THE OOLOGIST. 



197 



nf iliDS,' ill lilt' caltiiict (jf the iiuthor. 

 It should lit' uiulcvslootl lliat thoii<>li 

 this is merely anew edition of a work 

 alreadj' having a good reputation 

 among seientilie men, it is nuieh larger 

 and more eomplete than ever I)efore. 

 Nothing eoidd be better to encourage 

 tlioroughness in students and aid all 

 eolleetors te identify specimens. To 

 ■facilitate i)ractical use a full alphabeti- 

 cal index is added, not only of the 

 leading name by which the bird is c(mi- 

 monly known, bnt with all the common 

 names mentioned in the text. A page 

 or two of directions for collecting and 

 preserving liirds" nests and eggs will be 

 found very useful to many beginners in 

 this delightful occupation uf a collector. 

 We might (piote fiom any page and in- 

 terest our readers in the facts so clearly 

 and succiuctl}' stated. Many curious 

 and interesting facts aic noted concern- 

 ing birds more oi' less familiar, but to 

 wliom the general reader had never 

 applied the seientilie methods of obser- 

 \ ation and investigation, illustrated in 

 this book. No section of our country 

 has l>eeu neglected. The birds of Ari- 

 zona are apparently as fully described 

 as those of Ohio. Where on everj'page 

 there is so much of value, it is ditiienlt 

 to select. Amt)ng the more elaborate 

 and interesting articles, we may cite 

 the following: 



Brown Thrasher, the common Blue- 

 liird, American Magpie, American Ear- 

 ed Grebe, (Jreat Auk, Great Horned 

 Owl, *iurrowing Owl, Red-headed 

 Woodpecker, Parula Warbler, Oven- 

 bird, Bryant's Marsh Sparrow, Cowbird, 

 Chimney Swift, Swallow-tailed Kite, 

 Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Red- 

 t tiled Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, 

 Swainson's Hawk, J)uck Hawk, etc., 

 etc. 



We know of one young collector who 

 has idcntilied the Oven-bird by the de- 

 scription on i)age :^7S. 



The pi-int is large and clear. The 

 W(U-k is generous and full in wli.ite\rr 



aspi'ct it is viewed. Theie ai'i' 47.") 

 ])ages of large size. We would suggest 

 that every school library in the land 

 shoidd jjo.s.sess a bound copy of this 

 work, and that every boy or girl who 

 has a taste for (Uiiilhology, be provided 

 with at least a i)a]K'i- edition if not that 

 in cloth. 



The Black Tern. 



This is an abundant siiecies here, ar- 

 riving during the latter pai-t of April or 

 first of May, when they may be seen in 

 eon.siderable numbtnsand picking up the 

 grubs of which they are very fond. They 

 can be ea.sily caught in steel ti-aps by put- 

 ting a grub on the pan«'l of (he trap ami 

 setting it on a newl\- plowed furrow. 

 One will come along and when it sees 

 the woim it will balance itself over the 

 trap and make a dive for the tempting 

 morsel, but it tinds that it is not as easy 

 to rise as it was to dr()i3, and so it stays 

 there. When the other terns see that 

 one is in such a fix they hover over it 

 di\ing part way down and uttering 

 cries of distress until frightened away. 

 But they will not take warning by its 

 fate and the trap is set in the same way 

 again another Avill soon be eanght. 

 When a little "kid" I used to amuse 

 my.self by catching them in this way. 

 and thought it great sport. 



The sloughs in this locality arc a 

 favorite nesting place. In these, on 

 deeaj'ing vegetation or on logs f(»rmed 

 by sunken muskrat houses, the nests 

 are placed and consist of small piles of 

 the decaying vegetation slightly hollow, 

 ed. The eggs are two or three in num- 

 ber, usually three. They vnvy from 

 l)rownish to greenish in color, spotted 

 and blotched with blai-k and brown of 

 ditferent shades. They are usually de- 

 posited about the middle <tf June, aver- 

 age size, liiox98in. In some sloughs these 

 birds l)reed in colonies; in others only 

 one nest will be found. In the latter 

 ease the bird constructs its own nest 

 and it is usually well built. Thev slay 

 here till late in the fall. 



John V. Ci{<)\E, Marathon,, Iowa. 



