THE OOLOGIST. 



95 



bub and proceeded with our breech-loaders 

 to practice wint^ shots by moonlight. 



Crowds of fellows sometimes visit these 

 roosts on moonlight nights with guns and 

 create great havoc, sometimes killing a 

 hundred or so this way. After two or 

 three visits like this to a roost, the crows 

 invariahlj- change their quarters; I have 

 known two or three roosts that were broken 

 11]) this way. A crow roost is of no benetit 

 to a woods, especially young pines, after a 

 winter's roosting the ground is completely 

 covered with the broken limbs of twigs, 

 and has the appearance of being struck by 

 a hurricane or hailstorm. 



The largest roost that 1 am acquainted 

 with takes in about twenty-live to thirty 

 acres of pine trees, and a rougli estimate of 

 the number of cniws roosting there would 

 he from 300,000 to 400,000. 1 would like 

 to hear from some of your readers their 

 experience in this line. E. M. 



Swainson's Warbler — Its Discovery — 

 Rediscovery. 



In the good old "antebellum" days, 

 there lived in the city of Charleston, a 

 worthy minister. Dr. Bachma)i, pastor of 

 the Archedale Lutheran Chunh. NovV Dr. 

 Bachman was a great sportsman, but unlike 

 most hunters, he was very observent, 

 studying carefully all the animal life he 

 met with. Finally the study of " our birds 

 in their haunts" became the main object of 

 his tramps. 



One day while rambling in the viciuity 

 of Charleston, he came across this little 

 bird, and not being familiar with it, 

 brought it down with his gun for closer 

 ins])ection. This examination resulted in 

 the addition of anotlur hrancli to the family 

 of warblers. 



In naming the bird. Dr. Bachman, having 

 previously given his name to one of the 

 warblers in merit of having discovered it, 

 called this, his third " tiud " [he had discov- 

 ered and named Bachman's Finch] after 

 Swainson, whose name as an ornithologist 

 is known to all oologists. 



Being peculiar to such a couutry as 

 neighbors Charleston. It is uol surprising 



that Swainson's warbler was not heard 

 from after Dr. Bachman's death, which 

 occurred more than twelve years ago; for 

 great indeed was the enthusiasm and love 

 of nature that moved him to endure the 

 heat and raostpiitoes of Lower Carolina 

 searching for the rare little bird. At 

 length ornithologists at the North not 

 hearing anything of the new l)ii-d for such 

 a leugtli of time, and not knowing tliat 

 there was no one down here who made 

 birds their study, gradually came to the 

 conclusion that it had become extinct. 

 However, Mr. Brewster, [one of the associ- 

 ate editors of the Auk, is he not?] was not 

 satisfied with this general conclusion and 

 to satisfy himself as to its truth he came 

 South one or two years ago. 



Reaching Charleston and informing Dr. 

 Manigaull of his purpose Dr. Manigault 

 recommended Mr. A. T. Wayne to him as 

 being one who knew the neighboring 

 country thoroughly, and who therefore 

 would be of great service to him; so Mr. 

 Brewster got Wayne to assist him in his 

 searching. Although after long and tedious 

 hunts, they discovered the object of their 

 labor on James Island, which lies across 

 the Ashley River from Charleston three or 

 four miles. 



The condition of this, tlie first Swain- 

 son's Warbler taken since Dr. B's death, 

 showed that it had just reached tliat sec- 

 tion after a long journey. 



Later on Mr. Wayne took a number of 

 them and after a vast amount of fatigue 

 succeeded in taking two or three of their 

 nests. For accurate account of the nests 

 and eggs he took (see " Davie's Key "). 

 Mr. Wayne was the first to take the eggs 

 of this bird for in Dr. Bachman's day 

 oiMogy was not the study that it now is. 



Mr. Wayne has sold quite a number of 

 specimens to museums and ornithologists 

 for which he gets a large price. 



Swainson's Warbler is a beautiful little 

 gieenlit resembling very closely the 

 ' ' Worm-eating Warbler. " 



Mr. Brewster was surprised to find that 

 the Blue Grosbeak is not an uncommon 

 breeder with us. 



THOi\i.\s D. PoitcjiKR, Wellington, S. C 



