THE OSPEEY. 



61 



Early Nesting op the Pkairie Horned 

 IvARK. — On my way with a load of wood, on 

 March 30, a Prairie Horned Lark Hew up from 

 in front of the horses, and ali^^'lited about three 

 feet away. I noticed that it acted rather queer, 

 and thought that it might have a nest near. So 

 I got down from the wagon and after searching 

 a few seconds I found the nest, which contain- 

 ed four young birds, about a week old. As tliis 

 set of eg'gs must have been laid about March 9, 

 it beats the record for New York State. — \V. J. 

 WiKT, Gaines, N. V. 



Pensii^E Redstart's Ne.st. — 1 found this nest 

 June 27, 1897, while strolling along the edge of 

 a thick wood, about six miles up the east shore 

 of t)wasco Lake. It was built like a Red-eyed 

 Vireo's, suspended between two twig's at the 



Pensile Redstart's Nust. 



end of a small limb, six feet from the g'round. 

 It was about 2.50 inches in diameter, cupped 

 2.00 X 1.50; made of leaves, grasses, rootlets and 

 bark, covered on the outside with cobweb and 

 plant down, lined with two or three feathers, 

 grasses and hair. 



The female allowed me to get within three 

 feet of her, when she flew off, uncovering four 

 blotched eggs, slightly incubated. She flew to 

 the ground, calling her mate and acting as if 

 she had an injured wing. 



Have Redstart's nests like this one been found? 

 May not this nest have been a Vireo's, after- 

 ward used by the Redstart? — GEO. C. Embody, 

 A lib 11 ni, N. v. 



Nesting of the Bi.ack-thkoated Blue 

 Warbi.er — The breeding of this bird here is so 

 rare that the discovery of a nest June 11, 1895, 

 may interest readers of The Ospkey. I was 

 searching the ground for a nest of the Oven- 

 bird, when I was attracted by the alarm notes 

 of Dcndrocca cofrulesccns. A short search re- 

 vealed the nest, which was built on a dry fallen 

 limb resting in some small beech saplings. It 

 was placed 18 inches above the ground, and was 



composed of rotten wood, vine bark, and flowers 

 from weeds, and partially covered with cocoons. 

 The lining was small black roots and hair. 

 The nest was within six feet of a hemlock limb 

 where, in a previous season, I had discovered 

 tlie nest and eggs of a Magnolia Warbler. The 

 locality seemed to be a favorite one for War- 

 blers, being an open tract in a piece of woods, 

 on a side hill, grown up to bushes, ferns atid 

 sapling's, with here and there a fallen log and 

 brusli pile. Unfortunatel}-. one of the eggs 

 was broken; the three remaining ones, which 

 were slig"htly incubated, ji:easure 0.63 x 0.52; 

 0.66 X 0.53; 0.62 x 0.50.— H. C. Higgins, Cinciii- 

 natits, iX. }'. 



Lark Sparrow in Mississippi. — On Sept. 3, 

 1897, I noted several Lark Sparrows (C/ioiidrsfcs 

 gra»nnai'a), on tlie beach near Beauvoir, Harri- 

 son County, about 75 miles east of New Orleans. 

 The birds were seen before a storm, feeding 

 among the sparse grasses growing in the sand. 

 One alighted on a wharf railing, and then 

 flew down to the beach, where I shot it. 

 When disturbed, the birds flew to a clump 

 of trees and vines. 



In Louisiana I have seen Lark Sparrows in the 

 northeastern part of the State, in Madison 

 parish; also I knew of their occurence in the 

 southern part of the State, on the west bank of 

 the Mis.sissippi. — H. H. Kopman, AVrf Oilcans, 

 Louisiana. 



The Flouida Burrowing Owl.— This little 

 creature cannot live at peace with the cowboy. 

 The Owl would soon be extinct if the cowboj' s 

 eff'orts could bring about that result, for the lat- 

 ter destroys the former ui every possible man- 

 ner. The reason is obvious to one who knows 

 the cowboy's work. Riding his pony at break- 

 neck speed, it is only too often that the animal 

 steps into an Owl's burrow, frequently breaking 

 its leg or neck, if not injuring or killing its 

 rider. One season, when on a trip to the haunts 

 of the Burrowing Owl, I collected a number of 

 sets of eggs. On my return to the same locality 

 ten days later, I found that all the owners of 

 despoiled nests had dug other and mostly deep- 

 er burrows. Once while lying in my tent my 

 attention was drawn to a little cloud of dust in 

 the air, apparently the scene of some agitation, 

 a hundred feet away. My field-glass showed, 

 much to my amusement, a little Owl scratching 

 away with grent alacrity, as if for dear life. I 

 disliked to bother him, but examined his bur- 

 row next day, and found it peculiar — at least to 

 me. Six inches from the bottom was a small 

 side chamber, little more than a niche in the 

 wall, containing one egg. I supposed the bur- 

 row would be dug deeper, and the egg rolled 

 down when the nest was completed. At night 

 one or more of the little Owls used to come close 

 to my tent, and I was almost willing to lie 

 awake to listen to their peculiar notes. — A. M. 

 Nicholson, Orlando, Fla. 



Nesting of the Blue-winged Warbler. — 

 On the morning of May lo, 1897, while walking 

 in Jefferson County, Mo., near Morse Mills, I 

 saw two male F.lue-wiuged Warblers chasing a 

 female. In a few, moments a male flew back 

 and perching ou a.tree begun singing — a song 



