riiE OOLO(JlST. 



45 



fall of a foot or more of suow aud all 

 nests were immediately deserted, the 

 birds congregating in small Hocks by 

 the roadside feeding aud were often 

 seen in small flocks subseqaeatly. Nor 

 did I, during the remainder of the 

 season note any attempt to renew ef- 

 forts at nidifieation. 



The nests are usually sunken in the 

 ground, their rim flush with the sur- 

 face and nest and eggs ofrc-r so little 

 contrast that they are by no means 

 readily discovered. Mbre'over the bird 

 in my experience, is bat seldom Hushed 

 from the nest, usually skulking, while 

 the intruder is yet somn distance from 

 it. The nests are seldom as substantial- 

 ly built as those of the Song Sparrow 

 or Goldfinch. 



S*-! 2-4, Phelps, Ontario Co', N. Y , 

 March 19, 1894, eggs four, incubation 

 just begun, nest depth outside 2i inches 

 inside Ij inches, diameter outside 3i 

 inches, inside 2^ incl^ies; dry grass aud 

 rootlets, outer lining plantain leaves, 

 inner lining wheat straw, .situated flush 

 with brim in hole apparently excavated 

 by birds, in open clover meadow a 

 short distance from barn on slope fac- 

 ing east. 



On going to this field in search of 

 nests as 1 climbed the fence two birds 

 flew up. I marked both spots, search- 

 ed the first without success and the 

 second with above results. 



Set 3 3, Phelps, N. Y., March 27, 1894, 

 eggs three, incubation advanced, nest 

 depth outside 2 inches, inside 1.1 inches, 

 diameter outside 3^ inches, inside 2i 

 inches; composed of dry grass lined 

 with wheat-chaff. About two inches 

 of snow when found and bird flushed 

 quite near me from depression in 

 ground ia wheat stubble field. 



Set 4 3, Phelps, N. Y., April 3, 189i. 

 eggs three, incubation advanced, nest 

 depth outside 3J inches, inside 2i inch- 

 es; composed of grasses, line roots and 

 lined wiih same and wheat chaff. Ex- 

 cavation by birds in meadow. 



Set 5-4, Phelps, M. Y., May 19, 1897, 

 eggs four, incubation advanced, nest 

 depth ox.2 inches, diameter 4x3. iuohes;. 

 composed of fine grasses, lined with 

 same, depression of grouad in clover 

 pasture. A few sets of five eggs have 

 been reported. I have never been so 

 fortunate as to observe such. The gen- 

 eral numb.isr for first sets is probably 

 four but sets of three are frequent. 



The above is the result of eight years 

 of as careful observation as other duties 

 would allow. In view of the fact that 

 I have failed practically in the first ob- 

 ject of this study, may we not consider 

 that there is room for investigation as 

 to the respective status of Oetocoris al- 

 pestris and Oetocoris alpestris praticola 

 in Western New Yorkv 



Nests of the Wood Pewee. 



Editor Oologist: 



1 noticed in last OiJLOGiST Mr. \V. S. 

 Catlin, speaking of Wood Pewee's nests 

 in his instructive article, "Exceptions,'^ 

 sajs, "Out of a personal examination 

 of over a hundred nests only one con. 

 tained any lichens." Every nest that I 

 have examined in this state, was as 

 thickly adorned with lichen on the ex- 

 terior as those of the far-famed Blue- 

 gray Gnat-catcher. 



And furthermore under the head of 

 "Exceptions," I might add that they 

 were all neat and compact, and in 

 beauty, nearly equal to the Gnatcatch- 

 ers, instead of being "far inferior in de- 

 sign to the poorest ne&ts of the Blue- 

 gray Gnatcatcher, and Ruby-throated 

 Hummingbird," * * ^ * nor do 

 they "suggest a one story, flimsy pov- 

 erty stricken home," as Mr. Davie says. 

 Jacob Bastian, Jk., 

 Statesville, N. C. 



I SOLD my Kagle through the adv. Adver- 

 tising in the Oologist rays. F. W. COLLINS, 

 Garden City, Kans. 



