August, 1662.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



147 



think of no other combination so fitly to 

 represent the notes — " pBeur-psem-per-se- 

 ser" — and yet the termination is hardlj' 

 represented, which is often a rapidly spok- 

 en jingle, in a quickly diminishing tone, 

 though the first syllables are very slowly 

 and distinctly rendered. The ordinary 

 "chip" of the bird bears some resemblance 

 to that of the Hooded Warbler, being 

 equally clear and shai-ji, but rather louder 

 and deeper in tone. The Ijirds come early, 

 and from the places they affect would not 

 be observed, unless they commenced sing- 

 ing. My earliest record of hearing their 

 song is April 19th, 1880, but my friend 

 Harry Flint shot one of the bii-ds Feb. 

 15th, 1882. though he heard no song from 

 it. It is amusing to see the bird deliver- 

 ing his song. He throws back his head, 

 and exerts himself violently to give force 

 to his notes, taking a few steps along his 

 perch and balancing himself vigorously 

 between every deliverance. I have taken 

 sets of their eggs with spots very diminu- 

 tive and thinly scattered, but still enough 

 gathered together to form a ring. I have 

 taken sets also where the markings were so 

 numerous as almost to conceal the ground 

 color of the eggs, as completely spotted 

 over as a Skylark's, though of a different 

 tint. Another set has very dark mark- 

 ings, almost black, less numerous, but 

 averaging larger and more distinct, espec- 

 ially in the ring at the large end, measur- 

 ing about the same — 84x63. They are 

 usually a little pointed at the small end. 



Mr. H. B. Bailey has given me the fol- 

 lowing description of a nest and set which 

 I sent him in 1880. He says: "They are 

 hard eggs to describe, unlike anything else 

 I have, and description faUs to do them 

 justice. Eggs glossy, white grotuid, spot- 

 ted all over with brownish spots and 

 blushes and a few hair-like Unes, with a 

 few under shell markings of purple, 

 measuring 76 X 62, 74 X 60, 71 X 60. 7.5 X 61. 

 74x60. Nest outwardly of dried leaves, 

 moss and grass lined with finer gi-ass. and 



red moss seed fronds. I found the nest of 

 jViei-i?i!i hned with these same red things 

 in Maine, and take them to be some part 

 of moss."— J^. jV. dark. Old Sayhrook. Ct. 



Great Blue Heronby. — I went to a her- 

 onry near here and took one hundred and 

 three eggs (twenty-five sets) of the Great 

 Blue Heron. They ranged from two to six 

 in each set. Audubon says the Great 

 Blue Heron lays three eggs, and Coues in 

 Birds of the N. W. says: "Two or three 

 eggs are laid, probably never more." I 

 have taken about two hundred and seventy 

 eggs of this bird and have always found 

 from three to six eggs in a full set. In 

 only two cases have I found six, and I 

 consider that an unusually large number ; 

 but five is very common. In my last ex- 

 pedition the sets were as follows : nine of 

 five eggs, nine of four, three of three, 

 three of two, (all fresh), and one of six, 

 besides a single egg. — Morgan K. Bur- 

 num, Syrncuse. JV. Y. 



A Str.\nge Predicament. — Having seen a 

 strange bird fly down into some long grass 

 I walked up to "flush" it. I found an Or- 

 chard Oriole, which was so embarrassed 

 by the tall, thick grass that he coidd not 

 get free enough play for his wings to fly 

 up. Less frightened than might be ex- 

 pected, he made his way along to my com- 

 panion's foot, scrambled up to his knee, 

 and then took flight with ease. — H. T>. 

 Minot, Boston, Mass. 



Cliff H.\wk's Egg.s. — An egg. kindly 

 lu'ought me from Colorado, is, so far as 

 circumstantial evidence can satisfactorily 

 determine, a Cliff Hawk's (Falco Mexica- 

 riHs). It measm-es about 2.20x1-60, and 

 is of light reddish ground, freckled and 

 spotted with medium Vandyke brown. — 

 Iloirij T>. Miiiot. 



Blde Birds' Eggs. — B. W. Everman, 

 Bloomington, Indiana, reports taking a set 

 of five eggs, April 2d, from a box made on 

 purpose. This is the earliest report for 

 small eggs this season. 



