3-20 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Bara Owl iu Indiana!!" Mr. W. K. 

 Saul, I. Eavans, and numerous others 

 I could mention, haA'e in a series of 

 correspondence with the writer, pro- 

 nounced the Barn Owl a resident of 

 this State. So, now, '"Boys of Indiana" 

 if you find a nest of the Barn Owl in 

 Indiana make sure of the identity and 

 then make your data without fear of 

 contradiction, for you have the best 

 authority of the State on your side. 



I fully agi'ee with "the critic" that 

 every collector should carefully and 

 positively identify each and every set 

 they take. I have watched a nest for 

 hours to make sure of the identity when 

 I was in the least doubt. 



I was for a time discouraged and 

 thought perhaps I \^as wrong, but wiih 

 letters from some of the best authority 

 in this and adjoining states substantiat- 

 ing my judgment I am still in the field 

 more enthusiastic than ever. 



If Mr. Sirrom will kindly correspond 

 with me on this subject I am sui'c I can 

 convince him that he is mistaken; and 

 then I shall ask him to retract what he 

 has sai-d, as I feel he has done me an 

 injustice as well as cast a retiection on 

 the authority of the Oologist and the 

 sagacity of its most able editor. 



I do not claim to be perfect, nor in- 

 fallible by any means, but Mr. Editor 

 I believe it good policy to "Look be- 

 fore you leap." Investigate before you 

 criticise a thing. Mr. S. certainly did 

 not do so in the case of the Barn Owl 

 at least. 



In the case of the article in the Jan- 

 uary No. it seems to me it would be 

 owing to his enthusiasm, whether it 

 would be a pleasure to hunt when one 

 was so handicapped, but surely his ob- 

 servations coidd and would be of as 

 much profit as though he had traveled 

 in aristocratic style. It appeal's ac- 

 cording to the very interesting and 

 valuable articles I'ecently published in 

 the OoLOGiST on "The Life of Alexan- 

 der Wilson," that this noble man ex- 



perienced more hardships than could 

 possiljjy have attended the author of 

 the aforesaid article. Yet "the ciitic" 

 has not taken exception to that, and 

 again I have found that an ax or a 

 hatchet is almost indispensable to good 

 live collectors. Now, readers in hopes 

 that our elder brother will endeavor to 

 rectify his unintentional mistake, and 

 so right the misinformed "boys of In- 

 diana," I beg to subscribe myself, 

 Geo. W. Pitjian, 

 New Castle, Indiana. 



A Nest of the Canvas-back. 



Seaburn, Manitoba, June 4, 1893. For 

 gome days I had observed a pair of 

 Canvas-backs frequenting a slough that 

 ran back from the Lake a short distance, 

 the sides of which were covered with a 

 i-ank growth of small bushes coarse 

 grass, old roots of trees and small 

 patches of dry ground here and there, 

 just the place I thought for a nest. 

 For several days I had paid the place a 

 visit, upon each occasion observing the 

 birds up at the far end of the slough, 

 and although I searched carefully every 

 time I never could discover the nest 

 which I felt sure was there. On the 

 morning of the 4th I was awake early 

 and finding it blowing strong from the 

 North with a fine rain falling I detei". 

 mined to go and have another seai'ch 

 for the Canvas-back, as I knew such a 

 day was good for " egging." 



Svvallowing a few mouthf uls of break- 

 fast I pull on ray rubber boots, don my 

 waterpfoof coat take my gun and start 

 off for the slough, which is about 2 

 miles distant. On my way I find a nest 

 of the Sora Rail containing 11 eggs 

 which are transferred to one of my 

 boxes, Yellow-headed Blackbirds nests 

 are numerous, but I am impatient to 

 reach my destination and don't stop to 

 examine them. While I am making a 

 short cut through a path of bush I come 



