108 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Yo\. 7-No. 14. 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



—AND— 



00L0GI8T. 



A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED 

 TO THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



JOS. 91. WADE, Editor, 



With the co-opeiatiou of able Ornithological 

 Writers and Collectors. 



Sdescription — $1.00 per annum. Foreign sub- 

 scription #1,25 — including postage. Speci- 

 men Copies Ten Cents. 



JOS. 91. WADE. 



Nom-ieb, Conn. 



ENTERED AT NOSWICH P. O. AS SECOND CLASS MATTER. 



EDITORIAL. 



K. Gilbert Fowler. — ^It is with pain that 

 we learn of the death of this enthusiastic 

 naturalist. A notice of his last trip and 



sad death will ajjpear in our nest number. 



^ 



CowEs' Check List.- — -To the many appli- 

 cants for this Hst we would state that it is 

 not yet ready for distribution. As soon as 

 ready we shall offer it through our adver- 

 tising columns. It will be bound in cloth. 

 It is not yet known whether a cheap edi- 

 tion in paper covers will be issued or not. 



Sharp Shinned Hawk. — In the paper on 

 this little Hawk in the Feltruary number 

 by J. M. W., it is stated that the earliest 

 eggs ever taken by the writer was on May 

 15th, and the first full clutch on May 23d. 

 On May 5th, 1880, 1 found a nest with two 

 splendidly marked eggs, and neither of the 

 old birds were about the nest. On visit- 

 ing it again three days later. May 8th, the 

 female was sitting on the eggs, and on 

 climbing to the nest, which contained four 

 eggs, the last two of which were not so 

 cleanly cut in the markings as the first two, 

 the female left the nest- for a neighboring 

 tree, when I shot her. 



The above nest was built in a black 

 spruce twenty feet from the ground, and 

 very nicely hollowed out, but without lin- 

 ing. Wlien we take into consideration the 

 diS"erence in latitude, this must be consid- 

 ered early nesting. — J. W. B., St. Johufi. 



Collector's Movements. 



Chas. W. Gdnn, Grand Rapids, Mich., 

 has been sj^endiug some time in Florida, 

 and wrote us from Titusville, Indian River : 

 "Am having good success in collecting 

 birds, and \\-ill have several good articles 

 for your paper soon." 



H. G. Fowler, Auburn, N. Y., when last 

 heard from was in Florida and was having 

 good success. 



SouTHWicK & Jencks, Provideuce, R. I., 

 started Geo. M. Gray for the Bahama Is- 

 lands with an excellent outfit for the pur- 

 2>ose of collecting in every department of 

 Natural History, but Mr. Gray's health 

 had been poor for some time, and when he 

 reached Femandina, Florida, it gave way, 

 when he reluctantly returned home. 



M. Chamberlain, St. Johns, N. B.. has 

 for some time been sanguine that he could 

 again find the nest of the "White "Winged 

 Cross Bill, and for that puiiiose has re- 

 cently made an exjjedition into the wilds 

 of N. B. He writes us as follows: "I 

 did not find a Cross-Bill's nest, though I 

 learned something of their habits, and 

 shall try again. Birds of all kinds were 

 scarce. But I enjoyed my ramble very 

 much, and had many amusing and inter- 

 esting and some exciting adventures. I 

 was never before so impressed with the 

 profound stillness of our forests in Win- 

 ter, and for the first time I was lonely in 

 the woods. It was not for long, but it 

 was seveie. I foiuid myself alone on a 

 large lake at night, the road to my camp a 

 conundrum, the stars shut out by heavy 

 leaden clouds, no matches to see my com- 

 pass, no sound save the mournful sighing 

 of the wind through the trees, the ther- 

 mometer about ten degrees, and I very 

 weary and hungry. There was too much 

 to be ' done' just then to spend time in 

 reverie." 



Song Sparrow. — Saw a specimen near 

 Norwich, in fine condition. February 26th, 



1882. 



