June, 1882.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



135 



Sandpiper among' the l)oo^8. and >in<ler tlie 

 ovcrliang-ini,' hog gniKs. until at a safe dis- 

 tance, when, being joined by the mate, 

 botli comtuenee an angry chiri-uping at the 

 intruder, which is increased as they per- 

 ceive him searching for their nest, wliich 

 is usually finished and ready for eggs about 

 the 5th of May, placed on a bog generally 

 on one side of it. One nest taken May 

 19th, 1877, was under a stump about ten 

 feet from a brook. The nest has no spec- 

 ial lining, except an occasional horse hair 

 and a little fine wire grass. The outer ma- 

 terials are wire grass, mixed with some 

 coarser grasses. It is rather neater in finish 

 than M. melodi.a's nest, which, however, it 

 resembles more than any other species 

 with which I am acquainted. Its meas- 

 urements are usually about four inches 

 outside, and two inside: diameter with a 

 depth of about one and three-fourths 

 inches. One nest found May 24th, 1878, 

 was five and a half inches in depth. Sets 

 are usually four or five, the latter being 

 the largest number I ever found.* They 

 vary in size and color to a great extent. 

 May '21st. 1878, found a nest and set of 

 foiu- in a bog surrounded by water. The 

 eggs were of a small ground green, dashed 

 and spotted with light brown and lilac. 

 May 24th, 1879, found a set of five, two of 

 which had rings of lilac and brown spots 

 around the smaller end. May 15th, 1880, 

 found a set of five, all the eggs heavily 

 marked with reddish brown. Nest as 

 usual, in a liog, but June 15th. 1881, I 

 found a nest in a bush three feet from the 

 ground, the eggs with usual markings, but 

 the queerest position of any nest I ever 

 found. I coidd not be mistaken in identi- 

 ty, having seen the bird several times at 

 the nest. The earliest sets I have ever 

 taken were two of five each, May 5th, 

 1877, and the latest, June 12th and 13th, 

 1881.— W. P. Tarrant, Saratofja. JST. Y. 



*We have a set of six taken by Delos 

 Hatch, Oak Centre, Wis.. May 27, 1881.— 

 Ed.] 



Petrified Nest and Eggs. 



While examining the collection of Dr. S. 

 Woolverton of this city I was shown a pet- 

 rified bird's nest, containing two eggs, 

 which was found in a cave near Woodstock, 

 Out., several years ago. It seemed to be 

 formed of sticks, which outside were placed 

 longitudinally, but in the cavity laid hori- 

 zontally. Many were as much as five-eighths 

 of an inch in diameter, but jirobably in- 

 creased by their coating of lime precipi- 

 tate. What had the appearance of moss 

 was laid around the edges. The eggs, also 

 petrified, lay near the centre of the nest, 

 the larger end of one adjacent to the 

 smaller end of the other. The external 

 dimensions of the nest are 5x5 inches, 

 the cavity being 3|^ X 3 ; the eggs both in 

 size and appearance resembling a chaparral 

 cock's. The whole weighed about two 

 pounds, all the interstices between the 

 sticks having been filled with the carbon- 

 ate, welding them into a homogeneoiis 

 stony mass. As a whole, it greatly resem- 

 bled the lava-like formation of stalactites 

 generally. The species is unknown, but 

 the doctor thinks it belongs to a Pewee, 

 the eggs being abnormally enlarged by the 

 lime formation, as also the straws, which 

 have the apj)earance of sticks. — G. S. 

 Smith, Londo'ii, Ont. 



'■ No M.iN's Land. Some thrilling experi- 

 ences in the Ai-ctic regions. A lonely place 

 where the sun never sets. Graphic descrip- 

 tion by a United States Marine." Under 

 the above title appeared in the Boston 

 Herald of March 4, an exceedingly inter- 

 esting article on bird life and other matters 

 in the Arctic regions. Among the bii'ds 

 taken were "Ptarmigan with their large 

 broods. Snow Buntings, several sj^ecies of 

 Curlews and Phalarope," also, "Eider 

 Ducks in immense numbers, Wild Geese 

 with their young. Auks, Puffins, Guille- 

 mots, "Sea Falcons," which were caught 

 with hook and line for the table. The ar- 

 ticle is novel and fasinating. 



