Sept. 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



137 



1887, contiiining three fresh eggs. The site of 

 this Wiis iu an ivy that grew up by a corner 

 post of a veranda and spread along each way 

 under the eaves, eiglit feet from the ground, 

 nialiing a tldek chister of vhies. In tliis a 

 Uohin liad nested in lSS(i and tlie nest being in 

 a sheltered place remained in a good state of 

 preservation until llie following spring, 1887, 

 and in this little .lunco built her nest. Slie lirst 

 rearranged tlie original lining of tlie nest and 

 tlien lined it witli cattle hair. 1 have tliis 

 nest and eggs in my collection at the present 

 lime. 



Nest Xo. 4 was found .lune .")th, 1887, within 

 a few rods from the site? of nest No. 1, and con- 

 tained five fresh eggs. This was also in a bole 

 in an apple tree ten feet from the ground, and 

 was probably the same bird as described in nest 

 No. 1, the eggs of nest Xo 1 having been taken. 



Nest So. o was found .Inne 22nd, 1887, con- 

 tained four fresh eggs. It was in a hole five 

 feet from the ground in a large apple tree tliat 

 stands within two feet of the line of the side- 

 walk in a central part of the town. The bird, 

 when on the nest, was in plain view from tlie 

 sidewalk. The nest was composed outside of 

 miscellaneous material, among which was some 

 pieces of rope yarn, and lined with tine grass 

 and a little hair. 



Nest No. 6, founil .Inuc lib, ISSS, contained 

 young, was situated in a hole four and a half 

 feet high in a large ajiple tree, within a few 

 feet of a dwelling house in Kentville. The 

 entraiu'c to this nest is quite small, not large 

 enough to admit a i)ersous hand, and the nest 

 is about .seven inches below the entrance. 



Nest No. 7, found .lune 4lli, 1SS8, was seven 

 feet from the ground in a hole in tlie same, ap- 

 ple tree as that of nest No. 4, and contained 

 young birds. 



Nesting of the Florida Burrowing 

 Owl. 



m ■[■. il. JACKSON, WEST CFIESTf.i;, T'A. 



By reason of its small geogra])liical range, 

 anil the isolated situation in which it is found, 

 the eggs of thc^ Florida IJuri'Owiog i)w\,_(Sp«o- 

 tijlo cuuiculariajloridami) have long been among 

 the leading desiderata of the writer,and though 

 ])robably differing but little in its breeding hab- 

 its from its near w<'stern relative, a few facts 

 concerning the nesting of this bird, furnished 

 by a Florida correspondent, may be of interest. 



The set of six now in my cabinet differs but 



little from those of the typical Burrowing Owl. 

 The shell is very smooth and glossy, having 

 much the texture of eggs of the Woodpecker's 

 family, with thin, clear white, ivory-like ap- 

 pearance, and tlu'i' are free fioin the i-ough 

 granulated shell so often noticed in those of the 

 common Burrowing Owl. 



These eggs were takfii im Ibc 2Sth of Ajiril, 

 1SS8, iu Manatee County, about lifteen miles 

 back from the (Julf Coast. A small colony 

 bred together, their burrows being but a short 

 distance apart. The locality is situated on a 

 level plain, or prairie, with but little vegeta- 

 tion, except a scattering growth of "scrub" 

 palmettos and ''wire grass." 'the ground here 

 is somewhat elevated and the soil of a light 

 sandy nature. The burrow in which this set 

 was found was about ten feet in length and the 

 nest three feet perpendiculaily from the sur- 

 face of the ground. It consisled of :i small 

 quantity of grass and chips iif cow manure 

 broken in small pieces. 



Judging from the deliris around the nest 

 these birds feed on bugs and grasshoppers 

 largely. 



The Flotilla liiirrowiug Owls are less numer- 

 ous there than formerly, the jilume hunters 

 having decimated some of their colonies in the 

 merciless war of extermination against all the 

 fealheied race iu that State. 



The measurements of the six eggs are as fol- 

 lows: 1.02x1.20; 1.08x1.2(5; 1.08x1.28; 1.08 

 X1.2S; 1.04x1.20; 1.06x1.20. 



Brief Collecting Notes. 



.1. C. CAHOON. 



May 23d found first set of I'iping I'lover. 

 This is an early date for this bird to nest, and 

 I have but two records of as early instances. 



June 8th, fotind a nest of Marsh Hawk iji 

 "Cat Swaini)," containing two eggs. Waited 

 four days, and as no more eggs were deposited 

 at the end of that period, I added the set to 

 my collection, upon blowing, found eggs but 

 little incubated. This is the latest record of 

 Marsh Hawks lirst nest that I lind iu any nute 

 book . 



On the 12th of .lune, found a nest of sharp- 

 tailed Sparrow on salt meadow. Nestcontained 

 one egg. There wen; three others outside of 

 the nest and near it. Visited the nest again on 

 the 14tli, and found live eggs outside and none 

 in the nest. Two of the eggs were three feet 

 or more away from the nest on top of the fine 



