140 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Editor "Oologist." 



Dear Sir: — Let me tell you my ex- 

 perience with the Black and White 

 Warbler foi' the first time in my life. 



On the 30th day of June, 1907, wjiile 

 my little ^rl, Hazel Eldridge, and I, 

 were climbing the ledge to go straw- 

 berrying, we discovered a little nest 

 with 4 well incubated eggs and one 

 veiT freshly laid egg about one-half 

 the size of the others, but of the same 

 type. The nest was placed in a damp 

 crevice at the bottom of a ledge 4 feet 

 high, but half way up the larger ledge. 

 We did not touch the nest or eggs un- 

 til cur return from the strawberry 

 field. When we returned we saw the 

 Black and White Warbler sitting on 

 her nest. Had I only a camera to take 

 a photograph of it I would have given 

 a great deal. The nest was hy no 

 means a hard one to find, but the eggs 

 cost me three hours of my sleep, hav- 

 ing finished blowing them at 1:15 

 o'clock in the morning. Took a set of 

 5 nice eggs and the best made nest I 

 ever saw of the Black-billed Cuckoo, 

 one ihour later. Both sets went in my 

 ?abinet. 



EDWARD S. COOMBS. 



Comment. — ^This was unusually late 

 for this bird to be incubating. I have 

 seen them feeding young on June 12th. 

 These adventitious eggs, often of 

 smaller size and usually infertile are 

 quite often found near the nest of in- 

 cubating birds. — ED. 



Mr. E. H. Short, 



Chili, N. Y., 

 Dear Sir: 



In The March Ooologist Mr. Wm. 

 S. Pitcairn says "In my locality there 

 was a marked increase in numbers 

 of the Baltimore Oriole (icterus gal- 

 bula.)" This is just the opposite in 

 locality. They have been growing 

 fewer each year; and last year I only 

 saw 4 all summer, on the other hand 

 the Blue Jay (byanacitta cristata) 



were more numerous in 1906; one 

 pair breeding in a cherry tree in the 

 garden, they are also more numerous 

 this spring. Some of the migrants 

 such as pine warbler (D endroica 

 vigorsii) and pine siskin (spnius piu- 

 us) were very numerous, appearing 

 in flocks of from 5 to 50 about the 

 porch eating berries on the honey- 

 suckle vine. On February 11 I also 

 saw a flock of 6 red polls (acanthus 

 linoria) in a pine tree eating the lit- 

 tle buds from the twigs. 

 Very truly, 

 P. G. Howes, Stamford, Conn. 



Toledo, Apr. 2, 1907. 

 Mr. Ernest H. Short, 



Dear Sir: — 



I wish to bring to your notice the 

 observation of the Passenger Pigeon 

 here on Apr. 1, 1907. I watched the 

 two Passenger Pigeons for over half 

 an hour. I was hidden behand some 

 bushes not over 100 feet away and 

 saw them clearly through my field 

 glass. They were larger than mourn- 

 ing doves and longer tails, darker 

 heads and rusty-brown breasts. I al- 

 so saw several Mourning Doves while 

 watching them and thus they afford- 

 ed good objects for comparison, and 

 hence I think that I could not have 

 been mistaken. 



Yours respectfully, 



A. C. Read. 



HAND BLOWERS. 



We have had descriptions and sam- 

 ples of 3 hand blowers submitted 

 within 60 days. All differing in minor 

 particulars but based on the old prin- 

 ciple of air bulb and pipe and none as 

 good as the old Reed Hand Blower 

 which was not perfect. 



Perhaps a universal automatic blow- 

 er vailable and perfect under all the 

 contingencies of fleld work is unatain- 

 able at a reasonable price. [Ed.] 



