80 



THE OOLOGIST. 



he gets the local name of "False Mock- 

 ingbird." I have often heard him singing 

 so that one not accustomed to the two 

 birds would mistake it for the song of 

 the Mockingbird, the main ditference 

 being that the Loggerhead does not 

 sing as loud as the Mockingbird. In 

 fact his song is very low. I have notic- 

 ed that the favorite perch of tliis bird as 

 well as that of the Mockingbird is on 

 the top of the highest chimney of so nc 

 house, or the topmost branches of sonu' 

 tree. Tiie Shrike, although it has tlic; 

 bill of the Falconidae has \ery small and 

 clean cut legs and feet, thus it uses its 

 bill only and not its talons in tearing 

 its foods contrary J:o most birds of j>rcy. 



The breeding season starts in May, 

 the same bird often raising two liroods 

 in one season. The nest is a bulky 

 structure somewhat larger tliau that of 

 the American Robin, composed of 

 grasses, sticks, rags and i^aper lined 

 with feathers, (usually small chicken 

 feathers.) I have often found the lining 

 of feathers so thick and loose as to al- 

 most or quite conceal the eggs from 

 view. A favorite material used in the 

 construction of the nest in Volusia Co., 

 Fla., is the small stalks of the Dog-fen- 

 nell. 



I have taken most of my eggs from 

 nests built in orange trees, the uest be- 

 ing on some branch where the leaves 

 were very thick and from six to ten 

 feet from the ground. A thorny tree is 

 preferred as the male gathers food and 

 impales it ou tliorns near the nest 

 while the female is setting, thus the fe- 

 male is not long olf her nest after the 

 full number of eggs have been deposit- 

 ed. 1 have also found nests in small 

 pine saplings, li.e oak trees and saw 

 one in tlie top of a very high pine tree. 

 A full complement of eggs is from four 

 to six; usually six. From one nest how- 

 ever 1 took ten eggs by leaving a uest 

 egg. The nest was in a large bushy 

 orange tree and whe:i found contained 

 two eggs. 1 took out one and on 



leturuing two daj's later found two. 

 By watching the nest I found that an 

 egg was laid ev ry other day, which I 

 continued to take until the tenth, when 

 the bird refused to lay any more but 

 started to set ou the one remaining egg. 

 I have tried this on other nests but 

 never succeeded except in the above 

 case. Some of the birds whould leave 

 the uest ou the first eggs being taken, 

 others after the taking of tli" -■■■■■-"•! or 

 t])ird. 



The Loggerhead is very uoisj- on the 

 iil)proach ol persons to its nest ani\ 

 often betrays its location by its fear of 

 discovery. When you disturb the uest 

 the bii'd will dart savagely at. you, and 

 afterwards follow you for some distance 

 from the nest scolding all the time. 



The eggs are of a dull white or gray 

 with pale purple or light brown ir- 

 regular sized spots chietiy around the 

 larger end. The average size of the 

 eggs collected by me and m)W in my 

 caliinet is .I3x.70. 



F. Adee Hulst, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Form( ijy of.De Land, Florida. 



How to Prepare a Birdskiiiv 



After the desired specimen is shot, 

 carefully lill all shot holes and wounds 

 with batting to i)revent the blood Hew- 

 ing. 



Then, when ready for operations,, 

 place the bird on its back, and by pass^ 

 ing a narrowsti'ip of plain paper around 

 the body ovei- the wings, take its girth 

 so that the natural si e may be retain- 

 eil after lininshiug. Pin the paper iu 

 this i)osition and slide off over the 

 wings. Make the first . incisions about 

 two-thirds the way down the breast^ 

 bone, to the tail, iieing careful not to 

 cut any of the aluhjminal muscles. 

 Then push, not pi 11. the skin off the spec- 

 imen to the knee joint, here separate 

 leaving the leg attached to the skin, 

 and in the same manner operate with 



