126 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 7-No. 16 



with them. Last season I found a set on 

 the 1.5th, with young just ready to leave 

 the shell, and once before on the 18th the 

 same ; all these were in old Cooper's 

 Hawks' nests. I never found them in a 

 hollow tree, but I once found a set in a 

 broad crotch of a large chestnut, where 

 four branches converged from the same 

 point ; but there was no nest, not even a 

 leaf. — J. N. Clark, Old Saybrook, Conn. 

 (Junius A. Brand, of this city, came to 

 our office March 19th, and reported find- 

 ing a Great Horned Owl's nest a few miles 

 out, which contained two yoiuig, from one 

 week to ten days old. The nest was in an 

 immense pine, some fifty feet up. Mr. B. 

 has harried this pair for three years in 

 succession, but always too late, each season 

 finding young in the nest. — Ed. ) 



Cost or Impobtino. — As many of our 

 readers have made enquiries in regard to 

 cost of importing natural history speci- 

 mens, we give the following statement of 

 actual cost : It appears that there is no 

 duty on such specimens. This package 

 contained the skin of one Eagle Owl 

 (Bubo maximiis) and three sets of eggs, 

 and came from Wilham Schliiter, Halle on 

 Saale, Germany. Freight and charges to 

 New York, $2.47 ; custom house fees, 

 $1.00: cartage, .7.5; insurance, .15; Stor- 

 age, .4.5 ; custom house brokerage. $.3.00 ; 

 total $7.82, or $2.47 for carrying the 

 package from Germany to New York, and 

 $5. .35 for getting the package from the 

 ship to the express office in New York. 

 So much for the beautiful workings of 

 our custom house system. 



American Long-eared Owl. — Average 

 measurement of thirty-seven specimens of 

 the eggs of Asia amerioanus {Sharpe), all 

 I can get at present average 1.59x1.30 

 inches. The three largest eggs measure 

 respectively 1.68x1.31. 1.60x1.38, 1.63 X 

 1.34, the two smallest 1.52x1.32 and 1.57 

 Xl.25 inches — see page 81, Vol. VI. — 

 Chas. E. Bendire, U. S. A. 



Death of William B. Dickinson. 



This j'oung and enthusiastic natiu'alist 

 contracted a fever while collecting speci- 

 mens in the ^-ilds of Florida which termi- 

 nated fatally at Palatka, Dee. 19, 1881. 

 Young Mr. Dickinson gave early indication 

 of a taste for natural science, and found 

 in his father not only an able instructor, 

 but that encouragement which an enthusi- 

 ast in liis profession can give, so that at 

 the early age of twenty-three years, the 

 time of his death, he ranked among the 

 first artists in his line of profession. Be- 

 ing of a genial disposition and a good 

 marksman, he had naturally won many 

 friends who will hear of his death with re- 

 gret. His relatives and friends, who were 

 anxiously awaiting the Spring to welcome 

 him home, feel their loss keenly, as he was 

 highly esteemed in his native place and 

 had won the respect of all who knew him. 



Humming Birds in Confinement. 



One of the most wonderful of nature's 

 beautiful works is the "hummer," its breast 

 covered with irredisent plumage, its wings 

 of gauze, hovering hither and thither over 

 the bright blossoms, in search of sweets 

 hidden in the depths of each corolla. 

 When the cup is drained, with a quick dart 

 he is away to other fields. 



I had often wished to coiupanionize 

 them, and was so favored this past Spring 

 April 14th. AMiile my son and myself 

 were out collecting, he found a nest of the 

 Allen hummer, (tSelasphorus alleni,) the 

 young just about to fiy. I carried them 

 home and fed them with sugar. After 

 three or four days taught them to thrust 

 their long wiry bills into a small glass 

 vase filled with white sugar syrup, which 

 they ate with a rapid thrusting of their 

 long thread-like white tongues, similar to 

 the lappings of a cat drinking milk. They 

 very soon learned to go to their cage and 

 feed themselves Thev were allowed to flv 



