34 



THE OOLOGIST. 



some frozen meat, which had perhaps 

 been thrown out for the dog. I accounted 

 for the unusual boldness and the strange 

 diet by the fact that there had been heavy 

 sleet storms a few weeks before and the 

 trees had been wholly, and still were par- 

 tially, coated as with mail. The incident 

 maj' strengthen the theory that the family 

 of Woodpeckers are departing from their 

 old habits and in time may follow the 

 Yellow-hammer's example. It is not un- 

 common to see the Hairj^ light on the 

 ground. 



I noticed a habit of the Horned Lark 

 this spring which I had not seen before. A 

 male was pursuing a female, uttering with 

 more animation and frequencj^ than usual 

 his " tsip, tsip." They flew close to the 

 ground for about sixty feet, when the 

 female suddenly lit. The male lit a few 

 feet oif, expanded his wings and tail 

 widely, and strutted around for a full half 

 minute "tsiping" continually. He then 

 flew to the female and immediately away, 

 with a triumphant air, while the female 

 kept on demurely feeding. 



I have heard the real song of the Chick- 

 adee a great many times this spring. 

 Once, while a bird was singing, I pulled 

 out my watch and counted thirty-two 

 songs in two minutes. The bird nearly 

 always erects his head, sways his body and 

 pours forth the strain with a sweet pathetic 

 intonation. One cloudy, chilly day in 

 January I heard one sing several times 

 from a bare maple spray. Soon after the 

 sun came out, the snow was fast melting 

 and the atmosphere was warm. The bird 

 seemed to feel the warming touch before 

 men did. But on April 8th I heard a var- 

 iation or coda to this usual song which in- 

 creased its effect a hundred per cent. It 

 consisted of two notes at a little interval 

 after the usual three, pitched lower, and 

 uttered with the most delicate and pure 

 tone. Going home and trying to reproduce 

 the song on the flute, 1 found some idea of 

 it might be given by the notes C, A, A, G 

 and E, descending, in the natural key, and 

 making the two A's eighth notes, the 

 others quarter notes. 



The Ruby-crowned Kinglet appeared in 

 few numbers April 8th. This bird is quite- 

 easily approached. The other day I was 

 watching one among the bushes, and sev- 

 eral times he let me get within arm i-each. 

 At another time I stood within five feet of 

 one, while he went through his whole 

 toilet process, eyeing me with a gentle look 

 of surprise and exposing his royal mark 

 continually. His eyes have a wonderfully 

 expressive look, and his plumage is simply 

 elegant. He does not always stay so low 

 down that it is easy to watch him, but 

 when he does you see him quickly glide 

 around the trees, every now and then 

 making a little eliptical journey in pursuit 

 of an insect, and with a very distinct snap- 

 ping of his bill, or hovering, like a hawk 

 moth, before an opening bud. I have not 

 had the fortunft yet to have heard his song 

 though I have waited patiently for it. It 

 is said to be a hot-house of melody, rival 

 ing even the Winter Wren's. The bird 

 stands next to the Humming Bird in size,, 

 being only about five inches long, and 

 Bradford Torrey tells us that in Boston it, 

 has been mistaken for the Humming Bird.. 

 S. L. Whitcomb, 

 Grinnell, la. 



A Difficult Climb After a Red-Tailed 

 Hawk's Nest. 



I am a physician with a large country 

 practice, located in a small town on Spoon 

 river, in central Illinois, with a grand, 

 prairie a few miles to the south and west of 

 me, and every degree of brush and timber 

 along the river and creeks. 



I have since childhood taken a great deal 

 of interest and delight in observing and 

 studying the inhabitants of these woods, 

 and prairies, especially the birds, their 

 nests and eggs ; and, being so advantage- 

 ously situated, I have had opportunities 

 not vouclLsafed to every one to observe the 

 birds and collect the eggs of the various 

 .species that frequent the timber lands, 

 prairies and water courses. I know of no- 

 class of men that have opportunities equal 

 to that of a physician with a country prac- 



