Feb. 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



31 



was a nest near by, we at once began a search, 

 and after straining our eyes for some little 

 time we were about to give it up, when within 

 a few feet of u^; in a li\ r niajih' about ten feet 

 from the grouuil. I saw the head of the female 

 peeping out of the hole She inuueiliately 

 dropped back out of sight and it was with con- 

 siderable pounding and rapping with our hands 

 aud a club that we could induce her to leave 

 the nest. Obtainiug a hatchet at a house near 

 by we soon exposed four pure « hite eggs about 

 flfteen inches below lln' iniraricc of the exca- 

 vation. This I believe is tiie second record of 

 the breeding of this species in Bristol County. 



The Shrike and his Prey. 



UY S. W. DKNTON. 



An amusing incident occurred yesterday, 

 Nov. 27th, that perhaps is wortli relating. It 

 being an unusually warm, sunny day for tills 

 time of year, I tliouglU to take a walk through 

 the fields and wooiis along familiar paths where 

 in seasons gone by I liad found many a nest, 

 and during llie licat of day in summer liad sat 

 under cool, shady trees to watch aud study tlie 

 birds. 



In my walk I saw a luiniber ot .Snow Birds 

 {Junco hiemaUs), Chickadee (I'ltrus a(ricapillus). 

 Blue Jays {Cijanocitta rristalu), a few Tree 

 Sparrows (Spizclla numticolor) and a Brown 

 Creeper (Certhia' fiimilinria cufaj. While watch- 

 ing tlie latter as he pryed around under pieces 

 of bark on an oak tree, I suddenly cauglit sight 

 of a Butcher Bird, {Lamiiis horcalis) in pursuit 

 of a sparrow who dove into the thickest part of 

 an old apple tree quite near nie to escape his 

 pursuer, wlio imnietliately followed tlie fugi- 

 tive, both coming out on the opposite side. ] 

 thought it was all 'Mip" witli tlie Sparrow but 

 what was my surprise to see him again return 

 to the tree and disappear in a hole In a decayed 

 limb. For a moment the "Butcher" seemed 

 nonplused so great was his surprise, and then 

 as though a hapjiy though had struck him, he 

 started in liead first after his dinner, but alas, 

 the hole was too small ; in vain lie made re- 

 peated attempts but it was '-no go."' Not dis- 

 couraged, though apparently disappointed, he 

 tooli a commanding |)ositiou on a branch over- 

 looking tlie hole to wait for his intended vic- 

 tim to siiow himself. But no sir, .Mr. Sparrow 

 knew better than to do this, and though I 

 watched the tree with Lniiius a full half-hour 

 Mr. Sparrow did not show his head. At last 

 while endeavoring to approach nearer to the 



tree the "Butcher" took frignt and departed. 

 I regret much at not being able to assert pos- 

 itively wliat kind of a sparrow it was, but as 

 the tree was a rather awkward one to i-lind) 

 and throwing a stick against the dead limb did 

 not disloilgc the little f,-llow I left the spot, but 

 think tlie bird was a Tree .Sitarrow {SjiizrUn 

 ytijiiticditi). 



Sale of an Egg of the Great Auk 

 in London. 



The following is taken from tlie I'nll Mtill 

 (lazHlc of Dec. 14, 18S7. The sale was held on 

 Dec. i;{th : 



" An egg sold for ]fi() guineas. — .\t Mr. .1. C. 

 Stevens" auction rooms in King street, Covciit 

 Garden, this week, a large number of or- 

 nitliologists assembled to witness the sale of an 

 egg ot the Great .-Viik. Before otlering the lor, 

 Mr. Stevens remarked that, in 1880, two eggs of 

 this bird, both of which had been broken, were 

 solil by him, and that they fetched 100 and 102 

 guineas respectively. Of the recorded eggs. 

 twenty-five were in eighteen museums, and for- 

 ty-one in nineteen private collections, forty- 

 three out ot the sixty-six being in Great Brit- 

 ain. The first bid of fifty guineas was made by 

 a well-known ornithologist, and Ibis was f(.l- 

 lowed by si,\ty guineas from Mr. L. Field, to 

 whom the egg was eventually knocked down at 

 100 guineas."' 



Naphthaline. 



In a previous issue of <). an'd O., I had a note 

 on Nahpthaliue, advising its trial as an insect 

 prevention. Since then 1 have used it faithfully, 

 putting some in my arsenic, and pouring a little 

 into each skin before serving up, and I am more 

 than pleased with the results. In my cabinet 

 of about 1200 skins, I liave hardly noticed a 

 moth all snmmmer, and have not yet found 

 traces of the ravages of eitlier moth or beetle 

 this year, while before, I was much troubled 

 with tliem. I would strongly advise every mie 

 to use it as it is much preferable to caini)bor, 

 and I believe destroys the necessity for corio- 

 sive sublimate solution on tile bill and feet. Vi>v 

 those who objei't to the smell of Xaphtlialine, 

 a little pure oil of cedar exjiosed in the 

 room will answer the ptirpose full}- as well and 

 will alter the character of the smell considerably 

 and the oil itself is useful as well as the 

 naphthaline. 



VV. E. SAt-NDEHS. 



