130 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Fasten the works to a small l)lock to 

 keep them from jumping; about when in 

 operation. Now get an old tin can and cut 

 two strips from it about an inch long and 

 not (piite a quarter wide, and punch a hole 

 in them near the end as large as the hole in 

 the pinion which turns the hands. 



Fasten the strips of tin one on each side 

 of the pinion b}' pacing a pin through the 

 holes and bending it down to keep it in 

 place. 



The whole thing may be covered with a 

 neat box (take an old cigar box and out it 

 down to fit the works), allowing the pinion 

 to project through a hole made for ihe pur- 

 pose, cut another hole in it to put the key 

 in to wind it up with. The cover may also 

 be stained and varnished. The drills may 

 be made from a piece of steel, or, bet- 

 ter still, Lattin's short handle cheap drill 

 No. 4, 21-100 in. 



To operate the machine, fasten the dril} 

 on the pinion by placing it between the 

 two pieces of tin and wrapping it then 

 securely together with thread or fine wire — 

 copper is the best. Then wind up the 

 spring and press the egg to be drilled, 

 lightly but firmly, against the revolving drill. 



To make a "patent " stop— take a piece 

 of wood and cut a hole in the cover, and 

 stick the piece of wood in the cogs of the 

 wheels; upon taking out the wood the drill 

 will continue to revolve until run 

 down. 



. Fbed ^Y. Stack, 



Po'keepsie, N. Y. 



. ^^♦■-•^ 



Arkansas Notes. 



Bird life in this section has been quite 

 Viusy for some time. Many are just arriv- 

 ing, some have gone, and numbers have yet 

 to come and gladden us with their song. 

 Building is in order with (^uite a numljer of 

 the earlier species, while a few Lave com- 

 pleted their oological collections for the year 

 and such as Hawks, (Iwls. Yultures, and 

 Pileated Woodpeckers are ready tn liafch. 



My collecting this year is headed by an 

 "April Fool". I had been watching a 

 Downy Woodpecker's nest for some time 

 when, on the 1st of April, happening by the 



tree, a large black oak, I thought I would 

 get the eggs then and save another trij). So 

 up the tree I went, without climbers, hatch- 

 et or saw. I cut a limb with mj' knife to 

 pr^' with, and after half an hours hard work 

 the hole was opened to the bottom, only to 

 disclose an empty nest. I descended, re- 

 solved not to be so hasty next time. My 

 first set, April 2d, was that of five Pewce 

 eggs, one of which was dotted with specks 

 of cinnamon. As it is invariably the ca>e 

 in this locality the Pewee builds under cliffs 

 and in tlie mouth of caves. The nest was 

 of the usual material, mud, moss, grass, 

 leaves and tine strips of baik. 



Blue bird, April 4th. Five bluish green 

 eggs. Nest was placed in a black gum 

 stump one foot from the ground and was 

 made entirely of grass, leaves and stems. I 

 look for the Blue bird to build on the 

 ground next. This find calls to mind an 

 inst. of a Grass Finch, which was jilaced on 

 the toj) of a stack of timothy hay, in 188(5. 

 I have no ex cuse for the Blue bird, but the 

 sparrow evidently built high to avoid the 

 the water on the ground in that *'et season- 

 The nesfhad foxir young birds in it, wihch fur- 

 nished ample jjroof. Was not that reason y 

 Ap.G.Two sets of Pewee,five eggs each;and a 

 partial set of three Downy Woodpeck- 

 ers. Ijast year common Red-heads were 

 thick, but not one is here this year. 



First Whip-poor-will here, April 4th; 

 Summer Red Bird, April 7th; Scarlet Tan- 

 iger, April 8th; Black and White Cree2:)er, 

 March 15th; Brown Creeper, March 2()th; 

 Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, March 17th; Wild 

 Geese, :20-21 of March. Robins do not sing 

 here; they nest thirty miles north. 



"Aekansas Hoosiek." 



Clinton, Ark. Aprd 28, '8'J. 



A Goldfinch in Confinement, and 

 Other Items. 



There ore many instances of keeping wild 

 birds that have been taken from the nest, 

 and I have a bird which I caught full grown. 

 It is a male specimen of the Golilfinch, 

 which had its wing broken. I picked it up 



