THE OSPREY. 



I4L 



But the collector had reckoned without his host, 

 and when it came to a show-down I had him, for 

 I had interviewed the builders. This, it seems 

 to me. shows a divergence somewhat unusual 

 for birds to display in practically the same 

 locality. — R. D. LuSK, Ft. Huachuca. Ariz.. 

 yV(7r<7/31. 1899. 



Nkst ok Stei.i.kk's Jay. This was taken 

 June 5. 189.H. near Kapousin Lake. These birds 

 are very common here, but the nests are not 

 often found. Fresh eg-gs may be found by the 

 first week in April, and any time after that, 

 till the first of June. The earlier sets all have 

 four eggs, so that this one of three may be a 

 second set. This nest was placed three feet 

 from the base of a small fir growing out from 

 a very steep bank, so that vertically it was 

 about ten feet from the ground. The birds 

 objected very much at first, hut as the pho- 

 tographing progressed they became silent and 

 apparently interested in the process. Their 

 curiosity and impudence are unlimited, but 



NEST AND EGGS OF STELLER'S JAY. 



they seem so goodnatured that it is impossible 

 to help laughing- at them. I used to watch 

 the Long-crested variety in Colorado eat the 

 chickens' food while the cat would sit near by, 

 licking his chops. Every once in a while he 

 would try to crawl up to them, when all but 

 one would fly into the trees, and any one 

 would think from the actions of the remaining 

 one that it was playing tag- with the cat, and 

 that it was not a question of life and death for 

 the Jay; but they never were much less than 

 ten feet apart. When they had gone far enough, 

 the Jay would make a wide circuit and join the 

 others at the food. 



When they wish to leave a gulch that is t\vo 

 hundred feet deep, or more, instead of flying out 

 or going up the sides I the slope is never far from 

 forty-five degrees), they fly to the nearest tall 

 tree and go from branch to liranch upward until 

 level with the top of the bank and then fly 

 across. 



I have shot only two for specimens and the 

 stomachs contained only insects and gravel, 

 which is probably their principal food; although 

 in the autumn they are very fond of hazel nuts 

 which they break open with their bill while hold- 

 ing the nut against a branch. I have no reason 

 to think they destroy small birds" eggs, particu- 

 larly as the small birds do not disturb them. — 

 Chakles W. Bowi.ks, Tacc-ima, Wash.. April 

 9, 1899. 



Is Nkatnkss Always Dhsikable/— We have 

 a in mile, high-tension (10,000 volt) electric line 

 here that seems likely to exterminate the Log- 

 gerheads and Sparrow Hawks in its vicinity. 

 Every time I inspect the line I find the remains 

 of some bird, sometimes with the feet burnt off. 

 One day I found four Logg-erheads, one Mock- 

 ing-bird and one Sparrow Hawk. Knowing how 

 quickly dead birds disappear, it would seem that 

 many die this way. I was at a loss at first to 

 know how they were killed; the wires are too 

 far apart for them to make connection between 

 them, and they can sit on one -wire 

 with perfect safety, as voltage no mat- 

 ter how high does no harm unless it 

 has a Completed circuit to force through 

 the current which does the killing. 



A Sparrow Hawk solved the problem 

 for me. The iron brace of the cross- 

 arm which supports the upper wires 

 pa.sscs within a few inches of the 

 lower wires. The Hawk got on these 

 lower wires, and reached out to wipe 

 his bill on the brace, thus completing 

 the circuit to the ground. When I 

 found him he was rig-idly fixed in this 

 position. All the birds I found were 

 at the foot of posts; so I think they all 

 must have been victims of this liabit 

 of neatness. — J. Rowland Nowei.i., 

 Anderson, S. C, March 22, 1899. 



^.'-^ A New Statu)N fon the Me.xicax 

 Ckossbu.i..— On the 13th of March, 

 Mr. Cha.se Littlejohn .secured a single 

 Mexican Crossbill (/.. c. stricktmuli). 

 from a small flock which was feeding 

 among the pines at the north head of 

 Cerros. The .specimen was a male in 

 immature plumage. The Crossbills were wild. 

 a characteristic shared by the other birds of 

 this locality. I believe this is the first speci- 

 men of Loxia secured on Cerros Island. — 

 Richakd C. McGkegok, Palo Alto, Cal., April, 

 1899. 



The death of Joseph Wolf at the age of 

 79 ends the career of a very notable zoological 

 artist. It occured on the 20th of April last. 

 Mr. Wolf had the reputation among many good 

 judges of being the best zoological artistof his 

 (or any) age. He was born in Rhenish Prussia, 

 in the small village of Moerz. district of Mav- 

 field, June, 1820. 



He was established at Antwerp, when he was 

 invited to illustrate G. R. Grav's "Genera of 

 Birds." Afterwards he illustrated "The Birds 

 of Northeast Africa." "The Birds of Japan," 

 "The Birds of Great Britain" (by Gould), and 

 numerous other works. His ''Life and Habits of 

 Wild Animals" was a familiar work between 20 



