40 



THE OOLOQI8T 



weight in insects. — Western Story 

 Magazine. — W. A. Strong, San Jose, 

 Cal. 



AN EARLY 1921 RECORD 

 February 2nd, 1921, born to Mr. and 

 Mrs. Emerson A. Stoner, Benicia, Cali- 

 fornia, a nine pound girl, Jean Muriel. 



THE PRAIRIE CHICKEN IN CEN- 

 TRAL IOWA 



The year 1921, we think will pass 

 without a Prairie Chicken being seen 

 in Story County, Iowa. 



Who of us would, in the 70's, and 

 early 80's, have dreamed it would be 

 exterminated from our prairies? 



In the early 70's, I doubt if there 

 was a' forty acre tract of prairie land 

 in the county, that did not contain 

 from one to a half dozen nests in the 

 proper season, and I remember of see- 

 ing one spring, no less than six nests 

 containing roasted eggs, where a 

 prairie fire had swept over, burning 

 out the old grass; and all these were 

 noted in walking across a section of 

 land in ati almost straight line. 



In winter, they would congregate in 

 enormous droves, and it was then that 

 the settlers would trap them by the 

 barrel, and sell them to the poultry 

 dealers, to be shipped east. 



They used to be considered a good 

 weather barometer too, for after a few 

 days of clear cold weather, and the 

 sky would begin to get gray and 

 threaten another snow and blizzard, 

 they would gather by the hundreds in 

 the trees along the streams and in the 

 groves, and cackle or sing, that I have 

 never heard described by those who 

 write of the bird. 



After all, it was not the trapping, 

 the gun nor the prairie fires that 

 caused his destruction, but simply 

 because there are no places left for 

 them to nest undisturbed. 



In this locality we will never be 

 able lo see them congregate on seme 



knoll, of an early spring morning, and 

 hear that wonderful "boom," that to 

 one who was "raised up" with them, 

 looks so funny in print by those who 

 try to describe it. 



A. A. Cole, 

 Nevada, Iowa. 



Another Swan Murdered 

 In a local paper dated about the 

 first of January appeared an article 

 stating that two well known ranch- 

 men in San Angelo, Texas, had killed 

 a most wonderful bird that had all the 

 natives guessing as to its identity, it 

 was snow white, long neck, some 

 tihree feet long, black feet like a 

 goose, black bill like a duck and swam 

 on the water like a duck, with a wing 

 spread of seven feet, and when held 

 up by its bill at full lengths its feet 

 touched the ground. I cut the notice 

 out and' sent it to the U. S. Deputy 

 game warden for our state, in hopes 

 (hat he might enlighten them on the 

 identity of our friend the SWAN, I re- 

 ceived a letter in reply and thanks 

 from him .'^tating that he had investi- 

 gated the case and enlightened them 

 to the extent that they had killed a 

 SIBERIAN SWAN? Would liked to 

 have seen that bird myself having 

 never heard of that specie of Swan 

 around here. Have any of the read- 

 ers? Geo. E. Maxon. 

 Ft. Worth, Texas. 



Spotless Kingbirds' Eggs 

 In the summer of 1916 while a 

 friend and I were out in search for 

 Crows' nests one afternoon, I had a 

 very pleasant surprise in finding a 

 Kingbird nest which held two spotless 

 eggs. This was on June 20th. I left 

 the nest and eggs hoping to get a com- 

 plete set later. Examining the nest 

 again on June 24th but there were 

 still only two eggs and fearing that 

 something disastrous might happen to 



