THE OOLOGIST. 



79 



The large private collection of birds 

 eggs of Mr. Harry G. Parker is being sold. 

 it contains about 400 species in- sets, in 

 series mostly, and includes some very rare 

 and desirable things — prices about one- 

 third. Write for what 3'ou want, with 

 stamp. Address Harry (jr. Parker, Chosler, 

 Pa. 



Newsy Items From Our Note Book. 



A. M. Linsley, Northford, Ct., found, 

 last season, a Chipping Sparrow's nest 

 built inside of a nest of the Orchard Oriole. 



W. W. Price, Riverside, Cal., writes 

 that he found a nest of the Costa's Hum- 

 ming-bird on January 28th, containing two 

 young. 



Neil F. Posson, ^ledina, N. Y., writes: 

 "A pair of Great Xorthern Shrikes have 

 been staying aruuud the outskirts of the 

 town all this winter. 



W. A. L. Oxford, Mass. , wants to know 

 through the columns of The Oologist, 

 how snares are made to catch birds that are 

 wanted to identify eggs'? 



A. D. Akin, Schaghticoke, N. Y., is 

 making preparations for an extensive col- 

 lecting tour through S. W. United States, 

 Mexico, and Central America. 



Hon. M. A. Root, Olympia, W. T., has 

 our thanks for a copy of " The Resources 

 of Washington Territory," in which we 

 find the list of the birds of the Territory of 

 special interest. 



S. R. Morse, Supt. Public Instruction, 

 Atlantic City, N. J., has one of the tinest 

 collections of Marine Algase in the U. S. 

 His collection received the highest award 

 at the New Orleans Exposition. 



J. D. Sornborger, Guilford, N. Y., 

 writes : — There was a King Bird that built 

 her nest in a willow that overhung water 

 when robbed of her tirst set of eggs built a 

 second nest on top the tirst one and laid 

 four eggs in it. 



H. C. Oberholser, says : — I am a friend 

 of the Oologist, and as a subscriber watch 

 impatiently for each issue. 1 have seen 

 several of the papers published on orni- 

 thology and oology, but none of them do I 

 like as well as yours. 



A. E. Kibbe, Mayville, N. Y., has been 

 in luck: " It has been a great winter for 

 Snow}"^ Owls. I have mounted six very 

 nice ones. I also captured two small 

 Screech Owls. I shot them in the night. 

 One was the color of a red fox.'' 



The President of the Young Ornitholo- 

 gist's Association, s^nds a report of the as- 

 sociation — but as the names and list of 

 birds he .sends cannot possibly be of interest 

 to more than 20 of tlie 20.000 readers of 

 this issue, we are obliged to place on file. 



II. C. Lillie, Hanford, Cala., says: — I 

 wish yoiu' jKiper unlimited success, and am 

 well satisfied with in. It is the best and 

 cheajx'St paper of its kind that I have seen, 

 which says a good deal, for I have now 

 over r)0 sample copies of papers on birds. 



Chas. F. Morrison, Ft. Lewis, Colo., 

 issues a circular " To all interested in orni- 

 thology and oology in the State of Colo- 

 rado," under the auspices of the Colorado 

 State Ornithological Association. Their 

 field is comparatively new and their work 

 cannot help but l)e of value. 



R. D. Goss, New Sharon, la., writes: — 

 Allow me to congraiulate you in the suc- 

 cess you have had since I first made your 

 acquaintance through a small advertise- 

 ment in the Youth's Coiapaaion in '83. I 

 believe, "Honor to him whom honor is 

 due." May you still prosper." 



D. J. Bullock, Marshalltown, Iowa, says: 

 While collecting eggs this summer I ran 

 across the nest of a Black throated Bunting 

 which contained three eggs of that bird, 

 one of the Yellow billed Cuciioo, and one 

 of the Cow-bird. Is it not rare for the 

 Cuckoo to lay in other birds' nests? 



John C. Lynch, Stockbridge, Mass., 

 wn'ites: " For many years a loon has lived 

 on the Schuylkill, near Philadelphia, but 

 the other day it flew into the Zoological 

 Gardens and was captured. Around its 

 neck there was a silver collar, bearing the 

 inscription, 'Nemo, the hermit. 1808." The 

 head keeper of the Gardens says he has no 

 doubt of the great age of the bird. Have 

 any other readers of The Oologist read 

 accounts of such aged birds? If so I wish 

 they would publish them. Where and how 

 would I have to send to get a permit to kill 

 birds for study? " 



F. W. Aver, Syracuse, N. Y., sends the 

 following "pointer:" "To sec if a nest 

 conlains eggs or not, without climbing to 

 the nest, take a piece of looking glass about 

 four inches scj[uare, and tie a string aromid 

 as if tying up a common package, and leave 

 the ends so a stick can be fastened. This 

 enal)les the collector to see the interior of 

 the nest The longer the stick, the less you 

 have to climb, if the nest does not contaih 

 eggs. This is a great scheme, and if ten 

 nest does not contain eggs, it does not in- 

 jure the nest as if a person had to reacii 

 and often tear the nest, and is handy if the 

 tree or bush is hard to climb. 



