THE OOLOGIST. 



v.n 



H;i\vk is a coninion resident. Tlie 

 Si)arr()\\ Hawlc is a I'esideiit. but not 

 s > eoninion as tlie Red-slioiildni'd 

 Hawk. Tiie l'io;c()n Hawk is seldom 

 seen. Tlie Bald Kagle is not veiy.eom- 

 nion. 



The Black Vulture is a eoninion res- 

 ident, and the Turkey Buzzard is 

 vei"3" eomnion. In fact, there is never 

 a day hut wiiat the latter may be 

 seen. 



Wild Turkey'. This tine l)ird is common, 

 being met with in thick forests and 

 dense .swamps. Resident. 



The Bo!)-white is an abundant resi- 

 dent, and in walking over an old field 

 two or three gangs will often be 

 Hushed. 



The Green Heron is common and 

 breeds. There is a herouj' near here 

 that two or three dozen eggs can be 

 collected in almost any day during the 

 breeding season. The Great Blue and 

 Snowy Herons are to be seen occasion- 

 ally. ^ 



Loons are here in Decendier aiul 

 Janutiry. 



J. W. P. S.MITWICK, 

 Sans Soiiei, N. C, 



Collecting in Western Florida. 



Seeing the exploits of so many col- 

 lectors recorded in the OoLOGisT I ven- 

 ture to send the record of a little col- 

 lecting trip which my father and my- 

 self took in Western Florida last win- 

 ter and hope it will not be to long for 

 your (-(dinnns. March 20, started np 

 the Wakula river from St. Marks in a 

 leak}' water soaked l)oat, did not see 

 anything till we had gone nearly two 

 miles when I shot a Florida Cormorant: 

 Ha\ e three Osprey nests but they were 

 all emptj', save one which had y<ning. 

 Shot a few Snakebirds, Gallinules and 

 "Gaters." 



March 2\. Started for the Gidf Shore 

 where we camped for the night. 



March 22. Turned out before sun- 



rise. Spent the whole morning hunt- 

 ing Kails eggs without siUM-ess. VVhen 

 I vented mj' ill humor by shooting six 

 or seven Willets. Si)ent the aftesioon 

 in hunting foi- Vultures eggs. Shot a 

 few Snipe and Doves, and a C'ormorant 

 when I went to camp. Father and the 

 cracker who served as a guide came in 

 with an Egret and a dozen diiferent 

 kinds of Herons. Spent tne exciiing in 

 making up skins. 



March 23. Went to a Gormorant 

 rookery, the nests were ))nt in the top 

 of dead cypress trees and as I had not 

 any climljers I could not get t(» them. 

 While going through the pine woods I 

 found a Brown Nuthatch nest with live 

 fresh eggs, it was placed in a dead 

 stump thirteen inches from the ground, 

 the nest was in plain view, the mouth 

 of the hole being four inches wide while 

 the cavity was scari*ely six inches deep. 

 Shot a few Boat-tail Grakles and Fisli 

 Crows. Put in the afternoon sitting un- 

 der a Palmetto tree skinning Inrds. 



March 24. We tired the marsh to 

 day and shot the Rails as the flames 

 dro\x' them out of the dry weeds, we 

 shot four different peeies: Sora, King, 

 Clappei- and Louisiana Clapper Rail. 

 On the way to camp we saw a large 

 flock of White Ibis, I flred at them but 

 did not kill any. 



" March 25. Went up the Wakula this 

 morning. Shot some Snake birds and 

 Little Blue Heron. Shot an Egret Ijut 

 as it fell in the swamp we did not get 

 it. Saw an Alligator twelue feet long 

 and shot him through the head three 

 times but did not get on. 



March 26. We reahed home to-day. 

 well pleased with our trip, so far as 

 eggs go it was a failure, but for bird 

 skins it was a gi-and success. 



Clarence A. Smith. 



A White Sparrow. 



"At Twelfth and Oxford streets yes- 

 terday four gi-oups of interested sight- 



