THE MUSEUM. 



187 



Tnarked egg and that the various eggs 

 are laid by different birds. I, myself, 

 was inclined to take that view until 

 last season when I instituted some ex- 

 periments to prove it, and found the 

 results decidedly negative. On sever- 

 al occasicns I shot the female as she 

 was rising from the nest and in each 

 case no eggs were deposited subse- 

 quently. Some observers have how- 

 ever (and their veracity can not be 

 questioned) found that after removing 

 a set of three eggs from a certain nest, 

 and returning the next day that anoth- 

 er full set of three had been deposited. 

 Of course no one bird could be respon- 

 sible for this and although I have never 

 been able to verify this by personal 

 experiments, I must give the view a 

 consideration and leave the question 

 as to the "parentage" of the eggs still 

 sub jiidicc. 



At some future date however I hope 

 to institute some more conclusive ex- 

 periments and to establish the fact, 

 either affirmatively or negatively. 



Red-shouldered Hawk. 



April 24, 1892. The day opened 

 clear and bright after the several days 

 of rainy weather we had just exper- 

 ienced and knowing that it would be 

 a good day for the birds I took a 

 small lunch and a large collecting box 

 and started for a wild, low-lying piece 

 of woodland, a few miles from my 

 home, that is known by the name of 

 "Cedar Swamp." 



And it is a swamp. Everywhere it 

 is covered by a thick growth of small 

 cedar and hemlock, about twelve feet 

 in height. Near one .end is the 

 "Island"covered with larger hemlocks. 



"Bearded with moss and in gar- 



ments green" that go towering up 

 towards the clouds. 



Distant from this about three hun- 

 dred yards in a northerly direction are 

 several acres of large pines which 

 were formerly the breeding place of 

 Big Blue Herons but which for some 

 reason they have deserted. 



Here and there among the thrifty 

 pines are rotten stubs from twenty to 

 thirty feet in height, remains of some 

 ancient forest monarch long since con- 

 quered by time. 



It was here that I once saw a 

 Pileated Woodpecker and followed 

 him all day in the hope of securing a 

 set of eggs, and at last, just at dusk, 

 found myself in the farther end of the 

 swamp, which was too far from home 

 to return that night, but for the fact 

 that I had to leave on the midnight 

 train. 



But I am wandering. As I said it 

 was a remarkably pleasant day and I 

 was soon within the woods lost to all 

 thoughts but those relating to Nature. 



The trees were alive with birds. 

 On every stub Downy Woodpeckers 

 and Chickadees are to be seen, while 

 near by would be found "Downy's" 

 larger relative, the Flicker. 



Occasionally I would come across a 

 pair of Bluebirds or a bunch of Robins 

 cooing love notes to each other. And 

 now nearing the border of an open 

 field I hear the pure, clear notes of 

 the Meadowlark and the echoing an- 

 swer — the low soft whistle of the 

 Wood Pewee. 



As I approached the larger woods 

 I noticed two large Hawks circling 

 overhead. I immediately turned my 

 glasses on them but could not identify 

 them because of the distance. I pro- 



