234 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Many (.•orn'spoiulcuts write us that 

 the Shrike is frei|neiitly eaUetl the 

 "Mouse Hawk" in their h)eality. 



In regards to the vai'ious Shrikes, we 

 would say that the common species of 

 the South Athmtic States is tlie Logger- 

 head; of the Central United States, the 

 White-rumped and of tlie California 

 coast, the Cala. In many localities it 

 requires an expert to say positively to 

 which species a set of eggs may lielong. 

 o'. j , I have found nests of both the 

 White-rumped and Loggerliead in Or- 

 leans Co., N. Y., the former liowever 

 l)eing much the more common. 



Neil V. Fosson, Medina, N. Y. writes: 

 On the afternoon of July 29th, while 

 in the vicinity of Sandusky, Cattarau- 

 gus count}', I saw a single Slate-colored 

 Junco. There v.as no mistake in the 

 identity. Isn't it sometliing rare to see 

 Juncos in New York at this season of 

 tlie year? 



From an interesting article from Mr. 

 (r. F. Minis, of p:dgelield, S. C., wc 

 ([uote as follows, in regards to the nest- 

 ing of ICnglish Sparrows: 



"One woidd tliink at lirst sight of an 

 oak tree in town, that the contents of a 

 harn had been emjitied into it, so num- 

 erous are the nests." 



In speaking of the Kingltird (possibly 

 (iray Kingljird) he says: 



"Tlie nest of this bird is generally 

 ])lace(l in " no-gittuni" phices, lieing on 

 long slcndei' limits at an altitude that 

 no one cares to trust iiis neck; tliereforc 

 their eggs are very scarce in the Soutli. 

 I never got to but one of these nests in 

 mj' life. You could not exactly call me 

 getting to that one, for I had to procure 

 an egg by means of a spoon attached to 

 a long stick." 



Marsh Hawk. 



Tliis well-known and interesting 

 bird is a common resident of Micliigan, 



and in the .southern counties I l)elie\e 

 it remains tlu'ongliout the year, as 1 

 have seen tliem in swamps in at least 

 two of the winter months. During the 

 spring and summer this Itird may be 

 seen sailing across the fields from six to 

 fifteen feet above the ground in .search 

 of its prey, winch consists of mice, 

 small aminals and those small birds 

 which it so often linds nesting in its 

 path. For this reason I am undecided 

 whether its presen(!e or absence w<juld be 

 the greater benefit lo the farmer. 

 However, I wish that ornithologists ami 

 oologists would more carefully note its 

 food lulhils. In th*! fir.st half of April 

 in this section the male goes thi-ough 

 thosi? motions so peculiar to this siiecies 

 before the nesting place is selected. It 

 will rise one hundre(l and tifty or two 

 hundred feet in the air, and then seem 

 to fall and turn a somersault in so 

 doing, while at the same time it makes 

 a cackling noise which is hard to de 

 scribe. When it has drop]jed about 

 twehc or lifteeii feet, it again uses its 

 wings and rises- to its former level, then 

 drojis and keeps this up (sometimes I 

 have noticed) till out of sight, but more 

 fretincntly perhaps keeps up his zigzag 

 course, slightly descending each fall 

 till it arrives to the place where its 

 mate sits. 



During the latter half of Ajiril or 

 lirst lialf of May, it is busily engaged in 

 making its nest. The nesting site 

 seems to be vei-y ilitVcreiit in ditfercnt 

 localities. A friend of mine found a 

 nest in his wheat tield while engaged in 

 cutliPig his grain. By the tirst week in 

 May the eggs are generally laid in this 

 section, according to my oi>servatioii. 

 On the 24th of May, 'HU, I look a set of 

 eggs of this bird which w as the second 

 it had laid this season. The nesting 

 place of the hirds had been the same for 

 a number of Ncars. It was over a 

 tract of laud containing ])erhai)s two 

 acres on one side of a tamaraek marsh. 



The ground was covci'ed by the 



