THE OSPKEY. 



13:$ 



dark bodies stand out in contrast with the white- 

 caps, and the flash of a wing-patch against a 

 green wave is the last seen of them as they set- 

 tle down far out in the lake. Later in the day 

 they will swarm along shore or congregate on 

 the numerous sandy points. 



When they arrive they are paired off and 

 associate in groups of three and four pairs. In 

 their flight they go by groups; as they swim 

 along shore or fly inland looking for nesting 

 sites, it is in groups; and they nest in groups. 

 Previous to this year, I came across but scatter- 

 ing nests, which served to give me some insight 

 into the time and manner of neslinj:. 



I his season I set about in a systematic way to 

 collect what sets I could, as it would probably 

 be ni}- last chance. With the aid of several 

 persons, during the month of July I secured 21 

 sets of eggs. No set was taken till three or four 

 day after the last egg was deposited. 



They range from four to eleven eggs per set. 

 But most nests contained seven eggs, and were 

 placed in patches of brush, from only a few rods 

 from the lake shore to a mile and a halfback. 

 Besides the 21 sets taken, seven others were 

 found, one of which was destroyed by cattle, 

 another deserted, and the remainder were left 

 to hatch. Of 2.S nests found, only si.^: or seven 

 were discovered by flushing the female, al- 

 though in several cases the bird was discovered 

 on the nest. Ihose only who are familiar with 

 such nest hunting can form a fair conception of 

 the labor involved. To find a Duck's nest thus. 

 means the patrolling of hundreds of acres, peer- 

 ing into each patch of brush or thick l)unch of 

 grass. If the eggs lay exposed it would not be 

 so difficult. But when they ;ire covered witli 

 dry grass and but little of the tell ta'e down or 

 feathers, as is the case before incubation com- 



mences, it takes a practiced eye indeed. One 

 tract of about forty acres I searched twice with- 

 out discovering anything. The third time I 

 uncovered four nests of Scoters within a radius 

 often rods. The female will not flush till nearly 

 stepped upon. She will suffer you to kneel be- 

 side her and part the sheltering weeds. In 

 one instance a sitting bird allowed herself to be 

 lifted from the nest. There were five groups of 

 nests found; one of four nests, three of three 

 each, and one of two. .Several other nests were 

 within 30 rods of one another, but these I con- 

 sidered only single nests. A group of nests, in 

 the meaning of this artic e, was one in which 

 the nests were so close together that they would 

 all come within a circle whose diameter would 

 not exceed 20 rods. One of the three nest- 

 groups could have been placed in a four-rod 

 circle. While females in typical plumage were 

 to be seen, the greater number were not fully 

 clad with the sooty brown dress. The heads of 

 most of the sittiug birds observed were nearly 

 white. Many of the males likewise were not in 

 fully matured plumage. The nrale often es- 

 corts his better half to the nest uear the close 

 of the day. After much flying about in all di- 

 rections they drop to the ground rods away and 

 the female skulks through grass to the nest, 

 while the male betakes himself to the lake. 

 When the young are hatched a day or so on the 

 nearest pond is spent; then they are led to the 

 saltv waters of the lake. By the last of Sep- 

 tember the Scoters have disappeared, at least 

 from their usual haunts. Just before the ice 

 closes, about the last of October, a few of the 

 White-winged species are to be seen swimming 

 about in the open »ater in company with other 

 Scoters and Old Squaws. 



A CHAPTEK ON THE ROBIN. 

 By C. O. Ormsbek, Montpelier, Vt. 



IF anyone familiar with the avifauna of New 

 England were asked to name tlie most coui- 

 nion bird of hat region, lie would not hesi- 

 tate to declare that the Robin outiuunbers any 

 three species; and he might further state that, 

 with the excel tion of the English Sparrow, no 

 bird is more thoroughly doinest cated. Yet in 

 looking over my files of ornithological papers. 

 I find no des!M"i])ti<in of this tjird, and few allu- 

 sions to its habits. It seems to be thought too 

 coinmon to deserve notice. Ai'd here let uie 

 remark a tendency among naturalists, more 

 especially among amateurs, to neglect common 

 species and stud)' r;'re ones. This is all 

 very well, so long as they study nature: but 

 when amateurs write of liirds they h?ve never 

 seen, copying a portion of their sketch from a 

 cyclopa-dia, and drawing upon their imagina- 

 tions for the rest, they impose upon the reader, 

 and lessen the vain- of the periodical which 

 publishes such a sketch. 



The coinmon Robin, called also the American 

 Robin, and Red breasted Robin, and which is 

 'J'lirdiis juigratorius of Linnaeus, and I\[erula 

 migiatoria of Swainson and Richardson, is 

 found throughout North America. Its chief 

 habitat, however, is along the Atlantic coast. 

 From all that I can learn, I do not think it is 

 ver)' common west of the Mississippi River. 



As its name indicates, it is highly migratory, 



arriving in this latitude toward the latter part 

 of March, and departing late in autumn. From 

 a record before me. I find that the date of its 

 .irrival varies from Mar. 1,^ to Mar. 27, with an 

 average date of Mar. 23. My own observations 

 have given an average of April 2. 



The date of departure is less easily ascer- 

 tained, but it is .several weeks later than is pop- 

 ularly believed. Toward the close of summer 

 they retire to thick and distant woods, and also 

 become 1 xc edingly shy. Hence the supposi- 

 tion arises that they have mig-rated. I remem- 

 ber once (and from mv note-book I see that the 

 date was Oct' ber 26), hearing a large number 

 apparently engaged in an angry dispute. It 

 was ill a thick woods upon the side of a moun- 

 tain. I approached caretuUy and saw a flock 

 of about fifty Robins. I was seen almost at the 

 same instant, and the birds disappeared as if 

 by magic. Another time, on November 4. I 

 heard a similar noise, and, approaching more 

 carefully, I was able to secrete myself and 

 watch proceedings without being seen. Most 

 of the birds were upon the ground, and all were 

 in constant motion. I counted 120, and am con- 

 fident that the actual number was twice as 

 many. It was late in the afternoon when I dis- 

 covered them, and just as the sun was sinking 



