44 



THE OOLOGISl. 



the opera-glass brigade. Thus, we may 

 be well assured that the great mass 

 of earnest investigators of bird life 

 will have no cause to take us serious- 

 ly, in any sense. There is more than 

 one sense in which "a bird in the 

 hand is worth two in the hush." 

 P. B. PEABODY, 

 Blue Rapids, Kas. 



Stamford, Conn. 



Ernest H. Short. 



Dear Sir: — Answering your ques- 

 tion in the January Oologist, "Are our 

 birds growing fewer?" I have ob- 

 served that the English Starling ('Stur- 

 nus vulgaris) which was introduced 

 into this country in 1890, have hecome 

 very abundant in this locality. 



On January 14 last, I noticed a 

 flock of 100 of these birds in an elm 

 tree. They were very tame, as I was 

 able to get right under the tree they 

 were in. On January 15 last I count- 

 d a flock of 50, which were also very 

 tame. Two years ago I put up some 

 bird houses in a tree not more than 

 two yards away from the house. They 

 have bred in these every year and I 

 expect them again this coming spring. 

 Very truly, 



P. G. HOWES. 



Does It Exist? 



■ What is the best kind of blower for 

 eggs? I use a common glass pipe and 

 blow with my mouth for small eggs. 



For larger eggs, such as Gt. Blue 

 Heron and Osprey, I have an atomizer 

 bulb which I use with my hand. This 

 forces the contents out all right, but 

 I find it moves about too much when 

 the pressure is made and therefore is 

 liable to chip the hole when the pipe 

 is inserted. 



Is there any thing made that you 

 consider just the thing? 



I have looked through the Oologist 

 several times for an article about 

 blowing eggs and the best egg-blower, 

 but do not se anything. 



Tell usi how an egg-blower should 

 be made, so as to give the best re- 

 sults. 



Yours truly, 



E. J. DARLI^'GTOX. 

 Answer — Probably the BEST egg 

 blower is yet to be heard from. 



For small eggs we have never seen 

 anything that would successfully re- 

 place the mouth and blowpipe. Noth- 

 ing else seems to allow of an adjust- 

 ment of pressure nice enough to avoid 

 bursting thin shelled eggsr 



To avoid the wobbling of the tip 

 of the pipe, any style of portable auto- 

 matic hand blower, take a small block 

 of any tough wood that does not split 

 too easy. Bore a hole through it that 

 will just fit your pipe, a short distance 

 back from tip. Cut this hlock verti- 

 cally through the center of the hole. 

 Take ordinary hand vise and insert 

 the handle upright in a hole wherever 

 you may be, at home, in the woods, 

 anywher»; you can generally find 

 something you can punch or bore 'a 

 hole in that will firmly hold the little 

 vise upright. Insert your pipe with 

 wood blocks between the jaws of the 

 vise and screw up until firmly held, 

 not tight enough to smash the pipe, of 

 course. A wad of paper will answer 

 the purpose of the split block at a 

 pinch. 



The hand vises can be furnished by 

 almost all hardware dealers. 



I handle one style costing only 75 

 cents, that has place made purposely 

 •to hold in this manner, having a 

 rounded space that takes any pipe; 

 you simply wind a strip of cloth or 

 paper around pipe until it fits snug- 

 Iv.— ED. 



