
on the Potomac River, about nine miles 
west of this town. I had a man watching 
the nest, and I hoped to get a set of eggs, 


but the female was killed before the nest 
was completed. 

Cow-BIRD.—Has any one noticed that 
upon the advent of a Cow-bird’s egg in a 
nest all the other eggs are mysteriously 
thrown out? I have seen this several 
times this year. One was a Song Spar- 
row’s. On the morning that the second 
egg was laid I saw a Cow-bird slip into the 
nest. In a few minutes she came hurrying 
out, and going to the nest I saw that she 
had dropped her egg. The afternoon of 
the same day I again went to the nest and 
found all three eggs broken on the ground 
below. The other was a Chipping Spar- 
row’s, with which all went well until the 
third egg was a Cow-bird 
dropped her egg in the nest, which was ina 
grape vine, and about ten feet distant was 
an apple tree. The eggs were carried to 
this and dropped to the ground. Two of 
them fell on some grass and were scarcely 
broken. These had x shaped holes in 
them, which just fitted the partly open bill of 
a Chipping Sparrow. Could the Chipping 
Sparrows have thrown the eggs out? 

Sonc Sparrows.—This season a pair of 
Song Sparrows built a nest in a honey- 
suckle, about twelve feet from the ground, 
against the side of a house. The eggs of 
this nest were destroyed by other birds. 
They then went twenty feet higher up and 
built again. This nest was blown down. 
The next nest was built in a clump of 
honeysuckles, about seven feet from the 
ground. Here they raised their brood of 
four young.— agar A. Small. 


laid, when 


Red-headed Woodpeckers. 


While collecting on the meadows north 
of Hartford, on the 26th of September last, 
I unexpectedly came upon some Red-head- 
ed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythroceph- 
alus.) I shot three, two adults and a 
young, the latter having only traces of the 
red on the head and neck ‘The adults had 
not fully recovered from the moult, Dur- 
ing the whole morning I met these birds as 
they moved in short flights leisurely south- 


80 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 10. 


ward, for I did not observe one to fly in 
another direction. I consider this bird 
rare in the neighborhood of Hartford, for 
although I have been a pretty close ob- 
server for five’ or six years I never saw 
more than three or four individuals previous 
to these just mentioned. What is the ex- 
perience of others with this Woodpecker ? 
Is it not very locally distributed throughout 
Connecticut ? 

I remember seeing an adult among some 
cedars on the summit of Talcott mountain, 
nine miles west of here, in October, 1876. 
Stragglers were on the meadows November 
3d.—Harry T. Gates, Hartford, Conn. 

| A male was shot at New Britain, eighteen 
miles south of Hartford, about the time of 
the above flight. The only specimen we 
have seen ip this State was in Tolland, early 
in the fall ot 1879.—Ep.] 


— 


Robins and Black Snakes. 


While I was passing by the head of the 
mill-pond where the water was skirted by 
several rods’ width of aiders and _briers, 


with an occasional maple or white-wood, 


one of the latter stood tall and straight near 
where I was. There was several inches in 
_depth of water at its base, and its trunk 
went up straight and smooth for some 
twenty feet without a branch, there> one 
arm extended out to the right and the trunk 
of the tree continued up naked and straight 
some ten or fifteen feet more, then the 
branches grew thickly, covered with foliage; 
some, not its own, came from 2 grape vine 
that twined among the upper branches, and 
the body of the vine looked like a large 
rope hanging from the top of the tree 
down among the alders below and within a 
foot or two of the trunk. In the top of 
this tree were a dozen or more robins, all 
scolding in chorus at the top of their voices; 
some hovering over the tree, some dashing 
down among the foliage and rising again 
only to join the chorus with renewed ener- 
gy. I soon discovered that there was a 
robin’s nest near the top of the tree and 


some dark object—not the mother bird— 
had possession. I heard above the din the 
scream of distress from a young bird, 
and gathering a handful of small stones I 
began a bombardment of the tree top. Af- 
ter one or two failures a stone, well directed 
and well impelled, struck the spot and im- 
mediately something began to move. A 
large black snake uncoiling itself dropped, 
sirlking the branch mentioned some ten 
feet or more below, and thence wriggling in 
the air down among the alders till I heard 
it splash in the water. I was very much 
surprised, and it is a wonder still to me 
how that snake could climb such a tree or 
vine, the only means .of access to the nest. 
It is also a surprise to me how the snake 
discovered the nest, which was at least 
thirty-five feet above the water, with an in- 
tervening canopy of alders and thick foli- 
age surrounding the nest. The scene was 
one I shall not soon forget, though I have 
often observed on other occasions that this 
snake is a mortal enemy of young. birds 
and deserves extermination from their 
friends. He seldom escapes a shot when 
he crosses my path.—_/. lV. Clark. 


—_——— 


Publications.. 


RECENT AND OTHERWISE. 


J. J. Aupuson.—In the Turf, Field and 
Farm for November the 18th, 1881, will be 
found an exceedingly interesting article 
over the initials of M. rR. a. The article is 
well written and contains about as many 
facts concerning this great man’s simple 
life as can well be crowded into two col- 
umns and ahalf. Cut it out and preserve 
it for future reference. 

The Germantown Telegraph is a weekly 
family paper published at Germantown, 
Pa. It contains much original matter for 
the family, the sportsman, the farmer, and 
gardener. In politics it is independent, and 
fearless. Its Philadelphia letter alone is 
well worth the price of subscription. If 
there is a bette: family paper published we 
have not seen it. $2.00 per annum 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


— A hep — 
OOLOGIST. — 
e 

$1.00 per JOSEPH M. Waps, Editor and Publisher. Sas. Single Copy, 

Annum. Established, March, 1875. 10 Cents. 
VOL. VI. NORWICH, CONN., JANUARY, 1882. NO TY, 
American Long-eared Owl. neat from below. They were about twelve 
CAPT. CHAS. E. BENDIRE. feet from the ground in heavy willow tops, 


and a shake of the bush on which the nest 

Asio Americanus is one of the most com- | was placed would cause the Owl to fly on a 
mon species of the Owl family, and is found | neighboring willow, showing her disapprov- 
neatly everywhere in suitable localities | al of the proceeding by a frequent snapping 
over the entire Pacific coast, as well as to of the bill. One nest contained six eggs, 
the eastward-of the Rocky Mountains. | slightly incubated, another five, the remain- 
Every creek bottom, extensive or not, as | ing one three. The two last sets were fresh. 
- long as it contains a few patches of dense | I took thirteen more sets of eggs of this 
willow thickets and undergrowth, will be | species during the season of 1871, the last 
found to be inhabited by one or more | one on June 6th, probably a second laying, 
pairs of these birds, if close search is made | and found several others with young ones 
for them; but as they are almost if not | in various stages of growth. Most of these 
entirely nocturnal they are seldom seen, | nests were old Crows’ nests that had been 
even in localities where they are compara- | sgmewhat repaired. Two pairs of birds 
tively common, As far as my own limited | took up their quarters in old Magpies’ nests 
observations go, this species seems to be | and two others in- hollow cotton-wood trees. 


more partial to somewhat open country, | In one of the last cases a Red-shafted 


than to dense and continuous forests. It is | Flicker had excavated a hole directly over 


quite probable, however, that it may be | the one occupied by the Owls, and the two 
equally plenty in such localities when care- | entrance holes, although on different sides 


fully looked for, which I have never done. | of the stump, which was only about twelve 


The first nests of the Long-eared Owl | feet high, were not over two feet apart. 


were found by me at Fort Lapwai, Idaho, | These birds seemed to live harmoniously 
on April 16th, 1871. I found three nests | together. They are the only instances 
on that day all situated in dense willow | where I have found this species breeding 
thickets growing near a small creek, and all | in hollow trees (a fact not previously no- 


three within a few hundred yards of each | ticed, [ believe), although I have taken over 
other. The nests occupied by them were 


old Crows’ nests. The sides of these had 
been built up a couple of inches higher, 


making them quite deep and hiding the | puilt a nest of itsown. I found several 
birds from view. They were lined with old | guch near Camp Harney, Oregon One of 
grass, a number of leaves and feathers. | these on April 4th, 1877, and this is at the 
The nests looked rather dilapidated from | 5.46 time the earliest record of my finding 
below and a feather or two could usually | their eggs. This nest was placed in a 
be seen hanging down on the sides, indica- | thick bunch of dry willows, about ten feet 
ting plainly that the occupant was nota / from the ground, and was tolerably well 
Crow, whose nest always looks trim and | built, composed externally of small sticks 


forty nests of these birds since then, and 
have observed a still larger number con- 
taining young. Now and then this Owl 


82 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 11. 


and sprigs of willows and aspens, some of | that they try to make themselves look as 


the latter had been peeled by beavers, 
which were common in the vicinity. The 
sticks were still green and pliable. This 
drew my attention to the nest, which I at 
first mistook for that of a Raven or Crow. 
The inside of this nest was about five 
inches deep and lined with dry grass and 
feathers: It contained four fresn eggs. 
On April 4th, 1877, also near Camp Har- 
ney, Oregon, I found a nest of this Owl 
in a rather unusual position. This was an 
old Hawks’ nest which had been repaired. 
It was placed in a small and very open 
scraggy juniper bush, not over six feet 
from the ground, the bush standing by it- 
self a prominent mark on the point of a 
table-land, and there were no other trees 
or bushes within a mile of it. The nest 
was in plain view and could be seen several 
hundred yards off. It contained six eggs 
on the point of hatching. 

The usual number of eggs laid by the 
Long-eared Owl on the Pacific coast is five, 
although six in a set are by no means rare. 
When fresh, the eggs are of a bright white 
color. They are about equally rounded on 
both ends and rather globular in shape. 
They average about 1.60 inches in length 
by 1.32 inches wide, and vary considerable 
in size, but rarely in shape. The large 
series in my collection cannot be got at 
conveniently to give a number of measure- 
‘ments. The Long-eared Owl commences 
laying during the first week in April, and I 
believe that they rear but a single brood 
ina season. They will lay a second and 
sometimes a third set after losing their first 
one, and will occupy the same nest. for sev- 
eral seasons, if not too often disturbed. 
The eggs are hatched in about sixteen days 
.and the young for the first two weeks are 
covered witha thick, grayish down. ‘Their 
food consists principally of mice and the 
smaller rodents, and I doubt if they are 
guilty of catching small birds. In the day- 
time, particularly on a bright, sunny day, 
the Long-eared Owl will allow itself to be 
closely approaehed, and when the iatruder 
is discovered by them, they appear to me 


small and long as possible, by pressing all 
their feathers, which usually are puffed 


out, as close to their body as practicable, 


sitting at the same time erect and still. 
They may, in such a position, be readily 
mistaken for a piece of a broken limb, par- 
ticularly if sitting on a larger one. At 
times they are gregarious. JI remember 
seeing some fifteen or more of these birds 
sitting on a single small mesquit tree in a 
dense thicket near my camp on Rillitto 
creek, Arizona, in the winter of 1872 and 
(873. Their call-note, as near as I can re- 
member, resembles that of the Screech 
Owl, and I think that they are constant res- 
idents wherever found. 


YELLOW OR RED-SHAFTED FLICKER, 
which ?—Some six years ago a German 
collector called at the store of John Wal- 
lace, N. Y., and exhibited a Woodpecker 
that was evenly divided down the centre of 
the back from the bill to the end of the 
tail, one-half being yellow-shafted and the 


other half red-shafted. The division was - 


perfect. Mr. Wallace examined the bird 
with great care to see that no trick was be- 
ing played, and he vouches for its being 
bona fide. The owner put too high a price 
on the bird. It was taken to Germany, 
but not finding a purchaser there it was 


brought back to New York, and finally to 


Lake Winnipeg, where the owner belonged. 
At the present time Mr. Wallace has a 


specimen that is yellow-shafted above and 


red-shafted under the wings; but the red 
has faded somewhat since the bird was 
mounted and exposed to the light. 


SSS 


FROM SHELTER ISLAND.—Oc- 


NOTES 


tober 25th, saw ten White-bellied Swal- 


lows and a Black-billed Cuckoo. Novem- 
ber 21st, saw a fine adult Bald Eagle fly 
over pursued as usual by a mob of Crows. 
November 23d, I heard a familiar bird-note, 
and on looking up saw, to my surprise, a 
White-bellied Swallow. — It was flying in 
an easterly direction. The Red-headed 
Woodpecker has also been common here 
since September. They are rare here in 
spring-time.—-AZoses B. Griffing. 


is 


January, 1882. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


83 


Fork-tailed Flycatcher. 


A very common bird during five months 
of the year, from April to September, is 
the Fork-tailed Flycatcher, AZtluulus Ty- 
rannus (Linn), also called by the natives, 
‘““Texan Bird of Paradise.” This beauti- 
ful member of the family 7Zvrannidae is 
very abundant during the breeding season 
in all suitable localities, especially in the 
prairies covered with mesquit bushes 
(Algarobia glandulosa.) They are also 
found common in the live oak “ dosguets”’ 


and on the edges of woods bordering the | 


prairies. The nest is usually built in the 
top of a mesquit bush, from six to twelve 
feet from the ground; but I discovered it 
often on the edges of woods in the top ota 
postoak (Quercus obtusiloba), about thirty 
to forty feet from the ground. All nests I 
found last season were built exteriorly of a 
small creeping downy plant (Gossypranthus 
tomentosus), mixed with cotton and a few 
cow hairs. ‘They were lined very soft and 
smooth with cotton, and some with a few 


fine plant fibres besides cotton. The eggs, | 


four to five in number, have a white cream- 
color ground and covered sparingly with 
thick blotches of dark brown. Some sets, 
however, are more densely spotted and 
blotched with a lighter shade of brown. 
These birds are in this locality very unsus- 
picious, breeding sometimes in close prox- 
imity to a dwelling and only a few feet 
from a very frequented road. In such in- 
stances the nest is built almost always in a 
mulberry tree. In the eastern part of Tex- 
as, in the coast region near Houston, it 
was very difficult to discover a nest of this 
magnificent bird. There they breed al- 
ways in trees densely covered with the 
long gray Spanish moss ( 77/andsia urneoi- 
des), where it is almost impossible to find 
anest. They arrive from their winter 
quarters late in March or in the first days 
of April. In the early part of September, 
these birds gather sometimes in large flocks, 
and by the last of that month all have de- 
parted for the south. Wehrling, 


FoRK-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 


84 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


— AND — 


OOLOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. M. WADE, Editor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 


With the co operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION—$1.00 per annum. Foreign sub- 
scription $1.25—including postage. Spect- 
men Copies Ten Cents. 


JOS. M. WADE, 
Norwich, Conn. 


Entered at Norwich P.O. as Second Class matter. 


HDITORTIAL, 


Bird Surgery. 


During the present fall Mr. Benjamin 
Earle, of Providence, shot two birds, with 
broken legs, and both wounds carefully and 
thoroughly dressed with feathers. The 
first one taken, a “ Green-headed Plover,” 
had its leg broken, which it had carefully 
bandaged with feathers, as we are assured 
by Mr. Earle, the feathers being wrapped 
around the leg carefully. The second bird 
shot was a Woodcock, which was saved for 
the writer, the leg of which has been pre- 
served. It was broken below the knee, and 
thoroughly dressed with feathers, and the 
wound was healing nicely when the bird 
was again shot and the same leg again bad- 
ly broken above the old wound. This is 
no accidental dressing, but shows evidence 
of skill and understanding. 


Those Cuckoos. 


In another part of this magazine will 
‘be found a very interesting article on the 
breeding of our two cuckoos in the same 
nest. The fortunate observer of this 
peculiar freak, Dr. H. A. Atkins, of Locke, 
Michigan, is one of the unpretending 
but thorough observers of our present 
time. Each trip to this nest cost him three 
miles of travel, and when a man past the 
middle age of life will take such trouble, it 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


*  [Vol. 6-No. 11. 


shows that he is thoroughly in earnest and 
that his observations can be relied on. He 
is possessed of a large fund of knowledge 
of this kind, which we hope to draw on 
from time to time. 


ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.—Our inter- 
esting pet commenced shedding his head 
feathers Nov. 24th, and at this writing, Dec. 
16th, his head is two-thirds black, which 
change has been made almost impercepti- 
bly. He has not yet cast any of his larger 
feathers. It would be interesting to know 
if these birds make a complete moult in their 
winter home in the south as this bird has 
done in the cage for the past three winters. 


Publications. 


Dr. Cours’ New Cueck List.—At our 
request we have been furnished with ad- 
vance sheets of Dr. Coues’ New Check List 
of which we shall have something to say in 
our next issue. 

Diary or A Brrp.—We have received 
from Mr. Minott a copy of his “ Diary of a 
Bird” and have read it several times. Itis 
brief but interesting. The bird is made to 
tell the story, which it does in a very pleas- 
ing way, and a very observing bird he must 
have beev. The book contains matter that 
is interesting, and much food for thought. 
We always read. with interest anything 
from Mr. Minott’s pen, for he is an earnest, 
honest observer of nature. 

Birps Nestinc.—We have received a 
circular announcing the publication of a 
work, with the above title, by Ernest In- 


‘gersoll, and published by Geo. A. Bates. 


We are informed that two numbers are al- 
ready issued but we have not seen them. 
We hope Mr. Ingersoll will make this work 
as accurate as he can make it interesting. 
ADDITION TO OUR COLLECTION.—We 
have received from Mr, Edgar A. Small 
an oil painting of a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 
and from Mr. S. L. Willard a water color 
drawing of a Chimney Swift. For want of 
room we defer notice to next number. 


January, 1882. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


85 


Road-runner. 


Mr. E. A. Small’s mention of the Road- 
runner, in the November number of the 
O. and O,, reminds me that I have, since 
writing what I did in the March number, 
learned several things about that bird that 
I did not then know. At that time one 
season’s observation was the limit to my 
experience with it; but during the season 
of 1881, though not particularly fortunate 
n finding many nests myself, yet Mr. Fred. 
Corey, of Santa Paula, Cal., who was my 
almost constant companion on all oological 
tramps, was especially fortunate in finding 
numerous nests of Geococcyx. As many as 
eight nests were examined by us, and we 
were both greatly surprised to learn that 
the “sets” were so large. Five to six eggs 
seemed to be the usual number, but nests 
were found containing seven, eight, and in 
one case nine eggs. A majority of these 
nests were found before the bird had com- 
pleted oviposition, and in almost every in- 
stance the eggs were not taken until we 
were reasonably certain that laying was 
completed. By so doing we learned, first, 
that the eggs are deposited one on each al- 
ternate day; second, that the bird begins 
incubation soon after the first egg is laid— 
in every instance long before oviposition 
has ceased. When we came to blow the 
eggs we found them in all stages of incu- 
bation, from embryos nearly ready to leave 
the shell, down through various stages of 
embryotic change, to oneor two fresh or 
nearly fresh eggs. 

The facts stated by me in the March 
O. and O. as facts are facts. Whether the 
two much incubated eggs, found May 16th, 
were all that had been laid in that set, or 
whether a portion of the set had been de- 
stroyed, Iam unable tosay. The other set 
mentioned in the same article is as perplex- 
ing, How there happened to be two near- 
ly fully fledged young and two fresh eggs 
is hard to understand. 

In this connection I might mention a 
peculiar belief which obtains to some ex- 
tent among Californians, viz.; that the 


Weed canner soon after the young leave 
the shell, lays other eggs for them to feed 
upon. This belief proves at least one 
thing, that it is a common thing -to find 
both young and eggs in the same nest. 

In Baird, Brewer and Ridgway’s Birds 
of North America is the following: “‘ They 
(Road-runners) build a clumsy nest of 
mesquit twigs placed at some height on a 
bough or in a hollow tree, and lay from two 
to four pure white eggs.” Also, eggs were 
found near San Antonio, Texas, in April, 
May, and as late as the 23d of September. 

Several things in this need verifying 
slightly. First, the make-up of the nest 
depends of course upon locality; second, 
the position also depends upon the same. 
In the vicinity of Santa Paula,a vast ma- 
jority are built in bunches of cactus, usual- 
ly not over three to five feet from the 
ground. We found one nest in an orange 
tree, four feet up, and one in an alder 
bush, seven feet up. Third, none of the 
eggs were pure white, but all a dirty white. 

Taking all these facts into consideration, 
it would seem that the Road-runner is a 
very “uncertain quantity” as regards her 
breeding habits.—4. W Lverman. 

[Geo. B. Sennett, in his ornithology of 
the Rio Grande, gives a very lengthy de- 
scription of the nesting habits of this bird, 
which confirms the above statement as to 
the number of eggs and their condition 
during incubation, &c. In his report of 
the expedition of 1877, he states the color 
of eggs to be “pure white.’ Inthe report of 
1878 he says: ‘‘ Their color ts opaque white.” 
We should be pleased to hear from Mr. 
Sennett and place on record his decision. 
of which statement is correct.—Ed. ] 


AuBuRN, N. Y.—We are happy to an- 
nounce to our ornithological friends that 
H. Gilbert Fowler, of Auburn, N. Y., has 
just started on a collecting trip to the lower 
Mississippi. His object is to collect gen- 
erally, but particularly that rare and beauti- 
ful species, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. 
As Mr. Fowler makes a very fine skin, 
watch carefully for his return.—- 7, S. Wright. 


86 


Chaparral Cock. 


I am sorry that I appear to use conflict- 
ing terms in descriptions of the eggs of the 
Chaparral Cock. I have probably had as 
much experience with the eggs of this bird 
as any one and ought to know. I have 
over a hundred eggs in my collection and 
can send you samples for illustration, if de- 
sirable. Instead of clear white, I should 
have said dead white, or dull white, or im- 
maculate, to designate that they were un- 
spotted. Without gloss they certainly are 
and smooth, although occasionally there 
are chalky patches adhering, comparable to 
the eggs of the Brown Pelican, only not 
nearly so prominent nor so frequent. As 
to my second term, opaque white, I mean 
wholly in the sense of being not transpar- 
ent. The egg when fresh, addled or blown, 
has the same appearance, provided of 
course they are equally clean outside. By 
taking a tray full of Pelican’s eggs and a 
tray full of Road-ruaner’s in the same 
light, the latter are a little more dense or 
gray, but not enough of the gray, or ash, 
or light-blue tinge to be called tinted, and 
when not compared with chalk would be 
simply white. I have taken eggs of Brown 
Pelican and Chaparral Cock and exam- 
ined by holding alternately to strong day- 
light with the eye looking into the hole on 
the side and the small, dull yellow or buff 
is shown in both species. The color looks 
more vivid or intense in the Pelican’s egg, 
which I conjecture to be on account of the 
larger egg allowing more light into the inte- 
rior. Allowances must be made for my 
first paper, for it was my first effort to 
describe eggs, at best quite a difficult thing 
to do understandingly and clearly. Who 
shall say but color blindness causes much 
disagreement in describing colors of eggs? 
I have thought of giving quite a little arti- 
cle on this large Cuckoo and will gladly 
await the forthcoming article in the OoLo- 
Gist. As to. sets, I have two sets of 
nine each, three of eight, five or six of 
seven each and six each, and from that 
down. I have in alcohol the’ contents 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


[ Vol. 6—No. 11. 


of one nest as follows: Five birds 
and three eggs, the largest bird about 
three times the size of the smallest 
just out, and the freshest egg I think 
would take at least four days to hatch out. 
The parent I shot as she left the nest. 
With such irregularity is it any wonder that 
there exists such conflicting accounts of nid- 
ification?—Geo. B. Sennett, Meadville, Pa. 

P. SA word more in explanation of 
the eggs of the Chaparral Cock. I fear I 
may have been misled again in regard to 
the chalky blotches occasiona!ly on them. 
I have examined a still greater number 
than when I wrote you, and while a few 
have such splashes, yet they are so few 
that it ought scarcely to be taken into ac- 
count at all. So please don’t lay any stress 
upon that marking. I presume no other 
collector would notice it— Geo. B. Sennett. 


-——— #6 —___ 

House Sparrow IN Marine.—In a late 
number of the ORNITHOLOGIsST I spoke of 
the House Sparrow as breeding in this vi- 
cinity. By reference to the first part of the 
article it will be seen that I referred to the 
vicinity of Bangor and only to that locality. 

It is very. well understood that the first 
House Sparrows known to have _ been 
brought to this country were brought to 
Portland, Maine, in 1858, by a Mr. Deblois. 
They bred there and increased rapidly, and 
are now common in that city and vicinity, 
where they breed every year, as they do at 
other points in our State. They had not, 
however, previous to this year been sup- 
posed to breed in this locality, that is 
Bangor. I make this statement lest I may 
have been understood to refer to the State 
in general —/Y. Merrill, Bangor, Maine. 

MONKEY-HEADED OwL.—There is a pair 
of Owls here which are said to come from 
middle Texas and are known by the above 
name. ‘The owner says there are only sev- 
en known. The eyes are very small, with 
no tufts, and in every respect they look to 
me like a Barn Ow]; bill white and slender. 

Hoopep MERGANSER.—I have also seen 
a specimen of the above Duck in confine- 
ment, which is said to be rare.—Z. A. Berry. 


January, 1882. | 


AND OOLOGIST. 


87 


Mexican Goshawk., 


The little <Asturina nitida plagiata 
Ridg of which I believe I obtained the 
first specimen actually taken within the 
borders of the United States, May 17th, 
1872, but said to have been previously seen 
on August igth, 1871, by Mr. Robert 
Ridgway, Richland County, Illinois, (vide 
Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, voiume III, 
page twenty-four, Birds of North America.) 
It is not an uncommon summer resident in 
the southern portions of Arizona Territory. 
Of the life history of this, one of the 
handsomest of our Raptores, comparative- 
ly little is still known. During the month 
of April, 1872, I saw several of these 
Hawks among the timber bordering Rillitto 
creek, near Tucson, Arizona Territory, 
where I subsequently also found it breed- 
ing and obtained several sets of their eggs. 
I also noticed this species at different 
points along the Santa Cruz as well as on 
the San Pedro Rivers. Its range will un- 
doubtedly be found to extend as far north as 
the Gila River at least, if not farther, when 
properly looked after. 

My attention was first drawn to these 
Hawks by their peculiar call-notes, which 
resemble the piping of the Long-billed 
Curlew (Vumenius longtrostris) so much 
that I at first supposed some of these birds 
to be about, but I soon found out that they 
emanated from this little Hawk, which was 
then a perfect stranger to me. The birds 
were very noisy during the mating season 
and although I was very anxious to find 
out what species I had to deal with [ left 
them alone till after they had commenced 
nesting, as I wanted the eggs more than I 
did the birds themselves. 

By referring to. my notes I find that the 
first pair of these birds were seen by me 
on April 4th, 1872, circling high in the air 
and finally settling down on a dry branch 
of a tall cotton-wood tree growing in the 
Rillitto creek bottom. On May 17th I took 
the first set of eggs of this species and shot 
the male bird at the same time. The nest 


| 


was placed on a large cotton-wood tree 
near the Laguna, nine miles west of Tuc- 
son. It was located the top-most 
branches of the tree, not less than seventy 
feet from the ground and contained three 
fine fresh eggs. The nest, not a very sub- 
stantial affair, consisted of a shallow plat- 
form, composed principally of small cotton - 
wood twigs, a number of them broken off 
green by the birds themselves. I have 
seen them do this, selecting a suitable twig, 
then flying at it very swiftly, grasping it 
with the talons and usually succeeding in 
breaking it at the first trial. Many of the 
twigs referred to had the leaves attached 
to them yet only partly dried. The inner 
lining of the nest consisted of dry cotton- 
wood leaves and the tops of willows, the 
latter also taken while green. No bark or 
any other material than that mentioned 
was used in the construction of this nest. 

Another found June 6th, 1872, contained 
but two eggs on which the bird had been 
setting for about a week. It was also 
placed in the upper branches of one of the 
largest cotton-wood trees on Rillitto creek 
and resembled the first one in structure, 
but was lined with a few strips of bark and 
dry leaves. The eggs described in volume 
III, page 248, Birds of North America, by 
Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, were taken out 
of this nest. 

A third set of their eggs was taken on 
June roth, likewise found in a tall cotton- 
wood. These, two in number, had been - 
set on a few days. 

The fourth and last nest I found on June 
2oth, containing two eggs partly incubated. 
This nest was likewise placed in a large 
cotton-wood on one of the outer limbs and 
about fifty feet from the ground, extremely 
hard to get at and was lined entirely with 
partly dry cotton-wood leaves. The native 
Mexicans call this bird ‘ Gavilan Prieta.” 
The eggs of this species are pale blueish 
white in color and unspotted, but are al- 
ways more or less stained and soiled with 
a yellowish. matter hard to clean off. 
They measure about 2 inches in length 


in 


88 


ORNIT HOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 11. 


by 1.60 inches in width, and vary but little 
in size but considerable in shape, ranging 
from a rounded oval to pyriform. I am 
inclined to believe that they rear but a sin- 
gle brood during a season. 

The Mexican Goshawk is exceedingly 
graceful in all its motions,-a swift flyer, re- 
sembling the American Goshawk in many 
respects, but it seems to prefer the open 
country more than the latter. I found it 
by no means shy and could have secured 
a number of specimens had [ been inclined 
to do so, but I wanted their eggs more than 
the birds themselves. The single male 
killed by me for identification on May 17th, 
1872, measured as follows: wing, 10.25 
inches; tail, 7 inches; length, 16 inches; 
extent of wings, 33 inches. Iris, brown; 
cere and tarsi, yellow; bill, dark blue horn 
color; claws, the same strong and large for 
the size of the bird. It is stated that this 
bird feeds principally on lizards, but al- 
though the latter are exceedingly plentiful 
throughout southern Arizona, 1 am satis- 
fied that small birds form no inconsiderable 
portion of its food. It leaves for its winter 
haunts in the commencement of October. 
—Capt. Chas. E. Bendire, U. S. A. 


Our Two Cuckoos 


BREEDING IN ONE NEST. 


May 24th, 1881, [found a pair of Black- 
billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus erythrophthalmus) 
building a nest in the forks of a small wil- 
low about three feet from the ground. 
The nest was merely a handful of willow 
catkins and was without form. May 25th, 
visited. the nest at 2 P. M.; the bird was on 
but left as I approached; nest completed 
and contained one egg. May 26th, visited 
nest at rt A. M.; found bird on; nest con- 
tained two eggs, one of which was that of 
the Yellow-billed species (Coccyzus Ameri- 
canus.) May 27th, called at the nest at 2.30 
P. M.; bird on—four eggs. May 28th, vis- 
ited nest at 10 A. M.; bird at home—four 
eggs. May 2oth, called at nest at 1 P. M.; 
bird absent—four eggs. May 3oth, visited 


nest at 4 P. M.; bird absent;. found six 
eggs, two of which were those of the Yel- 
low-billed species. May 31st, called at the 
nest at 5 P. M.; found bird on, but it left 
in haste as I neared the nest; found 
six eggs. Think this was the Yellow-billed 
species but am not positive. I could al- 
ways approach the nest when occupied by 
the Black-bill without giving her any seri- 
ous alarm and in one case I laid my hand 
on the nest before she left. June rst, visit- 
ed nest at 12 30; bird on, but left as I ap- 
proached. I was not able to get near 
enougn to identify the species, but think it 
was the Yellow-bill—six eggs. On the 2d 
of June urgent business called me from 
home until June’5th. At 3 P. M. I visited 
the nest and found it empty except frag- 
ments of shells. I collected the nest June rt. 

This nest was composed of the woolly 
catkins of the willow, with a few coarse 
twigs and leaf stems of the previous year. 
The measurements were as follows: diam- 
eter, about 6 inches; from top to base, 6 
inches; depth of cavity, 1 inch. The 
Black-billed Cuckoo was first taken by me 
in 1866. For the last ten years it has been 
noticed “every year excepting 1879. The 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo was one of our 
earliest birds here. I have known it over 
thirty-five years, but it has been for years 
past growing scarce. It might be well to 
remark that both species are summer resi- 
dents.—Dr. H. A. Atkins, Locke, Michigan. 


OoLocicaL INCUBATION : EXPERIMENTS. 
—For several years Dr. William Wood has 
been experimenting by hatching Hawk’s 
eggs under domestic fowls to ascertain the 
length of time necessary for each variety 
to hatch. These experiments the doctor 
promises to put in shape for our columns 
at an early day. 


eee > 

BLACK-BACKED JHREE-TOED Woop- 
PECKER (Pfcotdes arcticus.)\—Mr. Jason E. 
Nichols, of Lansing, Michigan, reports that 


| while out hunting in the northern part of 
| that State, in latitude 44, he captured a 


male of the above species of Woodpecker. 


~ORNITHOLOGIST 


— Aa 


OOLOGIST. 


$1.00 per JOSEPH M. Wapk, Editor and Publisher. Sing'e Copy, 
Annum. Established, March, 1875 10 Cents. 
VOL. VI. NO. 12. 


NORWICH, CONN., FEBRUARY, 1882. 


Sharp Shinned Hawk. 


The true Falcons do rot often grace New 
London County with their royal presence. 
Not since April, 1878, has a Pigeon Hawk 
been shot here, and a single Sparrow 
Hawk’s egg is all I have to show locally 


for six years’ collecting. But the third of | 
the trio of small New England Hawks is | 
more abundant, and can be found in early | 


summer in sufficient numbers to stimulate | 


search for its lovely eggs. It is not the ob- 
ject of the present sketch to give a mono- 


graph of this little Accipiter, but to present 


an array of homely facts concerning its | 


breeding habits, some cf which may be 
fresh and of interest to our rising oologists. 

It seems to have been ordained that eve- 
ry male biped of the genus homo should at 
an early age get up a collection (?) but be- 
fore he makes war upon aught but common 
species, and before his movements are gov- 
erned by much intelligence, the same or- 
daining power wisely directs his young am- 
bition into newer channels and the embryo 
cabinet is banished to the garret or de- 
scends to the tender mercies ot the young- 
er brother just coming down with the fever. 


The Buteos and Owls get off scot free from’ 


these collectors, who are ignorant of the 
early breeding movement, but the luckless 
Sharp Shinned begins to lay when other 
Hawks are nearly through breeding and 
when the woods are swarming with school- 
boys. For these reasons this Hawk and its 
eggs are better known than any others to 
young observers, and the ommiferous boxes 
of sawdust and undetermined eggs can 
boast many a single end-blown specimen 
of this species. Six years ago, in June,a 


| site. 
| the trunk of the tree the nest is generally 


nesting place of this Hawk, on Laurel Hill, 
was discovered by these vandals, and 
fifteen eggs thus barbarously blown and 
scattered fourd their way into a round doz- 
en so-called “ collections.” 

A fuscus breeds in hemlock clumps and 
in pine groves, at times near hcuses, and 
nests in deciduous trees only when there are 
no evergreens near the favorite hunting- 
ground or local habitat—then a thick’and 
leafy white or yellow birch offers a favorite 
At the base of a limb, resting against 


placed. Ina hemlock have found it sever- 
al times not fifteen f.et from the ground, 
and in a young pine have taken one not 
eight feet high. ‘The nest is composed 
wholly of small sticks, no lining whatever 
being edded—the slight bowl showing finer 
sticks than the outside. <A. fuscus builds 
more new nests than any other Hawk with 
which I am acquainted, rarely using an old 
one. The collector may sometimes grow 
weary waiting for the first nest to be fin- 
ished, as it is not unusual for a pair to leis- 
urely occupy more than two weeks in nidi- 
fication. But when the nest is torn down 
before ovipositing is complete a new one 
will be thrown together in thirty-six hours. 
The nest can be easily found when building 
or when the eggs are being laid, by any ob- 
server straying near, for the scolding of 
both male and female will surely betray it. 
We often find among small birds nests with 
two or three cold eggs—incomplete clutch- 
es with no parent near: but after laying the 
first egg, Hawks go hunting singly, one of 
the pair being always at home on guard. 
Buteos will sit upon the side of the nest and 
not “hover” the eggs till the clutch is com- 


90 ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No, 12. 


plete. Marsh Hawks frequently begin to 
set with the first egg and the young appear 
at intervals. Both our Accipiters sit on the 
edge of the nest or remain close at hand 
until a good sized clutch is laid. The ear- 
liest egg I ever knew laid was on May 1sth, 
the very first full clutch on May 23d, but 
the time to look for complete sets is about 
the first of June. The first clutch is almost 
always five in number and will oftener run 
over thanunder. But if the eggs are taken 
successively as laid the normal clutch may 
run up over a dozen—perhaps to fifteen or 
eighteen. If, however, the ovaries are thus 
overtaxed in one season my experience is 
that the forcing process will not be repeat. 
ed the following year. Of the fifteen 
Laurel Hill eggs referred to above, eleven 
were taken in succession from one nest 
without a nest egg, when a new nest was 
built and four more eggs laid. The fol- 
lowing season, in June, I found the nest 
with three eggs which were taken I think 
by Crows, two pairs of which were breeding 
in adjoining trees. Deserting nest num- 
ber one, on account of the black neighbors, 
her second nest, also in a hemlock, the fe- 
male betrayed to me betore finishing as 
usual by scolding. Took two eggs and 
substituted two Pigeon’s eggs, when she 
laid two more and began sitting on the Pig- 
eon’s eggs. Thus her clutch the next year 
after the big set was but seven. Another 
female which gave me eighteen eggs in (880 
gave but seven in the year 1881. 

Through my notes of 1880, let us look a 
littie in detail at the great clutch of eigh- 
teen and its environment. From the nest 
in a pine grove four eggs were taken the 
week ending May 23d. The next morning 
boys Crow-hunting tore down the nest. 
Before night a new nest resembling a Night 
Heron’s was constructed in the same grove 
and three eggs taken the second week By 
the middle of the third week two more eggs 
were taken, and a Pigeon’s egg substituted, 
from which were taken successively as laid 
nine more eggs. The early morning of ev- 
ery alternate day was the rule for a fresh 


egg. The longest break in the series was 
from June 2d to June 6th. The seven- 
teenth and last egg in the direct line was 
laid on June 21st, and when taken the nest 
was deserted, neither bird being seen for 
several days. On the 25th, the female ven- 
tured back, and apparently as an after- 
thought or a “ positively the last” trial-egg, 
Jaid just one more. But as this egg also. 
was taken, the Hawks in strong Billingsgate 
said good-by for the season. After paying 
my morning respects to this nest and its 
owners four or five times a week for more 
than a month, it goes without saying to the 
lover of nature that I missed the pleasant 
routine—missed my tri-weekly egg, and 
missed the familiar alarm of the birds who 
would begin to scold in their clattering, 
mowing-machine like voice when 'their call- 
er was thirty rods away. The tiny male 
was especially bold, frequently in his brave 
dashes sweeping my face with his wings as 
I climbed the well-worn natural ladder. 
Disparity in size between paired Accipiters 
is sometimes laughable, and I could cite my 
all-summer friends of 1880 as an extreme 
case in point. I renewed acquaintance with 
this pair for two weeks only in 188r, in-the 
same haunts, taking seven eggs from a new 
nest not seven feet from the ground using 
a runt hen’s egg for a persuader.'. 

“But,” says my scientific friend, “the 
eggs of your great clutch are of no great 
value; they are not typical, are not normal, 


should be undersized and with scant lymph, . 


and may have been infertile.’’ We will de- 
lay a moment and see what ground there is 
for your grave charges. 
fowls lay you a dozen eggs or so, then 
would cover them and hatch their broods 
in due course; but you take their eggs 


successively as laid and they lay all sum-- 


mer. Well, are not the added eggs typical? 
And normal? Are they undersized or out 
of proportion to the first part of the set, 
and don’t they produce young? Now by 
measurement I find that my added Accipi- 
ters are no smaller than the first four taken 


and are as well colored and shaped. In- . 


ey 


Your domestic 


As 


be eta Cel 
! . 


,~ 


February, 1882. 


AND OOLOGIST. 


91 


fertile? Was not the male in constant at- 
tendance, as has been said, dashing into my 
very eyes while the more discreet female 
chattered in unison from the next tree 
The added eggs “not typical?” Suppose I 
had been content with five eggs, and in ten 
days another collector came along and got | 
a second clutch of five, and in ten more 
days still another collector got the third | 
set of five. Now with no knowledg of pre- 
vious eggs would not collectors numbers 
two and three stoutly maintain that their 
sets were “typical?” And how many 
hundreds of sets of eggs in collections 
generally to-day could not be challenged | 
by this standard, and with this view would 
cease to be types. Let my scientific friend 
choose~his set of dull nest-worn eggs, and 
leave me my bright specimens taken the 
morning they are laid with the splashes of 
brilliant color untarnished and unfading. 
Two sets of Sharp Shinned Hawk’s eggs 
TV’ve missed, because when breeding the 
quartet of birds fell easy victims to the 
guns of farmers’ boys. There’s a good 
deal of mock heroics written about the till- 
er of the soil. [I know of no more indis- 
criminate and bloodthirsty being than the 
average farmer with a gun in his hands. 
He shoots Kingbirds because they “live on 
his bees,’’ and shoots Brown Thrushes and 
twenty Blackbirds ata shot because they 
~ “are worse than Crows ’—which last by the 
way do him no‘end of good. He glories 
in killing Screech Owls, which never looked 
at a chicken and which destroy forty mice 
to one taken by the sleek feline thief and 
bird-catcher on his hearth; he will upon 
occasion wring the necks of young Marsh 
Hawks and shoot away at the old harriers 
when in the very act of mousing for mead- 
ow moles, and to crown all he relentlessly 
murders the little Sharp Shinned which 
is'nt so big as one of the inmates of his 
dove-cote. But to the farmer an Owl is an 
Owl and a Hawk is a Hawk. In the rigors 
of winter he puts poisoned offal in the fields 
killing Crows and Hawks by wholesale. I 
have actually seen three dead Fish Hawks 


== 


-_ nailed on the side of an intelligent (?) farm- 


ers barn as a warning to poultry thieves. 
So again I say, alas and alas brother collect- 
ors, if he happens upon a nest of the sub- 
ject of this sketch. Both male and female 
are instantly riddled with shot big enough 


_to killa grizzly bear; with a long pole the 


nest and its treasures are thrown to the 


| ground, and the valorous farmer trudges 


home with his muzzle-loader proudly con- 
scious of having protected himself and his 


property from ‘“‘them cussed Hawks.”— 


Jf. Ml. W., Norwich, Conn. 


SS 


Notes From Saratoga. 


Has a list of the birds imposed upon by 
the Cow-bird ever been made? Here is 
my experience: Chipping Sparrow, Cedar- 
bird, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, In- 
digo Bird, Robin, Shore Lark, Oven Birds. 
Found three in a Vireo’s nest. Speaking of 
large sets, I have found seven eggs in B. Ori- 
oles’ and six in the King-birds’ nests.  Bit- 
terns do not nest in communities here. 
Nests are raised above ground on rushes. 
Does Least Bittern come as far north as 43°? © 

A nest and four eggs of Canada Fly- 
catcher was taken here in 1878. Bird shot. 
Of a set of four Maryland Yellow-throat’s 
eggs two are without spots and two normal. 
Have found Olive backed Thrushes breed- 
ing 100 miles north; nests very compact and 
about five feet fron the ground near water. 
Of all queer nesting places the following 
takes the palm. A nest of Song Sparrow 
in a horse's skull, half buried in the sand. 
It was a very convenient house I assure 
you. I have had some experience with 
Kingfishers’ nests. They generally build 
near the top of a gully near here, and by 
measuring in and digging from above save 
much labor. The bird is often buried. 

Is not a Field Sparrow’s nest over six feet 
from the ground unusually high. I have seen 
One as high; nest was very thin, eggs being 
seen from below. A Forster’s Tern was shot 
here on September 11th, 1880. A Short- 
tailed Tern on October 8th, 1881. A Red- 
backed Sand-piper on October 8th.—Guy 
C. Rich, 


[Vol. 6—No. 12. 


eae ORNITHOLOGIST 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
OOLOGIST 


A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 


JOS. UM. WADE, Editor, 
S. L. WILLARD, Assistant, 


With the c» operation of able Ornithological 
Writers and Collectors. 


SUBSCRIPTION—$1 06 per annum. Foreign sub- 
scription $1.25—ineluding postage. Speci- 
° men Copies Ten Cents. 


JOS. MW. WADE, 
Norwich, fon». 


Entered at Norwich P.O. as Second Class matter. 


DEPT ORTAL, ~ 


Our Present Volume 


will close with this number, and every | 
subscription will then expire. 
new departure in magazine pubiishing | 
which avoids book-keeping. We believe 
the rising generation of ernithologists need | 
just such a magazine—one they can under- 
stand. Our efforts have been ably seconded 


This is a 


by some of our best ornithologists, which | 
gives us encouragement to continue in the 

good work. It has been a labor of love to 
us although accomplished late into the 
night. Our regular’ duties are very ex 
cessive, averaging not less than eleven hours 
per day, including twelve miles of driving 
every working day, and one or two entire 
nights’ travelling every week. 


We mention 
this to show our readers under what diffi- | 
culties our magazine has been issued. We 

have had three different printers and sadly | 
hampered and annoyed by all; more than 
doubling the labor, and by lack of prompt- 
ness no doubt prevented our subscription 
list from increasing. 
has been far from self-sustaining but the 
deficiency we have borne cheerfully; but for 
the coming volume we must ask your assist- 
ance in getting additional subscribers. We 
shall print a larger edition and expect to 
place them all. A little exertion by every 


The present volume 


subscriber will give us the support necessary 


to produce a better volume. During the 
publication of the last three numbers we 
have received more praise and encourage— 
ment than at any time previously. © We are 
advised by many to double its present size, 
which is very desirable but not advisable at 
present, as the support will not warrant it. 
We have plenty of unpublished matter, and 


| a large mine of unpublished Mss. and draw- 


ings, referring to Wilson, Audubon, Nut- 
tall and others, to draw from, and we only 
await a support (that will warrant enlarg- 
ing) enough to pay the cash outlay, and we 
will attend to the rest. No commercia 
publisher could, or wouid, produce such a 
journal as we can if properly supported. 
Renew at once and solicit one or more 
to join you. 


ee 


‘* Fork-tailed Flycatcher.”’ 


Our article last month on this rare Fly- 
catcher had no sooner been mailed- than 
we began to receive letters calling attention 
to the fact that a serious mistake had been 
made. ‘The article came to us as -FORK- 
TAILED FLYCATCHER (Afilvulus forficatus), 


/a mixture of names, and we s») wrote Mr. 


Nehrling, but the article was published be- 
fore his reply reached us. We much regret 
such mistakes, and to show our readers the 
importance of exercising great care, we pub- 
lish the criticisms as-received elsewhere. 
As we are commencing a new volume let us 
all exercise great care and see if we cannot 
get through twelve numbers without the 
word “Correction” appearing in volume VII. 


‘*The Coues Check list 
|of North American Birds (second edi- 


tion), with a Dictionary of the Etymology, 
Orthography and Orthoepy of the Scientific 
Names revised to date and entirely re-written 
by the author (1882)”’ It is generally un- 
derstood that we can have but one check- 
list and the one emanating from the Smith- 
sonian will be the recognized list. 
not a matter of choice, but of necessity. If 
the list before us was merely a changing of 


This is. 


~~) 


February, 1882.] 


93 


AND OOLOGIST. 


names to suit the learned doctors’ ideas of 
what should be, it would hardly be worth 
the paper it is printed on. 
than this—as a check-list it is simply perfect. 
First, the scientific name is given in “caps 
and lower case,” which will prevent the er- 
rors continually made by using capitals 
where they should not be. The choice of 
type is excellent. Half of each page is devo- 
ted to the check-list proper. The lower 
half contains the numbers and name in dup- 
licate. The origin and history of each 
name is givenin full. The numbers of all 
previous recognized lists are given: Baird, 
1859; Coues, 1874; Ridgway, 1881; so 
that “the Coues Check-list’’ can be used as 
readily as the official list. 
extensive circulation, but it will be uafor- 
tunate if a portion of our collectors should 
recognize its rumbers, as it will create con- 


But it is more 


‘ 


It will have an 


fusion in every transfer, unless specimens 
are doubly numbered. 


———_ eee 


Our Contributors 


whose articles have not yet appeared will 
please bear with us a while as we shall try 
to get out two numbers per month unul our 
surplus matter has been reduced. 

Life histories of our birds are thankfully 
received; also newsy items on ornithology 
which every observer can furnish. Make 
free use of postal cards for short items. 


eee 


‘‘Fork-tailed Flycatcher.’’ 
CORRECTION. 


To-day, December 20th, I received the 
proof-sheet ef my paper cn the Fork-tailed, 
or Scissor-tailed, Flycatcher (J/ceulus for- 
ficatus), but as I notice a mistake, | will 
write you at once. The engraving figures 
the true Fork-tailed Flycatcher ( JZ. tyran- 
nus), of Mexico to South America, and 


- which is only an accidental straggler to our 


territory. The bird I described is here 
commonly called the Fork-tailed Fly- 
catcher, or “Fork tail,” and ‘Texan Bird of 
Paradise;” in bocks the name Scissor-tail and 
Swallow-tailed Flycatcher is to be found. 
A very good engraving of our bird, the Scis- 


sor-tail as I now will call him, may be 
found in “Baird, Brewer and Ridgway’s 
North American Birds,” Vol II., page 311. 
The bird figured I have never seen here.— 
EZ, Nehrling, Fedor, Texas. 


“T have been collecting , either personally 
or through others, on the lower Rio Grande 
through the region of Texas,between Mexico 
and the locality mentioned, ever since the 
winter of 1877, and not one of us have ever 

-caught a glimpse of the bird,although it was 
one of the prominent looked-for species 
liable to occur on our lists and always 
sought after. Now the Scissor-tail (JZ. for- 
jficatus ) was common everywhere and is the 
‘Bird of Paradise’’ of the inhabitants of 
the country. In fact not one word of the 
whole article but would apply most fitly to 
the Scissor-tail. I must say I am extremely 
skepucal about the Fork-tail, so nicely rep- 
resented in the cut in O. and O., being act- 
ually taken within our borders.’’—Geo. B, 
Sennett, Meadville, Pa. 


Permit me to call attention to an error in 
the last number of the “ Ornithologist and 
Oologist,” viz: the presentation of a figure 
ot Milvulus tyrannus (Fork-tailed Fly- 
| catcher) with the article on JZ. forficatus, 
wh ch should be called Scissor or Swallow- 

tailed Flycatcher. The two birds are ex- 
ceedingly distinct. The Fork-tailed Fly- 
catcher ( AZ. ¢tyrannus ), does not, so far as 
we know, occur in Texas, or even in 
Mexico, (!) though it has been reported as 
| occurring accidentally in Mississippi and 
New Jersey. The Swallow tailed * Fly-. 
catcher ( WZ. forficatus), on the other hand, 
is very common in Texas.—R. Kidgway, 
Washington, D. C. 


In the January number of your publica- 
tion I notice an article by H. Nehrling on 
the “ Fork-tailed Flycatcher, AZz/vulus ty- 
rannus (Linn)” Now the ALilvulus tyran- 
nus so far as known is an extralimital species, 
whose claim toa place on our check-lists 
rests solely on the occurrence of one or two 
stragglers within our limits If then Iam 
right in the inference that Nehrling is writ- 


94 ORNITHOLOGIST 


[Vol. 6-No. 12. 


ing of some locality in the region about San 
Antonio, Texas, he has either discovered a 
new fact or made avery unfortunate blun- 
der. As the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (AZ7/- 
vulus for ficatus) is acommon bird through- 
out the greater portion of Texas, it seems 
most natural to assume that this isthe 
species which Nehrling had in mind, al- 
though the accompanying wood cut unmis- 
takably represents AZ. ¢yrannus. In either 
case the matter is sufficiently important to 
call for a prompt and full explanation.— 
William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. 


006 ———_ 


Golden Eagles. 


The capture of two Golden Eagles has | 


come prominently before our notice. One 
thatis now in the possession of Mr. Roe 
Reisinger, of Meadville, Pa. was taken 
about two miles from Miller’s Station, in 
Crawford County, December toth, 1881. 
This Eagle was seen to leave a dead animal 
which lay in a field near awood. Ona Fri- 
day morning a hiding place was built of 
some rails and a hunter secreted himself 
at 3 A. M. next morning, and waited till 
nearly noon, but the bird did not return. 
The following night he did the same and at 
8 A. M. Saturday morning it came and was 
shot. The hunter carefully removed the 
entrails and took the bird to Mr. Reisinger. 
Without the entrails it weighed exactly 
ten pounds and five ounces, and ~ meas- 
ured from beak to end of tail,3 feet and 
5 inches; across the wings, 7 feet;, colors, 
as Audubon gives them to the letter, except 
that the tail from the base is almost two- 
thirds pure white; eyes, dark hazel; sex, 
male.. Mr. Reisinger proposes to preserve 
the skeleton after it is prepared. in good 
shape. Mr. Reisigner evidently fully un 
derstands how to preserve a valuable speci- 
men for future study and ornament. 

The ‘specimen mentioned doubtfully in 
our December number proved to be a 
Golden Eagle. As we have not heard from 
‘the owner direct we append a description 
from the Hartford Times, which: Mr. Rei- 


_ part bluish. 


| scribed. 


singer informs us is a correct description of . 


his bird, except measurement, which is given 
above. It appears there was some contro- 
versy about the Connecticut specimen, in the 
Hartford Daily Times, between Dr. Wm. 
Wood _and several others. The following 
is the description: “ It is believed that this 
bird in possession of Henry Wedge, of this 
place, is indeed the Golden Eagle. 
feathers on the top of its head are of a 


. . . 
golden vrange color, or inclined to be ofa_ 


dark yellow. They are narrow, pointed, 
and very distinct in these respects. Below 
the head, and passing down the neck, the 
feathers are of a reddish brown. Its breast 
is a deep, dark brown. The feathers on its 
wings, each side of its breast, are of a red- 
dish brown, while the general color of its 
body isthe same, but not quite so strongly 
contrasted. Its legs are feathered to the 
toes. Its claws are black and feet yellow. 
The end of its beak is black, and the basal 
At the base of the bill the 
skin case is naked. Its eyes are of a bright 
orange brown, as nearly as they can be de- 
From four to five inches of the 
end of the tail is a blackish brown, and from 


| six to eight inches from its body it is white, 


with dark spots joining the blackish or 
purplish feathers, filling out the end of its 
tail. The length of the bird is about thirty- 
four inches, from its head to the end of its 
tail. From tip to tip of its wings it is six 
feet and four inches.”—S. A. JZunson, 
Riverton, Conn. 


Whitney Owl. 
CAPT. CHAS. E, BENDIRE, U.S. A« 


For the discovery of the Micrathene 
whitneyi (Coues’), the smallest Ow] known, 
we are indebted to that indefatigable nat- 
uralist, Dr. J. G. Cooper, now living at 
Hayward, Alameda County, California, to 
whom we are also indebted for a great deal 
of original information respecting many 
of the rarer Pacific coast birds. 

Dr. Cooper secured the type specimen ot 
this little Owl, an adult male, near Fort 
Mohave, California, April 26th, 1861, and 


The 


2 ssafgthe atelectasis 


j 
eS. ee 


February, 1882.] 


AND OOLOGIST. 


95 


it remained unique in collections I believe 
for more than ten years afterwards. 

While I was stationed in the southern 
portion of Arizona Territory, during the 
year 1872, I had the pleasure of securing 
several specimens of this then little known 
species. I found the first one in a dense 
willow thicket near Rillitto creek, and close 
to the present site of Camp Lowell, about 
seven miles from Tucson, the principal 
town of the Territory, about the beginning 
of April, 1872. Under date of April 2oth, 
same year, I find the following entry in one 
of my note books: “ Shota very small Owl 
this morning, about the size of a Blackbird, 
which I take to be Dr. Cooper’s Wicrathene 
qwhttneyt. I found it in a dense willow 
thicket near Rillitto creek, and although I 
made a good deal of noise, it allowed me 
to.approach quite close. Length, scarcely 
six inches.” 

Under date of April 22d, 1872, I find a 
detailed description and measurement of 
another specimen. I omit part of the de 
scription as this is well known now, but 
give the measurements and other notes as 
taken down at the time. 

“Length of specimen (sex not given) to 
end of tail, 5.75 inches, to end of claws, 
6.50 inches. Extent of wings, 14.50 inch- 
es; tail, 2.25; iris, sulphur yellow; length 
of tarsus, .80 inches; color, light gray, 
turning into dirty yellow about the toes; 
bill, greenish yellow; tarsi and toes thin- 
ly covered. with bristly feathers. These 
little Owls seem to be arboreal in their 
habits as well as nocturnal, always fre- 
quenting dark and shady places in the thick- 
est bushes and shrubs. While down in the 
Rillitto creek bottom this evening, a little 
after sundown, I followed the sound of a 
peculiar noise, apparently coming from the 
edge of a dense mesquit thicket, and which 
I had previously heard in several similar 
localities, without, however, being able to 
discover its author. By carefully examin- 
ing every tree in the vicinity, I at last saw 
another of these little Owls on a horizontal 
limb of a good sized Mesquit tree, about 


sixteen feet from the ground. After watch- 
ing it some minutes, during which time it 
uttered its peculiar call-notes repeatedly, 
without appearing to be at all disturbed by 
my intrusion. I shot it. Its notes resem- 
ble as near as I can come to expressing 
them on paper the syllables of cha-chu, 
cha-chu, frequently repeated in different 
keys; sometimes quite loud, then again so 
low and plaintive that the bird could scarce- 
ly be heard more than twenty steps off. 
The one I shot yesterday was sitting quite 
erect and perfectly motionless and might 
easily have been taken for a part of the 
limb on which it was sitting. This one was 
in a more natural position and looked 
shorter and thicker. They are not very 
rare here.” 

Specimens sent to leading ornithologists 
subsequently proved the birds to be of this 
species. Unfortunately I am unable to 
give much information about its nesting 
habits, although I found what I supposed 
to be one of their nests, in May, 1872, with 
fully fledged young ones, in a hole of an old 
mesquit stump in the Rillitto creek bot- 
tom. I was enlarging another hole in the 
same stump, but lower down, to examine it, 
when I noticed a couple of young birds of 
this species fly out from above me, and on 
investigation I found a cavity about twelve 
inches deep containing some old leaves, 
pieces of bark and a few feathers, but noth- 
ing else. There may have been more 
young birds, I only saw the two, however. 

The eggs of this Owl as far as I am 
aware still remain unknown. The late Col. 
Grayson found this species on some of 
the islands near the west coast of Mexico. 
I think it will only be found as a summer 
resident in Arizona, but now that this Ter- 
ritory is so easy of access by rail, it should 
not be long before we are fully informed of 
its breeding habits as well as those of num- 
berless other equally rare and interesting 
species which pass their breeding season 
within our southern borders. 

Two other species almost equally inter- 
esting were found by me in the same vicin- 


96 


ORNITHOLOGIST 


~ 


[Vol. 6—-No, 12. 


ity during the season of 1872—Strix oc- 
cidentalis (Xantus) and Glaucidium phala- 
notdes (Daud)—about which I may )iave 
something to say hereafter. 


ANOTHER GANNET (Sula bassana) from 
the interior of New York State. 

In the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornitholog- 
ical Club for July, 1880, (Vol. V., No. 3, 
page 190) Leslie A, Lee records the cap- 
ture of a Gannet, or ‘‘Solan Goose,” (Sula 
bassana) on Grasse River, in thé Town of 
Canton, in St. Lawrence County, New York, 
December roth, 1879. 

Mr. W. L. Rich, of Saratoga Springs, has 
recently sent me an excellent description, 
accompanied by a life-size sketch of the 
head, of another of these curious birds that 
were shot “on the wing” at Saratoga Lake, 
Saratoga County, New York, on November 
11th, 1880, by a Mr. Schuyler. It is a 
young male in the immature speckled plu 
mage, and weighed, when shot, five pounds. 
It measured 38% inches in length, with a 
spread of 7o inches. This is the identical 
specimen recorded as a ‘“ Cormorant (Gra- 
culus carbo)” in a note in your journal for 
July, 1881, (Vol. VI, No. 5, page 39 )—-C. 
fart Merriam, M. D., Locust Grove, N.Y. 


Publications. 


RECENT AND OTHERWISE. 


THe Montuiy InpEx.—If any of our 
readers desire to know what is being done 
in the literary world, and cannot afford to 
subscribe for a large number of magazines 
and papers, they can, by subscribing for the 
Monthly Index, (No. 10 Spruce Street, New 
York—$1.00) get at least an elaborate index 
of what is being published in the maga- 
zines of the United States. 

THE CHANNEL IsLaAnpDs.— The feofle 
and their catéle. By Willis P. Hazard, 
West Chester, Pa. We have been favored 
with a copy of this extremely interesting 
and instructive pamphlet. This author 
wastes no words, but goes right to business, 
and makes a happy use of language, and it 


| en of this work are before us. 


is wonderful how much information has 
been crowded into this sixteen page pam- 
phlet. It is invaluable to the lover of the 


Channel Islands’ cattle, and extremely in- 


teresting to the general reader. 


THE AMERICAN FIELD.—The New-Year- 
number of this favorite sporting journal is. 
| before us. 


It isimmense. Profusely illus- 
trated with spirited sporting scenes. It al- 
so contains a colored illustration as a sup- 
plement, entitled, “Left Behind.”’ 
subject and illustration are beautiful. This 
number also contains a portrait of Dr. El- 
liott Coues, who is said to have resigned 
from the United States army to devote his 
time entirely to ornithology. 

NESTs AND EGGs OF AMERICAN BIRDS. 
—By Ernest Ingersoll. Parts six and sev- 
The plates 
are no improvement on the earlier numbers, 


‘and are really useless for the purpose in- 


tended. ‘The plates in these two numbers 
are at least half an inch smaller than the 
text pages, by which the work is made im- 
perfect to all lovers of good books. 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NESTS AND 
EGGs OF THE Birps oF On10.—Parts ten 
and eleven of this work have reached us. 
Its high standard is well maintained. Its 
illustrations are works of art. The eggs 
and nests are as near nature as ordinary 
art can make them. The colored edition is 
so limited that few of our readers have had 
the pleasure of seeing it. It is to be hoped 
that when, or before, the present work is 
completed the publisher will reproduce the 
same plates in an octavo edition, and issue it 
in numbers, which would place it within the 
reach of all. The colored edition is issued 
at $5.00 per part. Address Howard Jones, 
M. D., Circleville, Ohio. ss 
CANADIAN,SPORTSMAN AND NATURAL- 
ist.—This magazine has commenced its 
second volume with a full page illustrated 
cover, and other improvements. It con- 
tains eight pages and cover, is neatly gotten 
up, and its efforts are well seconded by 
able contributors. Price, too per annum. 
Address Box 317, Montreal, Canada. 


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