248 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ish dfab to a greenish neai'ly like 

 grass dried iu the shade. 



This poad was covered with a 

 growth f>f rushes, flags and gi'ass and 

 was a great uesling place for Coots, 

 Rails, Galiuules, Bitterns, Black birds 

 and I found my first Mallards nest in it. 

 I had been very well pleased with sets 

 of 10 Coots, 13 of King Rail, etc., but 

 when I got to the shore where my 

 friend John, who was helping me was 

 waiting he took my breath away with 

 the statement that he had not done vei\y 

 well — only a set of 6 Bittern and 1-16 

 King Rail besides a few sets of 8 Coots. 

 The water in the pond varied from 6 

 inches to 2 feet. 



My third set was in a small pond near 

 the main swamp and had been found a 

 few days l;)e fore bj^ 'George" when it 

 liad only one egg iu it. 



The nest as usual was in a thick 

 clump of rushes, nearly Hat, and a very 

 flimsy affair, perhaps 8 inches across by 

 12 long. The eggs being abou 4 inches 

 above the water. 



The color of these eggs is very diffi- 

 cut to describe. They run from a dark 

 cream to the color of dead grass. 



The measurements are 2.05x1.48. 2.03 

 xl.50, 1.1(4x1.51, 2.07x1.48, average 2 02 

 xl.49. As will be seen the shortest egg 

 so far is the broadest 1.94x1.51. 



The 4th set was found on the edge of 

 the swamp near where I had seen a pair 

 the day before and thought from their 

 actions they must have a nest close by. 

 I had given it up when I heard "George" 

 laughing and as he is a model small 

 boy for egg hunting who rarely makes 

 a noise I went to him at once and saw 

 something well worth laughing at, a 

 Bittern setting on her nest scoldiugjust 

 as a setting hen will, and with about 

 the same "chuck." Her feathers wei'e 

 all standing out and with her head 

 drawn back and bill open to its utmost 

 extent she was a comical sight and one 

 to l)e handled carefully. 



I gave her the basket to l)ite while I 



picked her up, but was disappointed to 

 tind only two eggs. 



George put her under his arm and 

 holding her head in his hand carried 

 her to the house and put her in a bar- 

 rel, where we were rewarded by an- 

 other egg next day. As she did not lay 

 again I supposed the set must have 

 been completed at 1-3. This was the 

 most dimsy nest of all; placed iu a very 

 thin patch of rushes and not over two 

 inches thick and only wide enough to 

 hold tae eggs. The water here was 

 only about 3 inches deep. These eggs 

 were taken on the 22nd of May. 



My next visit to the swamp was made 

 ou June 14th, but I found it rather late 

 for the American Bittern, some sets 

 found being ready to hatch. I got two 

 vei-y good sets, of 4 each, one from the 

 large pond spoken of before. The first 

 set was discovered by the scolding of 

 the bird on the nest as in the case men- 

 tioned above. The nest was well hid- 

 den iu a dense gi'owth of rushes, at this 

 time 3 or 4 feet above the water and 

 the bird remained on it until 1 had 

 called my companion and pi'epared to 

 take her when she Hew a short distance. 

 The nest was a shallow platform of dead 

 rushes placed in a clump of green 

 rushes. 



Incubation had begun and as usual 

 varied several days. They measuie 

 1.90x1.47, 1.91x1.50, 1.96x1.42, 1.91x1.42. 

 In color they are what might be called 

 a very dark cream, or cream Avith 

 dust mixed through it. 



Another set of 4 was taken in the 

 pona where the set of 1-5 w:is found. I 

 did not take this .set myself but the 

 boys informed me the nest was a shal- 

 low platform of reeds placed on the 

 broken stems of a clump of reeds, a few 

 inches above water level and over sev- 

 eral feet of water. 



They measure 2 04x1.48, 1.90x149 

 2 04x1.47, 1.94x1.45. Incubation begun. 



They are of the greenish color des- 

 cribed before. 



