MUSEUM. 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. I. 



ALBION, N. Y., NOVEMBER 15, 1894. 



No. I 



An Old Timer's Greeting. 



It has been a number of years since 

 I have taken the privilege of the col- 

 umns of our special journals,, and I won- 

 der how many of my old friends I will 

 greet through the medium of The Mu- 

 seum. To such I would say that al- 

 though time has wrought some changes 

 with the members of the Bristol Orni- 

 thological Club and many are in dis- 

 tant lands, yet some few friends includ- 

 ing the writer have renewed each sea- 

 son our companionship with our local 

 bird life. 



The well-known colony of Ospreys 

 around Palmerls river, hold their own 

 in numbers; a visit during the second 

 week in May, 1894, giving a count of 

 eighty-three occupied nests, one- of 

 which was erected on the top of a tele- 

 graph pole, along the side of a railroad. 

 The smoke from every passing engine 

 ascended around the structure, but the 

 birds have each year built a new nest 

 to replace the destruction of the line- 

 men. 



Red-shouldered Hawks are a very 

 common bird in our Bristol county 

 woods; much more so than one would 

 suppose possible in thickly settled com- 

 munities. Many of these birds are fa- 

 mailiar friends, and their nesting has 

 been noted in previous accounts. By 

 April 1 2th, 1892, the "Cobble-hill" 

 pair had laid a set of five eggs, which 

 is an unusually large number and wor- 

 thy of special mention. In previous 

 years the usual clutch had been three. 

 The "Goff's Woods" and "Resivoir" 



pair were visited on April 20th, i 894, 

 and the sets of three eggs each taken. 

 Both of these pairs were first robbed 

 in 1882, and every season since they 

 have not failed to present us with a 

 fine clutch. They have persistentl}- 

 nested in the same locality, not resort- 

 ing to alternate situations as other pairs 

 have done. 



A freshly laid set of six Marsh Hawk's 

 eggs were taken on May 7th, 1892, 

 which is the earliest date I have ever 

 taken any eggs of this bird. In the 

 immediate locality another set of four 

 fresh eggs were taken on May 29th, al- 

 though both pairs of birds were in evi- 

 dence on the first named date. 



The Sharp-shinned Hawks, eluded my 

 limited search for them this year, but very 

 handsome sets were taken for the three 

 previous years. One set of eggs taken 

 May 19th, '92 were extremely beauti- 

 ful. This pair immediately built a new 

 uest, in a grove near by and another 

 set was ready on June 7th. All nests 

 of this Hawk have been placed in rath- 

 er small pines in quiet open groves. 



Some quite rare birds have been 

 found nesting during late years. A 

 nest and five -eggs of the Nashville 

 Warbler were taken on June 2d, 1892. 

 The nest was sunk flush with the ground 

 on a rather steep side hill in open 

 sproutland and incubation had scarce 

 begun. A nest of the Solitary Vireo 

 ^^'ith four eggs showing heavy incuba- 

 tion was found on May 30th of the 

 current year. They differ greatly in 

 nidification from the other New^ Eng- 



