164 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 7-No. 21 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



OOLOGIST. 



A MONTULT MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO 

 THE STUDY OF BIRDS, THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



JOS. ar. WADE, EDITOR, 



with the co-operation of able Ornithological 

 Writers and Collectors. 



Subscription — fl.OOp^r atmu-m. Foreign subscrip- 

 tion $1.25 — including postage. Specimen 

 Copies Ten Cents. 



JOS. If. WADE, Norwich, Conn. 



Rose Breasted Grosbeak. — "Jack" is 

 this month, Jnly, four j'ears old, and is in 

 fine plumage, except the tail which has 

 again broken off without any joerceptihle 

 reason. The rose-colored breast and the 

 black head and back are very distinct and 

 dense in shade. He commenced his song 

 December 23, and has continued with little 

 intermission so far, and is as healthy to- 

 day as any wild bird. 



We gave ]iart of the life history of this 

 bird in confinement in No. 9, Vol. vi, to 

 which we refer our new readers. The lady 

 who brought "Jack" up made her usual 

 annual visit this month, and as a matter of 

 curiosity we arranged to be present at the 

 meeting. Tlie cage in which "Jack" is 

 confined is a large one, giving him all the 

 room required for comfort. As soon as the 

 lady came in sight, " Jack " sprang across 

 the cage "to meet her, and when she called 

 him by name he was wild with delight, 

 filling the cage as it were and singing the 

 sweetest notes imaginable all the while she 

 was present. And this has been repeated 

 every time the lady goes nenr the cage, 

 and he recognizes her at sight, no matter 

 what the dress might be or how it might 

 be changed. This has been continued now 

 for three Summers in succession and one 

 Winter. No bird receives better care than 

 this one, and he is continually petted and 

 yet to no one but the lady that raised him 

 does he ever make such a display of his 

 affections. 



Raven's Nest. — Since the 23d of Feb- 

 ruary, 1880, we have kept an English Ra- 

 ven which has not been confined but had 

 its liberty to go where it pleased, but it 

 has never strayed far from its home. For 

 the past year we have resided on Laurel 

 Hill, near the centre of Norwich City. The 

 east side of this hill is a wooded, rocky 

 precipice, about two hundred feet deep 

 and one or two hundred yards in extent. 

 Nature could not have made a place more 

 suitable to the habits of this bird, and dur- 

 ing the present month of July we have dis- 

 covered that it has built a perfect nest in 

 evei-y resj)ect. It is of the same materials 

 throughout and a perfect counterj^art of a 

 Crow's nest only it is somewhat larger. 

 This nest is near the upper surface of the 

 precipice on a large flat ledge of rock and 

 covered liy another similar rock. The nest 

 cannot be seen either from above or below. 

 We always supposed this bird to be pin- 

 ioned, bxit we have seen it make circling 

 flights of fifty to one hundred yards. 

 Wliether it is male or female, we know not. 

 Jako has led quite an interesting and 

 amusing life while in our possession, which 

 we would tell had we the room to do so. 



CowBrRD. — Charles Ed. Prior. Jewett 

 City, Conn., reports a Sparrow's nest on the 

 ground which contained four Sparrow's 

 eggs and three of the Cowbird. 



Dr. H. A. Atkins, Locke, Ingham Co., 

 Mich., writes as follows : 



June 1. — Cowbii-d laid an egg in the 

 nest of a Wood Thrush which then con- 

 tained two eggs. At 3. p. M. the Wood 

 Thrush laid another egg, four in all. I 

 have never found the Cowbird's egg in a 

 nest of so large a bird before 



June 2. — At 10 a. m. found nest of 

 Golden -crowned Thrush with two eggs 

 and three of the Cowbird, (five in all.) 

 Broke the eggs and found theju partially 

 incubated. One of the eggs was nearly 

 spherical. I think I have once or twice in 

 my life found three Cowbird's eggs in the 

 same nest. 



