THE OOLOGIST. 



21 



my readers' cabinets. Three years have 

 ehipsed since this egg hunt took ph\ce. and 

 tlie birds have not been molested since. 

 This season I shall pay them another visit. 

 C. S. Shick, 

 Sea Isle City, N. J. 



Birds of Cortland Co., N. Y. 



To the Oologist : 



Cortland County is, I believe, as favored 

 as any inland county with bird life. It 

 certainly has as many enthusiastic collec- 

 tors and tine collections as one may see 

 anj'where. I have examined all of them I 

 could hear of, and have shot several birds 

 in its limits. I vpas naturally much inter- 

 ested in the list of Cortland birds, pub- 

 lished in the first number of the Oologist 

 for this year. jSI. D. M. Jr. has, I am 

 sure, neglected to insert many of the birds 

 that are not here. The list numbers 109, 

 while the Onondaga county list just pub- 

 lished contains 20^. 



I have seen skins, not mentioned on the 

 list, shot in Cortland county in 1885. 



Myiodioctes canadensis, L. Canadian 

 Fly-catching Warbler. 

 Common. 



Lanius borealis, \. 

 Shrike or Butcher bird 

 ter. Seen in January. 

 April 7th. 



Iridoproene bkolor. Coues. White-bel- 

 lied Swallow. Specimen secured ^laj 12. 

 May be rare. 



Ceniurus Carolimis. L. Red. bellied 

 Wood-pecker. Female shot January 1. 

 Not very common : resident. 



GdlMngo Wilsoni. Temm. Wilson's 

 Snipe. Fine one secured April 10. Not 

 rare in marshes. 



Fdlco SpaTverius. L. Sparrow Hawk. 

 Several brought to me. One preserved 

 July 27. A handsome hawk. 



Podilymbus podicipes. L. Pied-billed 

 Orebe. April 14, The most common va- 

 riety liere, I think. 



In a<ldition there are about sixteen spe- 

 cies which might be safely added to the 

 list. 



Shot May 28th. 



Great Northern 

 Common all win- 

 Shot specimen 



Pine Grosbeak and Redpoll. Pinicola 

 ermcleator, L. and Aegiothus linnrin. L., 

 of which I have seen winter flocks and Mr. 

 Hendrick has specimens. 



White-winged Cross-bill rare, specimen 

 in Haight's. 



Chewink, Pipio crythrophthalmus. L. 

 I have heard two or three speak of shoot- 

 ing them there. 



Acadian Owl and Long-eared Owl are 

 not uncommon, and I think I have seen 

 one Short-eared Owl there mounted. 



The Northern Goldtinch, Chryromitris 

 pinus is common in winter, but I have no 

 specimen secured in county limits. 



Of water birds there is quite a list. Wild 

 geese occasionally fly over. Old Wife or 

 Long-tailed duck Harelda glacialis, L. , still 

 found occasionally. Several specimens 

 may be seen. 



One Shoveller Dw-'k. Spotulaclypeata, L., 

 was shot by an acquaintance in 1885. 



Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged 

 Teal are not uncommon. 



Hooded Mergansers are rare, but the 

 common Merganser, Mergus merganser, L., 

 or fish-duck is common where there is 

 open water. 



At least one specimen of the large Avhite 

 Gull was stranded there lately and stun »d. 



A flock of small so-called Black-headed 

 Gulls flew over there a few years ago, and 

 I have seen one of them mounted. But 

 for the fact of its not being mentioned, I 

 should judge that the lady keeping it was 

 M. D. M., Jr. This was, I suppose, the 

 Chroicocephalus atridlla, L., or Laughing 

 Gull. May good luck attend all bird 

 lovers. F. W. Higgins, M. D., 



March 10, 1886. Chemung, N. Y. 



A Popular Nest. 



On May 5th, 1885, I took a set of six 

 Bronzed Grackle's eggs from a nest in a 

 small Cottonwood tree on the banks of a 

 creek. Passing that way again on the 15th 

 of May a Grackle flew off from the nest, 

 and on climbing I found another set of five 

 eggs. June 9th, while passing in under 

 the tree I found a large blue egg on the 



