THE OOLOGIST. 



41 



A MORAL PAIR OF SPARROW HAWKS. 



There is a Sparrow Hawk buildicg its 

 nest in the gable end of the Presbyterian 

 church here. The church is right on the 

 principal street of the town. Is it not un- 

 usual for that bird to build quite so near 

 to a town ? The church roof is very steep, 

 and there are two pieces put in the end of 

 the gable and the Hawk has built on those. 

 A. L. H., 

 Kankakee, 111. 



from michigan. 

 I found a nest on the ground with three 

 blue eggs in it. The nest was nothing 

 more than a hollow in the ground, and the 

 eggs (three in number) were almost exact- 

 ly like a Robin's. Can you tell me what 

 they are ? Do you suppose that a Wilson's 

 Thrush would la}' eggs on the bare ground? 

 You will greatly obfige me if you can tell 

 me what the eggs are. The measurement 

 is almost the same as the average Robin's 

 egg. D. G., 



Detroit, Mich. 



FROM KENTUCKY. 



Took first set of eggs of Brown Thrasher, 

 April 24, 1886, containing five of the 

 Brown Thrasher and one of the Cowbird. 

 Is it usual for the Cowbird to laj' in 

 Thrashers' nests? A. H., 



Covington, Ky. 



TWO SETS OF CROWS IN ONE NEST. 



April 24th, as I was on a collecting trip. 

 I found a Crow's nest containing eight 

 eggs. They differed no more in markings 

 than many eggs I have seen in the same 

 set, though one egg was smaller than the 

 rest ; but when I blew them I found that 

 four eggs were fresh, but in the other four 

 incubation was nearly completed. I sup- 

 pose that two Crows used the same nest. 

 Did anv one else ever see anj'thing like 

 this? ' H. P. D., 



Grinneli, la. 



ORIOLES NOT DESIROUS OF BEINC4 FOSTER- 



In 1883, after watching a pair of Ori- 

 oles build their nest, and having waited 

 sufficient lime for the hen bird" to have 

 completed her set of eggs, I took the nest 

 down, which was no easy matter, and 

 fovmd three of her own eggs and one of 

 the Cow-bird in it. Each egg had a hole 

 pecked in it. 



I have often seen birds desert their nests 

 when Cow-bird's eggs were deposited in 

 them, but not before or since have X seen 

 the birds so spiteful as to destroy all the 

 eggs. V. B. C, 



Port Hope. Ont. 



WATER BLOW-PIPE. 



The Water Blow-pipe mentioned in No. 1 

 of The Oologist is excellent. I would 

 suggest, howevei', that six feet of tubing is 

 enough to blow any egg with and is much 

 more convenient. Also, instead of punch- 

 ing a hole in the can and making it liable 

 leak, the tube may be led over the side of 

 the can, siphon-like, and fastened with 

 string. 'The water may be started by suck- 

 ing the end of the tube. 



J. R. H., 

 San Francisco, Cal. 



RUPUS-VENTED THRASHER. 



The number of eggs in the clutch of the 

 Rufus-veuted Thrasher is two to four in- 

 stead of two, as stated by Davie in his 

 Check List and in Coues Key. So far this 

 season I have taken 3b sets of the above, 

 22 of them were of three eggs, eight of two 

 eggs, and three sets of four. 



R. S., 

 Sacaton, Ariz; 



Texan's query. 

 A few days ago I killed a bird, a de- 

 scription of which is given below. Inside 

 of the bird I found one egg about the size 

 of a little Blue Heron's, and of a dirty- 

 white color. The head of the bird was 

 white, shoulders of a purplish color, shad- 

 ing oflf to slate color on the wings, tail 

 slate shading to black, breast and under 

 wings pure white, beak short and curved 

 under; tail about a foot long and forked. 

 The birds have very short wings and fre- 

 quent the woods adjoining the river. Will 

 you please give me the name of this bird 

 in the next issue of your highly interesting 

 little paper ? Also the name of a bird 

 which frequents the fields and marshy 

 places around here ? It has a small head 

 and long beak and legs, top of wings and 

 back of a dark gwiy mixed Avith brown, 

 and under wings ami breast a dirty white. 

 It is commonly called Plover here. If a 

 Plover, of what species ? 

 Yours truly, 



G. H. W., 

 Wharton, Tex. 



The State of Maine as a Field for 

 the Onnthologist. 



Having seen several times lately in 

 Natural Historj^ Papers, the question indi- 

 rectly asked, ' ' What sort of a locality is 

 Maine for the study of birds ? " we may 

 perhaps be excused if we endeavor to an- 

 swer the implied interrogation. In the 

 Check list of North Americjui birds, pub- 



