THLO OOLOGIST. 



231 



Now if :iii,yi)ii'.' can int'onn nic as how 

 to got eggs out willior.t (li-striiying tlu* 

 nost, and also how to tell when thnv 

 are any eggs in a Kingtisher's nest, 1 

 would l)e luueli obliged if he would do 

 so. T. S. B., 



Northtield, Minn. 



The Prairie Home Lark. 



Tl'.is is a eoninion speeies licre and 

 an-ix'es before any other of oui- sunnner 

 residents.. It nests early, before the 

 snow is fairly gone. I found a nest this 

 season, '89, on the :2!ltli of Mareh, con- 

 taining three fresh eggs. They rear at 

 least two broods in a season, the liist 

 al)out time mentioned a'oove and the 

 second about the middle of June. Ear- 

 ly in the spring they gather in large 

 tioeks and feed upon the wlieat that has 

 just l>een sown, from this they get the 

 name of ''Wheat Bird" in this locality. 

 It also goes by the nami> of "Ground 

 Bird" and "Snow Bird," the former 

 from its nesting on tile ground. A fa- 

 vorite nesting place is the growingcorn. 

 A slight hollow, besiiU' a hill of corn or 

 a clod, lined witli grass serxes a-^a nest. 

 They also nest commonly on the ]n-ai- 

 rie, but the nests are not so often found 

 there as in tlu' condield. The eggs are 

 three to live in nuiidiei', commonly 

 four. In color they are hardly distin- 

 guishable fi-om those of the Yellow- 

 headed Blai-kbird. They are smaller, 

 averaging alxmt .88x.G'2 in. The gener- 

 :d colors of this bird are dirty white 

 underneatii and gr;iyish alxive, witli 

 a black ])at;-h at the throat. Above 

 each eye is a tiny tuft of feathers which 

 the bird can raise at will, and which 

 when rais<'d gives the i)ird the same ap- 

 pearance as a Horned Owl. 



I ha\ e never taken note of its dejiart- 

 ure but I supi)ose it stays as late accord- 

 ingly as it arrives early. 



.1. V. Ckoxp:, 

 Marathon, Iowa. 



Connecticut ICotes. 



May ISth, 188;*, while on a coliecting 

 trij), I found a newlj- made nest of the 

 Catbird. Ijut as yet no eggs. 



May 23, I again looked at tlx- nest, 

 and was surprised to find instead of a 

 complete set, only a very small runt 

 egg measuring, .48x.87, of the same 

 shade of green as ordianry eggs of this 

 bird, and on blowing was found to con- 

 tain no yolk. The bird to my knowl- 

 edge laid no other eggs in tliat nest, the 

 same day. 



May 18, I found an inconiidere set of 

 four Flicker eggs in a hole in a hollow 

 tree ten feet up. 



May 24, but six I'aj-s later, I we; t 

 to the tree, and began jiouniiing on it 

 with a club, expecting to see the ohl 

 bird fly out, but intead an old Flying 

 Squirrel ])op])ed out and ran up the 

 tree, closely followed by her foiu', half- 

 grown young. The hole Avas nearly full 

 of the fine bark and leaves comprising 

 the s()uirrels nest, but tlie Flickers i'gg> 

 were gone. I ha\i' found the follow- 

 ing late nests this year: Yellow-liilled 

 ("uckoo. Fresh eggs, July 22, 4; Aug. 

 4th, 2; Aug. 18, 2; Aug. 2(5, 2, and i 

 Black-billed. Cedar Waxwing Aug. 1, 

 4 fresh eggs, Aug. 2!>, 4 young. July 2f! 

 Cat bird 8 fresh; Juh" 27 Mournitig 

 Dove, 2 fresh. W. I. C. 



Xorwalk, Conn. 



Death to the English Sparrow. 



Sattirday evening, July KJtli a vei-y 

 heavy tliunder-storni struck this cit\ , 

 proving very disastrous to the Englisli 

 Sparrow. Hundreds were drowned 

 and c-arried down the gutters to the 

 river while others were con\ ejed from 

 yards and ])ublic grouiuls in wheell)ar- 

 row.s. Probal)ly several thousands 

 were drowned during the storm. • 

 Yours Kesiiectfully, 



C.E. C, 

 DaA (•n])ort, la. 



